"What?! No way?! Ash, you actually caught Jigglypuff!" Brock yelled. When it came to the pink menace, Brock was at the top of the list for terror, ever since he helped Jigglypuff get its voice back in Kanto, the Pokémon had put their whole group to sleep countless times!
May asked curiously, "Ash, how did you manage to resist Jigglypuff's hypnosis?"
Ash had to explain that he had awakened his Aura. Everyone was astonished, having no idea that Ash had become an "ability user." Ash told them he was telling them because he trusted them, and they decided they would keep it a secret.
With their sights set on Mauville City, Ash and his friends successfully arrived!
After arriving, they first went to the Pokémon Center to get their Pokémon checked up. Then, the group marched toward the Mauville Gym. Ash was excited, as it had been a while since his last Gym battle.
Ash went to push the front door open, but it immediately gave way, crashing down with a loud bang. Ash's mouth twitched—they were about to get a free roller coaster ride. This trip was already worth it just for that.
As soon as Ash and the others stepped on the fallen door, the mechanism activated. Handles appeared on both sides, and then—"AAAHHHH!"—the thrilling roller coaster ride began.
When the ride stopped, Max exclaimed excitedly, "That was so fun! I can't believe challenging a gym comes with a free roller coaster ride."
May, on the other hand, was still shaken, saying she would never ride a roller coaster again.
"What an unusual way to welcome a challenger," Brock said, calming himself down.
"It's not over yet!" Ash looked up ahead.
?(??'?'?)?????? "What?!" x3
A gate ahead opened, and they saw a magnificent, tiger-like Pokémon blocking the way.
"Ah! It's Raikou!" Max exclaimed in shock. This was a Legendary Pokémon!
"That's a fake," Ash said. "It's just a mechanical Raikou. But the craftsmanship is really impressive, it looks exactly like the real thing," he said, admiring the robot.
"Huh? It's fake?!" Everyone knew that Ash could tell the difference with his Aura, but it was still hard to believe. It would be impossible for an Electric-type Gym to have a Raikou, a Legendary, anyway!
The mechanical Raikou fired a bolt of electricity. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt to send it back!" Ash quickly ordered.
"Pikachu" A yellow current dispersed the robot's electricity and struck it, causing it to explode!
At that moment, a side door opened. "Wahahaha! This is great! I'm so happy! I can't believe you took down my Raikou Robot #2 so easily. Don't worry, you won't have to pay for the damages!" An old man with a white beard and a bespectacled young man walked out. The old man was the one who had spoken.
"Welcome everyone to the Mauville Gym," the young man greeted them.
"So, this really is the..." May started, then finished the thought in her head. "...Mauville Gym, not an amusement park!"
"That's right! I'm the Gym Leader Wattson, and this is my assistant Walter!" Wattson introduced himself.
Ash and the others introduced themselves and stated their intentions.
"Excellent! It's been a long time since I've had such an energetic challenger! This is great! A happy child is like a Thunderbolt! Hahahaha!" Wattson laughed loudly, then led Ash and the others to the battlefield.
"Alright, the Mauville Gym battle is about to begin. Each trainer will use three Pokémon. The battle is over when one side's Pokémon are all unable to fight," Walter announced, acting as the referee.
"I'll be using Magnemite, Voltorb, and Magneton because I've been with these guys for a long time," Wattson said, confident in his abilities and revealing his Pokémon.
Ash wasn't to be outdone: "Then my team will be Phanpy, Aggron, and Pikachu. I believe in my partners, too!"
Wattson laughed loudly at this. "Hahaha, perfect! I like you, Ash!"
"Alright then, I'll start! Go, Magnemite!" Wattson sent out his first Pokémon.
Ash nodded. "I choose you, Phanpy!"
[Magnemite]
[Strength: Elite-level - Late stage]
"Magnemite, use Swift!" Wattson didn't hold back and attacked first!
"Phanpy, Stomp!" The ground wave and the stars collided! Boom!
"Magnemite, use Confuse Ray!" A purple light shot out from Magnemite, aiming for Phanpy!
"Phanpy, use Dig to avoid it, then use Earth Power!" "Pha~" Phanpy dug into the ground to hide, then reappeared below Magnemite. A super-effective Earth Power was launched, but Magnemite surprisingly held on.
"The Sturdy ability activated!" Ash muttered.
"Haha, good! Go, Magnemite, use Flash Cannon!" A silver beam of light attacked. Just then, "Phapha" a blue and white light of evolution shone from Phanpy's body.
"Wow, it's evolving!" May and Max exclaimed. It was evolving in the middle of a battle!
Phanpy grew bigger and sprouted two large tusks. "Don~" The Flash Cannon hit Donphan, but its incredible defense meant it didn't take any damage.
[Donphan]
[Ability: Sand Veil]
[Strength: Elite-level - Peak]
[Moves: Fire Fang, Thunder Fang, Earthquake, Sandstorm...]
Ash smiled. He had been waiting for this moment. "Alright! Go, Donphan, a full-power Earthquake!"
"Don~" Donphan stomped on the ground. A powerful ground wave surged toward Magnemite. Magnemite didn't have time to react and was sent flying.
"Magnemite is unable to battle! Donphan wins!"
"Hahaha~ That was incredible! Next up, go Voltorb!"
[Voltorb]
[Strength: Gym Leader-level - Early stage]
"Return, Donphan. Let's leave the rest to our other partners." Ash recalled Donphan. "Go, Aggron! Use Metal Sound!"
Ash attacked first. An ear-piercing sound filled the entire field, lowering Voltorb's Special Defense.
"Voltorb, give it a Thunderbolt!" Wattson was finally able to use an Electric-type move and wanted to celebrate with a Thunderbolt.
"Aggron, use Iron Defense, then use Earth Power!" A silver shield formed in front of Aggron, absorbing the electricity. It then gathered a yellow energy in its mouth and shot it at Voltorb.
"This time I have a trick! Magnet Rise!" Voltorb's electricity created a magnetic force, lifting it into the air and making ground moves ineffective.
"Magnet Rise?! What kind of move is that?" May asked in confusion.
"It's an Electric-type move that makes a Pokémon float in the air, making Ground-type moves useless!" Brock explained.
Max was speechless. "Sister, you really need to read up on this stuff!"
"Ash, it's my turn to counterattack! A continuous Electro Ball!" Voltorb rapidly gathered three electric orbs and shot them at Aggron!
"Aggron, just charge through! Heavy Slam!" A silver light enveloped Aggron as it broke through the electric orbs and, with a boom, struck Voltorb. Bang! Voltorb was defeated.
"Aggron~" Aggron panted. Tiny electric sparks passed through its armor, a result of Voltorb's Static ability.
"Haha, thank you very much, Voltorb!" Wattson recalled Voltorb and sent out his final Pokémon—Magneton!
"You go get some rest, too, Aggron!" You really can't underestimate any Gym Leader! After all, Aggron was a whole level stronger than Voltorb.
"I choose you, Pikachu!" "Pikapi~" Pikachu entered the field, sparks crackling on its cheeks.
[Magneton]
[Strength: Gym Leader-level - Late stage]
"Thunderbolt!" x2
Boom!!
"Haha, Ash, you're exactly my kind of challenger! Magneton, use Lock-On!" A red circle locked onto Pikachu.
Ash quickly had a thought. "Pikachu, don't let it get that off! Use Quick Attack and Iron Tail!"
Bang! Pikachu was incredibly fast. Magneton was sent flying by Pikachu's attack, but its Sturdy ability activated, and the Lock-On effect was canceled.
This time, Wattson looked at Pikachu seriously. An Elite Four-level Pikachu! "Magneton, use a full-power Tri Attack!"
"Pikachu, a full-power Thunderbolt!" "Pikachu"
Three different-colored beams of light collided with the yellow current, but the current overpowered them, striking Magneton!
"Magneton is unable to battle! Pikachu wins! The winner is Ash from Pallet Town!" Walter announced.
"Yay! Ash won!" Max and May cheered.
"Haha, Ash, I'm completely satisfied with this loss!" Wattson laughed, walking over and handing Ash the badge. "This is proof of your victory over me, the Dynamo Badge!"
Ash took the badge and held it up. "Alright! I got the Dynamo Badge!" "Pikapi~"
[Ding~ You have received the Dynamo Badge. Reward: 1000 points]