Pokemon Eclipse Version

Chapter 5: Ace in the Hole

Late last night, Eclipse had limped into the Pokemon Center, where she was utterly confused when she met a young man with red hair, brown eyes, and a pink shirt. The man introduced himself as Nurse Jon. When Eclipse asked him who the heck he was and where Nurse Joy was, Nurse Jon launched into an angry explanation about how not all nurses were female. Then he took Eclipse’s pokeballs, telling her huffily that Nurse Joy would be along shortly to heal Eclipse’s burn wounds.

The next day, Eclipse was feeling much better. She had had a good breakfast, and her leg had a salve made of rawst  and oran berries, which both soothed the pain, and accelerated the healing.

While she was reading in the lobby, waiting for her Pokemon to be restored, Nurse Jon placed two pokeballs on the end table next to her. She looked up at him confused, before saying “I don’t have two Pokemon. Only one. Did you mix up my party with someone else’s?”

Nurse Jon either didn’t hear her, or ignored her because he walked off without responding.

Eclipse decided she’d have a much better chance of returning the pokeballs to their rightful owner if she knew what Pokemon were inside them. So she let out the Pokemon within.

One of them was Mango. He seemed much happier than last night, but that might’ve been the fact that he was sleeping rather heavily when Eclipse let him out.

The other pokeball contained a rather familiar Slugma.

“You!” Eclipse cried. “Are you that Slugma I tripped on last night?”

“Ma?” Slugma asked, utterly confused as to where it was.

“I guess that’s a yes. So, you somehow ended up as my Pokemon, huh?”

“Sluh?” Slugma asked, still confused.

“You’ll need a name, then,” Eclipse continued. “Hm… Igneous? No, that’s too long… Um, how about… Iggy!”

“Ma!” Iggy said.

“You like that name, I guess? Okay, Iggy it is!” Eclipse said. Suddenly she grinned. “Wait… you’re a Fire type, aren’t you?”

“Ma,” Iggy confirmed.

“And Ashley’s a Grass type gym leader… Ha ha! I can probably sweep her with just you, Iggy! This is fantastic, I did get something done yesterday! It wasn’t all bad!”

“Sluh,” Iggy said.

“Okay then Oh! I bet I could teach you that TM Solar gave me, too!” Eclipse realized. She took out Flamethrower, and handed it to Iggy. Iggy stared at it, utterly confused as to how it worked.

“Uh… I think it works like this…?” Eclipse muttered, pressing the button in the center. A red stream of light left the disc, and went into Iggy’s eyes After a second the light died down, leaving the disc cold and grey. A countdown had begun on a small screen on the TM.

“...So, Iggy, do you feel any smarter?” Eclipse asked after a few minutes had passed.

“...Sluh?” Iggy asked before yawning.

“I’ll just take that as a yes. Let’s go.”

Eclipse returned her Pokemon, and returned to the Anima Town gym.

Welcome back, challenger Eclipse, Ava greeted her. Good luck on your second attempt at defeating Gym Leader Ashley.

Eclipse nodded at the AI Gothitelle, before proceeding to the battle arena.

“Oh, I recognize you! You’re that girl with the Sapleef from yesterday!” Ashley said. “Back already? I hope you’ve improved. I’m not going easy on you. Go, Drifkit!”

The brown and white fluffy kitten floated gracefully above the arena. “Driiiii!”

“Don’t worry,” Eclipse muttered, half to herself. “Go, Iggy!”

The Slugma looked up at its opponent on the battlefield, before yawning. “Sluuuuuuh?”

“A Slugma? They’re not native to here,” Ashley commented. “Where did you find it?”

“I, uh… tripped on it.”

“You what?”

“Tripped on it. And my pokeball landed on its head,” Eclipse said, louder.

Ashley nodded, thoughtfully. “At any rate, don’t you think that in a Grass gym I’ll have thought of a way to deal with Fire types? Drifkit!”

Eclipse figured her best bet would be to knock out Drifkit before it got to Iggy. “Iggy, Flamethrower!”

“Sluuuuuuh!” Iggy yawned loudly, instead of obeying Eclipse.

“Looks like your Slugma’s a bit too strong for you!” Ashley commented. “Now, Drifkit! Poison Powder!” Drifkit yawned in response to Iggy, before curling up into a ball, and falling asleep. “Drifkit, what are you doing? When did that Slugma have a chance to use a sleep inducing move on you?”

Eclipse frowned, pointing her Poke-cell at Iggy and using the Pokedex app on it. A list of Iggy’s moves popped up, among which were included Acid Armor, Yawn, Smog, and Protect. In fact, it seemed that Iggy’s only damaging move was Flamethrower, which Eclipse had taught him.

“Iggy, good work,” Eclipse said. “Now, Flamethrower!” Iggy ignored Eclipse again, instead using Acid Armor and Smokescreen, spewing out smoke while becoming a bit more liquid-like.  “Iggy! You have to use a damaging move at some point! We need to win this battle, so Flamethrower!”

Iggy continued to ignore Eclipse, as he spat out a steady stream of toxins at Drifkit, using Smog. Soon, Drifkit started to take on a purple-ish tint.

“Maaaaaaa,” Iggy said, content with his work. He started setting up multiple barriers with Reflect, Iron Defense, Protect, and Light Screen. He began pacing around inside his fortress to keep warm, while Drifkit slumbered away and began taking damage from the poison.

Slowly, Drifkit woke up. However, by then much of its health was gone. It glared angrily at Iggy, safe behind his shields, and started hammering away at them with Vine Whip and Razor Leaf.

Iggy looked at Drifkit, before creating a small glowing orb which floated through the barriers, circled around Drifkit, and then entered the small catlike Pokemon’s forehead. For a moment Drifkit looked around confused, then it floated towards a wall and began to repeatedly bang its head into it, the poison still whittling away at Drifkit’s health.

“Your Slugma has a rather infuriating moveset,” Ashley commented, returning her Pokemon as it finally fainted. “Almost like it’s trying to win without taking a bit of damage, or doing much damage either. Nevertheless, this next one should be harder to take out… Branchefleur! Go!”

A small deerlike Pokemon materialized on the field. It had large, dewy eyes, tail and ears like leaves, and small branchlike antlers coming from its head, small leaves budding from it.

“Cheh?” it asked, sweetly.

“Ma!” Iggy let out another Smog, which quickly made contact with Branchefleur.

“Cheh!” The Branchefleur jumped swiftly to the side, but couldn’t avoid being poisoned.

“Branchefleur, Mega Drain!”

“Cheeeeeeeh!” Small green lights zipped from Iggy to Branchefleur, and Iggy sputtered in pain.

“Iggy, Flamethrower, now!” Eclipse commanded, figuring Iggy probably couldn’t wait it out like he did last time.

It seemed that Iggy thought so too, for he, shockingly, obeyed. A jet of flame came from the magma slug, torching the leaf deer.

“Fleuuuuuuuuur!” Branchefleur whined, before falling. Ashley returned her.

“That was a great battle! You improved a lot from last time!” Ashley called. “Ava, can you give Eclipse a badge, please!”

The Gothitelle handed Eclipse a small, metal object. “Congratulations, Challenger Eclipse. Please accept your Sprout Badge.”

Eclipse took it, and placed it in her badge case. She smiled at Iggy. “Great job, Iggy! Now, return!”