Chapter Twenty-Four: The Dojo Doubles Match

Because Cheng Cheng and Ash had never worked together before, they spent the evening before the Gym Challenge rehearsing their teamwork. Cheng Cheng chose Mr. Mime as his Pokémon, while Ash, of course, went with Pikachu. Their sparring partners were Brock’s Marshtomp and May’s Beautifly.

“All right, both sides ready? The match starts now!” Max officiated this time, though that wasn’t particularly important.

“Go, Marshtomp! Use Water Gun!”

“Beautifly, use Silver Wind!”

The Silver Wind wrapped around the Water Gun, making the attack even more powerful.

“Mr. Mime, use Barrier to block the attack!”

“Pikachu, use Quick Attack!”

Mr. Mime struggled to hold back the combined assault with Barrier, while Pikachu dashed toward Beautifly in a blur.

“Beautifly, dodge quickly!”

Beautifly evaded Pikachu’s attack, breaking up the pincer move. Mr. Mime managed to successfully block the attack.

“Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!”

“Beautifly, dodge!”

“Marshtomp, you dodge too!”

Brock and May both commanded their Pokémon to escape, but Cheng Cheng wasn’t about to let them have their way.

“Mr. Mime, use Psychic to hold Beautifly and Marshtomp in place!”

Mr. Mime’s Psychic froze both Pokémon where they stood, and Thunderbolt struck them head-on. Being a Water-type and a Flying-type, they were no match for Pikachu’s Thunderbolt.

“Mr. Mime, toss them away!”

“Pikachu, use Volt Tackle!”

“Pika-pika-pika-pikachu~!”

With a flourish, Mr. Mime hurled both Pokémon aside, and Pikachu’s Volt Tackle hit them squarely, knocking Marshtomp and Beautifly out of the fight.

“Marshtomp and Beautifly are unable to battle. The winners are Ash and Cheng Cheng!”

“You two were amazing!”

“No, it was really Cheng Cheng who was impressive. If he hadn’t blocked the attack and held Marshtomp and Beautifly, Pikachu wouldn’t have hit them.”

“That’s right. Even though most of the attacks came from Pikachu, Cheng Cheng’s Mr. Mime played the crucial role.”

Cheng Cheng accepted their praise with a smile. Pikachu was already formidable, but under Ash’s command, if not for the protagonist’s luck, victory would not be so certain. In the anime, this match had dazzled the audience; he doubted that in reality, one could coat oneself in electricity, especially not a Flying-type like Swellow.

Cheng Cheng knew that tomorrow’s opponents would be Lunatone and Solrock, both Psychic and Rock types, which put Pikachu at a disadvantage. Cheng Cheng had considered using his Slowpoke, a Water-type, but Slowpoke’s abilities were still a bit unreliable, and he hadn’t trained it much. After some thought, and for better synergy with Pikachu, Cheng Cheng decided to go with the defensive and controlling Mr. Mime.

After that, Cheng Cheng and Ash practiced their coordination again. Determined to win, they gave it their all.

The next day, Cheng Cheng and Ash arrived at the Verdanturf City Gym.

“This is a two-on-two Pokémon battle. The Gym uses Solrock and Lunatone. Neither side may switch Pokémon. When both Pokémon on one side are unable to battle, the match ends. Challengers, send out your Pokémon!”

“Pikachu, it’s your turn!”

“Pika!”

“I’m counting on you, Mr. Mime!”

“Mime!”

“Both sides ready? Begin!”

“Solrock, use Tackle on Pikachu!”

“Lunatone, Tackle as well!”

The Gym Leaders wasted no time attacking, but after a night of practice, Pikachu and Mr. Mime weren’t so easy to catch off guard.

“Mr. Mime, use Barrier!”

Barriers appeared in front of Pikachu and Mr. Mime, completely blocking Lunatone and Solrock’s Tackles.

“Pikachu, use Iron Tail!”

Pikachu’s Iron Tail struck Solrock squarely.

“Solrock, put some distance between you and Pikachu!”

“Lunatone, you too!”

Lunatone and Solrock retreated.

“Ash,” Cheng Cheng called.

“Got it.”

They were about to use the strategy they’d discussed the night before.

“Pikachu, use Quick Attack on Lunatone and Solrock!”

“Mr. Mime, use Barrier!”

“Lunatone, dodge Pikachu’s attack, then use Ice Beam!”

“Solrock, use Solar Beam on Pikachu!”

Lunatone and Solrock easily dodged Pikachu’s Quick Attack. Lunatone fired Ice Beam, while Solrock began gathering energy.

“Pikachu, dodge quickly!”

“Pika-pika!”

Pikachu evaded the Ice Beam.

“Lunatone, keep using Ice Beam on Pikachu!”

“Pikachu, dodge with Quick Attack!”

Mr. Mime was still busy setting up Barriers.

“Solar Beam, fire!”

As Pikachu dodged Lunatone’s Ice Beam, Solrock’s Solar Beam was ready and shot straight at Pikachu.

Pikachu had just dodged the beam and couldn’t possibly evade this one. Yet, in a strange maneuver, Pikachu slipped away from the Solar Beam.

“Mime~!”

Mr. Mime had used Psychic at just the right moment, pulling Pikachu out of midair and out of harm’s way.

Just as both sides prepared to attack again, the Gym’s ceiling suddenly collapsed, revealing open sky.

“What’s going on?”

“Since you’ve so earnestly asked, we’ll be merciful and tell you…”

This time, Team Rocket recited their lines in song.

“Team Rocket—again!”

A giant robot head appeared before everyone, towering higher than the Gym’s roof—a good seven or eight meters tall. Cheng Cheng was once again amazed by Team Rocket’s engineering.

“Ha! This time, we’re here to capture Lunatone and Solrock!”

“We specially built this machine, nya! It’s called ‘Caged Bird No. 1 Robot’!”

“That name’s a bit of a mouthful, isn’t it?” James quipped at Meowth’s naming.

“All right, enough talk. Let’s hurry up and grab Solrock and Lunatone!”

“How dare you destroy the Gym! We won’t let you get away with this! Go, Lunatone!”

“Go, Solrock!”

“Haha, you’re coming to us? We won’t be polite then! Get ready for our signature move—Caged Bird!”

Two metal rings shot toward Solrock and Lunatone, trapping them instantly.

“Solrock, use Psychic to break free!”

“Lunatone, you too!”

But neither’s Psychic worked.

“What’s going on? Why isn’t Psychic working?”

“Hahaha! To catch Solrock and Lunatone, we specially built these cages, nya! They rebound all Psychic-type moves, and nothing can get in from the outside, nya!”

“All right, enough talk. Let’s get out of here!”

“Stop right there!”

Flannery and Tate rushed after them, with Cheng Cheng and Ash following close behind.

“Mr. Mime, use Psychic!”

“It’s useless, nya! Psychic has no effect!”

As the robot fled, it suddenly crashed into something.

“I didn’t mean to control you with Psychic, but to control the glass Barrier Mr. Mime just created.”

A massive glass Barrier, made up of many panes, now blocked the robot’s path.

“Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!”

Pikachu’s Thunderbolt struck Team Rocket, causing the machine to malfunction.

“What’s happening?!”

“Oh no, nya! To save money, we used secondhand and scavenged parts everywhere—that’s bad, nya!”

As usual, the machine exploded, and Solrock and Lunatone broke free.

“Leave the rest to us!”

“Solrock, use Solar Beam!”

“Lunatone, use Ice Beam!”

“And now, both of you use Psychic!”

A barrage of attacks rained down, and at last, Team Rocket’s classic line echoed out:

“Looks like Team Rocket’s blasting off again!”

“All right, Ash, though we had an interruption and the Gym was destroyed, it’s fine—we’ll finish the battle right here!”

“No problem, let’s keep going!”

“We now resume the two-on-two Pokémon battle! Ready, begin!”

“Solrock, use Psychic on Pikachu!”

“Lunatone, use Ice Beam on Pikachu!”

Solrock’s Psychic pinned Pikachu in place, while Lunatone’s Ice Beam streaked toward him.

“What about me? Mr. Mime, use Barrier!”

Mr. Mime’s Barrier shielded Pikachu, blocking the Ice Beam.

“Mr. Mime, use Psychic to disrupt Solrock!”

Mr. Mime’s Psychic disrupted Solrock, ending its hold.

“Pikachu, use Thunderbolt on Solrock!”

“Lunatone, use Light Screen!”

Lunatone’s Light Screen bounced Pikachu’s Thunderbolt back.

“Mr. Mime, use Light Screen too!”

Mr. Mime’s Light Screen reflected the Thunderbolt again, this time hitting Lunatone. Though Electric moves aren’t particularly effective against Rock types, this was Pikachu’s Thunderbolt—no easy thing to shrug off.

“Solrock, use Stone Edge on Mr. Mime!”

“Lunatone, use Hypnosis!”

Solrock’s Stone Edge flew at Mr. Mime, but was blocked by Barrier.

“Pikachu, use Volt Tackle!”

“It’s no use—Lunatone, use Hypnosis!”

Lunatone’s Hypnosis targeted Pikachu, who seemed doomed to be hit.

“Mr. Mime, now use Psychic!”

But Mr. Mime wasn’t controlling Pikachu—he was moving the previously created glass Barriers, piece by piece, in front of Pikachu. This time, the Barriers weren’t so transparent, so Pikachu could see them.

Pikachu used the floating glass panels as stepping stones, dashing straight up to Lunatone and Solrock. Volt Tackle landed hard on Solrock!

“Mr. Mime, use Psychic again!”

Mr. Mime repeated the tactic, sending glass Barriers flying at Lunatone, knocking it down.

“Pikachu, finish them off with Iron Tail!”

Steel-type Iron Tail was highly effective against Rock types. At last, Solrock and Lunatone were unable to battle.

“Solrock and Lunatone are unable to battle. The winners are Ash from Pallet Town and Cheng Cheng from Lavaridge City!”

“We did it!”

Ash cheered nonstop.

Cheng Cheng was delighted too—this had been his most intense team battle yet. Mr. Mime had been the perfect support, and Cheng Cheng felt he’d found the path for Mr. Mime to follow in the future.

“Congratulations on your victory. This is the Mind Badge, proof of defeating the Verdanturf Gym.”

“Congratulations, Ash and Cheng Cheng!”

Both Ash and Cheng Cheng received a badge. Though Cheng Cheng wouldn’t be competing in the Ever Grande Conference, it made for a wonderful keepsake.

With their victory secured, Ash and Cheng Cheng prepared to head for the next city.