Sometime after the Absol incident, the gang had left Izabe Island and had come to a city called Sootopolis Gym. This city was where Ashlyn could earn her final gym badge for the Hoenn League.
"Finally, I can earn my last gym badge," Ashlyn beamed, "then I can register up for the Hoenn League."
"I wonder what this gym leader is like." May pondered.
Brock took a look in the guidebook. "Well it says here that the gym leader is a man named Juan and he uses water type Pokémon, just like Misty in Cerulean City," He informed, "Oh, and it says here that Juan was a coordinator in his time, and he became top coordinator."
"Well this is going to make the gym battle more interesting." Ashlyn commented.
"There is something else here about the Sootopolis Gym," Brock said, "It says that the gym used to be run by a man named Wallace."
"Oh yeah I've heard of Wallace," Max remembered, "he was a coordinator too before he became the gym leader and he too became top coordinator. But he's now training to aim to become the new champion of Hoenn."
"That means he's going to try to beat Steven, which of course won't be easy for him." Alain stated.
Ashlyn and the gang knew that Steven was not an easy trainer to beat.
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The gang soon arrived at Sootopolis Gym and to their surprise the gym looked like a big concert hall, and it had a big garden.
"Wow," May awed at the gym, "this is the fanciest gym that I have ever seen."
"I wonder what it's like inside." Max commented.
Just then a butler came up to the gang. "Greetings I am Sebastian the butler of the Sootopolis Gym," he greeted, "what business do you kids have here?"
"We are here so that I can battle the gym leader of this gym." Ashlyn answered.
"I see," Sebastian understood, "then please follow me and I will take you to meet the gym leader."
Sebastian led the gang to inside the gym; the battle room was huge, and it had a huge swimming pool as a battlefield. It was nearly the same as the Cerulean Gym. A man, who dressed like a conductor, stood near the pool, petting his Water Pokémon; this man was the gym leader Juan.
"Master Juan, this young lady wishes to challenge you to a gym battle." Sebastian called out to Juan.
Ashlyn introduced herself to Juan and Juan accepted Ashlyn's challenge.
"I look forward to seeing on how you battle, Ashlyn." Juan said.
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Ashlyn and Juan took their places on the trainer boxes, which were in fact diving boards of the pool. Sebastian, who was the referee, explained the gym rules. These rules were different to the rules that Ashlyn normally heard. This time it was a five-on-five Pokémon battle, but the gym battle was in two rounds. The first round was to be a double Pokémon battle and once the challenger defeated the gym leader's two Pokémon, it will be a normal three on three battle with the last three Pokémon. Ashlyn was surprised with the rules, but she still couldn't wait to battle especially since she intended to win the gym badge.
"Battle begin!" Sebastian announced.
"Sealeo, Seaking, come on out!" Juan Juan called out his two Pokémon first, a Sealeo and a Seaking.
"Tesla, Sebastian, let's go!" Ashlyn called out her two Pokémon.
"Raichu!" Tesla jumped onto the field.
"Crawdaunt!" Sebastian the Crawdaunt appeared beside Tesla.
"Tesla, use Thunderbolt!" Tesla thunderbolt on Seaking,
"Seaking, use Horn Drill." Seaking used horn drill. And when it did that, Tesla's thunderbolt got repelled by Seaking's horn and it bounced back at Tesla.
"Use Protect, Sebastian!" Sebastian went in front of Tesla and used protect; so both Tesla and Sebastian didn't get hit by the thunderbolt.
"That was good defense indeed, Ashlyn," Juan complimented, "but you will have to do more than that to defeat me."
"Okay Tesla, use Swift! Sebastian, Sword Dance!" Sebastian's pincers glowed blue and Sebastian stretched them into the air, making him feel stronger, which Tesla used Swift which hit both Sealeo and Seaking.
"A good move, Ashlyn. But let's see how you handle this. Sealeo use your Blizzard." Juan ordered.
Sealeo blew a strong Blizzard attack at Tesla and Sebastian.
"Okay Sebastian let Tesla ride on you so that both of you can attack Seaking and Sealeo together." Ashlyn instructed.
Tesla jumped onto Sebastian's back, as Sebastian jumped into the pool, and rode on him in like a surfboard.
"Okay, Tesla you use Thunder Punch and Sebastian you use Metal Claw!" Sebastian swam towards Seaking and Sealeo, while he and Tesla got ready to do their attacks.
"A straightforward move huh?" Juan arched his left brow, "A very brave move. Okay Seaking you use Hyper Beam and Sealeo you use Aurora Beam!"
Sealeo and Seaking fired their Aurora Beam and Hyper Beam attacks towards Sebastian and Tesla.
"Dive Sebastian!" Sebastian dived under the water, with Tesla still on his back, and the two attacks missed them. Then Sebastian and Teslaa came out of the water and then Sebastian struck Sealeo with Metal Claw and Tesla attacked Seaking with Thunder Punch.
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Juan and Alain, Brock, May and Max were impressed with the tactic that Ashlyn and her Pokémon did.
"Wow diving like that to avoid the attacks was great." Max commented.
"That's a best way to use a water battlefield, especially when you go under the water to defend yourself." Brock explained.
"Ashlyn and I practiced that move together. Ashlyn practiced that with Sebastian, and I practiced it with my Feraligatr and Raichu." Alain added.
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"I have to say Ashlyn, you have an interesting battle spirit," Juan commented, "Seaking, let's use Horn Drill and Sealeo use Aurora Beam again!"
"Tesla time to use Volt Tackle!" Tesla charged towards Sealeo and Seaking with her Volt Tackle attack and she charged into them before they could do any attacks. Both Seaking and Sealeo got hit by the Volt Tackle hard and fainted.
"Sealeo and Seaking are unable to battle! The victory goes to Sebastian and Tesla!" Sebastian announced.
"Sebastian, Tesla, great teamwork you two." Ashlyn complimented the two Pokémon.
Sebastian and Tesla smiled at Ashlyn, "Rai/Craw. (Thanks, Ashlyn.)" They said.
Juan returned his Seaking and Sealeo. "Ashlyn, you're giving me a better challenge than I thought you would do," he said, "I just hope you won't disappoint me in the second round."
"Don't worry Juan," Ashlyn assured him, "I'm not the type of trainer who goes soft in battles."
At that moment the pool was drained of the water; this was to change the battlefield for the second round. The new battlefield was some land with a pond of water. Ashlyn and Juan also switched sides with the trainer boxes. As the new battlefield had land, Ashlyn decided this was the good time to use her grass Pokémon.
"Valeria, time to battle!" Ashlyn released her Fruit Pokémon.
"Tsareena!" Valeria the Tsareena appeared on the field.
"Luvdisc, let's go!" Juan sent out a Luvdisc to battle next.
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"Wow! What kind of Pokémon does Ashlyn have?" May asked, awed.
"That's a Tsareena. Her name's Valeria." Brock replied.
"Where can I find a Tsareena?" May asked.
"Well you have to find them in their pre-evolved form: Bounsweet. They're found in the Alola region." Alain informed.
May sighed in disappointment at that information.
"But who's Luvdisc?" May looked at Luvdisc on her Pokédex:
[Luvdisc, the rendezvous Pokémon. It lives in warm seas. It is said that a couple finding this Pokémon will be blessed with eternal love.]
"Interesting." May commented.
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"Valeria, use Seed Bomb!" Valeria creates several glowing green seeds over her head and sends them rolling towards Luvdisc.
"Luvdisc, use Agility to dodge!" Luvdisc was a fast Pokémon indeed and it dodged all of Valeria's seeds.
"Now use Aqua Jet, Luvdisc." Luvdisc becomes surrounded by water and it shoots itself like a rocket towards Valeria.
"Valeria, use Trop Kick!" Valeria jumped towards Luvdisc and kicked Luvdisc. When the move hits, a burst of flower petal-shaped energy was released. Luvdisc was sent flying back into the water.
Juan was surprised that Valeria was able to stop Luvdisc's Aqua Jet.
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"What a kick!" Max beamed.
"Beautiful and strong!" May commented, smiled.
"You should never underestimate the power of a Tsareena." Brock added.
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"Use Water Pulse, Luvdisc." Luvdisc fired a ball of water towards Valeria.
"Dodge it and use Razor Leaf, Valeria!" Valeria jumped and dodged the Water Pulse attack and then Razor Leaf at Luvdisc. Luvdisc tried to dodge the leaves but got hit by the attack.
"Okay High Jump Kick!" Valeria's right knee glows white and she strikes Luvdisc with it. Poor Luvdisc couldn't take anymore and fainted.
"Luvdisc is unable to battle! The victory goes to Valeria!" Sebastian announced.
"Great job, Valeria." Ashlyn smiled.
Valeria smiled back, "Tsareena."
Juan returned his Luvdisc, "Valeria is indeed a unique grass type, Ashlyn." He complimented.
"Thank you, Juan." Ashlyn thanked him as she returned Valeria.
"Whiscash, come on out!" Joan sent out a Whiscash to battle next.
"Whiscash!" Whiscash appeared.
"Alright then, Cybele, let's go!" Ashlyn released her shiny Spiny Armor Pokémon.
"Chestnaught!" Cybele the Shiny Chestnaught appeared on the field.
"Cybele, use Seed Bomb!" Cybele opens her mouth and fires multiple glowing green seeds from her mouth.
"Use Surf Whiscash," Juan ordered, "then move into Rock Smash."
Whiscash's Surf attack shielded it from Cybele's Seed Bomb attack and was about to jump off the wave.
"Defense Curl and dodge!" Ashlyn called out.
Cybele curled into a ball and rolled away from before Whiscash could body slam into her.
"Now Double Team and Leech Seed!" Cybele created copies of herself and shot multiple seeds from her mouth.
"Dive underwater, Whiscash." Whiscash dived into the water and the multiple seeds missed it.
However, one got attached to Whiscash and immediately grow into vines. They glowed green to red, draining Whiscash of its strength.
"Whiscash!" Juan called out in worry.
"Energy Ball!" Cybele shot her attack at Whiscash which was a direct hit.
"Now Solar Beam!" Cybele gathered energy to do Solar Beam.
"Whiscash, use Hyper Beam!" Juan ordered.
Whiscash fired Hyper Beam at Cybele, while Cybele fired Solar Beam at Whiscash. Whiscash got hit by the Solar beam and Cybele got hit by the Hyper Beam. The two breathed heavily as they stared at one another. Then Whiscash fainted with swirls in its eyes.
"Whis~" Whiscash moaned.
"Whiscash is unable to battle! The victory goes to Cybele!" Sebastian announced.
"You did great, Cybele." Ashlyn complimented her shiny Spiky Armor Pokémon.
Cybele smiled at Ashlyn, "Chest."
Juan returned Whiscash, "Impressive, Ashlyn. You know how to change strategies really well." He said.
Ashlyn returned Cybele, "Thanks. I have to admit that you're keeping me on my feet."
"Milotic, let's go!" Juan sent out his final Pokémon, Milotic.
"Raiden, come on out!" Ashlyn let out her Zeraora.
"Zera!" Raiden the Zeraora appeared on the field.
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"Wow! What kind of Pokémon is that?" Max asked, excited.
"That's a Zeraora. His name's Raiden. Ashlyn raised him from an egg." Brock explained.
"Such a cool looking Pokémon." Max commented.
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"Milotic, use Hydro Pump!" Milotic blasted a powerful Hydro Pump attack at Raiden.
"Raiden, dodge!" Raiden dodged the attack.
"Use Thunderbolt, Raiden!" Raiden shocked Milotic well with his Thunderbolt.
"Milotic, Recover." Milotic healed itself.
"Raiden, use Charge." Raiden charged up his electricity.
"Milotic, use Twister!" An orb of wind appears in front of the end of Milotic's tail. A tornado is released from the orb and heads straight towards Raiden.
"Raiden, use Thunder!" Raiden released a powerful Thunder attack at Milotic; thanks to Charge it was stronger.
As Milotic was hit by Thunder and Raiden was hit by Twister, everyone was nervous about what was going on. When the attacks subsided, everyone could see that Milotic and Raiden were still standing, but Milotic was panting heavily from the Thunder attack. Then Milotic fainted on the spot with swirls in its eyes.
"Milotic is unable to battle! The victory goes to Raiden! So the winner of this gym battle goes to Ashlyn Ketchum!" Sebastian announced.
"Alright, Raiden!" Ashlyn beamed.
Raiden went over to Ashlyn and hugged her as she hugged him back, "I'm proud of you, Raiden."
Raiden purred at the compliment as she rubbed his head.
Juan returned Milotic and went over to Ashlyn, "Ashlyn, you indeed showed me your real battling spirit," he said, "and I hope you will keep that battling spirit in the Hoenn League."
"I challenged the Pokémon leagues in Kanto and Johto in the past, Juan. I understand exactly of how tough Pokémon leagues are." Ashlyn stated.
"Well, as the gym leader of the Sootopolis Gym, I present you with the Rain Badge." Juan held out a badge in his hand.
The Rain Badge was lavender-blue colored, and it was in a shape of three raindrops stuck together.
"Thank you, Juan." Ashlyn slightly bowed and gently took the badge from Juan's hand.
"Alright! We got the Rain Badge!" Ashlyn posed with Tesla and Raiden.
"Raichu! (Badge number eight!)" Tesla cheered.
Raiden growled happily as he punched his right fist in the air.
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The gang was about to leave the Sootopolis Gym, Juan and Sebastian were outside with them.
"I must thank you for the great gym battle today, Ashlyn." Juan thanked her.
"You're welcome, Juan. I had a great time as well." Ashlyn said.
"It must be great to have all eight badges to enter the Hoenn League, huh Ashlyn?" Alain said.
Ashlyn nodded, "Yup."
"Where's the Hoenn League taking place?" May asked.
"The Hoenn League will take place in Ever Grande City and it will take place in three months." Juan informed.
"Three months is enough time for me and my Pokémon to train. As well as entering the Hoenn Grand Festival." Ashlyn stated.
"Oh so you are a coordinator too, Ashlyn?" Juan asked, interested.
"Yep. May is one as well." Ashlyn replied, showing her five ribbons.
May showed hers as well.
"Well Ashlyn, I wish you luck in both the Hoenn League and the Hoenn Grand Festival. You too, May." Juan said.
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Ashlyn was happy to obtain all eight gym badges, and even though she had to wait three months she couldn't wait to enter the Hoenn League.
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Pokémon Caught: Mightyena (Lela)(F), Swampert (Finn)(M), Shiny Blaziken (Hestia)(F), Gardevoir (Miku)(F), Kirlia (Lancelot)(M), Swellow (Percy)(M), Linoone (Ziggy)(M), Sceptile (Kazuki)(M), Beautifly (Willow)(F), Shiny Milotic (Ula)(F), Crawdaunt (Sebastian)(M), Aagron (Hagane)(M), Sableye (Jacinth)(M), Shiny Flygon (Libelle)(F), Shiny Manectric (Damini)(F), Shiny Salamence (Idris)(F), Torkoal (Shula)(F), Altaria (Alta)(F), Mawile (Trixie)(F), Clamperl (Coral)(F), Spoink (Sumire)(F), Armaldo (Brynja)(F), Cradily (Liana)(F), Snorunt (Warrin)(M), Absol (Twilight)(M)