ENGLISH NAME	JAPANESE NAME	POKEMOPOLIS NAME	DODGINESS RATING	ANIMATION	STORY	TEAM ROCKET	MORAL LEARNT
714: Battling the King of the Mines!	720: Chitei no Jimu Sen! Tai Yakon!	Steel Mole vs. Rock Spider			Ash battles Clay for his Fifth Gym Badge	They must be resting from having to do something	Sporadic use trumps 40 years building strength in the mines

Today finds the twerps back at the Driftveil City Gym, and Ash wants his goddamn Gym Battle goddammit! He calls hello at the doors and they open to reveal a grumpy looking miner. He asks what they want and Ash holds up a HUGE sack of Revival Herbs, saying he did as Clay asked and he wants his goddamn Gym Battle goddammit! The miner grunts that he understands and tells them to follow him, and they enter the Gym at last to have Ash's goddamn Gym Battle goddammit. Entering an old style lift, they head down into the bowels of the Gym, where Ash will finally be...



Inside the lift, the grumpy looking miner turns and looks at Pikachu, asking if he will be in the battle too. Pikachu seems pleased at the idea, and Ash grins and says it depends on which Pokémon Clay uses. Grumpy Miner smirks at the idea of a cute little Pokémon like Pikachu fighting Clay's Pokémon. They step out of the lift and find that beneath the Gym is a huge mine shaft, which they follow to discover Clay conversing with some of his other mining employees. He actually recognises Ash this time and asks if he got any Revival Herbs, and Ash shows just how overboard he took the quest by handing over a huge, straining sack (well it HAS been 15 years on the verge of adolescence!).

He grabs a handful and declares that this is impressive, handing the sack to a miner and telling him to get them to the Pokémon that need them. Ash asks if he can PLEASE have his battle now, and Clay says... of course!

Oh thank God!

He wants to see if Ash is as good a battler as he is a herb-gatherer, and cackles with laughter as they approach a wall and he whirls his pick-axe and hits a button to open it and reveal a large cleared cavern with the battlefield inside. Ash is impressed, and Cilan and Iris step up onto a slightly raised metal stand on the side as the battle rules are called out - a 3-on-3 battle with only Ash allowed substitutions. The battle begins, and out first is.... Krokorok! It's not quite as cool as Boss Gator which has been sporadically stalking Ash for the last season, but it still looks pretty tough. Pikachu is eager to get in and fight, but Ash calls him back. He points out that Krokorok is a Ground-Type and Pikachu's Electric Moves won't have any effect, so his Pokémon is... Oshawott! Hooray!

He opens with Aqua Jet, but Krokorok dodges with a clever use of Dig, bouncing off the back of the wall before digging into the ground, leaving Oshawott to smash headfirst into the wall. As the stubborn little Otter staggers back trying to clear his head, Clay calls for a Sandstorm. Oshawott feels the ground beneath his feet crumble and leaps clear, but Krokorok follows him up, spinning about and then blasting energy into the ground, kicking up a Sandstorm that crashes directly into Oshawott.

Oshawott lands safely but is surrounded by kicked up sand, getting it in his eyes and struggling to rub them clear as Krokorok opens its jaws wide, fangs shining as it uses Bite on the little otter. Ash immediately calls for Razor Shell, but he is blind due to the Sandstorm and swings wildly, Krokorok watching before blasting him with Stone Edge. The Sandstorm kicks up hard again and gets in Oshawott's face again (and Ash and Pikachu) but Ash has an idea! He tells him to aim at the field and use Water Gun, and Oshawott starts spinning around blasting water everywhere, eventually turning it into a water spiral that collects up and clears the sand storm. Oshawott stops and lets the water rain down on his face, clearing his eyes, and Ash is delighted that his plan worked. Clay seems livid however, rather than impressed at his challenger's adaptation. He growls at Krokorok to use Dig, but leaving a hole behind just gives Oshawott a target!



Krokorok is blasted into the air and then smashed in the gut by AquaJet and sliced through the face by Razor Shell, crashing into the ground and.... Krokorok is unable to battle, Oshawott wins!

The happy little otter proudly poses then runs up and high-fives Ash and Pikachu, while Clay continues to look inappropriately pissed off at having a Challenger take his best shots, adapt and come back strong. But after recalling Krokorok, he suddenly bursts into laughter and says that he can tell by Ash's moves that he has spirit. It's time for his second Pokémon though, and out comes... Palpitoad! Iris notes that it looks much stronger than Ash's, and Cilan notes it is not just a Ground-Type but a Water-Type too, and this will complicate matters.

Oshawott is willing to go on though, and uses Water Gun against Palpitoad's Hydro-Pump. At first the moves seem even, but Clay snorts not to bet on it and Hydro-Pump kicks up into a higher gear, overwhelming Oshawott and crashing him hard into the wall. Oshawott staggers back up willing to continue fighting, and tries to use Razor Shell at Ash's urging. Palpitoad uses Sludge Bomb though and knocks the Scalchop clear, and Oshawott looks about frantically for his best friend. Ash shouts out it is behind him and Oshawott spins about happily but in recovering the Scalchop he leaves himself open to....



Well that's just.... that's just perverted!

Needless to say, Oshawott is knocked the fuck out and it's now 1-1 between Clay and Ash. Clay laughs that he said Ash has spirit but now he is wondering if this is all he can do. Ash grins and says it's 1-1 so they'll just have to see what happens, and thinks about which Pokémon to bring out next to take on Palpitoad's dual-type nature... and comes up with Snivy.

It's a great choice, and Iris, Cilan and Clay all compliment Ash on it. But what will Ash do with Snivy? Get Palpitoad horny of course! He orders an attract, and Clay (and Iris!) are shocked - Attract!?! Cilan says it is a typical Ash move (he's never wilfully acknowledged sexual attraction in his life!), and it works well, as Palpitoad takes a direct shot to the face and immediately falls wildly in lust with the dignified Snivy. Snivy throws in some bondage with Vine Whip and then Leaf Blade, then works up a Leaf Storm and surrounds Palpitoad, lifts him into the sky and then crashes him back into the ground. Palpitoad is knocked right the hell out, and Clay's response is less than dignified.

Stomping his foot, he roars that he won't tolerate an unfair match. Ash is confused, unfair? This was just his strategy. Clay roars that a young whippersnapper like him shouldn't be using "strategy", he should just be going full-force head-on without a thought for the consequences!

This does loosely describe Ash's usual base strategy, to be sure, but should a Gym Leader REALLY be calling for one-dimensional fighting styles like this!?!

He says it is time to bring out his secret weapon - a Pokémon of a far higher level/strength than usual. He's bringing out Excadrill! Out comes the Steel-Clawed Mole/Badger, roaring in Snivy's unsettled face. Iris is shocked by the size, it seems to be bigger than her own, and Cilan says Excadrill being a Ground/Steel Type will change everything about the battle. Snivy opens with Vine Whip but they bounce ineffectively off of Excadrill's Rapid Spin, and it continues to spin its claws about to block Leaf Blade, and drills right through an attempted Attract. Snivy tries Leaf Storm but Excadrill charges right through it with Rapid Spin, leaping high and taking a shot at Snivy which barely dodges in time.

Clay laughs that Snivy's weak little attacks won't do a thing, and orders a Horn Drill that smashes right into Snivy and knocks her out - the phallic symbolism somewhat disturbing. Ash rushes to check on Snivy and recalls her to her Pokéball, and Clay asks what next. Ash says his goal is to be a Pokémon Master, so he isn't giving up now. Clay grunts that Ash still doesn't get it, and grabs up his pickaxe, showing it to Ash and saying that 40 years ago when he was roughly Ash's age (a 25 year old 10 year old?) he and Excadrill started to excavate this mine themselves. All Clay had was his pickaxe and his super-strong Pokémon with super-powers expertly suited to the processing of digging, and over the decades they built the small cavern into the huge mine they're in today. So Ash thinks he is ready to become a Pokémon Master just like this?

It's been 15 goddamn years!

Ash yells that he means it and he WILL be a Pokémon Master, and Clay says he has to prove it here on the battlefield. If he wants to be a Pokémon Master he has to EARN the title, like Clay earned the title of King of the Mines. Ash ponders which of his Pokémon is tough enough to hang in there against Excadrill's power AND be able to deliver an attack back. He thinks about it and finally brings out Roggenrola, making Clay chuckle while Iris is shocked - as a Rock-Type, Roggenrola is at a definite disadvantage. Cilan says that Ash must be relying on Roggenrola's toughness, and the fight begins instantly with Roggenrola using Sandstorm just like Clay did earlier. Clay sends Excadrill under the ground with Drill Run, leaving Roggenrola confused. It's knocked into the air again and again by Excadrill bursting out of the ground and smacking it in mid-air. Roggenrola - the tiny little Baby Shockwave Pokémon that it is - is sent all over the arena. Clay is impressed that despite the battering, Roggenrola is still standing, he likes the toughness it is showing. But he means to end this now, and orders a final Horn Drill. Ash tells it to brace itself, and the little rock-cannon takes the attack head-on and is pushed back across the ground before finally managing to freeze its backwards momentum. Excadrill continues to slam its phallic horn-drill against Roggenrola's forehead (and thankfully not inside its orifice!) as the little Pokémon tries to hold its ground... and then suddenly the Horn Drill stops! Excadrill seems as confused as anyone, Roggenrola is standing stock-still, no sign of life whatsoever.... till it starts to glow and... oh my God....



IT'S A FREAKING ROCK SPIDER!

Roggenrola has evolved into Boldore, a massive rock-spider with orange crystals on its body that glow bright when its energy overflows. Clay is impressed but figures the move that couldn't stop the weaker form of the Pokémon will surely finish off this far stronger version! Another Horn Drill sees Excadrill bounce off of Boldore, and a Drill Run DOES push Boldore back a few feet... until Boldore reaches up with its limbs (it has more than two stumpy little legs now!) and grabs Excadrill, physically freezing its spin and dropping it back down to the ground. Cilan says this is a pure strength on strength battle now, and Clay is delighted, roaring with laugher as he watches the two Pokémon pit their strength against each other. Ash notices that the crystals on Boldore's body are glowing though, and tells it to try out Rock Blast. It smashes Excadrill in the face with rocks blasted from its forehead, and Excadrill actually drops to a knee from the pain. Clay tells it to show them how tough it is, while Boldore's crystals are solidly glowing now. Ash orders a Rock Smash and so does Clay, and both Pokémon take each other on, slamming glowing "fists" together and straining to get the upper hand.... and Boldore is stronger!



How'd that 40 years of building up strength work out for you against Ash's newly evolved baby-cannon, Clay!

Excadrill is smashed in the face and crushed into the ground, and it's over! It's 3-2 to Ash and the battle is over, Ash has won! Ash has won his Gym Battle in a single episode - no bullshit, no distractions, no come-back-laters, Ash has won! Clay watches with a smile as Boldore knocks a delighted Ash over in a show of affection.

Outside of the Gym as the sun sets, Clay shakes Ash's hand which is about the highest compliment a mean ol' Texan can offer. He tells him that he wants Ash to remember how hard he worked during their battle, and become a Pokémon Master. Ash happily agrees, and then is handed the Quake Badge.... he's done it, Ash has his fifth Gym Badge!



That night in the Pokémon Centre, Cilan and Iris are happily complimenting Ash on his victory. Nurse Joy calls him over for his healed up Pokémon and asks what he plans to do next, and he says he wants to go straight for his Sixth Gym Badge. She suggests the nearby Mistralton City, and that's all he needed to hear! He has a new goal, another badge to aim for, and hopefully he'll be as (comparatively) quickly successful as he was against Clay!

BEST QUOTES

"It's huge!"

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