Clay

Clay
The Underground Boss
Information
Gender	Male
Hometown	Driftveil City
Region	Unova
Family	Lian (ancestor) Lacey (daughter)
Appears in	Generation V
Debut	Black and White
Other information
Specialist type	Ground
Badge	Quake Badge
In other languages
Japanese	Name ヤーコン Yaakon
Japanese	Name ヤーコン Yaakon
English	Name Clay
English	Name Clay

Clay is the Gym Leader of the Driftveil City Gym. His gym is the fifth gym to be challenged by the trainer. He specializes in using Ground-type Pokémon. He will award the player character the Quake Badge if defeated. His outfit resembles that of a Texan businessman's and he has a Texan accent.

Appearance

Clay is a large man with brown hair and eyes. Clay wears a large cowboy hat, with a yellow stripe and a teal gem on the front. Clay also wears a sleeveless jacket, with small ribbons on his chest, as well as a hazel shirt underneath. He also wears teal pants, with a belt with a yellow buckle, underneath his large brown ones, as well as a pair of dark shoes. Clay is usually seen with his large suitcase and has a watch on his left arm.

Personality

Although Clay is shown to be impatient and hotheaded, he is good of heart and cares greatly for his hometown, Driftveil City, and for the Unova region as a whole. He is willing to put aside his role of Gym Leader to protect Driftveil from antagonistic people, specifically Team Plasma. Clay pioneered Driftveil's redevelopment between Black & White and Black & White 2 and founded the Pokémon World Tournament to increase the city's popularity.

Etymology

The name Clay comes from "clay", a type of sticky, fine-grained soil, often used to make pottery, bricks, and ceramics.

His Japanese name, Yaakon, comes from 坤 (kon, a sign in the I Ching system that represents earth) and, following the plant-based naming of most characters, "yacón" (a type of root vegetable that grows underground, following his specialty type).

Biography

Black and White

Clay first appears after Elesa asks him to lower the bridge that links Nimbasa and Driftveil. He later blames the player character and Cheren for allowing Team Plasma into Driftveil. Since he blames them, he asks the player character to find the Plasma members. They can be found in the Cold Storage. After finding Team Plasma, Clay comes in and arrests Team Plasma but they escape. After that, the player character can challenge Clay.

He is later seen helping the player character in N's Castle by holding off all of the Sages alongside the other Gym Leaders, excluding Cilan, Chili and Cress.

Black 2 and White 2

In Black 2 and White 2, he has redesigned his Gym. After the player character defeats him. Clay will question Hugh on his rage towards Team Plasma. If Memory Link is used, it is shown that Clay interrupts a conversation between Burgh and Lenora about bones, by bringing a fossil for her to evaluate as he hopes to sell the piece at a high price. Unfortunately for Clay, the fossil was quite common, however with a rather unusual soil. This brings newfound hope for Clay to keep digging on his tunnel. Burgh questions Clay about what he thinks on bones. Clay replies that bones are what's left when one passes away. The three are seen satisfied with the many opinions on the subject.

Scarlet and Violet

While Clay does not appear in the game, it is revealed that he has a daughter, Lacey. Lacey does not mention Clay by name, though she states that the mere mention of him being her father has intimidated some people. Nemona, who had visited Unova while attending a formal party, challenged Clay upon learning he was a Gym Leader.

Other appearances

Clay in Pokémon Adventures (manga)

Clay in Pokémon Masters (games)

Clay in Generations (anime)

Sprites

Clay's battle sprite in Black & White

Clay's battle sprite in Black 2 & White 2

Clay's VS. Sprite

Pokémon

Games

Black and White

Krokorok		Palpitoad		Excadrill
Lv. 29	♂	Lv. 29	♂	Lv. 31	♂
Ability: Moxie		Ability: Swift Swim		Ability: Sand Rush
Item: None		Item: None		Item: None
Crunch		Muddy Water		Slash		-	-	-
Swagger		Aqua Ring		Rock Slide		-	-	-
Bulldoze		Bulldoze		Bulldoze		-	-	-
Torment		Bubblebeam		Hone Claws		-	-	-

Black 2 and White 2

Gym Battle

• Normal
• Challenge

Krokorok		Sandslash		Excadrill
Lv. 31	♂	Lv. 31	♂	Lv. 33	♂
Ability: Intimidate		Ability: Sand Veil		Ability: Sand Force
Item: None		Item: None		Item: Sitrus Berry
Bulldoze		Bulldoze		Bulldoze		-	-	-
Crunch		Crush Claw		Metal Claw		-	-	-
Sand Tomb		Rollout		Slash		-	-	-
Torment		Fury Cutter		Rock Slide		-	-	-

Krokorok		Sandslash		Onix		Excadrill
Lv. 34	♂	Lv. 34	♂	Lv. 34	♂	Lv. 36	♂
Ability: Intimidate		Ability: Sand Veil		Ability: Sturdy		Ability: Sand Force
Item: Sitrus Berry		Item: None		Item: None		Item: Sitrus Berry
Bulldoze		Bulldoze		Bulldoze		Bulldoze		-	-
Crunch		Crush Claw		Rock Slide		Metal Claw		-	-
Sandstorm		Rock Slide		Explosion		Slash		-	-
Torment		Hone Claws		Rock Polish		Rock Slide		-	-

Driftveil Tournament/Mix Tournament

• Driftveil
• Mix

Excadrill		Claydol		Krokorok		Palpitoad		Krokorok		Palpitoad
Lv. 25	♂	Lv. 25	?	Lv. 25	♂	Lv. 25	♂	Lv. 25	♂	Lv. 25	♂
Ability: Sand Force		Ability: Levitate		Ability: Moxie		Ability: Swift Swim		Ability: Intimidate		Ability: Hydration
Item: None		Item: None		Item: None		Item: None		Item: None		Item: None
Bulldoze		Bulldoze		Bulldoze		Bubble Beam		Sandstorm		Aqua Ring
Metal Claw		Psybeam		Assurance		Mud Shot		Swagger		Mud Shot
Slash		Sandstorm		Sand Tomb		Supersonic		Dig		Round
Hone Claws		Rock Tomb		Torment		Round		Bite		Rain Dance

Excadrill		Claydol		Krokorok		Palpitoad		Krokorok		Palpitoad
Lv. 50	♂	Lv. 50	?	Lv. 50	♂	Lv. 50	♂	Lv. 50	♂	Lv. 50	♂
Ability: Sand Force		Ability: Levitate		Ability: Moxie		Ability: Swift Swim		Ability: Intimidate		Ability: Hydration
Item: None		Item: None		Item: None		Item: None		Item: None		Item: None
Bulldoze		Bulldoze		Bulldoze		Bubble Beam		Sandstorm		Aqua Ring
Metal Claw		Psybeam		Assurance		Mud Shot		Swagger		Mud Shot
Slash		Sandstorm		Sand Tomb		Supersonic		Dig		Round
Hone Claws		Rock Tomb		Torment		Round		Bite		Rain Dance

Ground-type Tournament

Excadrill		Flygon		Krookodile		Seismitoad		Mamoswine		Golurk
Lv. 50	♂	Lv. 50	♂	Lv. 50	♂	Lv. 50	♂	Lv. 50	♂	Lv. 50	?
Ability: Sand Force		Ability: Levitate		Ability: Moxie		Ability: Swift Swim		Ability: Oblivious		Ability: Iron Fist
Item: Focus Sash		Item: Liechi Berry		Item: Choice Band		Item: Life Orb		Item: Ice Gem		Item: Leftovers
Drill Run		Outrage		Earthquake		Earth Power		Earthquake		Substitute
Rock Slide		Earth Power		Fire Fang		Hydro Pump		Ice Shard		Shadow Punch
Submission		Fire Blast		Stone Edge		Focus Blast		Stone Edge		Earthquake
Swords Dance		Stone Edge		Aqua Tail		Grass Knot		Fissure		Focus Punch

Unova Gym Leader Tournament/World Leaders Tournament

Excadrill		Claydol		Krookodile		Seismitoad		Mamoswine		Golurk
Lv. 50	♂	Lv. 50	?	Lv. 50	♂	Lv. 50	♂	Lv. 50	♂	Lv. 50	?
Ability: Sand Force		Ability: Levitate		Ability: Moxie		Ability: Swift Swim		Ability: Oblivious		Ability: Iron Fist
Item: Liechi Berry		Item: Ganlon Berry		Item: Chople Berry		Item: Rindo Berry		Item: Ice Gem		Item: Ghost Gem
Drill Run		Earth Power		Earthquake		Earth Power		Earthquake		Earthquake
Rock Slide		Psychic		Crunch		Muddy Water		Ice Shard		Shadow Punch
Submission		Cosmic Power		Outrage		Drain Punch		Stone Edge		Stone Edge
Swords Dance		Sandstorm		Rock Slide		Ice Punch		Sandstorm		Hammer Arm

Trivia

• Clay's Japanese Leader title is アンダーグラウンド　ボス / Andaaguraundo Bosu, "Underground Boss"
• All of Clay's Pokémon are the same in both anime & game.
• Clay has an ancestor in Pokémon Legends: Arceus with that ancestor being Warden Lian of the Pearl clan.