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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[]

Sprites[]

Pokémon[]

Games[]

Black and White[]

0552Krokorok BW
Krokorok
 Type Ground Type Dark 
0536Palpitoad BW
Palpitoad
 Type Water Type Ground 
0530Excadrill BW
Excadrill
 Type Ground Type Steel 

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
Driftveil Tournament/Mix Tournament
Ground-type Tournament
0530Excadrill BW
Excadrill
 Type Ground Type Steel 
0330Flygon BW
Flygon
 Type Ground Type Dragon 
0553Krookodile BW
Krookodile
 Type Ground Type Dark 
0537Seismitoad BW
Seismitoad
 Type Water Type Ground 
0473Mamoswine BW
Mamoswine
 Type Ice Type Ground 
0623Golurk BW
Golurk
 Type Ground Type Ghost 
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
0530Excadrill BW
Excadrill
 Type Ground Type Steel 
0344Claydol BW
Claydol
 Type Ground Type Psychic 
0553Krookodile BW
Krookodile
 Type Ground Type Dark 
0537Seismitoad BW
Seismitoad
 Type Water Type Ground 
0473Mamoswine BW
Mamoswine
 Type Ice Type Ground 
0623Golurk BW
Golurk
 Type Ground Type Ghost 
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.

References[]

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