Icirrus City Pokémon Gym Leader: Brycen "Ice Mask"
Like in most otherIce-type Gyms, the challenge here is askating challenge. There are curved surfaces which curve the skating. These surfaces can be redirected by stepping on colored switches. There are also two sets of ramps that can be jumped to get over seemingly bottomless ravines. After defeating Brycen, theplayer can take a long ice slide back to the entrance.
Pokémon Black 2 and White 2
Former Icirrus City Pokémon Gym
Although the Gym is no longer in use inBlack 2 and White 2, it can still be entered and traversed, with the Gym puzzle still active. Brycen does appear at the end of the icy paths, where he will briefly talk to the player before leaving. Talking to Brycen here is one of the requirements for unlocking the fourth and finalBrycen-Man movie atPokéstar Studios.
Icirrus Gym appeared inCaution: Icy Battle Conditions, whereAsh challengedBrycen in a 3-on-3 Gym battle. At first, Ash, sent hisKrokorok against Brycen'sVanillish, but when Krokorok was partlyfrozen by Vanillish'sBlizzard and subsequently struck by aMirror Shot, Ash switched toScraggy instead. Although Scraggy'sFocus Blast's aim was still poor, it managed to hit Vanillish with sheer luck, allowing Scraggy to finish off Vanillish with aHeadbutt. Brycen then sent outCryogonal, which knocked out Scraggy rather easily, at least due to Scraggy's Focus Blast constantly missing. Ash next sent outPignite, who managed to defeat Cryogonal with aFire Pledge. Brycen's last and strongest Pokémon,Beartic, however, proved to be too much for Pignite, defeating it with super effectiveBrine andAerial Ace attacks. Ash was left with just Krokorok, who was in a type disadvantage. Despite this however, Ash managed to come up with a winning strategy and defeat Beartic, earning him theFreeze Badge.
Like in the games, the Gym is located underground, and is kept constantly cold. The battlefield is covered with ice, similar to a hockey rink, with large chunks of ice standing on it. The slippery conditions can offer a challenge of their own for unprepared challengers.
Vanillish was the first Pokémon Brycen used against Ash in their Gym battle. At first, Ash sent outKrokorok. However, after Krokorok had failed to land any hits on Vanillish and taken somedamage, Ash recalled him and sent outScraggy instead. Scraggy found it difficult to work properly on an icy field, and was at first unable to land any hits. He was, however, able to block Vanillish's Icicle Spear with his "pants" before firing aFocus Blast. By a stroke of luck, Focus Blast hit Vanillish from behind, and Scraggy was able to finish the Icy Snow Pokémon with aHeadbutt.
Cryogonal was the second Pokémon Brycen used against Ash in their Gym battle.Ash's Scraggy was unable to land a single hit on the Crystallizing Pokémon before he wasknocked out by a powerful Aurora Beam. Next Ash sent out hisPignite, whoseFlame Charge was blocked by Cryogonal's Reflect. However, despite scoring several hits on Pignite with Rapid Spin and Frost Breath, Cryogonal was unable to stand out the Fire Pig Pokémon'sFire Pledge, and was knocked out.
Beartic was used in a Gym Battle againstAsh, as the third and final Pokémon used by him. It was able to easily defeatPignite despite the type disadvantage with its supereffective Brine and Aerial Ace attacks, leaving Ash with justKrokorok. Beartic was repeatedly able to block Krokorok's attacks, until the Desert Croc Pokémon finally scored direct hits on it withStone Edge andDig. After this, Krokorok grabbed two stones from his own Stone Edge, and collided with Beartic's Aerial Ace with the stones in his hands, defeating the Freezing Pokémon and earning Ash theFreeze Badge.
The Icirrus Gym appeared inTooth and Claw,The Cold Hard Truth, andA Cold Reception, during the time whenBlack challenged the Gym. After making his way through the ice maze, he started his battle with Brycen. During the battle, Black asked Brycen about the talk about "truth" and "ideals" he andDrayden had had at theTubeline Bridge. Brycen explained that asTeam Plasma had stolen theDark Stone and were attempting to reviveZekrom, Black should take theLight Stone to awakenReshiram in order to fight Zekrom. After a while of thinking, Black agreed to this, saying that asN was also attempting to defeatAlder, he was bound to face him at some point.
Meanwhile, as the battle progressed, both sides were left with just one Pokémon:Costa theTirtouga andBeartic, respectively. Despite taking multiple hits from Beartic'sFighting-type moves, Costa managed to hang on andevolve intoCarracosta. After Beartic seemingly defeated Costa, Brycen handed the Light Stone to Black. Upon hearing that thePokémon League tournament was going to be held despite of Team Plasma's actions, Black revealed that Costa hadn't been defeated after all, and used the opportunity to defeat Beartic, after which Brycen gave Black aFreeze Badge as a sign of his victory.
Cryogonal is Brycen's first seen Pokémon. It was first seen with its Trainer at the Celestial Tower. Later, Cryogonal was used to battle the Shadow Triad and used its ice chains to easily defeat their Pokémon. When Brycen was training Black, it held Black's leg with an ice chain, forcing Black to try and find out how to break it. In Black and Brycen's Gym battle, it fought Black'sEmboar,Bo, but was quickly defeated.
None of Cryogonal's moves are known, and its Ability isLevitate.
Vanillish was first seen being used to train withMusha,Costa, andTula. Later, it fought in a Gym battle against Bo, Musha, and Costa. After defeating Bo and Musha, Vanillish was defeated by Costa'sScald attack, which melted the snow off of its body.
Vanillish's only known move isHail, and its Ability isIce Body.
Beartic is the fifth Pokémon Brycen is known to have. It was first seen with its Trainer at theDragonspiral Tower. Later, it fought Black'sTirtouga, Costa, in a Gym battle. With its powerful claws, Beartic almost defeated Costa, only to be defeated once Costa evolved intoCarracosta, giving him the power to win.
