Challenger

by darkfire1220

Ash sets off on his journey to be a Pokemon Master with his starter Charmander and a mischievous Pichu. Together, they battle countless enemies and add to their powerful family. But there are many dark secrets residing in the shadows, and some of them are deadly. Ash and his team must grow strong to survive- because there's no guarantee they'll make it through the challenges ahead.

11. The Ninja

Chapter Eleven: The Ninja

Ash and Eevee ended up waiting for hours by the lakeside, but never saw even a glimpse of a Scyther. The rare bug types simply would not show themselves. Either they could see the waiting pair somehow and weren't willing to drink while they were around, or they were drinking somewhere else.

Four hours into their Safari Zone excursion, Ash gave up on their plan to be patient. "Alright, Eevee. I think if there was a thirsty Scyther around, it would have come by already. We should probably just start searching through the jungle. We only have a couple of hours left before we have to head back in."

Eevee yawned in agreement. She'd taken to napping for the last couple of hours and stood up slowly, stretching the stiffness from her muscles. Ash scratched the normal type behind her ears and shouldered his bag. He wasn't willing to throw in the towel yet, but he had to admit that the odds of them running into a Scyther at the lakeside by this point was about as likely as Gary admitting that Ash was the better trainer.

In other words, it wasn't going to happen.

"What do you think, girl?" Ash asked her as they started to walk into the forest. "You think there might be a Scyther running around here somewhere?"

Eevee shrugged, getting a smile from her trainer. "I guess there's only one way to really find out, huh?"

---

In the end, they didn't find the Scyther Ash wanted.

Despite combing as much of the jungle as they could within the last hour, there wasn't so much as a hint of their quarry. Ash was disappointed by that, but he was pretty sure any luck he'd brought with him to the Safari Zone had been used up completely when Eevee talked Dratini into coming with them. He was plenty happy with what he had- Dratini were incredibly rare, and Ash had no doubt that she would become a fantastic member of his team.

That was more than enough reason to call their excursion a huge success. He hadn't gotten the rare bug type he wanted, but he'd gotten a dragon type that would more than make up for it. Ash certainly wouldn't complain.

Janine met up with him at the Safari Zone entrance, smiling when she saw him come back in from the wilderness. He was muddy, sweating, and exhausted, but grinning like a fool. She took his expression as a sign of success. "You captured your quarry, then?"

"Not quite," Ash said cheerily, surprising the Gym Leader in-training. "But I still got something really good with Eevee's help."

Eevee chirped agreement, puffing her chest out proudly. She was still over the moon that Green Eyes would be joining them on their travels. Ash had only truly come out of the Safari Zone a winner because she had talked the Dratini into coming along. So yes, she was extremely pleased with herself.

She had to wrinkle her nose, though. After six hours spent in the humid jungle, Ash smelled terrible. She refused to believe that she smelled terrible as well, but there was no harm in making sure she spent a little extra time grooming later on.

She did have a reputation to keep up.

Janine blinked in confusion, but Ash went on before she could question him. "I'll show you later. Right now, I need a shower- and food."

His stomach literally growled on cue and Ash couldn't stop his face from reddening. Eevee snickered for a moment, but then her stomach betrayed her by mimicking Ash's, causing the normal type to immediately avert her gaze and fluff her fur with embarrassment. Janine grinned. "Well, why don't you head back to the Pokemon Center and get yourself cleaned up? I'll go back to the gym and pick up your Pokemon for you. I need to get Arbok and Venonat as well."

"That would be great," Ash agreed. "Then I'll see you later."

---

Ash couldn't help but groan in relief when he finally got into the shower. He didn't think water could ever feel so good, but it was utter perfection to have all the mud and sweat and grime washed from his tired body. The Safari Zone's terrain had been some of the most difficult he'd ever been through, and certainly the toughest he'd ever traversed in a single day. The hot water flowing over him felt like liquid nirvana.

He was, however, wearing swim trunks in this instance because Eevee insisted on getting a bath. Ash didn't think she would like cold water since he fully intended to enjoy the hot water while it was available, so he threw on the water type Pokemon-themed shorts that his mother had provided him without complaint and let her into the shower so they could both get cleaned up.

He was definitely glad that the Pokemon Center also provided trainers with shampoo for their Pokemon. Ash really hadn't even thought about it before, but he figured that if they felt a little extra cleaning was necessary in addition to their usual grooming, then he would indulge them. Eevee insisted that the boy wash himself off first before touching her, though.

She would not let him touch her as long as he smelled like a swamp.

Once Ash had cleaned himself up to her satisfaction, Eevee relented and allowed him to pour some of the shampoo over her fur. Sitting in the tub while the water showered down, Ash worked the cleansing liquid through her fur with his fingers, trying his best to be gentle.

Eevee was curled up in his lap with her eyes closed, relaxing under the soothing hands, warm water, and cleansing shampoo. The treatment was new to her, but she certainly could get used to it. Ash's hands were able to get at the spots in her fur that she had trouble reaching and Eevee would be kidding herself if she thought that it didn't feel ridiculously good.

Ash smiled as he watched Eevee begin to doze in his lap, lulled by the gentle cleaning. "You're pretty tired, huh girl?"

Eevee mumbled some quiet response that made Ash chuckle a bit. He spent fifteen minutes working the shampoo through Eevee's fur and making sure she was completely clean before washing it all out. After all the soap was out of Eevee's brown coat, Ash toweled her off with one of the smaller towels in the bathroom. The jostling woke her up a bit, but she didn't care.

He exited the shower with Eevee wrapped up in a fluffy towel and set her on the bed before grabbing a clean set of clothes for himself and returning to the bathroom to quickly change. Once he was in some more comfortable clothes, Ash went back to Eevee and finished drying her off with the towel, grinning widely when he saw her dozing. "Eevee, let's get you something to eat before you sleep, okay?"

Eevee groaned in protest, but even she wouldn't deny that her stomach could use a little food. She looked at Ash with an expression that said it all, and he couldn't help but laugh. "Alright, I'll carry you."

He gathered her up in his arms by his chest and made sure she was comfortable before carrying her out of the room and towards the cafeteria. Eevee snuggled into the white cotton shirt Ash was wearing, thoroughly tired and not at all against the idea of sleeping for a week. Ash did his best to prevent her from bouncing around in his arms too much, figuring that a lot of movement would make her cranky.

"Well, someone's tired."

Ash blinked as he saw Janine waiting for him at the same table they'd eaten at the night before. He walked over and replied quietly. "She's just about ready to pass out, but I wanted her to eat something first. She needs it after running all over the Safari Zone today."

"You look like you need it as well," Janine chuckled. She reached into a pouch at her belt and handed Ash his other four pokeballs. "Here. Safe, just as I promised."

"Thank you," Ash said honestly, setting his four companions at his belt in their familiar places. He would feed them back in his room, after introducing Dratini to them. Eevee needed to eat now because Ash seriously doubted she was going to last another hour before passing out. He got Eevee some food from the Pokemon section of the cafeteria and watched with a smile as she nibbled at it lazily on the seat beside him.

Janine also smiled at the sight. "She looks very relaxed. You clearly treat her well."

"She worked hard today," he replied, scratching Eevee's fur just behind her ears. "She's earned a little babying, I think."

Eevee yawned rather cutely then and Ash's smile widened further. The last time he'd seen her so relaxed was around Cynthia's Glaceon, and frankly he was overjoyed that their bond had reached this point. Actively battling with him, training, and helping to capture other Pokemon were huge steps forward for her, not to mention the extra bonding time they had gotten throughout the day. Ash felt like Eevee was truly happy to be around him now, more so than she'd ever been since joining his team.

Around the time Eevee had finished eating, settled in Ash's lap with a full tummy, and was basically on the verge of entering a food coma, Leaf and Misty walked into the cafeteria. The two girls had enormous grins on their faces.

Janine smirked. "Well, you two appear to have had a successful venture, no?"

"Oh yeah," Misty grinned wildly, giving Leaf a high-five. "Hugely successful."

Leaf looked incredibly smug, apparently too pleased to speak. Ash had no idea what it was that they had captured, but he bet his bottom dollar that it was quite significant to get this kind of reaction out of them.

"Well, Ash and I got some new Pokemon today as well," Janine told them. Ash smiled and nodded, causing the two girls standing beside their table to grin even more.

"How about we compare captures?" Leaf suggested. "Let's go to the training field."

---

The training field was quiet in the early hours of night. The four trainers had walked out just as a couple of other people were finishing a battle there, allowing them to have the field to themselves. Ash had Eevee curled up in his arms, as she had sleepily insisted on staying outside of her Luxury Ball. He was pretty sure she knew that he was about to let Dratini loose for the first time since capturing her, and Eevee wanted to see her newfound friend.

Janine pulled out a Safari Ball first. "Right, here is my newest partner- come, Nidoran!"

A rather large, male Nidoran materialized from the capture device, boasting an impressive horn. Ash guessed from its size that the creature was probably on the verge of evolving, and it was clearly used to fighting. It gave the girls a passive look, but upon seeing Ash, it narrowed its eyes and growled challengingly.

"Nidoran, these are my friends. Be calm," Janine ordered the poison type. It gave her a leery look like it was debating actually listening to her, but with a snort, Nidoran sat down on its stubby legs and obeyed. Janine smiled at her newest Pokemon. "Good. There will be plenty of time to train later, my friend."

Misty actually took out two pokeballs and tapped the release on them both, unleashing a pair of identical, clam-like Pokemon. Ash eyed them curiously. He assumed that they were Clamperl, since they were definitely not Shellder. They were quite shy, only slightly peeking out from within the safety of their hard shells.

"Alright, these are my new Clamperl," Misty smiled at them happily. "Aren't they cute?"

Janine observed them with a trained eye. "They're fascinating. And they can evolve into two different forms?"

"Mmhm," Misty confirmed. "Gorebyss and Huntail. I don't have either of the items I need for them to evolve yet, but I want to train them for a few months first, anyways. I'd like to get to know them both well before they evolve."

Ash heard a low clapping noise as one of the Clamperl closed their shells completely, evidently nervous upon finding itself out of its element. Misty recalled them both pretty quickly. "I'll let them loose again once I get back to my gym. It'll be a lot easier to interact with them when they're back in the water."

"Me next!" Leaf exclaimed, grabbing a single pokeball and releasing the contents excitedly.

He got a surprise when a big Seadra appeared, balancing easily on its curled tail. The water type looked around to take in its surroundings, grunting when its dark eyes found Leaf. She smiled at her new Pokemon cheerfully. "Hi, Seadra! These are my friends!"

Seadra eyed the other trainers and rested its gaze on Misty for a moment, apparently recognizing the girl. It then looked at Ash and Janine, seemingly indifferent to them until Nidoran growled from Janine's side, bristling his toxic spikes. Seadra's eyes narrowed and it made a deep, rumbling sound that Ash easily interpreted as displeasure. Its considerably bigger and more intimidating spines easily outdid Nidoran's and it looked ready to blast the arrogant poison type.

"They're eager, if nothing else," Ash grinned at the pair's antics.

Janine shot Nidoran a disapproving look and recalled him before he could start a fight. She sighed. "I apologize for him. He will learn respect in time."

Seadra huffed, apparently still a little annoyed, but it relaxed when Leaf smiled again. "It's okay, Seadra. We'll get some training in soon, I promise!"

That seemed to satisfy the water type and it puffed its chest out, obviously proud of its power and eager to make itself stronger. Ash could only imagine its capabilities when Seadra eventually evolved into Kingdra, one of only a few dragon types that resided in the deep ocean. They were infamous for supposedly creating whirlpools by yawning.

If that said anything about their latent power, Ash couldn't begin to think of what they could be capable of when they got angry.

Leaf recalled Seadra a moment later, aware that the water type was probably more interested in fighting than having people gawking at it. She glanced at Ash. "So, what'd you catch?"

He looked down at Eevee, who finally appeared to be interested. She had only dozed as the girls released their new Pokemon, but upon hearing that Ash was going to release her newfound friend, she found the energy in herself to wake up a bit.

Ash grinned and knelt to set Eevee down, as he doubted she would enjoy him simply letting her jump out of his arms. He stood back up and pulled the Safari Ball out, then tapped the release.

Dratini materialized and blinked her big, green eyes at them. She cooed at the sight of Eevee padding up to her and trilled when the normal type greeted her with a happy chirp. Now that she was out of the water, Ash realized that Dratini was about six feet long- pretty average for her species. She would get a little bigger as she neared evolution, but if there was one thing Ash knew for sure, it was that dragon types grew really slowly compared to other species of Pokemon.

"Oh my gosh!" Misty gasped at the sight of the small dragon. "She's gorgeous!"

Ash had no idea how she knew that Dratini was female, especially since Janine seemed somewhat dumbfounded and Leaf's eyes were wide. "That's a Dratini…isn't it?"

Dratini froze at the sight of the three girls gaping at her, but Eevee yipped that they wouldn't hurt her. They were Ash's friends and simply wanted to see her. Dratini really wasn't that confident about it and Ash could tell, so he walked over and knelt beside the small dragon.

"Hey girl, do you want to go back in your ball?" He asked gently. Dratini nodded despite Eevee's protests, but Ash scratched the normal type's ears to calm her. "It's okay, Eevee. I'll let Dratini out again when we're back in our room and it's quieter."

Eevee didn't seem happy about that, but integrating a new team member was always a process. Green Eyes was on the shy side and they would simply have to take her personality into account while doing so.

Ash recalled her and then picked Eevee back up as he faced his friends. Leaf was still gaping at him. "Where on earth did you get a Dratini?"

"Well, Eevee actually met her by chance when I was looking for a Scyther in the Safari Zone and they hit it off," Ash explained. "Since they got along so well, I asked Dratini if she wanted to come along and that was that."

"So that is why you were so pleased despite not getting the Scyther you wanted," Janine realized with a grin. "I am impressed by your Eevee's resourcefulness. Many have searched for a Dratini, though few have succeeded and fewer still have captured one. My father has shown them to me before, but I have never seen one outside of the water."

"I owe it to Eevee," Ash smiled down at the sleepy normal type. "Without her, I wouldn't have even known Dratini was there."

Eevee tilted her chin up slightly as a sign of her pride. She was pleased that she'd made Ash happy, even if it was only by making a new friend to bring with them. Frankly, Eevee didn't really care if Green Eyes was a rare Pokemon- they got along, and that was all she cared about. If she had been a more common species, Eevee still would have insisted that Ash capture her.

But Eevee was tired and she was ready to go to sleep. Ash noticed this and looked back up at his friends. "Hey guys, Eevee's getting tired and I need to introduce Dratini to the rest of the team. I'm gonna turn in for the night, okay?"

"Okay," Misty replied. "Leaf and I need to eat. It was hard work fishing all day! Janine, what's your plan?"

"I need to go back to the gym," Janine told her. "My father will likely return from his League work very soon."

Leaf blinked. "So Koga wasn't around today?"

"No," Ash admitted ruefully. "But Janine and I did have our battle."

"And a good battle it was," Janine smiled. "Goodnight, everyone. I will see you all again tomorrow."

---

Once Ash was back in his room, he set Eevee down on the bed and smiled when she immediately curled up. "You think you'll make it through Dratini's introduction, girl?"

Eevee mumbled some half-coherent response that told him she would do her best, but there were no promises. He couldn't blame her for that. She was full, sleepy, and clean, and if she was happy then Ash was happy too.

He released the older members of his team first. Since Dratini's personality was rather shy, Ash wanted to explain that to the others before they scared the dragon too much. He was pretty sure Douse and Spectre would be fine, but Pyro and Sobek had a habit of demonstrating their power in a rather aggressive way, and that would undoubtably frighten Dratini.

"Hey, guys," Ash greeted his team. Once they all chorused a response to him, he got down to business. "I'm sure most of you are hungry and probably wondering where I was all day, so I'll make this quick. Eevee and I went into the Safari Zone today and we spent a long time in there looking for new Pokemon. We have a new member of the team."

That got some excited responses, but they calmed when Ash raised a hand for silence. "It's a Dratini- a dragon type, but she's a little shy, okay? I'm going to introduce her to you now, so keep things quiet and just be polite."

He gave Pyro and Sobek a pointed look and the pair almost looked offended at the expression despite the other members of the team offering them dry glances. Ash didn't push it though and he trusted them to act properly around Dratini until she was comfortable around them all.

Ash took her Safari Ball out and tapped the release, setting the small dragon loose into the room. She blinked and glanced around, more relaxed now that there weren't people staring at her, but still somewhat uneasy at the sight of four strange Pokemon.

"Dratini?" Ash got her attention by speaking gently, and he smiled when she looked at him. "Hey, girl. This is the rest of my team, okay? They're going to be your travel companions from now on along with Eevee and I."

Dratini looked at the other Pokemon then and offered a polite trill of greeting. Pyro offered the first response by waving one of his powerful arms rather than typically roaring and spouting tongues of flame, so Ash shot him an approving look. Sobek mirrored Pyro as did Douse, then Spectre floated over to Dratini and tapped her big white nose with his wispy arm. She trilled in amusement at the little ghost and poked him back with her nose. Spectre made a hollow chuckle and floated around the dragon, evidently pleased.

Pyro, Sobek, and Douse followed Spectre's lead and approached Dratini so they could all inspect each other a bit more closely now that everyone was more relaxed. Ash sat down on his bed beside a very sleepy Eevee and watched the interaction with a smile. He quietly pulled his Pokedex out while they were all getting to know each other and pointed it at Dratini.

Dratini, the Dragon Pokemon. It is called the "Mirage Pokemon" because so few have seen it. Dratini continually sheds its skin as it gets older. As it nears evolution, the life energy in its body reaches nearly uncontrollable levels, so it sheds more frequently. It lives in small colonies found in deep water.

This Dratini is female and knows the moves Wrap, Thunder Wave, Dragon Rage, Slam, Safeguard, Agility, Aqua Tail, and Dragon Tail. Its ability is Shed Skin, which allows it to slough off status conditions like burns, paralysis, poison, etc.

Ash nodded to himself. Dratini had a good move set that he could easily expand upon. She could immobilize, guard, and attack- giving her a whole variety of ways to maneuver in battle. Ash had no doubt that training her would quickly allow Dratini to become a powerful asset on his team.

Once his Pokemon had gotten familiar with each other, Ash called Dratini over to him. She slithered over across the floor easily, eyes shifting from Ash to the barely-conscious form of Eevee. She trilled at Eevee, who managed some vague, unintelligible response that made Dratini tilt her head in a comedic fashion. Ash chuckled at the quizzical expression on her face and spoke gently. "Eevee's just really sleepy, Dratini. She's about ready to turn in for the night."

Dratini's eyes cleared in understanding and she looked back up at Ash. He reached out to scratch her scales behind her spiky white ears, getting a happy trill from the small dragon. "I want to know if you'd like a nickname, girl. Eevee doesn't have one, but the rest of the team do. If you don't want one, then that's okay. If you do, just let me know."

She considered his words for several minutes and Ash could practically see the gears turning in her head as she thought about it. Eventually, she offered a tentative nod.

Ash spent a long while thinking about a name for her. He wanted something that would suit Dratini's gentle personality, and he was constantly drawn to the soft green eyes. They were a defining feature of Dratini that he was compelled to add into her name, and after a while, he settled on one that he felt truly fit her.

"Jasmine."

Her green eyes glimmered when he said it and the more Ash thought about it, the more he felt that the name suited Dratini. She was a shy, gentle creature that didn't really need a more aggressive name like Pyro or Sobek. And honestly, he couldn't imagine her any other way.

The newly dubbed Jasmine nodded in approval and then glanced at the basically sleeping ball of fluff that was Eevee. Ash smiled at the dragon's attention to her new friend. "Do you want something to eat before we sleep?"

Jasmine perked up at the mention of food and trilled eagerly. Hearing that also got the others to stare at Ash with expectant looks. He grinned at the sudden interest from his friends and grabbed his bag, then pulled out several cans of Pokemon food, which he gave to each of his team members. Pyro, Sobek, and Douse all sat down to eat, though Pyro growled when Sobek tried to sneakily take some extra from his share. Ash offered a bit to Spectre, who had the smallest appetite of the group, and the little ghost took his share before lazily floating over to the window so he could stare outside while he ate.

Ash set his hand on Eevee's head and gently ran his fingers through her fur, lulling the normal type into full, deep sleep at last. He rubbed his eyes with his other hand, feeling the effects of their trek through the Safari Zone going through his own muscles. Before he let himself fall asleep, however, he grabbed the fireproof blanket he always let Pyro rest his tail on and spread it across the floor. Only then, when he was certain that there would be no risk of the room going up in flames while they slept, did Ash retreat to his bed and pass out.

---

He was woken up by a curious, if slightly hesitant trill. Ash frowned and blinked his eyes open, freezing when he saw the big green orbs staring back at him from literally inches away. It took a moment for him to remember that the Dratini was his newest partner, but once he remembered that he grew calm again. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and mumbled lowly. "Hey, girl. What's up?"

She cooed again and he smiled at the sound. Jasmine's head was hovering over him, while the rest of her long, serpentine body was still on the floor. Ash sat up and glanced at the clock, pausing when he realized that it was only seven in the morning. He arched an eyebrow at that. "You know, we can sleep in a little longer. The sun is barely up right now."

That didn't deter Jasmine in the slightest and Ash got the feeling she was used to getting up early in the morning. He sighed, but he was awake and he felt way better after having a good night's sleep. Ash glanced around the room and smirked. The rest of his team certainly weren't about to wake up anytime soon. Pyro was sprawled out on the floor, burning tail still lying on his fireproof blanket while he snored. Sobek was next to him, and Douse was belly-up as usual. Eevee, of course, was fast asleep on his bed and hadn't so much as twitched when Ash got up.

Spectre didn't need to sleep much, though, and true to form, the little ghost was hovering by the window, staring at the sun as it rose over the horizon. He turned to see Ash stand up out of bed and made a small, hollow sound of greeting. Ash smiled back and prodded the Duskull's mask when he floated closer. He still had no idea why the ghost liked that gesture, but it made him happy.

Ash stretched his arms over his head and glanced at Jasmine. "What do you say we go outside, girl?"

She trilled at that and he took it as a yes, so Ash quietly led her out of the room, but he paused at the door and turned back. "Spectre, do you want to come with us?"

The Duskull glanced around the room of sleeping Pokemon and Ash thought for a moment that his single red eye had a suspiciously gleeful glint to it. Spectre shook his head and Ash nodded to him, but as he left the room he had a feeling that he was going to come back to a prank of some kind.

Ash only hoped he wouldn't provoke Pyro into setting the room ablaze.

He led Jasmine down the hallways of the Pokemon Center, which was empty for the most part. They got a surprised stare from another trainer, who probably wasn't sure if he had actually seen a Dratini or not. Ash couldn't help but grin when he caught the kid rubbing his eyes and staring with an astounded expression.

Jasmine didn't seem to be as entertained by the attention, but she relaxed when Ash ran his fingers over her neck. He was really intrigued by the texture of her scales. Pyro scales felt really tough and Sobek's had a rugged feel to them all over his body with the exception of his softer underbelly. Jasmine's scales felt smooth under his touch and almost silky. They still held a definite firmness, but Ash was fascinated by how unusually soft her scales were.

It made him wonder if that was a trait all Dratini held or if she was just really young. He kind of doubted the latter considering the number of moves she knew, but then again, he didn't know very much about her species at all. Maybe all young Dratini were this versatile?

The questions bouncing around in his head caused Ash to realize that he hadn't contacted Professor Oak or his mother since he got into Fuchsia. He thought about it a moment more before deciding to give them a call. Both of them were probably up and already working.

He led Jasmine to the phone booth and she gave him a curious trill, obviously wondering why they were here and not heading outside. Ash smiled at her. "I just have to check something real quick, girl. We'll go outside in a moment."

She nodded at that, so Ash typed in the number for Oak's lab and hit the call button. It rang for several seconds before the Professor himself answered the phone, wide awake and looking a little more jittery than normal, like he'd had one too many shots of espresso.

Oak blinked in surprise. "Ash! I didn't expect to see you this early in the morning!"

"Well, my newest team member likes to get up with the sun," he chuckled, glancing at the shy Dratini that was already giving the Professor a wary look. "This is Jasmine, my Dratini. Jasmine, this is Professor Oak. He's a really great friend and he knows a lot about Pokemon."

Jasmine offered the man a small trill, but she didn't seem overly eager, though Ash found himself cracking a smile when she appeared fascinated by the video phone. He doubted that she'd ever seen anything quite like that before.

Oak's eyes widened. "My stars, you have caught a treasure, haven't you? It's been a long time since I last saw a Dratini. Not since one of my meetings with Lance a few years back. I saw your trainer file updated yesterday with her information, but I don't think I believed it until now. You found her in the Safari Zone?"

"Well, sort of," Ash admitted as he lifted a hand to scratch Jasmine's scales and help her relax. "Actually, Eevee was the one who found her. I was trying to find a Scyther and Eevee found Jasmine by the lake. They hit it off, so she decided to come with us."

"You're a lucky young man, Ash," Oak told him as he inspected Jasmine with a trained eye. "I spent years searching for a Dratini, though that was decades before the Safari Zone was developed. Goodness, I was fifteen when I finally found mine…"

The Professor took a second to reminisce and Ash recalled that Oak did in fact have a Dragonite from his days as a trainer. He had only ever seen it once or twice because it lived on the outskirts of Pallet Town in a small mountainous area, but the beast was a definitive example of a Dragonite in its prime. Oak had been a powerful trainer before he dedicated his life to researching Pokemon, and Dragonite was the cornerstone of his team from those days. He had once shown Ash, Gary, and Leaf a video of one of his old League matches and the boy doubted that he would ever forget how ungodly powerful Oak's Dragonite was. He was sure that only Lance's own dragons held a candle to the dragon type.

Oak's experience with the Dragonite line was something he needed to know about in order to raise Jasmine properly, so he got to the point. "That's why I called you, Professor. I need your help."

The Professor snapped back to the present as Ash went on. "I don't really know where to begin with Jasmine's training. She's got a great move pool, but what should I start working on with her?"

"Hmm…" Oak scratched his chin thoughtfully. "I would advise working on technique and widening the range of moves she can use for now. You won't really need to focus on raw power until she evolves into a Dragonair. Dratini store life energy in their bodies at a steady rate as they grow, far more so than most other Pokemon. It's how they prepare themselves for evolution in the wild. Whether you work on power with her or not at this stage is up to you, but it won't affect how much life energy she builds up, and that's really the key. There are no shortcuts to speed that process up. You will simply have to be patient."

Ash nodded as he made a mental note of that. Most of his team, like Pyro or Sobek for instance, grew by becoming more powerful physically and literally working up to their evolution. Jasmine was a slightly different case since her body developed by storing energy. It would be a more time-consuming process than promoting her growth with typical training, but he could work with that.

"Oh yeah, I had one other thing to ask you about her," Ash remembered suddenly. "Jasmine's scales feel really smooth, kind of like silk. Are they all like that? I've never seen a Pokemon with scales like that before."

"Like silk, eh?" The Professor smiled. "That means she probably shed her skin a day or two ago. The scales will get tough again before too long, but a Dratini's shedding is always followed by a few days of very soft skin. It's fascinating, isn't it?"

Ash nodded, smiling when Jasmine cooed to get his attention. He rubbed her scales again and was rewarded with a happy trill from the small dragon. "That's really interesting. I never knew Dratini did that. There's not a lot of information I could find on them, even in the Pokedex."

"That reminds me, don't battle with her while she's in that state, Ash," Oak startled the young trainer with his warning. "Dratini are vulnerable after shedding. It would be frighteningly easy to cause her body permanent harm while her scales are soft. Technique work is fine, but refrain from any combat training until her scales become tough again."

"No battles right after shedding. Check," Ash promised the Professor. "How often will she shed, anyway?"

Oak squinted at Jasmine again, who was leaning into Ash's hand while he scratched her scales. "I'd say she's about five years old. It's hard for me to tell from here, but she looks close to the average size for a Dratini. Anyways, that's a good thing for you. Newly hatched Dratini shed twice a month and keep that pattern up for their first couple of years. It's nearly impossible to train them since their bodies are constantly fragile. Jasmine should only shed once every three months or so. However, I should add that as she gets close to evolving into a Dragonair, her shedding pace will increase dramatically. When that starts to happen, you'll have to stop battling with her until she evolves."

Ash tried to get all that down at once, but it was a lot to take in. "Wow, that's…that's pretty complicated."

"If you ever wondered why Lance is revered by even the strongest of trainers, now you know," Oak chuckled. "Training a dragon type is exceedingly difficult, Ash. They require immense investments of patience and effort in order for them to reach their fullest potential. Lance and the dragon clan of Blackthorn City have perfected that kind of unique training more than almost anyone else in the world."

Jasmine nudged Ash's shoulder with her white nose to get his attention again and he smiled at her. "It's worth it, I'll bet."

"It is. Now, did you have any more questions? I don't mind answering them, but I'm a little pressed for time at the moment."

"Just one more. How's mom?"

Oak chuckled. "Oh, she's right in her element. She's playing matchmaker to my breeding pairs here at the lab. We were actually sent a few Kangaskhan from the Safari Zone last week to assist with their efforts to boost the population. Kangaskhan are difficult to breed in captivity, but your mother has a talent for achieving the impossible."

Ash grinned. "Well, she did put up with me for ten years."

The Professor burst out laughing, causing Jasmine to rear back with eyes wide in surprise. Ash assured her all was well until Oak caught his breath and sighed, merriment still obvious on his face. "Well, I'll let her know that you called. Goodbye, Ash- actually, wait! One more thing. When do you intend on returning to Pallet for a visit?"

Ash paused at that. He actually hadn't even thought about going back home ever since he left. Obviously he would have to go back at some point to see his mother and Professor Oak, but when?

"You know, I really haven't thought about it," he admitted.

Oak nodded. "Gary told me the same thing not too long ago. I'll tell you what, why don't you come back for a week after your cruise on the St. Anne? I can give you a direct analysis of your team and you can see your mother again. She really does miss you, you know."

"That would be great," Ash said. "I think I'll do that."

"I look forward to seeing you again," Oak smiled at him. "Have a great day, Ash."

"Same to you Professor," he replied, then ended the call.

Ash turned to face Jasmine and grinned. "So, you wanted to go outside, right?"

The Dratini trilled in delight and nuzzled her head beneath his chin, causing Ash to laugh while he scratched her scales. They were going to get along just fine.

---

In fact, Jasmine really wanted to go outside so that she could bask in the warm morning sun. Ash ended up sitting on the edge of the training field while the Dratini coiled around him, resting her head in his lap so he could continue to scratch behind her ears. This was behavior he was used to seeing from Pyro and Sobek as well; their reptilian anatomy meant that they often needed a little sunbathing early in the day to get themselves going. Pyro had an easier time getting ready for training because of his fire typing, but he still enjoyed relaxing in the sun.

Jasmine very much enjoyed it, Ash noted as she soaked up the morning rays. They spent about thirty minutes like that until she was warm and ready to make the most of whatever the day brought with it. Ash intended to test out her attacks while they were out here and the town was still quiet- it was still fairly early in the day, after all, but his plans were cut short somewhat when Janine showed up.

"Breaking in the new team member?" Janine called to Ash as she walked over to the training field.

Ash nodded. "Yeah. I still haven't gotten to see what she can do, but she wanted to sunbathe for a bit."

"I see. Well, we can have a battle if you feel like seeing what she is capable of. I have yet to test out Nidoran's skills as well."

"She can't, actually," Ash told her. When Janine blinked in confusion, he elaborated. "I talked to Professor Oak this morning about her, and he told me that she just shed her skin. Her scales are really soft right now, so fighting is too dangerous."

Janine's eyes cleared in understanding. "Ah, I understand. My father has a Pokemon with a similar trait. Which reminds me, that is why I came here so early. My father has returned to the gym."

His expression brightened. "Koga's back?"

"Yes. He asked that I inform both you and Leaf that he will be prepared for a battle with you around midday. However, he is limited on time because this League business is still as of yet concluded. He and his Pokemon are resting at the moment, and will be ready for your challenge at noon sharp, so if you have any training you want to get done, I suggest you get started."

Ash grinned. "Thanks for telling me. I think I need to go wake up the rest of my team. They're in for a good morning workout."

Janine smirked. "I should think so. Go get your Pokemon- I shall go wake Leaf."

He nodded, then took off with Jasmine slithering after him. She trilled curiously and he glanced at her over his shoulder with a wide smile. "We've got work to do, girl. We've got a lot of work to do."

---

One hour of warm-up training, a check-up with Nurse Joy, and a strategy meeting with Leaf later, Ash found himself standing outside of the Fuchsia Gym with his friends. He was as ready as he'd ever be at this point. He and Leaf had discussed their opponent as thoroughly as they could, and Ash knew how he was going to fight him. Janine hadn't told them the kinds of Pokemon they would be facing, but she did let them know that they would likely be battling three on three.

Koga was known throughout Kanto for using poison as his primary means of attack, then whittling away at helpless opponents with crafty tactics. Just from a typing standpoint, Sobek was a must-have for this battle. His ground type attacks would be capable of seriously damaging Koga's poison type Pokemon, and Ash would have to wipe them out quickly before his opponent could poison his team. That was one.

Ash considered using Eevee because of her ability to use Refresh, but he wasn't sure if she had the experience necessary to take on Koga's team. She had done well in their battle against Janine, but that was against a Pokemon that Janine wasn't used to fighting against. Koga was a seasoned veteran, and he wouldn't be using amateur Pokemon in a gym battle.

Spectre also wasn't an option. He had only narrowly won a battle against Erika by using her Gloom's power against it, and even then, he was nearly defeated by poison. Ash really wanted him to have more power and versatility before he used the ghost in a gym battle again.

Jasmine was completely out of the question.

That left him with Douse and Pyro, and Ash was okay with that lineup. Pyro, Sobek, and Douse were his three most powerful Pokemon right now, and even though he was worried about only relying on raw power against a tricky opponent like Koga, he had to admit that they were his best shot at defeating the poison type master.

Janine led the group inside and took them to a different room than the one where she and Ash had battled. As they stepped in, he realized that Koga was already waiting for them on the opposite side of the battlefield.

"Welcome to the Fuchsia Gym," he called to them, voice deep and commanding. Koga struck Ash as a military man from his stiff posture and stern expression. Though as opposed to Surge, who was rather carefree, the ninja seemed far more serious.

Janine bowed to the Gym Leader. "Father, I have brought the two challengers as requested."

Koga grunted. "Good. I only have so much time available to me today, so let us get started immediately. Janine, you will referee."

She nodded then and headed to the side of the field. Ash glanced at Leaf. "Ladies first?"

"You can go. You were supposed to fight Koga yesterday, anyways. Besides, watching him beat you will let me figure out how to win," she finished with a grin.

He rolled his eyes. "Watch and learn."

Ash went over to the challengers side of the field and faced Koga. The ninja's voice rang clear across the room. "Janine tells me you have four badges. Is this correct?"

"Yes, sir," he confirmed politely.

"Very well. Janine, begin the match."

"Yes! This Fuchsia Gym match will now commence! It will be a three on three match and will conclude when all of one trainer's Pokemon are unable to battle. Furthermore, there are to be no substitutions. The first attack will go to the challenger."

With a swift flourish, Koga threw a pokeball and unleashed Ash's first opponent- a Golbat. The poison type was flying around right off the bat, flapping its large wings and setting off small bursts of sound to echolocate. Golbat could see much better than the smaller Zubat, but they still used echolocation as a reflex.

Ash responded by setting Sobek loose. The croc roared loudly to announce himself and immediately glared at Golbat, curling his lip in a snarl. Golbat hissed back, though Koga only quirked an eyebrow. He didn't even seem particularly surprised by the sight of the Krokorok.

Janine slashed her hand down. "Begin!"

"Use Stone Edge!" Ash ordered.

Sobek immediately slammed his fist into the ground, triggering spires of rock to punch up from the field in a line towards Golbat. Koga didn't even have to say anything for the bat to dodge them, flying around the dangerous attack with ease.

"Screech."

Ash barely heard the command from across the field before a piercing shriek forced him to throw his hands over his ears. Sobek roared furiously and shook his head to clear the sound, but while the Screech had him distracted, Golbat blurred in from above and bit at the Krokorok's arm with its sharp fangs.

Sobek's rage-filled bellow replaced the sound of Screech and he snapped at Golbat on reflex. His sharp teeth narrowly missed the poison type, who quickly retreated back into the air. Sobek snarled and glared after the bat with a loathing look.

"Sobek, focus!" Ash said sharply to get the Krokorok's attention. "Stone Edge again!"

More blades of solid rock punched out of the field, but again, Golbat avoided them with ease. The bat almost seemed to be taunting them- it was no secret that Stone Edge wasn't Sobek's most accurate attack, but it was still infuriating to watch Golbat dance around.

Koga didn't so much as say a word for nearly a minute while Sobek continued to attack and Golbat easily dodged. He was just watching with calculating eyes, betraying nothing of his thoughts. It almost startled Ash when he finally broke his silence. "Haze."

Golbat paused mid-flight and exhaled a stream of pale smoke from its large maw. The Haze filled the battlefield quickly, preventing Ash or Sobek from seeing whatever it was that Golbat was planning.

"Sobek, get ready," Ash muttered. The Krokorok hissed in agreement and glared at the smokescreen, dark eyes trying to discern his target's location. The whole room was silent for several seconds.

Suddenly, a figure darted out of the Haze- followed by another, and another. Ash's eyes widened as a dozen Golbats lunged at Sobek from the air. It was using Double Team, and he had no way of knowing which was the real one.

Ash went for the only option he had. "Dig!"

Sobek immediately burrowed underground, his tail avoiding the snapping teeth of a Golbat by mere inches. Ash pressed his lips from the close call, but Koga apparently had a plan already established. "Screech!"

Ash's thoughts went from relief to horror. "Sobek, get out of there!"

His panicked shout was too late. One of the Golbats suddenly flew to the hole in the ground and let loose that horrible sound straight into the tunnel. Ash could feel it reverberating through the field and he felt the blood drain from his face as he considered how much that was hurting Sobek.

He had no idea what condition Sobek was in after getting blasted with that unholy shriek, but Ash was pretty sure nobody expected Sobek's next move.

All he heard was a screaming roar of unfathomable rage and pain, then Sobek came barreling out of the hole right into Golbat's face. The poison type looked utterly surprised by the Krokorok actually running into the Screech attack, but Sobek obviously didn't care. His dark eyes were bloodshot, saliva was dripping from his jaws, and he looked more pissed off than Ash could ever remember seeing him.

Ash didn't even get a command out before Sobek gnashed his teeth into Golbat's wing and ruthlessly whipped his head back and forth, drawing an agonized shriek from the poison type. He opened his mouth to tell Sobek to back off- because he wasn't sure that Sobek would stop if he felt Golbat's wing coming off- but then the Krokorok let go and smashed his fist into the ground, and Ash could only watch as the spire of rock punched into Golbat's stomach and crushed it against the wall.

He was momentarily horrified by the brutality of Sobek's rage. "Stop it!"

Sobek paused momentarily, still snarling, but he turned to face his trainer and blinked at the shocked expression on Ash's face. Had he done something wrong?

The next second a burning pain erupted in the same arm that had been bitten earlier and Sobek let out a caterwaul, feeling his rage come back tenfold. He spun around to see what creature had the audacity to sneak attack him, but the last thing he expected to see was Golbat, who looked mildly tired, but otherwise unharmed.

Both Pokemon and trainer were utterly dumbfounded. Hadn't Golbat just been pancaked by Sobek's Stone Edge? It didn't even look like it had been bitten.

Ash stared across the field to where Koga stood, and saw that the ninja was stoic as ever. "Observe."

He gestured to the wall where Golbat had been crushed just moments before and Ash blinked when he saw the figure of the bat dissolve into nothing. Whatever this was, it new to him- he'd never seen anything like it before.

"Substitute," Koga explained. "Golbat created it when he was concealed in Haze and kept his true body out of sight until you let your guard down. Substitutes are more delicate than actual Pokemon are. Your concern is unnecessary."

Ash didn't even know that a move like that existed in the first place, but he knew now. He chewed his lip nervously. How many of those fakes could Golbat create? The copies were capable of doing actual damage, that was for sure, even if they were relatively weak as defenses were concerned. Golbat looked tired, though. Maybe creating a Substitute took a lot of energy?

He frowned. This threw a monkey wrench into his plans.

Another complication was thrown in when he saw Sobek shivering and realized that Golbat's surprise attack had poisoned him. The Krokorok was angry, but the longer this went on, the faster his energy would drain. Ash mentally smacked himself. He needed to get his act together and fast.

"Sobek, we're on a time limit," he called to the ground type. At Sobek's growl of confirmation, Ash got back into the battle. "Thunder Fang!"

Sobek lunged immediately, trying to use a burst of speed to close the distance to his opponent. Koga's response in the face of a super effective attack was casual. "Charge Dispersal."

To Ash's surprise, Golbat landed and its wings glowed metallic silver. He thought for a second that it intended to counterattack, but all the poison type did was jab the end of one wing into the ground and raise the other one like a shield.

Sobek buried his electrified fangs into Golbat's wing, crunching down as hard as he could. He saw it wince in pain from the great pressure of the bite, yet the electricity just faded from the spot where Thunder Fang had struck. Ash was sure Golbat could feel it, but it didn't seem to be hurting it much at all. It clicked when he saw the metallic wing embedded in the field- Golbat had used one Steel Wing as a lightning rod and the other to disperse the electrical charge harmlessly into the ground.

However simple it was, it was brilliant.

Koga acted a moment later. "Screech."

Ash threw his hands over his ears to protect his own eardrums against the horrible sound. Koga liked using that move way too much in his opinion. Despite the agonizing shriek, Sobek didn't let go, even as his eyes bulged in pain and fury. He was way too pissed and stubborn to just let go like Koga and Golbat wanted, and Ash took full advantage of that as he yelled at the top of his lungs.

"Fire Fang!"

The electricity vanished in an instant and was replaced with wreathing flames, causing Golbat's Screech to rise in pitch at the pain for a moment before it stopped making that sound altogether. It hissed furiously at Sobek, but the Krokorok only further gnashed his teeth into the wing. He had a grip and he was not letting go. Electricity wouldn't work on the Steel Wing guard, but flames melted steel- that sort of defense was useless against Fire Fang.

Koga arched an eyebrow. "Your Krokorok has heart. But it has little regard for its own defense. Wing Blade!"

Ash had no idea what a Wing Blade was, but Golbat whipped the left wing that was buried in the ground out in an instant, coiling energy around it for a second before it slashed at Sobek. The blow was too fast for him to avoid and sliced straight into his right flank. Sobek let go with a shriek of pain, but Ash saw an opportunity in that moment. "Use Stone Edge!"

Golbat might have just scored an attack, but the fact was that its right wing had taken a lot of damage and it was already tired from using Substitute. It was also on the ground right now and it was the best shot that they had so far to take it out.

Sobek's fist slammed into the ground not a second after getting slashed with Wing Blade, then a spire of jagged stone erupted from the field right below Golbat and barreled into its body. The bat shrieked in pain as the spire was pushed up further and further, then stopped just short of the wall on Koga's side of the field. As it was, the raw force and momentum threw Golbat into the wall with a dull thud, then the poison type fell straight down and did not get up.

"Golbat is unable to battle! Krokorok wins!" Jasmine announced.

Koga recalled his first Pokemon without a word and considered Sobek carefully. The ground type was breathing heavily and still looked completely furious, though he was wincing from all the damage he'd taken- not to mention the poison Golbat had delivered. Sobek probably didn't have another round in him, but his eyes glowed red as a Moxie boost rushed through his veins and the Krokorok snarled challengingly.

Ash bit his lip. He really didn't want to let Sobek keep battling in his current condition, (never mind that Moxie made him dangerous and terribly strong in combat) but if Koga's first Pokemon had put up that much of a fight, he had a feeling that every little bit would count. He resolved to let Sobek continue.

Koga hurled his second pokeball out and Ash blinked when the Pokemon that came out was something he'd never seen before.

It was bipedal, with short, strong legs and long arms. Its skin was blue in color, with bands of black on its arms, feet, and face. A single horn protruded from its head and pale yellow eyes gazed back at him with an unreadable expression. The Pokemon had a large, red throat sac and a red claws on each of its knuckles. With every breath it took, a low croaking sound reverberated through the room.

"I see you are unfamiliar with my partner," Koga said. "This is Toxicroak. His kind is native to the Sinnoh region's swamplands."

Ash considered Toxicroak for a few moments. It wasn't very large, though it had a presence which made him wary- like he was looking at an ambush predator. The knuckle blades on its hands were obvious weapons, but he really had no idea how this thing was going to fight.

Sobek shuddered again as another round of poison coursed through his veins and Ash mentally smacked himself. He didn't have the luxury of taking his time to analyze Toxicroak while Sobek was in pain. "Ant Lion!"

Sobek dug underground at his command and several moments later, the ground beneath Toxicroak began to fall away into a Sand Tomb. Ash saw Sobek's jaws break the sand as he prepared to bite Toxicroak, but Koga wasn't that gullible.

"Sucker Punch."

Toxicroak's legs pushed it forward with incredible power, launching the poison type at Sobek. It lashed out with a lightning-fast strike and caught Sobek in his lower jaw, forcing his mouth to snap shut, then used the force behind its own strike to flip back and land on the field clear of the Sand Tomb. Ash saw rage in his Pokemon's eyes and Sobek roared, hurling himself out of the sand in order to savage his opponent, but it was at that point that Koga decided enough was enough. "Venoshock."

All Ash saw was Toxicroak rapidly spitting a glob of green liquid, the the sound of that liquid splattered onto Sobek and glowed, brightly and eerily. Sobek's eyes flew open in shock and his jaws parted, but no sound came out. His silent roar of pain lasted just a second before he toppled into a heap on the ground.

"Krokorok is unable to continue! Toxicroak wins!"

Ash recalled Sobek shakily, staring at Toxicroak with a worried expression. He remembered Paul had tried to use that same move in their battle at Celadon City, but he had avoided it then. So that was what happened when it made contact.

He would remember the danger of Venoshock from now on.

He sent out Douse next. The Poliwhirl beat his round body with a fist at the sight of Toxicroak, though the poison type didn't even react. It was very similar to Koga in that way- Toxicroak's behavior was stoic and powerful and its presence demanded respect.

Ash wouldn't get close to Toxicroak immediately this time. He would test it from afar to find a weakness. "Ice Beam!"

Douse reared his body back and unleashed the arcs of icy energy at Toxicroak. His aim was spot-on, and this time Toxicroak simply crossed its arms in front of it and took the attack. Ice Beam pushed it back several feet, but when Douse stopped the assault, Toxicroak casually broke the ice that had formed on its arms. It had probably done that just to get a feel for Douse's strength.

It kind of annoyed him that Toxicroak had withstood the attack so easily and so Ash snapped. "Mud Shot!"

When Douse spat the burst of mud, Koga decided to counter. "Sludge Bomb."

The two attacks collided and exploded in the middle of the field, creating a small smokescreen. That immediately had Ash feeling wary because the last time Koga had been given cover, it had ended disastrously for his Pokemon. He wasn't going to let him pull another trick like that again.

"Use Mud Shot repeatedly," Ash commanded. "Don't stop until it reappears!"

Douse followed his orders faithfully, unleashed blasts of mud at Koga's side of the field. Ash watched tensely the attacks simply vanished into the smoke, but he felt a jolt of satisfaction when he heard a loud smacking sound and then a surprised croak. Whether it was a lucky shot or that Toxicroak had actually been caught off-guard, he had no idea, but Douse immediately focused on the area where he had struck the poison type.

Toxicroak erupted from the fading smoke to avoid the Mud Shots, a flicker of irritation in its eyes. Obviously, it hadn't been able to pull anything behind the brief cover it had while Douse was assaulting its hiding place.

"X-Scissor!" Koga ordered. Toxicroak's knuckle blades glowed briefly as it lunged at Douse with a powerful burst of speed, slashing at him in an X-formation. Douse bounced away and evaded the initial strike, presenting him with an opening to fire another Mud Shot. This time the hit was clean and at close range, causing Toxicroak to be hurled in the opposite direction.

The poison type skidded to a stop and leered at Douse, finally showing actual emotion. It was getting annoyed that its opponent was able to hit it. When Douse fired yet another Mud Shot at Toxicroak, this time it responded with brute force.

Neither Ash nor Douse anticipated the stream of dark rings as it blew the Mud Shot apart and went on to slam right into the Poliwhirl. Douse was lifted off his feet and thrown violently into the wall, and Ash saw the psychic barrier flickered stressfully in response to the negative energy of the Dark Pulse.

Ash's partner slid to the ground with a gurgle of pain, but shakily got to his feet and glared at the poison type across the field. As he considered the best way to get back into the battle, Toxicroak lunged at Douse with its knuckle claw glowing an ominous purple.

"Bubble Beam!" Ash shouted. Douse reared his head back and unleashed a stream of explosive bubbles, which slammed into Toxicroak and forced it away from its opponent. His lips curled up in a grin, certain that Koga's Pokemon was definitely hurting by now.

He was quickly disappointed. The vapor from Bubble Beam faded away to reveal Toxicroak, and the poison type was just fine. In fact, as Ash watched, the wounds that Douse had inflicted earlier seemed to be disappearing. He stared in confusion- it should have been on its last legs, but Toxicroak looked better than ever.

"The first step in defeating an opponent is knowing them," Koga said suddenly. "You yourself have provided such an example of this. Toxicroak's ability is Dry Skin. Water type moves that come into contact with him are absorbed harmlessly and used to heal wounds."

Ash mentally smacked himself for that one. He'd played right into Koga's hands and now Toxicroak had been healed.

Koga took the initiative this time. "Poison Jab."

Toxicroak lunged at Douse while its knuckle blades glowed that deadly violet shade. Douse spat a Mud Shot at the poison type, but it sidestepped with ease and closed in quickly to slash and stab at its opponent. Ash started to shout a counterattack to Douse, but Toxicroak was just too fast and struck the Poliwhirl twice with Poison Jab. Douse gurgled in pain and Ash clenched his fist when he saw the unmistakeable effects of poison appear on his partner. Great.

"Finish it," Koga commanded. "Thunder Leap!"

Toxicroak suddenly bent its knees, then jumped straight up with incredible lower body strength. It twisted in the air and ended up touching the ceiling with its feet, then pushed off and launched itself like a rocket at Douse. Halfway down, its fist crackled with electricity.

Ash yelled as Toxicroak grew near. "Mega Punch!"

Douse waited until Toxicroak was feet away, then he sidestepped and his right fist glowed white. Toxicroak's eyes flashed over towards the water type just in time for the Mega Punch to slam into its chin in a vicious uppercut. The poison type let out a deep, echoing croak that was more akin to a roar, and Ash assumed it was angry from being hit. Toxicroak used the force to flip back and land upright just a few paces away from Douse, still ready to fight.

"Ice Beam!"

"Dark Pulse!"

Rays of freezing energy collided with the stream of dark rings, generating an explosion between the two battling Pokemon and a cloud of smoke erupted in the center of the field. Ash was desperate to turn the battle around and shouted. "Mega Punch!"

Douse lunged into the smoke with his fists at the ready, but he had only disappeared for a moment before Ash heard a thud and then silence. He watched the smoke clear and his heart sank when Toxicroak appeared, one foot on Douse's unconscious form while his partner's body glowed with the green effect of Venoshock. Ash sighed and recalled Douse as Janine announced his second defeat against Toxicroak.

The poison type retreated back to Koga's side of the field and waited with its arms crossed, mirroring its trainer. Ash bit his lip as he considered his opponent. Pyro was his last Pokemon, but Koga still had Toxicroak and another one in reserve. Not to mention, Toxicroak had been mostly healed after Douse hit it with Bubble Beam. He was fighting an uphill battle.

Pyro appeared with a roar and a brandish of his flaming tail, locking eyes with Toxicroak immediately. He was ready to fight until he dropped, regardless of who the opponent was. Ash was certain that his starter could defeat their enemy- the Charmeleon was as stubborn as he was and hated to lose just as much.

Ash mirrored Pyro's glare at Toxicroak and readied himself for a tough battle. "Alright buddy, we've got to turn this around if we're going to win. Dragon Rush!"

Onyx irises narrowed into slits as Pyro lunged at Toxicroak, bolting across the field with all the speed he could muster. Toxicroak had casually been keeping eye contact with its new opponent, but that proved to be a mistake as the intense aura of the attack made it freeze in place momentarily. Pyro slammed headfirst into Toxicroak's stomach, knocking the wind out of the poison type and roughly shoved it several feet away.

For once, Koga seemed a little surprised. "An unusual move to see on a Charmeleon, though it obviously is not yet complete. Poison Jab."

As Toxicroak's knuckle blades glowed purple again, Ash quickly ordered a defense. "Block it with Metal Claw!"

Pyro's talons shimmered metallic silver as they slashed at Toxicroak, meeting each of the Poison Jab attacks with loud, sharp impacts. Toxicroak was fast and it was clear that Pyro was struggling to keep up with its speed, but he managed to block all of the Poison Jabs that it threw his way. Ash waited for a few seconds until Pyro seemed to have adapted to his opponents pace and then snapped. "Grab it!"

The collisions stopped as Pyro's taloned hands clenched and locked onto Toxicroak's fists, preventing it from using Poison Jab for the time being. The poison type blinked in surprise and its trainer seemed faintly impressed.

"Using a steel type move to disarm a poison type attack is clever. However, even a strategy like that has its limits. For example, what will you do when Toxicroak uses Sludge Bomb?"

The red pouch on Toxicroak's throat swelled as he said that, but Ash already knew about that move and he was ready. "Flamethrower!"

Flames rippled from Pyro's maw just as Toxicroak spat the Sludge Bomb, creating an explosive force between the two Pokemon as their attacks collided. They were torn apart and hurled in separate directions, but recovered quickly and faced off again in seconds. Ash blinked as Toxicroak unexpectedly winced, and glanced over the poison type to see if it was injured somewhere. His eyes stopped at a mild burn on its left arm which didn't look too bad, but was obviously causing Toxicroak some discomfort. The wound had probably been caused during the explosion.

Something clicked in his head when he saw how much pain such a small burn was causing their opponent, and the gears turned in Ash's head for a few moments until he came up with an idea. But first, he had to test it out.

Koga's eyebrow quirked up for a second. "You seem to have discovered something, youngster."

Ash didn't reply to him directly. "Flamethrower again!"

Pyro roared as he unleashed a tongue of fire and directed it at Toxicroak, intent on roasting their enemy to a crisp. The poison type immediately leapt away and bolted in an effort to escape the flames, especially when Pyro redirected them. The reaction was different than it had been when Toxicroak had tried to avoid Douse's Mud Shots, and those had been super effective. Whereas Toxicroak had been eager to avoid those attacks, its behavior this time around wasn't the same. If it didn't have such a stoic personality, Ash would dare to say it was afraid of the fire.

It only added to his theory when Koga himself grew a bit more tense, like he wanted the battle to end as quickly as possible. "Dark Pulse."

Black rings slammed into the Flamethrower and generated another explosion as well as a new cloud of smoke, which the ninja immediately took advantage of. "Thunder Leap!"

This time, Toxicroak didn't jump straight to the ceiling, but pushed off with that same incredible force from its lower legs and lunged at Pyro. It erupted through the black smoke as its fist crackled with the lightning of Thunder Punch, ready to deliver serious damage.

It was still a new concept to him, but Ash decided to use one of Koga's own tricks against him. "Bury a Metal Claw in the ground and catch Toxicroak with the other!"

Pyro did as he was told just a second before Toxicroak hit him. His metallic claws left deep furrows in the ground when the impact pushed him backwards, but Ash grinned widely as Thunder Punch dissipated where it met the steel type move. Pyro grinned as well, sharp fangs gleaming while Toxicroak stared in surprise at its own fist caught in the enemy's talons.

Ash saw an opportunity to confirm his theory and he took it. "Fire Fang!"

Toxicroak howled as Pyro's sharp, burning teeth gnashed into its right arm, the same arm that was caught in Metal Claw's grip. The Charmeleon spun on its feet then and used the momentum to lift the poison type off its feet and hurl it away back to Koga's side of the field, where it landed with a harsh thud. Pyro let out a roar, daring Toxicroak to get back up and continue the battle.

It did just that, though. Toxicroak stood back up despite its heavily damaged arm and glared at Pyro with evident rage in its eyes. Pyro merely sneered. All that mattered to him was the knowledge that this opponent could be burned. His flames caused it great pain, and he would deliver that pain again and again until it could no longer fight on.

Ash, meanwhile, was still grinning. "I was right!"

"Explain," Koga requested. "Just what have you realized?"

"You said earlier that Toxicroak's ability was Dry Skin," Ash started while their Pokemon continued to glare at each other. "Part of its ability is being able to absorb water type moves and use them to heal itself, like how dry plants are revitalized after you water them. But dry plants are easy to burn, so that means Toxicroak likewise is weak to fire type moves. Even if its not a grass type, the flames still hurt it a lot."

The ninja's face actually broke into a smile then. "I'm impressed that you managed to discern that information and utilize it in the thick of battle. You even copied one of my own tactics against electric types in the very same battle you saw it in. That you can do those things speaks volumes of your talent, however raw it may be at this time. However, as I'm sure you already know, having an advantage over your opponent by no means guarantees success in battle."

Ash was ready to prove him wrong. "Flamethrower!"

Koga's eyes flashed. "Sucker Punch! Pin it."

Pyro had just inhaled a deep breath to launch his attack when Toxicroak darted forward and delivered a fierce uppercut to the Charmeleon's jaw. The blow forced his mouth shut and caused the Flamethrower to sputter out into a bunch of weak embers. Pyro snarled and slashed at Toxicroak in retaliation, but the poison type caught the blow with its free hand. Then before either Ash or his partner could respond, Toxicroak spun so that it was behind Pyro with his arm twisted at his back.

Toxicroak kicked out one of Pyro's legs then and shoved the fire type into the dirt face-first. Pyro spat and snarled furiously, but the poison type jammed its knee into his back and kept him pinned on the ground, one arm still twisted behind him to prevent the Charmeleon from striking.

"Drain Punch."

Pyro let out a furious roar as Toxicroak punched him in the back, pressing its glowing fist into the red scales. The Charmeleon thrashed to escape, but Toxicroak's grip was firm and there was no escape.

Ash felt his teeth grit together as he watched his starter struggle helplessly against the opponent that they should have had a huge advantage against. Toxicroak had been burned and wounded just moments ago, and now all their hard work was going to waste. There had to be a way out of this! He searched furiously for an escape Pyro could use, but he was coming up with nothing.

"You probably came here under the assumption that my expertise was poison, didn't you?" Koga asked from across the field. "My specialty is poison type Pokemon, and it is true that afflicting enemies with poison is a part of my strategy. However, merely poisoning an opponent does not win a battle. Poison acts slowly. It takes time and patience for its effects to bring a Pokemon down. It isn't realistic to think that an enemy will simply sit and wait for poison to knock out their team. That certainly isn't enough to become a decent trainer or Gym Leader, let alone reach the level of the Elite Four."

"What makes my partners so feared isn't their ability to inflict poison upon enemy Pokemon, but their skill at enhancement and attrition," the ninja explained, ignoring Pyro's furious roars while Toxicroak drained his energy dry. "They can inflict a status condition unto an enemy and then build on that damage as effectively as possible. Venoshock is but one of these moves that they utilize to do this. And should they be injured during combat, I ensure that they have ways of healing their wounds. The more time it takes for our foes to bring us down, the more likely it is that our poison will bring them down first."

"The brute force attacks and simple strategies you fight with are not bad, but you have not used any method to bolster their power or help them recover. Your Pokemon are well trained, yet in the face of an opponent of their own skill level that can heal and deliver damage quickly and efficiently, they are no match at all."

Ash clenched his fist angrily, but he grudgingly respected Koga for developing such an effective battle style. Thinking about it now, it didn't make sense that someone could be a respected and powerful trainer by relying on poison alone. Of course, he didn't expect that to be the only card Koga played, but the depth and well-roundedness of the ninja's team had him completely outmatched.

By now, Pyro's thrashing had nearly ended as Toxicroak drained the last reserves of energy he possessed, and Ash reached for his pokeball with a sinking heart. They would have to train harder, figure out ways to counter Koga's battle style, then return at some point to challenge him again. He had just enlarged the red and white sphere when Pyro's tail flame flared.

It wasn't just a flicker of hotter colors- it was as though someone had poured gasoline all over the flames, causing them to roar into life and expand. The flames grew to consume nearly half of Pyro's tail and roasted Toxicroak's back, causing the poison type to screech and leap off of its opponent.

Pyro stood up shakily, but he steadied as his tail flame flared yet again and changed into a bright blue, raging with heat. The Charmeleon glared at Toxicroak and let out a bellow of fury, baring all of his sharp teeth, claws, and the blue flames that reflected both his wrath and unyielding will.

It had to be Blaze. Ash had never seen Pyro use it before, but it was way more intense than he thought it would be. Everything he'd read about it suggested it was an adrenaline rush for fire types, a last-ditch power boost to let them win a tough battle. This was far more than a burst of adrenaline; he could feel the heat from where he stood, several meters away from his starter. The bright blue fire at Pyro's tail radiated power and anger.

Pyro wasn't ready to give up. He was going to fight until he took his enemy down.

Ash set the pokeball back at his belt and steeled his nerve. This was their last shot. Pyro's Blaze was their final trump card for this fight.

"Mega Punch!" He shouted.

Pyro lunged at Toxicroak, clenching his fist until it glowed bright white. The poison type hadn't retreated that far, so he reached his target in seconds and struck as hard as he could. Toxicroak lifted its arms to defend, and even then the impact sent it skidding backwards.

Koga was back in the fight in a flash. "Poison Jab!"

"Metal Claw!" Ash countered.

The two Pokemon charged and began slashing at each other, attacking and defending in an effort to gain the upper hand. After several seconds of intense blows, Toxicroak leapt straight up and flipped so that it landed behind Pyro, aiming to hit him with Poison Jab from the back. But the Charmeleon was ready and immediately pivoted on his foot so that the raging flame at his tail crashed into the poison type the moment it landed.

Toxicroak howled as its sensitive skin was torched and the force of the tail sweep shoved it back. Pyro continued to spin until he was facing Toxicroak, ready to strike again.

"Flamethrower!"

Ash heard Koga call for a Dark Pulse at the edge of his hearing, but all he could focus on was the jet of blue fire that erupted from Pyro's jaws. The Flamethrower, far beyond any that he had ever seen Pyro use before, slammed into Toxicroak's Dark Pulse and consumed the dark rings, then crashed ruthlessly into the poison type. Koga's Pokemon shrieked as the flames exploded violently upon reaching it.

Smoke blasted over the field from the point of the explosion and Pyro immediately bolted in to pursue Toxicroak. Ash heard a loud impact and then Toxicroak was airborne, having been on the receiving end of another Mega Punch. It flipped and managed to land on its feet just as Pyro came roaring out of the smoke, ready to end the fight.

Toxicroak put its hands up to ready another Dark Pulse, but it was still reeling from Flamethrower and the latest Mega Punch that Pyro had delivered. Had it not drained nearly all of the Charmeleon's energy earlier, it would have already been knocked unconscious. As it was, the pain from the rapid succession of attacks overwhelmed Toxicroak for a crucial instant.

Koga was barking an order to Toxicroak and Ash was borderline screaming for his partner to finish their opponent off when Pyro's tail flame flared again to consume his entire body, bathing his scales in writhing blue. He let out an unearthly roar as he rushed his enemy, closed the distance, (Toxicroak actually looked afraid for a fraction of a second) then made impact-

-an explosion ripped through the field with such force that Ash yelped and threw up an arm to defend himself. A wave of heated air made his skin tingle and hurt his eyes for a few seconds, then faded away. Ash let his arm fall back to his side as he stared at the devastation.

Black scorch marks scarred the pulverized ground around the two Pokemon that lay there, neither of them capable of fighting on. The flame on Pyro's tail had dwindled back to normal size, having used up his last reserves of energy in the fight. He had probably been knocked out by the concussive force of his own attack, but Toxicroak looked terrible. It was covered in burns and Ash was pretty sure it was for the best that the poison type was unconscious. Those had to hurt. But even though Toxicroak had lost, it had won the battle for Koga.

Ash took the pokeball from his belt and recalled Pyro, smiling at the device once his starter was safely contained. "You were amazing. Get some rest, buddy. I'm proud of you."

Janine called the match a victory for Koga as her father returned Toxicroak to its pokeball and approached the boy. He actually looked impressed.

"That was quite a performance at the end. Your Charmeleon's strength is to be admired."

"Thank you," Ash managed. He was a little shocked by the sheer power Pyro had displayed once Blaze had been activated. "I'm sorry if Toxicroak got hurt. I didn't know Pyro could make his flames explode like that."

Koga waved his hand. "Do not concern yourself- Toxicroak will recover. My interest lays in the attack your partner just demonstrated. I believe it was Flare Blitz, albeit one that had no way of directing the explosive force."

"Flare Blitz," Ash repeated to himself.

"It's a powerful move, though I implore you to train intensely with it before using it in combat again," Koga warned. "For all its strength, Flare Blitz causes great damage to the user of the attack. Careless use of it will do more harm than good."

The ninja scratched his chin for a moment. "You are not ready yet to defeat me. Your Pokemon are strong, but power alone is not enough to reach the top. The strongest trainers in the Indigo League will sweep you aside if you only rely on tactics like that. Train harder and delve more into your strategies, then return and challenge me again."

Ash dipped his head. "Yes, sir. Thank you."

Koga cracked a faint smile. "You have talent, boy. Shape it wisely and you'll be a great trainer one day."

That caused the corners of his mouth to twitch up into a grin, even if he had lost the fight. "I will."

---

"I'll have your Pokemon ready in no time, Ash," Nurse Joy assured him as she took the tray of pokeballs and carefully passed them to her Chansey.

Ash nodded and retreated to a seat in the cafe to have a drink while his team was healed. It was sinking in that he'd lost. He had lost for the first time against a Gym Leader. If Pyro hadn't come out of the blue with Blaze and the unexpected Flare Blitz, he would have lost spectacularly. Golbat had been difficult enough to take out and Toxicroak had been ridiculously tricky. He had found out about its weakness to fire too late. If Pyro had been released earlier…

He sighed to himself. No. Even if Pyro had been released before Douse, Toxicroak had a whole array of techniques that it could have used to bring him down. There was no point thinking 'what if' anyways now. Ash took a sip of the lemonade he'd gotten and began to rap his fingers on the table as he considered what he would do next. He had a little over a month before it was time to go to Vermillion City and board the St. Anne, and he intended to use all of that time training his team and working on new strategies. After that, he had told Professor Oak he would come back Pallet Town to see his mother and spend some time at home.

Once he got back on the road, Ash decided, he would return to Fuchsia City and challenge Koga. And next time he would win, regardless of the challenges the ninja presented to him.

---

A/N: I know you're all probably wondering what took me so incredibly long to update, and all I can really say is it's been a mixture of writer's block, depression, anxiety, and a whole myriad of other things that turned into a concoction of essentially my own personal brand of hell, so...yeah. I won't get into that because it's definitely not something you came here for! Ash's fight against Koga really didn't want to work with me the entire time I tried to write it, but I finally got what I think is an acceptable battle out of it. Now, for the review responses to Chapter Ten!

Inheritence1990: I absolutely loved Eevee's POV. I feel like you captured her character perfectly.

-Thanks! I wanted to give the Pokemon more personality than you see in some of the other fan fictions. You'll see similar POV for all of Ash's Pokemon as time goes on.

Oly in Flight: I have to admit, not many can create a competent Ash story without him going into the deep end, aka the area reserved for Mary Sues, or, in his case, a Gary Sue. However, you did a great job giving him knowledge, HAVING a way of explaining it, and him utilizing it. You've most definitely separated this away from the anime, which I definitely like about the story. You're creating your own story, as a fanfic should be, and using canon material in a way that draws me in. I loved the scientific explanations used for each Pokemon, and how they learn moves and evolve.

What really drives it home is the Pokemon and rivals. Leaf is actively part of the story, even if she has just come back in. Gary isn't as insensitive, or, as most fics make him out to be, a complete and utter asshole. He's smart and a bit vulgar, but he doesn't flaunt himself as he does in the anime. Paul is great too, I was definitely surprised he's here too! But, you gived good reason, used the history you already set up to support it, and make him quite the competent trainer. Each rival sets different, yet similar challenges for Ash, which is great for character development! The Pokemon I absolutely adore because of how you make them seem like human characters. They aren't powerhouses yet, but they certainly give a challenge. You gave them traits that challenged their trainer, like Eevee's coldness or Pichu's mischief. But, this really makes Ash's kindness shine through.

As for the latest chapter, it was great! I liked how you fit everything and make it interconnect. I certainly liked how you had Ash challenge someone whom has a similar style to Koga, aka Janine. However, this might lead to his first loss because of the fact Koga is stronger and has different strategies than Janine. The Safari Zone was certainly my favorite part of the chapter, and I got especially excited with Eevee's POV! I liked how she was the one to find the Dratini, especially interesting with the fact that canon Dratini has pink eyes. Perhaps a gentic mutation? I'm curious about the newest Pokemon Ash might capture. He has a great team as it is, though he'll need more to go by. I'm definitely hoping for unique Pokemon that most don't see in a fanfic! Now, I'm going to stop rambling. I probably just snatched the longest review title, no?

-Wow, this really is a long review! It's multiple parts, so I'll do my best to address each section. First, I don't really like the idea of putting Ash and the others in the "deep end" as you so eloquently put it. That works for some people, but it doesn't suit my style of writing. Yeah, these characters will definitely run into rough patches and they'll have some hard days, but they doesn't have to go completely out of their mind in order to move forward. But that's just me. There are some writers out there that make it work.

I wanted to give the rivals and Pokemon a different feel to them. A lot of people use the stereotype versions of these characters (especially Gary and Paul) and that's fine, but I wanted them to be a little different in this story. Finding a way for them to stay in character, yet still hold true to their original personalities was a bit tricky, but I think I've found a healthy balance for them. Their development will become more evident as time goes on and I think they'll turn out great. I wanted to find a similar balance for the Pokemon. They needed personalities that didn't make them feel like pets or humans. There's definitely a balancing act involved in this writing that makes it hard sometimes, but its worth it when it finally works out. I can't tell you which Pokemon Ash will capture next, but in regards to Dratini's eye color, it's just a little genetic quirk. Not all people have brown or blue eyes, as is the case with species of animals, so I figured I'd have a little fun with it and give Dratini a different eye color. You could consider it a recessive trait if pink eyes are the dominant color.

Uber Ghidorah:It would have been funny for Ash to catch Slowpoke too, but I understand why he didn't. Still, it would have been funny down the road.

-Lol I'm rather fond of Slowpoke's dopey personality. Rest assured, there will be more Slowpoke amusement later in the story!

philly cheese dude: The ending to this was hilarious with Eevee being her diva self, her new friend learning from her, and slowpoke being... Well slow lol. It just for so well and wow! Ash caught a Dratini! Awesome! Now just Scyther and that's a very good haul! But how will it work? That'll be 7 total with him. Will the universe have the option of exceeding the limit or what? Can't wait to find out! Keep it up!

-Eevee does have her diva moments lol. It's a staple of her personality that will show up more as the story progresses and she becomes more comfortable around others. As for how Ash will handle having seven Pokemon...that's something you'll have to keep reading in order to find out!