S.R: It's time for another chapter!

M.R: Yay!

PhoenixWyvern: Can I show up now?

S.R and M.R: NOPE!

M.R: Not yet! Remember what we told you?

PhoenixWyvern: Not until the Sea-foam Islands, and only for a bit before reappearing at different times through out the story?

S.R: Are we at the Sea-foam Islands yet?

PhoenixWyvern: I don't know. Are we?

S.R: Why would we be there when we haven't done anything with Koga and his gym, or the Safari Zone?

M.R: If you don't show up at the end of the chapter after this one, it'll be the start of the chapter after that okay?

PhoenixWyvern: I suppose that works…

S.R: Good. Now get out of here so we can do this chapter!

ASH'S POV

"Hey Brock, is there any specific reason Koga and his gym aren't in Fuchsia City?"

"Really Ash? You have to ask?"

"Huh?"

"What type does Koga use?"

"Poison right?"

"There's your answer."

"But that shouldn't matter too much. I mean Giovanni's Pokemon supposedly cause earthquakes with most of their attacks yet their gym is still in town."

"Fair point… Maybe we can ask him when you challenge him."

"Good idea."

"I hate to interrupt you boys while you're having fun but are you sure you're ready for this battle Ash? Koga, Blaine, and Giovanni are recognized as three of the most talented gym leaders in the world, not just here in Kanto."

"You've asked me that every day for the past week and a half. Just because I wasn't able to even scratch Lance's Gyarados during that exam, doesn't mean I'm pushing myself for this, or that I need to doubt my capabilities. After all he said Gary and I are the only two people to last more than 10 minutes in a battle that way for at least the last year. I'd say that actually speaks volumes for how great my team is. Besides I have been training daily with my Pokemon."

"I don't mean to doubt you Ash, I've seen what you can do. It's just Koga is known for being tactical, and dragging his battles out. Are you sure everyone can handle a battle like that?"

"Even if they aren't we won't know until we try. I know there's still 8 months till the Indigo League, but from the start I've been planning to finish early enough to have professor Oak and his Pokemon help me prepare for the League."

By this point the trio of Pokemon trainers had found the old mansion that Koga had turned into his gym. Luckily for them he was just arriving to the gym for the day when they got to the door.

"Excuse me. You're Koga the Gym Leader right?"

"Yes I am. Are you asking for a battle?"

"That's right. I'm Ash Ketchum, and I've come to challenge you for my sixth badge!"

"I accept. You wouldn't happen to be a new trainer would you?"

"Yeah. I've only been a trainer for about four months now."

"Four months and you've already earned five badges. You must have some strong Pokemon."

"I aim to be a world famous trainer like my father was."

"I like the passion I hear from you. But can it stand up to the test."

As he spoke Koga had opened the door to the room in which he had set up the battlefield. Cynthia moved off to the side to watch as Ash and Koga took their spots on opposite ends of the battlefield while Brock stepped up to referee.

"Since this is your sixth gym battle we will have a five on five battle with the standard gym rules."

"That's fine by me."

With that Brock spoke up declaring the rules of the match.

"This will be a 5 on 5 Pokemon Battle. The gym leader Koga will unleash his Pokemon first. The challenger Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town will have the first move. Substituting Pokemon is allowed for the challenger only."

Koga started the match by releasing his Muk. Since I wanted to show off Charmeleon's efforts with training lately I started with him.

"Charmeleon use Dig!"

"dodge it!"

"The second you come out of the ground use Mud-Slap!"

"Muk use Sludge!"

"Dodge it with Dig!"

"Use Sludge on the ground around you!"

"Fall back and use Ember!"

"Sludge Bomb"

"Use Dragon Rage"

"Muk Mud-Slap"

"Tank it and use Metal Claw!"

"Get away from him Muk!"

"Don't let Muk escape use Bite!"

"Muk use Mud-Slap once more!"

"Counter it with your own Mud-Slap"

Charmeleon was stronger, his attack forcing Muk back slightly. At least at first that's all we could see. But after a moment it was Clear that Charmeleon was attempting to use Mud-Slap in such a way that his clawed hand sweeping upwards would get under Muk so he could throw it into the wall. Once the dust settled everyone could see Muk was out cold.

"Did Charmeleon just use Seismic Toss?"

"Good work buddy! Let's keep it up."

"Muk is unable to battle! Charmeleon wins. Gym leader Koga please send out your next Pokemon."

After the announcement Brock made Koga shook his head with a smile before having his Venomoth step into the battle. Starting things off I had Charmeleon use Ember, which was easily dodged but that was what I wanted. Venomoth was told to get in close and use Stun Spore. Just before it could however I told Charmeleon to use Fire Fang which made Venomoth flinch in pain. Charmeleon clamped down hard on Venomoth, viciously shaking it to and fro in his maw. After a moment he flung the poor Pokemon to the side. Because I knew it wouldn't be enough I told Charmeleon to use Ember once again. This time it wasn't dodged, as Venomoth was still recovering from being thrown. Between the two attacks Venomoth was having a hard time getting back up, but it wasn't out could just yet. Taking pity on Venomoth I told Charmeleon to knock it out with a weak Bite.

"Venomoth is unable to battle! Charmeleon wins. Gym Leader Koga please send out your next Pokemon."

"That's a well trained Charmeleon you've got. He clearly was more than a match for my Muk and Venomoth, but I don't think he can handle this one just yet. Come on out Golbat!"

"Charmeleon let's start this out strong. Use Dragon Rage!"

"Dodge it and use Supersonic"

"Quickly use Dig to dodge!"

"Wait for him to come back up and use Aerial Ace"

"Use Fire Fang when you come up!"

The two Pokemon did as ordered. Golbat moved quick enough to circle around Charmeleon and hit him from behind instead of taking the Fire Fang.

"Good, now use Leach Life"

"Charmeleon use Metal Claw and push it away!"

"Once more use Supersonic"

This time Charmeleon heard the sound. It must have really bothered him since Charmeleon moved his hands to cover his ears, but it was too late. The sound had sent Charmeleon into confusion.

"Snap out of it buddy!"

Koga took advantage of the situation having Golbat use Aerial Ace multiple times in quick succession. By the time Charmeleon was thinking clearly again he was panting heavily.

"It's time. Use Poison Fang Golbat"

"dodge it and use Metal Claw!"

"Golbat, use Wing Attack"

"Counter it with Dragon Rage"

"Supersonic"

Once again Charmeleon was confused by the attack, but it wasn't as bad as last time. He shook it off quickly, using a Bite attack on Golbat when it tried to attack with Poison Fang. By the time the two seperated Charmeleon was just barely standing. Golbat was looking far better, having taken less hits.

"Let's end it Golbat. Leach Life"

"Dodge it!"

Golbat moved even faster than before, hitting Charmeleon before he could register my words. Charmeleon fell to the ground worn out and unable to keep battling. Golbat had some energy returned to it thanks to the Leach Life and would probably put up a good fight before being defeated.

"Charmeleon is unable to battle! Golbat wins. Challenger Ash please send out your next Pokemon!"

Returning Charmeleon to his Pokeball I told him he did a fantastic job and that I was proud of him. Thinking about who to use next I settled on my Golbat. Even though I was certain Espeon could win I was curious as to how my Golbat would do.

"Golbat let's kick this off with an Air Cutter!"

"Dodge it and use Leach Life"

"Golbat use Supersonic"

"Use Supersonic as well!"

"Use Poison Fang"

"Dodge it and use Aerial Ace!"

"Take the hit and use Poison Fang"

My Golbat hit Koga's with a very harsh attack but was quickly bitten. The two Pokemon floated there as Koga's Golbat flapped its wings steadily holding itself in place while it attempted to poison my Golbat. Eventually the two separated.

"Golbat use Wing Attack"

"dodge it with Double Team and follow it up with Quick Attack!"

"Don't let it get away, use Bite"

"Golbat use Air Cutter!"

"Dodge it"

"Golbat use a Quick Attack powered Aerial Ace!"

My Golbat slammed into Koga's even harder than earlier, the force flinging his Golbat into the wall. It recovered quickly though. Thinking quickly I told Golbat to charge in with another Aerial Ace, but Koga had his Golbat do the same. The two Pokemon collided head first, with enough force to stun them long enough to stop flapping their wings. It wasn't until they both hit the ground that we were able to notice they knocked each other out.

"I must say I'm Impressed. You've really got talent as a trainer Ash."

"Thanks. But can you wait until after the battle to talk? I don't want to let anything you might say go to my head."

"Smart lad. Referee?"

"Both Pokemon are unable to battle! Will both battlers send out their next Pokemon!"

Not even thinking about it anymore I let Apollo out of his Pokeball. Koga let out a Pokemon I'd never seen before.

"Do you mind if I scan that Pokemon with my Pokedex? I've never seen it before."

"Go right ahead. Even though knowledge is key, it doesn't make it any easier of a battle."

With Koga's okay I scanned the Pokemon with my Pokedex.

"Ariados, the long leg Pokemon. It spins string not only from its rear but also from its mouth. It is hard to tell which end is which. It is a Bug type and a Poison type Pokemon."

"Huh, that's pretty cool I guess. Bug and Poison typing isn't all that surprising really. Well Apollo, let's get started. Use Psybeam"

"Dodge it and use Bug Bite"

"Jump over it and use Psyshock"

"String Shot"

"Use Protect"

"Wait for the barrier to fall and use Fell Stinger"

"Use Double Team followed by Echoed Voice"

"Clever trick. Smart Strike"

Despite the fact that Ariados shouldn't know where Espeon was it attacked with such precision and surety that I knew Smart Strike had to be similar to the move Swift. Luckily it didn't do much to Espeon.

"Alright let's keep going. Apollo use Double Team to confuse Ariados then hit it with a Psybeam."

"Dodge it then use Smart Strike again"

"Use Psyshock to counter!"

"You baited us. Not bad. Ariados use Poison Jab."

"Use Protect followed by Swift!"

"Take the hit and use Pin Missile"

"Use Double Team to dodge and then hit it with Return"

Espeon dodged the Pin Missile easily before charging forward and generating a few large heart shaped projectiles that slammed into Ariados. There was a bright light generated when they burst, but when it faded we were able to see that Ariados had been defeated.

"Ariados is unable to battle! Espeon wins. Gym leader Koga please send out your final Pokemon."

"You've shown me an amazing battle so far. Please keep it up against my final Pokemon. After all she is my strongest Pokemon."

With that said Koga threw his fifth Pokeball forward letting out an Arbok as his final Pokemon in the battle. His Arbok was larger than the few I had seen when studying with professor Oak, but I wasn't too worried. Even if she could be Apollo I still had Artemis and Pikachu to use.

"Arbok use Wrap"

"Dodge it and use Psybeam."

"Get out of the way and use Toxic"

"Apollo use Protect"

"Wait for that protective barrier to wear off and use Bite"

I waited until there was no way for Arbok to dodge before telling Espeon to use Psyshock, followed up by Return. Sadly Arbok was able to attack in time to prevent Apollo from using Return, thanks to using Bite on him. Apollo was thrown into a wall before Arbok was told to use Acid, which did a good bit of damage to Apollo. I had Apollo try using Swift, which did some damage but wasn't enough to stop Arbok from using Bite and dealing a massive chunk of damage. He was still standing however, so I took advantage of the situation. The battlefield was in a room that just so happened to have a glass ceiling so that sunlight could filter into the room.

"Apollo use Morning Sun"

While it wasn't harsh sunlight due to being filtered through a glass pane it was still bright enough that Espeon was able to restore a good bit of health. It was more than enough to offset the damage he had taken.

"Arbok use Acid once more"

"Dodge it and use Swift!"

"Take it and use Payback"

"Power through it and use Psyshock one last time!"

This time when Arbok took the psychic attack it was enough to render it unconscious. Apollo was standing proud at the end of the battle.

"Arbok is unable to battle! Espeon wins. The winner of this battle is the challenger Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town!"

"That was an excellent battle Ash. You stayed level headed, and played to each of your Pokemon's strengths. You more than earned this badge."

"Can you believe it buddy? We've got the Soul Badge now. All that's left are the Volcano Badge and the Earth Badge."

"Challenging the original eight gyms huh? Well you've got the skills for it. Be warned however. Blaine and Giovanni have monstrously powerful Pokemon. I mean they both are strong enough that they could battle Lance on equal footing."

"I've heard similar warnings from both Sabrina and Erika. But I won't back down. If I can't beat them the first time then I'll just train until I can."

"That's an admirable attitude to have. If I may make a suggestion though."

"Even if I don't take it I always listen when someone offers advice."

"Blaine and Giovanni may have powerful Pokemon, but so long as you have a sturdy water type Pokemon the battle will be much easier."

"I do intent to have a Water type present in both gym challenges, but it would be foolish to put all my eggs into one basket as the saying goes."

"I wasn't meaning it that way, but I am glad to see you aren't one to rest your hopes on just one chance.

"I didn't mean to say it that way either. Anyway thank you for the battle."

S.R: Another gym down for the Kanto region.

M.R: Yay!

ON HAND:

1. Pikachu (m) 2. Riolu (m) 3. Golbat (m) 4. Charmeleon (m) 5. Espeon (m) 6. Umbreon (f)

TRAINEE FIELD RESEARCHER SLOT ADDITIONS:

7. Ivysaur (f)

AT THE RANCH:

1. Pidgeot (f) 2. Gyarados (f) 3. Beedrill (m) 4. Nidorino (m) 5. Muk (m) 6. Wartortle (f) 7. Gengar (f) 8. Growlithe (f)