35: Ash vs. Koga

Traveling to Fuchsia gym was easier after having visited the first time. Ash carried Pikachu on his shoulder this time as they walked through the thick plant life. As they got nearer to the building that seemed thinly camouflaged now they knew what they were looking for, Brock noted a subtle yet defined path. They made their way toward it, sure to be in plenty of time for Ash's battle.

"Have you thought about strategy?" Misty decided to bring up the topic as they grew closer to the building.

"I think Butterfree wants to try a gym battle," Ash said, not a strategic thought at all. "Oh! And Charizard. I bet it'll do great against Koga's pokemon."

"Will Charizard even fit in that building? Comfortably I mean," Misty asked. The building was older, and though they could all physically squeeze inside, it was doubtful there would be much room for Charizard to fight.

"Plus those shoji screens seem like they'd light right up from one of Charizard's attacks," Brock said.

"That doesn't seem up to any kind of standards!" Misty exclaimed, then sighed, recalling her conversation with Aya that gym leaders usually did their own thing. Pointing out that their battle arena didn't meet standards probably wouldn't do much, especially since it was already so obvious. Even if one of them brought it up, that wasn't likely to be news to the Fuchsia Gym. "Yeah, don't use Charizard, don't burn us all up..." Misty muttered, head to the ground.

"I don't think that'd happen," Brock said. "Pokemon are always pretty careful, so I doubt Charizard's attacks would end in a fire. Is that part of Koga's strategy? Make sure that any fire types will refuse to attack?"

Misty picked her head back up, grinning. "Hee hee, that wasn't needed here, huh? Charizard already refuses Ash's orders all the time!"

Ash stopped in the middle of the path, a short distance from the gym's entrance. Brow furrowing, he put Pikachu on the ground. "I guess Charizard won't work," he said, mostly ignoring Misty's taunt. "Charizard already helped me get a badge anyway."

"Pikachu?" Pikachu questioned. It had also won Ash more than one badge, so would it not battle here?

"I've got it," Ash said, throwing out two pokeballs. He caught them as they flung back toward him.

"Free, free!" Butterfree called.

"Squirtle?" Squirtle questioned, its eye moving toward the building ahead.

"Koga's gonna have a two on two battle with me, and you guys are gonna be my team!" Ash announced, clenching his fist in determination. "Are you ready to win?"

"Free!" Butterfree agreed.

"Squirtle, squirtle!" Squirtle grinned. "Squirtle..." it added. Gym battles could be fun, not that their esteemed trainer would be able to lead them to a victory against the ninja gym leader.

"Pika." Pikachu laughed at Squirtle's assessment of the situation.

"Free?" Butterfree floated down lower. Didn't Squirtle think their trainer was quite a good one?

"Squirtle!" Squirtle threw its arms up in a shrug. "Squirtle, squirtle." Maybe their trainer wasn't bad, but Squirtle itself had no expectations of success.

"Alright! You guys are ready!" Ash declared.

"Squirtle!" Squirtle called out triumphantly. It was certainly ready enough.

"Free, free," Butterfree expressed its own eagerness.

"Let's go, then. Pikachu, you stay behind us, since you won't battle today," Ash said.

"Pikachu," Pikachu called as it hopped back near Misty and Brock. Ash walked ahead, Butterfree and Squirtle close by him. As he reached the door, it opened up on its own. Before they took one step in, streams of smoke appeared in columns by the entrance, eventually blocking their way.

Misty coughed, walking back. "Didn't we have enough of this the other day?" she asked humorlessly.

Sure enough, Aya's distorted laugh rang out from the speakers inside. "Oh dear, oh dear," she eventually spoke remotely through the object. "Do you not understand the nature of our gym? Of pokemon battles in general? Pokemon battle with us, not separate from us. In Fuchsia Gym only trainers who realize that and work with their pokemon to reach our battlefield will be able to complete the challenge!"

"Tons of fun, but is it safe?" Misty asked, raising her voice to make sure Aya could hear her from that room with the mic.

"Safe? As in, not dangerous? Oh, I wonder what brings that question on..." The speaker-filtered voice continued on. "Is the bond between human and pokemon not enough to ensure each other's safety? Do you not trust your pokemon enough to head out into an adventure in this cold, unforgiving world with any other guarantee of protection? Why doubt your companions now?"

"No straight answer, as usual," Misty muttered.

"I'm not scared," Ash declared. "I do trust you guys! Let's go in and win that badge!" With that, he ran right through the door. His pokemon called out in excitement as they followed.

"Maybe I'll sit this one out," Misty said.

"Suit yourself," Brock said as he went inside himself, Pikachu following. After hearing no shouts from any of them, Misty followed as well.

Inside, Ash looked around the hall, making his way to the back where the door to where the staircase had been his last visit. Except this time, the door was absent. "Oh." He exclaimed, glancing behind himself at Brock.

"Don't worry about it, Ash," Brock assured. "The arena won't be there, remember?"

"Yeah." Ash said. Koga had told them he had a large, open area for his battles. "But it is around here somewhere, right?"

"That's correct," Aya's voice confirmed. "And it's your responsibility to find it. Don't expect hints now!"

"I'm gonna find it myself," Ash said, frowning before he tapped Squirtle's head, nodding at it and Butterfree. "That is, we're gonna find it together. Right guys?"

"Squirtle!" Squirtle waved a hand. Sure they would, or at least they'd have fun trying.

"We've just gotta look, right?" Ash said. He turned to the first door and opened it. A projectile came flying out.

"Watch out!" Misty warned.

"Squirtle, squirtle!" Squirtle jumped up, knocking the object away with its tail. "Squirtle, squirtle..." Squirtle muttered, holding its arms out. Perhaps it had to be more on guard than it had originally assumed.

"Pikachu." Pikachu sniffed at the object. It was made to resemble a shuriken, though it wouldn't have hurt Ash if it had hit.

"Squirtle, squirtle." Squirtle put its arms behind its head. What was there to worry about then? This was just a big fun house.

The inside of the room was just a closet with the launcher. Another false shuriken flew out seemingly by motion sensor as Butterfree floated by. "Free!" it called, also knocking the object away.

Ash closed the door. "So it's not there," he said. He went to open the next door, seeing a ladder on the wall. "We've got it!" he said, running toward the object.

"Wait!" Misty's warning came too late. Ash soon tripped and tumbled just as she had the other day.

"Ow..." Ash groaned as he got up. The ladder he'd seen was just painted, leading nowhere. Ash took Brock and Misty's hands as they led him outside the room. "I've just gotta check them all," he said, reaching for the next door. Finding it locked, he tried again to jostle it. "Hey, that's not fair!" Ash complained. "You say I've gotta find it, but I can't if you just lock the right door."

"Finding my brother is within the power of any trainer who takes the effort," Aya's voice replied.

Ash jostled the door more forcefully in response. Misty put her hand on his to stop him. "Just think for a minute!" she said. When Ash stopped, she opened the door to the trick room again. "This door opens to this wide room. That one you were trying to open would just go into the same room. It's an obvious fake!"

Ash looked from the door to the other side of the wall, confirming what Misty had said. "Oh. I guess if it doesn't open, it's fake."

"Well, I don't know about that," Misty muttered. Ash just went on to the next door, ignoring it as it didn't open, and the next. Misty recognized it as the room Aya had been broadcasting from. "You might check up there, if you really want to go to the next floor," Misty said, pointing to the ceiling.

"Okay. Butterfree, tackle!" Ash directed his pokemon to the portion of the ceiling Misty had called attention to.

"Free!" Butterfree performed the technique, though with less force than a battle. A compartment popped open, several streamers falling down, along with a rock that hit Butterfree right on top of the head. The pokemon cried out, momentarily sinking in the air before it flew up again.

"Is Koga trying to defeat us before a battle?!" Ash said.

"Maybe. He is a ninja. This kind of stuff might be expected," Brock commented. "I mean, as in 'expect the unexpected', the surprise attacks."

"Squirtle, squirtle." Squirtle waved its arm dismissively. It wasn't afraid of a few tricks. In fact, those were its specialty. It rested its hand against the door as Ash and the others observed the open ceiling. "Squirtle?" it called as it heard a click. It soon felt a sting in its hand. "Squirtle!" it cried in surprise.

"Squirtle, what happened?" Ash ran to his pokemon, leaning down to check it.

"The leftovers of a poison sting attack," Brock noted, pointing to the needle that had been poked through the shoji paper. "It looks like it's not fresh, but they usually disappear after an attack, so it's probably fresh enough to poison.

"Squirtle!" Squirtle cried as it held up its hand dramatically. "Squirtle, squirtle. Squirtle." Squirtle covered its eyes with its uninjured hand, shaking its head back and forth. The poison status was the worst. Its first trainer hadn't ever known enough to cure it, and Squirtle itself hadn't figured out that poison status was what was wrong until much later. It had just had to deal with being sick, seemingly without cause.

But Ash didn't delay in getting an antidote out and spraying Squirtle's hand. "Squirtle!" Squirtle hopped up as it called out in genuine thanks. "Squirtle, squirtle! Squirtle!" it called as it waved its arms at the perforation in the screen, declaring it wouldn't fall for such tricks again. In fact, any opponents should be on the lookout for its own tricks.

"What kinda attack was that?" Ash said, observing the needle which seemed to have started to melt away.

"It's covert," Brock informed.

"Bert or Covert, I don't like him," Ash interrupted. "I'm here to fight Koga. Come on! Let's keep looking!" Ash ran out, opening the next door without hesitation. He shouted out in surprise as not one, but many copies of Koga greeted him. Hand on the hilt of his sword, Koga winked before he unsheathed it and swiped forward. "Ah!" Ash cried, putting his arms in the air to protect himself.

"You okay?"

Ash opened his eyes as he heard Brock and felt the tap on his shoulder. Looking in the room, there were no Kogas left. "He did it..." Ash said, mouth open in surprise. "I saw it! Koga can really clone himself. Do you think his pokemon can too?"

"If they know 'double team'," Misty said, rolling her eyes. "Pikachu does, remember? I guess it's a magic ninja pokemon!" she added as she entered the now empty room.

"Pika!" Pikachu confirmed.

"Misty's cloned too!" Ash said, pointing at the many images of Misty that had taken the places of the Koga clones. "You're a ninja too?"

Misty giggled, taking a step out of the room. Her 'clones' disappeared. "It's just a mirror trick," she said.

"Hm." Ash frowned, a hand on his chin. "So Koga's ninja stuff is just tricks, not like magic?" he said.

"That's what I've been- what we've been trying to tell you!" Misty said.

"Well, you're wrong a lot," Ash said, stepping in and observing the mirrors up close. "But now I get it. I think I can beat him."

Ash pushed past Misty into the mirror room, looking around. "You can see we were right already, can't you?" Misty said, folding her arms.

"If you were right," Ash began, pushing against the mirror. "Um, if you were right, Koga's still in here. Or he left somehow else. Because he didn't go out the door, and he didn't magic ninja his way out, right?" Ash pushed against several mirrors as he talked.

"Yeah, I guess that's right," Misty said. She went back and stood where she'd been able to double herself from the eye of the entrance, looking around for where Koga may have gone.

"Reasonable to assume," Brock said. "Of course, he could have used a different illusion to escape our eyes, but I'm fairly sure I would have spotted him from that door."

"Squirtle, squirtle!" Squirtle hopped behind Ash, stomping on the floor. Was there something hollow, a trap door? "Squirtle!" it called, leaping up high. As it fell down on the next area of floor, there was indeed a different sort of thud. "Squirtle?" Squirtle studied the wooden floor, then jumped up again. "Squirtle!" it called as it tried to stomp even harder on the floor.

This time it gave way. "Squirtle!" Squirtle lamented as it fell, its call growing farther away as it went into the floor.

"Squirtle?" Ash turned around, seeing the empty space in the floor. "I'm coming! Let's go, Butterfree!" Ash stepped into the floor, using his hands to lower himself down.

"Ash? Shouldn't you-" Misty began. Before she could express her hesitations, he was gone.

"Squirtle, where did you go?" Ash tried to find his pokemon as he found himself in the space below.

"Squirtle..." Squirtle's muffled voice replied.

As Ash's eyes adjusted, he saw his pokemon had completely withdrawn into its shell. "Come on, Squirtle, it's fine," Ash encouraged, knocking on the top.

"Free?" Butterfree questioned from above them.

Squirtle's head and limbs soon appeared. "Squirtle?" it questioned.

"Hmph." Ash smirked. "I think you found the way for us to get to Koga's gym battle field. Great job, Squirtle."

"Squirtle!" Squirtle waved its arms in triumph, bumping one in the small space. "Squirtle, squirtle." It waved the momentary pain off.

"We just gotta follow this," Ash said, crawling forward. "Are you good, Butterfree?"

"Free..." Butterfree assured as it floated down, half-flying and half-walking behind Ash.

Going through the passage, Ash found the first door and opened it, looking into the room above. "That's not it," he said, seeing the tilted incline of the floor from the trick room.

"Squirtle..." Squirtle agreed. Even knowing the building's secret, would they really find their way to Koga's secret battlefield?

"Koga's really tricky," Ash said with a frown. leaning against the side of the passage. "And he uses the poison status, 'cause he's a poison type trainer."

"Squirtle, squirtle!" Squirtle lamented its hatred of those sorts of tactics, hiding its eyes with its hands.

"What are you worried about?" Ash said. He knocked on the back of Squirtle's hard shell again, then grinned at the pokemon. "You're tough, huh? You can just block any poison points if you're paying attention, just like with that shuriken!"

"Squirtle, squirtle." Squirtle folded its arms and nodded. It was rather tough in some ways. It was motivated to avoid any kind of poison as well.

"Come on. We can find the entrance somewhere around here," Ash said, ducking down into the passage again. He left the previous door open, giving them some light into the dim area. Crawling forward, Ash opened several other doors, all giving an entrance to some lackluster room. Eventually, it seemed they reached the end after looking into yet another small, empty room. Ash sat back in the passage, frowning. He pushed against the wall, thinking to go back and look again, before feeling it move. Ash pushed against the end wall again before it popped open, revealing sunlight. Climbing out, Ash found himself in an enclosed outdoor area of the gym, the ground certainly made up to look like a battlefield, with plenty of room for pokemon, challengers, and spectators alike.

At the end, Koga stood, dressed in his ninja armor. On the side, Aya, Brock, Misty, and Pikachu stood to spectate. "Pikapi!" Pikachu greeted, waving at its trainer.

"You actually found this place! Good for you," Misty praised.

"Do you best, Ash! Not that you won't already," Brock said.

"I'm ready to battle," Ash said, walking to the challenger's area. Koga looked pretty cool, standing and waiting with his venomoth floating over the field in front of him. More than even any of his previous challenges, this seemed like the kind of gym battle he'd often daydreamed of. But there was no time for thoughts like that, with both the gym leader and the spectators waiting for an actual battle to begin. "Butterfree, it's your turn!" Ash said, pointing ahead.

"Free!" Butterfree called as it took its place on the battlefield.

"Butterfree, harden!"

As Butterfree performed the technique, Koga didn't waste time before his own order. "Venomoth, sleep powder!"

"Butterfree, sleep powder!" Ash ordered the same. Both pokemon released the powder toward each other, blinking their eyes in turn as they floated lower, though still staying mostly awake.

"Venomoth, again!" Koga ordered.

"Butterfree, whirlwind!" Ash followed. Just as Koga's pokemon finished the sleep powder technique again, Butterfree started its whirlwind. The force knocked an excess of the sleep powder toward the gym leader's pokemon. Though Venomoth might have normally been tougher, it flipped over, now completely asleep. It didn't even wave up as it thudded against the ground.

"Return!" Koga shouted as pressed the button on his pokeball. "Not bad. Now, go, Golbat! Double team!"

As Koga's bat-like pokemon appeared, it instantly started its technique, soon appearing as multiple pokemon on the field. "It's doing that clone thing!" Ash fretted.

"The thing you taught Pikachu, remember?" Misty said.

"Right," Ash said, quickly calming himself. "Butterfree, stun spore!"

"Too late," Koga commented before continuing with his own direction. "Golbat, wing attack!" Before Butterfree could even start the attack that might slow Golbat down, Koga's pokemon rushed forward, swiping at it again and again in the wing attack.

"Butterfree!" Ash called, quickly returning it. He swallowed again, quickly collecting himself. "Alright! Now it's time for you, Squirtle!"

"Squirtle!" Squirtle extended its limbs and called out as it entered the battlefield.

"Golbat, toxic!"

"Squirtle, withdraw!"

After the orders had been given, Squirtle quickly withdrew into its shell, dropping to the ground without the support of its limbs. Golbat shot its toxic sludge, covering Squirtle's shell. "Squirtle, squirtle," Squirtle complained from inside, though it was safe from the technique there.

"Golbat, quick attack!" Koga posed as he pointed forward, ordering his pokemon to move closer.

"Squirtle, bubble beam!" Ash ordered, clenching his fist and then his jaw in anticipation. Golbat moved forward rapidly, hitting Squirtle's shell and causing the other pokemon to spin. Squirtle extended from its shell before it began its attack, shooting the bubbles in all directions. Golbat called, clenching his eyes shut as it was hit. "Yeah! You've got it!" Ash encouraged, stomping his foot forward.

"Golbat, try toxic again," Koga ordered now that Squirtle had come out of its shell.

"Now, Squirtle, water gun!" Ash ordered. His pokemon shot accurately toward the flying pokemon above, hitting it in the face as it spat the poisonous substance forward. Most of the toxic attack was blocked, either absorbed by Squirtle's attack or the remainder of the bubble beam. Golbat again called out as it was hit. "And now, skull bash!" Ash shouted out his next direction once both pokemon had completed the attack.

"Golbat, quick attack!" Koga ordered. Though Golbat was certainly faster, Squirtle was able to get a start on its own attack. They met midair, Squirtle falling back and spinning on its shell briefly before rocking and springing to its feet.

"Now, Squirtle, bubble beam!" Ash ordered. Though Koga ordered another toxic attack, it failed this third time. Golbat shook back and forth, sinking toward the ground before the gym leader returned it to its pokeball.

"It's my loss," Koga admitted. "And your splendid win. You sought to block my status tricks and poisonous attacks through wind and water."

"Did he really think about it that much?" Misty mused to Brock before Ash loudly spoke up.

"Yeah!" he exclaimed. "And now, we win the badge."

"Squirtle, squirtle!" Squirtle hopped up in glee. It had been more than prepared to fight, have fun, and then lose. It had fought in gyms before and just lost, after all. But something about an actual win was exhilarating, even if, no especially since it had been so unexpected. Squirtle called out several times as it ran toward the gym leader to thank it for the battle, Pikachu and the other observers to point out that it had certainly won, and then hopped up to hug Ash for giving it such great direction.

"You did great, Squirtle," Ash complimented as he took the badge. "And now, we've got the soul badge!"

"Squirtle!" Squirtle cheered. "Squirtle, squirtle," it commented, winking to Pikachu. From Squirtle's point of view, even being able to win just once like this meant it had really gotten lucky with trainers this time.

"Pikachu," Pikachu called and then laughed, feeling happy for its friend.

"Squirtle, squirtle," Squirtle continued, hands behind its head as it paced around. Even though it had long ago decided that gym battles weren't as serious as trainers tried to make them out to be, they sure were a fun game at times, weren't they?

"Pikachu," Pikachu agreed for the most part. Ash wasn't at the end of his badge quest, but he certainly had quite a few now. Would their trainer really take them to the coveted league? Time would tell. And in the meantime, Squirtle was right. This was more or less a game that they, as pokemon, didn't have to take that seriously. Pikachu relaxed as Ash thanked Koga and Aya before leaving. If it participated or not in the next gym battles, Pikachu knew it could just enjoy this as a game. Either way, its current trainer wasn't going anywhere.

Next chapter: Seymour vs. Akihabara