The three-on-three battle between Chad and Janine got off to a fast start. Chad's first Pokémon was Raticate while Janine's was a four winged purple bat with small features. Chad predicted it would be a very fast Pokémon in battle while its attacks would be based on the hit and run tactics. He tried to get in the first strike with Raticate's quick attack, but Janine's Pokémon was indeed much faster than his and easily evaded.
Janine took control of the situation quickly by making use of a supersonic attack. Upon her command Chad found that her Pokémon was named Crobat and he correctly guessed that it was related to that pesky Golbat line. Raticate was quick to avoid the supersonic waves and tackled Crobat in midair. Chad found that with Crobat's small body it couldn't take hits very well so he used Raticate's tail whip to lower its defenses. Things seemed to be going in his favor, but Janine didn't seem bothered at all. After putting distance between the two Pokémon Janine ordered Crobat to use double team. Raticate was quickly surrounded by copies of Crobat, but Chad was quick to react. Raticate spread its own double team copies around the floor and each Pokémon were equal again. Raticate was the first to attack next, using quick attacks to sweep through each Crobat. All the Crobat copies tried to use wing attack in case the real Raticate found the real Crobat. Some attacks were too delayed, but no impact was ever made.
Finally Janine got fed up with the pointless fighting and commanded her Crobat to use haze. One of the Crobat in the center of the room began to spin around slowly while spraying a cold mist over the battlefield. As the mist brushed over the copies both friend and foe vanished until only the real fighters were left. The spray exposed the real Crobat however, leaving it open to attack. As the remaining mist settled over the final copies, Raticate scored a direct hit on Crobat with a perfect hyper fang attack. Crobat knocked Raticate away with a wing attack, but the damage was already done. Chad's Pokémon hissed at the airborne enemy after landing while Crobat climbed higher into the air.
Chad was expecting Crobat to dive bomb them with a wing attack, but instead it fired a supersonic at Raticate. Chad had been waiting for this opportunity however. He commanded Raticate to use mimic so Raticate countered by releasing its own supersonic attack. Both sound waves negated each other before hitting their intended targets, making Janine's first distance strategy ineffective. The young ninja had more than just one trick planned however. She ordered Crobat to use toxic to wear Raticate down. Crobat spit a horrible acid at Raticate, but Chad countered that attack as well with Raticate's double team again and the toxic goo splashed harmlessly onto the floor. Janine expectedly countered with haze again, making sure to keep Crobat high in the air as it did so.
Unfortunately for her, Raticate was ready this time. Chad called for a supersonic attack while Crobat was immobile as it spread the mist onto the battlefield below. Crobat was too busy with its own attack to have time to evade. The sonic waves washed over Crobat in full, causing a successful confusion. Janine instructed Crobat to make no moves and stay high in the air where it was safe until the confusion wore off. Crobat understood her commands, but its confused status caused it to steadily hover down instead until Raticate was able to leap through the air and catch it in another hyper fang attack. Crobat could not fight back as Raticate crushed it in its massive jaws and eventually succumbed to the powerful attack. Before it fainted however, Crobat managed to poison Raticate with a toxic attack at the last minute.
Chad realized it would be safer for his Pokémon to be in its pokéball, but it wouldn't be healthy enough to come back into the fight later. He decided it would be more prudent to scout out which type of Pokémon he should best counter Janine's choice with. He'd have to apologize to Raticate later of course.
Janine waited for a moment to see if Chad would recall his Pokémon, but when he didn't she sent out her next choice. This Pokémon was very much a bug type as Chad had previously predicted; so much so that he wasn't sure it was a poison type at all. The body was shaped like a cicada with shining red eyes yet only two gray legs instead of the assumed six one might expect. When both veined white wings came together they were likely larger than the body in 2D dimensions, but Chad could only assume that to be true as the wings were moving so fast he almost thought they didn't exist when the Pokémon first appeared. He thought he heard Kurishimi whisper the words 'uh oh' when it appeared. He hoped not.
"Ninjask, swords dance," Janine ordered.
The little bug type swung it arms in cutting gestures as it moved in a pattern through the air. Or it might have been more accurate to say that it teleported. Chad couldn't tell how fast it was actually moving. He tried to get in one hit with Raticate's quick attack, but Raticate passed through the opponent as if it was incorporeal.
"Are you seriously using a bug and ghost type?! What happened to your poison specialties?" Chad exclaimed.
"We of the Koga clan do not devote ourselves solely to the restrictions of one type of Pokémon. We do, however, find that the poison types are frequently more suited to those of the ninja than others. Ninjask is not a ghost type. It is a Pokémon which has incomparable speed. Quite simply, Ninjask is so fast that it can dodge any physical attack used against it. Raticate missed. That is all."
Chad's shoulders slumped in despair and disbelief. Raticate couldn't match that kind of speed and it was still taking constant increasing damage from the toxic attack. There wasn't any need for Ninjask to use a swords dance to sharpen its attack power either. Janine could have her Pokémon do whatever it wanted even if Raticate was healthy and she would win in time.
"Now, Ninjask, use double team."
"Oh give me a break here!" Chad exclaimed as three more Ninjask appeared instantly. "As if it wasn't hard enough to hit you already!"
"Did you believe that just because it was your first battle against a gym leader that I would give you a handicap?" Janine replied coolly. "This is also my first battle as a gym leader and I will not shame my father's choice in giving me that position by losing my first battle to a newcomer. Like a true ninja worthy to inherit the title of the Koga clan, I will show no mercy to my enemies in battle! Ninjask, separate your copies and cut into Raticate with a slash attack!"
As she had instructed, four Ninjask appeared in each of Raticate's compass directions and slashed through their opponent before Chad realized what had happened. Raticate fell to the floor in pain as Chad's mind raced for any opportunity to counter. The echoing buzz of Ninjask's wings in the room was making it harder for him to think though. Wait, the echoing of Ninjask's wings? Chad did have a chance after all!
"Put Raticate out of its misery Ninjask. Another slash attack to finish the job."
Before Janine had finished speaking Chad quickly gave a suicide order. "Raticate, fire the strongest supersonic attack you can gather at the floor now!"
Kurishimi stood up to protest, but her voice was drowned by the resonating supersonic through the foundations of the empty wooden room. The acoustics amplified the supersonic attack's effects and range as Ninjask cut through the source in a knockout attack and became confused instantly. In its confusion Ninjask kept going and crashed into the wall next to a supersonic-stunned Koga. The high speed crash did enough damage to Ninjask to dissipate the double team copies as well. Everyone in the room was dizzy from the echoing of the supersonic waves through their bodies as well as their ears. Two of Janine's copycats fell over while Barry ran out of the room as nausea took over.
Chad recalled his Pokémon quickly and tried to think past his disorientation for what Pokémon would be best to battle a fast moving Pokémon such as Ninjask. Unfortunately his judgment was too crippled for him to formulate a strategy so he instead stuck with the good old-fashioned type advantage strategy and sent out Rapidash.
While Ninjask was bouncing around the room Chad told his Pokémon to use stomp when it came close enough. Fortunately Ninjask was moving slowly enough that Rapidash managed to crush it underhoof with its powerful legs. Ninjask struggled in desperation to get free while Rapidash blasted it point-blank with a flurry of embers. Finally Ninjask managed to break away and zipped through Rapidash's legs to safety. Chad assumed that the confusion had worn off now too since most everyone in the room was back to normal with the exception of Cindy who was on her belly and poking the floor while reciting limericks to an imaginary emu named Alfonso.
"Ninjask, use fury swipes to whittle down Rapidash's health. Stay close, but keep moving to evade any attack it might use against you."
Chad smirked when he heard Janine's instructions. It seemed she was still affected by the supersonic attack too and didn't know it. When Ninjask came close to Rapidash and began to cut at its body wherever an opening presented itself, he was ready. "Rapidash, stay in one place and prepare a flame wheel." Rapidash was quickly surrounded by a swirling inferno and since the attack enveloped its whole body, Ninjask had nowhere to retreat to without running through the flames. Chad knew Janine would eventually instruct her Pokémon to do just that though and he wouldn't give her the chance. "Now Rapidash, aim your fire spin at the ground and envelope the two of you in the vortex!" Rapidash did as instructed and the flames changed their direction from a horizontal disc around his body to a vertical pillar of swirling fire. Rapidash was unhurt by the flames, but Ninjask couldn't escape the vortex if it wanted to; such was the specialty of this particular attack. Chad kept an eye on the flames as he waited for them to die off. When he could see the two Pokémon inside the inferno again he gave Rapidash one more instruction to finish off the panicking bug. "Now use another stomp to get that Ninjask out of there!" With a powerful back kick Ninjask was launched out through the now dying flames and crashed into the wall behind Chad with a crunch. From the way Ninjask's crippled and scorched body fell to the ground there was no question it could not continue battling.
Chad rushed over to his fallen enemy and scooped it up in his arms gently. He brought it back to Janine who placed it safely in its poké ball where it could rest. The new gym leader thanked him for being merciful in victory and started considering her counter as Chad returned to the challenger's side. It seemed Chad's assumption that the gym specialized in bug types worked in his favor as she seemed to have a hard time deciding which Pokémon she could best counter Rapidash and end the battle with. Twice she looked over at her father for support, but Koga gave her no support of any kind.
Chad eventually grew impatient and decided to pressure her a little. "You know, if there's nothing the Koga clan can successfully counter with you could always forfeit the match and give me the badge. Just saying…"
He was right, that did it. Janine's eyes flashed back to battle and she grabbed a poké ball with sudden determination to finish him. Chad smiled at the renewed excitement she displayed and prepared himself to study her next Pokémon in an instant.
It was a large purple and white moth with black eyes and equally large wings. As they flapped he could see various spores drift off the wings which gave her Pokémon a deadly beauty as the light caught the spores and made them shine. It was definitely another bug type and based on the dangerous cloud that surrounded its body it was likely a poison Pokémon as well. Best of both worlds, he thought.
Janine wasted none of her renewed battle vigor. "Venomoth, hit Rapidash with psybeam!"
Venomoth fired a powerful psychic beam at Chad's Pokémon that he wasn't prepared to evade. Rapidash cringed at the strong blast as Chad wondered whether he'd mistaken his enemy's typing to include being part psychic as well. He ordered Rapidash to counter with fire spin, but Venomoth easily evaded and released a cloud of stun spores in Rapidash's direction. Chad countered with Rapidash's flame wheel charge which struck home. Venomoth was badly hurt by the power behind Rapidash's attack, but still had a lot of fight left in it. As the flame wheel subsided, Venomoth fired another psybeam which cut through the lingering flames and stunned Rapidash again. While Rapidash was unprepared Venomoth released a sleep powder that took effect immediately. As Rapidash slept it was assaulted by relentless psybeams that sapped its strength until there was nothing left.
Chad recalled his fire Pokémon and pondered what his last fighter should be. Now he wished he'd taken Electabuzz after all, or even Cubone for that matter. His last two Pokémon were only good in close quarters and he couldn't exchange them for a better fighter in the middle of a battle. He was sure he'd lost this fight, but he wouldn't give up. Chad selected the faster battler between the two. Kurishimi seemed to have resigned hope as well when she saw Mankey appear on the field. Chad looked to see what Akuma's inevitably dejected reaction would be and found their eyes locking with each other.
Suddenly Chad felt a rush of nostalgia when he saw his teacher's face. It wasn't a look of hopelessness as he'd expected, but one of sureness and determination as if Akuma was the one fighting in Chad's place with his Pokémon. Then he realized the familiarity of that feeling.
The first time Chad and Akuma had met the veteran trainer had used his own inexperienced Pokémon to battle a formidable opponent and win three victories with minimal effort. He remembered when Akuma had used a little Nidoran to combat an enraged Mankey and the man was showing the same look of confidence he did right now. Along with the memories he realized how applicable the first lesson he'd been taught by Akuma was in this case as well.
"You have learned that all Pokémon, no matter their experience, have potential. You only need to learn how to draw it out. And you have learned that under any circumstances you must never at any risk underestimate your opponent's battling skills or act solely on impulse. A trainer may actually use weaker Pokémon to lower your guard in order to take you by surprise."
Chad had begun to fall back into the state of mind he'd tried to get away from so long ago. He was selling his Pokémon short against a much stronger enemy. On the other hand, he'd provoked Janine by nudging her pride and pushing her choices in the battle. He'd forced her to act on impulse. What he had to tell his mind was that he was using what might be considered a weaker Pokémon to lower her defenses. If she bought it too, he could lull her into a sense of false security. He needed to pull off a surprise victory just like he'd seen back then. He had been trained by the person he admired most and this battle was to show what he had learned from that training.
Chad nodded to Akuma when he understood what his teacher was thinking and mouthed a silent 'thank you'. He turned back to Janine who was indeed showing signs of assured victory, but only for a moment. When she saw the reignited fire in Chad's eyes she recoiled in surprise before she realized it.
"I'm winning this fight," Chad declared confidently.
"Y-You will not! Venomoth, cripple Mankey with stun spores!"
"Mankey, low kick!"
As Venomoth wafted the dangerous pollen toward its enemy Mankey dove under the cloud with foot outstretched and slid not only under the spores, but past Venomoth as well. Before Venomoth could turn Chad struck again.
"Mankey, one scratch attack now!"
Mankey vaulted back toward its enemy in the air and tore its claws into Venomoth's side. The attack was quick enough that the residual dust cloud from Venomoth's wings couldn't affect Mankey in time.
"Venomoth, use a psybeam quickly!"
"To the back Mankey, and use fury swipes!"
Venomoth's attacks were just a fraction of a second too late as Mankey went under Venomoth again and began to tear into its back with its claws repeatedly while Janine started to panic.
"Venomoth, envelop your body in sleep powder now!"
Got you! Chad thought to himself. "Hold your ground Mankey, and use mega punch!"
Mankey stood in the middle of the crippling sleep powder with Venomoth and smashed its fist into the middle of Venomoth's body. Venomoth was ejected from the cloud of sleep powder so hard that most of the dust from its wings fell away when the blow hit.
"The cloud's effects will slow Mankey down, Venomoth. Take it down quickly with psybeam!"
"Mankey, jump!" Chad's Pokémon leaped through the air just as quick as ever, leaving the psybeam to splash harmlessly on the ground. "Now bring it home with mega kick!"
Mankey plummeted toward Venomoth with one leg partially outstretched. Just before the attack connected it stretched its leg out in full and smashed a foot violently into Venomoth's body. Janine's poor bug Pokémon struck the ground hard, but Chad wasn't done yet.
"Finish it off with karate chop!"
Mankey leaped over and cut the side of its hand into Venomoth's face with a critical hit. Venomoth slumped to the ground, unable to continue battling, while Janine stared in shock.
"But… it was in the sleep powder… that's impossible! I should have won!"
"Not quite so much actually," Chad explained as he patted Mankey's head. "Mankey's ability is vital spirit. It keeps it from being put to sleep during battle so sleep powder, hypnosis, and other such moves are useless against it."
Janine held her chin in her hand as she processed what Chad told her. "I see, that's very interesting. I've never heard of an ability such as that before. With that ability and Mankey's agility I can see how it's an excellent way to counter the standard tactics of ninja Pokémon. Most fascinating…"
Chad tapped his finger against his hip while he let Janine think for a moment before interrupting her thoughts. "So… do I get a gym badge, or…?"
Janine snapped back to reality and blushed lightly with embarrassment as she fumbled through the folds in her garb. "Oh, yes, I'm so sorry I forgot. Here it is. For your victory, Chad, you've earned the soul badge!" She held out a small, purple, metallic heart-shaped gem to him in the center of her palm.
Chad picked the symbol out of her hand so he could study it between his fingers. He registered different expressions on his face as the shock of what this little stone really meant hit him all at once. Disbelief, realization, joy, excitement, victory, and a rush of euphoria all went through him at the same time, causing him to leap into the air.
"I won my first gym badge!" he exclaimed as Mankey danced in the air with him.
"Were you like that when you won your first badge too?" Kurishimi asked quietly while Chad continued his celebration.
Akuma nodded as he watched his student leap around the room. "More than you would think I might have been," he admitted. He opened up a small pocket on his vest at chest level and pulled out a faded heart-shaped stone of his own. "Koga was the first gym leader I ever beat too. When his Weezing fell to Gastly I was sure I was dreaming about victory again so much that the realization didn't sink in until two days later. I woke up my Growlithe when I cheered that morning too. Weren't you the same when you got Erika's Rainbow badge?"
"Not really since I'm sure she was taking it easy on her friend and didn't think she had to take me seriously. The Pewter Gym badge on the other hand was much more satisfying."
"I don't recall you cheering quite as much that day."
Kurishimi playfully dug her elbow into Akuma's ribs. "Since I knew you would have given me a speech about getting cocky if I were to have done so I chose to wait until we were separated for a little while."
Akuma pushed her arm away when she found a nerve. "I owe you a lecture later in that case."