I'm having to re-watch a lot of the anime to remember exactly what happened. While I'm not sad about doing so it just makes me sad how dumb they made Ash and how annoying Jesse and James were.

I also didn't know how else to describe Koga's gym.

This is a long one.

Chapter 22- More Adventures

The next few days flew by for Ash. They had come across many trainers along the way who were fairly easy to beat. His team were all showing signs of evolution with how their body structures were forming and it wouldn't be crazy to think they'd all evolve at the same time. It was still some time off yet though and they had many moves that they wanted to learn before they did so. Charmeleon was still struggling with Sunny Day, for some reason his ability Solar Power and Sunny Day severely sapped him of energy when he used any fire move. They would need to get that looked at soon. He had also been going off for half an hour for the last few days practicing moves on his own which caused some concern at the secret he was clearly keeping. Ivysaur was trying to unlock Sludge Bomb now he'd really gotten used to his body. It was an ideal move for him as he was becoming a lot more stationary in battles as he grew larger. Wartortle was trying to learn Sheer Cold, but it wasn't a move Wartortle could normally learn. He decided that he was different and had spent weeks trying to learn it. The most he had come up with was a really cold Blizzard, but it was a start. Pikachu was trying to combine moves that he knew as he had become bored of learning nearly everything a Pikachu could.

"There's still a few moves you can learn you know" Ash said "I received a list off Professor Oak about moves that are common in other regions, there's plenty of electric attacks still left for you. We'll work on a few in Fuchsia."

"Like what?" Pikachu asked.

"Well, there's Shock Wave a move that's fairly low powered and never misses, Zap Cannon, which is very powerful but highly inaccurate and Electro Ball which would be ideal for you as the faster a Pokémon is the more damage it does. So, there's still plenty for us to learn. We can also start on some non-electric moves I've been looking at. We're far from done pal" he finished chuckling.

A few hours later a city came slowly into view for Ash. The closer he walked to it the more perplexed he was getting. The entire place was in darkness, and the smell coming from the buildings was horrible. There were so many factories that were covered in grime and pollution that it was little wonder there was nobody around. Putting a scarf over his face he headed towards the Pokémon centre. Walking in he was puzzled as it was empty.

"Is the entire city deserted?" Pikachu asked with a peg on his nose.

"Where did you get the peg?" Ash asked confused "anyway I guess so. The smell is awful so I can't imagine anyone would want to stay here."

At that minute a woman walked in wearing a full hazmat suit. "hello" she said, "are you here to clear out the power plant?"

"Nurse Joy?" Ash asked looking closely at her "is that you in there?"

"It is" she replied, "please tell me you're here to restore power to the city? Some of the Pokémon here are in critical condition".

"Sorry No" Ash said shaking his head "I'm just passing through. What was that you said about the power plant?"

"Something knocked out the generator in the power plant twelve days ago." Joy said "And with it every electrical outlet we have has stopped working, including the healing machines here. We're on emergency back-up but that's quickly running out and if we don't get power back on soon all the Pokémon here will likely perish."

"Oh, that's not good" Ash said, "has the league contacted you at all?"

"No" Joy said "we sent out an S.O.S as soon as it happened but haven't received a reply. I thought you were the person they sent to fix it."

"Sadly not" Ash said, "what's that smell by the way?"

"Well, everything in this city is electrically operated, including the sewage disposal buildings. We used to have Grimer living in them that helped get rid of the garbage and waste for the city, but they disappeared just before the blackout."

"Ash, we need to help her" Pikachu said, "I couldn't live with myself knowing we left Pokémon to die without trying to help."

"You're right Pi" Ash said before turning to Joy "we'll go and have a look at the Power Plant for you. We have experience in them."

"You do?" she asked sceptically.

"Yeah" Ash said "we're the ones who rescued the Zapdos a few months ago from the Power Plant near Rock Tunnel so we'll be fine. Hopefully soon you'll have power. If anyone from the league finally turns up let them know I'm sorting it."

Walking out of the building Ash made his way towards the Power Plant, walking along the embankment he noticed that so many of the vents leading from the river were covered in purple goo. "It looks like Grimer have been around these vents Pi. These lead towards the Power Plant, so I suspect the entire generator shut itself off when these sea water vents got clogged up. It's pointless clearing these up from the outside, the vents will need clearing up from inside. Let's see what the Pokedex says about them, maybe we can get advice on beating them.

"Grimer, Pokedex Number 88, the sludge Pokémon, this Pokémon is male. Appears in filthy areas. Thrives by sucking up polluted sludge that is pumped out of factories."

"Nope" Pikachu said "but they're just another Pokémon. We'll just have to beat them to clear them out."

Walking to the Power Plant Ash opened the front door and entered. Immediately the smell from before came back. Putting his scarf back on over his face Ash continued on down the corridor.

"Pi, there seems to be faint life readings a few doors down the corridor. Let's check in and see what's happening" walking down the corridor Ash checked in on the various rooms and found purple goo in various places. Opening the last door Ash walked in and the stench hit him full force causing Ash to fall to his knees and Pikachu to throw up. Gaining his bearings as quickly as he could he noticed the remains of several people. They didn't look like they'd died that long ago. One life form however gave off a faint reading. Rushing to him he cradled the man's head and asked what happened. The man was clearly weak, Ash didn't think he'd live out the hour as his story came out in stilted breaths.

"Grimer attacked...blocked vents…locked in…no power…sent SOS…no food…no help…all dead…so cold." It wasn't long afterwards the man gasped his last breath causing Ash to tear up.

"The league and police have failed these people Pi" Ash said quietly "let's make sure we don't. we're going to have to drive off all the Grimer and wash the vents out. At least we can restore the power." earning a nod from Pikachu Ash called everyone out of their pokeballs causing them all to gag from the smell. Giving them a quick over-view of what happened Ash told them what their plan was. "We drive the Grimer out of the vents and get the power back on to the generator. Anything that moves is our enemy. Let's go."

Leaving the men inside the room Ash closed the door so no Pokémon could disturb them. Walking on down the corridor Ash checked all the other rooms but found nothing other than traces of goo. At the end of the corridor however stood a double door that was labelled 'Generator Room'. Walking up to it they could hear noises from the other side. "This is it guys. No quarter." Kicking open the door Ash wasn't surprised to find around fifty Grimer just milling about the place. They were clearly surprised though when Ash's Pokémon opened up on them.

"These guys seem never ending don't they" Charmeleon said as he blasted another out of their way and was replaced by another. Slowly but surely though Ash and his team left behind team beaten piles of purple goo. Ash however spotted something that caused his eyes to narrow. Taking out his Pokedex he pointed it at it.

"Muk, Pokedex Number 89, the slime Pokémon, this Pokémon is male. Smells so awful, it can cause fainting. Through degeneration, it lost its sense of smell. It is so toxic, even its footprints contain poison."

"We need to knock that Muk out guys. I think it's the leader. If we drive that away the rest will follow." Again, it seemed like it was never ending but finally they had made their way to the Muk. It was surrounded by six Grimer who were clearly protecting it.

"You have a choice Muk" Ash said talking directly at it "you either leave voluntarily or we make you leave. You've seen what my Pokémon can do, take your friends and leave quietly or leave knocked out." Ash moved sideways to ensure the way out was clear to the Muk, so they knew he was being serious.

Muk glared at Ash, but the message was clearly understood as it shuffled sideways. It had seen the trainer and four Pokémon walk through all his comrades like they were nothing. And while the six he had in front of him were good they weren't good enough to take on trained Pokémon. Nodding at Ash Muk gave orders to the six in front of him who gathered as many of their fallen comrades as possible before they left. The Muk however was the last to leave and turned back to face Ash. Without warning it spat out a Sludge Bomb that landed ten feet away from Ash. Turning away it followed his friends out of the power plant. Ash shook his head and walked towards the generator. Seeing the pipes that fed off them he followed them into a room that had a machine connected to several vents.

"Wartortle, use Hydro Pump down that vent. I think it leads to the outside. We need to clear all four of these out for the generator to start being able to burn up the sea water and function again. I'm afraid you may have to go inside the vents to make sure the end is clear too. Sorry Wartortle"

Giving Ash a glare he nodded and began cleaning the vents. It was laborious for Wartortle who had just been in several battles but an hour later he had cleared three of the vents which now had a fresh supply of water running to it and it started back up. Knowing it needed four working vents Ash nodded at Wartortle who began cleaning the last vent. Twenty minutes later an exhausted Wartortle let the river water carry him back inside where he hopped out in the little vent room.

"Do not make me do that again Ash" Wartortle said "I don't think I'll ever be clean again."

"I'll help you scrub yourself clean Wartortle" Ash said chuckling "well done guys. It seems the generator has started back up so hopefully the power to the city is also back on. We'll have to go back to the control room though to radio for help. That's not going to be fun."

Walking back was a very sombre experience for Ash. He'd seen death before; he'd been the cause of death after all. But actively walking back into a room where four dead bodies was decomposing was not a fun thing to do. Trying to ignore the dead men he picked up the phone and called the Pokémon Centre.

"Hello?" the voice came "Ash, is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me Joy" Ash replied "I'm glad the power is back on. I need you to call the police though. The Power Plant workers didn't make it."

"Oh no" Joy said "I was afraid of that. Someone will have to answer for this Ash."

"Believe me Nurse Joy, someone will" Ash said grimly "I'm heading back to the centre now. I just wanted to make sure the power was back on. I'm going to ring Professor Oak and let him know. I'll leave you to ring Jenny and get some very much needed answers."

Hanging up Ash walked outside the power plant where he observed the river. Shaking his head in dismay at how filthy it was he no longer wondered why there was so many Grimer attracted to the city. Sitting down on a bench overlooking the river Ash rang Professor Oak.

"Hi Ash" Sam said cheerfully "everything ok?"

"Hi Sam" Ash said sighing "No, everything isn't ok. I arrived at Gringy City about three hours ago only to find that they've been without power for twelve days now. Joy sent out an SOS as soon as it happened but nobody from the league or the police department have been out to check up on the issue. I volunteered to see what the problem was and made my way to the Power Plant. What I found was not great professor."

"Let me guess Ash" Sam said seriously "the Grimer population had got out of control again and taken over the Power Plant?"

"Yeah" Ash said perplexed "how did you guess that?"

"I've repeatedly reported that place in the past Ash. It needs tearing down and starting again" Sam said, "It is a massive stain on Kanto, but I've been rebuffed at every turn as the problem was rectified a few hours later. The league itself sent someone out last time and whoever it was declared the place fine."

"Well, this time you may be able to get a more fruitful outcome professor as it certainly is not fine" Ash said gritting his teeth "the power plant workers were locked in there the entire time. No food, no water, no help. When I arrived the last person living told me with their dying breath what happened." Hearing a crash from the other end of his phone Ash looked at it in surprise. He was further surprised to hear many faint swear words from Sam from the other end.

"I've told them repeatedly" Sam said angrily picking his phone back up "that Gringy City needs tearing down. Someone's head is going to roll for this Ash." The line went dead. Sam had hung up. Ash stared at his phone in confusion for a good few minutes. He had never heard Sam be so angry before. Standing up Ash made his way to the Pokémon centre. He was surprised to hear raised voices from inside. Thinking Joy was being attacked Ash kicked open the door shocking the people who were arguing into silence. Marching in Ash gave the Jenny at the counter a glare as he spoke directly to Joy.

"I've just phoned Professor Oak. He's livid. For years he's been advocating for this city to be torn down and started from the ground up. Well now he may be able to get that done after today." Ash said.

"What do you mean" a clearly concerned Jenny said "Gringy City is just fine."

"Just fine?" Joy said interrupting her "Just fine? We have been without power here for twelve days with no help forthcoming, the generator had shut down, Pokémon were dying, you were nowhere to be seen and you have the nerve to say everything is just fine?"

"Sam has said heads will roll" Ash said looking directly at Jenny "what's betting yours is the first?"

"Mine certainly will not be" Jenny shouted at them "I am an officer; my word will be enough to see this nonsense go away."

"Not this time" Ash said, "this time there are four dead bodies in the Power Plant."

"Who's to say it wasn't you who killed them?" Jenny said puffing up in indignation as a plan was clearly formed for them all to see in her head "yes, I am placing you under arrest for the murder of those people!"

"No, you won't" came a voice from the doorway. Everyone looked around to see Blue and Lance standing at the doorway "I might have known you'd be involved again Ash. The last three times I've had a phone call off my dad, you've been involved. Do you like getting me into trouble?"

"I'm not against it" Ash said simply making Lance snort "but like the last three times I've done nothing wrong. Why are you here?"

"Dad rang me about twenty minutes ago" Blue said "he told me Gringy City had been cut off for twelve days and he wanted to know why the league had done nothing about it. I told him I've never been told about an issue regarding here, funnily enough Lance hasn't either, so he pretty much ordered us to find out what's going on."

"Yup" Lance said walking forwards "it seems someone has been intentionally keeping us out of the loop. And now the power plant has four dead bodies in it because of whoever is behind the blackout. There's a crew on the way to recover the bodies. You though Miss Jenny are in deep shit. We both overheard what you said, you have a lot of answers we need to hear. Shall we?" he finished holding his palm towards the door.

"I'll need to take both your statements" Blue said as he sat down at the desk. Tell me from start to finish." Half an hour later they both had finished talking to Blue as Lance walked back in. Sitting down heavily he sighed "It's not good Blue. Those workers have been dead for days now, I'm surprised one survived long enough to talk to you Ash. That he did was amazing. Jenny indicated it was someone high up in the league who ordered her to ignore any issues and doctor reports. Your dad is going to be fuming."

"He already is" Ash said leaning back and closing his eyes "I've never heard Sam swear like that before. I don't think even my mum could blame him for doing so either."

Whistling Blue blew out a breath "it must be bad if dad swore. Anyway Joy, we'll be relocating you and the Pokémon to the centre in Fuchsia over the next few days. I doubt this city will be open much longer if my dad has anything to say about it." Standing up he walked out of the building.

"Poor guy" Lance said chuckling as he stood up "it seems lately all he's done is disappoint his old man. It's starting to wear on him. Anyway, I must be off, Melanie is packing for our honeymoon and I kind of abandoned her to come and sort this out" he too followed Blue out of the door leaving Ash and Joy.

Standing up Ash and Joy walked to the doorway ready to part ways.

"Thank you, Ash" Joy said grabbing him into a hug leaving him gasping for air "hopefully I will see you again" blushing heavily at what she'd just done Joy sprinted from the room into the back leaving a bewildered Ash and a laughing Pikachu at what just happened. "It could be a Joy" Pikachu said rolling about laughing on the floor as their conversation from a week ago resurfaced in his mind. As dignified as he could Ash picked up his backpack from the floor and walked out forcing Pikachu to sprint after him.

The next four days were spent just walking along the road chatting about various issues. Wartortle had needed a deep clean to remove all the grime from inside his shell. And he had not shut up about it. Ivysaur had felt strange while battling, Ash knew what it was.

"Your body is getting ready for evolution Ivysaur" Ash said "I've been noticing for a few weeks now, in training you've been struggling with controlling your power, at times it's been immense and at other times it's come in dribbles. But your body has been glowing lately when using certain moves. You're not long off evolving."

"Oh wow, so quickly after Porta Vista?" Ivysaur said "I'd like to hold off for now though. Can you get me an everstone? I'm not ready yet"

"Of course, I can. Fuchsia is about a week away now" Ash said "We'll do light training and keep you out of battles as much as we can for now. And yes, don't forget you were the first one of the group to have had a trainer and you also trained after you were abandoned. You're more advanced than they are development-wise but all three of you are very close to your final stages. Within the next six weeks I expect it to have happened. So, you all need to give it some thought."

"I don't" Charmeleon said "I'm evolving when I can. I'm sick of walking."

Laughing the others turned towards Wartortle "I will do too. I don't feel near enough yet, but I also know it's not too far away".

"Then that's that sorted" Pikachu said as they carried on walking. On the fifth day Ash and his team had their training interrupted by the sounds of explosions that sent them sprawling. Quickly packing up Ash raced to where the noises where originating from. As they were running along the road they came upon a scene of devastation. The side of the mountain had blown out onto several trucks which had crashed into each other. From nowhere he ground spilt open and men who were trying to get out of the trucks could be seen frantically trying to escape as the trucks fell into the huge crack.

"Ivysaur" Ash cried releasing him "help as many people as you can get out of those trucks. We'll try and make sure the doors are open for them to do so."

Jumping into the crack onto the trucks Ash and Pikachu smashed open the front windows and helped as many as they could climb out. After twenty minutes everybody was safely on the side of the road.

"Good job Ivysaur" Ash said recalling him. Turning to one of the truck drivers he asked what was going on.

"It's those bloody Diglett!" the man shouted clearly irate "For weeks now they've been causing havoc up here. We're in the process of constructing a dam but every time we send new resources up the mountain, they cause an earthquake and destroy or delay them. They're costing me an absolute fortune!"

"Diglett have done this?" Ash asked perplexed "Diglett are some of the most peaceful Pokémon there are."

"Well clearly not" the man said running off with his workers following him. Shaking his head Ash followed suit at a more sedate pace.

Half an hour later Ash was stopped in his tracks as in front of him were around thirty Diglett and the odd Dugtrio.

"Diglett, Pokedex Number 50, the mole Pokémon. Lives about one yard underground where it feeds on plant roots. It sometimes appears above ground.

Dugtrio, Pokedex number 51, the mole Pokémon. A team of Diglett triplets. It triggers huge earthquakes by burrowing 60 miles underground."

"I wonder what they want" Ash said curiously as they all looked at Ash as one and moved off to the side of the road through a thicket of bushes. The last Dugtrio turned to face Ash and said its name before then following on. Deciding to do the same Ash made his way through the bushes for a god ten minutes before he emerged and stopped in surprise. In front of him was one of the most beautiful scenes he had ever seen. The forest that lay below him was lush, flying Pokémon were flying around their nests in the trees and the fields beyond were a vibrant green. Taking out his pokegear he snapped a few pictures off.

"I think this is their home Pikachu" Ash said quietly releasing Ivysaur so he could look on with awe "some of these areas we can see is how I envisaged our future home to be Ivysaur. Look at how lush those fields are. The number of wild Pokémon that are able to live in peace because of the work of the Diglett and Dugtrio is amazing. This certainly would be considered an area of outstanding natural beauty and should be preserved as meticulously as it can be. I'll send these pictures on to Sam and see what he thinks. Maybe we can be a part of its conservation Ivysaur, what do you think?"

"I would love that Ash" Ivysaur said tearing up.

"I think we should leave these guys to it" Ash said "The Diglett seem to have it all in hand anyway in dealing with those workers. Eventually it'll get too expensive to carry on and the project will halt." Carefully walking back on himself Ash came to the open road only to see a lone Dugtrio in the road staring at them.

"I will do what I can Dugtrio" Ash said before it could speak "I promise you." Without saying anything the Dugtrio burrowed itself underground and left. Shaking his head Ash carried on the path towards Fuchsia. After twenty minutes Ash came upon the most bizarre thing he had seen in a long time. The man who he had spoken to earlier on was handing out mallets to around thirty people and showing them how to use them on a fake Diglett.

"Now they're quick and sneaky. But I have faith you will all get it done. And remember, the one who gets rid of the most will earn that free spa trip for seven days!"

Laughing Ash passed them. That was until he heard a voice speak out. "Well, if it isn't the loser Ashy-Boy. I'm surprised to see you even around given how much of a loser you are."

Turning around Ash faced his 'rival' Gary Oak "and I'm surprised to see you know which way you hold a mallet considering you still need your dad to wipe your arse for you Gary. I see you still have your cheerleaders around too, are you sure you're not compensating for something?" Gary grew red in the face very quickly as the assembled crowd started laughing at his expense. "Why are you here anyway?" Ash asked before Gary could try and insult him again.

"We're here because that bloke over there offered a reward for getting rid of the Diglett" Gary said, "and being the superb trainer that I am I offered my services."

"Ah" Ash said nodding "well, good luck trying to play whack-a-mole with one of the fastest Pokémon around. I for one have no intention of joining this nutcase."

"Who are you calling a nutcase?" the man asked clearly angry.

"You, you imbecile" Ash said looking at the crazy man "Diglett are incredibly quick, what do you think the chances of you getting one with a mallet are? Oh, and Gary, if you take part in this, I will tell your grandfather that you're part of a plot to destroy a Pokémon's home."

"What do you mean?" Gary asked confused.

Taking out his pokegear Ash showed Gary and a few of the people who had gathered round the pictures he had taken earlier. "This is why the Diglett are being destructive. On the other side of that forest is their home, along with every other Pokémon you can see in the pictures. They rely on the water coming through to provide the Diglett and Dugtrio with the means to irrigate the land. Damming that up would cause everything you see to disappear forever. Well, I want no part in it."

Around him the crowd began to mutter as they threw the mallets onto the ground while giving the foreman angry looks. Clearly, he hadn't told them about what they were going to be a part of. Gary quickly followed suit, giving Ash a glare before speeding off as quickly as he could in his car. Shaking his head Ash carried on leaving behind a ranting and raving foreman. Later that evening they were sat around a fire chatting about random things when Ivysaur asked Ash something that had been on his mind.

"Ash, you told me a week ago you wanted me to be the protector of your home."

"Our home Ivysaur" Ash corrected him gently "and yes, I did. Why?"

"Well, I've made my decision. But I'm not sure how to phrase it" Ivysaur said.

"Then just say it." Ash said.

"I want a family, my own family that is. And I'm not sure they'll want to stay wherever we live." Ivysaur said clearly worried.

"Is that all?" Ash said confused "Ivysaur, you don't have to say yes to me you know. Every one of you has your own dreams and ambitions. And if your destiny lies outside of our family then so be it. You're all free to come and go as you please you know? So, if you find something better than what I can offer you then I'll do everything I can to help you."

"I don't want to leave though" Ivysaur said quickly "I'm just not sure how I can have a family AND look after our home."

"You want to leave?" Charmeleon asked interrupting them "after everything we've been through together? Why?"

"There's not just going to be you Ivysaur" Ash said "where I have planned to build is a field that is surrounded by a forest that is already teeming with Pokémon, wild Pokémon who will remain wild. Your job will be essentially making sure they're ok from time to time. Everyone is going to pitch in at some point. And should you find a family then you can live where you want. All of you, I want you to understand this because it's very important. You are all free to leave at any time you like. I will not keep you here. And if any of you stay and want a family, I will help you do so as much as I'm able and I will even try and find a safe place for you to live. I'm very grateful you're here for me. We've been through a lot together. But this is not a transactional family. We do things for each other because we're able to, and even if we disagree with the others decision, we back them up. Charmeleon, you're not going to stay with us permanently and you know this. Ivysaur is saying he might have to consider the same thing."

"You're right" Charmeleon said "I apologise Ivysaur. You guys are all I have in this world. But I'm not leaving you Ash."

"Me neither" Wartortle said before Ash interrupted him.

"And I'm grateful but that's not the issue here. Ivysaur is entitled to have a family and live where he wants. You guys saying you're not going to leave, while nice puts pressure on him and we don't work like that. I gave you first option Ivysaur because of who you are at your core. You're a protector and a nurturer. And you're the ideal candidate for tending to the grounds of our future home. If you just want to be included on the creation of our garden and tend to that then that's fine too. If you want to live with whatever family you find in the future then that is too. Just know you'll always have a home with us."

Nodding Ivysaur walked into the tent leaving the others to quietly contemplate the conversation they had just had. The next day they all knew they were getting closer and closer to Fuchsia Gym. Looking on his Pokegear Ash noticed something odd.

"Guys, Fuchsia City doesn't have a gym" Ash said looking up at them perplexed "Apparently it's just outside of the city."

"Well how can it be called Fuchsia Gym then if it's not in the city?" Wartortle asked confused.

"That's what I'm wondering" Ash said, "let me give Sam a call."

Sam picked up not long after he had dialled.

"Hi Ash" Sam said tiredly "what can I do for you?"

"Are you ok Professor?" Ash asked concerned.

"No Ash" Sam said "I have the flu. I'll be ok, your mum has been round with food for me. Honestly, I owe that woman so much."

"She's an angel isn't she" Ash said rhetorically "anyway I'll make this quick then. Fuchsia Gym. Where is it?"

"Oh" Sam said "it's on the west side of the city. The road you're on now in fact leads to it but it's down a little dirt track that can be easy to miss. Koga is a ninja and trains others in his art, so his house is full of surprises. Be careful Ash" Sam said before coughing violently. Wishing Sam a speedy recovery Ash hung up and informed the rest of what was said.

"Full of surprises?" Ivysaur asked "what does that mean?"

"Well given he's supposedly a Ninja it's likely a stealth based gym full of traps" Ash said, "There could be anything really."

A few hours later Pikachu pointed out something strange on the path. It was a set of bushes at the side of a tiny little path that led away from the main road. "You think this is the path to Koga?" Pikachu asked.

"It seems the most likely yeah" Ash said walking warily down the road. For the last few months Ash had constantly been sending out his aura to the point it was now a rare occasion that he didn't expend it. So, heading down the path Ash was walking around various traps as if they weren't there until a house slowly came into view. It was a big beautiful Japanese style house that seemed to be made of different woods.

"It's very pretty" Ash said as they walked up to the door "but it's so dangerous too" he finished looking at the faint wire going from the door handle up to the roof. Taking out a pair of scissors Ash simply snipped the wire and walked inside and stopped in a grand entrance hall with doors leading off at both sides "I've seen far too many movies Pi and they all seem to want to take the most elaborate route through people's houses. I never understood why when going straight ahead is an option. It seems either left or right is the only option here though. Which way Pi?"

"Left" Pi said shrugging "it doesn't really make a difference, does it?"

"No, I suppose not. Be on guard though Pi" Ash said as he opened the door on the left and was immediately confronted with a hallway with many doors on it. He never noticed the camera move his way following his path. Looking upwards he noticed several things that shouldn't be there among the various tiles.

"There are Pokémon in the tiles above Pi. I think if we choose the wrong door we'll be attacked." Ash said shaking his head.

"Shall we not just blast them pre-emptively?" Pikachu asked.

"No, I'm kind of looking forward to solving all these puzzles. Makes a nice change to use our brains every now and then, don't you think? And, if worst comes to worst I'll let you loose, how about that?" Ash asked.

"Deal" Pi said bounding forward to the first door as Ash followed him. Slowly but surely Ash and Pikachu eliminated several doors that had various traps on them. Cautiously walking around tiles on the floor with pressure pads that obviously sprung the roof inhabitants on them they were left with two doors to choose.

"I think we go right here Pi" Ash said nodding at it "the one to the left isn't trapped. The one to the right however has several signatures just ahead of it so it's clearly another hallway."

This carried on for another twenty minutes as Ash and Pikachu progressed through the gym. Occasionally they'd make too much noise and the roof inhabitants, which turned out to be Voltorb were quickly dealt with before they could explode.

In a room not far from them two people observed them. "he's making quick work of our traps father. At this rate he'll reach the gym room in no time"

"Indeed" Koga replied, "so what do you propose?"

"I will challenge him. I don't like how much of a mockery he is making our gym challenge." Janine said "Venonat and I will take care of him" she finished leaving the room causing Koga to shake his head. She was still far too headstrong to be analytical at the crucial moments. Hopefully this challenger would put things into perspective for her.

Ash and Pikachu had so far cleared three corridors. Entering the fourth they halted. There were no traps in this corridor but at the end of it was a single Pokémon. A Venonat was standing staring at them. Ash and Pikachu cautiously walked forward until they were twenty feet from it and pulled out Dexter.

"Venonat, Pokedex Number 48, the insect Pokémon. This Pokémon is female. Its large eyes act as radars. In a bright place, you can see that they are clusters of many tiny eyes."

Suddenly it took off down the corridor and entered a door on the right. Pikachu was about to go chasing after it when Ash stopped him and continued walking slowly down the hall. "it's leading us into a trap Pi. We've encountered no-one and nothing except Voltorb since entering this place. Now all of a sudden, a Venonat is in our way, and it runs off? No this is another trap. We continue at our pace and let them come to us. It's a pretty pathetic attempt to be honest. I expected more."

"How dare you?" a voice said from behind him causing Ash to slowly turn around smirking and face a young woman with purple hair, wearing a ninja outfit glaring at him who had clearly come from a space in the roof.

"I was wondering when you'd come down from the ceiling" Ash said, "I've known you were there ever since I entered the corridor."

"How?" she asked her face full of fury "how have you made it past all the traps?"

"Easily" Ash said smirking which caused her to leap forward and attack him. Ash simply moved out of her way and in three moves had her pinned onto the floor with her arm twisted behind her back causing her considerable pain. "Now, since I'm in a good mood and I now seemingly own an extra arm, perhaps you can tell me who you are and why you attacked me."

"I will tell you nothing" Janine said squirming. Ash simply wrenched her arm up causing her to scream and shout her name "OK, OK. Stop! My names Janine! My father runs the gym."

"See now that wasn't too hard, was it?" Ash said easing up on her arm "now why don't we start again? Who are you and why did you attack me?"

"My name is Janine; I'm training to be a ninja. I attacked you because you insulted our gym. I couldn't let the insult slide" Janine said as tears welled up in her eyes from the pain.

"And because of our ego you nearly had a broken arm" Ash said letting go "let this be a lesson, never assume that because you're trained in a martial art that you're the only one. Now, my name is Ash Ketchum. Shall we go and see your dad? I have a badge to win."

Standing up and rubbing her shoulder she gave him a glare before walking off with Ash following her down a couple more corridors. Finally, they came to a door. Janine stopped short and smartened herself up before walking into the room. In the room a man sat facing away from them, cross legged on a mat with his eyes closed.

"Father, I bring you your next challenger Ash Ketchum" Janine said bowing before standing off to the side as the man slowly stood up and turned to face Ash.

"I know who he is Janine" Koga said giving Ash a small head bow, one that was returned by Ash "his exploits, as few as they are in the short amount of time he has been a trainer are sure to evolve into legend."

"You knew and didn't tell me?" Janine asked outraged.

"Mind your manners Janine" Koga said severely giving her a glare "it seems yet again you let your impatience and arrogance get the better of you. You need to stop letting words get to you or next time it could be more than a wrenched arm you suffer. Yes, I know what happened. I thank you Mr Ketchum for your restraint. Not many would do so" he finished giving Ash another small bow.

"The thanks are welcome yet unnecessary Master Koga" Ash said nodding back as his training came back to him. While he was training with the Lucario, as much as he resented who they worked for he could never fault them for their manners and poise. His main issue was who they reported to, other than that their lessons were still well received. And respect for someone giving you respect was drummed into him. He might be unbeaten in years by them, but they always gave their all in a fight, never backed down and won or lost with honour. The respect aspect came back to him as soon as he heard Koga's words. "I was once like your daughter; I still am if truth be told on occasion, but I had honour and respect drummed into me from a young age from my trainers. You personally have not slighted me, so I see no reason to be rude to you. Now, I am here for a gym battle and badge. Is the gym nearby?"

"Indeed, it is" Koga said leading the way through the door "I should like to know who your trainer is before we part ways though. Janine has been training in Jujitsu and Gung Fu for many years now and for you to take her down so easily earns your trainer's significant credit."

"Oh, it's no secret Master Koga" Ash said as they walked out of the gym to the back where the battlefield was. "I was trained in Aura combat by the Lucario of Cameron Palace from the age of six. I was unbeaten by any of them from the age of ten and I frequently spar with my Pokémon to keep up my reflexes."

"An aura guardian" Koga said with obvious distaste "I had hoped for something different."

"No" Ash said vehemently "I refuse to serve their queen. I am an Aura Wielder. I will not be shackled by some woman who has done literally nothing with her life because tradition dictates so."

"My apologies" Koga said, "I had not meant for my obvious distaste to come out in such a manner."

"Why are you irritated by her?" Ash asked curiously.

"It's not just her" Janine said from the side-lines "my cousin is her chief errand boy."

"Riley?" Ash asked bewildered "Guardian Riley is your cousin? I hold no love for that man after the pain he caused my mother by attacking me when I was six."

"Yes" Koga said "Karate Dojo Master Richard is my brother-in-law; his son is Riley. And ever since he took up the call of aura, he has disowned us in favour of his Queen. My sister told us recently of that episode. She was less than impressed with him. But that is family business and has no place here. Now, the battle. It shall be four on four, either side can swap out at any time however when one person is down to two it becomes a knockout battle only. Meaning should you beat two of my Pokémon you can no longer swap out and vice-versa".

"That's convenient" Ash said laughing "I only have four Pokémon. Your rules are acceptable. Let's go Wartortle" he said releasing the shiny turtle.

"Golbat, you're up" Koga said releasing a huge bat. Pointing Dexter at it he beeped

"Golbat, Pokedex Number 42, The Bat Pokémon and the evolved form of Zubat. This Pokémon is male. It attacks in a stealthy manner, without warning. Its sharp fangs are used to bite and suck blood. Once it strikes, it will not stop draining energy from the victim even if it gets too heavy to fly."

"Interesting" Ash said "I've been wanting to battle a properly trained one of these for a while now. Wartortle, let's start off strong and use Hydro Pump" at Ash's command a huge geyser of water strafed its way towards the frantically flapping Golbat.

"Golbat, focus. Fly around it, head towards it and use Toxic" Koga said

"Shit, Wartortle whatever happens you cannot be hit with that move. Hide in your shell and keep up the Hydro Pump. It can't dodge forever."

"My Pokémon are trained in evasion techniques Mr Ketchum, believe me we can. Golbat, Double Team and Toxic." Koga commanded "Let's see what you can come up with now Mr Ketchum" he added quietly as duplicates of Golbat appeared on the battlefield and began shooting blobs of poisonous gunk at the turtle.

"Wartortle come out of your shell. It's at 4 o'clock, Ice Beam" immediately Wartortle did as he was asked and shot a bright beam of ice at the startled bat who went flying backwards from the super-effective attack. It clearly did significant damage as its wings were covered in frost and it was barely hovering off the ground, but it had done what it had been asked. On Wartortles right arm was a purple blob that slowly was spreading upwards.

"How did you know where it was?" Janine asked surprised.

"That's my secret for now" Ash said concerned for his Pokémon "Wartortle Aqua Jet and finish it".

Golbat had no chance after being hit by the Ice Beam and succumbed to the attack of Wartortles. Wartortle however landed back on Ash's side and knelt down panting clearly affected by the poison that was running through his body. Cursing his luck Ash waited for Koga's next Pokémon.

"Golbat is unable to battle. Wartortle wins. Father, choose your next Pokémon" Janine said from the sidelines.

"Your Wartortle is stronger than I thought but it won't last much longer. You should consider withdrawing him." Koga said.

"I know" Ash said nodding "and depending on who your next Pokémon will be will influence my decision."

Shrugging his shoulders Koga released his second Pokémon which was a Muk.

"Ok Wartortle, we likely only have a few shots left before I'm taking you out. Use Ice Beam" Taking a deep breath to centre himself Wartortle let out an icy beam which quickly sped towards the Muk.

"Use Acid Armour Muk followed by Sludge Bomb" Muk did the strangest thing Ash had seen in a long time. It melted itself letting the Ice Beam go overhead before rearranging itself and firing out gobs of toxic sludge at Wartortle who did his best to dodge but was finally hit by one sending him sprawling back. Righting himself he went back down to one knee as a purple mist appeared to come out of Wartortles mouth.

"Damn" Ash said "I forfeit Wartortle" recalling the turtle he rummaged in his bag for a full heal. Attaching it to the ball he clicked on it and a quarter of the bottle was emptied into the pokeball. Ash would still need to visit a Pokémon Centre to make sure no toxins stayed in Wartortles bloodstream but hopefully the full heal helped. "I hate Toxic strats" he mumbled but was clearly overheard by Koga.

"It is how I battle and the nature of this gym" He said "we use every form of status affecting and evasion strategies available to see how the opponent can overcome them. My gym is all about how you react when all seems lost."

"Wartortle is unable to battle. Muk win. Challenger, choose your next Pokémon" Janine said.

"Let's go Ivysaur" Ash said releasing him "get in close and use Body Slam" Ivysaur charged at the Muk and leapt into the air.

"Muk, use Minimize and Sludge Bomb" Muk obeyed and seemed to shrink in an instant enabling the Body Slam to miss. Before Ivysaur could react, it unshrank itself and fire purple globs at his back and sent him flying ten feet. Shaking off the attack Ivysaur turned around to face Muk.

"Sunny Day" Ash said as Ivysaur produced a concentrated ball of light and shot it towards the sky where the clouds disappeared, and the sun's rays intensified. "It's risky but Ivysaur return, let's go Charmeleon and use Flamethrower" he said recalling Ivysaur and releasing his Charmeleon. Immediately he launched a huge spray of fire to the Muk who had no chance of dodging the widespread attack and was severely burned. Charmeleon however dropped onto one knee panting.

"Get in close and use Dragon Claw, no fire attacks until the sun goes away" righting himself he charged at the Muk who was wincing with the burn he had received and slashed away. With one big final blow he sent Muk flying over to Koga's side. Again, Charmeleon went down on to one knee panting from the effort.

"Muk is unable to battle. Charmeleon wins. From now on this match is knockout only" Janine said.

"Is your Charmeleon ok?" Koga asked Ash.

"Yeah, he will be." Ash said looking at his still kneeling Pokémon "His ability is Solar Power, meaning his fire moves get powered up in sunlight but for some reason it drains him of energy when a fire move is used."

"That is normal" Koga said surprising Ash "Solar Power uses the Pokémon's life force to power specialty moves, as such a Pokémon usually only has a limited time to beat an opponent before the drain becomes too severe and they pass out. The drain on your Charmeleon though isn't normal, it seems very excessive for the use of a single Flamethrower. When he evolves, I would suggest you take him to the Charicific Valley where he can learn to control the ability, for now though I would suggest limiting the fire moves you use when sunlight is activated."

"I will" Ash said nodding "I had that place in mind, but I was looking at other options as well further away to help him in his current form. Anyway, shall we battle?"

"Indeed" Koga said nodding and taking out another pokeball "Let's go Venomoth". Out of the ball came a bright blue moth. Ash was surprised it was shiny, but it was very pretty.

"Venomoth, Pokedex number 49, the Poison Moth Pokémon and the evolved form of Venonat. This Pokémon is male. The powdery scales on its wings are hard to remove. They also contain poison that leaks out on contact."

"Interesting. I take it its because you know we're limited on using fire moves?" Ash said smiling wryly.

"Exactly that" Koga said smirking "Venomoth use Stun Spore" flying up into the air it twisted and turned and with every flap it released a yellow powder that floated down to the ground covering the entire battlefield.

"Don't let it hit you Charmeleon, use Dragonbreath" Charmeleon opened its mouth and a chartreuse beam of light came out and lanced its way towards the Venomoth who twisted and turned out of the way. Ash could see the paralysing powder was going to hit his Pokémon and called out a desperate move "Charmeleon, we have no choice, the powder is going to hit so let's make sure we deal damage to help Ivysaur. Use Flamethrower!"

Charmeleon dug into himself. He was angry that he was so powerless in the sun when he should be strong, angry that he was about to be toyed with and angry that he was going to be beaten by something he had type advantage over. So, he set his feet and calculated where Venomoth would be and let loose with the biggest ball of fire he had ever used. Venomoth had very little choice in taking the hit as Charmeleon had calculated correctly in his movements. It was not Flamethrower that came out though, it was clearly much stronger than that. All three trainers looked on in horror at what happened next. The impact was bad, the sound Venomoth made was horrendous, but the outcome was a no brainer. Venomoth was out for the count and had severe burns littering its body. Charmeleon passed out too, but Ash didn't care as he grabbed a full restore out of his bag, sprinted towards the severely burned Pokémon and began applying it all over its body. Koga and Janine joined him but didn't disturb him. After he had done that, he focused his Aura and repeatedly expended it on the most vulnerable parts of the moth's body until the burns receded as he healed him as best he could. After twenty minutes of this Ash sat back on his haunches panting slightly. Running a quick scan on the moth he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Venomoth should be fine, he shouldn't battle for a week, after that it will take another week of light training before he's battle ready again. I am so sorry about what just happened" Ash said looking over to his still passed out Charmeleon who had an angry looking Pikachu standing next to him glaring at his fallen form "I have no excuse for what he did, I can only apologise and promise it won't happen again."

"Won't happen again?" Janine screeched "Venomoth could have been killed!"

"Peace Janine" Koga said frowning "we both heard what attack Ash called out. What came out though was not a Flamethrower. Clearly, his pride was being wounded by being powerless against what he saw as an inferior opponent".

"That is not an excuse" Ash said standing up as Koga recalled his fallen Pokémon "Charmeleon has no excuse for what he just did. I will gladly take whatever punishment you deem sufficient."

"Well, I'm enjoying this battle far too much to disqualify you." Koga said looking at Ash shrewdly "however the league officials will not be so lenient. Your quick thinking and healing of my Pokémon is sufficient for now. This last battle will be a one-on-one, you will not be able to use your final unused Pokémon. As your Ivysaur is still active in battle that will be your final Pokémon. Your moves will be reset back to four."

Ash bowed his head and walked back to his side of the field recalling Charmeleon. There will be words later. Harsh ones. "Let's go Ivysaur" he said releasing his Pokémon. "because of Charmeleon this will now be a one-on-one battle for the badge with all your moves available. I'll explain to you and Wartortle later on, it's not going to be a pleasant conversation."

Nodding uncertainly Ivysaur walked onto his section of the field and waited for his opponent.

"Now because you're an Advanced trainer you're going to face an advanced Pokémon. This one is vying for a spot in my elites, let's see how you do" Koga said as he released the strangest Pokémon Ash had ever seen. It reminded him of seaweed. Pointing Dexter at it he beeped.

"Dragalge, Pokedex Number 691, the Mock Kelp Pokémon and the evolved form of Skrelp. This Pokémon is female. Their poison is strong enough to eat through the hull of a tanker, and they spit it indiscriminately at anything that enters their territory."

"Is that from Unova?" Ash asked.

"Alola" Koga said correcting him "a friend of mine sent her to me as a birthday gift a few years ago as a Skrelp. She's magnificent, isn't she?"

"She certainly is" Ash said nodding "what's its typing?"

"It is a dual type. One is poison. Let's see if you can guess the other in battle" Koga said, "Dragalge use Sludge Bomb."

Quickly before they could react four globs of ooze came flying towards Ivysaur. "Use your own Sludge Bomb Ivysaur" Ash surprising Koga.

"How does Ivysaur know that move?" Koga asked.

"It's his egg move" Ash said smirking "get in close Ivysaur, use Stun Spore, let's see how they like status moves" Ivysaur shook his bulb and scattered the paralysing powder all over the field,

"Sludge Bomb again" Koga commanded.

"Match them Ivysaur" Ash said smiling enjoying this battle. It was perfect for Ash he thought. He had needed to battle someone who was using a faster Pokémon to be able to utilise Ivysaur's static nature. He would need to be able to counter Pokémon like Dragalge in future so every battle like this helped.

"Dragalge this is getting us nowhere. Use Outrage" Koga said smirking confident of victory.

Ash had been planning for this. He had the strategy in mind from the very beginning to take down the faster Pokémon. All he needed was a direct contact move. "Perfect" Ash said smiling causing concern for Koga "take the hit but wrap it up in your vines when you do so."

"You expect your Pokémon to take a head on Outrage?" Janine asked from the sides forgetting she was the referee. Ash simply smiled as Ivysaur was sent flying but not before wrapping Dragalge up in his vines and tightening his hold. Coming to a screeching halt, the effects of the move was clear to be seen as Ivysaur was battered and bruised but he had survived the impact. "Drag it in and squeeze" Ash said as Ivysaur did just that causing Dragalge to flail around as the air was slowly squeezed out of it.

"Dragalge you have to get out of there!" Koga said concerned "Use Outrage again to free yourself."

"Oh no you don't" Ash said "Ivysaur, use Leech Seed and keep squeezing."

From Ivysaurs bulb came a peculiar seed that impacted the middle of Dragalge's forehead before it quickly spread all over her body and lit up further draining her of energy and being absorbed into Ivysaur who was slowly being healed. "Use Sunny Day and power it up" Ash said smiling. The match was over, he knew it. It was simply a formality he thought as Ivysaurs bulb sent a pulse of light into the sky intensifying the suns rays.

"I forfeit my Dragalge" Koga said looking over at a shocked Janine.

"Dragalge is unable to battle, Ivysaur and Ash wins" Janine managed to stammer out.

Retracting its vines Ivysaur walked back to Ash who knelt down and pat him on the head "you were amazing Ivysaur. That strategy was played to perfection. Well done. I'll talk to you later on." Recalling Ivysaur Ash walked over to Koga who was knelt down next to his Dragalge whispering words of comfort to her before he to recalled her.

"Congratulations Ash" Koga said "you countered Dragalge perfectly and used moves exactly when you should have done. As such I present you with the Rainbowbadge."

Shaking Kogas hand Ash pinned the badge to the inside of his vest "thank you Koga, that battle was exactly what Ivysaur and I needed."

"Oh? How so?" Koga asked curiously as they walked off the battlefield into the sitting room where they met.

"Ivysaur is becoming more and more static as he progresses" Ash said "His evolved form of Venusaur is virtually unable to move in battle. As such it makes them a defensive juggernaut but also an easy target, so we've been coming up with ideas to help him gain ideas for when he does evolve. We always knew he'd need to be able to tank attacks, it was what we did to react in that situation that we've been working on. We were also lucky that you reset the moves as I don't know what I would have done being so limited."

"Your strategy was sound" Koga said nodding at the explanation "how do you plan on dealing with Charmeleon?"

"I have no idea really" Ash said frowning "my Pokémon and I usually keep his ego in check as we all do for each other, I know Pikachu is livid with his actions" which earned an angry nod from said Pokémon and a 'Pi'. "We never act out like that, what affects one of us affects all of us and Charmeleons arrogance nearly cost more than a badge today, he nearly cost a life. And after everything we've been through as a team that's very nearly unforgivable."

"And yet I have forgiven you" Koga said earning a surprised look from Janine and Ash "because of your actions Venomoth is going to be fine, because of your past actions I know it's not just words coming from you and because of your demeanour I know this will be taken seriously so it doesn't happen again. Charmeleons actions were his own."

"And I am still his trainer" Ash said interrupting him "and I bear the responsibility of his actions. I thank you though for your words. They mean a lot. I must be going now though; some serious conversations must be had."

"Very well" Koga said escorting Ash out of a door that led to the entrance. As they reached the front door Koga shook Ash's hand and handed him a parting gift.

"Its TM06 Toxic, the move as you have seen can be a game changer but also deadly. Make sure you use it wisely. I shall keep a look out for you at the league Ash. I expect great things from you." With that Koga walked back inside and Ash walked back down the path walking around the traps again until they were back on the road. The entire time Pikachu and Ash walked in silence. Reaching a signpost, they saw the legend Fuchsia City 5km and breathed a sigh of relief. They would soon be at their destination. Stopping for the evening at the side of a river Ash called out Wartortle and Ivysaur. They would need to be told what happened and decide amongst themselves what Charmeleons punishment would be. Tonight was not going to be fun.