The crowd of people gathered on the Cycling Road had grown since midday. Ryan could see the flashes of cameras as people held their phones up to the sky, and a few of the cameras were pointed at him. It was only a matter of time before one of them called a Gym Apprentice or even a Leader.
Ryan stood on top of his Tentacruel's head, gently bobbing up and down on the surface of the ocean, staring up at the sky while trying to ignore the attention from the Cycling Road. His clothes were drenched in seawater, and his hair clung to his face. If those people wanted to judge him, fine.
Let's see one of you come down here and try this, Ryan grumbled to himself.
It had taken hours for Ryan to subdue his Gyarados. The Water-type had ignored every order Ryan told her, and had slithered down into the ocean rather than battle any of the Trainers Ryan had been facing. That was why Ryan had to pull out his Tentacruel to follow Tempestas out into the water, and finally subdue his own Pokemon with a Sleep Powder — after narrowly dodging several Dragon Rages and Twisters. It was a strange feeling, having to dodge your own Pokemon's attacks. Something about Tempestas's attacks felt more unhinged, more dangerous than the attacks from other Gyaradoses that Ryan had contended with.
Ryan knew he should have just called it quits there. There were plenty of other Routes he could go to. But something about the embarrassment he had suffered in front of a group of Trainers compelled him to stay. So instead, Ryan had brought out his new Dragonite. The feeling of accomplishment had lasted about a minute, as Ryan basked in the awestruck looks the other Trainers were giving him — before his Dragonite immediately flew high into the sky and started raining down Thunder Waves onto the Road.
That had sent all but the bravest Trainers running. Ryan tried to recall Bellona into her Safari Ball a few times, but the Dragonite swiftly dodged the red beam every time and roared defiantly at him. The Trainers that were left on the Cycling Road watched Ryan, murmuring to each other, taking pictures, and sending texts with their phones, wondering what would happen next. Ryan figured he had maybe another 20 minutes before he got into some real trouble for letting two rampaging Pokemon run around.
Ryan swept the wet hair out of his face. Then, he called out his Charizard.
Ryan was too focused on the Dragonite circling him from above to acknowledge the collective gasps of the Trainers on the Cycling Road. He jumped from his Tentacruel's head and onto his Charizard's back. If Bellona wanted to do it the hard way, Ryan was more than willing to oblige.
He had been forced to suffer through the dinner and grounding last night — but only for a night. He had waited for Ash and Josh to leave their houses the morning after so he wouldn't have to see the looks on either of their faces when Ryan flew himself out of Pallet Town. Ryan hadn't even bothered to come down the stairs — he had opened the window to his room and jumped onto Vulcan's back from there. Ryan couldn't tell if his parents or sister had even heard him leave, but he hoped they had.
And a day later, hovering over the water, Vulcan's wings began to beat faster as Ryan once again planted himself on his Charizard's back. Vulcan hardly needed Ryan to tell him to do anything these days — he was the best-trained Pokemon Ryan had. They had a connection — one that Ryan loved more than anything. Sitting on Vulcan's back felt more natural now than closing his hands around a baseball bat.
The only time Vulcan hadn't listened to Ryan's orders was on his first day as a Trainer back in Gramps's lab. When Gramps had stepped in between Vulcan and Josh's Bulbasaur. That moment had sat in Ryan's head for a long time after he started his journey. It came up whenever Ryan ran out of Trainers to battle but couldn't get to sleep. It had been ages since Ryan had thought about that day, but suddenly it was all he could think about — no matter how hard he tried to put it out of his mind.
Vulcan ascended into the clouds even faster than Bellona had. In a few minutes, the Cycling Road and the crowd of people on it were just a speck below Ryan. The wind was nothing but a high-pitched whoosh in Ryan's ears, and he could barely his own voice as he told Vulcan to use Fire Blast. Ryan could see the air in front of Vulcan's face start to ripple and waver as the heat in his mouth burned like a furnace. Behind him, Ryan could feel the flame on Vulcan's tail intensify as well, which provided some welcome heat from the freezing air at this altitude.
At this altitude, on this Route, far away from his own house; nothing happened that Ryan couldn't do something about. He had beaten Trainer School kids, Gym Leaders, rampaging Wild Pokemon — and he would beat his own Pokemon into submission if that was what it took. He had to take Avery's snide comments and his own parents' crap when he was in their house. But he wouldn't let his own Pokemon embarrass him. He wouldn't let anything bring him down.
Vulcan spat out a fireball that quickly spread into a star shape as it flew through the air, dissipating the clouds nearby as it passed. The fire burned hot and bright, but Ryan refused to look away.
#
Fuchsia City was a city unlike any other. It seemed to have more historical buildings than modern ones. Everywhere Josh looked, there were slanted, tiled roofs, exposed wooden walls, and even some rickshaws pulled along by Doduos. Josh felt like he had fallen into one of those documentaries he had watched in school. Back in the time before Gym Leaders and Trainers, before computers, before airplanes, before cars. Back when everything seemed to take forever.
Back when everything here was written in Kantonese, Josh thought to himself, not just for show. Because that was the only way to get around, back then.
Josh briefly considered visiting the beach that he and Ryan had met Ash on before they had gone back to Pallet Town. But after how that dinner had ended, Josh felt like it would be asking for trouble to visit that beach. Instead, Josh headed straight for the Gym, keenly aware of the Ultra Ball rolling around in his bag. Ultra Balls were a good deal heavier than Poke Balls — and it certainly felt appropriate, given the Pokemon that Josh had in there. With such a powerful addition to his team, Josh couldn't wait for his next Gym Challenge.
The Fuchsia Gym looked a lot like the Karate Dojo in Saffron City. The building's design was ancient, but it was clean and well-maintained. The inside had hardwood floors and candle-lit lanterns. Most impressive of all, there were all kinds of weapons and paintings adorning the walls. There were ninja stars, katanas, nunchucks, and those three-pronged knives that Josh didn't know the name of. Old paintings were hung vertically from the ceiling, depicting various locations and time periods — but they all had one thing in common: the snowy peak of Mt. Silver was in the background of every single one.
The Gym was quiet, and most of the people inside hardly glanced at Josh as he entered. Most of them were sitting cross-legged, in meditation. Some of them slowly practicing combat moves. One of them was hanging upside down from the wooden support beams near the ceiling. He silently thanked Ash for the refresher on etiquette as he removed his shoes, took off his bag, and gave a deep bow at the waist as he entered. The apprentices gave minuscule nods of approval and turned their attention back to what they were doing.
Josh retrieved his team from the pockets of his bag and stepped onto the mat.
"Hi," he said, "I'm here to challenge the Gym?"
One of the apprentices nodded and walked away to the back. Josh fiddled with his thumbs while he waited. He felt the eyes of all the other apprentices on him, but couldn't think of anything to say. Josh glanced up at the apprentice hanging from the ceiling. He was staring at Josh, too.
Eventually, Koga emerged from the same door that the apprentice had left through. Koga was dressed in tight-fitting dark purple clothes. He had strange sandals on that somehow made no noise as he walked. A red scarf trailed behind him in the air as he moved. Immediately, Josh thought of Lt. Surge and the black belt in the Karate Dojo. They all had the same manner of moving, their backs ramrod straight, and eyes full of purpose. Josh gulped involuntarily.
"Welcome to Fuchsia Gym," Koga said as he reached Josh. He put his hands together and bowed. Josh returned the greeting much less gracefully. "I am Koga."
"I'm Josh," he said. Then, he hesitated. "Um. Josh Dale."
Koga nodded. Up close, Josh could see he was actually much older than he first appeared. He had wrinkles near the corners of his eyes, and there were hints of gray in the black of his hair. But Koga still towered above Josh in a way that made him nervous. His eyes were intense.
"May I ask how many Badges you have, Mr. Dale?"
"Five."
"May I see them?"
Josh reached for his bag, but then realized he left it at the entrance.
"Oh, uh," he said, "I think I left it—"
Koga snapped his fingers and one of the apprentices proceeded to rush over and retrieve Josh's bag. The apprentice carried the bag over as though it were a precious vase, and handed it to Josh while keeping his eyes low to the ground. Josh took his bag and attempted to thank the apprentice, but he walked away just as quickly.
Josh reached into his bag and retrieved his Badge case. He opened it and showed it to Koga. The man's face was unreadable, but he gave a curt nod.
"Very well," he said. Then, he snapped his fingers again and shouted something in Kantonese that Josh didn't understand.
Immediately, all the apprentices stopped what they were doing and left the battlefield. They all lined up at one edge of the battlefield and sat on their knees. One apprentice took up the referee flags at the other edge of the battlefield. Finally, Koga took a step to the side, and the apprentice who had been hanging from the ceiling dropped to the floor. He did a somersault in the air as he fell, bringing his feet toward the ground just before he hit the floor, and landed gracefully without making any noise right beside Koga. The apprentice was standing directly in front of Josh now, dressed in the same dark purple ninja suit as Koga was, but with his head also completely covered in the fabric. The apprentice stared at Josh with deep purple eyes from the tiny gap in his clothes that obscured his face.
"This is your opponent," Koga said, "you will face my apprentice in a four against fo—"
"Wait, I'm not going to battle you?" Josh said.
"No," Koga said.
"But if I'm an ace, shouldn't we cut to the chase?"
"The Gym Leader decides the terms of the battle regardless of the Challenger's status," Koga said. "The Gym Leader's decisions are final. If you have a problem with that, the door is behind you."
His words hit Josh like a splash of cold water to the face. Josh felt the hairs on his neck stand on end and heat rush to his face. He felt like he was back at Ryan's dinner table, listening to him get chewed out by his dad — except Ryan wasn't here. Josh was the one being chewed out.
"Fine," he said. Then, Josh turned swiftly on his heel and began to walk to his end of the battlefield. Koga's voice was powerful, and it was impossible to ignore as Koga called after him.
"The battle will be four against four, the opens will be double-blind," he said. "My apprentice will have no substitutions. The Challenger can switch at any time."
Josh reached his spot on the battlefield and reached a hand into his pocket. His fingers brushed against each Poke Ball in his pocket as he mentally took stock of his beam.
Pan and Hades are both part Poison-type, he thought, so they would take anything from this guy's team pretty well. But they also can't really hit back with anything either. I've got Zeus, Hermes, and Helios — they're all fast. I can come out swinging and hit hard before he has a chance to poison anyone. Worst case scenario, my newest team member can tank anything.
Josh smiled to himself as the referee raised both flags. He looked at Josh, and Josh gave a nod in response.
This will be over in a minute, Josh concluded. And I'll have my next Badge to finally catch up to Ryan.
The referee looked at the apprentice, who proceeded to remove his hood and lower the scarf covering his face. Her purple hair was tied in a tight bun, and her eyes stared daggers at Josh's dumbfounded surprise.
"Begin!" the referee shouted, bringing down both flags in a swift motion.
"Go, Golbat!"
"Go, Hermes!"
The apprentice's Golbat emerged and planted his feet firmly on the battlefield. His wings were wrapped around his body, and he watched as Josh's Pidgeot emerged with narrowed eyes. Hermes flapped his wings slowly as he hovered in the air, waiting for Josh's first order.
"Hermes, Wing Attack!"
"Quick Attack!"
Hermes angled his beak down and tucked in his wings to initiate a dive, but the Golbat shot forward in a blur of motion, ramming his head into Hermes's chest and sending the Normal-type tumbling into the ground.
"Hermes, Quick Attack!"
"Double Team!"
Josh watched as Hermes rolled back onto his feet and shook his head. He spread his wings in order to take flight, but gave a confused chirp when he saw what was in front of him. Josh looked ahead. There was no longer one Golbat standing there, there were five. They stared at Hermes with narrowed eyes, their leathery wings held out to their sides as if forming a wall. Josh always imagined the first time he saw a Pokemon use Double Team, he would at least be able to see the move performed before the copies appeared. But in a second, he had missed it — and he had no idea which one was the real one.
"Nevermind, Hermes, use Whirlwind!" Josh said.
"Now, Hypnosis!"
Hermes planted his feet and began to flap his wings, kicking up a gust of wind that blew out half the candles in the Gym. Koga's apprentice knelt on the ground and braced herself to keep her footing. But the Golbats wrapped their wings tightly around their bodies, and their eyes began to glow pink. The pink glow intensified, and Josh watched as his Pidgeot's wing beats began to weaken, then his head began to droop, and finally fell over onto the floor.
Josh ground his teeth and held out Hermes's Poke Ball.
"Hermes, return," he said. Then, he thought for a moment, until he brought out his next Poke Ball. "Zeus, Pin Missile, spread it out all over!"
Josh's Jolteon emerged and fired needles from his fur in a wide arc in front of him. The Golbats ducked their heads to cover themselves behind their wings as they blocked the attack, but four of the Golbats disappeared in a puff of smoke.
"Gotcha," Josh muttered under his breath. "Now, Thunderbolt, Zeus!"
"Quick Attack!"
Again, the Golbat zipped across the battlefield faster than Josh's eyes could even follow and slammed into Zeus. But Zeus kept his footing and shot out a bolt of lightning that briefly lit the entire battlefield a brilliant yellow. The apprentice's Golbat gave a strangled shriek of pain and then fell to the ground.
"Golbat is unable to battle!" the referee said as he held up the red flag.
Koga's apprentice recalled her Golbat, then tossed another Poke Ball, releasing a Beedrill. The Bug-type's wings were nothing more than a blur as he zipped around the battlefield as if already trying to avoid Zeus's next attack before it even came. The buzz it made was incredibly loud, and Josh had to shout just to make himself heard.
"Zeus, Thunderbolt!"
"Twineedle!"
Zeus sent another lightning bolt forward, but the Beedrill's two massive stingers glowed a pale green and he shot out two cones of energy. The two attacks met in the air and created an explosion. The cloud of black smoke and debris was impossible to see through. This time, Josh already knew what to do.
"Use Pin Missile, Zeus, like last time!"
"Poison Jab!"
Again, Zeus's fur bristled as he shot out a blast of needles everywhere in front of him. Josh watched as tiny holes began to form in the cloud of smoke. But the Beedrill emerged from the cloud and flew straight for Zeus, despite a massive amount of needles burying into his face. The Beedrill brought down one of his stingers, glowing purple and oozing with poison — but Zeus dodged, sidestepping the attack, and the Beedrill's stinger stabbed a hole in the ground. In an instant, the Beedrill slashed with his other stinger, but Zeus dodged again. Josh marveled at his Jolteon's speed. But before Josh could say anything, the Beedrill flew forward and pointed his final stinger — the one at the end of his abdomen — at Zeus, burying the stinger into Zeus's stomach.
Zeus was sent flying back and tumbled across the battlefield. The Beedrill flew back to his side of the battlefield, still pointing his stinger toward Zeus. Josh couldn't believe the Bug-type could fly around without changing the direction he was facing. Even Hermes couldn't fly like that.
Zeus struggled to his feet. Then, he let out a cough and shook his head violently.
He's poisoned, Josh thought to himself.
"Zeus, return!" he said. "Helios, Flamethrower!"
"Protect!"
Josh's Arcanine ran forward the second his form solidified and shot out a stream of fire. But the Beedrill covered himself with his stingers, and an orb of green energy surrounded the Bug-type. Josh watched as Helios's fire splashed against the orb harmlessly.
"Don't let up, Helios, keep the fire going until his Protect runs out!"
Josh watched as his Arcanine's Flamethrower continued to stream at the Beedrill. For a moment, the fire began to weaken — but then Helios's nostrils flared as he inhaled, and the fire streaming out of his mouth strengthened again. The Beedrill's Protect finally flickered and disappeared, the Bug-type tried to fly away, but Helios's fire completely engulfed him. The Beedrill fell to the ground, blackened and burning.
"Beedrill is unable to battle!" the referee announced.
"Yes!" Josh whispered under his breath.
The apprentice withdrew her Beedrill. She stood perfectly still as she considered her options, but Josh did notice her eyes dart to Koga for a moment. Then, she spoke.
"Weezing, Poison Gas!"
"Get back, Helios, don't let it hit you!"
The apprentice's Weezing appeared and his two mouths opened. A cloud of deep purple gas emerged and crept towards Helios, but the Fire-type yelped and jumped out of the way before the gas could reach him.
Leave it to the Poison-type Gym, Josh thought to himself, she wants to poison every single Pokemon I've got.
"Helios, Flamethrower!"
"Payback!"
Helios's fire hit the Weezing in both of his faces, and the Poison-type growled in pain. But then, the Weezing floated forward and spun with surprising speed, his two heads glowing black and dripping with inky energy, and slammed into Helios. Josh's Arcanine yelped and reeled back in pain.
"Helios, don't let up, Flamethrower!"
"Smokescreen!"
Helios barked in response and began to shoot fire again. But Josh's side of the battlefield immediately filled up with a giant cloud of black smoke, and Josh couldn't see anything anymore. Only the sudden heat he could feel on his face gave him any indication that his Arcanine was still there.
"Helios! Get out of there, come to my voice!"
"Weezing, Poison Gas!"
For a moment, nothing happened. Then, Josh's Arcanine emerged from the cloud of black smoke. But the damage had already been done — Helios was coughing, and he stumbled briefly as he tried to find his bearings.
Crap, Josh thought to himself, now two of my Pokemon are poisoned. But they can still fight while they're poisoned. Question is: who can beat this Weezing quicker?
Josh thought for a moment, but Helios's constant coughing made the decision for him.
"Helios, return!" Josh said, "Zeus, Pin Missile!"
Josh's poisoned Fire-type disappeared and was replaced by an equally poisoned Electric-type. Zeus suppressed his coughs as he shot out a blast of needles. They did nothing to dissipate the massive cloud of black smoke, but Josh did hear the Weezing's pain — to his left, which was all he needed to hear.
"There, Zeus, Thunderbolt!"
Josh pointed to the spot where he heard the Weezing and Zeus barked in response, shooting a lightning bolt there. Sure enough, Josh heard the Poison-type growl again in pain. But the Weezing flew out of the smoke, his body dripping with black energy, and smashed his face into Zeus's body with another Payback attack. The attack sent Zeus tumbling across the battlefield. Josh wondered how the Weezing was able to move so fast and hit so hard — only then did Josh realize his mistake.
Payback does double damage when the Pokemon using it moves second! Both my Pokemon have been faster, and they're giving that Weezing power while the poison hurts them even more!
The Weezing floated back into his Smokescreen. Josh struggled to think of what to do. Did his Pokemon know any non-offensive moves? But even if they did, would it help? Even if he tried to avoid hurting the Weezing to not empower the Payback attacks, the poison would still take his Pokemon out eventually.
Josh opened his mouth to speak, but the apprentice beat him to it.
"Sludge Bomb!"
A massive blob of purple energy shot out from the Smokescreen and struck Zeus in the face. The Jolteon writhed in pain and fell over. Josh watched as the sludge that didn't manage to hit the Electric-type hit the ground, and it sizzled as it burned through the wood and sank deeper into the ground. Meanwhile, his Jolteon barked, coughed, and struggled to escape the sludge, but his legs gave out, and he fell limp.
"Jolteon is unable to battle!" the referee shouted, holding up the green flag.
Josh withdrew his Jolteon. It's still three against two, he thought to himself. But then, he remembered. Wait, no it's not. Hermes is asleep. But how can I wake him up without letting him take too much damage?
"Are you ready to continue?"
"Huh?" Josh said. Then, he realized everyone in the Gym was staring at him. "Uh, yes, I'm ready. Go, Helios!"
Josh's Arcanine appeared again. He coughed but planted his feet firmly and waited for instructions.
"Helios, we gotta get rid of this smoke," Josh said. "Flamethrower, on the ground, everywhere you can!"
Helios spat out a stream of fire and guided the stream in a wide arc, covering the ground in fire. The smoke began to rise and finally reveal some of the battlefield. Josh could actually see the apprentice again — but more importantly, he could see the Weezing, floating upwards and trying to stay in his Smokescreen.
"There, Helios, Flamethrower!"
"Screech!"
Helios's Flamethrower hit the Weezing, engulfing the entire Poison-type in fire. Josh's joy at finally dealing solid damage again was cut short by a piercing pain in his ears. The Weezing's Screech was so loud it felt like someone was shoving two knives in his ears, and he could see his Arcanine felt that pain just as bad.
Josh saw the apprentice say something, but couldn't hear it. But he saw the Weezing begin to glow white and understood immediately what was happening.
"Helios, Flamethrower, you've gotta take it out now!"
Josh didn't hear his own voice, but his Arcanine thankfully did. Helios ran forward and shot out another stream of fire — but it was too late. The Weezing exploded, and even Josh was thrown back by the force of the blast. He stumbled backward and fell hard onto his back. But even worse than the pain he felt was the sight of his Arcanine flying over him and slamming into the wall behind him.
Josh climbed to his feet and withdrew Helios. His hearing was slowly coming back, and the referee's voice was still muffled.
"Arcanine and Weezing are unable to battle — double knock-out!" the referee said, raising both flags. Then, he brought them down. "Double-blinds are still in play: choose your next Pokemon and release them when I say."
The referee looked at Koga's apprentice.
"Are you ready?"
The apprentice nodded and enlarged her last Poke Ball in her hand. The referee turned to Josh.
"Are you ready?"
Josh slapped his clothes to try to get rid of the dust and debris but quickly gave up. Then, he reached in his pocket for his last Poke Ball. Screw it, he thought to himself, I won't need Hermes to wake up for this, anyway. My last Pokemon can finish this.
"Yes," he said.
"Very well," the referee said. "Three, two, one!"
"Go, Tentacruel!"
"Go, Dionysus!"
The apprentice's Tentacruel emerged and landed on the battlefield. Professor Oak had told Josh once that Tentacruels could have as many as 80 tentacles, and Josh didn't doubt it. The Water-type held himself up with four tentacles, but the rest writhed around below the Tentacruel's gelatinous body.
But Josh's Snorlax shook the entire Gym as he landed on the battlefield. Josh felt a jolt of pride as even Koga, watching from the sidelines, stumbled for a moment before regaining his footing.
The Tentacruel glared at Dionysus, his beak snapping a few times, but Josh's Snorlax only gave a snort in response.
"Tentacruel, Sludge Bomb!"
"Dionysus, Body Slam!"
The Tentacruel raised his body until his massive beak was pointed at Dionysus and spat out another massive blob of poisonous sludge. It struck Dionysus on the stomach and slid down his massive body. Josh could hear the sludge hiss as it burned into Dionysus's side, but the Snorlax didn't react. Then, Dionysus stretched his arms high… and fell backward, shaking the entire building again, as he lay face-up on the battlefield.
"Dionysus? I said Body Slam!"
The Snorlax didn't respond. After a moment, a deafening snore came from the Normal-type's mouth. Josh could feel the eyes of everyone in the Gym, including Koga's, shift from the sleeping Snorlax to the hapless Trainer commanding him.
"Dionysus, wake up!
"Tentacruel, Ice Beam!"
Dionysus did nothing until the beam of piercing white light struck his side and jolted him awake. The Snorlax rubbed his eyes and looked at the Tentacruel.
"Yeah, he hit you," Josh said, "don't you want to hit back? Use Body Slam!"
The Snorlax turned his head and stared at Josh. He raised a paw and made a gesture that Josh recognized from the many times his teachers, parents, and even Ryan had made at him — shoo.
"Tentacruel, Surf!"
The Tentacruel planted all his tentacles on the ground and a pool of water began to form under him. Then, the pool of water became a gushing geyser, spewing out a ton of water that quickly formed a massive wave. The wave quickly crossed the battlefield and slammed into Dionysus, pushing him off the battlefield and knocking Josh off his feet again. He fell on his butt, hard, and completely soaked.
"Are you serious?!" Josh yelled, "If you don't fight back, we're both going to lose!"
Snorlax shot a glance at the Tentacruel, but only gave a low growl. Then, he turned back to Josh and roared at him. The force of Dionysus's roar was enough to make him jump, but it was cut short as the next Surf cast a shadow over them both and slammed into them.
Josh felt his feet leave the ground as the water completely engulfed him, and he struggled to orient himself to try and swim for the surface. But the water receded just as quickly as it came, and Josh's feet once again touched solid ground. Josh swept his wet hair out of his eyes. Dionysus was lying on the ground next to him — knocked out, not just asleep. The apprentice and her Tentacruel were staring at him. Everyone in the Gym was staring at him.
"Snorlax is unable to battle!" the referee called out.
Josh clenched his jaw and silently withdrew his Snorlax. He had one Pokemon left, and he knew exactly what would happen when he called him out.
Josh sent out Hermes, still asleep from the Hypnosis the Golbat had put him under, and the Tentacruel immediately hit the Flying-type with an Ice Beam before he had even landed on the ground.
"Pidgeot is unable to battle!" the referee called out.
Josh withdrew his Pidgeot and held the miniaturized Poke Ball tightly in his hand as he walked forward, resisting the urge to just turn around and leave. Koga's apprentice withdrew her Tentacruel and met Josh in the center of the battlefield. A handshake after a battle was usually expected, but the apprentice brought her hands together and bowed before Josh could offer his hand.
"Taisen yoroshikuonegaishimasu," she said quickly.
"What?" Josh said.
"Thank you for the match," she said as she straightened up.
Up close, with her face uncovered, Josh could see that the apprentice was young. She looked about Josh's age, and she was almost as short as Ash. But most of all, her eyes seemed familiar. It wasn't until Koga approached that Josh was able to place them. She had the same intense gaze as he did. Koga addressed her first.
"You did well," he said. "Why did you choose Weezing over Tentacruel?"
"Better defensive typing against the Jolteon," the apprentice responded, "and Tentacruel's speed offered the best chance of a counterattack."
Koga nodded. The apprentice bowed to him and swiftly walked away. Then, Koga turned to Josh.
"In some cases, a Gym Leader will see fit to award a Badge in spite of the Challenger losing the battle," he said. "However, after that display, I do not see a reason to award you the Soul Badge."
Josh kept his eyes low and nodded. After his experience with Lt. Surge, he knew from the tone of Koga's voice where the lecture was heading. But Josh had lost, which meant he had no choice but to listen. Gym Leaders have to teach through hard lessons.
"Your Snorlax doesn't respect you," Koga said. "You would do well to tame him before you challenge the next Gym. If I see you again, I expect to see more discipline from your Pokemon, and from you."
Josh wanted to scream. His dreams of finally catching up to Ryan, catching up to his brother, were gone. But he said nothing. Instead, Josh bowed, keeping his eyes low to the ground. Then, he walked out of the Gym, leaving a trail of wet footprints behind.