Chapter 23

As soon as Leaf was escorted out of the Safari Zone, she dashed towards a bench by the Fuchsia Zoo's entrance. Nearly giddy with excitement, she sat down and released her team.

Haunter, Dratini, and even Vulpix hadn't known Psyduck long enough to truly appreciate his transformation. They were curious about the blue duck in front of them, but were otherwise accepting. Ivysaur and Fearow, on the other hand, seemed to be struggling. Leaf could see in their eyes that they were picturing the stout, yellow duck who never knew what was going on. Golduck, with his puffed out chest and eyes that conveyed a mind sharper than a knife, completely contradicted that image.

Leaf didn't blame them. She too would need some time to get used to Golduck. But this change was gladly welcomed. When the introduction was over, Leaf began returning her Pokemon. As she did so, two girls around her age sat down at another bench near her. Their conversation made Leaf's blood freeze.

"Have you heard about Professor Oak's grandson? He beat Koga recently. He's on his way to challenge the Saffron Gym."

"Blue Oak? Yeah, I saw on the news. He's super cute."

"Sooo cute. And talented too, if he's made it this far."

"For sure. Remember my cousin, Brandon? He says he's battled Blue before and got destroyed."

"Really? That's so cool! I mean, it sucks he lost, but imagine battling someone so close to Professor Oak!"

"That's kinda how he felt. But apparently, there's another trainer from his hometown who's even stronger."

"I think I know who you're talking about. I heard they battled on the S.S. Anne and the Pokemon Tower and Blue lost both times."

"I heard that, too. Isn't it kinda messed up they battled at the Pokemon Tower? It's literally a graveyard."

As the girls began debating the ethics of battling in certain locations, Leaf briskly got up and walked away with no destination in mind.

Blue defeated Koga, Fuchsia's Gym Leader and the fifth one in the circuit. On some level, Leaf was aware of that. She'd bumped into him outside of the city last week. Either he'd challenged the Fuchsia Gym already or was about to. Now, he was heading towards Saffron City to challenge the sixth Gym Leader, Sabrina. Soon, he'll challenge the seventh Gym Leader, Blaine, and then the eighth and last Gym Leader, whose identity was unknown. No doubt, Red was making similar progress.

Leaf bit her lip. She could feel the pressure building up inside her, reminding her how behind she was. Why had she taken the day off again? She should be working her ass off if she wanted to become the best trainer in Kanto. What was she doing, sitting around like she had all the time in the world?

Leaf heard a sharp quack. She turned and saw Golduck quickly waddling after her. Lost in her thoughts, she hadn't realized she'd returned everyone except the blue duck. Once he reached her, he gazed at her with concern and suddenly, Leaf felt almost lighter.

The past week had been a low point in Leaf's life. She was convinced she wasn't strong enough and would never be strong enough. Even now, she wasn't entirely sure of herself, but seeing her Pokemon literally become a better version of himself gave her some desperately needed hope. If the duck everyone used to laugh at could improve, why shouldn't she be able to? Just because she wasn't in the same league as Red and Blue now didn't mean she would never be.

Leaf looked around to see where she was. She'd gone towards the direction of the Pokemon Center: it wasn't far ahead. Further down the road was the Fuchsia Gym. Leaf smiled. She knew what the plan for tomorrow was.

With its wood panel floor and tatami walls, the interior of the Fuchsia Gym looked like a karate dojo. It was fairly empty. There were only two trainers battling each other.

The registrant looked like a ninja with his black jacket, trousers, and hooded cowl that covered everything except his eyes, which watched Leaf like a hawk as she wrote her name down. "See that door in the back? Your challenge starts the moment you pass through. Good luck."

Leaf had no idea what to expect. As soon as she stepped through the door, her jaw dropped.

When Leaf had arrived at Fuchsia City, she'd noticed a tall stone wall running along the backs of the Pokemon Center, the Gym, and the houses in between them. Distracted by her rigorous training, she never stopped to wonder what the wall was for. Now, she knew exactly why the wall existed.

She was standing on a black platform overlooking a pool. Hanging above the left side of the pool was a line of three slanted padded boards, evenly spaced from each other. The right side had two. Leaf noticed the right-side boards did not perfectly line up with the left-side ones. On the opposite end was another platform that overlooked a second pool. Hanging above that was a set of tall metal monkey bars. The third course was a line of spinning wood posts with large pegs sticking out them. The posts stood on a thin platform above a pool.

"Challenger." Leaf jumped at the voice. Standing to the side, on the grass, was a man wearing the same uniform as the registrant. "This first course tests your agility and balance. Get to the other side of the pool by leaping from board to board. If you fall into the pool, you must battle me."

Leaf looked at the boards again, still a bit astonished, and realized why the boards were lined up the way they were. She needed to jump onto the first board on the left, then diagonally onto the first on the right, then the second on the left and so on.

"You may begin whenever."

Leaf clenched her fists. She could do this. She took a step back and then ran, jumping when she reached the very edge of the platform. As soon as her foot hit the first board, she pushed herself off to the right. She leaped again to the left and felt her foot slide ever so slightly. Leaf was already underwater by the time her mind processed that she was falling.

Leaf coughed and sputtered as she climbed out of the pool. Her cheeks burned as the Gym Trainer approached her with a towel in hand. If he found her failure amusing, he didn't show it. Instead, he gestured for her to step aside for their battle. She took off her shoes to pour the water out, wrapped the towel around her, and followed him.

His Pokemon was a Nidorina. It was a larger, rougher version of its pre-evolution, the female Nidoran. There were spikes on its back. Leaf sent out Golduck, who looked confused by how drenched she was.

"Nidorina, use Poison Sting!"

"Golduck, use Psychic!"

Golduck dodged the Poison Sting and a myriad of colors swirled in his eyes. The Nidorina cried as it was thrown into the pool. Leaf was about to command Golduck to get in the pool and attack, but he seemed to already have that idea. He dived into the pool and soon after, the Nidorina was tossed back onto the grass, unconscious. The Gym Trainer bowed and gestured at the second course.

Leaf was so excited that for a moment, she forgot how uncomfortably her soaked clothes stuck to her body. "Great job, Golduck!"

Golduck puffed his chest out. Leaf returned him and climbed onto the second platform.

"This second course tests your strength," another Gym Trainer in ninja gear said. "Use these bars to get to the other side. If you fall, you must battle me. You may begin whenever."

Leaf made sure her hands were dry enough before jumping up to grab the first bar. She was lucky. She had a lot of experience swinging around on monkey bars. Blue used to greatly enjoy taunting her while he sat on top of them, completely out of her reach. Of course, they were kids and also friends, so his teasing back then was nothing compared to how it was now, but it still motivated Leaf enough to conquer the monkey bars. She made it to the other side without much difficulty.

Leaf realized the third Gym Trainer was a girl by the sound of her voice. She was shorter than Leaf. Her purple eyes pierced through Leaf. "This third and final course tests your skill. If you're knocked down, you must battle me. You may begin whenever."

Leaf eyed the spinning posts. She'd seen courses like this in movies. It was just a matter of good timing. Once Leaf was satisfied that she'd figured out the posts, she took a deep breath and ran.

She made it past the first post, barely the second (she felt the peg brush against her hair), and past the third. There were two more left. She could see beyond the course was a battlefield. A man who Leaf assumed was Koga sat at the end of it. She was so clo––

Leaf felt the wind knocked out of her when the fourth post's peg slammed into her stomach. The platform instantly disappeared from beneath her feet and a second later, water was rushing up her nose. Had Leaf not been coughing when she surfaced, she would've cursed enough to make a sailor blush.

The Gym Trainer's Pokemon was a giant light purple moth with bulging blue eyes. There was a three point crest on its head and thin black zigzagging stripes on its pale body. This Pokemon was Venomoth, the evolution of Venonat.

Leaf sent out Vulpix. She considered using Golduck again but decided she'd rather save him for Koga. She also considered Haunter and Dratini, but she wasn't quite ready to use them in a Gym battle just yet.

"Venomoth, use Poison Powder!"

A purple powder spread from the Venmoth's wings. So that's what the Venonat at the Safari Zone used. No matter. Leaf felt almost giddy when she commanded, "Vulpix, use Flamethrower!"

If the week-long training produced any results, it was this. What were once small flames had turned into a raging fire. The Venomoth dodged, but the fear in its and its trainer's eyes was not missed.

"Venomoth, use Gust!"

The Venomoth beat its wings and Leaf smirked. She'd trained for this as well. Vulpix sank her claws into the ground so that she wouldn't be pushed away and unleashed another Flamethrower. Game over.

The fire stopped in its path. Before Leaf could tell Vulpix to use Flamethrower again, the fox began to convulse and that was when it clicked. The Venomoth wasn't trying to use its Gust as a direct attack. It was sending the Poison Powder that had fallen onto the ground back at Vulpix.

The Gym Trainer sounded very self-satisfied to say, "Venomoth, use Psybeam!"

A pink ray shot from the Venomoth's small mandible. Vulpix howled when it struck her and then became still. Leaf was taken aback.

The Gym Trainer began, "Send out your next––"

Suddenly, Vulpix raised her head and spat out a powerful stream of fire. The Venomoth let out an ear-splitting screech as it was scorched. When it hit the ground, Vulpix's head dropped again.

The Gym Trainer looked just as shocked as Leaf probably did. After a moment, she cleared her throat and said stiffly, "It was a draw between your Vulpix and my Venomoth, but you are the winner due to having more Pokemon. You may challenge our leader."

Leaf barely heard her. She'd crouched down beside Vulpix and sprayed her with an antidote. Relief washed over her as Vulpix's breathing evened. "You did good," Leaf said, gently patting her head before returning her. Though she'd wished Vulpix could've come out unscathed, she was proud of the little fox.

And anxious to be up against Koga. Leaf handed the towel back to the Gym Trainer and made her way to the battlefield, heart quickening. Koga, who had been meditating, stood and crossed his arms. He was a middle-aged man with thick brows and spiky black hair. He also wore a black jacket and trousers, though his sleeves were short, showing off the fishnet top he wore underneath. His long, crimson scarf flowed in the wind.

Koga was one of the most respected Gym Leaders. Truth be told, he didn't need Pokemon: he was a warrior on his own. He was a master at martial arts, acrobatics, and handling a variety of weapons. Even without that knowledge, Leaf could tell Koga was not a man to be messed with. It was all in his stern disposition.

Which was why Leaf was totally caught off-guard when Koga took one look at her and guffawed.

"Another child challenger! I'm being tested. I just know I'm being tested. What's your name, girl?"

Leaf blinked. "Uh, Leaf."

"Are you sure you wish to challenge me, Leaf?"

"Uh, yes?"

"You don't sound very sure."

Leaf straightened herself. "Yes!"

"Very well, Leaf. As you may know, I specialize in poison-type Pokemon. Poison brings steady doom. If you truly dare to challenge me, then prepare to feel the creeping horror of my poisons!"

Swift as a Doduo, Koga tossed a PokeBall, letting out a white amorphous light. When it faded, a giant purple sludge was on the battlefield. It was a Muk, the evolution of Grimer. It was much larger than any of the Grimers Leaf had seen before and had narrower eyes.

Leaf sent out Golduck. However strong the Muk was, she was sure Golduck could handle it.

"You may have the first move, Leaf."

"Golduck, use Psychic!"

"Minimize!"

As Golduck's eyes lit up, the Muk suddenly shrank so much, Leaf couldn't see it. Either Golduck was too shocked to do anything or also had trouble seeing the Muk, because nothing happened.

"Toxic!"

The Muk grew to its original size. It was much closer to Golduck than before. It opened its large mouth and a purple liquid shot out. It seeped into Golduck's skin.

Leaf swallowed. She'd seen this move before. Erika had used it to quickly take down Vulpix. She needed to end this battle soon. "Psychic!"

This time, Golduck took control of the Muk. He slammed the sludge onto the ground over and over again. Though the Muk bellowed, Leaf couldn't tell how much damage it was taking. Please faint soon.

Golduck suddenly groaned and the Muk broke free of Psychic's grasp. The duck was twitching. He was fighting hard against the Toxic, but it was starting to take a toll on him.

"Sludge!"

The Muk spat purple sludge. Golduck dived out of the way, but couldn't get back on his feet fast enough. The next round of Sludge hit him.

Leaf felt herself beginning to panic. "Psychic again!"

Golduck rolled away from the Sludge. His eyes shone, but then dimmed when his body began to convulse. As strong as he was, using Psychic required a level of concentration that would be difficult to achieve in this state.

There was only one other attack to use. "Water Gun!"

The powerful rush of water that burst from Golduck's mouth surprised Leaf. It tore through the Sludge, slamming into the Muk, sending it back to the other side of the battlefield. When Golduck was finished, the Muk was still standing, but seemed flatter.

Leaf grinned. "Water Gun again!"

The Muk howled as it was struck by another Water Gun. Golduck won, Leaf knew it.

The water splashed onto the ground. Golduck stiffened, then collapsed, writhing in pain.

Leaf was just about to return him when his body became still.

"Your Golduck has fainted," Koga said. "But so has my Muk. It's a draw between them."

It was just like Vulpix's battle against the Venomoth. Leaf's Pokemon would've won had they not been poisoned. Leaf bit her lip. Koga would surely try to poison whoever she sent next. She needed to be strategic. Her options currently were Ivysaur, Fearow, Haunter, and Dratini. Actually, Dratini wasn't an option. He was still pretty timid. Fearow could fly out of the way, but all her attacks required her to be in close range. Ivysaur and Haunter were both part poison-type. She learned from battling a random trainer a few days ago that they could never be poisoned as a result. However, neither of them knew attacks that were particularly effective against poison-types.

Koga sent out Koffing's evolution, Weezing. It was a larger, sadder version of Koffing with another head poking out the side like a tumor. The extra head was smaller and had a cream ring marking beneath its mouth. A thin tube with a sphere at the center connected the heads at the bottom.

Leaf made a decision. She wasn't completely sure it was the right one, but it didn't hurt to try. She tossed a PokeBall.

Haunter cackled as it was released. Koga's eyes flashed. Leaf didn't think she would ever tire from people being surprised by her ghost Pokemon.

"Weezing, use Smoke Screen!"

Smoke burst out of the geysers on Weezing's body, enveloping the entire battlefield. Leaf prayed that Haunter's night vision would be able to see through it. "Haunter, use Night Shade!"

"Weezing, use Shadow Ball!"

Moments later, a shadowy blob shot out of the smoke, right past Leaf. It faded away not long after. Leaf breathed a sigh of relief. The blob was definitely the Shadow Ball. Haunter had seen it coming and dodged it.

Every now and then, Leaf could hear the Weezing's groans and Haunter's terrible shrieks. Sometimes, a Shadow Ball whizzed out the smoke, letting Leaf know that for just a little bit longer, Haunter would be alright. Eventually, the smoke began to clear enough for Leaf to make out the Pokemon, but Koga quickly commanded his Weezing to use Smoke Screen again.

Leaf smirked, more so out of annoyance than amusement. Koga knew Haunter wasn't bothered by the smoke. He wanted to keep Leaf blind, prevent her from directing Haunter. He was blinding himself as well, but he clearly trusted his Pokemon enough to hold on its own.

Haunter screeched again. The smoke faded and Leaf saw her ghost lying on the ground. The Weezing was floating in the air, breathing heavily.

"This is the true terror of a ninja master!" Koga declared.

Normally, Leaf would laugh at a line so ridiculous, but there was a knot in her stomach as she returned Haunter. It had put up a good fight––Leaf was proud of the ghost for that––but she was unnerved by the fact that Koga had defeated two of her Pokemon. But this was the fifth Gym, after all. It was never going to be a cakewalk.

Who should she send? Would Fearow be able to see through the smoke? At the very least, she could clear it with her wings. But doing so could give the Weezing an opening to poison her. Leaf took a deep breath and threw a PokeBall.

Ivysaur looked incredibly pleased to have been chosen. Now that Leaf thought about it, Ivysaur hadn't battled much since the Pokemon Tower.

"Weezing, use Smoke Screen!"

Leaf quickly commanded, "Grab it!"

Ivysaur grabbed the Weezing by its tube with a vine. An instant later, the battlefield was shrouded in smoke.

"Use Shadow Ball!"

"Use Razor Leaf! And don't let go!"

Leaf's heart thundered in her chest as she listened to the Pokemon's groans. The Weezing had taken a decent amount of damage from Haunter, but it was fairly resistant to Ivysaur's Razor Leaf. The battle came down to how many Shadow Balls Ivysaur could take.

When the smoke cleared, Koga didn't order Weezing to use Smoke Screen again. There was no point to it. Now, Leaf could see that the Weezing had floated high enough that Ivysaur's feet barely touched the ground.

And that the Weezing was having trouble spitting out Shadow Balls before getting pelted by leaves.

"Use Sludge!"

The Weezing spat purple sludge out at rapid-fire speed. Ivysaur cried out as some of the sludge hit his face.

"Go higher up!"

The Weezing floated up, completely lifting Ivysaur off the ground. The strain on the vine, in addition to the Sludge, was too much for Ivysaur. He released the Weezing.

"Smoke Screen!" Leaf's vision went black again. "Now use Shadow Ball!"

Leaf's mind was spinning and the more sounds of pain she heard from Ivysaur, the harder it was to stop it. How was Ivysaur supposed to aim at the Weezing? The only way to guarantee an attack landed was to spread it out literally everywhere.

Everywhere. "Ivysaur, Sleep Powder Bomb!"

It was a trick Ivysaur had been practicing. He'd jump up and release his Sleep Powder in an explosive manner to spread it as far as possible. Leaf prayed the Weezing would be in range.

After a moment, there was a thud. Leaf grinned. "Razor Leaf!"

The sound let Ivysaur know where the Weezing was. Leaf heard the leaves shoot out and make contact. The smoke cleared and the Weezing was lying by Koga's feet.

"Hmph. You have proven your worth," Koga said. "You've won the Soul Badge."

Won. Ivysaur ran up to Leaf, his face brighter than the sun. Leaf was sure her face looked the same once her mind processed everything.

"We won. We won!" Unable to contain her excitement, Leaf began jumping around. She actually did it. She defeated Koga.

"You just got lucky," a familiar voice sneered.

Leaf whirled around. It was the third Gym Trainer. She was glaring at Leaf.

Koga laughed and clapped a hand on the girl's shoulder. "This is my daughter, Janine. She'll be taking over this Gym one day."

Janine removed her cowl. Although Leaf had figured she was younger, she was still struck by the softness of Janine's features. She couldn't have been older than twelve. Her purple hair was tied into a tight bun.

"Even though you won, my dad's still the better trainer," she snapped.

Koga gave his daughter a shake. "Hey, what did I tell you about graciously accepting defeat?"

"I'm just stating the truth!"

"Whether or not it's true, you won't earn the respect of others by acting this way."

Leaf smiled. It was nice to see a powerful man like Koga being a dad. And of course the toughest Gym Trainer she'd faced so far was Koga's child. Leaf knew it would be wise not to say so, though.

Koga turned back to Leaf. "You are a worthy challenger. Here is the Soul Badge."

Koga handed her the badge. It was in the shape of a fuchsia heart. Before Leaf could thank the Gym Leader, he bowed. Reluctantly, Janine followed suit. From the corner of her eye, Leaf saw that the other Gym Trainers had moved to the side of the battlefield. They bowed as well.

Leaf bowed back. There wasn't much to say. She'd proven her worth.

And that's the Fuchsia Gym! I may or may not have based the challenge on American Ninja Warrior. This Gym challenge was Leaf's toughest so far, but she won! Do let me know your thoughts on it. And yes, Weezing can learn Shadow Ball (by TM but let's pretend it's natural since TMs aren't in this fic).

Also, I was asked before about my thoughts on Gen 9 starters and forgot to answer. The starters are adorable. I want to pick the grass cat but I'm afraid for what it's final evo will look like (do NOT want something like Incineroar).

Thanks for reading!