Chapter 18

One year.

That was how long Leaf had been Champion for.

The days leading up to her anniversary were crazy, of course. On top of her standard commitments, a lot had to be done to prepare for this monumental event. Leaf's main task was to write a speech. No matter how hard she tried, Leaf couldn't strike the right balance. Either she was too candid, or not sincere enough. After countless revisions, she finally came up with something that Tasha approved of.

As tedious as it was, Leaf could understand why Tasha struggled with her tone. She herself wasn't clear on what message she wanted to convey. Especially after her recent revelation, Leaf was a melting pot of emotions. There was no simple answer to the question, how has this past year been for you?

Leaf could vividly recall the moment she became Champion. The disbelief, then thrill. There were no words to describe how elated she was to achieve her greatest dream. It was a high she didn't think she would ever feel again.

Then, there was the exhaustion. There was always something she had to do, somewhere she had to be. Leaf couldn't remember the last time she slept in. Hell, she couldn't even remember the last time she properly slept in general. Each night in bed felt more like a break rather than rest.

The exhaustion wasn't just physical, either. Leaf was leading two lives. When she was outside, she was Champion Leaf, which thanks to Tasha and the media, wasn't truly herself. The only times Leaf could be Leaf were with her Pokemon, her parents, and Blue. It was manageable at first, but everything that had happened with Dragonite and President Ken made her want to run away like Red did.

Obviously, Leaf couldn't really share these feelings to the public. Even though everyone was invested in every detail of her life, from her dating history to what shampoo brand she used, no one actually wanted the truth.

So, when she stood in the fully packed Indigo Stadium, she said this:

"Wow, I can't believe it's already been a year! Even though it was my dream to become Champion the moment the Indigo League was announced, it's still surreal to be standing here. I still have to pinch myself every now and then to make sure I'm not dreaming. I am so blessed and grateful. I must thank my parents for always being supportive and believing in me. Professor Oak, for giving my precious Venusaur, then Bulbasaur, to me. And of course, all of my Pokemon. They're the ones actually winning the battles. I would never have made it this far if it weren't for them."

Leaf let everyone except Dragonite out onto the battlefield. Everyone cheered.

"This past year hasn't been easy. I've had to work very hard and have made mistakes. But striving to be the best version of myself and inspiring others to do the same has made it more than worth it. So cheers to one year, and let's hope for more!"

Standing ovation. Leaf glanced at where President Ken sat and was relieved that he was standing as well. Her speech shouldn't get her into any trouble. How could it, when it was so generic? But with President Ken, you never knew. Leaf figured she'd find out at the after-party.

"Moving speech from our Champion!" Scott praised. "But of course, Champion Leaf isn't here because of her way with words. She's here because she's a fighter, and today, we have a very special challenger. You all know them. They're one of the most respected trainers in all of Kanto. Give it up for…"

Leaf leaned forward, half-expecting Lorelei to appear on the other side.

"The Fuchsia Gym Leader, Koga!"

What?

Just when Leaf thought she'd misheard, a man wearing a black uniform slipped out of the shadows. His stern gaze cut through Leaf like a blade.

There was no denying it. The mystery challenger was Koga. Leaf knew the look of shock on her face would be plastered everywhere tomorrow.

Koga raised a hand to signal to the screaming crowd to let him speak. "For years, I've proudly served as the Fuchsia Gym Leader. But now, it's time to move onto the next chapter of my life. My daughter, Janine, will take over the Fuchsia Gym…while I reign as Champion!"

If aliens existed, Leaf had no doubt they'd hear the crowd from up in space. The only other time the crowd was this hysteric was when Red defeated Blue. Leaf couldn't blame them. She'd be the same way in their shoes. Koga had been the Fuchsia Gym Leader since before Leaf was even born. Not only was he finally retiring, he could be the next Champion.

Leaf tried to gauge President Ken's reaction from the corner of her eye. There was no way he wasn't privy to Koga challenging her. The question was, how long did he know? How long had this been planned and why? Whatever the answer was, President Ken did a good job feigning surprise.

Leaf shifted her attention back to Koga. The Gym Leader crossed his arms defiantly. For someone who had lost to Leaf before and wasn't even considered the strongest Gym Leader, he seemed overly confident he'd win.

Koga sent out his first Pokemon. Purple sludge materialized onto the battlefield: Muk.

Leaf looked down on her team below. They all faced the Muk, hackles raised. However they felt about the situation, they were ready to battle. After a moment's consideration, Leaf returned all except for one.

She wasted no time. "Golduck, use Psychic!"

"Muk, Screech!"

As soon as the Muk was lifted in the air, it let out a harsh sound that could never have come from a human or animal. In his shock, Golduck lost control and dropped the Muk.

"Toxic!"

The Muk was still screeching as it crawled towards Golduck, so deafened by the sound that he stood paralyzed, covering his ears. When it was in range, it stopped screeching and spat a purple liquid. Golduck immediately veered to the side, but he wasn't fast enough. He squawked when the liquid hit his arm.

It was reminiscent of their first battle. Golduck was poisoned early on and had to take out the Muk quickly. This would be no different.

"Psychic!"

"Screech!"

Leaf winced at the sound and at seeing Golduck immediately release the Muk. Koga's strategy was obvious. The Muk's screech was so torturous that Golduck wouldn't barely be able to move, much less concentrate enough to use Psychic. Golduck was going to be paralyzed until he passed out from the poison.

Leaf didn't know how much time Golduck had, but it wasn't a lot. If Golduck couldn't use Psychic, he had to use a move that didn't require as much brainpower.

"Surf!"

The Muk's screech was drowned by the rush of water, figuratively and literally. The Muk flailed around as it tried to stay afloat, but its sludge body was too dense. It sank underneath the waves.

"Psychic!"

"Gunk Shot!"

A dark mass shot through the water. Leaf prayed that Golduck was successfully able to use Psychic, but it was hard to see anything.

When the water drained, Leaf was relieved to see Golduck still standing and the Muk slumped on the ground.

The referee raised a flag. "Muk is unable to battle!"

Leaf barely registered the referee's call, nor did she check Koga's reaction to losing the first match. Her gaze was still fixed on Golduck, who was violently shivering even though today was one of the hottest days of the year. In any second, he was going to fall and succumb to the Toxic.

Leaf returned Golduck, her relief now replaced with dread. Of course, she hated that Golduck was in indescribable pain. She wished she knew of a way to keep her Pokemon from ever being poisoned. But there were other questions nipping at her.

Like her first battle against Koga, Golduck and his Muk tied. But that was two years ago, long before Leaf became Champion. She'd become much stronger since, so for the outcome to be the same meant that Koga had as well.

How much stronger had Koga gotten? And how did no one realize his strength exceeded his Gym Leader position?

Leaf didn't have time to ponder these questions. Koga sent out his next Pokemon, and it wasn't one Leaf was familiar with. It was a massive red spider with black stripes. Its legs were yellow with purple stripes. Between its bulging purple eyes was a sharp horn. It clacked its equally sharp-looking fangs.

Leaf instinctively reached for her Pokedex and grasped at nothing but air. She must've left it at home; she used it so little these days that it was no longer an item Leaf made sure to have on her. Leaf probably wouldn't have been able to carry it, anyway. The outfit Tasha had picked for her was a baby blue tennis dress. The matching handbag was large enough to hold her phone and keys, but not much else.

The spider was obviously a bug-type, though. And judging by its fangs, it was better to use a Pokemon that could attack from a distance.

Ninetales snarled at the spider as soon as she saw it. She understandably wasn't a fan of it.

"Flamethrower!"

"Agility!"

The spider was much faster than Leaf expected. It zoomed around the battlefield in the blink of an eye, dodging the fire.

"Now Dig, Ariados!"

The Ariados burrowed underground. Ninetales knew what to do. She bolted towards the hole and launched a Flamethrower into it.

Almost immediately, a ball of fire burst out from the ground beneath Ninetales. Ninetales yelped as she was knocked onto her back. She rolled around, trying to shake the flaming spider off, but its fangs had latched onto her stomach.

"Poison Jab!"

The tips of all the Ariados' legs glowed purple. Ninetales howled as she was struck with rapid-fire blows.

There was only one thing Ninetales could do. "Flamethrower!"

Ninetales tilted her head and shot fire straight at the Ariados. Unable to withstand the Flamethrower's force, it released Ninetales with a chattering cry and was flung far away. Ninetales didn't stop to get up. She kept the stream of fire going until the Ariados fell silent.

The referee raised a flag. "Ariados is unable to battle!"

Leaf studied Ninetales as she shakily stood. Her breathing was ragged from being jabbed in the stomach multiple times, but it didn't look like she'd been poisoned. She could keep going.

Koga's next Pokemon was a round purple bat with pointed ears. Its four wings, the upper pair noticeably larger than the lower, had turquoise membranes. Although it glared at Ninetales with its yellow eyes and bared its teeth to appear threatening, it was cute in a way.

Leaf recognized this Pokemon because several past challengers had one. Crobat, the final evolution of Zubat. Despite its small size, it struck hard and fast. It was a worthy opponent for Ninetales.

Koga made the first move. "Double Team!"

The Crobat multiplied. Leaf didn't bother trying to count how many clones covered the battlefield. They all needed to be vanquished immediately. "Flame Twister!"

Ninetales stood on her hind legs and spun while spitting out fire. The first time they tried this move in training, Ninetales fell down almost immediately. By now, she'd practice enough times that she could be a ballerina. One by one, the Crobat's clones were incinerated.

"Screech!"

The terrible, high-pitched sound threw Ninetales off-balance. She stumbled before landing on her side.

"Confuse Ray!"

Leaf saw now that the real Crobat, amidst all the chaos, had managed to get quite close to Ninetales. A yellow beam glowed from the Crobat's eyes into Ninetales'.

Shit.

"Crobat, Poison Fang!"

"Agility!" Leaf blurted out.

She'd wanted Ninetales to get away as quickly. But what Ninetales did instead was whip her head around in confusion. The Crobat's teeth glowed purple before they sank into Ninetales' side. Ninetales leapt onto her feet with a howl and tried to shake the bat off.

Getting bitten by two different opponents back-to-back. Leaf could already imagine all the jokes people would make.

"Fall onto your side!" Leaf shouted.

Ninetales continued shaking her entire body.

"Will-O-Wisp!"

Ninetales was not listening to her. Or, more accurately, she couldn't. She was in such a daze that nothing could reach her. Leaf just needed to pray that she'd snap out of it in time.

Then, something strange happened.

Leaf thought it was the sun at first. Ninetales suddenly stopped trying to throw the Crobat off. She stood with her head bowed down, legs shaking with effort. She seemed to be glowing red, as if she was on fire. Her tails flew wildly around like flames.

Koga seemed to know what was going on. "Crobat, get awa––"

Ninetales roared as fire exploded from her body, sending the Crobat flying. It hit the wall and fell face-first onto the ground.

The referee raised a flag. "Crobat is unable to battle!"

The crowd's cheer was deafening. Whether or not they understood what just happened, it was quite the spectacle. Leaf, meanwhile, was just as confused as Ninetales was seconds ago. Did she just learn a new move? Or was that something else?

Whatever it was, it took a toll on Ninetales. She collapsed onto her stomach, too tired to stand. When Koga sent out his Weezing, Leaf switched out Ninetales with Venusaur.

It had taken her a moment to decide who to send out. Fearow could probably inflict more damage on poison-types than Gengar or Venusaur. But it'd been a while since Venusaur stepped onto the battlefield, and what better day would there be to make his post-injury debut?

As soon as Venusaur materialized, the crowd screamed. They all knew about his injury and were thrilled to see him again. Leaf, on the other hand, felt a sudden stab of fear. Koga didn't have any large, heavy Pokemon that could crush Venusaur's leg, but what if her starter was gravely hurt again? What if it turned out he wasn't ready to battle after all?

Leaf shoved the terrible thoughts away. She needed to trust that Ella had done her job and Venusaur could take care of himself.

Koga's first command wasn't surprising. "Smoke Screen!"

Thick smoke enveloped the battlefield. Leaf couldn't track the Weezing's movements, so her first command to Venusaur was, "Sweet Scent!"

Leaf had no clue what the Weezing's favorite smell could possibly be, but it was now mixed in with the smoke. Hopefully, it distracted the Weezing enough that it couldn't dodge Venusaur's next move.

"Sleep Powder Bomb!"

Leaf heard a blast. She couldn't tell if any of the green powder made contact with the Weezing until she heard a thud. When the smoke cleared, she could see the Weezing sleeping right by Venusaur's side. Whatever the Weezing was going to do, it was close to doing it.

"Leech Seed!"

It was a move Venusaur hadn't used in a long time. Most Pokemon that Venusaur faced these days were easily able to evade it. Koga's Weezing, however, was asleep and since Venusaur's attacks weren't the most effective against it, it made sense to try chipping away its health with Leech Seed.

Vines sprouted from the seed and wrapped around the Weezing's head. They glowed as they absorbed the Weezing's energy and transferred it to Venusaur.

"Solar Beam!"

Koga was yelling at his Weezing to wake up as the center of Venusaur's flower glowed green. Venusaur bowed low and fired a bright ray.

The Weezing must've woken up because there was an explosion of purple sludge. The Solar Beam pushed the Weezing back to the other side, but Leaf couldn't tell how much damage it inflicted. At least the Leech Seed was still wrapped around the Weezing. The vines glowed.

"Weezing, use Smog!"

The Weezing spewed purple gas, but Venusaur was out of range. To some, it might've looked like a pathetic attempt at attacking from a distance, but Leaf knew Koga had something else planned.

"Go into the Smog!"

The Weezing floated into the purple cloud. Leaf suspected that it was healing itself, or bolstering its strength. When the gas faded, however, she noticed the Leech Seed vines had turned brown. The Weezing shook itself. The vines disintegrated before they even hit the ground.

Leaf wasn't happy the Weezing had freed itself from Leech Seed's clutches, but she had to admit, it was a clever move. She hadn't seen anything like it before, probably wouldn't have thought of it herself. She felt her lips twitch.

With a smile, Leaf yelled, "Solar Beam!"

"Sludge Bomb!"

The sun was so bright that Venusaur fired one immediately. There was an explosion when it met with a barrage of purple sludge.

"Sludge-Edge!"

The Weezing charged at Venusaur, its body covered in sludge. Leaf didn't know what this move was––Koga probably invented it––but a potentially crazy idea popped in her head.

"Grab it!"

The Weezing was just about to tackle him when Venusaur wrapped his vines around it. It let out a sound of surprise. Before Leaf could determine if Venusaur felt any pain holding onto the toxic bomb, she yelled, "Slam it down!"

Venusaur threw the Weezing onto the ground again and again, as if it was a mallet. With each impact, purple sludge burst out of the Weezing. There was a sizzling sound as the sludge dribbled down Venusaur's vines, but Venusaur refused to let go.

In a defeated tone, Koga cried, "Explosion!"

The powerful blast made Leaf flinch. Venusaur bellowed in pain and stepped back, retracting his vines. No longer in the vines' clutches, the Weezing collapsed onto the ground, gas leaking out of all its holes.

The referee raised a flag. "Weezing is unable to battle!"

Leaf looked over at Koga, whose gaze was cast down. Knowing his Weezing was going to lose, he tried to bring Venusaur down with it and failed. And Leaf was sure he only had one Pokemon left.

A Venomoth flew around the stadium. The first time Leaf encountered a Venomoth was her battle against Koga's daughter, Janine. It was a full-circle moment.

Even though Venusaur could probably continue fighting, Leaf returned him. She wanted another Pokemon of hers to experience this battle.

"Fearow, use Aerial Ace!"

"Psychic!"

Quick as lightning, Fearow charged at the Venomoth. The Venomoth's eyes glowed and Fearow halted inches away from it.

"Mirror Move!"

"Poison Powder!"

Fearow broke free of the Psychic's control and took off, but not before the Venomoth blew purple powder at her with its wings. Poison Powder wasn't as potent as Toxic, but it was still better to finish the battle before the poison took its toll.

Since the Venomoth knew Psychic, it would be futile to order Fearow to attack it head-on with a move like Aerial Ace. However, there was another move they'd spent many training sessions developing that could work. They'd never tried it in battle before, so it was a gamble, but Leaf wasn't in the mood to play safe.

There was a flicker of fire in Leaf. She took a deep breath. "Hurricane!"

Fearow flew in wide circles so quickly that wind whipped up around the Venomoth. Leaf heard the moth screech as it was trapped inside the vortex. Either because of its wings or the Hurricane's force or both, the Venomoth spiraled upwards with the wind. When it reached the top, it was violently thrown out.

"Psychic!"

Although the Venomoth managed to regain control of itself, it didn't use Psychic. Its body swayed. Leaf's mouth fell open. Was the Venomoth…confused?

Leaf jumped at the opportunity. "Aerial Ace!"

Fearow charged at the Venomoth and slashed at it with her beak. The Venomoth shrieked and its eyes glowed. Fearow stiffened. Evidently, the pain snapped the Venomoth out of its confusion.

"Mirror Move!"

"Supersonic!"

The Venomoth made a bizarre, high-pitched sound. Fearow backed away, but she was swaying the same way the Venomoth did moments ago. She was shivering, too. The poison was beginning to take effect.

"Psychic!"

This time, Fearow wasn't able to use Mirror Move. Though the Venomoth looked extremely ragged, it threw Fearow against the nearby wall over and over.

"Mirror Move! Mirror Move!" Leaf kept screaming.

Suddenly, Fearow flew away from the wall, towards the Venomoth. Leaf sighed, relieved that the vulture was lucid again.

The Venomoth wasn't far away enough to dodge another Aerial Ace. After Fearow slashed at it, it fell. Koga returned it before it hit the ground.

The referee raised a flag. "Venomoth is unable to battle! The winner of this match is our Champion, Leaf Green!"

There was an eruption of cheers. The crowd knew a solid battle when it saw one. Leaf felt herself smile again as she returned Fearow.

To think it had taken a full year to have a satisfying battle. Better late than never, I guess.

Finally a more positive chapter! I figured it was time Leaf had something nice happen to her, and one of the things she really needed was a good battle. Koga's obviously not the strongest trainer Leaf's met, but I think he put up a decent fight!

As you might've guessed, the one year anniversary will be split into 2 parts. Stay tuned to see what happens at the after-party!