After arriving in Fuchsia City, Ash and his friends took a short rest before heading toward the Fuchsia Gym, which was located on the outskirts of the city, surrounded by dense woods.
Even though the Gym was right before his eyes, Ash was in no hurry. He knew that this path was undoubtedly riddled with traps.
Relying on his foresight of the original world, Ash carefully led the group, skillfully bypassing every hidden snare set along the small path leading to the Gym. Whether it was nets suddenly springing out or pitfall traps caving in, they avoided them all without a scratch.
Of course, there were also those rather troublesome Electrode and Voltorb to watch out for.
"Ash, how do you seem to know exactly where the problems are?" Misty asked in surprise.
"Intuition. My gut is just pretty accurate, that's all," Ash chuckled, though his gaze remained vigilant as he scanned their surroundings.
As they neared the main building of the Gym, a swift young girl dressed in ninja attire suddenly leaped down from a treetop, blocking their path. Ash recognized her immediately; she was the Gym Leader Koga's younger sister and student Aya.
"Who are you people? To think you could evade all those traps!" Aya's tone was filled with surprise and a hint of defiance.
"We've come to challenge the Fuchsia Gym," Ash replied calmly.
"You want to challenge my brother? You'll have to get through me first! Go, Venonat!" Aya instantly hurled a Poké Ball.
"I choose you, Bulbasaur!" Ash sent out his reliable partner.
During the battle, Aya's Venonat was agile, attempting to disrupt them with Confusion and Psybeam. However, under Ash's direction, Bulbasaur controlled the field with its sturdy Vine Whip and used a precise Razor Leaf to cut through the illusions. Finally, a combination of Leech Seed and Tackle successfully defeated Venonat.
"Ugh... I lost." Aya pouted, looking a bit disgruntled, but she acknowledged Ash's strength. "Follow me. I'll take you to see my brother."
Under Aya's lead, they met the Gym Leader Koga, a man with a steady temperament and a gaze as sharp as a hawk's. When Koga learned the outcome of the battle between Ash and Aya, and heard how they had avoided every trap, a glimmer of admiration flashed in his eyes.
"Impressive insight and command. I accept your challenge," Koga said in a deep voice. "The rules are two-on-two. Only the challenger is permitted to switch Pokémon."
The Gym battle commenced quickly. Koga's first Pokémon was also a Venonat, but it was far stronger than the one Aya had used. Ash, in turn, sent out his Shiny Pidgeotto.
"A Shiny Pokémon?" Koga looked slightly surprised. "This should be interesting."
"Pidgeotto, Quick Attack!"
"Venonat, catch it with Confusion!"
The Shiny Pidgeotto transformed into a streak of golden light, moving with incredible speed, but Venonat's Confusion covered a wide area, attempting to bind its movements. Right as they clashed, a brilliant light of evolution burst from Koga's Venonat!
A second later, a purple Venomoth appeared on the battlefield.
Having evolved, Venomoth's power increased dramatically. With a flap of its wings, it scattered Sleep Powder that induced a heavy drowsiness, while the power of its Psybeam also surged.
"Pidgeotto, use Gust to blow the powder away! Then, use Steel Wing!"
Pidgeotto beat its wings furiously, clearing most of the Sleep Powder. Simultaneously, its wings took on a metallic sheen as it charged toward Venomoth.
"Venomoth, Psychic!"
Venomoth countered with Psychic. The two Pokémon engaged in a fierce aerial struggle, but in the end, Pidgeotto relied on the type advantage of Steel Wing and its superior speed to narrowly defeat Venomoth.
"Venomoth is unable to battle! Pidgeotto wins!" Aya, acting as the temporary referee, announced.
Koga recalled Venomoth and nodded. "An excellent Flying type. Now, for the second one—Golbat!"
The nimble Golbat took the stage, emitting piercing sound waves.
"Come back, Pidgeotto!" Ash recalled his exhausted Pidgeotto. "I choose you, Charmander!"
"Charmander, be careful of its speed! Use Smokescreen to veil the battlefield!"
"Golbat, Supersonic disruption!"
Charmander breathed out a thick cloud of black smoke, shrouding part of the field and limiting Golbat's vision and maneuverability. Golbat's Supersonic struggled to hit its mark within the haze.
"Now, Charmander! Aim for the source of the sound and use Flamethrower!" Ash timed it perfectly.
A scorching pillar of fire pierced through the smoke, scoring a direct hit on Golbat! It was super effective! Golbat was charred black, wobbling before falling to the ground.
"Golbat is unable to battle! Therefore, the winner is the challenger, Ash!" Aya announced loudly.
[Ding! The Host has defeated the Fuchsia Gym Leader, Koga. Obtained the Soul Badge. Reward: 500 World Origin Points.]
[Current World Origin Points: 14,500.]
Koga handed the Soul Badge to Ash. "Your grasp of the battle and your trust in your Pokémon are impressive. You have earned this badge."
With this, Ash had collected six badges. He was only two away from qualifying for the Indigo Plateau Conference.
Just as Koga was about to say more, Ash's Aura Power sharply picked up several sneaky energy signatures outside the window it was Team Rocket! They had indeed come to cause trouble, likely planning to set traps in the Gym or steal Pokémon. However, they hadn't expected the battle here to end so quickly.
The corners of Ash's mouth curled slightly. Stepping forward, he spoke to Koga as if in passing, "Master Koga, I've heard that some petty crooks like to sneak in and cause trouble while people are battling. Perhaps we should give them a little something to remember maybe some Sticky Web in the corners, or a few ridiculous explosive devices."
Koga was a sharp man and immediately understood Ash's hint. A cold light flashed in his eyes. He made a few silent hand gestures, and the ninja apprentices hidden in the shadows instantly moved into action.
The result was predictable. Before the Team Rocket trio could even implement their plan, they fell into their own traps (which had been moved slightly by the apprentices). Terrified by Koga's sudden appearance, they didn't even get to finish their motto before being blasted away by an Air Cutter from Koga's Crobat. All that remained was the fading echo of their voices: "We're blasting off again!"
Ash and his friends successfully obtained the Soul Badge and enjoyed the satisfaction of watching Team Rocket fall into their own schemes. They left the Fuchsia Gym in high spirits.
They were nearing the Safari Zone now. With the help of his psychic powers this time, Ash was confident there wouldn't be another awkward incident of catching thirty Tauros...
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