"Psyduck, cold water can make a headache even worse!" Misty pulled her Pokémon away from the water fountain he was drinking from. Initially, his antics had been slightly charming, but she was now just exasperated. "Sometimes, I just look at that Psyduck face and get a headache. Hey, Brock, how about a Trade? That Vulpix for my Psyduck?"
"No way!" Brock folded his arms, and Vulpix snootily stood closer to her caretaker.
"He wouldn't take much time to brush, he only had three hairs!" Misty argued. Misty knew the importance of grooming your Pokémon, but Brock had spent half an hour that morning brushing Vulpix. Otherwise, the Fox Pokémon would get fussy, believing she had not recieved her usual level of care.
"Can we get to the Gym?" Ari said. She didn't appear amused by Misty's complaints, tapping her foot against the ground. Even Eevee had lost her usual pep. Misty knew that after having already spent two days in Fuchsia City - one visiting the Safari Zone, another training Dratini - Ari was anxious to finally face the Gym.
Fuchsia Gym spied the city from a cliff overlooking the area. Misty picked up Psyduck and decided she'd better save her breath for the hike up.
Ari immediately noticed the Fuchsia Gym's resemblance to an old-fashioned Kantonian Mansion. She slid the door open, finding a deserted space. It was like she had stepped into the past. Instinctively, she knew she was being watched. That only heightened the feeling that she was out of place; there was an outside force regarding her with suspicion, to learn her habits, to capitalise on weakness.
Ari snorted. Her mama had made sure she didn't show weakness easily.
Yet when Ari spotted what was watching her, she was caught off-guard. She hadn't expected her observer to be a purple puffball.
Her Pokédex booted up. Venonat, the Insect Pokémon. A Bug- and Poison-type. Its eyes function as radar, allowing it to see in the dark.
Ari couldn't decipher Venonat's expression before it turned at walked further into the mansion.
"Hey, wait up! Where's the Gym Leader?" Ari sprinted after it, jostling Eevee atop her head. She heard her friends running behind her, but didn't look back, focusing only on herself-
SMACK!
A electric current slammed Ari like a physical wall. Ari realised that it actually was an electrified wall, only invisible.
As her friends caught up, she also realised that there was something odd about the floor beneath them.
The panel of the trapped floor dipped, dropping the Trainers down below.
Ari pealed herself off of the mattress. Her group was surrounded by Voltorb - Ari knew the volatile Pokémon could explode at any moment.
A young woman stepped foward, her greenish hair pulled back in a ponytail. With her crimson lipstick and unblemished skin, she possessed a graceful figure, but was beautiful in the same way as a skilled predator was admirable. Venonat stood at her heels.
"Born in darkness, living in darkness... such is the fate of the ninja," she said. Ari didn't know Team Rocket were tutoring people in clichéd speeches. "I am Aya, ninja warrior."
"Isn't that colour a little bright for a ninja?" Criticised Misty.
Aya flushed the same electric pink as her outfit. "I don't need your fashion report."
"I think it suits you perfectly," Brock said.
"We've lost him already," Ari groaned quietly, to Misty's amusement.
Aya pushed Brock away and pinned him to a wall with a throwing star. "You may not leave here until you have a Battle with me."
Now, she was speaking Ari's language.
Aya led them through the maze of the mansion to a hidden door, which revealed a well-kept battlefield worthy of a Pokémon Gym. Ari and Aya took their places.
"One Pokémon each," Aya said.
Aya called forth Venonat, whilst Ari used Dratini.
Ari said, "Use Water Gun!" Dratini shot a jet of crystal clear water at Venonat.
"Dodge and use Tackle, Venonat!"
Venonat rolled sideways before ramming into Dratini. The Dragon-type retaliated by using Slam, hitting Venonat between the eyes with her tail.
"Thunder Wave!" Ari yelled. Electric waves poured from Dratini's Body, washing over Venonat and inflicting Paralysis.
Aya evened the playing field. "Stun Spore!" The spores inflicted Dratini with the same Status Condition.
Ari wasn't a fan of karma.
"Clever," she remarked. "But it won't stop us. Dratini, Dragon Rage!"
Despite every muscle having to fight the Paralysis, Dratini successfully fired a cluster of festering arcane energy. Venonat tried to roll backwards, but didn't fully escape the range of the blast.
Aya's features fell into a snarl. "Psybeam!"
Venonat shocked Dratini with a beam of mental energy. Dratini let out a high-pitched squeal as she writhed. However, sparks flickered up Venonat's body, and the attack ended prematurely.
Ari seized her chance. "Dragon Rage!"
Caught in Paralysis, Venonat fell victim to the finishing blow.
Once Brock cured Dratini's Paralysis, she slithered about in circles, the shy Pokémon ecstatic at her win. Ari draped Dratini across her shoulders and nuzzled the Dragon Pokémon's chin.
She nearly fell over when a Voltorb rushed passed it her. It exploded in the center of the room.
Ari stopped coughing. The smoke cleared, revealing a man. His clothes and hair were dark, suited for melting into the night, but his obnoxious crimson scarf ruined the image. Ari's mother would have set him straight.
"You still have a lot to learn, Aya," he said. His voice was equally smooth and commanding, but not cold.
Aya bowed. "Honoured brother, I have failed."
Brock almost tripped over himself stepping foward. "You're Aya's older brother? You have a very nice sister. It's a pleasure to meet-,"
Misty whacked him with a mallet. "This is no time to kiss up, Brock!"
Where was the mallet from? Ari wondered what other things Misty kept in her bag, how many of them were weapons, and if she actually wanted to know that.
"I an Koga, the Leader of the Fuchsia City Gym," the ninja man said. His scarf concealed his mouth, and his eyes sable pits; Ari had difficulty reading him.
"I'm Ari, and I'm here to win your Badge!" Ari's sentiment was echoed by cries from Eevee and Dratini.
"The Soul Badge will be yours if you defeat me," said Koga. He took Aya's place on the battlefield, and used the same Pokémon as his sister: a Venonat.
As her first choice in the two on two Battle, Ari decided on Bulbasaur. The Seed Pokémon struck Venonat with a steely glance, trying to display his grit.
"My Venonat has a great deal more experience than Aya's," Koga warned.
Venonat nodded, some of its fuzz shedding. Where it fell, light appeared, like holes in a wall. Its entire body became the light, a miniature moon, and shaped itself into a new body. Broad wings, three pairs of tiny legs, and pale blue eyes.
Misty was in shock. "It Evolved?"
Venomoth, the Poison Moth Pokémon. A Bug- and Poison-type. Tiny scales on its wings supersede various spores when they flap.
To demonstrate, Venomoth spread its Stun Spore. The Move couldn't affect Bulbasaur - that was why Ari had chosen him - but the sheer volume of spores concealed Venomoth's location. Ari suspected it had been trained in moving quietly, but hoped Venomoth wouldn't be able to apply that to its new wings. Unfortunately, no woosh of wings or wind betrayed Venomoth's position; had Koga's training accounted for a mid-Battle Evolution?
Ari ordered Bulbasaur to ready his vines.
The attack could come from anywhere.
Venomoth descended onto Bulbasaur fron the left, flying under his vines to bite into him, sucking his vitality out with Leech Life.
Ari knew how to steal her opponent's HP. As Venomoth backed away, Bulbasaur planted Leech Seed. Hopefully, he would recover his lost health over time.
The subsequent Leech Seed cut into Venomoth's wings. Powder scattered everywhere: when the Battle was over, it'd look like they all had horrible dandruff.
"Disable!" Koga relayed the command to Venomoth, and Bulbasaur was stripped of his best attack. Venomoth was seized by Vine Whip. Bulbasaur dragged Venomoth through the air, disorientating it, egged on by Ari, Eevee, and even Dratini.
Koga didn't show fear. "Psychic."
Venomoth's eyes were tight shut. It opened them only when Bulbasaur stopped swinging it, frozen by the strength of Venomoth's mind. Venomoth shrugged off the vines and lifted Bulbasaur into the air.
Leech Seed activated again the moment Venomoth relinquished its telekinetic grip. Bulbasaur fell... and Venomoth joined him.
"Both Pokémon are unable to Battle!" Referee Aya deduced.
Before either participants could select a second Pokémon, the wall collapsed. The dust cleared to reveal a curtain, which parted itself to display three familiar morons, adorned in traditional Kantonian kabuki to match the mansion.
"Let our ancient performance begin," Jessie said. "Prepare for trouble!"
"Make it double! Double! Doub-,"
Ari interupted James. "Performance? If I payed for this, give me a refund."
Jessie was affronted. "We were trying to keep with the mood!"
"Just let us pilfer all the poisonous Pokémon!" Meowth said.
Jessie and James tried to move foward, but fell on Meowth. "
"Jessie, it's too hard to move in these costumes!" James whined.
Jessie insisted, "We have to wear these outfits!"
Meowth peeled himself off the wood. "We need to move to steal the Pokémon," he said, spitting out splinters.
Jessie and James threw off the kabuki costumes to reveal their uniforms.
"Let's join forces to vanquish them!" Koga said. His Golbat joined Ari's Charmeleon, Brock's Vulpix, and Misty's Psyduck to fight Arbok and Weezing. Charmeleon, Golbat, and Vulpix charged. James revealed a launcher: it fired a sticky net, which adhered to the floor and trapped the Pokémon inside. Charmeleon and Vulpix were flattened, too squashed together to summon their fiery breath.
"No one can stop us this time!" James boasted.
Psyduck had hid behind Misty. He tried to Scratch Arbok, who bit down on his head.
Misty reddened. "Psyduck, you're just going to get hurt out there! Return!"
Psyduck evaded the Poké Ball's beam. It went limp, but emanated a Confusion which knocked Team Rocket's Pokémon off their feet. Ari reentered that Psyduck's headaches gave them psychic abilities.
On Koga's cue, a controlled Voltorb explosion destroyed the rubber net, and the freed Pokémon immediately sent Team Rocket blasting off again.
Koga recovered first from the rapid events. "I believe we have a Battle to finish."
Koga's Golbat prepared to face off against Eevee, spectated by Brock and Misty, the latter newly enamoured with Psyduck. Brock brought out Zubat so he could watch his Evolution Battle.
"Battle resume!" Aya signalled.
Ari felt her blood pumping. "Quick Attack!"
Eevee broke into a full sprint. Golbat halted her with a defeating Screech. It didn't only impede Eevee: Brock covered Vulpix's ears, while Misty seemed to expect Psyduck's powers to resurface.
Ari shook off her discomfort. "Swift!"
"Vee!" Eevee used the attack that could never miss, and Golbat was no exception.
"Wing Attack," Koga said coolly. Golbat's wings glowed as it darted foward. Ari underestimated its speed: Eevee took several blows before her mind formulated an escape plan.
Ari had Eevee use the speed boost from Quick Attack to hit the ground hard. Golbat soared over her and Eevee hit a Quick Attack. The Battle became close combat, wing meeting tail and body meeting fang. Eevee broke free from Leech Life and executed Quick Attack.
Golbat had a mouth wide enough to swallow Eevee whole, but Ari counted on Koga wanting to connect another Leech Life. Golbat shut its mouth partially, allowing Eevee to ram into its most important weapon: its pearly whites.
Flinching from pain, Golbat instead used Toxic. Eevee shuddered. Ari knew Toxic Poison was partially potent, but being placed on a short timer wasn't a worry.
She already knew how to finish the Battle.
The Poison was to allow Golbat a chance to escape. Though they had different Trainers, Ari hoped this Bat Pokémon would share mannerisms with Brock's Zubat - Pokémon she trained again frequently.
Zubat always escaped by flying backwards, then upwards, reliant on its nimble flight to work faster than the opposition's strategy.
Ari's hunch was correct. Eevee used Quick Attack to jump to Golbat's destination as the Pokémon itself reached there. Golbat was slammed into the floor by a Swift to the back, completely incapacitated.
Ari ran foward to cushion Eevee as she dropped from the sky. The pair fell backwards, but Ari found herself laughing. Eevee was filled with similar joy.
Brock's Zubat landed on Eevee's head. Ari brought out all her Pokémon to celebrate, too. Her training with Brock and Misty... her own Pokémon's support... and a certain Duck Pokémon who could defeat criminals with a headache...
She had them all to thank for her shiny new Soul Badge.