When Ash and his friends finally arrived in Fuchsia City, they were completely dumbfounded.
What was with this bustling, festival-like atmosphere? Was this really the same "quiet Fuchsia City" everyone described?
When they reached the Fuchsia Gym, they were greeted by the sight of a massive line stretching from the entrance all the way down the street, so long they couldn't even see where it ended.
"Are these people crazy?" Ash muttered in disbelief. "The Fuchsia Gym is one of the four strongest Gyms in Kanto! Are they all just looking to get beaten up?"
To figure out what was going on, Ash casually asked someone in line.The Trainer he approached turned and looked at Ash and his friends like they were aliens.
"You mean... you don't know?" the man said incredulously. "The Fuchsia Gym Leader is a Champion-level candidate!"
Ash nodded. "We know that. But doesn't that just mean the Gym's insanely difficult? Shouldn't that make people less likely to challenge it?"
The man sighed, giving Ash a look of exaggerated pity. "Ah, I see, you must be a rookie."
Ash hesitated. "Well... I've been traveling for about two months."He wanted to argue that he wasn't exactly a beginner anymore, but, thinking about it, the time frame didn't really help his case.
"As expected," the man said knowingly. "You just don't understand the significance of the Fuchsia Gym yet."
He crossed his arms and began explaining in a tone that screamed let me educate you, kid.
"Think about it, Koga, the Gym Leader here, is a Champion-level candidate. Sure, the word 'candidate' is there, but in reality, that's just a formality. Anyone qualified for that title already has true Champion-level power; they just haven't officially taken the seat yet."
"Normally, it's nearly impossible for ordinary Trainers to even meet a member of the Elite Four, let alone battle one. But here, just by challenging this Gym, you can actually receive guidance from someone at that level! The Gym Leader even adjusts the battle difficulty based on your team's strength. Tell me, where else can you get such a chance?"
That logic hit hard.
After all, the Elite Four were like celebrities. You could only see them on TV, or maybe catch a glimpse if you were lucky enough to attend a tournament.
Getting advice from one? That was the kind of thing most Trainers could only dream about.
But here, in Fuchsia City, you could actually battle someone of Champion caliber and receive their personal guidance, no qualifications, no fame, no conference victories required.
It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Even if you lost miserably, the experience itself could push your skills to a whole new level.
Ash and his companions finally understood why the city was so packed.
For most people, meeting a Trainer of this caliber was nearly impossible.
But now, there was a line you could stand in, and at the end of it was a real Champion-level Trainer waiting to battle you.
Where else in the world would you find that kind of luck?
"Wait," Ash said, frowning. "Aren't there other Gyms in Kanto with that level of strength? Cinnabar, Viridian, Saffron, they all have Champion-level power, right? And isn't Viridian considered the strongest Gym in Kanto?"
The man raised his eyebrows, a little impressed. "Huh. Didn't expect a rookie to know that much. But those places aren't like Fuchsia."
He began ticking them off on his fingers.
"Saffron Gym? Everyone knows that place is terrifying, you can find horror stories about it online.
Cinnabar Gym? Closed to challengers. Too many people swarmed there for the same reason as Fuchsia, and the Leader got tired of weak opponents wasting his time.
As for Viridian Gym, that's appointment-only. And the Leader? He's almost never there. Most people who apply end up fighting the provisional Gym Leader instead."
"In short," he concluded with a dramatic flourish, "Fuchsia is the only Gym where you're guaranteed a battle, and guidance, from a true Elite-level Trainer."
"Plus," he added with a smirk, "after Cinnabar Gym closed, people got scared that Fuchsia might follow. So now everyone's desperate to challenge it before that happens!"
He spoke so much that his mouth was practically dry by the end, but he looked quite pleased with himself.
Ash and his friends could only smile awkwardly, grateful they'd accidentally asked a guy who loved explaining things.
Anyone else would've just said, 'Line's long. Figure it out.'
Of course, now that they knew why the queue was so long... they still had to stand in it.
Judging by its length, even if Koga and his Pokémon were made of iron, there was no way they could handle this many challengers in one day.
If Ash joined the line now, he'd be lucky to get a match within three days.
"Wait," Misty suddenly asked, "what if the Gym closes for the day? Do the people still in line just... stay there?"
The man shrugged. "What else can they do? If you leave, you lose your spot and have to start all over again."
Ash, Misty, and Brock's faces all darkened at once.
'You mean we'd have to camp out here just to hold our place?'
At the current pace, if no one quit the line, it would take at least three days before they could battle Koga.
"Are these people insane?" Ash blurted out.
Three days in line just for a single Gym challenge? That was madness!
Was a bit of Elite guidance really worth all that?
Of course, if anyone else had heard him say that, they'd have been furious.
Because for Ash, "guidance from an Elite" was nothing special, it was something he got almost daily.
Not from ordinary Elites, either, but from Champions.
Every expert in his mysterious group chat, Champion Trainers, Master Breeders, Aura Masters, Type Specialists, was a top-tier being from a parallel world.
Compared to that, Elite-level advice was practically free.
But for these Trainers in line, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Even waiting three days would be worth it.
Ash, meanwhile, had originally just wanted to spar with a powerful Trainer, not get coached.
If he wanted a review, he could just record the whole match and send it to the group later.
At this point, it seemed hopeless for Ash to challenge Koga anytime soon.
He sighed inwardly.
If he couldn't collect all his badges before the Indigo Plateau Conference began, that would be a real blunder.
"You're leaving?"
The Trainer they had just spoken with sounded almost offended as he noticed Ash and his companions turning away.
Ash blinked. "Uh, yeah? With that kind of line, do you really expect us to wait three days at the back?"
"But this is Koga's Gym!" the man said, agitated. "He's a Champion-level candidate! If you can just queue up and battle him, with his guidance, your Trainer journey will be smooth sailing, you'll have a bright future ahead!"
Ash's mouth twitched. 'Smooth sailing? I get guided by Champion Trainers every single day, and I've yet to see anything "smooth" about it.'
Expecting one battle to magically transform your path as a Trainer was just wishful thinking.
Growth didn't come from comfort, it came from failure, from hitting walls, from being pushed until you had no choice but to grow stronger.
He'd been lectured endlessly by his other selves in the group chat to reach where he was now.
What could one round of "guidance" possibly change?
"When you actually battle an Elite-level Trainer," Ash said, patting the man's shoulder with a calm smile, "you'll realize that one fight might not help you as much as you think."
The passerby froze, staring as though Ash had just said something heretical.
'Did this rookie just… downplay the value of battling an Elite?'
"Young man, you're not old," came a new voice from behind, calm but sharp, "yet your words are quite bold."
Ash turned around. Behind him stood a person completely cloaked in black from head to toe.
"Who are you?" Ash asked, narrowing his eyes slightly. He quietly activated his Aura Power, no, it wasn't Team Rocket in disguise.
"Don't mind who I am," the stranger said coolly. "Did I hear correctly, that you just claimed battling an Elite isn't very helpful?"
"I never said that," Ash retorted, rolling his eyes. "I said that a single battle isn't that helpful."
He was already exasperated. 'Seriously, do people here just ignore half of what I say?'
"That's pretty much the same thing," the cloaked figure replied. "So tell me, if you were given the chance to challenge an Elite, would you take it?"
"Of course I'd fight," Ash said without hesitation. "An Elite battle might not give much 'guidance,' but it puts pressure on your Pokémon, and that kind of pressure makes them grow stronger. That's the real value."
"Hmph." The cloaked person's tone sharpened. "So you do want to challenge my bro...uh, Mr. Koga. Don't think you can flatter or provoke your way into cutting the line. You're sorely mistaken."
Ash blinked, incredulous. 'What's this person's problem?'
He hadn't even mentioned Koga directly, yet somehow this stranger had taken every slightly negative nuance about Koga and twisted it into an insult.
Was this person one of Koga's fanatics or something?
"You said you've only been traveling for two months, right?" the person in black continued. "If you have at least four Gym Badges, I could take you straight into the Fuchsia Gym myself. But if you don't, then stop talking big..."
"Huh?"
The stranger stopped mid-sentence. Ash had already opened his jacket, revealing five gleaming Gym Badges neatly pinned inside.
For a moment, the person's words got stuck in their throat.
W'ait, what? Five badges in just two months since debut? Are you kidding me!?'
Before they could recover, their gaze fell on the Pikachu perched on Ash's shoulder, and something clicked.
"You… you're Ash, from Pallet Town?"
Ash blinked. "Uh, yeah? You know me?"
"You're the one who defeated Sabrina of the Saffron Gym?"
Ash frowned slightly. "Is there a problem? You've said a lot, but you still haven't told me who you are. And what did you mean by saying you could get me into the Fuchsia Gym?"
The cloaked figure glanced around, noticing the nearby Trainers had started whispering and watching.
Then, without another word, she grabbed Ash's wrist. "Come with me first."
"H-Hey—!" Ash was surprised, but he didn't resist.
If this person really did have a way to let him challenge the Fuchsia Gym, that would be perfect. And if not, well, he'd been planning to leave the city anyway.
The other Trainers in line exchanged curious looks but didn't follow. They'd already waited this long; giving up their spots now would mean losing another day or two.
The cloaked figure led Ash, Misty, and Brock around the side of the Fuchsia Gym, to a quiet, deserted path. Then she stopped, took a breath, and pulled back her hood.
Beneath the cloak was a cascade of long green hair, framing a soft, beautiful face with fair skin and sharp, confident eyes.
"A… a girl?" Misty blurted out, eyes wide.
Her voice was full of disbelief. That hoarse, gruff tone the cloaked figure had used before sounded nothing like this elegant woman before them.
Brock's eyes instantly turned into hearts. His cheeks flushed crimson as he clasped his hands dramatically.
"Ah, fair lady, the moment I saw you, I knew our destinies were entwined by the sacred Knot of Fate! I can already see our glorious future together!"
"Cut the nonsense!" Misty snapped, smacking him squarely on the head and dragging his smoking body back by the collar.
The woman in black gave Brock a bewildered glance but quickly composed herself. Her emerald eyes turned to Ash as she spoke with calm grace.
"My name is Aya," she said. "I'm Koga's younger sister, and the co-Leader of the Fuchsia Gym. Now you understand why I can take you inside, don't you?"
Ash froze for a second. "Aya… Koga's sister?"
No wonder she could make that promise. But that still didn't explain how she knew him.
Had his reputation already spread to even Koga's family?
...
Bonus @400 PS
STones Plzzz
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