Koga studied Ash for a long moment, a hint of doubt flickering in his sharp eyes. Did this boy truly have three Champion-level Pokémon?
Otherwise, why would he willingly choose to challenge at that level?
Even if he wanted to test his Pokémon's limits or expose them to pressure, any sane Trainer would pick opponents of roughly similar strength. Jumping two full tiers up was suicidal.
The truth was simple: even if Ash's Pokémon were strong, his command ability was bound to be lacking. Two months of travel was nothing. How much could a novice Trainer's tactical sense improve in that time?
Knowledge, experience, intuition, all of these came only with years of battling or under the guidance of a master.
And Ash had neither. He'd spent most of his time walking between cities, not studying under some legendary mentor.
Without time, experience, or guidance, what level of command could he possibly have?
Koga exhaled softly. "Since you insist on a three-on-three, then a three-on-three it will be. Aya, bring out the equipment."
Aya nodded and signaled to several Gym staff members. Together, they rolled four heavy machines out from storage, setting them up at the corners of the battlefield.
Ash blinked, recognition dawning. These looked almost identical to the energy-shield generators Erika had used at the Celadon Gym, but larger, more complex, and far sturdier.
Koga began, "This equipment is issued by the League."
"I know," Ash interrupted. "Erika used the same system in Celadon."
Koga paused, then chuckled. "Used in Celadon, huh? Makes sense. Without them, that greenhouse would've been blown to pieces by a single battle."
He didn't mind Ash cutting in; at least it showed the boy wasn't completely green. Still, he added proudly, "However, my system is a bit different. Celadon's can only absorb up to Professional-level impact. Mine can withstand full Gym-level attacks."
There was pride in his tone, and rightly so. Not every Gym was allocated top-tier shielding tech.
Currently, this was the strongest defensive system the League had produced.
Even if the barrier couldn't completely negate the force of a Champion-level clash, as long as no direct hit struck the edge, it would safely contain the battle.
Ash gave an approving nod and raised a thumb. "That's impressive, Mr. Koga."
Aya took her place on the referee's stand. She clasped her hands into a ninja seal and called out clearly:
"Battle rules: three-on-three!
The first side to lose all Pokémon loses the match.
The Gym Leader may not voluntarily switch Pokémon.
The challenger may switch freely.
The battle begins now!"
Koga's hand flicked upward, a Poké Ball appearing between his fingers in one smooth motion. With a sharp throw, it burst open in a flash of light.
A dark-blue Pokémon landed gracefully on the field, crouched low like a martial artist. Its yellow eyes gleamed under the sunlight, a crimson sac bulged beneath its throat, and crimson claws glinted on its three-fingered hands.
It stood upright, radiating menace.
"What kind of Pokémon is that? I've never seen one before," Misty murmured, tilting her head. She searched her memory but came up blank.
Brock, on the other hand, suddenly tensed. A strange, instinctive discomfort ran up his spine. He quickly composed himself, then said in a low voice, "That's Toxicroak, from the Sinnoh region. It's the evolved form of Croagunk."
"Sinnoh region? One of Mr. Koga's main Pokémon comes from Sinnoh?" Misty asked in surprise. "But Brock, how do you even know about Pokémon from Sinnoh?"
"You forgot?" Brock replied matter-of-factly. "Nurse Joy from Black Cloud City gave us information on Mr. Koga before we left. It listed his primary team lineup, Toxicroak was on it. Maybe you just didn't pay attention."
Misty gave an awkward smile, rubbing the back of her neck.
She had skimmed Koga's file, yes, but she'd completely ignored the details of his main roster. After all, who in their right mind would expect Ash to challenge Koga's main team?
No one knew Ash better than she and Brock did. Aside from his newly evolved Champion-level Gengar, his strongest Pokémon was Pikachu, barely at the Professional tier.
After that came Charizard and Gardevoir.
If they faced Champion-level Pokémon head-on, they'd be flattened before they even got started.
Even Pikachu, his ace, was two whole ranks below Koga's weakest Champion-level Pokémon!
"How is he supposed to win this…?" Misty whispered under her breath.
Brock's eyes narrowed. "Wait, Ash didn't send Gengar over, did he?"
Misty blinked. "Now that you mention it… no. I didn't see him transfer Gengar at all." Her voice rose an octave. "Don't tell me, he's challenging Mr. Koga's main team without Gengar?! Is he insane?!"
Without Gengar, this could only end one way, a clean three-to-zero sweep.
Aya had mentioned earlier that Fuchsia Gym's matches had been live-streamed for days now. Ash and his companions had even spotted the cameras around the arena, meaning this battle was being broadcast live on television.
If Ash, after boldly declaring a three-on-three Champion-level challenge, ended up being mercilessly crushed three to zero… then sure, he'd become famous, but for all the wrong reasons.
People across Kanto would laugh, pointing and saying:
"Isn't that the overconfident rookie who challenged a Champion-level Trainer and got wiped out?"
Did Ash even think about that? Why was he doing something so reckless as challenging Koga's main team without Gengar?
On the battlefield, Ash exhaled slowly as Toxicroak materialized.
According to the data he'd studied and his own predictions, Koga would indeed lead with Toxicroak, his weakest main Pokémon, but still Champion-level.
Even so, Champion-level was Champion-level. Without Gengar, defeating it would be as difficult as reaching the heavens by stepping on your own foot.
But since Ash had already made his choice, there was no turning back. To take a real step forward on the path to becoming the strongest, he needed pressure, intense, crushing pressure.
Ash's expression hardened. "You can do it, Charizard… I choose you!"
He hurled a Poké Ball, and with a burst of white light, the orange-red dragon appeared. Charizard roared, flames spewing skyward, only to be absorbed by the protective barrier, unable to scorch the sky.
"Charizard?" Koga's brows rose with mild curiosity. A fully evolved Pokémon, its level shouldn't be low. Maybe this was one of the Pokémon Ash had mentioned capturing under 'special circumstances.'
But as soon as Charizard exhaled a mouthful of fire, Koga immediately sensed it.
For an ordinary Trainer, that was exceptional. But in this battle, it was woefully inadequate.
"Ash," Koga asked with a calm but puzzled tone, "are you certain you want to use Charizard?"
"My Charizard is very strong, Mr. Koga," Ash said quietly. His eyes slowly closed. "You'd better be careful."
A soft blue radiance shimmered around him, Aura within the heart.
The glow spread from Ash to Charizard, deepening, thickening, resonating like twin heartbeats.
Koga, unaware of what was happening, simply took Ash's words as youthful arrogance.
To him, Ash was clearly just a Rookie who'd gotten overconfident from a string of easy Gym wins.
He really thought his Pokémon could stand up to a Champion's main force?
"Let's end this quickly," he said flatly. "Toxicroak, Poison Jab!"
At his command, Toxicroak's claws gleamed with dark violet energy. Its figure blurred, then vanished!
In the blink of an eye, it reappeared right before Charizard, a cruel smile twisting across its face. Its glowing arm shot forward like a spear aimed at Charizard's abdomen. The air hissed from the force of the strike, and even Charizard's scales prickled from the venomous pressure.
But Ash didn't issue any frantic command.
He simply stepped sideways, and Charizard mirrored him.
The strike whistled past, missing by a hair. In that same instant, Charizard's claw shot out, seizing Toxicroak's arm and locking it down tight.
Koga's eyes went wide. "What?!"
Toxicroak froze, unable to comprehend how its sneak attack had been countered so cleanly.
He hadn't seen any warning movement before Toxicroak's strike, but Ash and Charizard had moved together the moment Toxicroak appeared.
Dodging by instinct alone, that was no reflex of a mere Professional-level Pokémon.
"Flamethrower!" Ash commanded sharply.
"Rooaaar!!"
Charizard's flames erupted point-blank, engulfing Toxicroak's head in a searing inferno, directly turning the Champion-level fighter into a roasted frog!
The audience gasped. Aya's mouth fell open, her eyes bulging in disbelief.
What just happened?!
Her brother's main Pokémon, had not only failed to dominate but was completely caught and countered.
"This… this can't be right," Aya muttered, her voice trembling. "Brother must be… holding back… right?"
As the flames finally faded, Toxicroak's silhouette re-emerged from within the smoke. Its head, moments ago engulfed in a torrent of fire hot enough to melt stone and liquefy metal, now showed only a faint black scorch mark.
That was all.
Even with Aura Fusion, the level gap was simply too enormous. A direct hit from Charizard's Flamethrower amounted to little more than a singed bruise.
"Toxicroak, Drain Punch!"
Koga's voice cut through the air, calm and decisive. The brief shock of Charizard's counter had already vanished from his expression, an Elite Trainer's composure restored in an instant.
With one arm trapped, this was the perfect moment for a close-quarters strike.
Toxicroak's claws glowed with a bright, predatory white light as it swung straight at Charizard's arm.
Charizard immediately released its grip, green energy flaring around both claws, Dragon Claw. The emerald light hardened into sharp talons, meeting the white fist head-on.
Bang!!
Crack!!
In that single exchange, Charizard's Dragon Claw shattered like glass under Toxicroak's punch. But using the recoil, Charizard kicked off the ground, retreating rapidly to widen the gap.
Ash loosened his hands; his own fist tingled with numbness through the Aura link. That clash alone had nearly overloaded the feedback connection between them.
If that attack had landed clean, if Charizard had taken the full force of it directly, even with Aura Fusion, his arm might have been crippled.
Truth be told, Ash hadn't planned to fight Koga's main team at all.
He was fully aware of the live cameras circling the field. A Champion-level challenge would guarantee attention, but if he got annihilated three-to-zero, that wouldn't be fame; that would be public humiliation broadcast across the entire region.
If his only goal were publicity, it would've been far smarter to challenge at the Professional level.
A Professional-level Charizard taking down a Professional-level Pokémon, that would've turned heads across the Alliance too. It would've been an incredible feat, a leap across an entire Trainer rank.
So why, then, had he chosen Champion difficulty anyway?
Ash's gaze hardened, a faint flame flickering behind his eyes.
Because the Seniors in the group chat had told him so.
"Only by clashing with Champion-level Pokémon can you awaken what sleeps inside Charizard, the hidden power left by the legendary Ho-Oh."