บท 164: Ace vs Koga

The bowels of the SS. Anne groaned and creaked around me as I delved into her depths, accompanied by the ever constant hum of the engines that propelled the massive ship ever forward.

A soft amber-colored glow brought slight illumination to the darkness as Lucario and I explored, courtesy of me channeling aura into my eyes to see in the darkness for any traps that might have been set by my quarry. And no, my quarry was NOT Team Rocket.

Right now I was after Koga, the Gym Leader of the Fuchsia city Gym, and current head of the Kouga Clan of Kanto.

Koga was known to the people of Kanto for being 'excentric' due to his ninja-like tendancies, such as setting traps in his Gym and dressing in ninja attire. But what they didn't know was that he was actually the head of a ninja clan, the League's hidden watchdog and their presence in the underworld of Kanto and Johto.

As we delved deeper into the ship and closer to Koga's temporary base of operations while aboard the ship, I could feel numerous eyes watching us while Lucario and I watched for traps.

'How many do you count?' I asked Lucario telepathically, giving no indication that any communication was passing between us.

'Ten.'

'Same here.' I responded, while also stepping over a thread so thin I almost missed it. I then had to sidestep a wall in front of us that was so transparent, there was absolutely no indication it was there until I was right in front of it.

This continued until the two of us arrived in an area that had been cleared of the cargo being stored within the ship, giving ample room for a battle if the man standing across from us was any indication.

"You finally made it, Ace Ketchum." Koga remarked as his mask shifted slightly, probably from smirking underneath. "I was starting to worry that you finding me before was just a fluke."

"Nah. Speaking of, can you let the others know they're not needed?" I asked him, pointing to each and every one of the ninjas that had been following Lucario and I.

And while their auras were filled with shock and disbelief that they had been discovered, Koga's mask shifted once more as he seemingly smiled underneath.

"You all heard him." He said to the agents around us, who quickly dispersed while radiating bitterness at having been discovered and sent away.

As they left, someone else appeared who had been standing hidden within the shadows behind Koga, with her leather outfit hugging her body sensually like always.

"Janine! Would you believe that I missed having you shadow me for the last few days?" I asked while greeting her.

"Its not surprising." She replied while appearing calm.

"So how we gonna do this?" I asked Koga, fully expecting a battle full of traps like I had seen on my way here.

"Normally we would battle it out on one of my specially prepared arenas..." Koga answered, confirming my suspicion. "BUT, seeing as we are not at my Gym, and I have had more important matters to see to than arranging an arena full of traps, we shall have a normal three on three League match!"

Surpisingly, no drone appeared to officiate the match. Probably since Koga being an ACTUAL ninja was considered a secret to everyone else.

"As per the League regulations, I'll go first! Go Muk!"

"Muuuuuuk!"

A literal purple blob of living sludge appeared in the middle of the arena, right before the entire area was filled with the foulest stench I ever had the misfortune of smelling.

"How foul..." Lucario muttered while scrunching up his nose in displeasure.

"You're telling me." I said, debating on pulling something out of my bag to plug my nose with. But when I saw Koga and Janine appearing perfectly fine despite the stench, I elected not to.

Instead I grabbed one of the pokeballs from my belt, and threw it out opposite Muk.

"I choose you, Golem!"

"Goooooooooool!"

Golem roared as he flexed in intimidation, before stomping his feet to make the ship rumble around us.

"Impressive." Koga said appraisingly, while Janine moved to stand directly between us.

"Since we do not wish for this battle to be broadcasted, I will be officiating instead. Worry not, footage of this battle will still be brought to the League, and your points with be decided accordingly." Janine declared, to which Koga and I both nodded in acknowledgment.

"Then begin!"

"Muk, use Venom Rain!"

'Golem, use Stone Edge.'

"Muuuk!"

"Golem!"

Immediately the Muk sprayed a stream of venom straight up into the air that scattered and came down to cover the entire arena and Golem in a layer of slightly corrosive toxins.

At the same time, Golem stomped the ground and sent a current of rock type energy through it under Muk, before several jagged stone spires shot up under the toxic sludge, damaging it quite a bit. But on the flip side, I could feel through Golem that the toxins covering him were slowly eating away at his rocky shell, making me cock a brow at Koga questioningly.

"Acid? In the bottom of a ship?" I asked the Gym Leader incredulously.

"Only a mild one. Plus the entire ship was treated to resist even the most corrosive of chemicals to repel attacks from wild pokemon, like Tentacool or Quilfish. It'll hold." Koga explained with a smirk, surprising me from seeing just how well this ship was made.

But back to the battle!

"Muk, use Minimize!"

'Stealth Rock.'

I watched as Muk began to seemingly shrink, as a result of it compressing it's gelatinous body to increase movement and avoid future attacks. Meanwhile, Golem shot out numerous sharpened rock fragments from his body to scatter them in the air around Muk's side of the arena, where they then vanished from view. Not only would they hurt Muk whenever it came into contact with them, but they would also hurt whichever pokemon Koga sent out after it.

"Not bad~! But still not enough to get you the victory! Muk, use Sludge Barrage!"

"Muuuk!"

'Rollout, Golem!' I mentally commanded my pokemon, as Koga's Muk began hurtling massive blobs at him repeatedly.

"Gol!"

Golem tucked his arms and legs in to make himself more of a ball as he shot forward, spinning at high speed right at Muk while zigzagging as I directed him.

'Right. Left. More left. Right.'

Unfortunately Golem could not avoid EVERY single attack, and took a blob of toxic gunk at point blank right before he hit Muk.

'Now, transfer into Bulldoze!'

"GOLEM!"

Immediately after getting hit by the sludge, Golem stopped rolling as he instead shifted into a charge powerful enough that it made the cargo around us rattle against each other and the side of the ship.

We watched as Golem, covered in ground type energy, barreled into Muk and picked it up to slam it into one of the nearby containers, dealing what I knew was a significant amount of damage despite it's gelatinous body.

"Now Muk! Use Smother!"

"MUK!"

Immediately Muk began wrapping it's gelatinous body around Golem, restricting his movements and smothering him in what could only be considered living poison. But if Koga thought this would be enough to seal Golem's movements, then he was sriusly underestimating my pokemon's training and strength.

"Golem, Bulldoze again." I said out loud.

"GOLEEEEM!"

With a roar, Golem proceeded to charge with Muk clinging to his body into one of the nearest containers, damaging Muk with the ground type energy as it persistantly held on to him.

"Again."

"GOL!"

*CRASH!*

"Again."

*CRASH!*

"Again."

*CRASH!*

After the fourth time being attacked by the move, Muk's hold on Golem released as it sloughed off of him into a puddle of unconscious toxic goo.

"Muk is unable to battle! Golem wins!" Janine declared, announcing my first victory against her father, who just smirked while glancing between my Golem and I.

"Janine had told me about your outrageous training and the raw strength of you and your pokemon, but its another thing to see it for myself. I think that was the first time someone managed to beat that technique like that." He said while returning Muk to it's pokeball.

"Thanks, though apparently I have to create a new training regimine around poison type pokemon." I said while glancing at Golem, who was not only still being affected by the earlier Acid Rain, but was also heavily poisoned by being smothered in Muk's body.

"You did REALLY well Golem. Get some rest for right now." I said while recalling him to his pokeball as well, resisting the urge to call Chansey out to heal him. Doing so would automatically disqualify him from the rest of the battle, and I wanted to see what kind of tricks Koga had in store before doing something like that.

"Their strength IS impressive, but it's not everything. How will your pokemon respond to overwhelming speed?! Go, Crobat!"

"CROOOOOOOOO!"

I watched the large bat-like pokemon appear me with a look of appraisal as I debated which pokemon I wanted to send against it. Maybe since Koga wanted to make this a battle of speed, I'll show him MY speed demon?

"I choose you, Weavile!"

"Weave..." Weavile snarled as she appeared before Crobat, looking up at her opponent with a condenscending sneer while also flexing her claws for intimidation.

"Oh? Speed for speed is it?" Koga asked curiously.

"Pokemon ready? BEGIN!" Janine declared.

'Agility and Taunt.' I mentally ordered Weavile as soon as the battle began.

"Crobat, use Supersonic." Koga ordered at the same time.

"Bat!" Crobat replied, sending out a sonic pulse right at Weavile that would confuse her. If she were still in the same place.

"Weavile." She sneered tauntingly from behind Crobat, drawing it's attention as it turned to look at her.

"Weavile, vile. Weave."

"..."

"CROOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

I swear I saw a vein on Crobat's head throb in anger as it cried out and rushed Weavile, no longer caring about Koga's orders or any semblance of a plan.

"You know, I always wondered what pokemon say when they use Taunt." I heard Janine say while glancing at me pointedly.

"I'd translate, but I don't want to use such language in front of my future girlfriend's father." I responded, making her sputter and cough in surprise while Koga arched a brow at me.

Meanwhile...

'Ice Shard and Icy Wind.' I mentally ordered Weavile, who was deftly dodging each and every one of Crobat's reckless attacks, which were also making it run into the numerous sharpened rocks that Golem had scattered earlier.

"Get yourself under control Crobat." Koga stated at the same time, since it's current berserker state was too easy to take advantage of. But it was too late.

Weavile swiftly created several razor-sharp shards of ice in the air around her, before flinging them at Crobat while also using her speed to zip around Crobat as she used the moce Icy Wind. The result was a weak cyclone of freezing air that not only weakened and damaged Crobat to begin with, but also repeatedly battered it with the ice shards from before, and the hidden shards of rock from Golem's Stealth Rock that got caught up in it as well.

'Now, finish this with an Ice Beam.'

"Weave!"

"Crobat!"

Koga cried out urgently, right as his pokemon was encased in a block of ice that prevented it from moving in the slightest. And even if it could escape the ice, the damage it had accumulated until now meant that this battle was over regardless.

"Crobat is unable to battle! Weavile wins!" Janine declared, making Weavile flex her claws in a show of victory.

"Excellent Weavile." I told her with pride.

"Weave, Weavile?" She replied, sarcastically asking if I doubted her.

"And she didn't even take a single hit. You truly covered all of your bases with your pokemon." Koga said as Crobat's block of ice was moved off to the side to thaw.

"Of course. With what my goals are, along with the role assigned to me, we have to at least be able to do this much." I replied, while Weavile nodded in agreement beside me.

"Of course, so I think its only fair this is my final pokemon. Go Beedrill!"

I cocked a brow as an alpha Beedrill appeared in the arena, over six feet in height with massive stingers that dripped poison.

This wasn't the first time that I had seen an alpha Beedrill, and it actually made sense that Koga would have one considering that it wouldn't be too hard to find one in Viridian foest. I'm pretty sure Misty still had nightmares about THAT particular encounter, even though I got my Vespiquen out of it. But after fighting the swarm before, along with the times we fought Team Rocket afterwards with their modified Beedrill, I was frankly starting to get tired of them.

But Koga wasn't finished yet.

I watched as the man pulled out one of the trademark ninja weapons from his belt, a kunai, and twirled it in his fingers with ease that came from years of practice. And as he did so I noticed something embedded in the small hole at the base, which shimmered slightly despite the low light.

"Let's go!" Koga declared as he held the kunai high, as the jewel in the base began to shine with a brilliant light before the same light encased Beedrill's body.

"You've got to be kidding me..." I said while shaking my head in exasperation, as Beedrill mega evolved right in front of me.

Once the sphere of light encasing Beedrill shattered, it revealed the new form that had not only made the three stinger on it's hands and butt even bigger and more venemous, but it had also turned it's feet into two MORE stingers, just as deadly as the other three. Plus it appeared as if the evolution had given it another set of wings, AND made it's exoskeleton significantly harder as well, increasing it's defense on top of it poison and offensive abilities.

"I may be shooting myself in the foot here, but I suggest using your Charizard for this match." Koga said with a noticeable smirk under his mask, to which I just shrugged.

"I COULD do that, but I think I'll use this guy instead. Go, Houndoom!"

"DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!"

My good boy howled threateningly as he appeared in the arena, before glaring at Beedrill in an attempt to intimidate it.

"Houndoom?" Koga asked, before I brought my hand up to my lips, and kissed the ring on my finger.

"Let's do it buddy!"

"HOUND!"

Barking at my prompt, both my ring and Houndoom began to radiate light as he was encased in it, and underwent mega evolution as well.

When the sphere of light shattered, it revealed Houndoom, now larger and with a good portion of his upper body covered in boney plates that would protect him, and could be used as weapons. Not only that, but the temperature in the room soared as he radiated fire type energy.

"I see I was mistaken!" Koga exclaimed happily, while his daughter confirmed we were both ready.

"Battle, begin!"

"Toxic Spikes!" Koga immediately ordered, prompting his Beedril lto scatter dozens of toxc barbs around Houndoom, almost ensuring he would be poisoned as soon as he took a single step.

'Hold.'

"Now Poison Jab!"

"Beeeeeeeee!"

With all five of it's stingers raised and aimed right at Houndoom, Beedrill rushed at him with speed that one would not have believed from something of it's size.

'Hold...NOW!'

"HOUND!"

Barking sharply as he did so, Houndoom leapt straight up into the air at my cue so that Beedrill missed him entirely with it's Poison Jab.

'Now, Incinerate!'

"DOOOOOOOOOM!"

With a howl, Houndoom expelled a powerful blast of flames from his maw that engulfed Beedrill along with all of the Toxic Spikes that had been scattered about, reducing them all to ashes.

While the flames raged around Beedrill, Houndoom nimbly landed on his feet before pivoting to face his opponent once more.

'Flame Charge!'

"Doom!" He barked as he charged at Beedrill this time, with me directing him to right where his opponent was within the flames to ensure his attack hit. Of course, Houndoom paid no mind to the flames around him since he had the Flash Fire ability.

But right as he was about to hit Beedrill....

"!!!"

"Look out Houndoom!" I cried out, too late as Houndoom slammed his flame-covered body into his opponent, who was waiting with all five of it's stingers ready to attack.

"Drill!"

"Hound!"

Houndoom barked in pain as his belly was jabbed with Beedrill's bottom stinger, hurting him quite a bit while also injecting him with quite the potent poison.

"Excellent Beedrill. Now use Venoshock!"

"Beeeeeeed!"

Immediately Houndoom was drenched in a different poison from before that was shot out by all five of Beedrill's stingers, which saturated him in toxins and dealt even more damage since he was already poisoned to begin with.

"Tch... Houndoom, use Fire Fang!" I ordered out loud.

"Doom!" He barked indignantly from being caught like this, his mouth becoming engulfed in flames as he leapt at Beedrill.

"Get out of there!" Koga hurriedly ordered, as we both knew that Beedrill had to have taken quite a bit of damage itself by this point from the two attacks. Unfortunately for them, a passive effect of useing Flame Charge was that it temporarily boosted the user's speed for a while. As such, Beedrill was unable to escape the attack in time as Houndoom leapt up into the air, and latched onto it's abdomen with his flaming mouth.

"Grrrrrrrrr!" Houndoom growled through his full mouth as his extra weight dragged both himself and Beedrill down until his paws were on the ground once more, and he jerked his head to slam his opponent down beside him.

"Bee....." Beedrill groaned, now being battered and burned. But Houndoom and I weren't done yet.

"Now finish this Houndoom! Fire Blast!"

"HOUNDOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!" He howled while jumping up into the air once more, summoning all of his remaining fire power as it took the form of a circle in front of his mouth.

"Get out of there Beedrill!" Koga urgently ordered, but it was too late.

With one last snarl, Houndoom unleashed his attack on Beedrill as fire bathed the entire arena so that Koga needed to find cover, and I had to conjure a wall of aura in front of both Janine and myself. And with Beedrill nowhere in sight in the air above the arena, it was assuredly hit by the flames.

Sure enough, when the flames began to die down they revealed Beedrill, reverted to it's original form and unconscious in the middle of the arena.

"Beedrill is unable to battle! Houndoom wins the match, and Ace Kectum wins the battle!" Janine announced, declaring my victory for Koga and I to hear.

"I can't believe it..." Koga uttered as he looked to his fallen pokemon, before returning it to it's pokeball.

"Don't let it get you too down." I said as Houndoom limped to my side, now severely poisoned, but doing his best to appear uninjured due to his pride. "After all, you ARE away from your Gym, and no longer have the homefield advantage."

"Are you trying to twist the knife as well?" Koga asked bitterly, which made me realize that I basically implied he couldn't win without all of the traps his Gym usually had.

"Sorry." I said apologetically, not at all trying to imply that. But Koga did seem contemplative after a second of thought.

"Perhaps I HAVE become too reliant on the homefield advantage... After all, it has been several years since I took any jobs due to my Gym Leader duties... You have given me much to think about Ace Ketchum, and earned this as well."

As he said that Koga tossed me something, which I easily caught before holding it up to examin it in the low light of the cargo bay. It was a small pink Badge in a shape similar to a heart, or a cherry blossom petal.

"Thank you Koga." I said while pocketing the Badge, and thinking about I only had three left for the Kanto League to collect. Erika in Celadon city, Sabrina in Saffron, and then the earth Badge of Viridian city. Now I couldn't help but to wonder if I could petition earning the Badge when I take down Giovanni, seeing as the Gym was still being excavated and rebuilt last I heard.

Regardless, I had entered the final stretch for my Kanto journey. Now I just needed to challenge Whitney before we leave the SS. Anne and I'll also be halfway through my Johto League Badges, all before even setting foot in Johto.