"Nin-Nin." I whispered with a grunt as I was once more climbing through the rafters of Koga’s stupid ninja mansion.
Stupid pitfall traps.
Stupid tripwires.
Stupid fake hallways made with mirrors. My nose still hurt.
But I continued crawling. Today Koga was forcing me through his ’Ninja Training’ because as he saw it a Trainer must be capable of surviving any experience. A normal ten year old probably would have argued with him, what does running through a gauntlet of traps chased by ninjas have to do with Pokemon Training?
I was not a normal ten year old, and I knew just how easy it would be to bypass a Pokemon in a battle to kill a trainer if I ever faced someone truly out to kill me.
So I was climbing through rafters in the mansion, avoiding traps, and dodging the ninjas that were searching for me.
They were going easy on me I knew, but at the same time.
Vicky Stronk! My unusual strength meant I had some tricks that they weren’t expecting.
Besides, Ninja-Tag was fun! If tiring.
Except when it wasn’t. I had nearly made it, when the lack of any sound tipped me off.
I dropped, just in time to avoid fuckin shuriken!?
"H-hey! That’s dangerous!"
"It would be an important lesson." The ninja offered. Some older man with graying hair that hadn’t given me a name.
"Sure Bob whatever you say." I grumbled as we faced each other in the hallway. His lack of any emotion might be considered a good sign, but I knew he really hated it when I called him Bob, but that was his fault. He refused to give me a name to call him, and if it was good enough for Tom Cruise, it was good enough for me!
He shifted, all the warning I got before I leapt, hitting the wall of the hallway, that had a spinning wall for quick escapes. I dropped a smoke bomb as well. The loud thunks of shuriken hitting wood behind me made my mad dash all the more important.
I flung out a Pokeball.
"Venonat!" My little guy said, looking around.
"Sleep powder." I whisper pointing at the fake wall, watching as he blasted the area. I started running. Almost there!
"Ven!" I heard Venonats warning just in time.
I juked, grabbing Venonat, as I rolled to the side, the attack behind me dodged by just the smallest increment as I came out of my roll and set my Venonat in front of me.
"Golbat!" Bob had sent out his Pokemon.
"Alright then." I grunted, already coming up with plans to win this. "Venonat, use-"
"Hold." A voice called out, and a new ninja appeared, coming down the hall behind Bob. "The girl has a challenger." Then in a flash the ninja disappeared in a smoke bomb. Although it had taken me two weeks to know that they were just jumping into the trap door in the ceiling.
I sighed mostly in relief as the Ninja nodded, disappearing as well. "Alright C’mon little buddy. We have a gym challenger to take on." I tell the Venonat who gave a cute little nod.
Venonat was one of Koga’s Pokemon. I had been put in charge of him as part of my challenge to fight every gym challenger that wandered through. Venonat was a pokemon that would be used for Koga’s second or maybe third badge challenge.
He wasn’t there yet. Freshly caught, barely trained, and I wasn’t allowed to do any training outside of battles with him.
He was my handicap, and also Koga’s main training of me. While the rest of my team were battling Koga’s powerful Pokemon.
I was learning how to battle with a disadvantage.
—---
"Venonat Double Team!" I called out, watching as the Trainers Sandslash used Rapid Spin once more, missing the little bug type as it blasted through a fake.
"Poison Powder!" I called out, watching as another cloud of poison was released, this time the poor Sandslash couldn’t stop in time after its miss. The Ground type ran right through the powder coming out the other side landing back on his feet only to cough a little.
"No! Sandslash! Use Fury Swipes quick!"
I nodded, a good plan. The Sandslash turned and started cutting down Clones in a barrage of swipes. The third hit, striking Venonat causing my little bug to cry out as she rolled away.
That was her third hit during the fight. She was done.
"Well fought Venonat. Return! And you trainer! You have proven yourself. You may proceed... but be careful of the traps! Hihihihi!" I gave off a cackle as I pushed backwards hitting the spinning wall letting me disappear leaving the Trainer alone in the hallway.
I sighed, pulling off my ninja mask and heading over to the little table that had some water for me. I placed Venonats Pokeball in the transporter.
Koga had been brutal in his training of me over the last month.
When I had accepted his offer to be trained under him. I wasn’t sure what I had expected, but Koga treated my training as even more important than any training for my team.
Which meant that I was constantly battling... Without my team.
"My weakness is that I rely on my pokemon’s strength. So let’s see how I do without them to fall back on huh?" I couldn’t help but remember what Koga had said as I took a sip of water. Although Koga had said I wouldn’t be a Gym Trainer. It turned out that it was a perfect opportunity for me to train against a variety of trainers with pokemon not my own. So my job was to act as one of Kogas testers in the gym.
I was using borrowed Pokemon, fighting in a way I wasn’t used to, against novice to expert trainers.
It was fun! Especially considering I wasn’t really supposed to win against the kids. I was really just testing them, but my job from Koga was simple. Extend the battle as long as possible. Find out if the trainers Pokemon had the endurance needed for battles.
So most of my time was spent dodging, and preparing traps for them to blunder into.
Hilarious.
But I had learned a ridiculous amount. It was kind of eye opening how Pokemon battles went when you didn’t have a Psuedo-Legendary to battle with.
There was a lot more involved that I had never really considered. But I was improving!
"Hey, another trainer is coming. Five badge." A voice spoke from directly behind her, but jokes on the stupid ninjas! I had been jumpscared by them for over a month! I was immune!
"Right!" I chirped out pressing the transporter hidden in the desk and a batch of Pokeballs were released to me.
Putting my mask back on I snuck up against the wall waiting for my prey. When I heard the tripwire go off I couldn’t hide my giggles as I slid into the hallway through the rotating door. I loved walking out and seeing some dumb kid hanging from their ankles.
Usually with their Pokeballs falling to the floor out of reach.
"Ah it’s Kiba."
"What Vicky?" I heard in response to the gray haired kid. Shit no one was supposed to know it was me.
"Incorrect! I am the Protector of the Moon! Glorious Beautiful Kunoichi Nike!" I ended off with a Sailor Moon pose pointing at the idiot caught in a trap.
"Vicky, stop being a spazz and help me down, the blood is rushing to my head." Kiba replied back instantly as he couldn’t reach his ankles.
He earned a Pokeball to the face for his troubles.
"Ow! Vicky tha- oof!"
"I am Glorious and Beautiful Kunoichi Nike! Protector of the Moon!" I yelled at him throwing another Pokeball. And then just because his face was stupid I started pelting him with a few more delighting in his crys of pain.
Suffer Kiba! How dare you call me a spazz!
"I give! I surrender!"
"Say it!"
"Ugh... Fine. I surrender Glorious and Beautiful Kunoichi Nike."
"And the title." I demand arms crossed.
"Ugh why are we even friends? Protector of the Moon."
I nod walking over to the switch that would lower the snare trap slowly to the ground. Koga didn’t want to brain the kids after all.
After he stands back up, he is glaring at me. "Vicky, why are you dressed as a Ninja."
"I don’t know any Vicky. I am Nike." I informed him promptly.
"Vicky. How many short blondes do you think live in Kanto?"
I puffed up how dare he! "I’m not short! I’m perfectly average for my age!"
"Below average." he muttered, earning another thrown Pokeball which he avoided with a yelp. "Stop throwing Pokeballs at me!"
"Stop being an idiot!" I yell back which only earned me a glare.
"What are you even doing here?"
"I’m training under Koga in how to better handle Pokemon battles with weaker Pokemon."
"Wait. Weaker Pokemon?" He asked eyes sharp.
"Yep. My normal team are all undergoing harsh training, and I am too! Training using weaker Pokemon and forced to face all challengers!" I put my hands on my hips showing off how cool I was.
"I challenge you." Kiba uttered darkly with a fierce grin. The sort of look that would look closer to a wolf. "Oh I challenge you so hard."
I blinked. Suddenly feeling... "Ah. Well, I accept?"
"Hehe-AHAHAHAH!" Kiba broke into harsh cackles as he threw out his first Pokeball.
"Whooo!" Mightyena roared out as he appeared ready for battle. Only to instantly tuck his tail and roll over on his back and show his belly to me.
"Wha-Mightyena!"
"Hey buddy you evolved! That’s amazing!" I told the puppy as I walked over and rubbed his belly like I knew he liked.
"Stop petting Mightyena! We are about to fight!" Kiba yelled angrily which I promptly ignored turning back to the puppy that was starting to relax since Arcanine wasn’t here.
"Berry?" I offered pulling out a few from my hip pouch.
I never go anywhere without some Berries on me after all. Never know when you are going to sedu-feed a hungry Pokemon.
After a few berries disappeared into the puppy stomach, and I got a tongue swiping across my mask covered face. Kiba had enough.
"Hey! It’s time to battle Mightyena! Vicky doesn’t have her real team!" Kiba calls out and even Mightyena perks up a little at that finally.
"Alright, fine." I mutter standing up to move away from Mightyena and readying my Pokeball. Then I blinked "It’s Nike!"
"Yeah whatever!" Kiba answered with a grin.
—--
"Ouch!"
"Don’t be a baby." I tell him as I pull out another Poison Sting from Kiba’s skin.
"This is against the rules! You aren’t supposed to aim at the trainer!"
"I aimed at Mightyena, it’s your fault for telling him to dodge."
"Ouch! I don’t want to hear that right now!" He grumbled, as I sprayed more antidote on his pin pricks where Poison Sting had penetrated. Causing him to yelp. "Be gentle!"
"I am!" I grumble pulling another one free. "Done." I tell him, once more spraying the hole but finally finishing up. "Never seen someone tank an attack to their face before. Usually they dodge." I told him poking his cheek earning a flinch.
"Ouch! That hurts you spazz!"
I narrow my eyes, but I am a mature fully adult person, at least on the inside... So I only poke him one more time earning a yelp before standing up and moving away. "Good fight." I add as I move. "You have defeated me, earning the right to continue on to challenge the Gym Leader. Good luck." I tell him smirking under my mask as I suddenly disappear into the revolving wall.
"Vicky! Hey where did you go!?" I could hear him call out from the hall as I giggled and put my Pokeballs once more into the transporter.
"Well fought." I almost yelped as I turned to glare a little.
"Janine." I grumbled as she once more tried to jumpscare me. The girl smiled at my tone.
"I am surprised. I expected you would go easy on a friend, but you battled him harder than most of the others."
"I trusted Kiba to be at a higher level than where he should be. He did good." I say as I finished teleporting the Pokeballs away. "What’s up?" I asked her as she hadn’t vanished or tried to tease me again.
Janine was Koga’s Daughter, and was already being trained up as the future Gym Leader. Considering how important Fuchsia Gym and its ninjas were to Kanto, she had to be incredibly strong to even be in the running.
She was. We had battled a few times and Janine was strong.
"Father is summoning you."
"Cool. Do you know what he wants?" I ask as I grab my water bottle off the table and take a drink before following after the Kunoichi already moving.
"Nothing that he shared with me." She answered simply and I nodded.
Cool.
I followed the Kunoichi through the compound. Avoiding the pitfalls I had learned through repetition where they were as we walked.
Koga was as usual waiting in his usual spot. Legs crossed and waiting for his challengers for the day to make it through the mansion.
I giggled as I could faintly hear the cursing of many trainers that had just had the floor dropped out from under them, or legs hooked into snares.
This place spoke to my trollish soul.
"Victoria."
"Koga." I greeted back with a wave as he nodded .
"You have grown much in the last month. I wonder. How close are you now to achieving your goal. How far have you come?" He wonders and I notice that beside him on a pillow are my Pokeballs. The Premium Pokeballs obviously not his own.
Ah. While we had battled over and over again in the last few months... He hadn’t given me a rematch.
"It’s only been a month."
"And yet, we will battle regardless." He answered instantly. This man was getting far to used to my argumentative mouth.
"There is only one way to find out then. Koga, they say that when two trainers’ eyes meet, they must battle." I joke to him our eyes locked on each other.
"Indeed. Janine, ensure the trainers waiting for their turn do not disturb us."
"Yes, father. What should I do if they come to see what is happening?"
"Nothing. It would be good for any trainer to see a high level battle in person. Come Victoria."
"Ah, wait a sec." I mutter as I gather up my balls. Stopping Koga’s dignified exit which he obviously intended to lead to a great battle.
The man was a bit of a drama queen. Especially for a ninja.
"What is it?"
"Let me change? It’s sunny today and I want my hat. Plus these face masks are itchy, and these sock shoes you gave me feel weird I want to get my boots." I mutter ticking off issues on my fingers. Janine breaking into quiet giggles behind me as I could just feel Koga’s irritation at my... Me-ness?
"Change quickly." He ordered and I gave him a jaunty salute as I raced off to do just that. Finally I could get out of my ninja cosplay! I mean sure learning how to do ninja stuff was fun and I learned a lot. But this outfit was all tight and weird. I liked my clothes more!
Quickly grabbing my clothes from the small room that Koga had given me while I worked as a Gym Trainer, I switched over feeling nothing but relief that I could actually breathe in my comfortable clothes.
Then I stomped out to the field. Purposefully stomping my feet to make noise.
It made the other ninjas flip out.
Stepping out into the sunlight with my hat back on my head a grin tugging at my lips. Yeah this was where I was meant to be. I stepped out, my six Pokeballs back on my hip where they belonged as I faced Koga.
"Are you ready?"
"I am!" I agreed eagerly, hand already full of a Pokeball as he nodded.
Another ninja appeared. Koga’s referee. "The battle will be a six on six battle. No switch outs. The Gym Leader will release his Pokemon first." The referee nodded stepping back as Koga nodded.
Venomoth. I nodded. That Pokemon in particular was a bit of a monster. But I was ready this time.
"Go!" I released my first choice.
"Miii!" Milotic appeared in a flash, his fins shifting as he psyched himself up for the battle ahead.
Last time Milotic had failed.
"Begin!"
"Preparation!" I yelled out, even as Koga’s Venomoth instantly exploded into a cloud of Poison Powder.
And Milotic moved.
It had been Koga forcing me to rewatch my older battles with the other Gym Leaders. Pointing out my good points and bad that had created this.
In his own words. "Your battle against Brock showed that your Milotic is excellent at changing the terrain but you almost completely gave up on this afterwards. Foolish."
The truth was I had gotten arrogant with how powerful my team was. I had started thinking that I didn’t need to do anything but hit so hard the enemy would fall.
I had learned from Koga one thing at least. Always treat every battle as if it was life or death.
Milotic sparkled as water gathered and in a rush of water he shot off a Hydro Pump straight downwards into the earth, in an instant a rush of muddy water splattered back up and flowed across the field.
Koga hadn’t seen this plan yet. Although I bet some of his ninjas had been watching when Milotic and I trained for it. But we had been sneaky too!
I bet he was regretting that now.
Tentacruel moved first. Despite Gyarados being faster than most other Gyarados with all the speed training we had done as a Magikarp, he was still only recently evolved, and without a lot of the physical training the rest of my team had gotten.
So a ball of poison rocketed out of Tentacruels tentacles and smashed into Gyarados.
The force of the explosion was enough to rock my boy back, but there was one thing even Koga had learned about Gyarados by now, it was that when I said to do something.
He did it.
Twice now Gyarados had kept attacking even when he really should have stopped, and it was only when I physically intervened that I managed to calm him.
So the blow hurt, but his retaliation was incoming.
The sound of thunder rocketed the field as Tentacruel lit up.
The cry of the Pokemon was wince inducing. The high pitched screech was not easy on the ears.
A moment later it was over, and Koga proved his skill as a trainer wasn’t a joke.
Tentacruel disappeared, becoming a small army of Tentacruels as it activated Kage Bunshin.
A move that had stymied Gyarados in the past. He got hyper focused on destroying the fake substitutes, and ended up getting hit all the while.
"Cutie! Use Surf! Hit them all!" I called out, and he roared, as a wave of water blasted out of his mouth as he aimed it down, the roiling water spreading out and smashing into the bunshin.
Some of them popped. Not all of them, but enough were hit that a chunk of them disappeared.
"Retaliate!" Koga called out, and a moment later a barrage of attacks fired back.
All but one were fake.
But I had no way of knowing, and Gyarados wasn’t looking ready to dodge.
The second Sludge bomb sent him tumbling to the side, smashing into the mud. Which only held him for a minute before he rose back up practically thrashing the ground in his anger.
Okay there was a play here.
"Surf again!" I ordered and the burst of water once more splashed across the field, a few of the Bunshin standing too close to him got popped, but for the most part a Tentacruel, wasn’t going to worry about water.
Which is why my plan was so insidious.
The explosion of another Sludge Bomb roared out, but I knew Gyarados could take it.
"Dragon Dance! It’s time to show off my Blue Heart!" I call out, and instantly, Gyarados was back upright and wiggling his body preparing.
Gyarados didn’t care whether he was hurt. Or tired, or even unconscious.
He was my heart. And he wouldn’t be stopped.
I could see Koga’s eyebrow quirking up as he knew as well as I did that Gyarados wasn’t a powerhouse like the rest of my team yet. So why had I just ordered Gyarados to buff his power?
I smiled, flashing Koga all my teeth as I pointed towards the sky.
"CLAIM IT!" I roared out, matched by my Gyarados as the next sludge Bomb missed as Tentacruel aimed too low.
Because Gyarados had just fled into the sky.
I had planned on keeping this secret, but if I was going to beat Koga here. I would need every trick in my book.
Plus I knew for a fact seeing a flying Gyarados was going to stymy him for at least a moment.
And it did.
Both trainer and Pokemon stared into the sky as Gyarados floated on air currents that should be far too weak to carry him, but did so anyways.
"Rain Dance!" I called up to him. And a few moments later the field shifted as water fell.
I could see Koga coming back to himself as he realized what I had just done.
"Tentacruel! Mo-"
"THUNDER!" I roared.
"-ve off the ground!"
I blinked as lightning flashed, and all of the Bunshins popped. The flooded ground conducting the lightning right to all of them.
Of course me and Koga got hit as well, but that was just what a high level battle was like, we both flinched being struck. Him more stoic than my yelp as I was knocked off my feet.
But that didn’t matter, because Tentacruel was now alone on the field.
No Substitute to hide behind. No Bunshin to scatter around.
Even as Tentacruel attempted to strike Gyarados down, it didn’t work.
I had been training under Koga after all, you think I wouldn’t have my Gyarados hide among the clouds?
It was my new secret move. Rain Dance, to create the clouds, Fly to hide among the clouds acting just as good as Koga’s stupid Poison Fog.
Plus it made Thunder super accurate. So for Gyarados this combo was even more effective!
"Return." Koga called out, pulling Tentacruel out of the barrage of Thunders that Gyarados was launching down.
"Golbat." He ordered, and I frowned.
I was pretty sure that Golbat was Koga’s Ace. I had only seen it fight twice now, and both times it had been... Intense.
"In the sky Golbat!" He ordered for once not waiting for his Pokemon to figure out the battlefield on its own. Mostly because Gyarados was still flaring lightning in the clouds above our heads as he prepared.
But Golbat, wasn’t Tentacruel. It shrieked once, and then exploded into a swarm of copies.
I glared. It had taken me both battles before I figured out what was happening. Why that single Golbat could go from a single Pokemon into a swarm of hundreds.
It was a mix of KageBunshin, and Double Team.
Some of them were the ’real’ clones. Some were after images.
But it was a hell of a sight as it looked like Koga released hundreds of Pokemon at once.
"Thunder!"
I knew it was the only move in my set though. Golbat was a flying type, an electric attack would do some serious damage.
But even as the bolt of lightning slammed through the swarm, the swarm continued moving, surging into the clouds.
Then both Koga and I were useless. We couldn’t see what was happening thanks to the clouds and rain covering the fight, but we could hear it. Thunder echoing through and the sound of wings heard even over the rain.
Finally after a minute or so of silence, I winced as I saw my boy fall from the sky.
"Return!" I called out instantly, as he wasn’t falling by choice.
Then out of the clouds came a swarm of Golbat. All of them shrieking and fluttering down into a mass of wings and anger.
My hand instinctively went to Arcanines ball, but I hesitated. I was fairly confident in Arcanines ability to handle the swarm. She hadn’t liked her loss in the last battle, and had thrown herself into training even more than before.
I knew she could do it. I had a plan all planned out.
But this wasn’t her fight.
"Chansey!" I called out as I released my girl.
"Chanse! Chansey!" She called out dancing from foot to foot cutely as she greeted the day.
"Alright girl. You know the plan!" I called out, and smiled as she nodded. If I had to give an award for Pokemon most improved over the month training with Koga? That would be Chansey.
Not just because she had agreed to actually battle, and had been put up against strong Pokemon that challenged her in every way, but because she had also taken a liking to Koga.
Yeah oddly enough the two of them had become... Friends? It was weird. She just really liked the ninja aesthetic I guess.
So when Chansey immediately brought her hands together I knew what was coming up next.
A sandstorm kicked up instantly, blurring sight and obscuring what she was doing as Koga’s Swarm hesitated, before going on the attack slipping into the storm to attack.
The KageBunshin would start popping soon in the sandstorm, so Golbat had no choice but to go on the attack.
I could hear Golbats Air Slash cutting through the storm aiming for Chansey, but never touching her.
Chansey was a Ninja now.
"Nin-nin." I whispered. Something I knew no one would hear as I braced myself.
Because a moment after the entire field suddenly shifted.
Gravity.
I winced glad for my normal clothes, because between my hat, and my hastily raised goggles I didn’t have to deal with sand particles as heavy as much larger rock start pelting my eyes.
Golbat didn’t have that luxury, especially since he would be flat on the ground knocked out of the sky in that moment.
I could hear a few moments later the sound of two loud slaps echoing through the field even over the loud noise of sand slamming into the muddy ground.
Then as fast as it appeared. The sandstorm disappeared. A sunny day flooding the field showing Chansey standing over Golbat. Obviously having protected him once he had been knocked unconscious.
As I took off my hat and whipped the sand off it, I noticed with a giggle that Koga was half kneeling on the ground, struggling to deal with the increased Gravity.
Chansey even took a moment to heal up Golbat, who had two massive red spots on its cheeks from Chanseys Gravity enhanced Double Slap.
I waited for a while, until Chanseys Gravity ended, causing Koga to gasp in relief as he managed to regain his feet.
"R-Return." He spoke after a moment brining Golbat back.
Then he didn’t bring out his next Pokemon, simply looking me over with a almost constipated look on his face.
"Chansey is pretty strong!" I informed him with a peace sign and a strong pose which Chansey immediately copied, even if she didn’t have fingers.
He didn’t say anything simply nodding slowly before giving out an actually audible sigh.
"Very well. Let us finish this battle." He drew another Pokeball and chucked it.
"Nido! Nidoking!" It roared much to my surprise.
"I thought your last Pokemon was that Arbok!" I couldn’t help but say. I had fought plenty of Koga’s Pokemon over the month. I mean that was a huge chunk of what we had done. Battle after battle.
But this? I hadn’t seen a Nidoking.
"I suppose you would say he is my secret weapon. I hadn’t expected to need his power against you." He offered which had me chuckle and Chansey did a cute little dance as she spun around on one foot, waving at Nidoking in greeting.
It didn’t at all look like it was having fun. It huffed, and a damn cloud of purple smoke left its mouth.
"Take her out." Koga ordered simply, and Nidoking roared before charging across the field.
"Chansey. Show everyone how amazing you are!" I called out earning a happy chant of her name back to me before she let out a short little gasp as Nidoking slammed into her. Both of them disappearing into the sand.
The sounds of the battle were all I could make out.
Loud stomps. Ground rumbling. Explosions. It was probably an amazing battle.
But I unfortunately didn’t get to see any of it.
Sandstorm is OP.
I winced as the Gravity once more rose up, and I could hear a rumble of something hitting the ground harshly.
Oh. I knew what was coming next.
So I sat down.
Then the earth shook.
I might have picked up TM Earthquake at the same time that I bought Thunder for Gyarados. Well I bought a lot of TM’s at the time. Including Sandstorm which Chansey was using.
I had figured it would be a great counter to Golbat at the time. Drop the Golbat swarm to the ground and hit the lot of them with Earthquake.
It hadn’t been necessary though. Between Sandstorm and Gravity Golbat was all alone by the time Chansey was done.
But now? I winced as the earth shook rumbling and roiling.
Nidoking despite being a Ground type, was actually weak against Ground attacks, thanks to his Poison typing.
Finally everything went quiet.
I waited, and once again the Sandstorm disappeared. The sun hammering as Chansey used Sunny Day to end the storm.
There on the ground was Nidoking. Unconscious.
Chansey wasn’t untouched.
I blinked almost startled at how badass Chansey looked at that moment. She reached up almost casually to wipe away a bit of blood from a scratch on her cheek and then she swiped a hand down.
Recoveries glow flowing over her putting her back at full health as if she hadn’t just got into a cage match with a Nidoking.
"Return." Koga called out simply Nidokings body flowing away in light. It was quiet for a moment as Koga seemed to taking in the fact he actually lost.
I was honestly pretty startled it happened too.
I mean I knew Chansey was an absolute monster, but for her to just outright brawl with a Nidoking? That was... Awesome!
I couldn’t help it. "Chansey!" I cheered loudly jumping into the air waving in happiness.
Her awesome serious mode immediately ended as she did the same. Both of us rushing to each other and slamming into a hug as we giggled and danced together.
Only long after we were satisfied at our victory did I turn to Koga.
He had been waiting casually standing among the ruined ground.
I definitely had the sense that he hadn’t expected us to pull out that win, but I guess he hadn’t taken into consideration that I hadn’t shown him every bit of training we had done. I had disappeared some days on Arcanine back, or in Dragonites arms to work through some special training that needed to happen.
Mostly with the new TM moves that we had learned.
But also to work on the many tricks I learned over weeks of battling trainers every day with underleveled Pokemon.
I lost far more often than I ever won, but I couldn’t deny it was a delight. Switching to new Pokemon facing challengers that had full teams and trained pokemon.
Forced to prove to myself that I actually wasn’t half bad at this whole trainer thing.
"Koga?" I eventually prodded the man had been watching me for a while
"Victoria." He responded reaching into his pocket as he walked closer stepping up to Chansey and I. He offered my girl a nod, which she returned happily.
Then he pulled his hand free and offered to me a Badge.
With a star on it.
"Congratulations on completing your training under my gym. It seems I have far less to teach you than I expected."
"Thanks." I responded almost shyly, I had no idea what else to say! I hadn’t thought I would pull out the win either!
Koga was really strong!
If I hadn’t been facing him for over a month constantly seeing his every trick and learning how to counter them this battle would have been just as harsh as the one before it.
"Thank you. Koga-Sensei." I offered after a moment realizing how stupid I was being. I offered him an actual bow. "I really appreciate everything you have taught me."
"Good. Then my time was not wasted." He offered seemingly back to himself as he nodded once to me as my head rose. "But while you have defeated me, you are not yet finished."
"I’m... Not?"
"No you still have a duty to complete Victoria. You have proven yourself a trainer. Now you must prove you are a ninja." He offered, and for the first time I saw him have a real smile. I blinked and suddenly he wasn’t alone. Almost the entire Ninja Clan was suddenly there.
Janine standing just behind her father with a grin on her face that I could see even through her mask.
"W-wait."
"The Challenge does not end until the sun rises once more. Now, you have one minute head start. No Pokemon are allowed to assist you. Good luck." He offered with an actual evil smile on his face!
Bullying!? Was this hazing!?
I realized how serious he was a moment later and returned Chansey and threw my Pokebelt at him with a pointed finger that I knew he would understand as I turned and ran into the forest around Fuchsia.
A minute later an entire army of ninjas chasing after me, all planning on tormenting me through the night.
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