Chapter 117: Fuchsia Gym

"Strange… why hasn't the second challenger come out yet?"

Beside Janine stood a man dressed in the same ninja attire.

He was her older brother, Koga, the Gym Leader of Fuchsia Gym.

But at this moment, the usually composed ninja stared nervously at the second passage's exit.

Ash, the challenger, had already been inside for two or three hours without emerging.

That wasn't right. Normally, even a regular person should come out within half an hour!

A bead of cold sweat rolled down Koga's forehead.

"Brother, don't worry. They're Ash's companions. They all said this was normal," Janine said, pulling out a handkerchief to wipe his sweat.

"Lady Janine, allow me to do it instead!" Brock dropped to his knees at lightning speed.

"What on earth is Ash doing in there?" Misty muttered, holding Natsume's phone. On the screen, Ash's location icon kept circling back to the starting point.

The first time Ash looped back, they had already contacted him and told him to take the right passage with no traps. But then…

Ash returned to the starting point again.

"…Forget it. Janine, go fetch this challenger named Ash," Koga said, rubbing his brow.

"Understood," Janine replied.

But before she could move, the wall between the two passages suddenly trembled.

Boom!

A violent crash rang out as a fist burst through the wall, smashing open a large hole.

"?"

Koga froze, dumbfounded, as a dust-covered boy walked out from the hole.

It looked like he had simply punched his way through in a straight line to get here.

"It's Ash—with Midchu and Pikachu!" Misty exclaimed.

Pika—

Pika—

Behind Ash, both Midchu and Pikachu looked utterly exhausted and despairing.

Seeing Ash unharmed, Koga finally let out a sigh of relief.

"Alright, both of you. Let's begin!"

Ignoring the hole Ash had punched through the wall, Koga stepped to the center of the battlefield.

"This will be a one-on-one battle."

With that—

Snap!

A sharp finger snap. Smoke burst forth behind Koga. When it cleared, a battle arena appeared as if from nowhere.

"Whoa! That's just like a circus magic trick! Amazing!" Ash said, wiping sweat from his forehead.

"Uh… I don't think that's really a compliment," Brock whispered, tugging on Ash's sleeve as he massaged the two Pikachu.

Hearing Ash's words, Koga's lips twitched. He closed his eyes and said calmly:

"You two, come at me together."

"Together?" Ash gasped.

"Natsume, is this what you meant by a double battle?" Ash turned his head.

"Not quite. In a true double battle, it's still one battlefield."

Natsume pointed at the two separate arenas that had appeared, shaking his head.

"For this Gym challenge: Koga versus Ash. Koga versus Natsume. Challengers, prepare!"

Janine stepped between the two arenas, acting as referee.

"As a ninja, splitting focus is basic training. Now come!"

Koga threw two Pokéballs into the air. With a flash of red light, two Venonat appeared on the separate battlefields.

"Whoa, Venonat!"

Ash exclaimed in surprise and quickly pulled out his Pokédex.

"Kid, didn't you see the Venonat that came to guide you just now?"

Koga turned his head, looking at Ash in confusion.

"Huh? Guide… no, I didn't see anything." Ash's face showed nothing but puzzlement.

"Never mind, let's battle first." Koga shook his head, planning to look for Venonat later.

"Venonat, evolve!" Koga commanded.

In an instant, both Venonat were wrapped in a flash of white light.

Their bodies twisted and grew, transforming into large, white-and-purple moths covered in fuzzy scales.

Venomoth, the Poison Moth Pokémon. The evolved form of Venonat. The scales on its wings scatter a variety of powders.

"Amazing! Mr. Koga can even control when his Pokémon evolve!" Ash said, stunned.

"That's right. Always knowing the condition of one's partners is one of a ninja's essential skills."

Ash's awestruck reaction made Koga smile in satisfaction. His careful timing of their evolution had paid off.

Just evolved, huh…

Natsume thought for a moment, considering which Pokémon to send.

Midchu had collapsed into deep sleep after wandering around with Ash.

His other Pokémon were too high-leveled—sending them out would end the fight too quickly, earning little experience.

Then he remembered.

"Go, Rotom!"

Natsume tossed his Pokéball. A golden Rotom with tiny lightning-shaped wings appeared on the field.

This was the Rotom gifted to him by Tomiyama. Its level was still low, around 25.

It needed battle experience.

"Your turn, Charmander!" Ash shouted, unwilling to be outdone.

Pikachu was too exhausted this time, so he finally gave another partner a chance.

"Oh? Looks like you've prepared quite well," Koga said, narrowing his eyes.

His specialty was Poison-types.

Charmander and Rotom weren't the best matchup against Venomoth—one was vulnerable, the other resistant.

In fact, Natsume's Rotom resisted both Bug- and Poison-type moves.

"Venomoth, Stun Spore!"

Yellow powder blew from the moths' wings, spreading like a cloud toward Charmander and Rotom.

"Charmander, Flamethrower!"

Ash reacted first.

Meanwhile, Natsume calmly checked the day's wind direction on his phone.

"Rotom, get up into the air."

A burst of flames tore through the powder cloud, while Rotom soared upward until it vanished from sight.

Moments later, a breeze swept across the field, dispersing the remaining Stun Spore.

"Charmander, Fire Spin!"

Ash pressed the attack.

"Venomoth, dodge it quickly!"

Koga tried to refocus, but still had no idea where Rotom had flown.

"Thunder Wave." Natsume's quiet voice echoed.

A pulse of electricity descended from above, striking Venomoth before Koga could react.

Veno—! Sparks ran across its body. Its wings stiffened mid-flap, nearly sending it crashing to the ground.

It was paralyzed.

"Hey—where even is that Rotom?!" Koga's face twitched in disbelief. He couldn't spot it at all.

It hovered somewhere above like a floating fortress, firing attacks downward.

"Confuse Ray."

Natsume gave another calm command, layering more status effects.

"Damn it—Venomoth, get airborne!" Koga barked.

Confuse Ray struck, and Venomoth fell into confusion.

But even under both paralysis and confusion, Venomoth struggled to fly upward at Koga's command.

Natsume was stunned. At that moment, he almost wanted to wake up his drowsing Kadabra just to let it witness such sheer willpower.

But it was pointless.

He shook his head slightly.

Sure enough, midway into the air, Venomoth faltered and came crashing down.

"What's going on?" Koga froze.

"Boom!" Before he could think further, an explosion echoed from outside the Gym, drawing everyone's attention.

"It sounds like someone broke into the Gym?" Janine was taken aback.

Not far away, a Venonat rolled in, tied up with rope and crying miserably.

It was the very Venonat that had been sent to guide Ash!

Veno—nat! It clung to Janine's leg, desperately trying to explain.

"Brother, Venonat says a man, a woman, and a Meowth have broken into the Gym and are stealing Pokémon!"

Janine's face tensed with urgency.

"I'll stop them!"

With that, she rushed off.

"Mr. Koga, aren't you going too?"

Ash and Natsume turned to him together.

"Handling things alone is a quality every ninja must possess." Koga closed his eyes, letting Janine take the task.

"Miss Janine, I'll help you!" Brock immediately sprinted after her.

"M-me too." Realizing it was Team Rocket, Misty covered her face and ran after them.

A moment later, she lowered her hand in puzzlement.

Why was she embarrassed on their behalf?

Watching Misty and Brock run to help, Koga nodded again.

"Excellent. A well-trained ninja must learn to make use of others' strength effectively."

Natsume: "…"

Somehow, he always managed to be in the right.

You can read more (around 100+ free chapters) of Natsume's adventure ad-free at [https://ravenarchives.com/book/pokemon-who-let-him-leave-pallet-town]. Bulk uploads is a mess here, so updates here might be irregular.