Fuchsia Gym—
Koga looked at Ash with uncertainty, his heart wavering. Could it be that Ash really has three Elite-level Pokémon?
If not, why would he take on an Elite-level challenge for no reason?
Even if he wanted his Pokémon to experience challenges and pressure, he wouldn't battle Elite-level Pokémon. He should choose opponents of similar strength.
Frankly speaking, Ash's Pokémon might be strong, but his command skills are likely lacking. What level could his command skills reach in just two months?
Knowledge, practical experience, insights... these require time to accumulate unless there's guidance from a renowned teacher.
And Ash has only been traveling for two months, and he's been on the road all this time. Where would he find a mentor?
No time, no guidance—how good could Ash's skills as a Trainer be?
So even if Ash's Pokémon were stronger than his, the odds of winning weren't high, let alone having lower-level Pokémon challenge at a higher level.
"...Since you insist on a three-on-three match, then a three-on-three it is. Aya, bring out that machine."
Koga pondered for a moment and decided to fight first. What trick was Ash hiding up his sleeve? A match would reveal it.
However, since it was an Elite battle, safety had to be ensured first.
After Koga spoke, Aya called a few staff members to enter the gym with her, then placed four machines at the four corners of the arena.
Ash looked at these machines, feeling a sense of familiarity. They seemed like the machines that rose during his challenge at the Celadon Gym, but these were larger and more complex.
"This machine is issued by the League..."
"I already know that. Erika used this at the Celadon Gym too." Seeing Koga about to explain again, Ash interrupted him.
After all, he'd seen and heard the explanation before, so there was no need to hear it again.
"They used it at the Celadon Gym? Well, considering the environment there, without it, a battle could easily tear the place apart." Koga thought of the Celadon Gym's environment, understanding dawning on his face.
Since Ash had already seen this machine, Koga didn't elaborate further but added, "This machine is a bit different from Celadon's. Their machine, like typical gyms, can only defend against Professional-level attacks at most. But mine... can block Gym-level!"
Koga spoke with pride about his device, as not every gym could acquire such high-level defense machines.
For now, this was the most advanced defense machine the League had developed. To reach another level of protection, they'd need a Gym Peak-level Aegislash to intervene.
While it could only block Gym-level attacks, as long as it wasn't hit directly, the aftermath of an Elite-level Pokémon battle could be contained, so Koga wasn't worried about its protective power.
Hearing this, Ash nodded knowingly and gave Koga a thumbs up.
Aya walked to the referee's stand, made a ninja gesture, and loudly announced, "...The match rules are three-on-three. The first to lose all Pokémon is defeated. The Gym Trainer cannot switch Pokémon voluntarily, while the challenger may switch at will. The match begins!"
With Aya declaring the rules, Koga flicked his hand, and a Pokeball appeared in his palm. He then tossed it out, a flash of light revealing a deep blue Pokémon on the field.
It had yellow eyes, a red bulge under its chin, three fingers on each hand with crimson claws, a slim body, and stood upright like a person.
"What's that Pokémon? I've never seen it before." Misty scrutinized the Pokémon Koga released, searching her memory for any information or even a name but found none.
Upon seeing the frog-like Pokémon, Brock felt a strange tension, shaking his head to dispel the odd feeling, then recalled the Pokémon's information.
"It's Toxicroak, a Pokémon from the Sinnoh region, the evolved form of Croagunk."
"Sinnoh region? A Sinnoh region Pokémon is Mr. Koga's main? But Brock, how do you even know about Sinnoh region Pokémon?" Misty asked with a peculiar look.
Everyone's a Gym Leader, but you seem to know quite a lot.
Brock replied matter-of-factly, "Of course, it's from the information Miss Joy gave us. Remember? Miss Joy from Gringey City provided us with Mr. Koga's details, which included info on his main Pokémon, though you might not have paid much attention to that."
Hearing this, Misty showed a polite yet awkward smile.
She indeed read Koga's file but paid little attention to his main Pokémon's info.
After all, who would have thought Ash would challenge Koga's main Pokémon?
No one knew Ash's situation better than them. Other than his Elite-level Gengar, Ash's strongest was his Professional Junior-level Pikachu.