Pokemon: The Master Of Monsters

"Isn't Mr. Najun the gym leader of Saffron?" Ash asked, confused.

In order to obtain the Saffron Gym Badge, Ash had tried challenging twice before finally succeeding.

"That's my father. He's temporarily acting as the gym leader for me," Sabrina explained.

"Oh, so that's it," Ash said, surprised. He hadn't expected Najun, such a strong trainer, to only be an acting gym leader. This meant that Sabrina, the girl standing before him, was actually stronger than her father.

Gary had a lingering doubt. When did Najun become an acting gym leader? But after thinking about it, Gary realized that Sabrina hadn't resigned from her position, so in strict terms, her father was indeed just temporarily stepping in for her.

"Gary, there's still some time before dinner. Let's have a Pokémon battle," Ash suggested.

Brock (formerly brock) and Misty felt a bit out of place. They had come to the hot spring town to relax, not to engage in a battle.

Gary, however, didn't say anything, instead just glancing at his own Pikachu.

[LV30 Pikachu♂ / Champion]

Ash's Pikachu was at level 30—still fast to level up, but it wasn't enough to impress Gary yet.

[Ding! A task has been issued. Accept Ash's challenge and defeat him. Reward: Low-level Rare Candy x10, Intermediate Rare Candy x10, Bronze Crown x1.]

Gary had originally planned to decline the challenge, thinking to save the duel for a later time. But with the task now activated, he had no choice but to accept. The reward was too good to pass up—10 Low-level and Intermediate Rare Candies each, along with a Bronze Crown, which could enhance the potential of Pokémon. This battle was going to happen.

Moreover, this task also subtly confirmed Ash's strength. At his current stage, he was indeed stronger than a normal gym leader.

"In that case, let's have a 3-on-3 battle. What do you think?" Gary asked.

"Okay, I'm all in," Ash replied enthusiastically, without hesitation.

Brock and Misty were both excited as well. After all, Gary was Ash's rival, and throughout their journey, whenever Ash contacted Professor Oak, he would always ask about Gary's progress. Along the way, each gym Ash had visited had somehow been affected by Gary, and all the gym leaders had praised him.

According to the original story, Gary had earned ten badges. Only three of them overlapped with Ash's—Pewter, Blue Gray, and Rainbow Badges—the rest were obtained by Gary in other regions. Ash, on the other hand, had earned five badges so far, with some overlap.

It was clear to everyone that Gary's progress far outstripped Ash's.

Though the hot spring town was known for relaxation, it was also the Pokémon world, and battles could happen anywhere. It wasn't surprising to find a battle venue here.

Gary and Ash walked to the battle area, taking their positions in the command zone.

"I'll be the referee," Brock said, stepping forward. Being the only male among the group, he volunteered to oversee the match.

Both Gary and Ash agreed, and the match was set.

"Miss Sabrina, is Gary really strong?" Misty asked Sabrina as they watched the two prepare.

Though Misty had met Gary before, it had been a while. She wasn't entirely sure of his current strength, so she decided to ask Sabrina.

From their shared journey, Misty had gathered that Gary was incredibly strong, so she was curious about Sabrina's take.

"He should be very strong. I've never seen Gary lose a battle," Sabrina replied calmly.

Misty was shocked. She knew that both Gary and Ash had been rookies at some point. Though Ash had grown strong, he had still lost a number of battles. In comparison, it seemed clear that Gary was stronger than Ash.

"Now, we'll have a 3-on-3 match. Please send out your Pokémon," Brock announced.

"Pidgeotto, it's your turn."

Gary had been thinking about which Pokémon to use, but Ash quickly tossed out his Poké Ball.

A majestic, heroic Pidgeotto appeared.

[LV27 Pidgeotto♂ / Quasi-Elite]

Gary was surprised. He had thought Ash's Pidgeotto only had the potential to reach the level of a Gym Leader Pokémon, but now he saw that Ash's Pidgeotto was on par with a quasi-elite Pokémon.

This was surprising even to Gary, who had spent over a month searching for a Pidgey and Pidgeotto with Gym-level potential but had been unsuccessful. Ash, on the other hand, had caught this one seemingly by accident, and it had such high potential. Gary couldn't help but feel envious.

"Golbat, it's your turn," Gary said, tossing his own Poké Ball.

A Golbat appeared in front of Gary.

"Golbat...?" Ash, still learning about Pokémon, pulled out his Pokédex and pointed it at Golbat.

"Golbat, a Poison and Flying-type Pokémon. It evolves from Zubat. Golbat has sharp teeth, and its bite can absorb up to 300cc of blood," the Pokédex chimed.

Upon hearing the Pokédex's description, Ash quickly deduced, "Poison and Flying types... That means the type advantage isn't in my favor."

"Ash, since you sent out your Pokémon first, I'll let you attack first," Gary said confidently.

"Okay, Pidgeotto, use Quick Attack!" Ash commanded, eager to strike first.

Pidgeotto lunged forward with a burst of speed, cloaked in white light as it launched the Quick Attack toward Golbat. However, despite the Quick Attack, Golbat's speed was enough to handle the attack with ease.

"Cross Poison!" Gary called out.

Golbat quickly flapped its wings, coating them in venom as it charged toward Pidgeotto. The two Pokémon collided in midair, and after the impact, Golbat swung its wings again, creating wind blades that chased Pidgeotto.

"Gust!" Ash ordered.

Pidgeotto flapped its wings, summoning a gust of wind to blow away the attacking wind blades. However, Pidgeotto had underestimated the strength of Golbat's attack, and the gust failed to stop Golbat's Air Cutter. The sharp wind slashed through the air and struck Pidgeotto.

"What!" Ash shouted, shocked that he had lost the skill battle.

"Cross Poison!" Gary commanded again.

Golbat, now moving at lightning speed, transformed into a blue blur as it rushed toward Pidgeotto. Pidgeotto barely had time to react before Golbat was upon him. The bat Pokémon's wings turned into sharp poison blades, striking Pidgeotto with force.

"Pidgeotto!" Ash cried out in alarm as Pidgeotto crashed to the ground, its face turning blue from the poison.

"Ash, Pidgeotto is poisoned," Misty said, noticing the clear signs of poisoning.

"What! How could that happen?" Ash asked in disbelief, clearly worried about his Pokémon.

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