Kanto - Fuchisa City

Ash and the gang soon arrived at Fuchisa City after their crazy stint in the safari with the caretaker Kaiser. Ash sweatdropped remembering how the man was pointing his gun with him, and the other visitors and he half wondered if he could get a gun. Lucario read his thought and said 'no yet', so perhaps in the future he will learn how to use one for now he had a contest and a gym battle to worry about.

Misty, "We're here!"

Gou sighed, "Finally."

Ritchie, "What a crazy week it has been, first we see Suicuine then Kaiser happened and finally we saw a pride of Dragonite family, that too all shiny."

Brock laughed, "Well at least we didn't have to worry about Team Rocket, right?"

Horace, "Don't jinx it Brock!"

Jameson, "Let's just go get rooms."

Jessilina yawned, "Yeah!"

Ash, "I think I'll go for my badge first this time, what do you think Lucario?"

Lucario shrugged, -I'm good with any.-

Ash, "I'll book the battle to be in two days, that will give us another two days to prepare for the contest."

Ash dropped his bags at the centre before going to train with his Pokemon, he had decided to send Pikachu back to the lab and have Muk sent to him. The Professor had lectured him on how to take care of the poison type and on safety precautions to follow while handling him. It didn't sound hard to follow and Ash had taken up one of the spaces behind the safari ranch to properly greet Muk and train with him. The mud poison Pokemon had just stared at him and Lucario first before grinning and glomping them making them squeak and yowl in surprise.

He had even made friends with a small family of Tauros and Milktank or rather Phantump had and he had agreed to take the family of seven. It was a little odd to have caught a whole family of Pokemon but Lucario explained they had originally belonged to a trainer but said trainer had been unable to care for all of them. So she had left them in the Safari zone after talking to Kaiser about it, the man had agreed to it as long as they didn't create problems for the other Pokemon. Now that group was his and the oldest or rather the alpha was with him after he sent Pidgeot back to the lab. They trained together for the next two days before the time came to battle Janine who was the newest gym leader, she was the same age as Brock from what he could tell.

Referee, "This is an official match between trainer Ash and Gym Leader Janine for the soul badge. Choose your first Pokemon."

Janine, "Let's go Venonat!"

Ash, "Let's do this Tauros!"

Referee, "Begin!"

Janine, "Venonat psybeam!"

Ash, "Use agility to dodge then hidden power."

Taurus dodged the psybeam before using hidden power, it had been one thing that surprised Ash a lot, when he found out while training with Muk and Taurus. Lucario had told him as a leader he had learned it from one of the dark types in the zone so he could keep his family safe till they met a trainer willing to take in all of them. The hidden power hit the Venonat getting a cry from the bug type before he got up again.

Janine, "Use destiny bond!"

Ash, "Dodge left and tackle!"

Tauros dodged to the left as the attack went past him before he tackled the bug Pokemon knocking him out. Unfortunately destiny bond came into effect and hit Tauros out as well.

Referee, "Venonat and Tauros are unable to battle, the first bout ends in a draw."

Ash hugged Tauros who woke up, "Great job buddy! Your first gym battle."

Janine lifted an eyebrow, "First?"

Ash smiled, "I caught this big guy a few days ago."

Janine, "And you already work well together, not bad. Now let's go Voltrob."

Ash, "Return Tauros, Get some rest okay? You deserve it."

Tauros nodded and rumbled softly before returning to his pokeball and Ash called another Pokemon, "Let's go Muk."

Referee, "Begin."

Janine, "Thunder bolt!"

Ash, "Move around like you did while training and use Sludge bomb!"

Muk threw sludge bombs at the electric type who dodged before attacking with thunder, for a Pokemon that didn't look fast, Muk was seriously fast. Ash could attest to that remembering all the flying hugs he received.

Janine, "Voltrob go after it. Thunderwave!"

Ash, "Disable and use pound and poison gas."

Muk disabled the thunder attack before jumping on top of Voltrob who tried to shock the poison Pokemon. Muk however released poison gas while covering Voltrob making him wobble weakly.

Voltrob, "Vooool.... "

Muk carried the sick looking Voltrob and gave him to Janine, "Ummm... Thank you?"

Muk smiled, "Mukkk muk."

Referee, "Uhhh... Voltrob is unable to battle, Muk wins the second round."

Janine deadpanned, "Let me guess, he is new as well!"

Ash chuckled sheepishly, "Yeah.... Great job bud.... No Muk!"

Muk had body hugged him again making Lucario sigh in amusement before he pulled Ash out from below him. Ash returned Muk who was grinning mischievously as he did not want to be glomped again in the middle of a battle.

Janine, "Go Venomoth!"

Ash, "Let's do this Fearrow!"

Referee, "Begin!"

Janine, "Silver wings!"

Ash, "Agility hit."

Fearrow flew around the Venomoth dodging the silver coloured attack before speeding up and hitting the bug head first making him move back but not go down. He looked at the large bird determined to battle him and not go down easily. Fearrow looked the Venomoth over, the bug type was a battler if the scars were anything to go by.

Ash, "Gust!"

Janine, "Poison powder!"

Ash, "Blow it back."

Fearrow used gust on the Venomoth as he used poison powder, the poison did not affect the bug type as he was used to it. Ash hummed as he watched his opponent, she was one of the upcoming prodigal poison type Master. Figures her Pokemon would be immune to poison as well!

Ash, "Ariel wing!"

Janine, "Ariel ace!"

Ash was surprised Venomoth even knew how to use Ariel ace, his Butterfree and Beedrill were still struggling with it. He did not linger on that thought however and watched as Fearrow dodged the attack and hit Venomoth with the steel wing sending him to the battle field hard.

Janine, "Venomoth, are you ok?"

Venomoth tried to get up but Fearrow used another gust to blow him away knocking him out. Janine frowned, it may not seem like it but the Fearrow was ruthless, she half wondered how a beginner who has not even trained for a year managed that.

Referee, "Venomoth is unable to battle, Fearrow wins."

Janine, "Return Venomoth, you know if this was the usual three on three, I would be giving you a badge right now, but it is not so go Arbok."

Arbok, "Arbok bok."

Ash grinned, "Let's go Krabby."

Krabby, "Bi bi bi!"

Referee, "Begin!"

Janine, "Bind!"

Ash, "Harden!"

Arbok wrapped around Krabby but thanks to harden it did not affect the little crab much instead he eye smiled mischievously and pinched the snake Pokemon making her jump in surprise. Arbok checked her scales and seeing nothing she turned around to her opponent in annoyance.

Janine, "Poison needles!"

Ash, "Counter with bubble beam."

Krabby released a stream of bubbles that popped as the needles with poison hit the bubbles but didn't reach him. He was getting close to being able to use a powerful water gun, just a little more.

Janine, "Poison tail."

Ash, "Jump and use crab hammer."

Krabby jumped to dodge the poison attack before attached with the crab hammer but Arbok dodged as well. Instead Krabby made a small hole in the battlefield before he turned around and hit Arbok with a water gun.

Ash, "You learned water gun yes, good job Krabby."

Krabby ^ω^, "Bi bi bi bi!"

Arbok ๏_๏, shook her wet head, "Arbok."

Janine, "Use toxic!"

Ash, "Water gun again."

The water gun hit the toxic attack and it fell to the battleground as a harmless purple colored goo. Krabby then started to glow getting a gasp from Misty and he grew bigger and bigger till he was taller than Ash.

Ash ヾ(〃^∇^)ﾉ, "Congratulations on evolving Kingler, now let's try out, bubble beam."

Janine, "Arbok agility!"

Kingler shot bubbles at Arbok but the snake slithered through the battlefield untouched by the attack.

Ash, "Water gun to the ground."

Kingler shot water gun making the battleground muddy and Arbok get stuck before she loosened herself only to get stuck again much to her annoyance.

Ash, "Hyperbeam!"

Janine, "Return the hyperbeam!"

The two attacks collided pushing both Pokemon back before it stopped. Kingler looked exhausting and Ash cursed a bit in his head, there was a reason why it was not recommended to evolve in battle. The stress of the evolution combined with the previous fight can cause severe exhaustion.

Ash, "Kingler... "

Kingler stood up and pointed at Arbok who was exhausted too and nodded, "Bhi bhi."

Ash nodded, "Alright give it your all water gun."

Janine, "Use poison tail Arbok."

However what came out was not a water gun but a hydro pump which had Ash and Lucario both gaping. Arbok was taken by surprise as well and she went down in battle.

Referee, "Arbok is unable to battle, Kingler is the winner, choose your final Pokemon."

Ash held Kingler as he sat down exhausted and drained, "Did you evolve to win?"

Kingler nodded, "Rrrrrrr!"

Ash, "That was dangerous Kingler but yet at the same time very sweet, thank you."

Kingler eye smiled before using one of his claw arms to hug Ash making him laugh, "Get some rest bud, I will give you a check up as soon as we get to a centre."

Janine quietly watched the cute moment, she would be lying if she said she didn't have a soft spot for adorable moments before calling out her next Pokemon, "Seviper, let's go."

Ash, "Let's do this Lucario!"

Lucario, -Ready!-

Referee, "Begin!"

Janine, "Rain dance!"

Ash, "Sunny day followed by drain punch."

Seviper hissed as he dodged the drain punch but was still nicked a bit.

Janine, "Screech!"

Ash, "Extreme speed followed by aura sphere."

Lucario got away from Seviper before he could make him deaf and launched an aura ball against the snake.

Janine, "Counter with hidden power."

Seviper shot hidden power to neutralize the attack before both Pokemon attacked each other using sword dance and close combat. It made Ash's eyes widen before he grinned and cheered Lucario on.

Ash, "Use aura sphere again followed by shadow."

Janine was curious if Ash meant shadow ball but didn't think too much about it, "Hidden power."

Lucario's aura attack was retaliated by hidden power however his shadow claw attack landed on Seviper making him hiss in pain.

Janine, "Seviper use toxic."

Ash, "Dragon pulse full power."

Lucario nodded as he shot a high very concentration of draconic energy towards Seviper as he shot toxic. The dragon pulse overpowered toxic and hit Seviper making him fly backward hissing.

Janine, "Seviper?"

Seviper tried to get up but fell with a hiss, "Sev."

Referee, "Seviper is unable to battle, Lucario is the winner, Ash has won the soul badge."

Ash jumped, "We won, we won, great job Lucario."

Lucario smiled before lifting Ash up in a hug getting giggles from him, -We did Meema.-

Brock, "Awesome job Ash."

Misty, "Yeah! That was awesome Ash, Lucario."

Ritchie, "Yeah congratulations."

Gou, "Congratulations on Krabby evolving too."

Horace nodded, "It was awesome to watch."

Janine, "As proof of your victory I proudly present to you the soul badge. You have earned it Ash, I look forward to the how far the trainer that Lt Surge praised will go."

Ash looked bewildered when Janine mentioned Lt Surge and she explained among all the gym leaders of Kanto, Surge was the hardest to impress. Ash and the group nodded in understanding before they left the gym, Ash and Brock towards the centre while Ritchie, Misty, Gou and Horace went to the training grounds. They half wondered what Jameson and Jessilina were up-to, Ash knows Jessilina already got a badge a day ago before the two of them left for work.

[A. N.: Ahem! I skipped the Dragonair and the reserve episode as I have never watched it, I only read about it.

I don't know where I can watch it either so I only got a summary which didn't really help me make a chapter for it.]