Chapter 59: Rout

"Cough, cough, cough... You're quite strong, aren't you?"

Koga landed in a puddle of sludge, which was his Muk.

Muk, relying on its body's unique properties, absorbed a large amount of the impact for Koga.

Other than feeling a bit winded, Koga's body sustained no injuries.

"Strong? I'm not strong at all."

Aerodactyl gently descended with Ace. Ace's Pokémon gathered around him, protecting him while also glaring menacingly at Koga.

Koga frowned, looking at Ace, and Ace stared back at Koga.

The current Koga wasn't actually that strong.

If he were the future Elite Four Koga, Ace would guarantee he'd turn around and leave without a word.

But now, though he was the Fuchsia City Gym Leader, Koga's primary focus was still on Team Rocket.

Completely lacking in training, his strength wasn't significantly superior to Ace's.

"Happiny!"

Ace gave Koga no time to react. Happiny immediately charged forward, without any specific move, just a cute pink fist punching out.

"Muk, harden!"

Sludge welled up, and Muk instantly blocked Happiny's path, taking Happiny's punch head-on.

"Boom!"

A loud bang resonated as Happiny's punch directly blasted Muk's body apart. Sludge splattered everywhere, but for Muk, such damage wasn't fatal. On the contrary, the scattered sludge slowly began to gather, converging back towards Muk.

"Whoosh!"

A sharp whooshing sound pierced the air. Ace's Golbat unleashed Steel Wing, aiming directly for Koga.

Koga glanced at his own Golbat, which had already been flattened into a pulp by Lapras. Ace's Gastly was hovering over Golbat's corpse, grinning and seemingly absorbing something.

"Hmph."

Koga snorted, throwing two more shuriken that flew towards Ace's Golbat from left and right.

Poké Balls opened, and two Zubat swiftly burst out, blocking Golbat from either side, instantly engaging Golbat in battle.

"I'd like to see how many Pokémon you have!"

Ace frowned slightly, then sharply raised his hand. Weepinbell appeared and immediately sprayed Acid towards Koga.

"You'll be disappointed. I have plenty of tools!"

Koga dodged the Acid. He threw a shuriken, and an Arbok surged out, retaliating with an Acid stream towards Ace.

"Roar!"

Aerodactyl roared, its mighty cry completely focused on Arbok. Arbok was instantly forced back.

But Koga didn't care. He flicked both hands, sending six modified Poké Ball shuriken spinning out. They zipped through the air like swallows, scattering dazzlingly in all directions.

"Damn it!"

Ace inwardly cursed. Aerodactyl grabbed Ace and flapped its wings, instantly fleeing their original position.

At the same time, Ace swiftly recalled Gastly and Weepinbell. As for Happiny and Golbat, there simply wasn't enough time!

"Boom, boom, boom..."

Six explosions erupted, and the chaotic gusts of air blew Aerodactyl askew, but fortunately, Aerodactyl was strong enough to stabilize its body and avoid falling.

A cold glint flashed, and a Poké Ball shuriken embedded itself in Ace's thigh. Blood dripped down his leg.

"Hiss..."

A Koffing instantly popped out. Just as it was about to do something, Weepinbell leaped out directly, its Vine Whip swiftly binding Koffing.

The next instant, Weepinbell plummeted downwards.

"Boom!"

Koffing self-destructed. Although it was already some distance from Ace, the powerful shockwave still made Ace dizzy.

"Weepinbell, return!"

Ace immediately recalled Weepinbell, consuming five mission points.

Weepinbell had saved Ace's life, but it was badly wounded by the explosion, with two of its leaves blasted off. If Ace hadn't recalled it in time for treatment, Weepinbell would have perished there.

"Two down. I'd like to see how many Pokémon you have left."

Koga sneered. In his opinion, an ordinary kid, no matter how many Pokémon they had, wouldn't have that many.

He had already severely wounded two Pokémon, and the scales of victory were tilting in his favor.

"You'll be disappointed!"

Ace sharply threw out a Poké Ball. A perfectly fine Lapras and Weepinbell leaped out, landing on the ground.

"Impossible?!"

Koga was dumbfounded. Weepinbell's blasted leaves were still scattered there; how could it have recovered instantly?

"No, they must just look similar."

Koga quickly came up with a reasonable explanation, temporarily suppressing the shock in his heart.

"Blizzard, Powder!"

Lapras and Weepinbell coordinated perfectly. Blizzard immediately roared, pressing towards Koga, while Weepinbell's Powder was mixed within the blizzard, causing widespread damage and control over Koga.

Golbat and Happiny, hearing Ace's words, immediately broke free from their battles and quickly returned, thus avoiding the blizzard's effects.

The blizzard obscured Koga's vision. Muk also quickly retreated, expanding its body to form a massive shield that covered Koga, protecting him within the blizzard.

Meanwhile, the two Zubat on the other side were instantly frozen solid, falling to the ground and shattering.

"Gastly, your turn."

Ace opened his Poké Ball. Gastly nodded after hearing Ace's words, then its body gradually faded, disappearing before Ace.

Under Muk's shield, Koga managed to catch his breath.

Feeling Muk's violently shaking body, Koga frowned. "This kid is tough. Are kids this strong these days?"

Protected by Muk, Koga slightly lowered his guard, observing Muk's condition, planning to quickly deal with that kid once the blizzard ended.

But just then, a wisp of gray mist slowly steamed up from beneath the ground, quickly spreading within Muk's shield.

"Mist? No! This isn't good!"

Koga instantly snapped to attention, immediately ordering Muk to open its shield, while his Sludge Armor covered his mouth and nose.

This wasn't some mysterious mist at all; it was Gastly's deadly Poison Gas!

"Damn it, I must retreat now; the situation is unfavorable for me!"

Koga instantly analyzed the situation. Without any hesitation, he rolled two Poké Balls out, while he rapidly retreated backward.

"Trying to run?! Dream on!"

Ace noticed Koga trying to escape and immediately prepared to pursue.

But just as he was about to act, the two Poké Balls opened, and two Weezing emerged.

"Retreat!"

Ace instantly felt a headache. He unhesitatingly took his Pokémon and moved away from the two Weezing.

"Boom! Boom!"

The two Weezing self-destructed, and the powerful shockwaves instantly flung Ace and his Pokémon away.

By the time Ace struggled to his feet, Koga had already vanished without a trace.