It was late, so we couldn't linger in the least, not even to rest for a while, otherwise we would have to wait until tomorrow, why don't we wait until tomorrow? You don't know the saying: "Don't leave till tomorrow what you can do today?". Well, that's basically the explanation.
*Note: I search on Google how to say this in English and this is the result, but you can tell me if I'm wrong.
That said, the gym was only 20 minutes away from the Cycling Road, so after returning the rented bikes, we quickly ran to the Pokémon gym.
Once there, I could see that the gym in Fuchsia City was quite generic, the façade was totally identical to that of all the gyms I had seen so far (excluding Erika's), so we didn't even take another look at it and enter.
"Excuse me, did you want anything?" – one person asked.
It was a receptionist. The recepcionist was a middle-aged man, black hair and eyes of the same color, he was also wearing what seemed to be a ninja suit, yes, I am not lying, he was wearing a ninja suit of those that surely everyone has seen in an anime or in a movie at some point.
"I'm a challenger and I'd like to challenge Koga to a Pokémon battle" – I said without hesitation.
"Oh, mmm, I don't know if you can right now" – said the receptionist.
Problems again. Seriously: Can't there even be a normal gym in this region?
"What's wrong, isn't he here?" – I asked curiously.
"No, he is here, but the fact is that the gym closes in 10 minutes and I don't know if Mr. Koga will agree to battle with you just 10 minutes before the gym closes, therefore, I think it would be better for you to come tomorrow" - said the receptionist.
"Isn't there any way Ash can battle with Koga? I mean, we run relentlessly here" - Celeste said.
This time none of them could get angry because it is obvious that, 10 minutes before the Pokémon gym closes, it was impossible for the leader to agree to battle against an aspirant, even Roxanne would not.
"That's right. Couldn't you at least ask Koga?" – Roxanne asked.
"Hmm, it's not that I can't, but..." – said the receptionist.
"Then I would appreciate it if you could ask him if you're so kind" – Roxanne said.
The receptionist wanted to refuse, but for some strange reason, he felt that if he refused, this girl wouldn't stop insisting until he did, so he simply accepted and went to tell Koga.
"To be honest, I thought you were going to get angry" – I said looking at the girls.
"I'm a little angry, but not with the gym leader, but for having run for 20 minutes without rest to get here and not be able to challenge the leader" – Celeste said.
"That's right, besides, a leader is not obliged to accept a challenge if there are only 10 minutes left until the gym closes its doors" – Roxanne agreed.
"You may be right, after all, 10 minutes doesn't give you time for anything" – I nodded.
"That's right, but... who am I to refuse a Pokémon battle?" – asked a voice behind us.
Since we were looking towards the reception, we didn't notice that the door opened to make way for a middle-aged man with knitted purple hair. In addition, he was dressed in a ninja suit, in other words, it was Koga, the gym leader of Fuchsia City, which was the same as the one in the video games; to give you an idea of what he looks like, I mean.
"You are..." – Celeste said.
"I am Koga, gym leader of Fuchsia City, nice to meet you, beautiful ladies and you too, Mr. Trainer" – Koga said.
Wow, he's a pretty polite leader.
"It's a pleasure, I'm Ash from Pallet Town and this is my faithful companion Pikachu and they are Celeste and Roxanne, my... friends" – I said.
"Pika pi!" – Pikachu introduced himself.
"A pleasure" – Celeste said.
"It's a pleasure to meet you" – Roxanne said.
As for how I present my girls... It's not that I'm hiding that I have several girlfriends, that's irrelevant to me, the only thing is that I don't want to be telling people I don't know that I have several girlfriends, at least for the moment and be careful, it's not just my decision, it's a decision in which we all participated and it was approved by everyone, not just by me.
"A pleasure, anyway, I understand that you want to challenge me to a Pokémon battle: Am I wrong?" – Koga asked.
"That's right, but there are only less than 10 minutes left, so if you don't want to, I won't sayt anything and we will return tomorrow" – I nodded.
He is not obliged to battle with me less than 10 minutes before the end of his workday.
"Nonsense, I love battles! It doesn't matter that there are less than 10 minutes left" – Koga said with a smile.
"But doesn't it bother you? I mean, we're taking away your rest time" - I said.
"No, not at all, my daughter is very busy with her position as part of the Elite Four and my wife has gone to visit her so that she is not alone, so technically I am alone at home and I don't know what to do, so it doesn't bother me to be a little more in the gym, don't worry" – Koga denied.
"I see, in that case, I hope it will be a great battle" – I said.
"I say the same" - Koga nodded.
After that, Koga guided us towards his personal battlefield and I must say that it was the same as the rest. Until now, only Erika's was something different, a shame, but I guess decorating a gym to your liking costs a lot of money and that's something that the Pokémon League would have to pay for and I guess it's not easy to get them to approve something like that. That's the only explanation I can find for the normal look of all the Pokémon gyms I've seen so far, which makes me wonder: How did Erika did it? A good question I'll ask her the next time we see each other because something tells me I'll see her again in the future.
However, after we went to the battlefield and took our respective positions (while the girls sat in the stands), I could see that the receptionist was already there, surely Koga told him to act as a referee.
"The rules are simple, it will be a 3 vs 3 battle, the one who weakens all the Pokémon of his opponent, wins! Are you ready?" – said the receptionist.
"Whenever you want!" – we both said.
"Then, you can start!" – said the receptionist.
"So far you've faced the easiest challenges that gym leaders could offer you, however, that's over. From now on, gym leaders will show you their best Pokémon, after all, you have to be prepared for the Pokémon League" – Koga said.
"I see, I guess so far gym leaders have brought out weak Pokémon to help first-time trainers get used to battles" - I said.
"That's right, as gym leaders we have access to the Pokémon League database and we know the badges that each trainer has, so from the fifth medal onwards, the gym leaders won't make it easy for challenger anymore, so get ready, because I'll use my best Pokémon and show no mercy" - Koga said.
"I wouldn't be satisfied otherwise!" – I said with a smile.
"Let us begin, Crobat, I choose you!" - shouted Koga.
Next, a rather intimidating Crobat took to the battlefield ready to fight and win.
"It's true that they're not going to make things easy for me, however... We won't either, Pikachu, I choose you!" – I exclaimed.
"Pika pi!" – Pikachu exclaimed.
Pikachu was eager to battle and demonstrate the results of her training and the time had come to prove it, to show how strong she had become.