Battle! Janine, Heir of Poisonous Tricks

**"Battle! Janine, Heir of Poisonous Tricks"** is the twenty-seventh (twenty-eighth in Archive of Our Own and Royal Road) chapter of *Pokémon Reset Bloodlines.* After several days of training and preparing, Ash is finally ready to challenge the Fuchsia City Gym. However, the trainer from Pallet Town will soon enough learn the challenges ahead will be much tougher than he expects, as his growing fame means his future opponents will now be more prepared for him.

## Plot

Three days have passed since Ash and company visited the Safari Zone, and Ash has been preparing for the upcoming gym battle with his friends, trying to anticipate possible strategies he could be facing. However, he isn't the only one who's been training.

After leaving Fuchsia, Paul decided to vent his frustrations over losing the tag tournament by going to challenge a minor gym to get a badge out of it. His Nidoking performed so well that he gave him a reward with a treatment that included some needed nail trim and other frivolities, while Paul himself is out of town fishing for Magikarp to train into a Gyarados. He's frustrated at the wait, but he knows he needs a Magikarp with the right temperament so it doesn't turn on him upon evolving, and he uses his Pokédex to check it, which he finds annoying but manages to put up with it.

Meanwhile, A.J. and Jeanette have arrived to Cinnabar Island, and are currently challenging together Blaine in the gym for a Volcano Badge each. Her Scizor and his Sandslash are currently engaged in a double battle against Blaine's Rapidash and Arcanine.

In Vermilion City, Ritchie is challenging Lt. Surge, with Zippo currently fighting on the battlefield. Surge asks if he happens to know a couple of other kids with Pikachu (referring to Ash and Red), but Ritchie doesn't know of them.

Dan has left Saffron City, still wondering whether he challenged the leader there or not, but official records say that he didn't do anything, and is currently challenging Brock in the Pewter City Gym. His Jumpluff is currently fighting Brock's Rhyperior, with his Ampharos having already taken out an Omastar, and forcing a double KO with Brock's Aerodactyl. This Rhyperior has Solid Rock as an ability, making it able to tank super effective attacks easily.

Around the hills of Pewter City, Solidad is training with her Lapras and Slowbro. Then, a trainer with an Incineroar glares at them from atop a boulder. As their eyes meet, they prepare to battle each other.

In a café of Celadon City, Gary Oak has barely touched his food, still moping about the result of his latest gym battle. Erika enters the place and asks for the usual, and upon noticing him approaches his table. Erika notes that Gary doesn't seem very happy despite having won against her. Gary feels he should have done better, as he won by the hair. Erika tries to assure him he did well, but when he tries to leave, she stops him. She deduces that what bothers him is that he thinks he should have won much easier, especially against a leader like her who specializes on a type with so many weaknesses. She states that Gary had the correct Pokémon and the correct moves, but he was still missing something, more in spirit than in phrasing, and he'll have to figure out what it is if he wants to move on from this block.

Back with Ash, the trainer is surprised to learn that Koga isn't the Fuchsia Gym Leader anymore, but his daughter Janine has recently taken over the position, as he retired so as to challenge the Elite Four. The Pokédex explains that there was a recent spike in Soul Badges due to the new leader learning the ropes, but the learning curve has already reached its peak and he's not at an optimal time to challenge her anymore.

The following day, as they enter the gym, Anabel asks what Gyms are like, having never been in one before. Iris recalls their time at the Celadon Gym describing it with many trees, but Ash elaborates that each gym is usually themed differently depending on who runs it. Suddenly, he bumps into an invisible wall, and he recalls some of the traps the gym used to have back in The Old Timeline. Misty mentions that she misses Surge's thugs back in Vermilion, but Ash is unsure whether Charizard could help him here. Iris notes that Charizard could easily break or burn the wall, but the Pokédex points out that would be arson and vandalism, both of which are illegal. Anabel suggests that she could teleport them right to the end, and after Ash repeats it to the Pokédex, the device informs that there are some gaping holes in the camera grid they can use to sneak in. Ash expresses concern about pitfall traps, but the Pokédex reveals that the gym's trap schedule has them only to deal with invisible walls.

As they reach the arena, they spot a girl dressed as a ninja hanging from the ceiling upside-down while listening to music at a loud volume. As Misty wonders how she's staying up there, the Pokédex reveals magnets on her soles and the ceiling. Iris suddenly glares at the girl, as if expecting her to attack them. The ninja girl stops the music and jumps down to land before them, before pulling out a couple of shurikens, causing Iris to glare at her even harder. She compliments Iris on her instincts for picking up those details on her, before introducing herself as Janine, the gym leader, and revealing that she knows who Ash is. Janine then explains that she fought Red before she left, and while he earned his badge, unlike them he never picked up on her little test. The reminder of Red causes Ash a small tinge of annoyance, but he quickly drowns it to avoid thinking of it, and the challenge is accepted. A ninja appears in a puff of smoke to act as referee (Anabel explaining that he was hiding on the ceiling the whole time) and declares that the battle will be four on four, with only the challenger being allowed substitutions.

Janine starts out with a Nidoqueen, and Ash decides to begin with Squirtle. Nidoqueen's opening strike is a Shock Wave attack, which Squirtle tries to block with Counter Shield, but the attack hits him in the chest before he can start spinning. Nidoqueen charges with a Poison Jab and Squirtle shoots a Water Gun, hitting her on the jaw and stopping her on her tracks, thus giving him the chance to jump back up into upright position. Janine commends them for how fast the attack was, before ordering Nidoqueen another Shock Wave. Ash counters with another Water Gun, hitting Nidoqueen in the jaw again before she finishes charging, and the Shock Wave ends up launched at the ceiling instead of Squirtle. Once again, Janine compliments the speed and accuracy of Squirtle's attacks, but adds that speed and accuracy aren't the only factors in victory, and that strategy is also important, before ordering Nidoqueen to use Double Team, filling the field with her duplicates.

As the battle goes on, the girls watch on with worries. Misty wonders what they're up to, while Iris tries to yell at Ash that Janine probably wants to use the duplicates to confuse him. While it seems like a sound strategy, Anabel read Janine's mind and knows that's not what she's aiming for, and there's another reason to use Nidoqueen. She wants to tell Ash about it, but Ash made her promise that, should she ever accidentally figure out what his opponents' strategies are, she wouldn't tell him so he could figure things out by himself and win fairly. She agreed to it, but still feels bad for not telling him, feeling that it's info he would want to know in spite of everything.

Ash orders Squirtle to use Water Gun as thin as possible, so as to cover a wider range, based on a firefighting method they discussed a while back. The purpose is to use it to expose the real Nidoqueen as she and her doppelgangers charge at them. However, while their attack is successful, they oddly notice that Nidoqueen seems to be smiling, and a disturbance on the field clues Pikachu that she might have set up Toxic Spikes and he tells Squirtle this. Janine reveals that, indeed, she used the Double Team to cover her setting a trap, but it's not the one they assumed: it's Stealth Rock. As it turns out, just like Ash tried to prepare for Janine, she looked him up to see what Pokémon he'd probably be using here against her, and thus prepared accordingly.

From the sidelines, Iris continues to glare at Janine, with Misty noticing that her glare has intensified after she revealed her trick. Anabel notes that Janine is actually more amused than concerned, though mentally suggests that she should be more "subtle about ways to dismember someone". As Ash's Squirtle takes down Nidoqueen with another Water Gun aimed at the jaw, it feels more like a victory for Janine than for Ash. Having planned for the possibility of Toxic Spikes, Ash had prepared with a few Flying-types in his team, but now the Stealth Rock not only had crippled that strategy, but will prevent Ash from switching Pokémon if he wants to avoid more damage.

Ash decides to keep Squirtle for the time being, though the Pokédex quips that the odds of Squirtle managing to solo this gym are against him. Ash asks if there's any good news, and the device informs him that Pidgeot has returned with a letter from Serena. Janine throws her second Pokémon, a Weezing. The bout begins with Weezing's Sludge Bomb. Squirtle dodges and uses Water Gun, which Weezing counters using Double Team to dodge. As Weezing continues to bombard Squirtle with Sludge Bombs, Ash orders Squirtle to dodge the real one and use Brine. One he spots the real Weezing, Squirtle manages to hit it, dissipating the fake ones. However, Janine orders Weezing to use Infestation, tying Squirtle with energy chains made of bugs, much to Misty's disgust, and leaving the turtle helpless for another Sludge Bomb attack that knocks him out of the fight. Ash recalls Squirtle and after congratulating him for a job well done, he chooses Butterfree as his second Pokémon. The Stealth Rock quickly triggers, and Janine tries to follow up using Infestation once more. Butterfree dodges it, and having recovered from the initial damage, they begin their counterattack. Butterfree uses Sleep Powder, which Weezing counters with Smokescreen to hide itself. Butterfree wonders if he should use Psybeam until he hits Weezing, but Ash decides against it and instead orders Silver Wind to clear the smoke out. The smoke also blows into Janine's side, causing her to cough and forcing her to cover her mouth, and while she's unable to give orders, Ash takes the chance to strike with Psybeam, knocking Weezing and putting the match in his favor. However, despite the victory, Butterfree is more tired than Squirtle was at the end of his bout with Nidoqueen, and the Pokédex reminds them that switching out will only give them more trouble with Stealth Rock later on. Janine brings out her third Pokémon, a Golbat, which like its predecessors begins using Double Team to confuse Butterfree.

As the girls continue to watch, Misty takes notice of how much Janine has used Double Team in this match, which Anabel thinks is her way to distract her opponent as she sets up her trickiest moves, while also having difficulties keeping up with where the real Golbat was among the duplicates. She feels again tempted to tell Ash, but once more keeps quiet.

When Ash attempts to order Butterfree to use String Shot to bind all the Golbat, Janine counters by having Golbat use Taunt, disabling the move, before ordering a Steel Wing that strikes Butterfree down before he can even react. Ash recalls Butterfree, and Pikachu seems ready to step in, but Ash stops him, thinking that Janine would have probably know of him using Steel-type attacks to nullify electricity. Pikachu understands, and when Ash tells him he has an idea, he decides to take his chances. The Pokédex tries to protest, but Ash sends out Yanma. As the Stealth Rock hits him, Ash apologizes but assures him that this is the perfect battle for him and trusts him. Janine orders Golbat to use Air Cutter, which Yanma dodges using Detect, flying through the barrage of real and fake attacks. Knowing that Detect is bound to fail if used consecutively, Janine presses on using Air Cutter, which Yanma manages to dodge at the last second. As Yanma's Speed Boost triggers, Ash orders him to flap his wings to destroy the Double Team. The vibrations clear out the duplicates, albeit they also partly destroy the ceiling causing the rain from outside to fall on the field, as well as part of the upper walls. Janine comments that her father said something like this could happen, but she's still surprised to see it firsthand. Ash apologizes for the damage, but Janine says he should apologize to Yanma instead, for not taking advantage of her surprise to press on their attack. After she has Golbat use Taunt, she immediately orders a Swift attack. As the stars chase Yanma around, Ash orders him to use Quick Attack towards Golbat. Janine seems to anticipate and orders Golbat to shield himself with Steel Wing, but Ash orders Yanma to use Feint Attack, vanishing and reappearing to strike Golbat from behind, sending the bat into the course of the Swift stars. With one last Wing Attack, Yanma defeats Golbat, leaving Janine with a single Pokémon. Janine comments that, while she's not happy that Ash damaged the gym to take that win, she still commends him for his abilities and taking any possible strategy. Seeing that Ash has broken her Double Team, she announces she's going to change tactics, using an Ariados that doesn't use it, having four or five other tricks up its sleeve.

As Janine sends her Ariados, the rain intensifies, and the Pokédex warns Ash that Yanma might still not be fully adapted to Ash and might try to hide weakness as he fights. Ariados opens up with a Pin Missile, which Yanma counters with Detect and Wing Attack. Janine counters ordering a Smart Strike, which the Pokédex warns Ash is a sure-strike Steel-type that it's more trouble than worth trying to dodge, so Ash orders Yanma to meet it head on. After the clash, Yanma begins flying around Ariados in circles, while Ariados boosts its speed with Agility. As they try to outspeed each other, Pikachu notes that this isn't working and Ash needs a different angle. Spotting the Stealth Rocks, Ash orders Yanma to grab them and drop them on Ariados. Janine admits it's a clever strategy, but a Psychic-type would probably do it better. After Ariados destroys the first rock with a Smart Strike, Yanma flies over and grabs a second one, dropping it on Ariados' face before going for the third. Misty wonders if it could work, which Anabel says that it'd probably take a while, and the battle might not last long anyway.

Janine decides that she can play with the rocks too, and has Ariados hop onto one of the remaining ones. Not wanting to find out what they're up to, Ash orders Yanma to keep attacking, and he grabs the aforementioned rock. However, Yanma suddenly suffers poison, much to Ash's shock. The Pokédex tells Ash to use his zooming camera so he can see what happened. As it turns out, Ariados placed Toxic Spikes on the Stealth Rock, a strategy Janine decided to try out today for the first time, and the poison quickly does its job on Yanma, leaving Ash with one Pokémon.

Ash seems conflicted: bringing Charizard will make him suffer heavy damage on top of poisoning, and Pikachu isn't guaranteed to last while loaded with toxins. Asking Charizard to forgive him, Ash grabs instead Sliggoo's ball. Upon coming out, the Stealth Rock hits him, but the rain fortunately washes away the poison from the toxic spikes. Janine recognizes this Pokémon from Ash as well, and orders Ariados to use Pin Missile. Ash and Sliggoo counter with Dragon Breath, which overpowers the Pin Missile and paralyzes Ariados. However, when it seems they have the upper hand, Ariados' cry startles Sliggoo, who backs off in fear for some reason. Misty questions if Ariados used a move, but Iris says that it didn't have to. Janine asks Ash if he knows what could have happened to Sliggoo to be afraid of Ariados. Ash says that he doesn't, as when he caught him as Goomy he was in possession of a thief. Janine accepts that Ash couldn't have known about it as Ariados aren't as common around Kanto to trigger his fear before. She'd hate to win that way but a battle is a battle, so it still goes on. After ordering Ariados to use Poison Jab, Sliggoo doesn't even defend himself. Ash feels tempted to forfeit the match, but then thinks back of the effort the others did to come this way, and decides he can't let it go to waste. He tries cheering on Sliggoo, telling him he doesn't know what happened with him before to be afraid of Ariados, but assures him that this isn't the same Ariados, and that they've grown stronger together. He doesn't have to stop being afraid, just be strong enough to fight his fear and win for them. Ash's words get through to Sliggoo, who stands up to fight back. Suddenly, the rain triggers the light of the evolution, and Sliggoo becomes Goodra, much to the surprise of everyone. Janine orders Ariados to use Poison Jab, while Goodra simply turns around and smacks it away with his new tail. Ash orders Goodra to use Dragon Breath once more, and with the evolution the attack is even more powerful than before, defeating Goodra and winning the match for Ash. Before the trainer can even celebrate, Goodra catches Ash in a hug, covering him in slime as he does.

Janine, seeing that Ash has his hands full for the time being, approaches the girls and gives them the Soul Badge so they can give it to Ash later. She comments that she thought she had planned ahead, yet Ash managed to work around it and defeat her. Much to their surprise, Janine mentions he's going to do well at the Indigo League, but he's not going to win because her father plans to participate too, as the first step to challenge the Elite Four. Iris doesn't seem to agree, but Janine replies that they will see about that. While Ash continues to be hugged by Goodra, Anabel asks that somebody checks the cameras so they can teleport out of there.

Somewhere else, Red has a run-in with a Team Rocket grunt who hijacked a stolen truck and tries to steal his Pokémon. After Clefairy knocks out the grunt and puts him to sleep, Red and Pikachu break open the back door and check the cargo contents. After seeing several crates, he decides to take some supplies for himself, including a Pokégear SP, a Technical Manual, medicines, vitamins and Pokémon food, while Yellow takes a crate full of Poké Balls and the grunt's wallet. Red then notices that both the grunt and Clefairy seem to be missing, which unnerves him.

Two days further down the road, Ash found a waterfall to take a bath, and laments he didn't bring shampoo to use. Much to his shock and embarrassment, Iris shows up and looks at him, though seemingly not understanding his embarrassment when he tries to cover his parts. Iris continues to glance at him for a while, and he's too shocked to even say anything, suddenly coming to him that perhaps she's planning on joining him as well in bathing. Iris then reminds him that he promised they'd help each other become stronger, and she feels that it's time that he himself starts training on that. Not only grow stronger and faster, but sharper enough so he can pick up the next time someone like Janine conceals weapons. Ash tries to argue that Janine wasn't planning on attacking them, but Iris counters that the next person might be, and she plans to do the same with Anabel and Misty so they all become stronger. Iris then proceeds to strip off her clothes and join him under the waterfall.

For the next minutes, Ash remains silent at the awkwardness of the situation, conflicted between not staring too much at Iris' nudity and not making her feel rejected. He mentally starts comparing her to Misty, whom he recalls having seen in swimsuits back in the S.S. Anne, and grew to have a curvaceous body comparable to her sisters, while Iris' body is slightly more muscular and uniform, yet still attractive in its own way. In trying to distract his thoughts, Ash asks Iris about why she keeps her hair long, given that it must be pretty hard to take care of. Iris replies that she likes it that way, while also pointing out that Ash has grown taller. He's now taller than Misty, who was about the same height as him when they first met, and he'll probably become taller than Iris herself, who recalls that someone once told her she was unusually tall for a girl. She then states that she won't help him with his Dominion Bloodline, and still thinks he should use it more, but will respect his decision, yet she does plan to help him train on his physical strength so he can fight his own battles one day. Ash notices that Iris grins in a rather unusual way, but seems to conclude that building up his own strength also has its own appeal. Meanwhile, Iris thoughts drift about what she plans to do in the near future about courting Ash and perhaps helping Misty and Anabel along the way.

In the Saffron Gym, Sabrina teleports in, giving one of her Drowzee a straw hat she took from Moe after removing him. She starts listing off the people she had removed, while also finding his decisions much harder given that many others she had considered actually improved themselves enough for her to spare them. However, she's intrigued by the fact that Ash has a gap in his memories of something that happened to him before the league, while also viewing some of Ash's adventures after that, including the Legendary Birds in the Orange Islands, Mewtwo in Mount Quena and the second one in the Decolore Islands, suspecting that one of these two could be responsible for the memory wipe. She's also keeping an eye on the girl who spied on Ash and Red during the tournament, considering her a lesser evil than the Bloodliner King but still to be wary of as she's a servant of the Bloodliner Prince, who might be looking for a worthy opponent and Ash could fit the bill. Sabrina then decides that it's time to get Ash to "evolve", making him drop his mindset and forget that self-imposed handicap he has about using his abilities, and then decides to prepare her bait to bring him: his Primeape.

## Continuity

* Ash battles Janine and wins his fifth badge, the Soul Badge.
* Ash's Sliggoo evolves to Goodra.
* Red obtains a Pokégear SP and Technical Manual before departing for the Sevii Islands.
* It's revealed that Sabrina found Ash's Primeape, who survived his encounter with Paul, and holds him captive.