Koga's daughter, Janine, and his younger sister, Aya, were also among the audience watching the Gym challenge.
"This is the first time I've heard my brother speak so highly of a Trainer..." Aya was slightly stunned. She had never heard her brother give such high praise to anyone before.
Janine, standing beside her, was also shocked. She felt a pang of envy and jealousy towards Ash, as even she hadn't received such praise from her father.
"This guy..." Janine bit her lip slightly, staring intently at Ash. As Ash turned and left the battle hall, she abruptly stood up and ran towards the exit, leaving Aya no time to react.
"Wait, Janine!" Aya exclaimed, realizing what Janine was doing and quickly chasing after her. She was puzzled by Janine's sudden departure.
After leaving the battle hall, Ash returned to the waiting area. Misty and Brock soon joined him, and the three were about to leave the Gym and head back to the Pokémon Center. However, they were stopped by Janine, who suddenly appeared in front of them.
Janine was dressed in a ninja costume, her short, purple hair tied up neatly. A look of determination crossed her face as she declared, "Hey, let's battle!"
"What?" Ash was taken aback by Janine's sudden challenge. Even Pikachu, perched on his shoulder, tilted its head in confusion, looking at Janine curiously.
"I said, let's battle!" Janine repeated, thinking Ash hadn't heard her clearly.
At that moment, a figure materialized beside Janine as if by teleportation, surprising Ash and his friends. It was Aya, Koga's sister.
"I apologize for the interruption," Aya said, bowing slightly to Ash, Misty, and Brock. She then gently pressed down on Janine's head, adding, "Janine, apologize as well. It's not polite to challenge someone so abruptly."
"But isn't that what Trainers do?" Janine retorted, though her tone was more of a statement than a question. In her mind, challenging other Trainers was a natural part of being a Pokémon Trainer.
Aya was momentarily speechless, unable to refute Janine's logic. After all, what Janine said was, to some extent, an unspoken truth among Trainers.
"Hey, I'm just asking if you want to battle me!" Janine turned back to Ash, a defiant glint in her eyes. She wasn't usually like this, but she had been provoked.
"Who are you? Why did you stop us?" Misty, annoyed by Janine's behavior, stepped forward and questioned her.
"I'm truly sorry. She didn't mean any harm. It's just..." Aya trailed off, seeming to understand Janine's thoughts. She looked at Ash and his friends apologetically and then said, "If possible, could you please have a battle with her?"
"Of course, no problem!"
Before Ash could respond, Brock, who had fallen into a lovestruck daze upon seeing Aya, suddenly knelt on one knee in front of her. He placed a hand on his chest, raised his other hand, and proclaimed, "Excuse me, Miss, would you do me the honor of sharing a wonderful afternoon with me..."
However, before Brock could finish his sentence, Misty whacked him on the head with a Poké Ball, cutting him off. Her expression softened as she looked apologetically at the startled Aya, saying, "I'm so sorry. He's always like this, but he means no harm."
"No, it's alright..." Aya replied with an awkward smile.
"You haven't answered my challenge yet!" Janine's face darkened as she glared at Ash, as if daring him to refuse.
"Well, although I don't know why you're so eager to battle me..." Ash paused, a grin spreading across his face. "As a Trainer, I never refuse a challenge!"
Ash was aware of Janine's background, as well as Aya's. They were both members of Koga's family: Janine was his daughter, and Aya was his sister. He knew Janine's name from the games and Aya's from the anime, though he couldn't recall her name at the moment.
"Great, as long as I beat you, then Dad..." Janine seemed to want to say something, but suddenly stopped. She didn't finish, but her eyes were full of determination.
A group of people left the gymnasium and went to the courtyard outside. Under the leadership of Janine and Aya, they came to a battlefield. There were no outsiders near the battlefield, only a few students from the Fuchsia Gym.
"What is the origin of this Trainer? Miss Janine actually brought him here for a battle..." As Ash and Janine were preparing for the next battle, several trainees were a little surprised by Ash.
"You guys, if it's okay, take a good look at this battle..." Aya noticed the eyes of several students, came to them, and said in a low voice.
"Yes, Teacher Aya!" The students were startled, and then responded in a positive voice.
"Teacher Aya, what is the history of that Trainer?" One of the trainees seemed to be familiar with Aya, so he asked in a low voice.
"He...he is a Trainer who has been praised by my elder brother, and my elder brother even wants to have a real duel with him..." Aya looked at Ash with a complicated expression and replied.
"What! Teacher Koga.....!" The students were all taken aback; they couldn't believe the answers they got. This Trainer was actually praised by Koga!
"I'll be the referee!" Brock came out again as a tool man. He glanced at Aya, and saw that Aya's gaze fell on him, and the smile on his face became even bigger.
"Let's use three Pokémon to decide the outcome!" Janine didn't care, but looked at Ash, as if asking for Ash's opinion.
"No problem!" Ash nodded slightly.
After the coin toss, Janine won the right to go first!
After reading the simple rules, Janine clenched her fist slightly, then took out the Poké Ball and sent out her first Pokémon!
"Golbat! Let the opponent see our strength! Destroy the rival!" With the white light dissipating, Golbat appeared in the midair of the battlefield.
This is a bat-shaped Pokémon, not small in size, about 1.6 meters tall. Most of its body is blue, and the diaphragm of its wings is purple. Its most notable feature, just like its name, is that it has a mouth that covers nearly its entire body!
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