The two of them walked over quickly.
Passing through a dense patch of shrubs, the scene before them suddenly opened up.
Misty was stunned.
Her mouth hung slightly open, and her eyes were wide and round.
"This... what is this?"
Before them was a super large, ancient-style courtyard.
The grey stone walls were three stories high, covered in deep green vines dotted with small purple flowers.
The main entrance was a tall wooden gatehouse with upturned eaves. Two red lanterns hung beneath the eaves, swaying gently in the breeze and making a creaking sound.
The plaque above the gatehouse bore several characters in an ancient script, the strokes powerful and showing the traces of time.
The courtyard walls extended to both sides, stretching as far as the eye could see.
The entire structure exuded an Aura of ancient mystery.
It blended into the surrounding primeval forest, yet also felt completely out of place.
"It's so big..." Misty murmured.
She took two steps forward and looked up at the gatehouse until her neck felt sore.
"How can there be such a large courtyard in the middle of these deep mountains and old forests?"
Misty's voice was filled with confusion.
She turned to look at Roy and suddenly lowered her voice.
"Roy, do you think... could this be one of those legendary haunted houses?"
Misty leaned closer to Roy, a hint of fear in her eyes mixed with a bit of excitement.
"You know, the kind... where a beautiful female ghost lives inside, specifically to lure passing men, and then..."
She paused, her voice dropping even lower.
"The kind that sucks out their essence..."
After saying that, she gave herself a shiver.
Delia had been standing nearby, and upon hearing Misty's words, her expression changed instantly.
"Is—is there really such a thing?"
Her voice trembled slightly.
Delia, who was afraid of ghosts, subconsciously shrank toward Roy's side.
Her shoulder pressed against Roy's arm.
Roy could feel Delia's body trembling slightly.
Her body heat radiated through her thin clothes, feeling warm and soft.
There was also a faint fragrance.
Delia's hand unconsciously gripped the corner of Roy's clothes.
She held on so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
Her chest pressed against Roy's arm.
Those two soft mounds were slightly deformed by the pressure.
The sensation was extremely clear.
Full, soft, and elastic.
With Delia's nervous breathing, that softness was still gently rising and falling.
Roy looked down at Delia.
Delia's cheeks were somewhat pale, her lips were pursed, and her eyes were full of tension.
She was truly afraid of ghosts.
Roy reached out and naturally put his arm around Delia's waist.
The moment his palm touched the side of her waist, Delia's body gave a slight jolt.
She didn't pull away; instead, she leaned even further into Roy's embrace.
Roy could feel Delia's entire weight pressing against him.
Her soft body was held tight against his.
Warm fragrance and soft jade.
"Alright, don't let your imagination run wild." Roy patted Delia's waist, then looked at Misty: "Misty, don't scare Sister Delia."
"This isn't some haunted house."
Roy's tone was very certain.
"This is the Fuchsia Gym."
"Eh?"
Misty was stunned.
Her mouth opened so wide that a Poké Ball could fit inside.
"Fuchsia Gym???"
Misty's voice rose an octave.
"Can a Gym even be built like this???"
She looked at the ancient, simple manor before her with a face full of disbelief.
Misty's own family ran a Gym.
The Cerulean Gym, a Water-type Gym, was built in the center of Cerulean City and was a modern swimming pool building.
Tempered glass, stainless steel frames, and a streamlined design—it was full of technological flair.
The other Gyms she had seen were also in this modern style.
She had never seen a Gym that looked like this.
"This is just too exaggerated..." Misty murmured.
She carefully sized up the large manor again.
The more she looked, the less it seemed like a Gym.
It looked more like an ancient noble's secluded mountain villa.
"Roy, are you sure this is a Gym?" Misty still couldn't quite believe it.
"I'm sure." Roy nodded. "The Gym Leader of Fuchsia Gym, Koga, is himself a ninja."
"Ninja training requires a quiet and hidden environment."
"So it's quite normal for a Gym to be built in a place like this."
Misty nodded thoughtfully.
"I guess so..."
She remembered Roy saying before that the Fuchsia Gym Leader was a Poison-type ninja.
"Then what are we waiting for?"
Misty suddenly perked up.
"Let's go in and challenge it!"
After packing up their things, the three of them headed toward the Fuchsia Gym.
...
Meanwhile.
Inside the Fuchsia Gym.
In a spacious washitsu, sunlight filtered through the paper doors, casting soft checkered shadows on the floor.
Deep purple cushions were spread out on the tatami.
A young woman wearing a pink ninja outfit was reclining on a cushion.
Her name was Aya.
The pink ninja outfit clung tightly to her body, outlining her curvaceous figure.
The collar was slightly open, revealing a section of her fair collarbone.
The hem of the outfit had high slits, showing off a stretch of smooth thigh.
Her hair was light green, tied into a high ponytail with a pink ribbon. A few stray strands fell on either side of her face, making her skin look even fairer.
Aya lay on the cushion, propping her head up with one hand while the other idly toyed with her hair.
Her expression was written all over with the word "boredom."
"Brother is really..."
Aya grumbled, her voice tinged with dissatisfaction.
"I just wanted to prove myself."
She rolled over and lay on her stomach on the cushion, her lower legs kicking up and crossing over each other. Her pink ninja shoes tapped gently against the floor.
This posture made the curves of her buttocks even more prominent.
The tight ninja suit wrapped around her rounded hips, tracing an enticing arc.
"Why get so angry?"
Aya buried her face in the cushion and said muffledly.
"He even grounded me to reflect..."
She thought of her brother Koga's serious face.
"Aya, your training is far from enough. How can you participate in such a dangerous operation without permission? You're becoming more and more outrageous!"
Aya puffed out her cheeks.
"What do you mean? I'm clearly already very strong..."
She rolled over again, lying flat on the cushion and staring blankly at the ceiling.
The ceiling was wooden with fine grain. Aya boredly counted the lines—one, two, three...
"So bored..."
She closed her eyes.
In her mind, the image of her brother training appeared.
Koga's movements were clean and decisive, every move carrying a lethal threat.
Poison-type Pokémon in his hands were like extensions of his own body, coordinating flawlessly.
"When will I be as strong as Brother..."
Aya sighed.
Just then.
"Venon!"
A purple Venonat rolled in from outside the door.
Its body was round and covered in purple fur. Its two large Compound Eyes glowed red, like two rubies. A thin antenna grew from the top of its head.
The Venonat rolled up to Aya and stopped.
"Venon, venon! Venon, venon!"
The Venonat cried out excitedly, bouncing up and down.
Aya sat up abruptly.
"What?"
Her eyes lit up.
"A young Trainer has found our Gym?"
Venonat nodded, its antenna swaying.
"Venon!"
"How many people?" Aya asked.
Venonat gestured with its short forelimbs.
Once, twice, three times.
"Three?"
Aya's eyes brightened even more.
"Interesting, interesting."
The corners of Aya's mouth curled up into a cunning smile.
"Now I won't be bored anymore."
She turned, crouched down, and leaned into Venonat's ear.
The pink ninja outfit tightened with her movements, the fabric over her chest stretched tautly.
Aya whispered a few words to Venonat.
Her lips were almost touching Venonat's fur, and her warm breath made the fur tremble slightly.
After listening, Venonat nodded vigorously.
"Venon!"
Then it turned and rolled out.
It was very fast, like a purple marble.
Aya stood up, hands on her hips, looking in the direction Venonat had disappeared.
"Let me see what kind of young Trainers you are~"
She licked her lips.
A hint of anticipation flashed in her eyes.
"I hope you're not too weak."
...
Roy and the others reached the main road leading to the Fuchsia Gym.
Misty looked around, her eyes full of curiosity.
"Why is there no one around this Gym?"
No sooner had she spoken.
"Psy?"
A flash of white light appeared.
Psyduck had come out of its Poké Ball on its own again.
It stood on the stone-paved ground, hands clutching its head, tilting its head as it looked around.
"Eh, Psyduck, have you finally come to your senses today? You know to come out for a walk?"
"Psy?"
Psyduck's gaze was still as vacant as ever.
Its mouth was slightly open, looking quite silly.
Misty continued to poke it.
"When we run into wild Pokémon later, you're not going to hide behind me again, are you?"
"Psy?"
Psyduck tilted its head.
It clearly didn't understand what Misty was saying.
Misty rolled her eyes.
"I knew it."
She stood up and wiped the water droplets from her hands.
Just then.
A purple ball suddenly appeared ahead.
A Venonat.
It rolled out of the bushes ahead and stopped in the middle of the stone path.
Its two red Compound Eyes stared straight at the three of them.
"Ah~ A bug!"
Misty shrieked.
She instinctively took two steps back and hid behind Roy.
Her hands gripped the back of Roy's clothes.
Her whole body curled into a ball.
"A b-b-bug..."
Her voice was trembling.
Roy felt Misty pressing against his back.
Her body was shivering slightly.
"You're even afraid of this round thing?" Roy teased Misty.
"It's fuzzy and has Compound Eyes, so it's a bug..." Misty poked half her head out from behind Roy's shoulder, took one look at Venonat, and then ducked back.
Her reaction to Bug-type Pokémon was indeed quite sensitive.
"Psy!"
Psyduck suddenly let out a cry.
It actually started running after Venonat on its short legs.
Waddling along, it was surprisingly fast.
"Hey! Psyduck!"
Misty jumped out from behind Roy and shouted.
Psyduck didn't look back and continued chasing the Venonat.
"That stupid duck!"
Misty stomped her foot in frustration.
"It won't step up when it should, so why is it chasing a bug now!"
Her cheeks were puffed out and flushed red.
"Let's catch up quickly," Delia suggested. "Psyduck ran that way."
Misty bit her lip.
Although she complained about Psyduck, she truly cared about her Pokémon.
Even if there was a bug ahead.
She had to chase after it.
"Ugh, fine! Psyduck, wait for me!!"
Misty gritted her teeth and took the lead in chasing after it.
The three of them quickly walked to the entrance of the large manor.
The grey stone walls cast large shadows in the sunlight, and the deep green vines covering the walls swayed gently in the wind, the small purple flowers emitting a faint fragrance.
Just as Roy stopped, a crisp system notification sounded in his ear.
[Ding! Task Triggered: Perfectly evade the Fuchsia Gym traps and give the mischievous Aya a little discipline!]
[Task Reward: Poison Sting — Increases the power of Poison-type moves by 20% when held by a Pokémon.]
Roy's eyes lit up slightly.
Poison Sting?
This item is pretty good.
He actually did have a Poison-type Pokémon that could use it.
And...
Roy looked at the task description, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.
"Give the mischievous Aya a little discipline"?
Interesting.
Memories of the Fuchsia Gym quickly surfaced in his mind.
The Gym Leader of Fuchsia Gym, Koga, was a well-known Poison-type ninja in the Kanto region.
But what many people didn't know was that Koga had a younger sister named Aya.
Aya was also training at the Fuchsia Gym, learning ninjutsu and Pokémon battling from her brother.
However...
This girl was impatient and always wanted to prove herself to her brother.
She was eager to show off her half-baked ninjutsu and wanted to head out into the world before her Pokémon training was complete.
She caused quite a bit of trouble.
Koga also had quite a headache over this sister of his.
He made her stay in the Gym to quietly train and reflect, not letting her run around outside.
As a result, Aya got bored and started thinking of ways to prank the Trainers who came to challenge the Gym.
Setting traps, launching sneak attacks, creating contraptions...
She used all sorts of ninja pranking methods.
Many challenging Trainers had been left in a sorry state by her.
"Roy? What are you thinking about?"
Misty's voice pulled Roy back from his thoughts.
"Nothing." Roy shook his head and looked at the ancient manor before them.
"Let's go inside."
No sooner had he spoken.
"Psy-psy-psy!"
Psyduck's silly voice came from inside the courtyard.
This guy had already chased the Venonat inside.
"Psyduck!" Misty got anxious and was about to rush in.
"Wait."
Roy grabbed Misty's wrist.
"What are you doing?" Misty looked back at Roy, her eyes full of anxiety.
"Don't be reckless." Roy's voice was calm. "This is a ninja Gym; there are bound to be many traps inside."
"If you run around blindly, it'll be trouble if you step on a trap."
Misty paused.
"Traps?"
She blinked, looked at the ancient manor, and then at Roy.
"What kind of traps?"
"All sorts," Roy said. "That's the style of a ninja Gym. It tests not just a Trainer's battling skills, but also their observation and adaptability."
Misty pouted.
"How troublesome..."
However, she still stopped and didn't continue rushing forward.
"But Psyduck..." Misty was still worried about her Pokémon.
"Don't worry," Roy said. "It's right in this courtyard; it won't get lost."
"Besides, a silly duck has silly luck; it'll be fine."
Misty thought about it and felt Roy had a point.
Psyduck was silly, but its luck had always been quite good.
"Alright..." Misty nodded.
"Stay close to me," Roy said, then looked at Delia beside him. "Sister Delia too."
"Stay close to me, and don't wander off."
Delia nodded obediently.
"Mm, I understand."
She leaned closer to Roy, her shoulder touching his arm.
The Eevee was held in her arms, its fluffy tail swaying gently.
Misty also walked to Roy's other side, her hand unconsciously grabbing the corner of his clothes.
"Then let's go," Roy said.
He took a deep breath, and his Aura expanded.
Invisible Aura spread out in all directions.
The entire layout of the manor became clear in Roy's mind.
The layout of the courtyard, the structure of the buildings, and...