Upon arriving at the Motostoke Gym, we find Hop proudly displaying the Fire Badge. "Slow moving, aren't you, Ash? I've already gone and earned my Fire Badge! That man of fire Kabu is just what you'd expect. Nearly got burnt in my battle with him! Even with my strongest team, it was definitely touch-and-go...but I still won in the end! Get a shift on, Ash! I bet you could beat the man of fire, too!"

"No problem," I assure him as we head into the stadium, ready to face the Gym Leader, Kabu.

As we step into the stadium, a staff member welcomes us with enthusiasm. "Hey, a Gym Challenger! That's a welcome sight! We don't have too many challengers, since our Leader Kabu has made his Gym mission so hard..."

Curious, I ask, "How challenging is it?"

"That will be you to find out. But I'll be happy to get you registered at once! If you are here to challenge Our gym, we'll ask you to change into your uniform first..."

The staff member hands me the uniform, and after changing, he emerges wearing a red shirt with black stripes, adorned with the Fire Gym Logo. "How do I look?"

"Wow, that really suits the fiery theme," Gloria remarks.

"I agree. Now, it's time to face the challenge," I say as I confidently stride into the mission field, ready to take on the trials awaiting me.

Dan awaits me in the center of the grassy field, accompanied by three gym trainers. He announces, "The Gym mission for the Fire Type Gym is this! Catching Pokemon to earn the most points! Earn 5 points to clear the Gym Mission. In case you were wondering, you'll earn one point for defeating a Pokemon in the tall grass or two points for catching a Pokemon. But you won't be alone in this competition. Other Trainers will be joining you in your battles! Think about what your opponents might do, and try to take the best action to rack up points!"

"Seems like a challenge, but I'm up for it," I respond determinedly.

As the gym mission commences, three Pokémon appear in the field: a Vulpix, a Litwick, and a Sizzlipede. Strangely, the Gym Trainers aren't aiming to engage in battles with me; instead, they're attempting to intercept and capture my potential encounters.

The Gym Trainers—Darren with Rolycoly and Growlithe, Chaka with Sizzlipede and Salandit, and Elle with a Salandit—are trying to thwart my attempts. To counter this, I decide to use Carkol and Drednaw to swiftly defeat each Pokémon before the trainers can capture them, ensuring that I accumulate the necessary 5 points for completing the mission.

Dan congratulates us on successfully completing yet another mission. As we gather together, Darren chimes in, "Clearing Leader Kabu's Gym mission in that manner... You're really heating up!"

Elle follows up, "The next step is facing Kabu, the Fire Gym Leader! Good luck, Challenger!"

We make our way to the battlefield, where Kabu awaits my arrival. A smile crosses his face as we walk together towards the battleground.

Kabu warmly greets me, "Welcome! I am Kabu, the Fire-type Gym Leader. The fact that you are here means you've bested both Milo's Grass-type Pokémon and Nessa's Water-types, too. That's quite an accomplishment!"

"I'm confident," I reply with a smile. "I aim to defeat you and your formidable Fire-type Pokémon to progress further."

He nods thoughtfully, "Every Trainer and Pokémon trains hard in pursuit of victory. But that means your opponent is also working hard to win. In the end, the match is decided by which side is able to unleash their true potential."

The battle kicks off with a three-on-three showdown. Kabu leads with Ninetales, prompting my decision to start with Drizzile, who's just a step away from evolving into Inteleon.

"Let's go, Drizzile! Use Liquidation!" I call out as the lizard Pokémon unleashes a powerful water beam. Ninetales swiftly responds, evading the attack with a quick Fire Spin and following up with a Confuse Ray, causing confusion to cloud Drizzile's focus.

Despite the confusion, Drizzile manages to gather itself and executes a strategic move, using Water Pulse while countering with a Sucker Punch, creating a combined assault that overwhelms Ninetales and secures the victory.

Kabu swiftly switches to his Arcanine after Ninetales falls in battle. The fiery Arcanine wastes no time and charges up a powerful Thunder Fang, catching Drizzile off guard and overwhelming it, leading to Drizzile's defeat.

"Drizzile, well done! Rest up," I recall, feeling a mix of disappointment and determination. "Dubwool, it's your turn!" I declare, sending out Dubwool to face Arcanine.

"Dubwool, let's start strong! Use Headbutt!" I instruct. Dubwool charges at Arcanine, head lowered, aiming for a powerful impact. Arcanine tries to evade, but Dubwool's maneuver connects, inflicting some damage.

Kabu calls out, "Impressive! Arcanine, show 'em your Thunder Fang!" Arcanine retaliates with a crackling electric bite. Dubwool weathers the hit and responds swiftly, using Double Kick to counterattack. The consecutive kicks land solidly, pushing Arcanine back.

The intense exchange continues, with Arcanine unleashing fiery attacks, while Dubwool, determined and resilient, persistently land attacks with Headbutt and Double Kick. With sheer persistence and well-timed strikes, Dubwool manages to wear down Arcanine, finally securing the victory for our side.

"Light that fire and get your mind moving, Kabu! There still must be a path to victory!" Kabu encourages himself, sending out his final Pokémon - a familiar sight to me - a Centiskorch.

"Ah, Centiskorch, old friend," I murmur with a smile, remembering the times spent with this Pokémon. As Centiskorch charges with a powerful Lunge attack, Dubwool's valiant effort falls short, leaving an opening for my next Pokémon. "Dubwool, take a rest. You did great out there," I say, returning Dubwool to its Poké Ball.

"Lycanroc, let's show 'em your strength!" I call out, releasing Lycanroc onto the battlefield. Kabu observes with a nod of recognition as Lycanroc takes its place, ready for battle.

"I've heard tales about this particular Lycanroc," Kabu acknowledges, his expression focused. "Burn bright, Centiskorch. Let Gigantamax change your size and your form!"

Kabu, showing his determination, withdraws his Pokémon, and it emerges as a colossal fire dragon in its Dynamax form. Reacting swiftly, I Dynamax my Lycanroc, preparing for a colossal clash of powers.

"Flame always burns upwards, and so we'll always aim to go higher. You understand, don't you? G-Max Centiferno!" Kabu commands, unleashing a tremendous Flamethrower that engulfs the battlefield.

"Lycanroc, Max Rockfall!" I shout urgently as Lycanroc retaliates, conjuring a powerful storm of rocks that cascade down onto Centiskorch, inflicting considerable damage and conjuring a raging Sandstorm.

"Not bad. But Max Flutterby!" Kabu counters, commanding Centiskorch to unleash a flurry of explosive butterflies, causing substantial damage to Lycanroc. Despite the onslaught, Lycanroc holds its ground.

"We have to end this now! Max Rockfall, once more!" I command decisively.

Centiskorch attempts to evade the rock barrage, but ultimately succumbs to the relentless assault. The rocks hit their mark, causing Centiskorch to shrink back to its regular size and faint from the overpowering attack.

Kabu recalls his Pokémon and then pauses, taking a moment to kneel on the ground. "Great Pokemon and great Trainer! It's no surprise that you won!"

I quickly move over to assist him, offering a hand to help him up. "I'm often regarded as the first real roadblock of the Gym Challenge, and yet you defeated me! Clearly, your talent surpassed my many years of experience. I still have much to learn! I know now that you and your Pokémon will become a fantastic team. I'm glad I could battle you today! Let me give you a Fire Badge as proof that you've defeated me!"

Kabu extends the Fire Badge, and we shake hands in mutual respect. "Thanks to the Dynamax phenomenon, our Pokémon battles have become part of the Galar region's culture. And it's the young Trainers who are responsible for keeping our culture alive. Of course, I hope that instead of just keeping it alive, you also help it become something better. We adults will be the pillars for you to build on."

After stepping out of the Gym, we regroup with the others. Hop exclaims, "Ash! I figured that if anyone could do it, you and your Pokemon would be the ones...but still! That match had me right at the edge of my seat!"

To our surprise, Dan approaches us and hands me a Fire Uniform, similar to the one Kabu wears. "Challenger Ash! I see you've done a fine job collecting the Gym Badges from the Grass, Water, and Fire Gyms. Take one of our uniforms. It's the same design as Kabu himself wears. I think you've proven your skill well enough to try your hand against the Gyms that await you, starting in the city of Hammerlocke. Head back down into the Wild Area surrounding this city, then make your way to Hammerlocke!"

"With all the Badges we've earned ourselves, I reckon we should be all right even against the fierce Pokémon you find deep in the Wild Area. Let's go find out for ourselves!" Hop adds enthusiastically.

Alice reminds us, "And I'm still in need of my third badge too."

As we're about to enter the Wild Area, we're unexpectedly greeted by Kabu, which surprises us all. Hop, in his usual confidence, exclaims, "You're the Gym Leader, but you still came all the way to see us off? Oh, I bet you can already tell that I'm the one who'll become the next Champion, yeah?"

Helen, puzzled, asks her dad, "What brings you here, Dad?"

Kabu explains, "There are many Trainers who never manage to gather three Gym Badges, and they just give up on the Gym Challenge altogether... So I make a point to see if any Trainers who are able to defeat me."

Surprisingly, Milo and Nessa also arrive, and Nessa expresses, "Whew, we made it... Thank goodness for Flying Taxis! Ash, Hop, congratulations! It's pretty amazing you two defeated Kabu!"

Milo chimes in, "Not a lot of Gym Challengers are able to get a Gym Badge from Kabu, so they just go to the Electric Gym instead. We like to get together to see them off, as a way of showing our support."

"So, allow me to send you off with a proper, sporty chant!" Kabu cheers. "Hustle, hustle, hustle, Hop! You can do it, you can do it, Ash!"

Following the chant, Kabu adds, "The Gym Leaders you will face ahead are all tough opponents. But I believe that you will prevail! Believe in your Pokémon and keep pushing on!"

Hop responds with enthusiasm, "Thanks, you all! We're gonna keep winning! We've got to if we want a face-off in the Champion Cup, after all! Come on! Let's head for Hammerlocke!"

With a nod and farewell, we set off for the Wild Area, ready for the challenges that await us.

Here is a new chapter, and you can see that we're done with the Fire Gym and I hope you like it. Now it is Alice's turn for the Electric Gym.

Ash and Alice's Pokemon:

Venusaur, Charizard x2, Blastoise, Butterfree x2 (One Pink), Pikachu, Meowth x2 (Kantonian, Galarian), Machamp, Farfetch'd (Galarian), Gengar, Kingler, Koffing, Lapras, Eevee, Snorlax, Meganium, Typhlosion (Hisuian), Espeon, Mantine, Sceptile, Linoone (Galarian), Gardevoir (Shiny), Milotic, Absol, Infernape, Lucario, Abomasnow, Gallade, Samurott, Audino, Garbodor, Zoroark, Stunfisk (Galarian), Greninja, Meowstic x2, Aegislash, Hawlucha, Decidueye, Lycanroc (Dusk), Mimikyu (Shiny), Melmetal, Raboot, Drizzile, Greedent, Corvisquire, Dottler, Thievul, Eldegoss, Dubwool, Drednaw, Boltund, Carkol (Shiny), Applin x2, Barraskewda, Toxel x2, Sizzlipede, Hatenna, Impidimp, Alcremie x9 (Each Flavor), Kleavor