The 23 challenges

Chapter 31

"So we have arrived at our destination," said Serena closing her Pokedex as they were now in front of a small building with a lot of broken glass making them worried about the location. "Are you sure this is the Gym Serena?" asked Maya as she heard glass cracking sounds inside. 

"Well might as well right..." said Ash already use to the weird locations the Capri Gym Leaders like to choose to battle and stay. As he said that the door opened with a slim and sleep-deprived man who seems to wear a hazmat suit with a test tube filled with a viscous purple liquid that seems to be bubbling. 

"Hello, are you a supplier for my toxics?" said the man gripping the door frame with him almost having the strength of a skeleton. "No..." said the group as they read the name tag on the man that said 'Augar'. 

"No...well it seems that you all look like Pokemon trainers so come on in," said Augar who greeted them in the research lad as it was filled with many poisons and toxins stored in many containers with each being labeled with their name. 

"And also don't touch anything alright," said Augar who seems to be waiting for something by the door. While he was waiting, Ash was seeing the surrounding with amazement at his collection of different poisons. 

While Serena and Maya were trying to look for the lights as it was quite dim for the time being. During their experience in the lab, Augar then received a parcel from Nurse Joy who seems to have a worried face, and after some exchange of words, she left with Augar saying he would be alright. 

"Sorry to keep you all waiting I was waiting for my item to be here," said Augar as he opened it to see a syringe filled with medication, he then smiled and injected it into himself as his face slowly showed to be more energized. 

"Sorry I had experienced an accident a few hours prior so I had to call for an Antidote from Nurse Joy," said Augar to see Ash reading some papers on poison and Maya and Serena looking at the chemicals as they had found the lights. 

"Ahem..." said Augar getting everyone's attention with them feeling embarrassed as they were bored from waiting.

"So you are a challenger right," said Augar as he was not in a lab coat and the group was now sitting in Augar's kitchen as he offered them some drinks. 

"Right, I'm Ash and the other group is Serena and Maya with Serena being the same age as me," said Ash as Maya was enjoying the drinks and Serena grooming Fennekin who seems to enjoy it. 

"Very well, but I'm interested in why a researcher like you would like to have Gym battles," said Augar which made me shocked because it felt hypocritical as Augar was a Gym Leader himself. 

"Excuse me?" asked Ash looking at Auger making him look at his coat and it snapped to him. "Ah... well this is awkward to explain, but me being the Poison Type Gym Leader was due to force from the Capri League as the previous one quit so to fill in the gap they forced me due to me having the most experience" explained Augar as he sweatdropped explaining his reasoning. 

As his situation as he got up from his seat and started to guide the group into a massive battlefield filled with trees which seems to be dripping with purple poison making them worried but Augar then guided Serena and Maya to a separate room where they were unaffected from the battlefield. 

Seeing this Ash felt worried as the toxic seems to be very deadly and seems to need a huge amount of aura to protect himself but after Augar gave him a hazmat suit he relaxed. "Well...should we begin," said Augar. 

However, as he stood on the massive battlefield position the tree's leaves seem to have stopped dripping but could be seen to expand lightly and stopped making it seems like poisonous mines.