The Gym Leaders

Brock/Takeshi of the Pewter City Gym

Brock is the holder of the Boulder badge ('Showdown in Pewter City').  Uses rock Pokémon.  The best way to defeat him is by using either grass or water Pokémon.

In the show, Brock beat Ash the first time they fought, and pretty quickly too.  Ash, after a little help from Brock's father, challenged him again.  He beat Brock's Geodude, but Pikachu was almost better by Onix.  When Brock showed restraint, telling Ash that he didn't want to him again and that they should stop the match, the sprinkler system switched on.  Onix was weaken by the water, and Ash knew he could easily win, but as he felt it would be an unfair victory, Ash walked out of the gym, saying that next time he would beat Brock in his own way, and not just by a coincidence.  Moved by Ash's compassion, Brock give him the badge as he felt Ash had beaten him in this way.  Brock then came along with Ash and Misty.

Misty/Kasumi of the Cerulean City Gym

Misty is the holder of the Cascade badge ('The Waterflowers of Cerulean City').  Uses water Pokémon.  Use electric  or grass to beat her.  Don't even try to fight her with ground or you'll get your ass kicked.

When Ash & co. travelled to Cerulean City, Misty left the group, saying that she didn't want to go into the city.  The guys, wondering why, continued on without her.  Later, Brock left Ash to go to the gym alone, saying he had something to talk care of.  Ash, when he got to the gym, challenged the three sisters, who were the gym leaders.  They said that he could have the cascade badge as they were thinking of retiring, as they had just be beaten three times by kids from a nowhere place called Pallet Town (Ash's and Gary's home town).  When they were about to give him the badge, Misty appeared saying that if they weren't going to fight, she, as the forth sister, would.

They began the battle.  Pikachu refused to fight, as Misty was his friend.  Both won and lost one fight, and as they began the deciding match, Team Rocket intervened.  Still about two years later, they have not finished the match.  Ash was giving the badge by Misty's sisters for beating off Team Rocket.

Lt. Surge/Machisu of the Vermilion City Gym

Nicknamed the 'Lightning American', Lt. Surge is the holder of the Lightning badge (' Electric Shock Showdown').  Uses electric Pokémon.  Use ground or grass types to beat him, and don't try with water.

Ash was defeated first time by this leader.  His Raichu was too powerful for Pikachu.  The only way they thought that Pikachu would be able to beat Raichu would be if he evolved.  However, Brock came up with a plan.  As Surge made his Pokémon evolve as soon as he caught it, meaning that it never would have learned the speed attacks they only can when they are at the Pikachu stage.  With this knowledge, Ash was able to outthink Surge and win the match.

Erika of the Celadon City Gym

Erika is the holder of the Rainbow badge ('Pokémon Scent-sation').  Uses grass Pokémon.  Use fire for best effects.

In the episode, Ash nearly didn't get the chance to fight Erika as he insulted the perfume manufactured at the gym.  He was banned from competing, but Team Rocket agreed to help Ash gain entrance, but of course they had a hidden agenda; they dressed Ash up as a girl, Ashley, and pretended to be his, well her, parents.  When Ashley went to met Erika, they tried to steal the perfume formula.  After Ash was discovered, thanks to Pikachu, Erika finally accepted a battle.  But halfway through the battle, Team Rocket let off a bomb, sparking off a fire.  When Erika's Gloom was caught in the fire, Ash risked his life to save the Pokémon.  Without finishing off the match, Erika awarded Ash the badge because of his empathy and devotion to Pokémon.

Sabrina/Natsume of the Saffron City Gym

Sabrina is the holder of the Marsh badge ('Abra and the Psychic Pokémon', 'Haunter Versus Kadabra').  Uses psychic Pokémon.  To defeat her, your best choice is bug or electric.

In the show, when Sabrina was a little girl she became totally obsessed with her psychic abilities, and never made and friends.  Her powers grew so powerful that she destroyed her family home, and turned her mother into one of her playing dolls.  Her father, also a psychic, was driven away from her, and searched for a way to save his daughter.  As she grew, Sabrina separated into two people, the Pokémon trainer obsessed with her psychic abilities, and the little girl who wants to make friends represented by a child-like doll who looks similar to Sabrina as a child.

When Ash and friends arrived in Saffron, they were saved from another one of Team Rocket's almost successful plans by a young girl who appeared to have psychic abilities.  After being admitted to the gym, the young girl agreed to battle Ash, as long as if he lost they would have to be her friends.  Believing she was a harmless little girl, Ash accepted the challenge, but then they realize that she is not the gym leader.  Instead, they discovered she was a woman in her late teens.

Ash was defeated in the first battle.  Sabrina's Kadabra beat poor Pikachu.  After, Sabrina transported the group to a small town.  Investigating the town they realized that it was a plastic town.  Then looking above them they saw the little girl tower over.  She then rolled a ball towards them, trying to knock them over like pins.  Luckily, a mysterious man, who they had met earlier, transported them back into Saffron.  He tried to pursade them not to engage her again, but the ever stubborn Ash said that he could not give up.  The man, understanding Ash's commitment, told him that the only chance he had was to travel to Lavender Town and capture a Ghost Pokémon.

Ash travelled to the town and was unable to catch a Pokémon, but a Haunter followed him and agreed to fight Sabrina.  Again he challenged her, but Haunter disappeared.  Knowing he couldn't defeat her without it, he tried to escape, and was saved by the man again, but Misty and Brock were trapped and Sabrina turned them into dolls.  After seaching for Haunter, he found it saving Pikachu from another attempt at pokenapping by Team Rocket.  Again Haunter agree to fight, but when Ash challenged Sabrina for the third time, Haunter had done another runner.  Luckily, Pikachu took another shot at her Kadabra, but began to lose again.  Then Haunter showed up, and began to attempt to make Sabrina laugh.  The mysterious man appeared again, and they all watched as Sabrina, for the first time since she was a child, laughed.  As she was telepathically linked to Kadabra, it began to laugh as well, and therefore the man, who turned out to be Sabrina's father, declared Ash as the winner.

Koga/Kyou the Ninja of the Fushia City Gym

Koga is the holder of the Soul badge ('The Ninja Poké-Showdown').  Uses poison/pyshic types.  Bring ground and bug Pokémon types to defeat him.

After searching for ages for the Fushia gym, the four come across an old mansion.  Having no idea where they were, they decided to ask if the mansion's owner could help them.  But finding no one in the mansion, they began to follow a Venonat, hoping it would lead them to it's owner, but they kept running into unusal traps.  When they were trapped between two walls and two walls of glass, Ash pushed on one of the 'solid' walls, but it turned and lead to another room.  The next thing Ash knew he was pinned to the wall with several Ninja throwing stars.  Aya, the thrower, said that she would only let them go if he battled against her.

After winning, a man appeared.  He was Aya's brother, Koga, leader of the Fushia Gym.  Glad to find the place that they had been looking for, Ash agreed to a match against Koga, but half way into the battle Team Rocket showed up to capture the gym's Pokemon.  Koga, Ash, Aya, Brock and Misty joined forces to beat them, and after a long battle they did.  Then Koga and Ash continued with their match, Ash winning with Charmander against Goldbat.

Blaine/Katsula of the Cinnabar Island Gym

Blaine is the holder of the Volcano badge ('Riddle Me This', 'Volcanic Panic').  Uses fire Pokémon.  It's best to use water Pokémon to beat him, but he will destroy any grass types.

Blaine is a master of riddles, and before he told Ash and gang who he truly was, he led them to the truth with the riddles, which Misty easily solved.  When they found their way to the hidden gym (Cinnabar Island's old gym became run down because the place had become a tourist resort and no one came to battle there anymore) they realized who he was and Ash began to battle him.  When Squirtle was beaten by Blaine's Ninetails, Ash called out Charizard, who as usual refused to battle.  Still hoping to win, Ash called on Pikachu to battle Magmar, but had to forfeit as the battle began to get to dangerous.

After an attempt to capture Magmar, Team Rocket, using ice guns, froze the inside of the Volcano, the place of the hidden gym.  Although they failed, the ice began to cause the Volcano to break down.  In efforts to prevent an eruption, Ash and co, along with Magmar, attempted and succeeded to block the cracks in the Volcano.  Even Charizard helped out.  To thank Ash and his friends for their help, Blaine agreed to a rematch.  Knowing that Charizard was the only Pokémon who had a chance of beating Magmar, Ash begged him to fight for him, and in an unusual moment of obedience, Charizard did, and in an exciting match, he won, and Ash received his seventh badge.

Giovanni/Sakai of the Viridian City Gym

Giovanni is the holder of the Earth badge ('Battle of the Badge'). He is also the leader of Team Rocket. Uses ground and normal Pokémon.  Go for water against his ground and fighting attacks against his normal.

Ash didn't fight Giovanni for the Earth badge; he fought Jessie and James.  Gary however did.  Ash's rival did easily defeat his first two Pokémon, but when he told Gary he wanted to try out a new Pokémon and that he could use as many Pokémon as he wished against it, the young trainer was quickly defeated.  The Pokémon was Mewtwo.

When Ash and group arrived at the gym, they found Gary and his cheerleaders unconscious.  When they regained consciousness, Gary warned his rival of this new Pokémon, saying that it was not like others, and that it was evil.  Shortly after, Jessie, James and Meowth arrived on the scene telling Ash that they had just been promoted to gym leaders (as Giovanni had some kind off problem and had sent Mewtwo to sort it out), and that he would have to defeat them to gain the badge.  Misty and Brock where suspicious, thinking that Team Rocket were planning something, but Ash agreed.

Team Rocket had planned something.  Both trainer boxes had been ridged so that the trainers would experience all the pain that their Pokémon had.  Jessie got off to a powerful start, but when she began to cheat, the tables turned and Ash won the battle fairly and squarely.  Jessie refused to give him the badge, but accidentally, while playing, Togepi pressed a button on a remote control that Team Rocket had set up to blow up the trainer stands if something went wrong.  The three criminals were blasted off (again), and Ash was able to take the Earth badge that Jessie dropped.

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