AN: Hi, so in honor of the anniversary of Ash meeting Misty and Pikachu, and starting his Journey, I've decided to post the first two chapters of my new chapter fic. Pokeshipping forever! Expect Chapter two up at a decent hour of the day.
Disclaimer: I don't own pokemon, though if the writers of pokemon are cruzing through fanfiction sights for ideas like I suspect they do, they may feel free to borrow any of my ideas. Specifically the poekshipping ones!
"Lance, I have a bone to pick with you!" a voice shouted as soon as he closed the door to his office. The Dragon Master sighed, he had been dealing with angry people all day and just wanted the peace and quiet of his office. Normally Dragonite and him would've flown away long ago, but Mr. Goodshow had made him swear not to flee if he was going to push his plan through.
He turned to find the latest complainant, knowing they were either someone incredibly sneaky or had really high clearance to get into his office. He came face to face with a young but fairly pretty girl. She had bright red hair flowing down her back with the top layer pulled into a side pony tail. Her eyes were an intense blue green that positively sparked with anger. She wore a short yellow jacket over a dark red undershirt with a yellow skirt. Her skin appeared to have a nice tan, but it was hard to tell when her face was so red. In fact she looked rather like a dragon at this point so he decided to deal with her as if she was one.
"Excuse me, but you don't have any right to be hounding me inside my office, now I have had a long and tiring day and would appreciate you leaving." He said this calmly, but knew of the blast was likely to follow and braced himself. Once this human dragon saw that yelling wasn't going to affect him they could have a decent conversation.
"Like hell I don't have the right Lance, I own the second most powerful gym in Kanto, I've trained a Gyrados that could give you a run for your money, seen tons of legendary Pokémon, kept Team Rocket clear out of the cities of Cerulean, Pallet, and Pewter by uncovering and destroying four different bases in the past three years, and now I hear a television program stating that I am unfit to train my Pokémon because I am too young! That I can't complete my duties as a Gym Leader because I might join Team Rocket or abandon a Pokémon or something stupid like that! I have every right to be here!"
Crap, he had sent notices to the professors of trainers that might be traveling to give them an explanation, but he forgot that he had underage Gym leaders in the area as well. He silently thanked God that the Saffron City Gym leader had turned 18 a while ago. Those psychics were scary.
"Look Misty," now he remembered who she was. So much time was spent chasing out Rockets and other Pokémon thieves that it left him little time with his own Gym leaders. This was probably not a good thing considering they were technically directly under him as Champion, but they were a lower priority. "I realize that you and your Pokémon have done a lot for this region," Really, four bases? How had he missed that? "But there was an edict sent out saying that trainers already out in the field for five months can keep their Pokémon during the schooling session."
"You don't get it Lance," Misty said, still angry, "You just discredited years of work that not only I put in to my Gym, but Sabrina and Erica as well. We all performed the bulk of our duties underage. Do you realize that a badge I gave out is worthless because I didn't seen the news till that night? I know you're behind this because I've met Goodshow on plenty of occasions and his favorite trainers were always the young ones, the ones with the most fire. He even let me carry the moltres flame five years ago because he said that the youth and spirit we displayed was what made the League great. No one else has the power to make something like this, so I am holding you accountable. Now, what are you going to do to make my Gym not become the laughing stock of the eight regions and allow me to continue doing what I do best?"
"I'm sorry Misty, but I can't exempt you from taking another year of schooling," she looked ready to start yelling again so Lance quickly explained, "This is a good thing, you've traveled, and think about how many abandoned Pokémon you saw. How many times did you run into members of Team Rocket who had stolen Pokémon? Do you know how organizations like Team Rocket get members? They get kids off the street who don't know how to survive alone or take care of their Pokémon and convince them that joining Team Rocket will help them become more powerful or let them be a part of their family. It's sickening. Now tell me that requiring another year of schooling that focus solely on caring for your personal Pokémon is a bad thing!" He didn't mean to take out his anger on this girl, and he hoped she wouldn't start crying. Lance really couldn't handle a girl crying.
Luckily for him, this Gym leader was made of sterner stuff, and all she did was square her shoulders against the outburst. It took a while before she responded.
"Lance, okay, I can understand your reasoning. Would life have gone a little smoother if I knew how to cook and calm a crying Pokémon before I left? Sure. But that doesn't change the fact that no one is going to respect my authority as Gym leader if I have to take a beginners course on how to take care of Pokémon with ten year olds. Those same ten year olds will either be scared off by me and my Gyrados, or think that my badge doesn't mean anything because I was in class just like them. You will make a laughing stock of the Indigo League if your second strongest gym leader has to give up her position and attend a remedial class."
At least they were getting somewhere and Misty no longer looked like a dragon about to spit fire. Shame, now that he thought about it, she looked kind of sexy with her eyes sparking and hair flowing like that. Then he focused on the problem she presented. His goal was to get other regions to accept a policy similar to his and maybe it was time to show some diplomacy if they were going to get this policy to spread.
"I see your dilemma, and I agree that you can't be schooled with every new trainer receiving his Pokémon. You might lose your battling skills if forced to not battle for a year and I need this policy to spread. But the first year will be filled with other traveling trainers so it won't be just ten year olds in the class. I need this policy to stick Misty, I could save trainers from converting to Team Rocket or other criminal organization, and Pokémon from being abandoned."
"Lance, you banned battling for everyone underage. Do you know what a year of not battling competitively does to Pokémon and trainers? You won't get anything to spread if after your announcement all Kanto trainers suck too much to compete in leagues and contests." Misty folder her arms and stared him down. Lance sighed and knew this was going to take more flexibility than he thought.
"You have a point," Lance conceded, "Now help me think of a solution. I spent all day dealing with angry people in the hundreds and need another head." He massaged his temples, not ready for more crap today. The two thought and Lance really wanted to sit in his chair, but was unwilling to take the position of less power in front of Misty. How on Earth did she get up here anyway?
"Okay Misty, how about this, you and other highly qualified trainers go to a different school that focuses on advanced tactics, strategies, and Pokémon care. Battling and training will be mandatory parts of the ciriculum. While Professor Oak's lab is going to be used for Kanto's basic training, he hasn't expressed interest in being a teacher there as it would hurt his research on Human-Pokémon relationships. We might be able to convince him to teach at an advanced school where he can still study the deeper relationships because all the experienced trainers will be there."
Misty thought for a moment, tapping her chin, "I can live with that on two conditions, first you make the announcement of it public with an apology to the experienced trainers that have brought Kanto pride for letting them think they were useless etc." he nodded, it might help quell the outrage and his PR department wouldn't let him mess it up, "and second, you let me modify the curriculum, choose the professors, and set the entry requirements. As someone who has traveled recently and keep in constant contact with trainers who are traveling now, as well as certified representative of the Pokémon League, I am highly qualified for the job." She looked at him, daring him to deny her credentials. Lance stared at the girl.
"This will require a lot of work in a sort amount of time. Experienced trainers will be coming back from other regions by the end of the month, and we need to have the new school up soon after, can you handle it by yourself?" he questioned seriously, trying not to insult her again. But giving her control of a school was displaying too much trust for someone he just met. Every credible trainer would be attending, literally the future of Pokémon battling was going to be at this school.
"It's the best way to show that you still support me as an accredited member of the Pokémon League. By letting me be a consultant then participating in the program myself, you won't be discrediting me as a Leader, but showing me as someone you trust and respect to make decisions regarding who is fit to be a trainer. Just like Gym Leaders have been doing since the beginning of the League. I'm going to consult with Professors, experts, and clerks to make sure everything is run right, so forget about managing experience. My job on the board can be temporary, take me off as soon as the school starts." Misty was compromising at the end, but she would do anything to keep her trainer status as a Gym Leader, she got it when her parents died and she would not let it go lightly.
Lance eyed her carefully. Her stance showed utter confidence in her ability and if everything she said was true then she was perfectly qualified to make the modifications needed. He still felt uneasy placing a huge chunk of the success of this program in the hands of a volatile teenage girl.
"Misty, don't be offended, but I am going to need the rest of the day to think over your proposition. You have to be the absolute best for the job. There are other ways to establish my support of you without you having to be in charge of a school for your peers." Misty shrugged, a little miffed, but she was confident in herself.
"Take all the time you want; I'm going to be sitting right outside your door. At the moment I can't attend to my gym, train my Pokémon, or really anything at all." Here she smiled a cheesy sarcastic smile, "I'll be right here if you have any questions about my file. Keep in mind that I have several experiences that will not be recorded in your data base."
With all the regality of a freaking princess the red-head left his office to sit in the waiting room. What had Lance gotten himself into? And how on earth did she manage to make such a dramatic exit? Lance dressed in capes and rode dragons, but she still seemed more intimidating than him by simply turning her back and walking out of the room. Sighing he logged onto his computer and pulled up all known information on Misty Waterflower.
The system was ordered chronologically, so he expected the first entry to be her registration as a trainer when she was ten to the Cerulean Gym. Instead there was an entry by Professor Samuel Oak when the little girl was four. Curious he opened it.
I was visiting the Cerulean Gym to ask the Gym leader Rose Waterflower about water Pokémon environments as looking to improve the one at my lab when I met the their youngest daughter Misty Waterflower. As a young man I had an encounter with the legendary Pokémon Celebi who is rumored with the power of time travel. It is no rumor. I can remember meeting a twelve year old Misty Waterflower and Ash Ketchum when I was thirteen myself and I remember the girl showed great courage and kindness during the trip through time and I am glad to be able to watch her grow up into the magnificent water trainer I know she will become. My journal from that experience is under the restricted files of the research facility in Pallet if you require more information about the incident.
This girl hadn't been lying about her experience with legendaries then, and she probably had even more stories if she had truly been traveling with the League proclaimed trouble-magnet Ash Ketchum. That kid had actually been in so many incidents that Lance took it upon himself to call and warn the champions of whatever region Ash was traveling into next. It was a little awkward telling them to watch the kid and their legends because if anyone was going to find them and make them come true, it was him. He had been ignored so far in the regions of Sinnoh and Unova, but he still felt that they deserved a warning.
The next entry was her acquisition of her first Pokémon, Staryu, from the Cerulean Gym on her tenth birthday, then her capture of a goldeen within the first month. Started her journey a few months later. There was a report of her death on the Saint Anne with a note about the discovery of her being alive after destroying the Giant Pokémon Park, owned by Giovanni.
He smiled at that one, it never hurt to cut off the Rockets money supply. The next incident was a mention of her helping stop the giant Tentacruel and Tentacool swarm a month later. She had only been out on her journey a few months at this point and had a bigger file than many trainers ever got throughout their entire journey. He started skimming.
The gym leaders of Saffron, Fuchsia, and Cinnabar (there was a gym on Cinnabar?) all had positive stories claiming she helped them solve major problems at their gyms, Sabrina's was vague, but he decided he really didn't want to know. There was Goodshow's quick entry about three trainers including Misty he elected to help carry the Moltres flame, a Pokémon official's report of Ash's coach Misty Waterflower stomping onto a Pokémon official match to threaten Ash's opponent because of some dubious circumstances taking place between the two trainers that morning, and another quick blip by Professor Oak on his entrusting the retrieval of the G.S. ball from Professor Ivy to the three trainers. The entries get farther apart here as less people in the Orange Islands reported to sources he could access.
Or maybe they just stopped getting into trouble.
Nahhh.
There was a news article posting how three trainers helped save the grape fruit islands from being devoured by a Snorelax, a couple of entries from Nurse Joy's about the three trainers showing deep kindness and empathy toward sick or hurt Pokémon, and something from an Orange Crew Member about her saving his little sister from drowning. The big event was that apparently she and Ash were at the center of the weather fiasco a couple of years ago when the legendary birds got captured. These entries were from Professors Oak and Ivy relating the story as they were told it. Great more legendaries. Lance was starting to think that the divine Pokémon would come and smite him if he messed with her and Ash. Those two were their favorites it seemed. He skipped some more Joys and Jennys reports of acts of bravery and kindness.
Then came the Jhoto region with multiple reports from Officer Jennys about a trio stopping Pokémon thieves and real thieves. No wonder Misty found the idea of ten year olds not being able to take care of themselves ridiculous. Everywhere she went not only did she and her friends take care of themselves, but they took care of every single living thing that crossed their paths.
He searched for more legendary sightings connected with her and was surprised to find a mark on her record entered by himself. Apparently she was with Ash when he had to calm the red Gyrados and stop Team Rocket from interfering with their genetically altered Pokémon Mew Two. He thought back and had a vague recollection of a girl with a ponytail and holding a Togepi being there. Then there was a video of Misty and her friends trying to fight their way into the castle the Unknown had built, so he assumed she saw them too, plus the Entei they had created. Wow, he hasn't even gotten to her Gym Leader Career. He skipped ahead to that point, it seems that after exploring Jhoto her path slit from Ash's and she was registered as the Gym leader when she was thirteen. Why did the Indigo League let kids become Gym Leaders so young? Shouldn't there be a rule about that, an age or experience limit or something? He decided to look into it later. Maybe the legendaries had decreed that the girl named Misty Waterflower could do whatever she wanted. He wouldn't put it past them.
Her Gym leader career started with a report from a gym certifier Nurse Joy. It was a stellar report on how she managed to befriend and calm a rampaging and recently evolved Gyrados in her Gym and got rid of three troublemakers who ganged up on her. That report finished with the note that she was badly hurt from a poison sting, but was expected to make a full recovery and be a huge credit to the Cerulean Gym. He clicked on the Gym's stats after Misty's return and saw a 600% increase in battles won in the past three years. She was at this time just behind Sabrina's Gym for strongest Gym in Kanto, she wasn't lying about that. At this point he knew she was perfect for the job, but kept reading out of curiosity.
The rest were mostly news articles, she hosted swim lessons and a swim team for all ages at her Gym, and Misty would occasionally join her sisters in a water ballet. Every time she did the show would sell out in a day. Misty also hosted private lessons for those who were scared of Pokémon to come to the Gym and she would help them overcome their fears. It basically seemed that everyone loved her and she wasn't bluffing when she said it would ruin the league's reputation to send her to a remedial course in Pokémon. He wondered if anyone else from Cerulean was seething because it looked like he had denied Misty the respect her experiences deserved. Really he had just forgotten about his Gym Leaders, bad form and all that, but it wasn't intentional.
In between the articles about her community service was a report from Drake, Orange League Champion, about her and Gary Oak helping release a school of poached Milotic and calming down a Lugia who had been trying to protect them. Looks like Legendaries needed her whether she was with Ash or not. Her Rocket reports followed after, filed by herself, as she noticed and investigated suspicious activities as she was visiting Professor Oak or her friend Brock. They all seemed to end with her soaking the electrical center of the base she had mysteriously stumbled onto, helping the stolen Pokémon escape, and sending the main agents 'blasting off' whatever that meant. Four bases, all verified by local authorities to be legit Rocket spots. He needed her kind of luck, it took ages for him to find the devils, and she just ran into them everywhere.
Then finally came a report about the last gym leader conference and her reaching the semi-finals against his cousin Clair and barely losing in what was proclaimed a match the Elites would be jealous of. After looking at her file there was really only one answer he could give the girl waiting outside his office. Lance walked to the door and asked Misty to come back inside, she sat in the chair across from him.
"That didn't take long," she smiled.
"I was surprised at first how much of your file was set under level five security clearance, but now I honestly don't know whether to bow to you as a princess or cower in fear of the legendaries that would hunt me down for even implying you couldn't take care of yourself." He said at last.
She smiled even broader at that, "It's actually pretty strange that I can't access the majority of my own file, but I know what happened. And I bet you guys are still missing at least three of my legendary encounters."
"Try me, we keep very close track of our trainers Misty, with Nurse Joy, Officer Jenny, Gym Leader, and Professor reports from every region, as well as any news articles involving a Kanto or Jhoto registered trainer. Oh, and sorry for not recognizing you earlier." She shrugged.
"Its fine, Ash is usually the one everyone remembers and I'm used to it. But I'm betting there is no record my Celebi encounter in your database." Misty smirked, it wasn't often she got to brag about her adventures and have someone believe them, least of all Lance Dragon Master.
"Actually, that was the first entry on your trainer record. Professor Oak put the note in as soon as he recognized you when you were four." Lance was proud of his system, and no one, not even this princess, was going to bash it.
"Really how would he know?" she seemed honestly surprised, and he was glad to be working with a human. At least someone who could be surprised like a human.
"He says he recognized you from when he was a 13 and met you and Ash after time traveling."
"You're telling me that Sammy was Professor Oak! We never knew!" She took a second to absorb that information, "That means that he knew Ash would meet me and Brock, and, wait, he knew to give Ash Pikachu when he woke up late despite not being a traditional starter. And… dang, he is good. Fine, you win that one." Lance was enjoying the looks going across her face; surprise, anger, realization, and finally respect. She was an open book, and that was refreshing after the poker faces of people on the League and other politicians that he had to deal with on a regular basis.
"Okay, I know you don't have a record of this one because I only remembered it myself two years ago. After my first encounter with Mew Two he wiped the memories of me, my friends, and our Pokémon. It was right after he broke out of Giovanni's control the first time that he decided that clones like him should rule the world. He gathered the best Pokémon trainers in region, including me, Ash, and Brock to get some Pokémon to clone for his plan. Then it was same old same old; fulfill a prophecy, Ash dies and comes back to life, we convince Mew Two that we can live in peace, and everyone lives happily ever after, basically. I actually would have thought it was only a dream but I remember being confused about how we ended up in a certain Pokémon center that day and everything fits." Misty was smug and Lance grunted.
"You win this one, we don't have that experience, but it hardly counts since no one remembered it anyway." It was fun arguing with Misty, she gave her best and ignored his status. The only other person that never cared was Clair and she wasn't as fun because of all the personal dirt she had on him.
"It does too count," Misty pouted, "I bet you don't have the time we saved Latias and Latios from the Rocket agents Annie and Oakley. There were no officials during that adventure, so the only way you could possibly know about that would be to have access to the Rocket database." Personally he was wondering what her file looked like in the Rocket's database at the moment. He wondered if it was possibly bigger than his. Nah.
"You're right, we don't have that incident either, but I will make sure they are entered right away, where did it occur?" Misty suddenly looked scared and panicked.
"Sorry, forget about that last one, I don't care how much security your database has, those Pokémon are living in peace because no one knows where they are. I won't let you destroy that just to complete your records." Misty looked determined, and Lance decided not to fight her about it. He would simply write a note that if information on Latios or Latias became important to ask one of the three travelers, maybe adding a note that Misty should be used as a last resort. He liked his officials in one piece and Misty was probably more apt to tear them apart than one of her companions. Lance nodded his consent to Misty's request, and she looked visibly relieved.
"Sorry, I guess I got carried away with bragging. I don't get to do it much with someone who speaks human. Anyway, your final decision on my terms?" she smiled sweetly.
"Well Princess, I assume you already have close contact with Professor Oak, so here is my letter of approval saying you have the right to help make decisions concerning curriculum, admission, and teachers. This is my phone number in case anyone has problems with it." He handed her the paperwork, "Oh, and feel free to call that in cases of Rocket intervention and meeting with legendaries. I find that Dragons can help solve a lot of those problems." He winked at her.
She blushed as she took the items from him, "I'll consider it, but Legendaries are rather picky about their heroes. And please don't call me princess, I hate that stupid article. For a week trainers wouldn't take me seriously and tons of guys came by just to ask for a date! And the magazine refused to retract it!" Misty winced at the memory.
"What article?" Lance asked and turned back to his computer to look it up.
"Umm, nothing, bye!" She raced out of his office. He chuckled and found the article she had mentioned.
Misty Waterflower Kanto's Uncrowned Royalty
Last Month's edition cited May Maple as the Current Princess of Hoenn for her stage presence as a coordinator and all around charm and incredible skill. When considering who was fit enough to be the Princess of Kanto there was really only one choice.
Misty Waterflower actually starts her story by being born into what others might consider an already royal family. Her family has owned the Cerulean Gym for as long as anyone can remember and the Waterflower Underwater Ballet is famous around the globe. It was specifically praised for being able to interact with their highly trained water Pokémon in a beautiful and astounding story. Misty is often a guest star in their performances and adds an edge of excitement to every play, but the girl doesn't end with her gorgeous looks and famous acting ability. Her fiery personality and strong offensive style serves her well as the current Gym Leader of the Cerulean Gym.
Aside from all the work that already goes into being a Gym Leader and an actress, Misty also finds time to run swim lessons and a swim team out of her gym with eight highly qualified coaches under her command. When asked what it was like to have a sixteen year old Misty for a boss, coach Connor Jean replied,
"Honestly, we all respect experience over age and Misty is a very down to earth boss. She listens to us when we tell her something isn't working and works with all of the coaches as a group to fix it. Plus she drops by at random times to keep us on our toes and isn't afraid to get in the water with the kids or adults to help out. She is one of the kindest people I know."
When asked if he had a crush on the red-haired beauty, he managed to trip before denying to comment, while standing still. Her beautiful visage combined with her unique clothing style seems to charm everyone she meets.
She is the star of Cerulean, but how does that qualify her as the Princess of Kanto? Other Gym Leaders, specifically Erica of Celadon and Sabrina of Saffron, consider her to be a close friend and the three are often seen together in Celedon's famous shopping center. She came in second at the Gym leader conference, and all trainers hoping to enter the Pokémon League know her name and make her gym one of their last stops. Misty often spends her days off in the town of Pallet helping Professor Oak and his grandson Gary Oak, whom she is rumored to be dating, with their research. Other times she visits Pewter City and keeps up her friendship with the Gym Leader family the Slates. Sadly they were unavailable for comment, but we did hear rumors that a Team Rocket base was destroyed the same day as her arrival for a Pewter visit, but nothing has been confirmed. Many people know her from her travels around Kanto on her personal Pokémon journey and they have confirmed our description of Miss Waterflower.
It is easy to see that the only candidate for Princess of Kanto is Misty Waterflower, glamorous, kind, protective, and beautiful. Any man who could call Misty his own is a lucky man indeed.
Lance laughed when he finished the article, remembering the complete dragon that had snuck into his office to yell at him, and possibly feed him to her Gyrados. Just imagining what it was like when their "Princess" marched into the editor's office and yelled at him for making her seem weak and girly sent him into laughter. He would have paid money to see that. Yes, he would definitely keep an eye on her in the future.
