Road to Cerulean
Hey guys, how are you all? It's been a little more than a week since I updated this story. I wanted to post this chapter a few days earlier but wasn't able to.
Anyways, I hope you enjoy the chapter! Also, I wish you a Happy New Year!
"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Ash asked the brunette in front of him. He was concerned about Leaf and how she would do traveling alone. After the way she met him in the Viridian Forest, he was right to be worried. She could get herself into a load of trouble.
Leaf had decided that she wanted to spend some more time in Pewter City, visiting the Musuem in the City of Boulders. That she said would also give her some time to think about what she needed to do. She thought that it would be best to have her goal in mind before she advanced any further. She wanted to know what she would want to do before she traveled through the region.
Even though Ash was worried about her doing that, he agreed with her. There was no point in going around Kanto from city to city if she wasn't sure what she would like to be. It could be difficult for her to think about her goal while she traveled and much easier if she stayed at one place. She would also have access to exploring a few things she could do. She'd already told him that she did have a few things in mind that she wanted to try out.
Ideally, Ash would have liked for Leaf to be a trainer like him. He'd always thought that he along with Gary and Leaf would be able to compete against each other as Pokemon trainers. But that wasn't to be. Although he was happy that Leaf followed what her heart told her to instead of simply continuing as a Pokemon trainer like she had intended.
When he thought if he might face a situation like that, he felt the chills. He didn't even want to think about him being anything but a Pokemon trainer. Unlike Leaf, he enjoyed training and battling alongside his Pokemon the most. That was his undying passion and it had been since his early childhood. He'd always had a one tracked mind about that matter.
"Yeah Ash," Leaf nodded and grinned at Ash. "It's nice to know that you are actually worried about me though."
"Well," he began and took his gaze away from Leaf as his cheeks turned the slightest hue of red. "I do care about you… somewhat." He was never good at these things. He would never come out and admit just how much he cared about his friends. He was the type to hide such feelings instead of showing them to everyone.
"Somewhat, huh?" Leaf leaned forward, her hands on her hips. She couldn't help but giggle when Ash tried to avoid her stare though. "It's good to hear that you do, at least." She muttered as she stood back straight and her tone turned sweeter.
"What are you gonna do, then?" Ash gave her a quizzical look. "Are you gonna stay here in Pewter City or go back to Viridian?"
Putting a hand on her chin, Leaf thought about the question. "I'll stay in Pewter City for a while," she smiled as she brought her gaze back to Ash. "I am not too fond of traveling through Viridian Forest over and over again, you know?"
"As expected," Ash chuckled and shook his head. There would barely be any girls he knew who would want to be in Viridian Forest more than they had to. It was bug-filled and to his knowledge, most girls found them creepy. He could recall a few who wouldn't but most of them would. "I can't see you having the courage to do so."
Instantly, Leaf pouted at the statement Ash made. "What do you mean?" she folded her arms and looked away. "It's just that I don't feel like doing it, not that I am scared or anything."
Ash furrowed an eyebrow but soon, his expression neutralized. "I guess so,"
"You're going to challenge the Cerulean Gym next, right?" she questioned curiously. She was aware that Cerulean City was the closest City and since Ash told him that he was going to make his way through Mt. Moon, Cerulean was the one that Ash would reach next. However, knowing Ash as well as she did, she couldn't quite be sure if he would go that way or simply go to another Gym. She rolled her eyes when she realized that the chances of that happening were pretty low.
Ash snapped her out of her train of thoughts with his answer. "Yeah, that's the closest Gym. Which other Gym could I challenge before that?" They had read about the Gym around Kanto together and Leaf knew that it was the next city, which made Ash wonder about the ridiculous question she'd asked. He clutched onto the strap of his backpack. "Well," he started, turning around a little. "I should be on my way now."
Leaf heart began beating faster at that moment. She didn't want to leave Ash now that they'd met in the Viridian Forest. But she understood that she didn't have a goal in mind and she shouldn't be making Ash wait just because of her. She'd always known how important his journey was to Ash and now traveling with him for a few days, she also learned how much training his Pokemon meant to him.
She clasped her hands in front of her chest, her eyeballs growing. "Take care, Ash," she whispered. Suddenly, she took her childhood friend by surprise when she embraced him, wrapping her hands around his shoulders and burying her face in his chest.
Ash was taken aback by the abrupt hug that he received from Leaf. Soon enough though, he wrapped his own arms around the girl. "You too," he said softly. He wasn't uneasy but the grown breast of Leaf against his chest was something he didn't feel too comfortable about. Leaf had hugged him many times in the past but this was the first in a while. The last time she did, her boobs couldn't be felt like they could now.
They remained that way for a few more moments before Leaf eventually stood back straight. She moved a few strands of hair from her face and gazed at Ash in the eyes. "I might actually miss you, you know?" A smile made its way to her pretty face.
Ash's lips parted for a moment or two, unable to find the right words to speak. "I hope you don't," he smiled back wryly at her. "We might not meet for a while now."
"Don't be so negative," Leaf giggled in her usual tone. "I am sure we'll meet soon."
"A lack of goal hasn't done anything to your optimism, I see," Ash smirked before he let out a titter.
"You can't get anything without having the motivation." Leaf said, raising a finger in front of Ash, which she used to poke his nose playfully.
Ash took a step back, not letting Leaf do any more poking to his face. "That's true, I guess." The raven-haired teenager turned around and glanced at Leaf from his shoulder one last time. "Best of luck, Leaf, I hope you don't wander into dangerous situations like you usually do."
"I won't, I promise." Leaf giggled and waved at her best friend. She was sad that he was leaving but she decided to push that feeling away and look forward to what life held for her. She had a lot to think about her goal, after all. Next time she saw Ash, she wanted him to be impressed.
A few hours had already passed since Ash left Pewter City to continue his journey. His next destination was Mt. Moon and he currently strolled through the roads of Route 3, which was the route between Pewter City and Mt. Moon. So far, his walk had been rather uneventful, only encountering a few wild Pokemon which he didn't bother to disturb.
A look at his watch told him that he should be taking a break soon. He had covered some distance and he did feel somewhat tired due to walking in the heat as well as making his way up the slope. However, he decided to trek a little more before he did take a break. He reckoned that he could walk for an hour or so more before really feeling any exhaustion.
Right then, Ash's eyes found something, something that caught his attention instantly."That Pokemon?" Ash narrowed his eyes at the sight of a white Pokemon with green hair that resembled a bowl cut.
He ran towards the injured Pokemon that had two flat red horns, a large one at the front and a smaller one at the back. There were many bruises all around the Pokemon's body and blood dripped through some of the cuts. He grimaced when he realized how deep some of the cuts were. The Pokemon that Ash held in his hands still breathed but it was evident that it wasn't in good shape. He put all the thoughts and questions that his mind held about the Pokemon aside for the time being. This Pokemon needed immediate attention.
The first thing he did was quickly got out two potions and wasted no time in spraying them on the wounds on the Pokemon's body. As he finished, he wondered about the question that had hovered in his head since the moment he laid eyes on the Pokemon. "What's a Ralts doing here?" he thought out loud about the Psychic and Fairy-type native to the Hoenn region that lied in front of him.
This was a Pokemon that wasn't found too easily in the Kanto region. The Ralts line of Pokemon found it much comfortable to live in regions like Hoenn and Sinnoh, the former being the region that resided these Pokemon the most. Although, it wasn't completely weird for them to be spotted in Kanto, it wasn't too common. The other question that troubled Ash was why the Ralts was in such a condition. He could discern that it had been attacked by some wild Pokemon but this species typically stayed away from conflicts. Or so he'd learned.
He glanced back at the Ralts and placed a hand on the Pokemon's head. It didn't have a fever as Ash initially thought it did. The wounds were still there but he could tell that its breathing had become much better than what it was a few minutes ago before he applied the potions. The potions wouldn't be enough to completely heal the Pokemon though. It needed to be taken to the Pokemon Center.
He frowned when he realized that the Mt. Moon Pokemon Center was still far away. He'd have to do something else. He thought about it for a minute before he sighed, deciding to do what was best. He would have to take the Ralts to the Pewter City Pokemon Center. He didn't want to go back there and make it all the way here again but he had no other choice. The injuries that the little Pokemon had suffered were far too severe to be expected to heal on their own. He wasn't the best at medicine either so he had to do it.
He would wait a little while to see let the Ralts recover a little from its injuries, however.
A few more minutes had gone by but the Ralts still remained unconscious. The blood had stopped coming out of its body though and it looked a little bit better than before.
Ash nodded to himself as he stood up. He wore his backpack that was on the ground and bent down to pick up the Ralts. Just as he was about to pick it up though, he heard someone calling.
"Ralts!" The voice shouted. The same voice screamed for the same name again and this time, it appeared that the one that the voice belonged to was coming in his direction.
Ash narrowed his eyes, looking in the direction that the shout came from. And soon enough, he could see a person – a young woman – running towards where he stood. The woman appeared as if she had seen him as well as the Pokemon that laid beside him as she scurried towards them as fast as she could, her eyes wide.
Ash simply watched the fair-skinned blonde woman sit next to Ralts. The woman appeared worried, he noted. After a few seconds, the woman who looked as if she was in her late teens or early twenties turned her gaze to him.
"Thank you for taking care of Ralts," she flashed him a grateful smile, although the expression of concern still remained dormant on her features.
"You don't need to thank me," Ash said, taking a seat next to Ralts himself. "So," he furrowed his brow after he had a look at Ralts and looked up at the woman again. "Is this Ralts yours?"
The woman instantly shook her head. "No," she denied. "Ralts is not my Pokemon. Although it has been staying with me for about two months," she continued after Ash gave her a nod. "You see, I found Ralts about two months ago. I was out picking some herbs when I stumbled across it in the forest. It was injured and it had bruises all over its body. In fact, it was in a similar condition like it is now."
Ash wrinkled his forehead as he took what she said in his brain. In other words, the Ralts had a tendency to get into situations like this. That was completely different from what he'd read about the species. "So you've been taking care of the Ralts ever since then?"
The woman nodded. "That's about right,"
Just then, the Ralts grunted and shifted itself on the ground. Its eyes still remained closed but it appeared as if it was waking up. Although, it seemed in pain.
The woman looked at the Feeling Pokemon and quickly picked up the Ralts from the ground. "We need to treat its wounds. You can come with me, if you want," The woman suggested before she stood up with Ralts in her arms.
Ash thought about it for a moment before he nodded. He was quite interested in the Ralts and he wanted to hear more about it. The Ralts was completely different from how he thought they acted so it was definitely worth spending some time on. Besides, he would have been thinking about the condition the Ralts was in if he went on his way without being assured of how the Pokemon's condition remained.
The Ralts looked much better, Ash observed. It was breathing much easier now and a lot of its injuries had been healed. He took a sip of his coffee and looked at the woman that had just taken a seat in front of him.
After Ash followed the woman along with Ralts to her house, she informed him that she made Pokemon medicine using herbs. He was quite impressed by the collection of herbal plants that Tasha – the woman that came looking for Ralts – had outside her house. He didn't know much about the different herbal plants but the variety was evident even to someone who would be ignorant to such things.
The way Tasha treated Ralts with the medicine she made from fresh herbs was also something Ash found quite fascinating. The medicine also showed quick effects, healing most of Ralts major wounds very quickly. Ralts waking up and feeling better was a sign of the successful treatment.
He'd wanted to leave soon after Tasha assured him that the Ralts would be completely recovered in about a day or two but the blonde woman urged him to stay a while longer. She said she wanted him to have a rest and also show him some of her herbs as thanks for giving Ralts some emergency treatment.
The idea of learning more about the herbs that Tasha grew compelled Ash and he didn't take long to accept her offer. This was something that might just come in quite handy in his journey. Having a way to give some treatment to his Pokemon aside from the usual potions and antidotes would be pretty good if he found himself in a dire situation with an injured Pokemon, be it his or wild or even someone else's.
"Ralts' recovering well," Tasha commented in relief, a smile plastered on her face.
Ash beamed at her. "It is," he agreed. "You'd make quite a good doctor."
At the comment Ash made, Tasha first blinked for a few seconds before she laughed at the suggestion. "No, no," she waved her hands in front of her face. "I am good at growing these herbs and making a few medicines but I can't be a doctor."
"You treated Ralts well enough so why can't you?" Ash asked, taking another sip of the amazing coffee that Tasha gave him.
"Making those little medicine is just something you learn when you do what I do all the time," she said. "It's no big deal really."
"You're too modest," Ash chuckled and shook his head. "Your talent is just wasted here. You could grow these herbs somewhere close to the city and be a doctor. I really mean it."
"No, you're just too polite," she giggled cheerfully and glanced at Ralts who appeared to be fast asleep. "Anyway Ash, I was wondering," she began, her gaze fixed at the floor before she brought it back to Ash. "Would you mind taking Ralts with you?"
Ash frowned at the offer that Tasha proposed. He wasn't quite sure how to answer it. It would be amazing to have Ralts with him but he couldn't understand the reason why Tasha would suddenly tell him to take Ralts out of the blue like this. Even though he would love to have Ralts, he was also skeptical whether Ralts would even come with him after staying with Tasha. He could tell how much Tasha cared for Ralts and he was sure that it must've been attached to her just as much.
"What do you mean?" Ash finally mouthed.
Tasha stood up and walked up to the bed where the Psychic and Fairy-type Pokemon rested. "Would you mind having Ralts as one of your Pokemon?" she asked as she petted the Pokemon concerned. As she didn't receive an answer from Ash, she turned her eyes to him. "You see Ash, this is not the only time this has happened to Ralts after I found it." She explained seriously. "Often times, Ralts just disappears from the house. Sometimes, it comes back safe but more often than not, it's injured or poisoned. I have never seen it fight a Pokemon before but it just keeps on getting these injuries. I don't want this to happen to Ralts anymore." She gazed at Ash in the eyes and clasped her hands together in front of her chest. "So please Ash, take it with you."
Now, Ash was sure that something was weird about this Ralts. No Pokemon would want to get into trouble and get beaten up. "I would be happy to have Ralts as my Pokemon but," he sighed and continued. "But I am not sure if it will come with me."
"Come with you?" Tasha tilted her head.
"I don't want to force Ralts to come with me if it wants to stay here. I just won't feel like Ralts will be happy that way," he put forth his thoughts.
"But that's not important that Ralts' safety!" Tasha all but shouted. She inhaled, calming herself down as she stepped towards Ash. "Even I want Ralts to stay here but I can't protect it. Please Ash," she requested, her expression displaying just what she meant. "Do it for Ralts; for its safety."
Ash knitted his eyebrows. "Alright," he said as a gentle smile crept up to his face. Ralts would be an amazing addition to his team although he just wasn't quite sure if that would be the best for Ralts. However, Tasha's words had convinced him enough. "I will take Ralts with me."
"Thank you," Tasha sighed in relief.
Even though she would have liked for Ralts to be with her, she knew that this was the best thing for it. She had only known Ash for two days but the way he acted towards his own Pokemon and the way he took care of Ralts were more than enough proof for her to trust him with Ralts.
Ralts glanced at Tasha and then shot a quizzical look to Ash. It gazed at Ash for another minute before letting out a coo, which too sounded confused. It had almost completely recovered and just woken up completely a few hours ago. And suddenly, it was told by Tasha to go with Ash instead of staying with her. This all confused the little Feeling Pokemon and it didn't have any idea what to do or what to even make of the situation.
Ralts cried and looked at Tasha, its visible eyes almost tearing up as it jerked its head at the blonde girl. It jumped into the open arms of Tasha and buried its face into her bosom. It cried its name a few times as it clutched tightly onto Tasha. The Heonn native Pokemon had become attached to her and it didn't want to leave her side. But Tasha practically begged it to go with Ash and after some resistance, it accepted.
Ash watched the two embrace each other with a warm smile on his face. He was quite astonished that Ralts had accepted coming with him so easily, even if it was something Tasha told it. He'd expected it to resist more and even the scene in front of him showed how close the two had gotten. He could just make out that Ralts didn't want to make Tasha worry because of itself.
The two eventually parted, Ralts still hanging on to Tasha's skirt as the girl stood back up.
"Take care of Ralts, Ash," Tasha said with a smile. Her expression clearly showed that she didn't want to part with Ralts.
Ash nodded firmly at what Tasha had just told him. "I will, Tasha. You don't have to worry about Ralts at all."
Tasha picked up Ralts in her arms and kissed it on the forehead. "Be a good Pokemon and don't cause too much trouble for Ash, okay?" she whispered to Ralts, who nodded twice. "And don't get into any trouble, alright?" Ralts nodded again and hugged her face; it didn't really like the prospect of being without Tasha either.
An empty Pokeball was already clutched tightly in Ash's hand as Tasha walked forward with Ralts in her arms. She whispered a few things to Ralts and embraced it once more. Then, she looked at Ash and nodded.
Ash sucked his teeth together and raised the Pokeball that he intended to capture Ralts in. "Here we go," he mumbled and tapped the little Ralts that had been gazing at him for the last few moments with the Pokeball.
The Feeling Pokemon was sucked into a red flash of light, disappearing from Tasha's arms. The Pokeball shook a few times in Ash's hands before it made a ping sound and stopped shaking. Both Ash and Tasha knew what that meant; Ralts had shown no resistance to the capture and it now had become one of Ash's Pokemon.
The excitement of catching a new Pokemon was already pumping Ash's blood. The fact that it was a Pokemon not commonly sighted in the Kanto region made it all the more special. He hadn't expected to come across a Pokemon like Ralts on his way to Mt. Moon, much less catch one. When he'd found the injured Ralts, catching it was the last thing on his mind.
Tasha's heart too began beating faster; the friend that she'd made and the one that she'd cared about for the past two months would no longer be staying with her. She would feel lonely, upset even. However, that was for Ralts' own good, the blonde understood that. A life with Ash would be much better for it than anything she could've provided it with. She almost knew in her heart that this was the right thing to do and also that it would be better for Ralts.
"Take care of yourself and your Pokemon," Tasha said after she'd calmed herself down. She appeared a little upset as she played with her fingers behind her back.
Ash attached Ralts' Pokeball to his belt and grinned. "I will, trust me, and I won't let anything happen to Ralts,"
"Best of luck in your journey," Tasha chimed in a cheerful tone. "I do watch the Pokemon League matches from time to time and I will surely be watching you in the League."
"I guess I'll have to perform out of my skin if you're gonna be watching," Ash chuckled and Tasha laughed along with him. "I better get going."
Tasha pursed her lips together. "Bye, Ash!" she waved at the boy, who just turned around and started prodding.
"Bye!" Ash waved back from above his shoulder as he continued his trek to Mt. Moon. That journey he knew was going to be very taxing and he would do good to get ready for it.
Ash stood in front of the entrance to the Mt. Moon as he looked at the giant mountain that had no end. The mountain was massive and just looking at it from up close could have someone scared.
Ash had come here once before but that was many years ago when he was still a child. He didn't remember much about that visit now and he noted that Mt. Moon looked nothing up close like it did from a distance. He'd been able to see the mountain for the last day of his travel through Route 3 but he didn't expect it to be so formidably massive.
After he'd caught Ralts and left Tasha's house, it had taken him two more days to get to Mt. Moon. He'd reached there the evening earlier and spent the night in the Pokemon Center just beside the entrance, deciding it would be best to start his journey through the massive mountain fresh in the morning. Along the way, he hadn't come across too many trainers or different Pokemon than the usual Nidoran, Pidgey, Spearow and Mankey along with a few other commonly spotted Pokemon.
He took a long breath inside and finally made up his mind to get through the biggest mountain in the region of Kanto. He took his first step inside and realized that the torch he'd brought along would come in very handy in this mountain.
As the trainer made his way inside, he found that the sunlight that entered the caves had started to get less and less. There were lamps hanging from the ceiling that provided light. Although Ash knew better than to trust these light, several of which were broken. The best thing to do would be to use his torch and be safe instead of trusting the light of Mt. Moon.
This would be quite an experience, Ash remarked. Even more enthralling than the ones he had in Viridian Forest.
The four Pokemon of Ash's – Dratini, Charmander, Pidgeotto and Ralts – happily ate the Pokemon food that their trainer put in front of them. Charmander and Dratini especially enjoyed the food since the two of them had been training for the past couple of hours. Pidgeotto and Ralts were surprised to say the least seeing how the two devoured the food. They must've been through some really hard training, the two figured.
Ash himself, finished his lunch – a packed burger that he'd brought along.
It had been four days since Ash had entered Mt. Moon to make his way to Cerulean City and in those three days, he sure had found the experience in the mountain quite satisfying. He hadn't come across any rare Pokemon except for one Clefairy that he spotted – which successfully got away before Ash had a chance to do anything – but the different caves that he'd gone through to reach where he was now was surely something he enjoyed, no matter how hard it had been.
Along the way, he'd encountered several trainers and a few hikers. He battled a few of them, getting some training in for his Pokemon. He had been thinking about the Gym battle that he would have in the Cerulean Gym. It was a Water-type Gym as he'd read and he'd been wondering which Pokemon to use in there. His Dratini would be his trump card not only because it knew Shock Wave, an Electric-type move that would do super-effective damage to the Water-type Pokemon of the Cerulean City Gym Leader – but also because it was a Dragon-type. That meant that the Water-type attacks of the Gym Leaders Pokemon wouldn't do a lot of damage to Dratini. He had a complete advantage with that.
The second Pokemon was something that he hadn't chose though. He wouldn't be using Charmander because of his weakness to Water-type. Pidgeotto was the most logical choice and he'd most probably be using her. But he'd been wanting to battle with Ralts. He hadn't used the Ralts in any of his battles yet. He wanted the Feeling Pokemon to get used to its life with a trainer before he did anything with it. In fact, he hadn't let Ralts out of its Pokeball many times yet. He considered how it got itself into trouble with wild Pokemon so he knew that he had to keep an eye on it whenever it was out of its ball.
As Ralts peacefully ate its food, Ash scanned it with his Pokedex, raising the machine towards it. The Pokedex suddenly began to speak and obviously caught Ralts by surprise who at first frantically glanced at different direction to know where the sound came from before it realized that it was the machine that its trainer held which had suddenly spoken.
"Ralts, the Feeling Pokemon. It senses the emotions of people using the horns on its head. This Pokémon rarely appears before people. But when it does, it draws closer if it senses that the person has a positive disposition. This Ralts is Female. Its ability is Trace. It knows the moves Confusion, Draining Kiss, Double Team, Disarming Voice and Growl."
Ash raised an eyebrow and flashed a smile at his Ralts a second later. "You've got quite a moveset, Ralts," he complimented in reply to which, Ralts could only blush. "The ability Trace will be useful as well."
He kept his Pokedex back inside his pocket after he had a look at the moves he could teach Ralts. She could learn quite a variety of moves and her ability Trace was also something that fascinated him. There weren't a lot of Pokemon with that ability and it could come in handy in battles. Considering her moveset, she wouldn't be a bad choice to use against the Cerulean City Gym Leader.
He shrugged to himself, just opting to choose his second Pokemon for the Gym battle later. He still had to cross Mt. Moon before he could challenge the Gym so he had quite a bit of time to figure it out.
"Would you mind healing my Pokemon, Nurse Joy?" Ash requested. He now stood in the Cerulean City Pokemon Center having made his way through Mt. Moon – which took him almost two weeks – and then covering the distance between Mt. Moon and Cerulean City in less than a day.
The pink-haired nurse of Cerulean City nodded her head as she brought out a tray and placed all of the four Pokeballs that Ash handed to her inside. She then called for her Chansey, who quickly healed all of the Pokemon and brought them back to the Nurse in about a couple of minutes.
"Here you go," Joy chimed sweetly as she handed the Pokeballs back to Ash. "All your Pokemon are completely healed up."
Ash gave her a grateful smile. "Thanks, Nurse Joy," he took his Pokeballs and attached them back on his Pokeball belt before he looked up at the lady again. "I would also like to have a room. Are any available?"
Soon, Ash found himself in a room inside the Pokemon Center which looked pretty good. The Pokemon Center sure did have a lot of money if they were able to provide the trainers with such luxurious rooms in the Pokemon Center at a reasonably cheap price. They sure did know how to take care of Pokemon trainers, that was for sure.
The various fish tanks and pools that he spotted after he entered the Cerulean City Pokemon Center astonished Ash to say the least. Not only that, but he also passed through a hall which had seats that could have an audience of around a thousand or two at least. Ash had learned that the Gym Leaders were called the Sensational Sisters and held water ballet shows; they were quite popular after all. But he didn't expect all this to be in the Gym.
Sure, he'd expected there to be various pools but he predicted them to have Gym trainees training their Pokemon instead of girls putting on shows. Nonetheless, he ignored those things and focused solely on the Gym battle that awaited him, strolling through the building to where he'd been told the Gym battles took place.
And when he arrived to the battle arena, what caught his interest wasn't the battlefield was a pool but the three fair-skinned girls – one with indigo hair, one with golden-blonde hair and the third with pink hair – sitting near the pool, dressed in nothing but their swimsuits. They appeared to have just had a swim as the three wept their hair with towels.
Ash rolled his eyes before he walked up to the three. "Are you three the Gym Leaders here?"
The three had noticed Ash approaching them but they didn't do anything except for just sit there and wait for him to speak. And when he did, they all sighed.
"Yes, we totally are," The blonde stood up and raised an eyebrow. "Are you like a challenger?"
Ash couldn't help but purse his lips to the right at their ignorance. "Yes, I am," he replied as politely as possible, trying to hide the irritation he felt inside and not let it out with words. Of course, he was a challenger. Why else would he even bother to ask if they were the Gym Leaders. "I would like to challenge you to a battle for the Cerulean Gym badge." He announced his intentions to the three with confidence.
The girl with violet hair looked up at him. "Sorry but we don't have any Pokemon left to battle," Her tone had evident arrogance to it. "All our Pokemon are in the Pokemon Center."
"If you would have come here a few hours earlier, we would have been able to battle you but you're just too late." The third girl with pink hair shook her head, her arms folded.
"You can't say that!" Ash retorted angrily. He was not leaving this Gym without having a Gym battle and winning the badge. The way the three spoke agitated Ash even more. "You're the Gym Leaders and you have to battle trainers who want to battle you."
"You don't have to get like angry over it," The blonde-haired girl said. "Seel," she called and soon, a white Pokemon with black eyes and two fangs emerged from the pool. The girl took the water droplet shaped badge that the Seel had in its tongue and offered it to Ash. "You want the Cascade Badge, right? Here, you can have it. You don't even need to battle us for that."
Ash didn't move from his position. He was simply shocked by what the blonde girl had just told him. Gyms weren't supposed to hand trainers official Gym badges without a battle. Trainer had to earn it and he didn't want it any other way. He wanted the badge right now but he would never accept a badge that was presented to him like this without a proper Pokemon battle.
Thinking that Ash was confused, the pink-haired girl compelled him to accept it. "Just take it. That's a genuine Cascade Badge, no strings attached. You can use it in the Pokemon League."
As soon as she said that, Ash scorned at her. "You call yourselves Gym Leaders?!" He shouted, a vein of annoyance popping on his forehead. "That's not how it's supposed to be. I want to earn my Gym badge by defeating the Gym Leader."
"But what's the difference?" The indigo-haired girl asked. "You're getting what you want so shouldn't you be thankful that you get it for free without having to work hard for it?"
"I don't want it that way," Ash responded, shifting his glare to the girl who just said that.
"Look," The blonde girl began again. "If you don't want to have this badge, fine. You'll have to wait for our Pokemon to recover before we can have a Gym Battle with you."
"How long will it take?" Ash asked, his tone calmer that before.
"About a week or so," The blonde replied after a moment of thought.
This was getting to Ash now. These pathetic jokes for Gym Leaders just didn't know what a Gym battle meant to trainers like him. No Gym Leader was supposed to have that long a break without any prior notice or if there wasn't any emergency. This was the time that the Gym Leader had the most challengers since most new trainers began their journey at this time of the year. These Gym Leaders just weren't worth of the title. He would surely be sending a complaint about the Cerulean Gym to the Pokemon League.
Right when Ash was about to leave, someone appeared from one of the entrances.
"I will battle the challenger!" The feminine voice declared.
Ash felt as if he'd heard that voice before and when he looked at the one whom the voice belonged to, his eyes widened. The girl who made that statement was one who he'd battle on Route 1. It was the girl with the Staryu that his Dratini defeated as he recalled.
The orange-haired girl made her way to the Gym Leader's position on one end of the pool and removed a Pokeball. "I am also one of the Cerulean Gym Leaders," she called out challengingly to Ash. "I will give you a Gym battle that you'll never forget."
Ash sighed at the atrocious remarks that the girl made. "Is she really one of the Gym Leaders?" he questioned to the blonde-haired girl.
The blonde nodded jovially. "Well, she isn't one of the Sensational sisters but she is one of the Gym Leaders. You can battle her if you want."
Ash nodded and walked over to the end opposite to where the girl with the weird orange ponytail stood and unclipped one of his own Pokeballs. He wasn't quite sure if she would be a challenge since his Dratini had almost effortlessly beaten her Staryu. He wouldn't let his guard down, however.
"Lily, Violet, Daisy," The orange haired Gym Leader shouted to the three Sensational sisters. "One of you be the judges."
"Be the judge, Daisy." The indigo-haired girl told the blonde, who nodded and walked to the judge's position between the pool.
"This will be a two-on-two Cerulean City Gym battle between," she turned to Ash as if asking for his name.
"My name's Ash Ketchum." Ash informed her.
Daisy nodded and began. "This will be a two-on-two Cerulean City Gym battle between Ash Ketchum and Gym Leader Misty. Only the challenger can substitute Pokemon. Begin!"
As soon as the last word left Daisy's mouth, both Ash and Misty tossed their Pokeballs up in the air. Out of Misty's Pokeball came out her Staryu while Ash's Pokeball revealed his Pidgeotto, who flapped her wings and flew in front of her trainer.
"Staryu, use Water Gun!" Misty shouted her order.
Ash countered instantly. "Quick Attack!"
Staryu jerked its top limp and a jet of water headed at Pidgeotto from the hole in the limp. Pidgeotto though proved too fast for the Water Gun as she slipped into Quick Attack, almost disappearing from sight. Leaving behind white trails, Pidgeotto slammed her body into Staryu and earned herself a cry of pain.
"Water Gun again!" Misty gritted her teeth after the damage her Staryu had suffered but stuck with the same move.
Ash rolled his eyes. His Pidgeotto would never be hit like this. "Quick Attack." This was simply proving too easy for him.
Like before, Staryu shot a jet of spiraling blue water at Pidgeotto but the Flying-type easily evaded it before executing her Quick Attack and getting the same result she got last time.
"Tackle it, Staryu!" Misty shouted as she clenched her fists in annoyance.
"Dodge it and then use Wing Attack!" Ash commanded.
Just as Staryu jumped in the air and launched itself at her, Pidgeotto unfurled her wings and headed towards the Starfish Pokemon herself. Her wings gained the slightest tinge of sheen as she slammed them into the Staryu before it could complete its Tackle. She just proved too fast for it. The Staryu smashed into one of the white floating beds in the pool, the red orb in its belly starting to flash red and then getting dim again.
"Get up, Staryu," Misty encouraged her Pokemon that had several bruises throughout its body. However, the Water-type got up shakily and made a smirk appear on Misty's face. "We can still win this," she pointed her index finger at Pidgeotto. "Psywave!"
At the mention of the move, Ash smirked. This Staryu knew more than just those weak Water-type moves. However, that still wouldn't be enough to win against his Pidgeotto. This was the perfect opportunity for him to test out the move that he and his Pidgeotto had been working upon throughout their time in Mt. Moon.
"Let's finish this, Aerial Ace!"
Staryu balanced itself as its body became covered outlined in a light blue glow. Meanwhile, Pidgeotto ascended and stretched out her wings as her entire form got surrounded by multiple silver streaks of energy. As the Staryu released the blue rings of psychic energy at Pidgeotto, she simply shot herself down at the Staryu. The Psywave hit Pidgeotto but it didn't take her more than a second to destroy the psychic waves with her Aerial Ace and then head straight down at Staryu. The Starfish Pokemon grunted in pain after Pidgeotto struck it with Aerial Ace, disappearing for a millisecond before she completed her attack.
Misty could only watch with bogged out eyes as her Staryu lied without any movement. "Staryu," she mumbled.
Daisy though, didn't take long to call the battle. "Staryu is unable to battle so Pidgeotto wins the first round."
After she shot an angry scowl at Ash, she returned her Staryu and got out her next Pokeball. She raised the ball in front of her and a violet Pokemon very similar to Staryu appeared. "Misty chooses Starmie!"
Raising Pidgeotto's Pokeball, Ash recalled her and unclipped his other Pokeball. "Let's make this quick, Dratini!"
At first, Misty was surprised to see Ash switch his Pokemon. But when she eyed Dratini, she understood why. She realized that Ash wanted to defeat her with his dragon like he did last time. She wouldn't let that happen again though. Her Starmie was much stronger than her Staryu.
"Dragon Breath!" Ash ordered, taking the first move this time.
As she saw green energy forming inside Dratini's mouth, Misty made her own move. "Dive into the water and dodge it!"
Just as Dratini fired the greenish-blue breath of his, Starmie spun around and dived into the pool, disappearing from sight. The Dragon Breath passed through where Starmie once stood and crashed into one of the walls of the Gym, destroying some of even that cemented structure.
The successful dodge of her Starmie had Misty grin victoriously at Ash. However, her grin vanished when she saw that Ash had a dangerous smirk on his face. The look that he gave her almost made her feel like it had been her who was at a disadvantage in the water, not him.
"This is just too easy," Ash commented, shaking his head in disappointment. "Shock Wave in the pool, Dratini."
The calm instruction that Ash gave to his Dratini made Misty realize her mistake. She'd walked right in Ash's trap. Water conducted electricity and that Shock Wave would do much more damage in water than it would outside of it. She cursed herself for forgetting about Water-type Pokemon's biggest weakness.
"Get outta there!" she yelled in fright. "Starmie!"
Although the orange-haired Gym Leader could only watched in terror as the blue electricity that surrounded Dratini's entire body was released into the pool of water. Sparks flew out of the pool as the water conducted the Shock Wave and magnified its power. Cries of agony could be heard coming out of the pool as Starmie suffered super-effective damage.
Even the Sensational sister were made to stand up and look at the pool with awe at the display. It was known to everyone that water conducted electricity but none of the three would be able to use it. The presence of mind and the calmness to make use of the water battlefield wasn't displayed by every trainer that came to challenge them. It had been a long time since any of them had faced a trainer who'd used water to his advantage.
After the electricity calmed down inside the pool, Starmie emerged on the surface with the jewel on its body glowing in multiple colors. As Misty called out to it, the evolved form of Staryu got on the white floaters, but it appeared in dire shape.
Dratini was urging to finish the battle but Ash stopped him from doing so. He simply waited for Misty to make a move. He knew that this battle was all but won and he didn't want to injure a Pokemon more than he had to. If Misty continued to battle though, he would have no choice but to use another move but he waited to give her a chance to call her Pokemon back. Well, if she cared about her Pokemon, Ash reckoned she would.
Misty looked at Ash and Dratini in surprise. She didn't expect either of them to wait to use another attack from what she learned after their previous battle. She sighed and pointed her Pokeball at Starmie, who was sucked inside. After murmuring a few words of praise to it, she walked over to Daisy and took the Cascade Badge from her.
"Here's the Cascade Badge," Misty presented the badge to Ash with a smile.
The smile had surprised him. Ash didn't expect someone like Misty to genuinely smile at him. "Thanks I guess," Ash smiled back as he accepted the Cascade Badge from Misty.
"I thought you would tell your Dratini to attack again until Starmie couldn't battle anymore," she said.
Ash chuckled. "I would never do that and neither would Dratini," he informed her and her eyes widened in surprise when she saw how calm Dratini was in Ash's arms. "But I never expected you to smile at me after that look you gave me back at Route 1."
It took her a couple of moments to realize how she'd acted after their battle in Route 1 but when she remembered about it, her cheeks turned red. She waved her hands frantically in front of her chest. "No no!" she hollered frantically. "I was just worried about Staryu at the time, that's all!" But a grinning face of Ash brought her no relief before she eventually sighed.
"I understand," Ash tittered. "I guess I misunderstood you,"
"I did too," Misty whispered, her gaze fixed at the floor. She was quite embarrassed by how she'd acted that time and more so after realizing that Ash wasn't the guy she thought he was.
"Anyways," Ash started, turning himself around with Dratini in his arms. "Thanks for the badge. I will be on my way now."
Misty was snapped out of her daze by Ash's words as she looked at the back of the trainer who'd already started walked. She wasn't sure if he forgave her for her behavior last time. At least, she hoped he did.
So how was the chapter? Tell me everything about it in the reviews.
Okay so now, there will be some real intense action for the next couple of chapters or so. There are quite a few important things that will be happening.
I know I skipped through Mt. Moon but I have something for Mt. Moon later in the story. As for why I did that, there simply weren't many important things that I wanted happening there and I thought it wouldn't be worth it making you read boring filler that wouldn't have much of an impact.
How did you guys find the capture of Ralts? And Ash is alone again. Are you happy or upset about it?
I hope you enjoyed the chapter! See you next time!
