After the rain let up back in Olivine City, Gold had taken his leave to go back to Cianwood City for Clair and Crystal.
" Man, what should I do now I mean it's not like I want to strictly mess with girls, it just happens." Gold thought while riding his Blastoise.
" Those two are important to me, I don't want to mess up the good times." Gold thought of Clair and Crystal.
Gold began to recall the conversation he had with Jasmine before leaving Olivine City.
" Ethan I, I am sorry for what we had done." Jasmine feeling terrible. "
There's no need for you to apologize Jasmine, I'm the one who couldn't control myself first." Gold said.
" No I am, because what I have done with you could sever your friendship with Clair!" Jasmine replied.
" Why, why would what we done mess things up?" Gold asked.
" Morty had mislead me a few years ago, I thought he was a nice guy and I believed he was the one for me, so I gave up my virginity to him." Jasmine began her explanation.
" Wait, could it be..?" Gold began to figure out why Clair was so angry when reunited with Morty in Tin Tower.
" Morty was dating Clair, when Clair confronted me she began to scream at me saying she would never forgive me for what had happened." Jasmine recollected.
" I tried to explain myself but she had slapped me and no longer claimed me as a friend, it was one of my most painful memories." Jasmine had teared up.
" I had no idea.." Gold said as he tried to place his hands on Jasmine's shoulder but she refused his consolation.
" Ethan, what is that girl and Clair to you?" Jasmine asked about his status between his traveling companions.
" That girl that was with me, she is Kris who goes by Crystal she is a friend I just recently made and I really enjoy her company." Gold describes Crystal.
" And Clair, she's irreplacable to me I have traveled with her longer and yet being around her, I just know she is someone special." Gold describes Clair.
" I see.." Jasmine said. "
I hold those two in high regard, as much as my Pokemon they are both important." Gold said.
" Then let's keep what we had done in secret, I have a feeling that if they knew it will complicate things for you later." Jasmine coming to an conclusion after thinking a little.
" You got it, it might be best for both of us then but it doesn't mean we can't still be friends, right?" Gold said.
" Of course not Ethan." Jasmine smiled.
" Wait before I go, what did you mean later things could get complicated if they knew?" Gold asked for Jasmine's earlier comment.
" It's not my place to tell you, you will just have to wait and see then." Jasmine gives Gold a cliffhanging statement that closes the flashback.
" Complicate things huh, I wonder what she meant by that?" Gold said to himself.
Gold then sees the shore of Cianwood City and looks to reunite with his friends.
Cianwood City
" Thanks a bunch Blastoise, have a good rest." Gold returns Blastoise.
" Now to find those two." Gold said then spots a dust cloud made of sand rapidly closing in on him.
" Wha..?!" Gold said.
The dust cloud turns out to be Clair and Crystal running at full speed towards a very worried Gold.
" WHAT THE HELL TOOK YOU SO LONG?!" Clair punched Gold on top of his head.
" ARGH, WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?!" Gold asked with a tear in his eye holding the top of his head.
" Nevermind explain yourself, why did you have to go visit that bitch for huh?!" Clair demanded.
" Now now Clair, I'm sure Ethan will tell us what and why it took him so long back in Olivine... RIGHT?!" Crystal calmly said before burying her fingers deeply into Gold's shoulder causing him intense pain.
" OWWOOWWOWOWW!" Gold cried out.
" SPEAK UP, WE'RE WAITING!" Crystal puts more pressure.
" OW OW OW, STOP STOP!" Gold pleaded.
" So what took you so long, why did you have to go back to Olivine for, hmm?" Clair asked.
" What do you mean, I had to get the badge there." Gold answered.
" Why didn't you do that on the way here the first time?" Clair said.
" The Ampharos in the lighthouse was ill and in Jasmine's care, she had asked Crystal and I to come here to get a potion to heal it." Gold said.
" And you knew?!" Clair turned to Crystal who turned away in embarrassment.
" N-now that you mention it." Crystal mumbled.
" How can you forget, you were there so that attack from the two of you was for nothing!" Gold said.
" S-sorry." Clair and Crystal simultaneously apologized in embarrassment.
" So Ethan.. how was the Ampharos, did you heal it after all?" Clair asked.
" Why don't you ask it yourself?" Gold pushed the button on Ampharos' pokeball.
" You didn't?" Crystal asked.
" I did." Gold replied while releasing Ampharos.
" Pharo!" Ampharos cried out.
Clair looked at the brightness of the tail of Ampharos to identify it.
" Yep no mistaking that tail, it's the Ampharos of the Olivine lighthouse." Clair said.
" So you really.. did help it." Clair said.
" Yeah, after I told Jasmine about how I couldn't stand by and refuse help for a Pokemon, Ampharos decided to come join the team." Gold said.
" Oh I see.." Clair said.
" So he really did go just to help Ampharos, thank goodness." Clair thought.
" So was it really okay to take that Ampharos, I mean doesn't that city need him?" Crystal asked.
" I thought so too but Jasmine said they can always find a replacement if need be." Gold said.
" But hey since we're here, how bout we hit up the safari zone, I'm dying for more Pokemon!" Gold said.
" Sure but we'll probably just watch since Crystal and I caught quite a few Pokemon, we're beat." Clair said.
" All right but first let's make a quick stop at the pokecenter, I want to try something out first." Gold said.
Crystal and Clair followed Gold into the pokecenter who went to a p.c.
" Hi honey, how's your journey going where are you?" Mom said.
" Hi mom I'm at Cianwood City, it's going good I just need you to bring me my billiard in my room please." Gold requested his billiard.
" Hi, Ethan's mom!" Clair greeted through the p.c.
" Um, hi!" Crystal nervously greeted.
" Oh well if it isn't that pretty girl Clair from last time and my my who is this other pretty girl, son?" Mom remembered Clair and asked Gold about Crystal.
" M-my name is K-Kris b-but you can call me C-Crystal, Ethan's mom!" Crystal said.
" Oh drop the shy girl act!" Clair thought with an annoyed expression.
" Kris is another one of my friends that I just met." Gold introduced.
" And you remember Clair." Gold said.
" P-pleased to meet you!" Clair and Crystal bowed their heads.
" Pleased to meet you too girls, you can call me Hinata or mom if you want." Mom teases Gold but makes Clair and Crystal daydream.
" M-MOM!" Gold retorted in embarrassment.
" Right, right joke joke." Hinata ( Gold's mom's name) said and went up to Gold's room.
" Geez that mom of mine... hm?" Gold muttered and saw Crystal and Clair continue to daydream while saying mom.
" What's with them?" Gold asked himself.
" Okay honey, I just sent over your billiard it should be there now." Hinata said.
Gold retrieved his billiard stick from the transfer unit and came back in front of the p.c.
" Sweet, got it mom." Gold showed his billiard.
" All right honey take care and watch over those precious daughters of mine." Hinata teased once more which set off Clair and Crystal from their daydream.
" Mom, stop it you're going to cause a misunderstanding!" Gold whined.
" Did she just..." Clair said.
" Call us, daughters?" Crystal finished.
" Mom, seriously...!" Gold scolded.
" Don't worry Ms. Hinata, we'll stick by Ethan's side no matter what!" Clair pushes Gold out the way.
" Yeah, don't worry mom we'll take care of him too!" Crystal pushes Clair out the way.
" Ha ha, as expected from any daughters of mine." Hinata laughed.
" Hey she's my mom, I'm an only child!" Gold gets in between Clair and Crystal who both push him down.
" Bye, hope to meet you both soon darlings!" Hinata waved goodbye.
" Count on it!" Clair and Crystal both waved then Gold's hand appeared between them to shut off the p.c.
" God, that woman never stops at a chance to embarrass me." Gold sighed.
" Show more respect to your mom, Ethan." Clair defended Hinata.
" Yeah, she's our mom now too." Crystal said.
" What's with you two?" Gold densely asked.
Gold, Crystal and Clair were now sitting on the transport roller coaster that takes them to the safari zone.
" So is that suppose to be a billiard, isn't it too short?" Clair asked.
" This billiard is one of the portable ones that were sold back in Kanto, see?" Gold shows Clair a small button that extends the billiard.
" Oh I get it." Clair said.
" But why'd you asked your mom for it?" Crystal asked.
" Oh to show ya'll something special, something only I could do." Gold put a finger under his nose.
" Bet it's nothing like what Crystal here could do, I've never seen nothing like it." Clair points at Crystal with her thumb.
" Ha, like anything she could do could compare to my secret technique...OWW!" Gold playfully teases Crystal who responds to his joke by crushing his foot with her foot.
" Kiddin Kris, just kiddin!" Gold cried out.
" Hmph you better." Crystal looks to the right in defiance.
Gold paid his way to use the safari zone unbeknownst to him that he could've gotten in for free since he was in Clair's company.
" I tried to tell you that you could've gotten in free if you had listen to me, now there goes five hundred credits." Clair shook her head with a shrug.
" Well damn Clair, you know me I jump the gun so you shoulda stopped me, that's boo!" Gold complained much to Clair's chagrin.
" Well like we knew how fast you would take off, I thought you would stay with us." Crystal said as they entered the safari zone.
" Eh, well no big deal I already paid so I guess this was on me, stupid me." Gold accepted his mistake.
" Yeah, so hurry up and catch your Pokemon, I've been here three times already." Clair said.
" Prepare to see some art!" Gold extended his billiard.
Gold searched the area and came across a Kirlia who was being chased by a Nidoking.
" K-Kirlia!" Kirlia cried out for help.
" Hey what's going on?!" Gold said that caught both Kirlia and Nidoking's attention.
" Kirlia!" Kirlia ran behind Gold's back to hide.
" Why is that Nidoking after that Kirlia?" Clair asked.
" Why is Nidoking after you, did you do something to it?" Gold asked Kirlia who fearfully shakes it's head.
" Hmm, looks to me that Kirlia may have accidently provoked Nidoking with practicing it's psychic attacks." Crystal placed her chin in between her thumb and index finger.
" How do you know that, Kris?" Gold asked.
" Remember how I said my goal was to fill the pokedex, well I came across a Nidoking and Dex told me they attack other Pokemon if provoked accident or not." Crystal said.
" Gold, step back it's coming at you with it's slam attack!" Clair warned.
Gold turned and picked up Kirlia who blushed after Gold set it down when they avoided an incoming tail slam attack from Nidoking.
" All right if it's a fight you want, Scizor go!" Gold released Scizor.
" Scizor!" Scizor cried out.
" Since when did your Scyther evolve?" Clair asked.
" Didn't I tell you, almost all of my Pokemon evolved in my last two gym battles." Gold replied.
" Ethan, watch yourself, thrash attack!" Crystal giving the heads up.
Nidoking charged forward about to use it's thrash attack.
" On it, Scizor metal claw!" Gold ordered.
Scizor's claw began to glow and it struck Nidoking's face knocking it back.
" Now, use swift!" Gold said.
Stars came out of Scizor's claws to give a knock out blow to Nidoking.
" All right, now you're mine...huh?!" Gold about to use a pokeball to catch Nidoking but caught a glimpse of Crystal kicking a pokeball capturing it first.
" Wha..!" Gold looked at Crystal in disbelief.
" Sorry, I really wanted a Nidoking I won't do it again." Crystal stuck her tongue out in a playful manner.
" N-no, it's fair game but you got talent!" Gold shook off the robbery and instead praised Crystal for her talent of catching Pokemon.
" I told you so, Crystal here could catch Pokemon by just kicking pokeballs at them." Clair said.
" That's pretty cool, how did you learn because something like that takes precision." Gold feeling amazed.
" Well when I was six years old, I had an accident that broke both of my arms so I had to do everything including Pokemon target practice with my feet." Crystal recalled her past where it is shown a younger Crystal using her feet to open doors, grab pokeballs and kick pokeballs at moving wooden images of Pokemon.
" Man, I thought what I could do was the only creative way to catch Pokemon but here you are doing it in a whole other level." Gold bummed out.
" Well hey cheer up, we still haven't seen what you could do yet." Crystal consoled Gold to cheer him up.
" Yeah right, what's so special about this now?" Gold gloomily kept his eyes closed while tossing a safari ball and tapping it with his billiard like in a pool game.
The safari ball shot forward fast and bounced off several foundations then avoided a blooper shot when he lowered his head.
" I mean this doesn't even compare to your talent!" Gold let out a comically waterfalled tears from his eyes after lifting his head up.
Clair and Crystal looked amazed as the safari ball bounced back one last foundation and made it's way behind Gold targeting Kirlia.
The safari ball took no resistance once it captures Kirlia signifying that Kirlia decided to go with Gold.
" Damn, I thought I was one of a kind but I had to lose one day, right?" Gold still in his gloomy state not knowing he caught Kirlia.
" Ethan you are, I don't know how but you caught that Kirlia with no problem at all, I'm impressed!" Crystal marveled at Gold's lucky accident.
" Yeah right, stop trying to cheer me up." Gold ignoring Crystal's comment and continued to sulk.
" No really you did, look!" Clair tugged Gold's arm which made him look at the safari ball.
" S-seriously?!" Gold walks over and released Kirlia from the safari ball.
" Kirlia!" Kirlia cried out.
" N-no way, I didn't even look!" Gold surprised at his own accident.
" Well in any event, welcome to the team, Kirlia!" Gold smiled like Naruto as he pets Kirlia on the head.
" I'm impressed with your talent too, Ethan!" Crystal clings onto Gold's arm.
" Kirlia!" Kirlia blushed and hugs Gold with her head on Gold's stomach.
Clair looked on how Gold and Crystal were celebrating while watching how the pair smiled together as she clenched her heart both in envy and pain.