Why hello there. What happened last time? Not much actually, just a chapter without anything excited. The group made it to Cerulean City and Nick thinks back to giving Carla back her late husband's prized possession and catching Gyarados. Then blah, blah, blah, Nick bumps into Gary and now we're back to where we started!
And for those who're reading this, I plan on adding some things. At first I planned for this story to be strictly Kanto with a few additions, but now I'm planning to add stuff from the show, games, and even some manga. So expect to see things involving Mega Evolution and scenarios that probably happened in the show with or without Ash and his group.
But I'm always up for ideas from anyone!
Good? Good! Now, lets get to the story!
READ!
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, just my OC.
Chapter 25: Gotta Catch Up!
"Nick?" Gary sputtered, looking at Nicholas with a grin building on his face. "Dude, is that really you?"
The teen nodded as the two friends clapped hands and brought each other into a bro-hug. Nicholas chuckled as he patted Gary's back.
"How're you doin' man?" Nicholas asked after taking a step back. "I haven't seen you in a couple of weeks!"
"Well of course we didn't see each other, you already took off after getting a Pokemon from Old Man Oak." Gary rolled his eyes and sighed, waving his hand in a nonchalant manner. "Knowing you, I wasn't surprised to find out you already left an hour earlier than everyone else. You tend to be early when you get excited for things."
Nicholas scratched his cheek with a sheepish face. "You got me there."
"Uh..." Alex spoke up. Both Nicholas and Gary looked over to the black-haired girl, only to see a finger pointing at them. "I'm guessing you two know each other?"
"It's obvious they do." Cody muttered under his breath.
Nicholas wrapped an arm over Gary's shoulders and pulled him close, both of them giving Alex identical smirks. "That's right! In fact, we've known each other for 3 years!"
"What, you didn't tell them about me?" Gary inquired. He raised a brow and looked at Nicholas with a slight frown.
"Correction, I already told them about you and Ash just a few days ago." Nicholas tapped his chin and hit Gary with a stern glare. "I think it was the time we stopped at a sign that said 'Gary was here, Ash is a loser!'?"
"Oh, you found that?"
"Of course I did, you dick!" Nicholas flicked the side of Gary's head with a finger and took a step back, arms crossed. The auburn haired trainer winced and rubbed his forehead, shooting Nicholas a glare of his own. "What the hell do you think you're doing, calling out Ash like that? It's one thing to be rivals since kindergarten, it's another thing to be an asshole."
"Hey, it's all just harmless fun!" Gary shot back. "If anything, something like that would get him hyped up to get better. It's not fun if Ash can't take a joke and stays weak."
"Calling him a loser isn't helpful at all, Gary." Alex added in.
"She's right." Cody chimed in as well. "For all we know, Ash could already be ahead of you two with more Pokemon and badges."
"I doubt that." Surprisingly, it wasn't just Gary that said that. Alex and Cody looked at Nicholas with questioning looks.
"It's just, well... Gary and I know Ash. And if he's still the same try-hard that we've been friends with for years, he's probably still lagging behind us and nearly here." Nicholas explained with a nod from Gary.
"Yup." Gary agreed. "He's determined, I'll give him that. But he's kind of a dunce when it comes to tactics and skills. He's probably having trouble right now getting to Cerulean."
"Wow. Just wow." Alex deadpanned, crossing her arms and giving the two a flat stare. "Some friends you are."
Nicholas only chuckled at her before waving a dismissing hand. "Enough about Ash though." He pulled Gary into a another shoulder-hug and smirked. "I'd like to catch up with Gary here, seeing as how he's here for his second Badge."
"Already did that." The auburn haired trainer revealed with a grin. Before Nicholas or anyone else could comment, Gary reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black case. With a flick of his finger, the case opened and revealed a set of badges. 2 to be exact. The familiar looking Boulder Badge and a blue tear-drop looking item; the Cascade Badge. "Of course, with me being me, it was no problem at all." Gary bragged, rubbing a finger under his nose and chuckling.
"Looks like you still got that horrible ego of yours." Nicholas said flippantly.
"It's not like I'm wrong though." Gary shot back.
"Maybe someone should prove you wrong then."
"Is that a challenge?"
"Maybe it is. Maybe it isn't."
Alex and Cody silently watched as the two trainers crossed their arms, glaring into each other's eyes with heated determination.
"If you want a battle, all you gotta do is ask, Nick."
"Okay. Me and you. One on one."
"You're on." Gary smirked as he and Nicholas clapped hands in agreement. "However, now's not the right time. Since I just got done battling one of the gym leaders, I was just heading to the Pokemon Center to heal up. How about after you get done? We'll battle in a field behind the Center."
"Sounds like a plan." Nicholas nodded. He turned to his friends and gave them a thumbs up. "Let's get down to business!"
'Finally.' Alex sighed in relief. As fun as it was to watch the two childhood friends verbally compete with each other, it wasn't very amusing when her and Cody had nothing to add in the mix of words. In fact, they just believed it was better to let Nicholas have his fun. Better to let two friends talk to each other than a couple of strangers awkwardly adding themselves into the conversation.
Gary snorted as he started to walk away. "Make sure you don't lose. I won't battle you if you do."
"Don't worry, I'll be quick." Nicholas promised.
Later...
"So this is the Cerulean Gym?" Nicholas questioned as they walked through the doors, immediately taking notice of the store like room. It was as if they had just walked into a souvinere store. There were posts stationed around the room with collective objects relating to the ocean, Water Pokemon, mermaids, etc. And there was even a clerk seated at a cashier stand, a blonde female with glasses.
She was leaning on her hands, elbow propped against the table as her fingers slowly tapped to the rhythm of whatever music was playing in her headphones.
"I guess." Alex shrugged. "I won't be surprised. Someone did say that the Gym was also an aquarium of some sort."
"Let's just ask the clerk and see." Cody suggested, having already made his way to the blonde woman before the other two.
As soon as Cody stepped up to the desk, he cleared his throat loud enough to get her attention. Quickly, she ripped her headphones out of her ears and sat straight as she looked at the group with a smile. "Hello, what can I do for you?"
Nicholas spoke up. "Um, yeah, we'd like to know if this is actually the Cerulean Pokemon Gym?"
"You are correct. We're also an aquarium, toy store and we often host water ballet shows."
Before Nicholas could say anything more, Alex stepped up between the two boys and asked with wide eyes. "Did you just say water ballet!?"
"Yup." the clerk nodded. "In fact, we're having a show tomorrow morning at 11 o'clock. The Water Sisters will be performing the Dewgong Special."
Alex let out an excited squeal, earning slightly uncomfortable glances from her companions. Slowly placing a hand on her shoulder, Nicholas pulled the girl away from the desk. "Yeah, alright. Uh, when's the earliest I can battle the Gym Leaders?"
"Right now if you want. I'm sure they can handle one more battle for the day before practice." The clerk reached over and placed a hand on a com-speaker. "I'll let them know you're here. Just head through that door," She gestured to a large purple door. "And keep following the signs. They should lead you to the arena." Nicholas nodded his thanks as he pulled an excited Alex away from the desk with Cody following close behind.
"Aw come on! I was gonna ask her how much to see the show!" Alex whined as the doors closed behind them.
Nicholas, who grew fascinated with the fish tanks acting as the tunnel's walls, didn't pay much attention to Alex. Luckily, Cody was the one who answered to his friend's cries. He arched an eyebrow. "Why are you so excited about something as simple as water ballet?"
"Simple!?" Alex gasped, placing an over-dramatic hand over her chest. "I'll have you know that as a little girl, my parents would always take me to shows like this. From Water Ballet performances to other region Beauty Contests, I'm practically obsessed with them!"
Cody, while listening, kept an eye on Nicholas. Who had currently took a moment to stop and stare through the glass at a tiny Shellder. The water Pokemon silently blinked at Nicholas and closed its shell. Then opened it in a small game of peek-a-boo. Nicholas laughed and Cody rolled his eyes. "So what, you plan on going to the show tomorrow?"
"Of course!" Alex huffed. "We aren't leaving until we buy tickets to watch the Water Sisters!"
"Nick, get away from the Shellder." Cody said as the teen covered his eyes with his hands, playing along with the happy Pokemon. Hearing Cody's call, Nicholas sighed and jogged back to the duo after waving a quick goodbye.
"So what's this I hear about going to a ballet?" Nicholas inquired.
"It's exactly as you heard. After your battle with Gary, we're going to buy tickets for the show. We'll leave for the next town when its done." Alex informed.
"Uh, ok I guess?" Nicholas agreed with blinking eyes. "I just hope it's worth it. It'll be a waste of money if the show sucks."
"Did you just say our shows suck?" A voice gasped. Female.
"Like, I think he did!" Another voice, female too.
"That's just mean." A third voice commented, still female.
Nicholas, Alex, and Cody stopped their own conversation when they heard the three new voices speak out. Looking down the hall, they saw a group of three females walking towards them with swim suits on, towels wrapped over their shoulders. One of them had blue hair, the next was a blonde, and surprisingly the last one had pink hair; all of them dripping with water.
Cody was meant to speak first, but Alex was the quickest to react. With a squeal, she raced forward and stopped in front of the three girls with a wide smile. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh! You three are the Cerulean Water Sisters!"
The middle girl, the one with blue hair, smiled and her cheeks lit up in a light red. "Oh, it looks like we got a fan."
"And it looks like we have a downer." The pinkette pointed a finger to Nicholas.
Said teenager walked up with a greeting wave and a sheepish grin. "Uh, sorry about that. Didn't mean to insult your profession. I'm just not a big fan of ballets."
"That's still, like, no reason to diss our work." The blonde huffed, crossing her arms. "You don't see us calling you out on your stupid glasses, do you?"
"... Ok, I might've deserved that." Nicholas admitted slowly. 'But that was just a direct insult to my person. All I did was say their shows might suck!'
"Hey now, no need to be rude girls." The blue haired sister reassured, placing a calming hand on the other two's shoulders. "If they're back here, then that means they're here for something, right?" Hearing that, Alex was about to blurt out her request for VIP access to tomorrow's performance, but Nicholas was quick to slap a hand over her mouth.
"Yeah, my name is Nicholas and I've come here to challenge the Cerulean Gym." Nicholas introduced.
"Oh, is that all?" The pinkette asked. Alex shook her head as she tried to get out of Nicholas' hold.
"Ugh, just after we got done doing practice." The blonde mumbled before waving a hand. "Follow us, we'll take you to the battle arena. And just in case you don't know, the name's Daisy."
"I'm Violet." The blue haired sister informed.
"Lily." The last sister revealed as the group traveled down the corridor. "Anyway, we still got a little bit of time before we reach the arena. Where are you guys from?"
"Pallet Town."
'Another one?' Lily thought in exasperation. 'That's like the third one today!'
Nicholas finally pulled his hand away from Alex's mouth and after sending him a small glare, the girl stepped up to the pink haired swimmer. "My name is Alex. I'm actually from the Johto region. New Bark Town."
"Ooh, all the way from Johto? That's kind of cool." Daisy commented with an interested smile.
"I'm your biggest fan..." Alex practically gushed, but nobody except Cody heard her whispering confession.
Finally, Cody nodded his head and introduced himself last. "Cody. I was born in Saffron."
"Pretty interesting if I say so myself." Violet informed with a giggle. "To be honest, we didn't expect another trainer from Pallet to challenge us so soon."
"Oh?" Nicholas inquired.
"Yeah. Not too long before you showed up, some guy named Gary came in and challenged me." Daisy revealed. The name of the familiar trainer caused the trio to look at each other with smiles. Look like he did battle and win like he bragged about. "Had to leave my team at the Pokemon Center to get healed up." The blonde huffed and crossed her arms. "For a rookie trainer, he sure knows his way through a battle, I'll give him that."
"Which also brings the question," Cody spoke up. "If there's three of you as the gym leaders, does that mean Nick will have to battle all of you or just one?"
"Just one. Unless he wants to go for a three-streak," Lily suggested with a challenging smirk, nudging the glasses wearing teen with her elbow. "C'mon, it'll be fun!"
"Lily, cut it out." Violet sighed. "You can't put a trainer at an unfair advantage like that. That's why we take turns battling everyone."
"Turns?" Nicholas inquired with an arched brow.
"Of course. And just so you know," The blue haired sister turned to look at him with a grin as she pushed open a door, revealing the large pool-like battle stage to the group. Violet pressed a thumb to her chest. "You'll be battling me." Nicholas blinked as the blue haired sister jogged to one end of the field, standing on a platform and whistled with the help of her fingers.
The blonde haired sister coughed into her hand to clear her throat.
She raised her right hand into the air.
"This will be an official match between Cerulean City's Gym Leader: Violet," Daisy called out loudly. She had been the only one standing near the pool-like arena with her arms stretched out to both sides, gesturing to each battler. "And Pallet Town's Nicholas Burton!" Unlike her, the rest of the group had taken residence on the bleachers. Cody and Alex sat next to each other while Charmander was released, standing and looking over the wall to watch the battle herself. Lily had taken a seat behind the two teens, sitting back with an expecting grin. "The trainer will be allowed to substitute at any time!"
"You ready?" Violet called out from one side, eyeing Nicholas with a smirk. She had a Pokeball in hand. "Just a little heads up, you're facing the strongest sister!"
That got a reaction out of the other two siblings in the room.
"That's a lie!" Daisy accused as she sat down next to Lily, who also yelled out "I'm better than you!"
Nicholas laughed to himself as he reached back and pulled out a capsule of his own, giving a nod of response on his end. "Bring it!"
"Come on out! Poliwrath!" Violet called out, holding the ball forward and watching as a flash of light flew towards one of the floating pads.
Same with Nicholas, however his selected partner had formed in the air instead of the platforms.
As the lights faded away, the group sitting on the sidelines watched as a creature with a swirl-like pattern on its stomach appeared on the field, gloves on its hands as well. Two large eyes on tops of its head/torso blinked for a moment before narrowing in seriousness and took a battle stance once taking notice of the battle-ready Spearow that glided overhead.
"Poliwrath, huh?" Nicholas hummed to himself as he brought out his Pokedex.
Species: Poliwrath
Type: Water/Fighting
Sex: Male
Next Evolution: N/A
Attacks: N/A
Info: Poliwrath, the Tadpole Pokémon. Poliwrath is an excellent swimmer and its powerful muscles make its attacks extremely effective!
"You done checkin' out my Poli?" Violet called out just as Nicholas snapped the device to a close and slipped it back into his pocket.
The teen snorted as he snapped his fingers. 'Hope they'll be enough!' He thought confidently before holding out his hand, pointing at the water-type. "Sparrow, you know what to do! Razor Wind!"
Hearing her trainer bark out the order, Spearow let out a caw of approval before her wings began to flap violently. Soon enough, a gust was brought on until the pressure increased and created glowing, flying projectiles of wind. Said wind quickly zoomed towards its target, the Poliwrath that only waited for his own trainer's commands.
He didn't have to wait long before Violet shouted, "Bubble-Beam now!"
Clenching his fists, Poliwrath's feet took a firm grip on the floating platform as the swirl started to glow. Gradually, the spinning black line soon started to glow blue until it raced to the center of Poliwrath's stomach. With a grunt, a small spinning disc of water hovered over the spiral's center before it shot out in a rapid burst of bubbles.
The water-type didn't take his eyes off Spearow's attack for a second. With quick precision, he aimed his bubbles towards each blade of wind and made sure each attack canceled each other out. Poliwrath continued doing this until his bubbles were close enough to Spearow herself.
Seeing that her attack was losing ground fast, Spearow eased up on the flapping of her wings before she dove down towards the water.
"Aerial Ace!"
Pulling up before hitting the water's surface, Spearow's eyes narrowed and her beak began to glow. A rush of air began to swirl around her body as she neared the water-type.
However Violet wasn't having it. "Dive!" She exclaimed. Her mouth curled into a smile after seeing her Pokemon jump back of his platform and submerged a split second before Spearow's beak came into contact. And as the bird caught the wall approaching, once again she pulled up and flew in front of Violet's face before slowing down. The blue haired Water Sister sputtered at the sudden rush of wind, but didn't lose focus of the battle. "Ack, hair in my mouth..." She gagged and spat out the strands of hair. "Now Poliwrath, Whirlpool!"
"Right off the bat?" Lily mumbled to herself. Daisy nodded at her side. "She must really want to live up to that 'strongest sister' title."
Back on the battle-field, Nicholas looked down as Poliwrath resurfaced with his belly facing upwards.
He had a bad feeling about this...
Just like last time, the Poliwrath's swirl began to glow blue. Expect this time, the blue was brighter and a low hum from the Pokémon was heard.
Spearow looked down just as Poliwrath's stomach 'smiled'. Before she knew it, her eyes widened when the water surrounding Poliwrath began to swirl around him. Then, in large amounts, the water shot up into the air like a raging liquid twister.
"Spearow!" Nicholas called out in worry as the water engulfed the bird.
AND CLIFFHANGER! XD
Sorry, but this chapter already reached the 3,500 word mark. Any longer it the update would've taken longer than this! Plus, I gotta keep my readers on their toes... Also, if there's any misspelling errors you caught, don't be afraid to tell me. Sometimes my eyes skip over the most obvious details. Anyway, let's try to get a move on people! I don't wanna waste any more time that I already have.
I'll catch you guys next time on If I Was I Pokémon!
REVIEW PLEASE!