And so, soon after Misty's Whirl Cup victory, our two heroes were walking down a snowy road in Cianwood City, on their way to the Gym, on the other side of the town.
"Ash, why did we have to take this way?" Misty snapped, while walking down a snowy road. She looked at the green trees that were covered by the white snow. "We're walking on the edge of town now, going right through the centre of this city would be much faster!" It's not the first time she complained, she and Ash were bickering all day long.
"There are many bird Pokemon in this forest, I've heard. I'd like to see those and maybe catch a new Pokemon," Ash replied, while snow was falling down upon his green winter jacket. "But why haven't we seen any of them so far?"
"Because it's winter, you idiot! Then most birds fly to warmer places!" his girlfriend shouted, while her long hair was blowing in the wind.
"Sorry, I forgot... Anyways, we're almost there now, so can you finally stop your complaining?" he asked.
"Well, you're the one giving me reasons to complain!" she snapped. Her eyebrows revealed her anger, and so did the look in her beautiful eyes.
"But you complain about anything!" he responded. "I'm immature, I'm unromantic, I'm Pokemon-obsessed, why can't you say some nice things about me?"
"I frequently say nice things about you, but when you act immature, I have every right to say that!" she continued her complaint. "And you constantly tell people that I have an anger problem, so you complain about me too, and you do that really often!" Ash didn't like hearing this, because he knew she was right.
"Yes, I have an anger problem, I also have flaws and I'm not perfect!" Misty admitted, while she could see the Cianwood City Gym through the snow. "But I at least admit my flaws!"
"But you're insulting me without a reason! I'm not an idiot!" Ash shouted.
"Then why didn't you understand why you didn't see any bird Pokemon in the forest?" she asked.
"Everyone makes stupid mistakes sometimes, you're not smarter than me!" he snapped.
"I so am smarter than you! Sure, I make mistakes too, but I'm definitely smarter than you! Not that that's very difficult..." she replied.
"Then why did I win so many Badges? You need strategy for that!" he asked.
"Well, being lucky or relying on strength and improvisation isn't strategic, you rarely take the time to actually prepare for a battle! Sure, improvisation in battles is important and takes intellect, but you could do so much better if you'd actually prepare for a battle, like I did during the Whirl Cup!" she answered.
"So what? I've won so many Badges in my life!" Ash complained.
"Well, you could've actually won at least one League with some more training and preparation! Think about the Kanto League, you just got lucky in three matches and got advice from me and Brock, you only prepared a battle once!" she backed up her claim. "I've won the Whirl Cup against people who have Pokemon that are probably stronger than mine, purely because of strategy and preparation!"
"So what? All Trainers have their own ways to success!" he said, in an attempt to contradict his girlfriend.
"Well, did you prepare anything for your upcoming battle against Chuck?" she snapped, while she and her boyfriend stood before the door of the Gym, not opening it until the argument was over.
"No, because I don't need to prepare in order to win!" he replied. "That doesn't make you smarter than me!"
"It's not just that, you're just so ignorant about so many things! For example, love, and also about the bird Pokemon in the forest!" she backed up her claim.
Then, he couldn't take it anymore. "Okay then, I'm not smart, but unlike you, I'm at least not a total bitch!"
That was what Misty needed to totally lose control of her emotions. "That does it!" she snapped. Then, she raised her right fist and hit her boyfriend on his head, causing him to fall down in the snow.
"Hey, that hurts!" Ash snapped, while feeling how painful it was.
Then, the door of the Gym was opened. A fat, brown-haired, shirtless man stood in the door opening. "What just happened? I heard a noise outside!" he asked.
Then, Ash stood up. "Misty hit me during an argument..." he moaned. Then, Misty realized she went too far. Horrible thoughts got into her head: would Ash ever forgive her for another hit?
"Wow, that's mean of her..." Chuck said. Then, he recognized the boy who stood in front of him. "Hey, it's you, Ash! And Misty is there too! How are you doing?"
"Not so well, I've just been hit..." then traveling trainer complained. "And you've gotten fat!"
"And how are you doing, Misty?" the Gym Leader asked, ignoring Ash's rude comment.
Then, she burst out in tears. "Not good, I just can't control my anger... I don't know what to do about it, now Ash probably doesn't love me anymore..." Ash wasn't really listening, he was too excited for the upcoming battle.
"Come inside, you two, and we'll talk," Chuck suggested. He closed the door after the couple under pressure entered the Gym.
"And, what's the problem? Why exactly did you hit your boyfriend?" the Cianwood City Gym Leader asked.
"Can we please stop this crap? I wanna win a new Badge!" Ash moaned. "And why is Misty crying, Chuck?"
"So you didn't even hear what she said to me after hitting you?" Chuck asked.
"No, I didn't, was it important?" he asked.
"Well, yes..." Misty moaned, while trying to prevent herself from crying, and not being able to. Her tears prevented her from asking Ash if he could ever forgive her.
"I won't talk about this until we've battled, I can't control my battling spirit anymore!" Ash shouted.
"Well, okay then, but you and Misty won't leave this Gym until you two settled this!" the Gym Leader replied. Then, he went to Misty. "Sorry, I don't think we've got a choice, he's just too eager to battle, but he won't receive a Badge unless he at least talks about this to you!"
"Thanks, Chuck," Misty said softly. She was too sad to support Ash, and instead of supporting the trainer from Pallet Town, Togetic only paid attention to her trainer. Then, she took place on the stands, while Ash and Chuck went on the battlefield.
"Ash, we don't have a referee, my apprentice is ill," Chuck said.
"That's fine," a woman who just entered the room said. "I can be the referee," she said. It was Chuck's wife. "This is a three versus three Pokemon battle between the fat Cianwood City Gym Leader Chuck and challenger Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town. Both trainers will use three Pokemon, switching Pokemon during battle is not allowed. Are you two ready?"
Then, Ash took a Poke Ball from his belt and hurled it in the air. "Snorlax, go!" he shouted.
"That's a bad choice," Chuck laughed. "Poliwrath, I choose you!"
Normally, Misty would tell Ash that using Snorlax in a Fighting-type Gym is a bad choice. However, this time, she couldn't do anything else than crying. "It's all my fault... If Ash leaves me after this battle, I can't blame him. I don't deserve him..." she thought.
"Go!" the referee shouted.
"Poliwrath, let's start with a Doubleslap!" Chuck commanded. The tadpole ran at the fat, slow Normal Pokemon, who couldn't evade. Then, he yawned in the Water Pokemon's face!
"Snorlax, don't fall asleep, I need you!" Ash begged. However, he wasn't very lucky: shortly after trying to stand up, the fat Pokemon collapsed and fell asleep.
"Poliwrath, now use Dynamicpunch all the time until he's defeated!" Chuck shouted. His Pokemon started hitting Ash's Pokemon all over his body. Eventually, he wasn't even sleeping anymore, his condition was worse.
"Snorlax is defeated, Poliwrath is the winner!" Chuck's wife shouted.
"Snorlax, that was disappointing..." Ash moaned when calling his Pokemon back. Then, he grabbed another Poke Ball. "Heracross, I choose you!"
"Begin!" the wife of the Gym Leader shouted.
"Poliwrath, use your Hydro Pump!" Chuck shouted. The water from his Pokemon's belly hit Heracross, who was blasted against the wall.
"Heracross, no!" Ash shouted.
"Pika Pi!" Pikachu shouted, who was standing next to Ash.
"Do you mean you wanna battle now?" Ash asked.
"Pi," the Pokemon nodded.
"Sorry, but Heracross isn't defeated yet, and maybe I need another Pokemon against Chuck's next Pokemon," the trainer replied, much to the Electric Pokemon's dismay.
Then, Poliwrath yawned and fell asleep! "No, Poliwrath!" Chuck shouted. "How is this possible?"
"Snorlax yawned before falling asleep, when your Poliwrath stood in front of Snorlax's mouth!" Ash laughed. "Heracross, use your Megahorn!" he shouted. Then, the Bug Pokemon gave the tadpole a harsh blow, causing it to wake up.
"Poliwrath, use your Dynamicpunch!" Chuck shouted. However, when the Pokemon tried to run at the opponent, the injuries from the Megahorn kicked in, causing the Water Pokemon to collapse.
"Poliwrath is defeated, Heracross is the winner!" the referee announced.
"Poliwrath, come back. You did a good job," Chuck said. Then, he sent out his next Pokemon. "Machoke, I choose you!"
Then, after the referee's sign to begin, Ash commanded his Heracross to do Horn Attack, hitting Machoke.
"Machoke, use Submission now!" Chuck shouted. While Heracross was suffering, Ash was looking at the stands. While his girlfriend and her Togetic were normally busy supporting him, he saw her crying now. "Oh Arceus, why?" Ash thought. "I should've listened to her before this battle, now she'll see me as a total jerk... I don't deserve her... It's all my fault!"
"Machoke, now finish it with Cross Chop!" Chuck shouted. While Heracross received this final blow without Ash leading him, Ash was thinking about his relationship. Would Misty stay with him or not?
Then, Ash focused on the battle again. But it was too late. He heard the voice of the referee. "Heracross is defeated, Machoke is the winner!"
"Ash, what was that? Why weren't you focused this time?" the Gym Leader asked.
"That's none of your business!" he snapped. Then, he sent out his last Pokemon, Bayleef, much to Pikachu's annoyance. Then, he looked at the stands. "Misty, whether you still love me or not, I'll win this battle and dedicate this win to you!" he shouted.
Misty looked delighted, she knew Ash still loves her! "Our relationship was under pressure, but true love always wins!" she thought.
"Begin!" the referee shouted.
"Machoke, let's start with Focus Energy!" Chuck commanded.
"Bayleef, use Sweet Scent!" Ash commanded. A calm aroma escaped from the Grass Pokemon's leaves, approaching the Fighting Pokemon.
"Now, use your Solarbeam!" the Pallet Town-native trainer shouted. While the Fighting Pokemon was too distracted to do anything, Bayleef could freely charge up and shoot a strong beam at Machoke.
"Machoke, can you go on?" Chuck asked his Pokemon, who lay on the ground, pretty much done for. Then, he stood up.
"Yeah, that's the spirit, Machoke!" he shouted. "Now, use Double Team!" Machoke started running around, creating two other Machoke.
"Bayleef, try to hit them all with Razor Leaf!" Ash commanded. The Grass Pokemon hurled leaves at the Machoke, making them all disappear. But when she was about to hit the last one standing, the real Machoke, she got hit by Mega Kick!
"Bayleef, can you go on?" Ash asked the tired Pokemon, who nodded.
"Now finish it with Headbutt!" Ash commanded. The Grass Pokemon ran at the Fighting type, hitting him with her head.
"Machoke is defeated, Bayleef is the winner!" the referee stated.
"That was great, Ash. But it's not finished yet!" Chuck shouted. "Go, Hitmontop!" A Pokemon who stood on his head came out of the Poke Ball.
"Begin!" the referee shouted.
"Hitmontop, let's do this with Triple Kick!" Chuck shouted. The Fighting Pokemon started spinning, moving towards Bayleef at high speed.
"Bayleef, jump!" Ash commanded. The Grass Pokemon used her Vine Whip on the ground, escaping the attack.
However, then Bayleef got surprised. "Hitmontop, jump and hit the wall with your head!" Chuck commanded. The Fighting Pokemon hit the wall, and then ended up floating in the air, kicking Bayleef, who was just floating down to the ground.
"Bayleef, can you go on?" Ash asked. "You can do it, we need to win this battle for Misty!" he shouted. Eventually, Bayleef stood up!
"That's the spirit!" the Pallet Town-native Trainer shouted. "Now, use Vine Whip!" The Grass Pokemon hurled the long vines at Hitmontop, holding the Pokemon. "And now make him spin!"
Hitmontop was totally dizzy after being spinned around for one minute. "Bayleef, now finish it with Razor Leaf!" Ash commanded. His Pokemon shot sharp, green leaves at the opponent, who was done for!
"Hitmontop is defeated, Bayleef is the winner! Victory goes to Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town, and not to my fat husband!" the referee shouted.
"You did it, Bayleef! That was awesome!" Ash shouted, while hugging his Pokemon.
"Hitmontop, you did a fine job. Come back and have some rest," Chuck said to his Pokemon, when returning it to his Poke Ball.
Then, when Ash put Bayleef back in her Poke Ball, Chuck came at Ash. "You did a great job, you defeated me and deserved this win."
"Thanks!" Ash replied. "But where's my Badge?" he asked.
"Well, first, there's something else that matters more. Misty realized she took it too far, she's crying all the time and she's afraid to lose you, and she's really sorry about hitting you. She's worried you don't love her anymore now... Can you forgive her?" Chuck asked.
"Of course, I love her despite her anger problem! And besides, her anger problem seems to be getting less severe since our argument in Olivine City," Ash responded. Then, he walked up to Misty and gave her a hug. "Can you ever forgive me for my rudeness?"
"Of course I can, and I've done more wrong than you did, so don't blame yourself for this. Today, our issues were entirely my fault!" Misty shouted.
"No, I'm more guilty than you!" Ash said.
"Hold it, you two, don't start arguing again!" Chuck moaned. "Ash, to take your attention away from arguing, and because you defeated me, here's your Storm Badge!"
"Yay!" Ash shouted. "I've got... a Storm Badge!"
"Pi Pikachu!" Pikachu shouted, stealing the glory after a battle he didn't even participate in.
"Congratulations, Ash!" Misty said, kissing her boyfriend on the cheek, causing him to blush.
"Thank you for everything, Chuck!" Misty said, when leaving the Gym.
"And don't forget to lose some weight!" Ash added to that.
"Bye, and I'll buy a hometrainer soon!" Chuck said.
Ten minutes later, our heroes arrived at the airport, awaiting the plane to Ecruteak City. From there, they would walk to Mahogany Town. When they were sitting next to each other in the plane, Togetic noticed that two suspicious people were sitting on the seats in front of them.
"Toge Toge!" she said to Misty, pointing at the couple.
"What's up, Togetic?" Misty asked.
"Toge Toge, Togetic!" the Pokemon shouted.
"Those two people in front of us? Hm... Hey, that's Team Rocket!" Misty shouted.
"So what? Aren't we allowed to travel on a plane?" the purple-haired man asked.
"Well, you two are here to steal Pokemon from the passengers!" Misty snapped.
Then, a police officer walked up to Misty. "Are those two the Pokemon thieves who escaped from jail two weeks ago?" she asked.
"Yes, Officer Jenny!" she said.
"Catch them for me, I don't have Pokemon with me!" the officer shouted.
"Go, Marill!" Misty said, when sending out her Pokemon.
"Roselia, I choose you!" James shouted, when hurling a Poke Ball in the air.
"Marill, use your Aqua Tail!" Misty commanded. The water mouse slammed the Grass Pokemon, defeating it in one hit despite the type disadvantage.
"Oh no, we lost!" Meowth screamed.
"But the police won't catch us!" Jessie laughed.
"Why not?" Officer Jenny asked.
"Because we have this!" James said, when pointing at the parachute on his back. Then, he opened the door of the plane and jumped out of the flying vehicle, followed by Jessie and Meowth.
"Oh no, they escaped again, we were so close!" Jenny moaned.
"Sorry for not being able to catch Team Rocket..." Misty apologised.
"It's not your fault," Ash tried to comfort his girlfriend. "It's the police's fault for letting them escape from jail!"
"Yes, we failed at making our jail cells escape-proof..." Jenny admitted.
Then, Misty's blue mouse Pokemon started glowing. "Hey, look at Marill!" Misty shouted.
"It's evolving!" Ash said, while looking at the change in appearance and power.
"Zuzuzu!" the evolved Marill said.
Ash took his Pokedex from his bag. "Azumarill, the Aqua Rabbit Pokémon. The evolved form of Marill. This Pokémon uses its large, highly developed ears to hear great distances, even underwater."
"That can be useful if we're looking for something or someone," Misty said happily.
"I wish we'd have such a Pokemon at the police stations" Officer Jenny sighed.
Some hours, the plane landed on the airport of Ecruteak City. Just before walking out of the plane, Ash walked up to Officer Jenny. "Good luck finding Team Rocket," Ash said to her.
"And thank you for complimenting my Azumarill," Misty added.
"You're welcome, and good luck in your next Gym battle, Ash!" Jenny shouted. And so, our heroes walked onwards to Mahogany Town.
