Ophelia's POV
Well, after resting for the night, the sun had rose and we were on our way to Cerulean city. We were making better time than I had thought, to be honest. Sis and Misty were lagging behind, Ash and I stretched as we both agreed it was a great day to enjoy the sunshine as Brock was between us with a smile. I was wearing my shorts, since it was very warm out, as Hercules and I were ready to train.
"Do you two mind if we run ahead?" I asked them. I never planned on traveling with them, but it was nice to never the less.
"What for?" Ash asked curiously.
"Herc and I exercise together to keep in shape and strengthen up." I tell him.
"But you look perfect already." Brock flattered me. I blushed a bit and looked away.
"Still, it's better to be strong. Just in case." I say softly.
"Machop!" (I agree!) Hercules said as he showed off his biceps.
"Sure, go ahead." Ash said to me with a smile.
"Cool." I say before Herc and I began jogging. I was glad my hair was up today. We jogged until we were 50 feet away from them, then did some jumping jacks until they were 10 feet to us, then jogged again, stopped at 50 feet away and began punching routines etc. Once they got closer I heard Misty trying to stop us from going to Cerulean city and mention romantic things.
Oh gosh, how can Ash be so dense as to not see Misty has a thing for him?! I thought as Ash kept ignoring her and telling her we were going there. I looked around and pulled out my map before groaning.
"What's wrong?" Brock asked me.
"We won't make it there until tomorrow.~" I whined out. I was eager to get there today. Ash seemed to feel the same until he thought about it.
"Well, we can still have a time to train." Ash tells me.
"Yeah, I guess." I say in minor defeat. This is how it went for the whole day. Herc and I exercised, we looked for Pokemon, we stopped and made lunch, we continued, we made camp and we seemed to have lost Misty and Callista but shrugged and figured they'd meet us there. I pulled my cooking stuff out and began cooking. Brock came over and started making some Pokemon food for Pikachu and Hercules.
"What ya making?" Ash asked me.
"Just a simple stew." I say as I mixed in some spices.
"Really?" Ash asked me.
"Yes, really." I say as I pulled out some veggies, a pocket knife and a small cutting board and began dicing quickly.
"You're good with a knife." Brock tells me.
"The only thing mom and I did together was cook. That was the only time she didn't criticize me or anything because I was as good as her." I say as I remember the good times mom and I had cooking together. Brock was making the food and I watched him in interest as I added the veggies and stirred.
"Could you teach me how to make good Pokemon food sometime?" I asked him. He smiled at me.
"Sure, if you show me how to make that stew." He says and points to it.
"It's very simple, anyone can make it." I tell him as I added juice into it.
"You're adding juice?!" Ash gawked.
"It makes it sweet." I say as I finished making it. I took a spoon and tested it before nodding.
"All done." I say as I took out the wooden bowls and spoons and served them.
"It's wood." Ash says as he looked at it. Brock usually made the food so no one saw my stuff.
"Yeah, much more durable." I explained as I began eating. Brock served the poke food and Herc showed how happy he was, and liking the taste, by hugging Brock before eating more.
"He's usually picky about food, because he looks for high protein, so thank you for making something for him to eat." I thanked Brock.
"No problem." Brock replied. Ash, cautiously, took a bite before smiling.
"Wow! That's great!" Ash said as he ate more. Brock took a bite before smiling.
"Wow, this is great!" Brock gawked as he ate more.
"It tastes better with meat, but having meat to keep good is very tough." I explained as I served us more. Soon, the small pot was empty as our bellies were full. I began washing and drying everything before packing it away.
"Thanks, but doesn't the juice go bad?" Brock asked me.
"No, this is a kind that does ok in heat for a while. Besides, it's almost gone now." I say as I rolled out my sleeping bag.
"Well, let's get some sleep. If we leave early, we can be there before noon." I say and curl up in my bag.
"Good idea." Ash said as he yawned.
"Good night." Brock added as he went to sleep as well. Once morning rolled around, I made a quick breakfast before we went into the city. We looked around at the fenced in houses, uniquely paved roads, everything shines etc.
"So this is Cerulean City, eh, guys?" Ash asked us.
"Pretty nice, isn't it?" Brock asked as well.
"Hey, that's weird. Misty and Callista aren't following us anymore." Ash pointed out.
Eh, don't worry about them. They're probably going shopping or something like that." I say as I brushed it off.
"Well, Misty really didn't want to come here." Brock tells us.
"Ah, we'll never figure out girls." Ash said with a shrug. I smacked him upside the head.
"Watch it!" I scold him. Ash rubbed his head and looked at me.
"Well, not you. I mean, you're not like a girl." He tells me. I smacked him.
"Rude!" I scold before storming off.
"Machop chop!" (She's a lady!) Herc scolded Ash before following me.
"What did I do?" Ash cried out as he rubbed his red cheek.
"You messed up." Brock told him before they followed me. I rubbed the top of Herc's head.
"Thanks."I say kindly to him.
"Chop." (Sure.) He replies. We then saw a crowd ahead and hurried over to see what was happening. Ash asked some guy and he mentioned a robbery of some sorts.
"Burglars huh?" Ash questioned.
"What do you know about burglars?" We heard Officer Jenny. I had to admit, she was pretty. I envied the bluish hair they had, as well as Nurse Joy's lovely eyes, but was alright with my looks.
"You three look very suspicious to me." She tells us. Ash mentioned the Officer Jenny in Veridian before she mentioned that was her sister-in-law.
"If you know my sister-in-law, that means you probably had some dealings with the police in Viridian." She tells us in a scold.
"No ma'am. Your sister-in-law helped Ash when his pikachu was severally hurt and we helped her stop Team Rocket, which I'm guessing are the ones behind this robbery to probably steal more Pokemon." I tell her. She then got extreme and showed us her cuffs.
"You're psycho. Here!" I tell her and took out Dexter. It explained how I was a trainer from Pallet town. Ash did the same and Brock showed his badge to show he was the leader of the Pewter city gym.
"Well, that's evidence enough for me." She said before she backed down and got embarrassed.
"I'm sorry I was so suspicious." She apologized.
"Now I'm suspicious of my sister-in-law. She sure has some weird friends." She said as she crossed her arms.
"And you don't?" I questioned. I was ignored though. Brock then proceeded to ask Officer Jenny on a date, but she remarked she wouldn't get off until after his bedtime. I covered my mouth to hold in my laughter as she mentioned the burglars again.
"Officer Jenny." I say to get her attention. She looked at me.
"I think it's Team Rocket that did this. They've done things like this before." I tell her. I then gave her a description and explained all that happened from beginning all the way to Mt. Moon.
"They stole a giant vacuum and a hose to go with it, why would they do that?" She asked me.
"They steal Pokemon, maybe it's for water types or something." I say with a shrug.
"Well, I'll take a look into it. Until then, I've got a job to do." She said as she was pushing people back.
"How would you know what they're up to." Brock asked me as he and Ash looked my way.
"Well, they're plans are simple, yet complex, but predictable at times. When it comes to collecting Pokemon, they'll do anything to get them. Simple." I say with a shrug. We left the scene and were now sitting on a bench. This city was big. Smaller than Viridian but bigger than Pewter.
"Good thing we had Dexter and you had your Badge, Brock." Ash says as we just sat there in thought.
"Yeah. Shouldn't you two head for Cerulean City Gym?" Brock asked us.
"Yeah, sounds good. I wonder what kind of Pokemon they use." I say as I stood up.
"Hey Brock, do you have any inside info on the Gym Trainer there?" Ash asked Brock. I mentally smacked myself for not thinking to ask that.
"Huh?" Brock asked questioningly.
"Haha. I just want to find out as much as I can about him before we have our match." Ash says in a lax tone.
"Excuse me? Ash, I know, for a fact, that there are female gym leaders and I think that's sexist you think only men are gym leaders." I say as I fold my arms in a huff.
"She's right, Ash. There are girls that are gym leaders too." Brock points out.
"Am I going to get smacked again?" Ash asked worriedly.
"You should, but I'll excuse it for now." I tell him as I pouted. Brock then mentioned he never met the Gym leader here but knew the special moves. Ash asked what but Brock refused to tell because he was still considered a Gym Leader as well.
"I suppose that's fair. But could we have a hint? Like, is it one type only like with you?" I asked sweetly. I then remembered my sister would bat her lashes and did the same thing she did. Brock blushed and fell for it while holding my hands.
"Oh, of course! All Gym Leaders tend to use one specific type in each battle. I might not be able to tell you what kind, but I hope it helps." He says as he was gushing over me. It made me blush but I smiled.
"Well thank you, that helps me more than you think. I'm sure, once we see the gym, I'll figure it out from there." I say with a sweet smile. Brock let go and fell back into his bench, still fawning over me, while I tried to calm down.
"I'll never understand this." Ash said as Pikachu agreed. After a bit, we headed down a path until Brock mentioned he had stuff to do.
"What stuff?" Ash asked him.
"Just stuff… I'll see you later." He said before going down a path to our left.
"Must be phoning home." I say softly to Ash.
"Well, let's get going." Ash said to me and Pikachu.
"Pika." Pikachu replied.
"Right." I said as I turned and followed him. We saw a stand with a town map and took one, free of course, to locate the Gym. I pointed to where we were and where we needed to go. After a small bit of wondering around, we made it to the Gym. It looked like a carousel type of building with water and a Dewgong on top.
"Guess they use water type." I say with a frown. Again, I was at a slight disadvantage. Bastet could help me out and Hercules was my best chance. Cutie Pie wouldn't be helpful and Nightmare Moon would be defenseless throughout all of this.
"Why do you think that?" Ask asked me. I sweat dropped.
"Dewgong is a water type, there's water patterns on the gym, I guarantee it." I tell him in a dull tone. He chuckled before we went inside. Ash was annoying, I swear.
We went inside and saw… A show? Yup, a water show. I guess this was both a gym and a performance area, hence the design outside. Well, we watched as the show began. The fans cheered for Lily, Violet and Daisy. I saw three gorgeous girls and suddenly felt insecure. After the show was over, we went down the stairs and saw an aquarium full of small fish to see. Ash wondered how this was a gym.
"Maybe it's a show area as well." I told him. Then we heard talking, like how my sister talks at times, that made me cringe.
"The crowd was, like, totally awesome." I heard one girl say.
"I know. That was so~ great." We heard another girl say. Ash and I looked to see the three lovely girls from before.
"Daisy, the dive you did was super." The blue haired girl said to the blonde.
"The practice really paid off." Daisy said to the other two.
"Totally." The pink haired one said before they all giggled.
Upon closer inspection, the three looked to be sisters. Each wore water dresses that fit them well. Daisy wore red to go with her blonde hair, long and wavy with a Daisy pin on it, the second had a green one on, red gem in the middle, to match her wavy blue hair, same length and style as Daisy's, with two red pearl clips to match the gem and the third wore an orange swim dress with a blue bow on it to match her dark pink hair nicely, though her hair was short she still had two long parts like the blue haired one did, and no hair accessories it seemed. My guess was Daisy was older, then the blue haired one then the pink one.
"Uh, excuse me." Ash said, catching their attentions, as they looked at us.
"I'm sorry, but if you want an interview, you have to, like, call our manager." The pink haired one told us. I tried really hard not to roll my eyes.
"No, it's not that." Ash started explaining, but was cut off again.
"We don't do autographs." She added.
"We don't want one. We're hear to battle the Gym Leader." I blurted out.
"You're looking at them." Daisy tells us. Ash was confused by this.
"Oh.~ So it's either you three use one each or you take turns battling." I exclaimed suddenly.
"Yes, exactly." Daisy said before the girls posed.
"The three of us are the Gym trainers here." Daisy tells us.
"We're the sensational sisters." The pink haired one exclaimed.
"We're world famous." The blue haired one tells us. I felt a sweat drop form but brushed it off.
"Huh? But what's with all that swimming?" Ash asked in shock.
"It's, like, our hobby, and our fans love to watch us perform." The pink haired one explained to him.
"Told ya." I said as I folded my arms over my chest and slung my hip to the side.
"We pool our talents to make a big splash!" The blue haired one exclaimed before all three giggled loudly, and obnoxiously, at the bad pun. I cringed at that.
"So, can we battle to get our second badge?" I asked them.
"You both want to battle us?" The pink haired one asked.
"Well, yeah, that was the plan." I tell her. They then guided us to the pool area, now empty, so we could battle. Ash stated he wanted to challenge all of them, but they seemed a little iffy. Something was up.
"We don't feel much like battling anymore." Daisy tells us. I also found out the Blue haired girl is Violet and the Pink one is Lily. They explained after being defeated three times before, all they had was a weak Goldeen and a Seel who knew no attacks.
"Wow, looks like the water flowers are withered." I say with an attitude. They chose to ignore me. Daisy then clapped her hands and called out Seel. Seel popped out of the water over to the girls and popped out two cascade badges on it's tongue. Daisy picked them up and showed us.
"This is what you want, right? You two can have them." Daisy said as she had them in front of her.
"Thanks, but we'd rather earn them." Ash explained as he seemed upset.
"Take it, a badge is a badge." Daisy tells us. Ash and I looked at each other before getting upset.
"We… Might not have a choice." I say in an upset tone. Ash nodded before we went up to them.
"Here." Daisy said to us. Just before we could collect them though.
"Hold it right there!" We heard. We looked over and saw Callista, sitting in the bleachers, as Misty was the one who yelled at us. She then jumped down right in front of us.
"All right, Daisy. If you won't battle them, I will." Misty tells her. My jaw hit the floor.
That's why she didn't want to be here. These are her sisters and her sisters to her are Callista to me. But I guess free badges are a no go for her. Also, she's a gym leader too?! I thought, figuring out fast these girls were her sisters and such, as Misty seemed determined.
What were the odds of Ash running into and traveling with two Gym Leaders? Let alone both of them being from the first two gyms you have to fight first, minus the Viridian Gym. Ash seemed shocked and confused as he gasped at what Misty said.
"What do you mean?" Ash asked confused.
"Really? Ash, you're kinda dense." I admit to him.
"Hey! What?!" Ash yelled at me.
"I'm a Cerulean City trainer too." Misty told him. Ash and Pikachu gasped in shock.
"So, these three are your sisters… Yeesh." I say as I felt bad for her. She had my sister but older and split into three without much sympathy, if Callista has any that is.
"I'm the fourth Sensational sister." Misty informed us.
"There are only three Sensational Sisters and one Runt." Lily corrected her. Misty growled and glared at her as I felt that pain.
"So, little sister, it's a surprise to see you back so soon." Daisy says as all three give her mixed looks. Lily is smug, thinking Misty failed, Violet is a glare for returning and interrupting them, while Daisy has a look of disappointment at Misty's return as if she were a burden among them. It was awful, really.
"That little girl with a big mouth who said she wouldn't come back till she was a great Pokemon trainer. Wasn't that you?" Violet added after Daisy. Misty then went from an angry stare to looking upset.
"Huh? I guess I did say something like that when I left." Misty said as she looked away with her eyes. My heart pinched at this, especially since my mom was like this too, before glaring.
"Hey, shut up will ya! She's only here because we, her friends, needed a badge from here and she, being the awesome person she is, came here to support us! It's clear only one of you has a better personality as well as a non-flower based typical name. Her name alone has more personality than you three clones." I insulted them as I felt the anger in me. Misty and Ash were shocked I stood up to them. Ash knew I called anyone out on crud like this, minus Callista who was not shocked by this but was shocked by the nasty but true comment by the look she gave, while Misty seemed happy someone stood up for her.
"No one asked you." Violet rudely told me.
"And no one cares what you say." I replied back as I crossed my arms. The three then ignored me and insulted Misty more, Misty saying she was here for Ash, then then Daisy mentioned Ash not being her type for a boyfriend and made Ash anime style fall over. I covered my mouth from that as Misty threw a tantrum at her.
"Misty! Just battle Ash first then battle me after! You know we want our badges and love battles!" I say as I had enough talk.
"Good enough for me!" Misty cried out, Ash agreed after, before the two took their places.
I was on the side with the sisters as Callista stayed where she was. The battle area was, obviously, water based. 5 floating boards, strong enough to hold people and pokemon but still float around, that floated in a pool of water. 3 scattered in the middle that were yellow, one on each end. Red was on the left where Misty stood and Blue on the right where Ash stood. This was the same pool the sisters performed in earlier.
"I wasn't planning on challenging you till you paid me back for my bike, but this is a good a time as any. If you want that Cascade badge, you're going to have to beat me." Misty informed him.
"It'll be my pleasure." Ash retorted back. Ash could easily win with just Pikachu, no problems there, but a problem re-occurred in my mind.
My pokemon were weak against water types. Normal tends to be weak against everything except ghost types, with normal moves having no effect of ghosts, as well as my fighting type, though not as badly, my bug type and my fire type especially. As I said, Bastet and Hercules could help me out, but not as well as Pikachu or any electric type could. Bastet could learn an electric move, but she wasn't specially trained for it nor were there special trainers to teach her. Hercules, while getting lucky with learning Fire Punch due to our work outs and such, might not be able to learn Thunder Punch as easily. If so, that'd be lucky but, again, I doubt it. Ash had said something to Pikachu before him and Misty agreed on two against two. It would most likely be the same with me as well. Two each. Bastet and Herc will have to help me out again. Ash went to toss Pikachu, but Pikachu clung onto Ash and refused. It seemed to click. Pikachu liked Misty a lot and refused to battle a friend. Ash then decided, with his signature opening, tossed out the pokeball and summoned Butterfree.
Is he nuts?! Bugs can't fight water types! I thought furiously.
"Ash, you idiot." I muttered under my breath. Misty summoned a Staryu and I used Dexter to analyze it. They are kinda hard to get unless you know where to go. Mostly in the ocean area.
"Staryu, the core of this water Pokemon shines in a rainbow of seven colors. A core that is valued by some as a type of jewelry." Dexter informed me. Yes, this was why they were rare in the wild. Pokemon Poachers hunt them and kill them, and Starmie, for the center jewel to be made into jewelry and such. Awful, really. Ash did the same thing as me and I knew what he muttered.
"Oh. Wow. Leave it to a girl to show off her Jewelry." Is what I'm 100% sure he said. Misty yelled to quit stalling before Ash and her started the match.
"Do you think Misty could really win?" Violet asked in a huff.
"Like, in her dreams, maybe." Lily replied in a snooty tone. I hated those three so~ much.
"Against anyone else, she could, but not Ash and I. We're fighters with hearts, so we'll win this." I say as I watch Ash's Butterfree use tackle only for Staryu, after getting hit, try to use counter but miss and, barely, found it's balance on another platform.
"Who asked you?" Violet asked me rudely.
"No one, but if you can talk, then so can I." I counter as I watch Butterfree keep tackling Staryu.
"Like, you're so rude." Lily said to me.
"Like, you're such brats." I say, mocking her tone, as Staryu dove in the water then started using water gun. It hit Butterfree, but it was still fluttering. It missed the wings, luckily.
"Someone's jealous." Violet said in a rude tone.
"Glad to know you are of me." I replied as Staryu was back on the platform, using it's top/head to spray water. Butterfree was dodging like a pro before using stun spore. It was working until washed it off in the pool. Smart. Seel was clapping for both trainers, congratulating them on using their brains, before Staryu was back on a platform and Misty gloated.
"Uhg. Rude!" Lily complained.
"Yeah, you are." I replied as Butterfree used sleep powder. Staryu dodged it by going in the water before springing up out of it, spinning like a shuriken star, which hit Butterfree's body. It still fluttered about as it now dodged Staryu each time.
"Misty's totally awesome." Daisy admitted as she was now smiling. The other three smiled as they seemed to admire her battle skills too.
"Well, we three got the good looks in the family so I guess she had to get some talent." Lily added with a slight insult to it.
"She also got the better attitude while you three are rotten inside." I added sourly as I watch Staryu finally get Butterfree in the water. The poor little guy couldn't fly out with wet wings and, because of it's body and such, couldn't swim so it was starting to flutter and drown at the top, trying desperately not to sink. Ash returned Butterfree so it wouldn't drown. One down at that point.
"Use your head, Ash!" I yelled at him. He needed to think.
"Like, is he your brother?" Lily asked me.
"No, but I see him as one." I say to them.
"Yeah! Go, Misty!" Callista cheered for Misty. I wanted to scold her, but I couldn't. Someone needed to cheer Misty on.
"Oh wow, that girl looks like a pink version of you." Daisy commented on Callista.
"Yeah, but prettier." Violet added.
"And not, like, dark and spooky." Lily added.
"Callista's my twin sister." I say, crossing my arms, as my eyes had not once left the battle. Ash had brought out Pidgeotto, another bad choice but with Pikachu not fighting he had no choice, as Misty returned Staryu and brought out Starmie. I was surprised Ash didn't use Dexter on it, but I did.
"Starmie, the evolved form of Staryu. It's core also shines colors, but only when unleashing it's potent psychic powers." It informed me. Right! Starmie is both water and psychic! I thought as Pidgeotto tried to use whirlwind but Misty ordered Starmie to dive under then up. Starmie obeyed and did the same move Staryu did, also spinning like a shuriken star, right at Pidgeotto.
"Looks like we know which twin's prettier." Violet commented.
"So? I'm just a shiny version of my twin." I say with my arms crossed again.
"Shiny pokemon aren't loved, though." Daisy tells me.
"Well, I have two and I love them as much as my other two non-shiny ones." I informed them with a pout as Starmie hit Pidgeotto but failed to get it in the water.
Pidgeotto used wing attack to smack it on the water when it flew back, like a boomerang, only to land in the water, fly up and hit Pidgeotto again and, again, failed to get it in the water. Ash ordered it to use gust as it boomeranged back, so Pidgeotto did it and managed to stop it and send it flying. Starmie was slammed, back first, into the double red doors. It's center gem was flashing red, as it made a beeping type of sound, to show it was close to fainting. Poor thing. Pidgeotto and Ash were ready to start another attack when the ground shook, causing the water flowers to shriek, as a wall crashed down and an armored car came in. I ignored the chatting as I brought out Hercules. Once Ash and Misty were here with us, we saw Team Rocket emerge from the tank.
"Sorry to break in on you, ladies." Jessie commented smugly.
"Allow us to introduce ourselves." James added in a smug tone.
"Again!" Callista whined out as she had joined us.
"To protect the world from devastation." Jessie started out.
"To unite all peoples within our nation." James added after. I noticed James' rose was a gorgeous ice blue one, different from his usual red ones.
"To denounce the evils of truth and love." Jessie continued.
"To extend our reach to the stars above." James added after.
"Jessie." She introduced herself.
"James." He did the same.
"Team Rocket. Blast off at the speed of light." She said as a new back round magically emerged. It was a mountain with a red R carved at the top, the yellow and red Japanese style sunbeams behind it, as a large wave and 2 small ones were behind them, followed by cartoon wave patterns in front of them.
"Surrender now, or prepare to fight." He added after.
"Meowth, that's right." Meowth added as he in front of them, making the back round disappear as he did so.
"The water Pokemon have the advantage." James stated.
"Exactly! Ariel, Hurry!" Callista called out as she brought out Dewgong. The sisters, yes even Misty, marveled at the beautiful Dewgong.
"But if we steal that water away." Jessie suddenly said. My face paled as I realized I was right.
"Quick! Get the water Pokemon out!" I called out, but it was too late. James and Meowth and finished talking as they brought out the vacuum that was reported stolen. It was too late, they were sucking up the water and water Pokemon. They shot the water at us, flooding us all around the room, as Violet and Callista complained about their hair.
"Callista!" I screamed at her.
"Ariel, get the water Pokemon out of here!" She ordered.
"Downg!" (Right away!) She replied before diving under. Meowth then sucked it up and sucking in Ariel, along with Seel, before we were now on dry ground. Soon Pikachu and Herc were sucked in, Herc going in the hose first.
"Ariel/Herc!" Callista and I yelled out in unison.
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash called out.
"Away from the pool!" I say as I got Lily away from the edge. Pikachu shocked them badly to where the trio were stunned.
"It's times like these that make me want to go straight." James said before all three, still stunned, fell in the water. They went into the hose and then we heard them cry out about blasting off before they were gone. Ash ran and turned the hose in reverse, after pikachu was sucked in, to spit him out. Daisy caught him as I hurried to the wall.
"The others are safe!" I say as Ash turned the machine off. They had spilled out of the back hose to the outside. I helped them in as the girls went to get a hold of Officer Jenny. Ash filled the pool up as the girls came back.
"Hey, we never got to finish our match." Misty suddenly said.
"Yeah." Ash commented back.
"And I was just about to win it too." He added after.
"What?" Misty asked him. She then realized what he said. Violet made a bad pun, which made me groan, as Misty said she wanted to win. No winner, no loser. Ash was sad about not getting the badge, but Daisy told him he was being given one before she gave it to him. Ash was shocked.
"Huh?" Ash questioned. Misty whined about it, making my ears hurt a bit, before Daisy said his Pikachu saved the day and, had he used Pikachu, she would've lost.
"Aw, man." Misty replied, admitting defeat.
"You deserve it." Daisy tells him. She was super kind to him, but it's because he saved the day.
"Gee, thanks." Ash said happily as he accepted the badge with a smile. As Ash celebrated, I looked at Misty.
"I want to battle you. I need the badge." I say to her.
"Starmie is weak, but I can use Staryu." She tells me.
"Use Goldeen, too. To make it fair." Daisy says as she gave a Pokeball to Misty.
"You can take her with you to train as well." Daisy added after.
"Fine." Misty said as we looked at each other. Officer Jenny then arrived and took the vacuum away, Ariel and Seel helped set up the water boards again, before Misty stood on the red one and I on the blue. I noticed the familiar Ice rose was on it and secretly grabbed it, looking like I dropped my pokeball, before pocketing it.
"Goldeen! Go!" Misty summoned her. I decided not to use Herc, who was next to me, and threw the ball.
"Bastet! Go!" I called out.
"Meowth!" (Ready!) She announced as she showed off her little gold jewelry. I heard the Water Flowers gush over her and tried not to roll my eyes. Bastet saw Goldeen and started attacking it. She was probably trying to eat her.
"Goldeen, horn attack!" Misty called out. Goldeen tried, but Bastet swiped and slapped her right into the floor outside of the pool, making her faint immediately.
"Goldeen!" Misty cried out. Bastet went over to her and I called her name.
"Bastet! No! Not food!" I scolded. Bastet huffed but jumped back over as Misty returned her.
"Staryu!" Misty called out. Bastet tried to use fury swipe, but Staryu was fast and tackled her into the water. Bastet freaked out about getting wet, typical cat thing, before being smacked into the air, followed by water gun, then landed on a board. She had fainted. I returned Bastet and sent out Hercules.
"Herc, Staryu will try to get you in the water, try to prevent it!" I call out.
"Machop!" (You got it!) He said as he readied himself. He got hit with water gun a few times, then Staryu hit the board from underneath to flip Herc into the water.
"Herc! Swim! Swim and try to fling Staryu out of the water!" I call out. Staryu was fast, hitting Herc over and over, but Herc managed to toss him onto a board. Herc jumped up and Herc hugged him from behind, using Bide, before Seismic Tossing it, by throwing Staryu like a shuriken star, very hard into the same red doors Starmie did. Staryu's gem blinked before it went dull. Staryu fainted.
"Aw man!" Misty whined out while me and Herc cheered. We met up with the group and Daisy presented me with a badge.
"You did a lot better than I expected. Great job, you've earned it." She tells me. I happily showed it off before putting it next to the Boulder badge.
"All right! Six more to go!" I announced happily.
"Machop chop!" (Right on!) Herc cheered. We were leaving and the sisters were busting on Misty, but after she threatened they'd see stars, they admitted they cared about her and wanted her to be careful. They were rude to her and such, but they truly cared for their baby sister. It made me wonder if Callista and I could get along better or not. Brock showed up and Ash and I showed off our badges. I was shocked he didn't try to flirt with the three sisters, but shrugged it off as we waled away.
"Where were you?" I asked Brock, Ash and Misty fighting, as it was getting late.
"I had to make a call and get some supplies." He tells me.
"Wise choice." I say with a nod.
"Can we rest in a pokemon center?" Callista asked us.
"We don't have much on funds, but Misty and I do need to heal them." I say. Misty heard that and agreed. We got there and were getting pokemon healed. Ash was calling home and I decided to do the same, while Callista and Misty talked and Brock tried, and failed, to flirt with Nurse Joy. I showed off my badges to my parents and they seemed proud, dad a bit more than mom, as we then talked more.
Callista's POV
As Ophelia bragged about her badges to Mom and Dad, I decided to talk to Misty.
"I have a question." I said to her.
"What is it?" She asked me curiously.
"Am I as bad to Ophelia as your sisters are to you?" I asked her. Misty seemed shocked, but understood as I had witnessed it.
"Honestly, from what I've noticed in the beginning, yeah. You are like them, but I think it's slightly worse. I did, however, notice that you're trying to improve ever since Team Rocket's Ekans bit her. I think, if you took the time to really know her, then you two would get along. She lashes out like I do, but she seems to be working on it too." Misty tells me. I didn't want to believe it, but Misty was my friend.
"Then… Why are we friends?" I asked her.
"Because I like you, I like Ophelia too, but you and I have some things in common and can talk. I can with Ophelia too, but she and Ash hang out more." She tells me. I nodded.
"She views Ash as a brother, I see it now, but I tease her still. After seeing that and the few things we went through, I feel I should be better. It's just… Hard to." I confess to her.
"How?" Misty asked me.
"Promise not to say anything?" I asked her.
"I promise." Misty said with a nod. I held out my pinky and she held hers out as we pinky swore.
"My mom always doted on me, dad did too but not much, but never really my sister except when cooking. Dad dotes on Ophelia because of it. I never understood why, but I found out a few years back that it's because she's not that girly, she didn't like mom dressing her up, liked the darker colors, just not being like me like mom wanted. It also upset mom that Ophelia has green hair instead of hair like mine. She is ok with the different eye colors, though ours are the same, but mom dislikes the hair even if dad has it. I guess because she's different and not exactly like me is why. Dad also said us being twins was a surprise, since they only expected one, so it could be because I'm 1st born and Ophelia was a surprise. It's also bad that I would see mom ignore her, make comments I now realize are snide and allowed me to act the same towards her. Dad tries to stop it, and succeeds a few times, but mom says it's sibling rivalry and fine." I confessed fully to her. I now felt awful, but habits were very hard to break. Was I really that vain and mean?
"That's awful." Misty said as we were sitting. I now felt sad.
"Were your parents like that?" I asked her. I mean, she had 3 sisters to deal with. Daisy, oldest and is 19 years old , Violet, the 2nd oldest and is 18 years old, and Lily, the third oldest and is 16 years old. Misty is 10 years old, so there is a large gap between them. Misty then seemed sad.
"My parents, well, they left us girls alone. They left when I was 1 years old, so I have no memories except photos. By then, Daisy was 11 and had taken over the gym. We got money for the gym and money sent from them, but they left us and don't talk to any of us." Misty confessed to me. I felt my eyes water before hugging her. She seemed shocked by this.
"I'm so sorry." I say to her.
"I always got hand me downs because they were older and, in their words, 'It makes no sense to buy you new things when we outgrew our stuff you can wear'. Even though they were right, the clothes would be worn and the toys they'd give me were old and broken. I felt neglected, I'm sure Ophelia felt the same way most times, except your twins and not years apart." She tells me. I understood now.
"I'll try to be a better sister, for the sake of our sisterhood and for the sake of mine and yours friendship." I tell her. She smiled at that. I saw the group come over to us and, soon, we headed off. We made camp a couple miles away from camp. Misty and I talked about Ariel as Ophelia cooked.
"Hey, Callista, how come you don't cook?" Misty asked me.
"Oh, I'm bad at cooking. I swear, I would set a bowl a cereal on fire somehow." I say, rubbing the back of my head, as I gave a nervous chuckle.
"She can't even boil water." Ophelia joked. I wanted to say something snarky, but decided to lightly chuckle.
"It's true." I say with a shrug. Ophelia gave me a shocked look, expecting a different response, before serving the bisque soup. Brock had gotten some meat for us so the soup had meat in it.
"Yum!" I say happily, recognizing mom's bisque soup I love so much, as the others began to eat and enjoy.
"Next time, I'll cook." Brock said happily as he and Ash helped themselves to seconds.
"That's fine with me." She said with a bright smile. A genuine one. One I give when I go shopping or doing something I enjoy. Starting tonight, I will try to be nicer to her. It will be hard, even for her because she's defensive, but trying is the biggest step to take.