Chapter Eleven

Ash let out a low whistle as he saw Butterfree hovering in front of the giant rocky snake, the Onix looking down at its opponent with narrowed eyes. The battlefield was the most lit up place in the gym, allowing the battle to be seen with ease, while leaving everything else draped in shadow. Butterfree swallowed, glancing back at Misty.

"Stun Spore!" She ordered.

"Freeee!" Butterfree called, flying forward as he released a burst of yellow powder from his wings. Onix closed her eyes as she was hit, letting out a low rumble.

"Rock Tomb," Brock ordered, voice neutral. His Onix let out a low rumble, three large rocks forming around her head. The first one was thrown forward, which Butterfree managed to swoop out of the way of, and the paralysis of the Stun Spore seemed to hit as the second Rock Tomb was attempted to be launched, giving them an opening.

"Confusion," Misty called, and Butterfree's eyes started to glow. The weak pulse of psychic energy was released, Onix shuddering as it ran through her– before throwing the next Rock Tomb forward.

"Reee!" Butterfree let out a yelp, diving down as a Rock Tomb was sent flying right over his head.

"Slam," Brock said, and Onix swung her long tail around as Butterfree swooped in an attempt to avoid the final Rock Tomb, the rocky tail coming down from above instead. Ash winced as the small bug was hammered into the ground by the rocky tail, trembling slightly as Onix moved her tail away. "Rock Tomb."

"Return!" Misty called, holding up a Pokeball– a burst of red light summoning Butterfree back into the sphere before the rock could crush him. Ash wasn't at all surprised by the quick recall– with this being a match for Misty's third gym badge the Pokemon would be stronger than the team a first time challenger would face, but Butterfree was a new capture– not to mention the quad weakness he had with rock types. "Goldeen, let's go!"

The koi was sent out onto the battlefield, and like every other time Ash had seen it sent out the Pokemon began to use Aqua Ring, surrounding herself with a veil of water, allowing herself to practically swim in the air. It was both a clever strategy to use a water-bound Pokemon in any battlefield– and it looked beautiful.

Ash pulled out his Pokedex, flipping through it as the battle continued– the Stun Spore allowing Goldeen to release a powerful Scald before the Onix could attempt to attack. Ash pulled up a list of Pokemon moves, and sorted them by alphabetical order so that Aqua Ring was near the beginning, before seeing what Pokemon could learn the move.

The Goldeen line, the Seel line, Vaporeon, the Chinchou, the Marill and the Mantyke lines. Squirtle, Tentacruel, Shelder, and Corsola could learn it via breeding– and there were more, but Ash didn't look beyond the Pokemon native to the Kanto-Johto Union, as it was unlikely he'd be able to encounter any others. Maybe something like Luvdisc or Finneon if he were to go to the ocean, but even then he'd have to get lucky.

Either way though, Ash wanted a water type on his team– he had so many combinations and possible routines in mind that could be done with water and ice type moves, and now that he had seen Aqua Ring in action, he knew he wanted a Pokemon that could use that move too. He glanced up at the battle real quick, just in time to see Goldeen floating proudy in the air as Onix was recalled– a Graveler being sent out next.

A Vaporeon would be amazing– but Eevees were rare, and if he managed to have the opportunity to catch one there would be so many other evolutions to consider as well. Chinchou was another one that looked appealing, because with the electric type moves and it's natural ability to illuminate he could only imagine what one could do in a contest. In the end he made a mental note of all the possible Pokemon that could learn Aqua Ring, so if he spotted one he could attempt to catch it.

The ground was shaking slightly as a Magnitude shook the ground, cracks appearing across the battlefield, the fracturing ground forcing Goldeen to flee. Even with her swimming in the Aqua Ring she wasn't that far off the ground, meaning that she couldn't avoid the attack. The blow knocked her out of the Aqua Ring, leaving the Pokemon flopping on the battlefield.

"Rollout," Brock ordered, and Graveler tucked his arms close to his body, rolling across the field towards the Goldeen, picking up more speed by the second.

"Scald!" Misty called, and despite being stranded on the battlefield Goldeen raised her head up, releasing the boiling blast of water at the Graveler, who charged right into the stream of water. Its speed wasn't halted by the momentum, though Ash knew that it wasn't avoiding the damage– and the Rollout slammed right into the Goldeen, launching her away once more.

Goldeen summoned another Aqua Ring, catching herself in the orb of water before she crashed into the ground. Ash watched in awe with how carefully Goldeen controlled the water, using it to guide a path as she avoided another in coming Rollout. He had been surprised to hear of Misty's status as a Junior Gym Leader, but now he could see how carefully her Pokemon were trained.

Graveler ricocheted off of one of the boulders on the battlefield, barreling towards Goldeen once more. The Goldeen seemed unintimidated, lowering her horn towards the incoming rock type, water churning about her.

"Drill Run!" Misty cried, and the water about the Aqua Ring started spinning, Golden twisting within it. A rusted brown glow surrounded the horn of the Goldeen as she spun quicker and quicker, and she rocketed herself forward straight at the incoming Rollout.

The force of the blow knocked the Graveler off course, sending him flying back, the momentum of the Rollout lost. The Graveler let out a groan, one arm propping itself up as it's eyes locked onto the Goldeen, who was already preparing a blast of boiling water. Just like with the Drill Run she seemed to know what exactly her trainer was about to order her to do, the two completely in sync.

"Rock Blast!"

"Scald!"

Misty's command came second, but the Scald had formed first– the powerful jet of water washing over the Graveler right as a rock materialized in three of his rocky palms. He didn't get the chance to launch the attack though, the Scald blasting him back before the attack could fully form.

The rock type sagged to the ground, out cold, steam curling up from its body as the Scald faded away.

"Graveler is unable to battle!" Forrest declared, just as he had with the fall of Onix. Graveler was recalled in a burst of red light, and from the silhouette of Brock, Ash could see him pulling out another Pokeball.

"Wow," Serena whispered. "Misty's good– it's a three on one battle now."

"Not quite," Ash said, watching as Brock sent out his final Pokemon. "Goldeen is exhausted, and Butterfree can't take a single rock type move– and gym leaders' final Pokemon are usually their strongest."

"What Pokemon is that?" Serena asked as the Pokemon materialized on the field, and Ash took in a sharp breath. A giant spiky shell made from rock was resting in the middle of the battlefield, and he watched as a shape slowly emerged from it. Ten sleek blue tentacles, slitted eyes, and a beak made of four points.

"An Omastar," Ash said in awe, while Serena was searching her pockets. A moment later she pulled a Pokedex of her own from her pocket, aiming it at the Pokemon.

"Omastar, the spiral Pokemon– rock and water type." Serena's Pokedex declared, the robotic voice sounding more feminine compared to Ash's. "The evolved form of Omanyte. Once extinct, these Pokemon are able to be restored thanks to DNA extracted from fossils. Omastar feeds on shellfish, cracking shells with its powerful beak. It's shell is very strong, but heavy, made from minerals it ingests."

"A fossil Pokemon," Ash whispered. "This is awesome."

Misty had called for another Drill Run as soon as Forrest called for the next round to begin, while Brock had instantly had the Omastar retreat back into its shell with a Withdraw. Goldeen was now circling the shell, the healing Aqua Ring flowing around her slowly replenishing her stamina, but still the Goldeen looked worn. She fired off a Scald, but with the Omastar's own water typing the move was no longer super effective.

"Ancient Power!" Brock called, the Omastar popping out of its shell, the four thicker appendages near its mouth all forming a silvery orb, with solidified into rocks– but unlike the Rock Tomb and Rock Blast from the other Pokemon, these were perfectly smooth, a gleam almost like a gem coming from its surface.

Two of the Ancient Powers were launched, Goldeen managing to avoid the first one, but the second one made contact, knocking Goldeen from her Aqua Ring. Omastar took the opportunity to fire off the last two, both of them making contact in quick succession– and Omastar started glowing with a silver light.

"Of course he gets the boost..." Misty muttered, pulling out a Pokeball as the dust cleared– revealing a fainted Goldeen.

"Goldeen is unable to battle!" Forrest declared. "Challenger, send out your next Pokemon."

"Butterfree!" Misty called, and Ash was surprised to see the bug type be sent out once more. Butterfree glanced around as he was released, looking relieved to see a much smaller opponent than the towering Onix– though Ash was sure that the Omastar was much more dangerous.

"Sleep Powder!"

"Avoid it and use Ancient Power!"

All ten of the Omastar's tentacles slithered out from the shell, and with startling speed it darted forward, causing Serena to jump. The fossil Pokemon avoided the cloud of blue spores Butterfree had released, another silvery Ancient Power forming around one of the longer tendrils.

"How is it that fast?" Serena whispered, watching as Misty called for a Stun Spore– but the Ancient Power made contact before the attack could form. Butterfly instantly fell from the sky, Misty recalling him before he could crash to the ground.

"Ancient Power has a slim chance of boosting all of a Pokemon's stats," Ash muttered back. "There's a handful of moves like that out there, though they take more energy for the Pokmeon to use. That silver light from before was that boost– so Omastar has more speed, on top of boosted defense and attacking power."

Forrest seemed to hesitate at the sudden withdrawal of Butterfree, glancing over towards Brock.

"Butterfree was definitely defeated," Misty said. "He's just recently evolved– there's no way he could have taken a boosted rock type move– I just didn't want to leave him out."

Forrest gave a short nod, before raising his hand up. "Butterfree is unable to battle– Challenger, send out your final Pokemon."

Ash wasn't surprised for Staryu to take the field, the Pokemon most likely Misty's strongest, as it was the one she seemed to use more often. Staryu hovered a few inches off the ground, the gem glowing faintly in the dim gym. Brock and Misty gave their orders at nearly the same time as Forrest called for the fight to continue.

"Scald!"

"Muddy Water!"

Omastar stirred up the dirt from the battlefield with its tentacles, the same instant summoning water from the air, the water forming under the fossil Pokemon's form. The water was quick to take on a murky hue, which rose up into a wave, carrying the Omastar with it. The Scald that Staryu fired did slam into the Omastar, but the water was swift to be carried up into the Muddy Water, which came crashing down onto Staryu.

"Psybeam now!" Misty called as Staryu surfaced, its gem pulsing with psychic energy.

"Get in close and use Crunch!" Brock commanded.

"Um... Ash?" Serena asked hesitantly, and Ash looked over at her. "If um, if it's okay can I ask... why aren't you doing gym battles anymore? I thought that's what you wanted to do. I mean, it's been a while and all..."

Ash felt bad with how uncertain she sounded, and he realized that she was probably still shaken up with what had happened in the cave. Yes, her Pokemon had already been healed up, and the nurse had done a quick check up on her at the Pokemon Center too... but she had still been attacked and almost had her Pokemon taken from her, and he felt bad that he had been paying more attention to the battle than her.

"Don't get me wrong, I still think gym battles are awesome," Ash said. "But the thing about Pokemon Contests is that it has battles, but more. It's less about throwing out the strongest moves, and more about strategy and skill and being creative– and I just find that so much more exciting. You also get to work more closely with Pokemon– in the appeal round your presentation is just as important as the Pokemon's."

"Pokemon Contests, huh..." Serena muttered, frowning slightly. "We don't have those in Kalos... I mean, I've seen some on TV but I've never really sat down to watch a Contest or anything..."

"You've never watched a Contest?" Ash asked, eyes slightly wide. "Oh– you are so missing out! We'll have to look up one for you to watch as soon as we can! They're the coolest things ever, especially when you can see color. Actually, that's what drew to Contests in the first place, after our summer camp and being able to see in color everything was just so much more beautiful, and that's what Contests are all about, drawing out the natural beauty and skill of a Pokemon– heh, and I'm rambling, aren't I?"

Ash rubbed the back of his head, aware that he had the tendency to talk on and on about a topic, but he never really noticed it in the moment. Serena didn't seem annoyed at all though, giving a small smile, and even as Omastar and Staryu battled in the background Ash really only seemed to notice her in the moment.

"I don't mind," Serena said. "You... you just really seemed to light up, talking about it. Have you done any Contests yet?"

"Nope!" Ash said. "I was planning on going to the Contest Hall in Cerulean for my first one."

Serena's expression fell. "Oh... I kept you from going there, didn't I? I'm sorry–"

Ash laughed. "Don't worry about it, I wasn't prepared yet anyways. I have some ideas for a routine, but me and Houndour need more practice. Besides, you have a race you need to do here in Pewter anyways– are you ready?"

"As long as Isla's still up for a race..." Serena muttered, and her eyes drifted back towards the battlefield.

The match had been fairly even, both Omastar and Staryu looked worse for wear. Staryu's gem wasn't shining as bright, while Omastar was panting slightly. However Misty didn't seem worried at all, clearly fully engaged, a smirk tugging on her face.

"Thunder!" Misty cried, and her Staryu began to spark with electricity.

Ash had seen Staryu zap Gary's Squirtle with some electricity– but clearly that had not been a fully powered attack. As Staryu gathered energy the room seemed to fill with static, Omastar pausing as electricity hummed through the air. Ash felt something wiggle in his jacket pocket– Pichu peering out.

A giant bolt of lightning arced down from the ceiling, the bright flash temporarily illuminating the entire room. Ash felt his hair stand on end, the Thunder striking the Omastar straight on. Serena winced back, while Pichu leaned out from Ash's pocket, sparks forming around his cheeks as he watched on.

"Omastar is unable to battle!" Forrest declared. "That makes Challenger Misty the winner of the battle!"

"...Chu," Pichu muttered, ears twitching.

"You know, you could do that one day," Ash told him, and Pichu looked at him. Copper eyes narrowed, before he retreated back into Ash's pocket.

"Huh," Brock said, recalling the Omastar to its Pokeball. "Well, I most certainly wasn't expecting a Thunder from a Staryu."

"Lt. Surge gave us the TR for it after we defeated him," Misty said, recalling her own Pokemon.

Brock turned away, heading off towards another part of the gym. Ash couldn't make out where he was heading at first– but then the lights in the gym suddenly flickered on, illuminating the whole cave-like room with fluorescent lights. Ash blinked a few times, trying to get his eyes to adjust, and saw Forrest near some light switches on the walls. Brock on the other hand was near a transport machine, like what you'd see in a Pokemon Center, one of his Pokeballs being drawn into the computer with a flare of blue light. If Ash had to guess they were probably being sent to a Pokemon Center to be healed, or at least being put in digital storage until that could take place.

"Lt. Surge?" Brock mused as he sent another Pokeball into the machine. "Must say I'm surprised you were able to defeat him with your team– he has a reputation."

"My Goldeen has her hidden ability," Misty replied. "Lightning Rod. That combined with Drill Run made for an easy match against his Pikachu– that was my first gym battle too, so it was a one on one."

"Well, you most certainly do have a lot of skill," Brock replied as his last Pokeball was sent off, and he reached into his pocket, pulling out what Ash knew to be a gym badge as Brock turned to face them. "You most certainly have earned the boulder badge."

Misty strolled forward to accept the badge, which Brock was holding out. She reached for the badge, before looking him in the eye. "Thank you. Now, I have a few ques–"

Misty paused mid sentence, stiffening up the same moment Brock did. Her hand on top of his, grasping the gym badge, but not pulling it from his hand. The two didn't break eye contact for a moment, just staring at each other in a trance– which seemed to fade as quickly as it had come.

Misty staggered back, the boulder badge dropping to the ground with a clatter. She stared at Brock for a moment, before whipping her head about. Her gray eyes flickered across everything– Ash and Serena, the tall rocks in the gym, the lights on the ceiling– before she suddenly pressed her eyes shut.

Brock was just staring at Misty, gaze lit in awe. He studied her face, eyes flickering up to her bright orange hair, then back down to her face. His hand reached towards Misty as she pressed her eyes shut, and he withdrew it just as quickly. His eyes then swept across the gym, his amazed expression never fading, and his gaze settled on Forrest.

"Brock?" His brother asked, but Brock didn't reply, a huge smile slowly spreading across his face.

Misty cracked an eye open, before shutting it just as quickly. "No one ever said everything would be this bright!"

"It's amazing," Brock muttered, looking down at his hand.

"Oh, sure!" Misty said, throwing her hands up into the air. "Let's throw probability out the window today, shall we? Ash randomly finds his long lost soulmate, and then I meet mine just a few hours later– what are even the chances?"

"Soulmate?" Ash and Serena echoed at the same time.

"You're Brock's soulmate?" Forrest asked, looking towards Misty in excitement, who had opened her eyes once more, looking at the red Pokeball in her hand. She seemed to pause at Forrest's words, her gaze whipping back towards Brock, as if the realization was just hitting her.

"Oh," Misty said softly, the two looking at each other. "...Soulmates."

Brock had the warmest smile, reaching out and clasping Misty's hand with both of his. "It's wonderful to finally meet you," Brock said, and his expression was so soft. "I'm Brock Harrison, Junior Gym Leader."

"...Misty Waterflower," Misty said after a moment, blinking slowly. "...Junior Gym Leader as well."

It was Brock's turn to blink, before letting out a warm laugh. "Waterflower, huh? Well, that explains the water types."

"Congratulations, Misty!" Ash called, a hand cupped to his mouth, grinning. "Heh, now I can finally show you what the color yellow looks like!"

Misty closed her eyes. "You mean what a headache looks like... everything is so bright!"

"It's beautiful," Brock muttered, looking about the gym, before his eyes returned to Misty. "You're beautiful."

Misty's gray eyes widened slightly as this declaration, a flush filling her cheeks. A bold statement for ones who had just met– but Ash understood that feeling well. The first time he had seen Serena's blue eyes... he had been stunned at their beauty. His eyes flickered over to the Kalosian, who was watching two with an expression he couldn't quite read.

"Heh, if you think it is colorful in here, wait until we get outside," Ash said with a grin, glancing at the brown rocks that were scattered across the gym– something that most who could see with color would call dull.

"Great," Misty muttered, covering her eyes again.

"Are you okay?" Brock asked, looking worried, leaning down to scoop up her fallen gym badge.

"I feel like I'm about to get a headache," Misty muttered, opening her eyes to look up at him once more. "But... but I think I'm fine with that. Soulmates... heh– I told my sisters I wouldn't be the last one!"

"I'm the first among my siblings too," Brock said.

Forrest rolled his eyes. "Don't say that like it's surprising– everyone else is way too young to be finding their soulmate! It was either going to be you or me."

Brock brightened up. "Would you be willing to come by and meet my siblings?" Brock asked her. "If I tell them I found my soulmate they'd be so disappointed if they didn't get to meet you right away."

"I'd love to," Misty said, smiling for a moment, before hesitating. "Actually, speaking of your family... I was wondering if there was any way I could speak with your father? The gym leader? That's actually part of the reason why I came to the gym today..."

Brock's expression was neutral. "Dad isn't in town at the moment."

"I know he's not here, but even if it's just talking to him on the phone, surely you have a way to talk to him–"

Brock's expression looked guarded. "I haven't heard from him in sometime."

Misty gritted her teeth. "No offense to you or your dad... but what is with this town? The gym leader just up and vanishing?"

"Father has his reasons," Brock growled.

"Yeah, but no one in this city seems to actually be doing their job," Misty growled back. "You're a Junior Gym Leader– you shouldn't be shouldered with the responsibilities of a gym leader on your own! If a gym leader has to leave then an acting gym leader should have been appointed! Then you see that girl right there– Serena– she was attacked and nearly had her Pokemon stolen from her this morning– and your chief of police did absolutely nothing. He just dismissed us!"

Brock and Forrest shared a knowing glance, and Forrest looked down right furious.

"...Why don't you all come over for dinner?" Brock offered, his expression softening. "And we can explain everything."