The west-of-Cerulean wilderness was left behind as the duo walked through town. The chatter of early morning market runs and children rushing to school made the whole affair extra pleasant… Though, neither of the two were all too jealous of the children's endeavors. Cerulean was a sleepy riverside city in the early morning. The dull roar of the nearby river followed the two until they stepped past the sliding doors of the Pokemon Center.
"It's so pretty!" Dawn gushed as they headed towards the counter, a Nurse Joy quietly sipping coffee already waiting on them.
"Well, it's a tourist hot spot, what with the Sensational Sisters and all," Ash clarified. "Morning, Nurse Joy!"
"Good morning. How can I be of service?" The nurse chimed, quickly taking on a chipper tone.
"We need a room for the morning," Dawn answered.
"And, our pokemon could use a checkup," Ash continued.
"Well, I'll get two trays. Put you Pokéballs in these while I arrange a room." She slipped further behind the desk, checking bookings and spare rooms.
Prinplup took a step back when Dawn approached him with the pokeball.
"Hey! You're too big to stay outside of your Pokéball during a checkup anymore! There's no way Nurse Joy can carry you!" Dawn insisted, stepping forward towards her starter.
"Prinplup!" the water type argued.
Just then, Nurse Joy came back, giggling at the scene before her. "Oh, that's fine! Actually, he can just follow me, if he wants."
Ash chuckled. "That'll work! Pikachu, can you make sure Prinplup acts right?"
"Pika!"
With that, the duo turned over their pokemon and got a room key in exchange.
"Hey, Dawn, I've gotta change my team around, so can I get the first shower?" Ash asked as they headed towards the room.
Dawn nodded. "Sure! I'll do some reading while you do that. I know they usually keep some coordinating and pokestyling magazines in the rooms. I wanna see if Buneary and Piplup debuted yet. It'll probably be next month, though."
Appreciative of her understanding, Ash headed straight for the bathroom once they got in the room. "Well, let me see when they do! I'm sure it's super cool!"
Ash's bathroom routine went by very quickly. Dawn didn't even have time to finish the coordinating magazine, though she did walk away with a notion that Kanto was more interested in making contests and League tournaments parallel. At any rate, she was very pleased to be able to take over the bathroom and Ash was content to leave the room to check on his pokemon.
Sure enough, when he entered the main lobby, Nurse Joy flagged him down with a wave of his arm, presenting him with a tray full of Pokéballs and Pikachu looking chipper. Hopefully Prinplup would continue to behave in the checkup area.
"Well, let's get a team ready to show Misty how much we've grown, huh, buddy?" Ash prompted Pikachu.
Excited to see his old pika-pal again, the electric type squealed in delight as he hopped back on Ash's shoulder. The two headed over to a PC, ready to ring up Professor Oak on this fine morning. Ash would transfer his entire team sans Pikachu and Rosa before Dawn finally exited the room, key in hand as they had no further need for it.
"There you are! Already got your new team ready? Who'd you get?"
"That's a secret," Ash answered, grinning. "Oh, yeah! Your team should be back to normal!"
A little miffed that Ash didn't explain himself, Dawn merely rolled her eyes before heading to the counter. Noticing her displeasure, Ash followed.
"Hey, I just wanna wow you and Misty!"
"You've sure talked her up a lot," Dawn noted, retrieving her Pokéballs from Nurse Joy, but not without thanking her first. Prinplup waddled along, following the group as they turned to exit the center. "I don't think I've heard a lot about her. Is she really that great?"
"Well, she's the first person I met on my journey! Right before the three of us met Brock. We didn't get along at all, at first… The two of us fought all the time!" Whether Ash looked upon that fondly or not was something even he didn't know, but an exasperated expression on Pikachu's face said it all, were Dawn to catch it. "She definitely has a bit of a temper, but she's really strong, too! I don't know what I would've done without her and Brock that first go around."
"She sounds reliable, if not a little hotheaded," Dawn decided, basing her judgement off trainer and Pokémon's reactions.
"Oh yeah! She's mellowed out a lot over the years." Ash grinned, eager to see her again. "I wonder how she's doing, actually…"
"Has to be pretty well, if she's that strong and she's related to the Sensational Sisters." While the group wasn't as big in Sinnoh as they were in Kanto, they were still known. However, the conversation was somehow leading to an odd mixture of emotions in Dawn. She was both looking forward to meeting Misty and somehow feeling as if she would be okay without it. She tried to ignore the bittersweet feeling; but, somehow, after the thought of how intensely they'd battled just two days ago, she had to wonder how she'd compare to Misty. That was silly, she swore at the nagging thought; it's just a battle.
The Cerulean Gym towered above them. Equal importance was given to the show times and the hours the gym leader accepted challengers on the little informational poster on the twin glass doors.
"I guess Misty and Daisy have been at it again if they're having to claim hours," Ash noted as they two stepped into the gym.
Dawn tilted her head. "Daisy… That's one of the sisters, right?" Before Ash could answer, the girl was distracted by the aquariums lining the hall. "Oh, look at that Seaking!" she squealed. "But… what's that?"
"It's a fish," Ash deadpanned. "It's… an animal. Not a Pokémon." He shrugged, thoroughly confused.
"Oh! I know about animals! We have worms in Sinnoh! They're like… Wumrple, but they live underground! And, they never evolve! They're really tiny, too."
As the two discussed the absolute oddness of animals over Pokémon, Prinplup found he didn't particularly care. Something ancient and instinctual came over him as he was drawn to the tank side. "Prin…" He licked his beak, somehow finding the fish to be making his appetite come alive.
"Actually, Kanto's got the most animals I've ever seen! I've seen fewer in other regions! I don't think Hoenn had any! I just saw less and less as my journey went on." Shaking his head at the odd phenomenon, Ash turned to see the blue bird. "Hey, what's up with him?"
"I think he's hungry," Dawn giggled. "Hey, this is for looking, not eating!" she chided the penguin. He slumped, backing off the glass. With that, Dawn kept walking with Ash, Prinplup following begrudgingly. "This is all so pretty…! Misty must be like a mermaid or something! This gym isn't at all like Crasher Wake's was!"
"Uh, you might not want to tell her that," he warned. "She's pretty proud of her tough girl look. Then, again, after Togetic… Hm." Ash put hands behind his head. "I can't figure her out. She acts all tough and then she does all this girlie stuff. You two are a little alike." He shrugged.
Soon, the aquarium led into the gym. And, there, kneeling at the side of the deep, wide, platform-dappled pool, was the orange haired gym leader they'd sought out. The Dewgong she petted looked up at her adoringly, her short curtain of carrot colored hair blocking them from her line of sight. At the shuffling of their feet, though, she rose, posture changing from gentle to ready to strike in an instant.
"Hey! If you're here for a - Ash?"
The duo walked over, each smiling at her.
"It's been a while, huh?" Ash inquired. Pikachu wasted no time in jumping off Ash's shoulder and into Misty's arms.
"It has been. Hey, Pikachu!" The gym leader then turned to Dawn. "So, what're you doing here? Who's this?"
"Oh! You didn't get my email challenge…?"
Remembering, Misty waved her hand. "Oh, right, never mind."
A bit miffed that Misty had brushed him off after forgetting, he huffed before moving on. "This is Dawn! She traveled with me through Sinnoh!"
Until now, said bluenette had been rather stunned. "Oh, yeah! That's me, haha! Ash's has told me so much about you!" She reached her hand out, awaiting a shake.
Misty did so, giving Dawn's hand a firm shake. "He's said a little about you. Though, it was all good… What exactly did he say about me?"
Only a little? Still, Dawn picked up Misty's hint, deciding to let slide what Ash had said.
Somehow, he already knew to look between the two of them with disgust, sensing the coming betrayal.
"Well, he said something about you being ticked that he got your bike crisped…"
"He did?! It's his fault! Of course, I'd be mad! He stole it and it was, what, two years? Three?! Before I got another one!"
"You really made him get you another one?! I thought that was a joke!"
"Heck no!"
"I didn't think it was that serious when Pikachu ruined mine, honestly…"
"What?! You, too?! Ash! You can't just burn bikes! Did you even get May another one?!"
"May got hers burned, too?!"
"Ugh!"
"It's okay, I never actually wanted another… I made my journey fine without it!"
Misty's business with Dawn ended, the poor bluenette's attempt to calm her having failed for the most part.
"Did you seriously not even bother trying to compensate her? She's too nice to you, you know!"
"Hey, they didn't ask! You were always asking for this and that!"
"Yeah, and? It kept you on your toes!"
Dawn grew quiet as the two spoke, somehow feeling out of place. There wasn't really space for her to come in and talk as they began talking about old times, things she didn't know anything about. Misty asked when Ash was going to start being responsible and he said something about going back for Pidgeot. Dawn didn't even know he'd ever let Pidgeot go. Was this Ash's actual personality…? No, she decided; it was just memories from a time Dawn couldn't know.
"Anyway," Misty snapped, looking away from Ash. "Are you going to make good on that challenger or not?!"
"Oh, now you're ready to battle?" he taunted.
Misty cracked a grin, crossing her arms. "Only if you think you'll be able to keep up! I've really been training hard! Heck, I might be close to being a water master!"
Ash shrugged. "You'll give me a good run for my money, then… Unless you're running your mouth because you're chicken!"
"Who are you calling a chicken?!" Misty roared, infamous temper flaring in full force. Her Dewgong friend cowered, diving into the waters and swimming away. The youngest Sensational Sister whirled to face Ash, storming over and getting so close that she was mere inches from his face.
Dawn froze, shocked.
"Well? We gonna battle?" Ash seemed unphased by it.
Snorting, Misty turned and headed towards her portion of the field. Ash, likewise headed towards his. Only Dawn remained on the sidelines and after realizing that the battle was about to start, she headed up to the stands.
"So, how many Pokémon are we gonna use?" Ash questioned, a gloved hand already lingering toward his waist, itching to make a selection and begin their rematch that had been held off for far too long.
"How's three on three sound? You'll get to see the awesome power of my water Pokémon!"
"That's fine with me!" Ash barked, fists tightly clenched and blood already boiling.
While Ash and Misty loudly discussed the terms of the match, only Dawn noticed the quiet tapping of feet headed up the opposite stands. As they were not lit for easy movement during a show, it was hard for her to discern who it actually was. Her distraction with this stranger in the stands was removed by the duo below declaring the match would begin.
"Alright, let's show 'em, Croconaw! I choose you!" Knowing fully well that Pikachu wouldn't be participating, Ash made his first choice. A pokeball was tossed forward, revealing the energetic water type.
Croconaw hopped and jostled about on his platform upon the water, equally excited to see Misty and to begin the battle that was, no doubt, about to begin. As well as he knew those two, the Pokémon was far from surprised.
"Aw, Totodile evolved!" Misty faltered from her ferocity to marvel, before remembering that he very well could have been her Pokémon, long ago… But, that was history. "Alright, then! If it's a water battle you want, it's a water battle you'll get! Gyarados, I choose you!" Rather than throwing a pokeball, Misty simply snapped her fingers.
Ash gawked, a brow raised at the absence of a Pokéballs. Soon, the pool below began to tremble, forcing Ash to reinforce his footing as he watched the leviathan surface. Gyarados' long, segmented body burst out of the pool with a terrifying roar. Looking vicious as ever, the pokemon set its eyes on Ash and Croconaw.
"Oh boy… We're fighting Gyarados right off the bat, huh? This is gonna be tough. But we've got what it takes, right Croconaw?" Ash reassured his Pokémon, who let out a cry of agreement.
"Alright, Misty, give us your best shot!"
"Be careful what you wish for, Ash! Gyarados, use Flamethrower!"
"You know the drill, Croconaw, dodge it!" Ash called. He had a lot of faith in the croc's dancing habits.
Ash's confidence proved to be well-placed. Just as it had always done in its smaller stage, the second stage starter scrambled from his platform in a mad, playful dash, hopping to the next platform atop the water.
"Don't let it get away, Gyarados!" Misty commanded. Gyarados didn't relent, the roaring flames following.
And yet, the skillful dancing persisted, the water type executing an agile flip back onto its first elevation.
"Agh, I forgot how quick-footed that thing was… Gyarados, use Slam, now!"
The Atrocious Pokémon's finned tail rose to the surface, brandished like a hand ready to swipe at its owner's target. And, in fact, it did just that, swinging towards Croconaw with terrifying force.
"Dodge it, Croconaw!" Ash shouted, swallowing as he watched the incoming fin. Even from where he was standing, that was pretty terrifying!
"Croc!" Timing his trajectory just right, Croconaw launched off both of its feet, tucking in his tail to narrowly avoid the larger Pokémon's wrath. He'd done better than dodging, in fact. He'd clung to Gyarados' tail with his claws, scampering his way up his opponent's body with agile leaps and bounds.
Gyarados looked too stunned to respond in time, truthfully. Just who did this Pokémon think it was!?
"Don't let him do that, Gyarados; shake him off!" Misty warned. Allowing Croconaw to make use of his speedy and erratic moves was the last thing either of them wanted to do. She knew that well.
"You get it first, Croconaw! Use Crunch on its head, now!"
The little gator didn't have to be told twice. Leaping off one of the pokemon's higher segments, he parted his maw wide, freeing himself from Gyarados' shaking.
Sure enough, he sunk his fangs into the crest atop Gyarados' head with a powerful chomp.
The larger pokemon winced, furious with the painful bite. It began to buck its head. It wanted Croconaw off. Now.
"Shake it free, Gyarados! It can't hold on forever! Then, use Slam!"
The giant demon of the sea began to buck its head erratically, tossing the small water type to and fro as he clung on for dear life with his powerful fangs. That was painful in itself, making Gyarados even more furious.
Soon enough, a buck of its head threw Croconaw off of his living, thrashing chew-toy, knocking him helplessly into the air.
Watching Gyarados ready its tail, Ash panicked. "Look out, Croconaw, it's gonna hit ya!"
Ash's warning came a little too late. A brutal swing of the limb sent the smaller pokemon dive bombing into the pool. The trainer inwardly cringed, almost hissing at the attack's severity. "That's gotta hurt…"
Under the surface, Croconaw gasped and heaved, having had the air knocked right out of him on impact. It was quite fortunate that he was able to breathe comfortably underwater… Knowing he needed to be present for his trainer's commands though, he peddled toward the surface, quickly ascending before his head popped out of the water.
Ash let out a sigh of relief that he could've sworn he was holding onto for an hour or so... "You had me worried there. Good job hanging in tough!" Ash praised, though he hadn't missed the Pokémon's condition. He looked winded after that powerful hit. "Hey, good idea… Why don't you chill out in the water for a bit, till you're ready to go again?" Maybe if he lured Misty into getting close, they could take advantage of that, too…
"There won't be any chilling out in my gym, Ketchum!" Misty interrupted. "Gyarados, use Flamethrower on the water!"
Gyarados was just as eager as its fiery trainer to continue the assault. Its wide mouth parted, spitting up a scalding bath of flames upon the opposite side of the pool, rather than Croconaw himself.
While Croconaw had been content until then, suddenly he wasn't feeling all too cozy anymore. The water had begun to bubble, heat rising and concentrating in Ash's end of the pool. The water type's eyes shot open wide, panicked cries following a burnt bottom as he hopped and scrambled onto the nearest platform.
"Hey! What's the big idea? That was a dirty move." Ash frowned, hands on his hips - as if he actually held a moral high ground. In all truth, he was probably just miffed that his strategy got nipped in the bud.
"You wish. That's just strategy. As far as I can remember, there's no rule against that, is there?" Misty boasted, a hand similarly stationed on her hip. In her case, out of confidence, rather than contempt. "As an aspiring water Pokémon trainer, I have to be able to control the water in any way I can find. And, I'm certainly not going to let you use my own battlefield against me!" Unfortunately, Ash had gotten her to monologue, and Croconaw had gotten comfortable on his safe haven. "Gyarados, Hyper Beam!"
The large creature's maw became visible once more, the dark abyss of its throat lit up with a building, glowing golden orb. Quickly gathering particles of energy, it was already ready to fire.
"Uh oh…! That's gonna be a problem!" Ash noted, sweat dripping down his forehead.
The massive attack fired, sending a large, blinding beam of destructive energy towards Croconaw.
Quickly thinking, Ash threw a hand aside. "Uh, dodge that by using Hydro Pump!"
There was no way he was going to question Ash now. Firing a powerful jet onto the platform below, Croconaw launched himself sky high, well out of Hyper Beam's range. Even better - he was heading towards Gyarados!
The Atrocious pokemon huffed and heaved, less than comfortable after expelling so much energy.
"Now it's spent, and it won't be able to move for a moment! Alright, Croconaw, Ice Punch!" Ash deduced and declared, punching one of his own fists into the air for dramatic effect.
Already free-falling from his boost above, Croconaw pulled back one of his fists, charging it with a freezing, glowing aura. Falling down toward Gyarados, the water type struck out with a wild swing of his fist. Gyarados was struck right in the side of the face, letting out a pained roar as the cold coursed through his system.
"Awesome job, Croconaw!" Ash cheered, thrilled with their successful maneuver as Gyarados fell towards the water, and his own teammate landed on a nearby platform on Gyarados' side of the pool.
"C'mon, Gyarados. Pull yourself together!" An encouraging cry came from the other side of the battlefield. It was clear as day that if they didn't rebound, then Ash would continue to take advantage of his momentum.
By now, Gyarados had started to right itself, shaking its head to ward off the leftover chill from Ice Punch.
"Get it again before it attacks; use Crunch, now!" Ash shouted, pointing forward.
Strong, ever-flighty legs launched the gator towards his opponent, mouth wide open. The Atrocious Pokémon tried to retreat, but the effort proved only so useful. Croconaw's jaws had closed down upon one of the long whiskers adorning Gyarados' face.
"Darn it… Gyarados! Shake him off!" Misty grimaced. Watching her most powerful Pokémon become seafood for Ash's companion was less than dignifying.
Letting out a displeased roar, Gyarados began to thrash about once more, sending Croconaw flying.
This time, the water type landed comfortably above the water, hopping about, excited as ever.
"Looks like Croconaw's having fun," Ash remarked, letting out a chuckle. Even in the midst of battle, it was hard to not be caught up in the playful Pokémon's energy.
"Glad you're enjoying yourselves," Misty bit back, just a bit irritated that she wasn't being taken seriously at the moment. But that would change quickly. "Gyarados, Flamethrower, now!"
Just as irritated as its trainer, the large sea serpent belched forward another stream of heat.
"Hydro Pump!" Ash countered, throwing an open hand outward.
A powerful jet of water shot out of the Pokémon's large mouth, meeting Flamethrower mere feet from its target. Cool, pressurized water blasted through the fire, shrouding Croconaw's platform in hot steam.
"Now, use Slam!" Misty ordered.
Gyarados' tail was drawn back once again, readied before swinging forward across the battlefield. Surely, there was no way the little trouble-maker would be able to avoid such a wide sweep!
"Watch out, Croconaw!" Ash shouted, leaning forward. As if he could do something to protect the Pokémon.
White hot steam still surrounded the target of Gyarados' attack, leaving his surroundings less than visible, shrouded in the vapor covering him. Ash and Misty's shouts, though, gave him a clue. He leapt up once more, a simple backflip executed as the gigantic limb swung by. Shivers were sent through the normally carefree Pokémon's spine, a rush of wind conjured by the Slam attack bellowing past. Steam was swept up and dispersed, revealing a panicked, but otherwise unharmed water type.
"Hah! Awesome job!" Ash cheered… Though, through his bravado, he'd discreetly let out a sigh of relief.
"Agh… This is ridiculous." Misty's brows furrowed. She was being toyed with and forced to give chase in her own gym. Then again, against Ash, she knew not to expect anything less. "Let's finish this! Use Crunch!"
Gyarados didn't need to be told twice. With Croconaw out in the open, the beast lurch forward, ready to bite down upon the small gator. With all things considered, that would be very satisfying payback.
Croconaw's eyes practically bulged out of his head, finding himself staring down a giant, gaping maw, and of course, razor-sharp teeth. Swallowing, he anxiously awaited orders from Ash. This was nothing short of terrifying.
"Oh man, that's bad…" Ash's face faltered, staring into the giant's wide, open mouth. "...Hey, that's it!" Ash snapped his fingers, having hatched up a last-second plan. "Use Hydro Pump, right in its mouth!"
Croconaw was eager to comply. Opening his own smaller, but still terrifying mouth, the water type let out a terribly powerful gush of water, shooting right into the nearing Gyarados' mouth.
To Misty's horror, the Atrocious Pokémon began to cough and hack, impeded much like one trying to breathe with their head out the window of a moving car. Disturbed by the unexpected intrusion, the large Pokémon found itself weary and disoriented, only mildly aware of its sneaky opponent.
"Now's your chance, Croconaw! Scratch it up with a Slash attack!" Ash cheered.
Greeted with a very close, defenseless opponent, Croconaw danced and tip-toed forward, leaping to greet its face with a series of precise slashes of its claws. The large Pokémon recoiled, revealing the attack to be quite effective.
"Now, finish it! Use Ice Punch, full power!"
While Gyarados was still reeling, Croconaw jumped and flipped forward one final time, each of its small fists glowing brilliantly with a freezing energy. Both limbs were smashed down upon the water type's crest, knocking it off balance and into the water below. Several large waves were knocked out of the pool, splashing the perimeter, and the competitors, to boot. Ash quietly whined about his soaked jeans, but Misty seemed unaffected… Aside from worrying about her Pokémon, of course.
"Ah, Gyarados!" She cried in worry, waiting for the inevitable until it surfaced. Gyarados floated on the pool surface, swirls in its eyes. After a hard and brutal fight, it'd been sorely defeated.
"Alright, good job, Croconaw!" Ash praised, giving the primitive reptile a thumbs-up.
"Don't celebrate yet!" the redhead snapped. "Gyarados, return! Starmie, let's show 'em who's in charge around here!" The multi-limbed water type span as it landed on a platform, central jewel flashing with vigor and alertness.
"Aw, no, I know how this one works! Croconaw, use Hydro Pump!"
"I hope that's not fear I hear from you, is it?" Misty taunted. "Starmie, let's take them down a notch, with Rapid Spin!"
Sure enough, though Croconaw spewed out a mighty Hydro Pump, when Starmie began to spin, its elegant design cut through the water like a hot knife through butter. Starmie's advance was slow, opposed by the current, but soon enough Croconaw got a mouthful of Starmie.
"Crunch!" Ash was quick on the draw, too.
Sure enough, Croconaw bit down fiercely. Starmie flinched.
"...Thunderbolt."
Starmie capitalized on Croconaw's very vulnerable position, unleashing a powerful current of electricity into the water type's body. Golden sparks danced along the duo and the surrounding waters, leaving a fried, unconscious Croconaw in their wake.
In another situation, Misty might have been upset. As it was, Ash merely played right into her hands. Oh, the perks of having your opponent as a longtime friend! "Honestly, if you or your Croconaw could learn to keep your mouths shut, you'd be a lot better off!" she teased.
"Hey, if I gotta watch my mouth, you gotta watch your attitude!" Ash retorted before returning Croconaw. He'd fought hard, but it was clear he was done for the day. "Look, it got your Gyarados…" Shaking his head, Ash tossed out another pokeball. "Wartortle, I choose you!"
"Tortle!" The stage lights surrounding the battle field glinted with dramatic effect off Wartortle's shades, just as he would have hoped. Grinning cockily, the water type didn't seem too intimidated by his opponent.
"Squirtle evolved!?" Misty gawked, this development the first thing to cross her mind. "That's a real surprise… But doesn't he have to work with the Squirtle Squad?" From what she remembered, the gang tended to get overwhelmed with their work without him.
"Well, Officer Jenny said he's done a great job teaching them their stuff, so they can do without him for a lil' while, and he can fight alongside me! They'll do just fine until we get back." Ash explained.
"I'm sure he's done a great job, but now you guys are on my turf; a real home for water Pokémon! If you don't remember that, you're gonna regret it." The fourth Cerulean sister smugly declared, a hand raised in a matter-of-fact gesture.
"Yeah? We'll see about that! The two of us are gonna show you how a real water type fights!"
"Starmie, let's give these two hardheads what for! Rapid Spin!" Misty ordered.
"Wartortle, use Iron Defense and Rapid Spin!" If Misty wanted to keep playing a game of hard hits, Ash had plenty to dole out to keep up with her.
Wartortle retreated into his shell, spinning as his shell turned to a metallic gray. About that time, Starmie made first impact, the two ricocheting off each other. Willing themselves to change direction, they collided once more in mid-air. The clacking of tough Starmie-skin against Wartortle's hard shell echoed throughout the gym.
Growing frustrated, Misty spoke up. "Starmie, hit 'em with another Thunderbolt!"
Ash's eyes widened as another strike was called down, shocking Wartortle so badly he uncoiled out of his shell, falling into the water from where he'd been spinning from platform to platform.
Starmie, in the meantime, landed neatly on a dry patch of platform. "Star-mieee!"
Nodding with contentment, Misty called for another move. "Use Recover."
Ash gritted his teeth. 'With it using Thunderbolt, Wartortle's in a lot of trouble… And it has Recover, too! If I'm gonna deal with that, we'll need to overpower it, big time!' If it were just one or the other, maybe… Still, Ash hadn't been training for nothing, so as soon as Wartortle surfaced, he made his move. "Great job, buddy. Take a rest. Return! Lapras, I choose you!"
The melodious pokemon appeared with a wailing cry, haunting yet beautiful.
"Well, it's been awhile!" Misty greeted, the edge of the battle taken off momentarily.
"Would you say it's ice to see Lapras? 'Cause we've got an Ice Beam in store!" Ash chuckled at his own joke while Misty and everyone else in the gym let out a sigh.
"Starmie, dodge this joker's moves…"
Sure enough, Starmie did. The area of water behind where Starmie had been froze, a small iceberg forming only to be broken up, floating throughout the pool and chilling the water.
"Well, Surf's up then!" Ash called, deciding to ham it up for a moment.
"Are you serious right now?!" Misty yelled. "Starmie, use Water Gun to get away!"
As Lapras caused a mighty tidal wave to swamp the pool from one end to the other, Starmie launched itself above it all, landing on a soaked, but still intact platform after the fact.
"Now, soak 'em down with another Water Gun!"
Lapras let out a squeal upon being hit in the face with Starmie's attack.
"Hey, hang in there! Just use Ice Shard! That'll teach 'em something'!" he assured his pokemon.
The blue ice type obeyed, a huge chunk of ice flung at Starmie, hitting with such force that the veteran resident of the gym was knocked right over.
"Well, I don't know about you teaching me anything, but you're gonna learn not to come at a water trainer with her own element! Starmie, another Thunderbolt!" Confident she was making good progress, Misty crossed her arms, chin up and stance wide.
Though he felt sorry for the way Lapras writhed, the moment Ash saw the excess electricity crackling over that blubbery skin, he saw his opportunity. 'It's just like on Mt. Silver…!' Ash thought to himself, a conniving smile spreading across his features. Except, this time, Lapras knew Thunderbolt all on her own! She could use a supercharged version of the attack to blow Starmie out of the water!
"Nah, this'll teach ya' to think I'm that predictable. Lapras, use Thunderbolt!"
Misty's eyes went wide as the larger Thunderbolt struck down, knocking out her Starmie in a flash. Her mouth hung open for a second. Then, she grunted and returned her pokemon. She supposed she deserved that for thinking Thunderbolt was her ace in the hole. "Well, loyalty's a good quality, so let's give it a try! Misty calls… Psyduck!" Another pokeball was lobbed forward, the resulting light materializing on one of the platforms.
"Psy-yy…?" The small, yellow duck tilted his head, looking as expressionless as ever.
At this sight, Ash had to catch himself before stumbling over in pure disbelief. "Uh, Misty…? You sure you're thinking straight, right now?" He'd seen Psyduck call on himself plenty of times, but for him to be her voluntary final choice in a gym battle? It wasn't like her to try to embarrass herself. "Or is that just your way of giving up?"
"Don't put all your Exeggcute in a basket yet, Ketchum! It just so happens I've taught Psyduck a few new tricks! You didn't think I'd never get around to teaching him to battle for real, did you?"
"Well, actually…" Ash trailed off.
"We'll just show you! Hit 'em with a Hydro Pump, Psyduck!"
The dumbfounded duck's beak opened wide, for once not letting out a simple chant, but a torrential jet of water that betrayed expectations, to say the least.
Any doubts Ash had were washed away along with any dust or debris on Lapras. The Transport pokemon gasped after the attack, completely taken off guard.
"That's some serious power," Ash admitted. "Who would've thought this was gonna be how our match ended?" He stopped short of insulting the duck; it was common knowledge among the group how powerful Psyduck could be when the situation called for it. Seeing him as a relied upon measure in battle was new, though. "We're gonna have to be careful, Lapras! Use Ice Beam on the water!"
Stubborn as ever, Lapras cried, letting loose a chilly ray of energy from his mouth. The assault swept across the pool in front of him, forming a notable wall of ice between the two competitors.
"Don't tell me you're going to beat us by hiding?" Misty questioned, incredulous. That was hardly characteristic of Ash outside of desperate situations. "I know you can do better than that."
"If it's such a joke, why don't ya show me you can deal with it?" Ash challenged.
"With pleasure! Psyduck, use Psychic, now!"
As usual, the water type held his head, not-so-visibly straining to assert his mental will upon the large water type hidden behind the ice barrier. Try as he may, though, the efforts only induced a tilted head. "...Duck?"
"Aagh… Damn it. I guess his headache must not be bad enough, yet." Misty averted her eyes from her challenger, twin fingers upon her forehead. This was hardly her proudest moment.
Lapras, meanwhile, had only experienced a mild, chilling discomfort.
"Well, if you guys aren't gonna attack, I will! Lapras, use Surf!"
A toss of the Pokémon's head conjured its mystifying powers over water, throwing a mighty tidal wave across the pool. Even inhibited by the barrier he, himself had set up, Lapras had managed to sweep up Psyduck in the attack's wake.
"Uh-oh… I almost forgot! Psyduck can't swim, right!?" Ash's face fell, his aspirations nearly collapsing into panic.
"He's… Gotten better," Misty deadpanned, watching the yellow duck as he doggy-paddled his way back to his stand; by no means graceful, but it was a commendable improvement, anyway.
"Well, in that case, let's keep on rolling'! Lapras, Ice Shard, now!"
Lapras complied once his worry had settled, firing a collective mass of frozen water into the barrier, piling right through it. Some of the debris left over from the shattered wall even piled on, striking Psyduck just as he was managing to recover. The duck let out a cry, nailed head-on by the speedy attack.
"Psyyy-yyy…." Psyduck whined, tightly clutching his forehead. The attack had clearly left its mark.
"You've really gone and done it now, Ash!" Misty's confidence had returned. The fiery trainer from Pallet had spelled his own doom.
"Done what?" Ash cocked his head, oblivious until reality struck him. "Uh-oh… Looks like Psyduck's actin' a little funny." And, of course, he knew what that meant. As did Pikachu, whose ears drooped. While he felt bad for his clumsy, head-holding friend, he had a feeling he was about to feel even worse for Lapras.
"Correct! That headache's going to be our key to victory!" Misty pointed forward, eager to claim her comeuppance. "Psyduck, use Psychic on the pool! Let's give our friends a ride they'll never forget!"
"On the pool…?" Ash echoed. "Can he really do that?"
The glow around the yellow duck and the beginning of crashing waves answered his question. A steady cry of "duck" hummed eerily through the gym, sending small waves splashing over the sides of the pool. Inside the battlefield, though, was where the danger lay. Lapras was already finding himself less than content, trying to hold his own as the currents tossed and turned. He was having little luck, though, thrown far from his cozy position atop resting waters. By now, even his refuge had started to melt! Things weren't looking good for the Transport Pokémon.
"Try and hang in there, Lapras! Use Ice Shard, one more time!" Ash coached, showing his support.
Ignoring its discomfort, balance barely held by his swimming and navigating prowess, the sea creature parted his mouth once more to form a solid chunk of ice, firing it towards his manipulative opponent.
Unfortunately for Ash and Lapras, the Ice Shard met a gloomy, watery fate. A jumping wave swallowed the attack whole, leaving it to be tossed and floated about the water bound arena.
"You've gotta be kidding! Since when could Psyduck do stuff like this?" Ash marveled, dumbfounded.
"I told you I was going to be a water Pokémon master! So, that means I'll control the water!" Misty boasted, hands planted proudly on her hips. "No matter which Pokémon I'm battling with!"
"Not bad," Ash would admit. "But, we can do better! Lapras, get yourself in there with Surf, now!"
Lapras knew this method well. In combat with more agile Pokémon, he'd learned from his trainer to use his ability to manipulate water to his advantage. A roaring wave erupted under his body, opposing Psyduck's to boost him above the volatile storm below. With the water commanded below him, he'd near Psyduck in no time.
Or, so they'd thought.
"Psyduck, bring down that wave, right onto Lapras!" Misty commanded.
The majority of the pool calmed, giving way to the churned and manipulated tidal keeping Lapras afloat. What had, moments ago, been a powerful arc, collapsed over and under the Transport pokemon, roughly dunking it under the water.
Before Ash even had time to gawk and worry, Misty followed up. "Now, throw it on out!"
"Duuuuck…!" Psyduck cried, putting the bulk of its telekinetic strength towards lifting the large beast from the pool. Once he'd surfaced, Lapras was tossed roughly past Ash, landing on solid ground.
Swirls in his eyes indicated a loss.
Staring past him with eyes the size of saucers, Ash heavily swallowed. "Holy crap… Lapras, return!" A Pokéball was held out, returning the water type to his safe sphere. "Thanks for putting up a great fight," Ash whispered, then clipping the pokeball to his belt. "I gotta hand it to you guys. You've gotten really strong! But… There's no way we're giving up! It's your turn again, Wartortle!" Ash cried, tossing the last ball forward.
The Wartortle materialized on a platform looking ready to battle but not quite so arrogant as to waste time with his shades right now. They were already put away.
"Psyduck, let's finish this! Take 'em down with another Psychic!"
"How's that grip, though?" Ash called out, confidence returning. "Wartortle, Rapid Spin!"
Though he was lifted above the platform by Psyduck's telekinetic grip, Wartortle was able to retreat into his shell. At first, there was no movement. Then, the turtle's shell began to tremble, blue light of the Psychic wavering. Then, Wartortle whirled, telekinetic grasp breaking apart and fading away as the turtle fell towards the water.
"It's no use just trying to run away," Misty warned. "Psyduck, use Hydro Pump! Put some motion back in our little piece of the ocean!"
Blasting the surface of the water at a certain angle, the yellow monotype sent an unsettled wave throughout the pool, water lapping over the sides of the aquarium's center as if it were angered. Deep within the pool, Wartortle was thrown to and fro, finally surfacing to try and orient himself.
"Try Ice Beam! Can't rock what's frozen," Ash reasoned.
Sure enough, once Wartortle belted out a few Ice Beams to freeze the surface and even a bit of the depths of the pool, the motion calmed, even if ever so slightly. Furthermore, what was left of Lapras's ice floats rejoined with Wartortle's newly formed floats, creating a lot more cover for the remaining pokemon to use against his opponent.
Content with that, Ash somberly realized they would need to take out Psyduck's headache induced abilities.
With slushy water now lapping at his platform and around his feet, Psyduck was finding it more difficult to find steady footing. Between his headache and his traitorous feet, the water type found himself a little distracted.
Naturally, the challengers weren't about to let that go unnoticed.
"Hydro Pump!"
Wartortle jumped over an ice float, aiming head-on for Psyduck. The move blew the duck over and onto his side, nearly off the platform. As quick as he'd surfaced, after his attack, Wartortle returned to the more sluggishly moving currents of the pool.
"Send the waters churning again with another Psychic!" Misty ordered. "I hope you don't think that ice means much!" she boasted. Sure enough, as the currents began to liven up again, the ice groaned under all the pressure. "Even if it's Psyduck I'm using, I've got it! I've made the water my territory!"
Sure enough, Wartortle found the wild currents too much for even him and left the water, clinging on to a wildly bobbing ice float, mindful to keep away from the edges as it crashed loudly into another float.
"He can't stay down there with all of that… Wartortle! Use Rapid Spin to ride out the waves! When you see big waves, use Ice Beam to freeze 'em and give yourself a little bit of a break!"
Hesitant to return to the wild waters, Wartortle all the same obeyed. Spotting an area of water free from ice but also getting closer to Psyduck, Wartortle began to spin across the strait. Soon, he grew tired from fighting the waves and opened out of his shell, firing under him as the waves crested and giving himself a platform. That was short lived, though, as the waves began to slap at the ice-platform, already beginning to break it.
Wartortle did the same again, skipping across the waters like a thrown stone with his Rapid Spin move and stopping with the help of short lived ice floats. Soon, however, it was time to land on Psyduck's platform.
Ash knew they might only have one shot. "Skull Bash!"
Making the final leap across the water, Wartortle exited his shell, ending his Rapid Spin move to prepare to launch a mighty Skull Bash.
"Disable." With that one word, Misty allowed Psyduck to foil their plan.
Wartortle felt the energy for the move leave his body, causing him to land early and tumble across the platform, finally landing at Psyduck's feet. The ever-confused pokemon looked down, tilting his head.
"Now, finish it with an Aqua Tail!" Misty ordered with a snap of her fingers.
Ash held his breath, waiting for the inevitable. Likewise, Wartortle flinched, eyes shut and bracing for impact.
But, impact never came. When the turtle opened his eyes out of curiosity, he found Psyduck had turned his backside towards his opponent, wagging his little yellow tail. Well, it wasn't an Aqua Tail, but Psyduck certainly knew how to use Tail Whip. It'd taken some of the tension out of Wartortle.
"Augh!" the youngest Sensational Sister growled. "We spent so long working on that, you little nimrod! How could you forget it at a time like this?!
"Psy…" Psyduck said apologetically, folding his little hands together and bowing his head in shame.
Wartortle looked back towards Ash, shrugging. Ash shrugged back, figuring they should continue. A smirk came across the teen's face. Hey, it wasn't like it was in a rule book that they couldn't fight a distracted opponent, right? Since Misty didn't wanna avoid playing dirty.
"Rapid Spin!"
Clocked in the back of the head, Psyduck fell right on his face. Wartortle backed off after the attack, snickering.
"Rude! Psychic! Toss 'im in the water!" Misty crossed her arms, tossing her hair.
Wartortle's nails scraped the platform, trying to hang on before Psyduck chucked him down into the pool once more. Thankfully, before going under, Wartortle heard Ash's cry: "Use Hydro Pump to get moving!" Retreating into his shell within the water, the turtle used the burst of the Hydro Pump to send himself spinning around Psyduck, the churning water the only clue to his location.
Turning around and around to try and spot his opponent in vain, Psyduck was beginning to feel dizzy.
"Hit 'im with your own Hydro Pump!" The gym leader's patience was waning.
No dice. Wartortle lept out of the water just as Psyduck's blast hit the pool floor.
"Rapid Spin!" Ash called.
Having just spat out a Hydro Pump, and growing ever dizzy from the turtle's rounds, Psyduck turned just in time to get hit head-on with Wartortle's spinning shell. It was an instant knock out.
Ash leapt into the air, pumping his fists. "Haha, great! We won!"
Misty sighed. "Psyduck, you really messed up at a crucial time… Seriously, we've got to -"
"That was great!"
Everyone looked up, confused. Dawn had forgotten about the arrival of the mysterious stranger and Ash and Misty had never seen him come in. Said stranger was running down from the stands now, a grin on his face and his glasses slightly askew for his speedy descent.
"Those are new Pokémon, or new evolutions at the very least! And, Misty, that was great! Haha, you're as tough as everyone says!" The boy pushed his glasses up, beaming up at the two on the side of the pool from where they stood at their ends of the pool.
Dawn blinked, still in the stands, before realizing who it was. She snapped her fingers. "I knew I recognized him! That must be May's brother, Max!"
Sure enough, judging by the way Ash hastily thanked Wartortle before returning him so that Ash and Pikachu could run over to greet Max, it had to be! Misty even walked over, grinning. Dawn supposed she should make her way down, too.
"Max, it's good to see you again!" Ash greeted, holding out a hand for the boy to shake.
"Hm… that wasn't you that gave Forrest all that sass a few days ago, was it?" Misty teased, giggling when the boy blushed and tried to deny it.
"It's good to see you, too, Ash! And, you, too, Misty! But… that wasn't me. I've grown up a lot, you know!" he argued. "Besides, it's not like I would have started it… If that did happen."
Dawn walked over, looking pleased. "Max, hi, I'm -"
It was a no sale. Max had one thing on his mind. "Come on, Ash! I wanna see what other Pokémon you have! Let's go outside. I'm gonna challenge Misty later and I don't want her to have an unfair advantage seeing my Pokémon!" he enthused.
Ash nodded, headed towards the exit at a jog already.
Misty called after the two. "Hey, didn't you just watch our match?! Max, how can I not see when you already did!? … Are you two gone already?!"
Dawn's mood dipped. "Man, and I was gonna introduce myself."
Misty rolled her eyes before returning Psyduck. The Dewgong from earlier returned, curiosity proving rewarding when it saw the battle was over. Misty leaned over to pet the ice type. "Boys. They're always rushing around to do something. What can I say?"
"Well… since they're already gone," Dawn began, gathering her courage. "Misty, can I ask you a question?"
Sensing the shift in mood, the gym leader stood. "What is it?" The Dewgong hauled itself out of the water, leaning against Misty's leg. Prinplup, deciding the mood would allow for him to play along - he was never good at reading emotions - did likewise, unknowingly making another stab at Dawn's feelings.
She blinked, watching Prinplup cuddle against the water trainer. That was it - the discovery Dawn had allowed herself to realize up in the stands. Or, the catalyst for that realization. When Misty was here, or rather, when they were with Misty, Dawn felt like an outsider. She couldn't bring herself to blame the other girl, but somehow, the redhead managed to just sweep right back in as if she'd never left, as if Dawn had never been the one standing by Ash's side.
And, pitifully, Dawn realized that was the weird feeling this morning. Jealousy. It was fine if Ash had other friends, but that there might be someone else that he was closer to like the way he was close to Dawn… It sent a white hot, sickly feeling. She didn't like it at all and wanted it settled now... Even if it meant confirming her fears.
"Am I intruding?" the bluenette finally pressed. The memories all flashed before her: the fishing lure Ash was so protective of, the way he praised Misty so highly, and how close they were (she couldn't get the image of Misty inches from Ash's face when Misty snapped out of her head). She just wanted answers, to not feel so confused about it.
The redhead furrowed her brows. "Intruding? No, you weren't -" she began, trailing off as she realized Dawn wasn't making sure it was okay to watch the match. "Oh." Blinking for a moment, the water trainer turned to Dewgong and Prinplup. "You two stay here for a minute. Me and Dawn are gonna take a walk. You, follow me," the gym leader ordered.
Dawn did as asked, falling into step beside the slightly older girl as they walked around the aquarium.
Misty had more of a fiery, bold streak than Dawn did. Furthermore, she didn't feel as confused as the younger girl did. As such, she was able to flat out ask her question: "Are you interested in Ash? Romantically, I mean."
Startled by Misty's forth rightness, Dawn blushed before gulping. "Yeah…"
"How long?" the redhead snapped, sounding almost offended.
"I'm not sure," the bluenette confessed. "I… I may have liked him for a while, but, a week ago, maybe two weeks ago at the most, I definitely started feeling funny around him sometimes. I didn't realize I… liked him liked him until a little earlier." The confession made Dawn feel petty. Surely this wasn't just jealousy. Dawn wasn't like that, right? "I mean, people have teased us for being so close before." Her mind flashed back to Lyra, among some others. "I just… never bothered to think about it. We were always busy with other things."
Satisfied with this answer, Misty calmed. "I used to like him. Used to." Folding her hands behind her head, Misty began her own explanation. "I'm pretty sure he liked me back, too." Noticing Dawn's mood only sunk further at this, the redhead rushed on. "But! We were both too stupid and young to do much. I mean, you're young, too, we all are, but not that much younger than the two of us… And, he's started to really grow up lately, emotionally especially." She rolled her eyes. "I mean, not too much, but, like, he's definitely not that idiot he was back when he had the nerve to point out that I was actually a girl the first time he saw me in a swimsuit. Little jerk…"
Confused on where Misty was going, Dawn only listened hopefully.
"Anyway, my feelings, romantically, waned over time. I mean, he's still my super close friend." The redhead looked over, expression once again serious where it had been fluctuating between nostalgic and gentle. "But, if you can be honest with yourself and get through his thick skull, you might have a better chance than I did." She returned to looking ahead.
Dawn smiled finally. "So, you're okay with it? I'm not intruding on anything?"
"Nah," Misty clarified. "If you can get that battle obsessed boy's attention, you deserve it." It wasn't exactly an easy task. "Still… if you break his heart or let him get himself hurt, I'm coming after you." After snarling her threat out, Misty smiled.
Awkwardly smiling - it was nice Ash had such a good friend and it was extremely sweet that Misty was guiding Dawn, but that was kinda scary - Dawn just nodded.
"... I'm joking."
"Oh, good, I was worried."
"Seriously, though, keep an eye on him. And, be good. He's my friend."
"He's my friend, too."
Pleased that Dawn wasn't viewing Ash strictly as boyfriend material but also valued his companionship for the sake of it, Misty felt satisfied by the exchange. They were nearly back to the stage. "Oh, yeah, you're a coordinator, aren't you? I don't know much about contests, but I heard you made runner up in your first Grand Festival. That's pretty good."
"Thank you! Even without Ash, I've heard good things about you as a trainer and gym leader! And, it's so rare for Prinplup to just take a liking to someone like this! You really impressed him!" Dawn gushed.
Speaking of which, Prinplup was giving Misty the googly eyes again, as was Dewgong.
"Aw, can you blame him, though?" The water type gym leader posed dramatically, one hand on her hip and the other behind her head. "You're looking at a future water master, after all!"
Playing along, Dawn put a hand on her heart. "Betrayed by my own starter…"
After a moment, the two could no longer keep up the charade. They burst into laughter, friendship solidified deeply by their similarities, admiration, and the person they both cherished though in different ways.
"Oh, man, that was great. But… The boys have been out there by themselves for a while. Dawn, you mind checking up on them? I've gotta head my team really quick."
"Sure thing, Misty! I'll make sure they're staying out of trouble!"
Meanwhile, a few minutes before Misty and Dawn's heart to heart talk, the boys had just run outside.
"Okay, okay, lemme show you my Pokémon first!" Max insisted as they stood on the lawn of the gym. Quickly pulling out three Pokéballs from his belt, the newbie trainer proudly showed off his team: a Poliwag, an Ivysaur, and a Ralts.
The veteran trainer crossed his arms, looking thoroughly impressed with Max's team building thus far. It seemed that, unlike Ash, Max was not eager to acquire any and every pokemon that crossed his path even so early in his journey. However, something about the Ralts seemed familiar. "Hey, that ain't the Ralts we met that time in Hoenn, is it?"
"He is!" Max boasted. "I made good on my promise. The day after I got my training license, I came for him. Ivysaur here might be my official starter, but she's only my second pokemon." During the discussion, the Ralts puffed his little chest out proudly whilst the Ivysaur cockily grinned. "I got her when I got to Kanto!"
"That means your Poliwag's your last, huh?" While Ash did wonder why Max chose to tour Kanto first rather than his home region, a more important realization dawned on him: they hadn't had their long-awaited battle yet! "Hey! You remember the promise we made to battle each other…?!"
The boy adjusted his glasses. "I thought you'd never ask. Two on two?"
"No heals, no swaps," Ash agreed.
The two grinned widely at each other, backing up enough to create a makeshift training field between them.
"Ralts, let's show them what we're made of!" Max cried. The little psychic type rushed forward, crying his own name and taking a mindful stance.
"Rosa, let's do the same!" Ash lobbed a pokeball forward and the little fighting type appeared, blinking in confusion before realizing what was going on and getting into a defensive position.
"... Ash, really? A fighting type?" The youth crossed his arms. "I thought you got in good with the Frontier Brains! You should act like it, you know! At least don't pit a fighting type against a psychic!"
The teen frowned. Max still had all the bite to him he ever had, it seemed. Still, Ash knew what he was doing, so his confidence in his Pokémon and himself allowed him to sweep away the insult with little problem. "Just watch and learn, kiddo," Ash taunted.
"Who are you calling kiddo?!" Max insisted. "I'm, like, maybe five years younger than you! At most!"
In the midst of all of this, Dawn had taken to standing on the sidelines, fresh out of the gym, watching on quietly with Prinplup, Poliwag, Pikachu, and Ivysaur. "He does have a type advantage," she mumbled to herself, "but knowing Ash, he's got a move or something he's going to exploit."
Then, the battle started, Ash calling the first move. "Rosa, Force Palm!"
"Teleport!"
Though she was speedy for her tiny size, the puppy's feet couldn't carry her quick enough to make impact on the Ralts. Instead, her paw - crackling with unspent energy - passed through the afterimage of her opponent who landed safely behind her after his teleportation.
"Let's try Confusion!" Max suggested.
The veil of green bangs covering the Ralts' eyes was momentarily blown back with the blue glow of psychic energy. The move's effectiveness was heralded by Rosa dropping to one knee, clutching her head and whimpering painfully.
"You can't let him keep doing that! Force Palm, again!"
When the Confusion attack ended, the Riolu opened her eyes, a gleam of fighting spirit in them. She didn't like fighting when it was dangerous very much, but if she could win and end it quickly, that was fine by her! She preferred fighting with Pikachu, anyway. At least he couldn't make her head hurt.
"Rio!" she called, hitting the Ralts directly. The blast from the attack sent him barreling back and satisfied her.
"She's strong… Use Double Team, we don't need any more risks." Though he wouldn't admit it, Max now saw why Ash hadn't hesitated to call for his fighting type. Had Rosa been with Ash longer, or were Ash's techniques simply superior to Max's for now? Probably the latter; introspective and analytical as he was, Max knew Ash had a certain passive affinity, a natural talent, for battling that Max had to study for… Not that it discouraged the young but passionate trainer too much. It simply made Ash all the better of an opponent.
"Stay calm," Ash encouraged as Rosa was surrounded by facsimiles of their true opponent. ~Use your aura to tell which is which~ he encouraged, tapping into their mental link.
Gulping, the puppy did as instructed, channeling out the noise of the illusions' movement. Like a switch being turned on, she realized which was her actual opponent.
Ash felt her emotions peak. "Now, Aura Sphere!"
The pup did her best to conjure a sphere quickly between her two paws, dual sensors attached to her head floating just a bit. With no time to waste, she let out a yelp as the blue sphere flew.
Max's eyes widened as his Ralts was blasted back. While he knew from his own experiences with aura that the Aura Sphere was imperfect, it was still an impressive sight to see the little Riolu get into position, wait and then fire just as Ralts passed into her range.
It almost took out the bitterness of seeing the swirls of defeat beneath his Ralts' bangs; almost. "Aw, thanks anyway, Ralts. We'll work on stuff later, huh? But, in the meantime… Ivysaur, I choose you!"
Recognizing the familiar phrase, Ash's grin widened. "Heheh, I see you picked up more than just my taste in starters!"
"Yeah, but I'm working for perfection unlike you, Mr. Loose Cannon."
On the side lines, Dawn's shoulders drooped. "Oh boy."
"I make more hits than you do, at least!" Ash barked back.
"Oh really? Ivysaur, use Vine Whip!"
"Saur!" The grass type cried out, launching one of her powerful tendrils like a whip.
Riolu let out a whimper as she was cracked across her side with Ivysaur's lengthy vine. For her part, the grass type mid-evolution looked rather proud, almost haughty, for her blow.
It was enough to goad Ash. "Rosa, use Force Palm again!"
Max adjusted his glasses. "You're really too predictable. Sleep Powder!"
A thick dusting of blue powder rained down from Ivysaur's blossom, falling all over Riolu. The pup's eyes widened, and she pulled out of the shower of sleep-inducing spores just before they could take effect. She shook vigorously, freeing her fur of most of the toxins.
"..." Unfortunately, Max was right this one time. Ash merely adjusted his brim a bit, deciding to not be quite as predictable.
"Razor Leaf, low to the ground!" Whereas Ash felt a bit ashamed with the way the battle had just played out, Max only felt invigorated.
Ivysaur complied, a swing of her bulky body launching a slew of sharp leaves.
"Detect!" Though his pride had taken a blow, Ash wouldn't allow his pokemon to do the same.
Rosa made quick and nimble dodges, legs strong from her days back with Riley. Suddenly, she was glad for the awful rock jumping exercises.
"Let's go for Reversal!" Surely her stamina was low enough to make the move worthwhile.
However, they'd never get the chance to see.
"Sleep Powder!"
It was unfortunately timed - the Reversal move, that was. Being covered twice in the sleeping spores and too invested in the move this go to pull out, the puppy fumbled, walking on shaky legs before collapsing into a comatose-like sleep. Body lax and jaw slack, she was prone for the moment.
"Crap," Ash grunted. "Rosa! You've gotta wake up!"
"Vine Whip!" Max ordered.
Ivysaur had begun to feel full of herself, vine snaking around the Riolu to toss her into the air. The pup landed heavily on her side, a whimper working itself out of her snoozing maw.
"Rosa!"
That did it. The Riolu's eyes snapped open, red irises darting around before realizing what was going on. She stood, frantic but at least alert once more. Her side felt like it was on fire.
"Oh, good, you woke up… Let's finish this with an Aura Sphere!"
Max frowned. There was no way he was letting that go off twice. "Vine Whip!"
Just as Rosa was crouching down, Ivysaur's vine shot out, grabbing onto Rosa's foot and yanking hard. Between hitting her head and losing focus, it was enough to cause some pretty severe damage. Add in the failed Aura Sphere going off in her arms…
Well, it ended in her being knocked out.
"What was that explosion?" Misty asked, having just arrived from the gym. She stood beside Dawn and the remaining pokemon, watching curiously like the others.
"They each have one pokemon left," the coordinator explained. "Ash beat Ralts with Rosa the Riolu, but now Max has beaten Rosa with his Ivysaur!"
Misty grinned. "Oh? So, those are his Pokémon…"
Dawn giggled. "Are you here to gather intel or watch the match?"
"Both," the water gym leader confessed with a cattish grin. "A girl's gotta get her kicks while doing business, right?"
"Haha, if you say so!"
Meanwhile, Ash had returned Rosa. "You're just as brainy as ever. But, don't think all that quick thinking's sealed the deal! The battle isn't over yet! It's your turn, Bulbasaur!"
Suddenly, Max's whole demeanor changed upon seeing the familiar grass type. "Ivysaur, we have to take this one seriously."
Overcome by disbelief - her trainer was afraid of this unevolved, unimpressive looking, undersized runt? - the Ivysaur merely let out a low grunt before turning her head as if dismissing the thought of being challenged by the form of her lower evolution.
"... At least fight him. Use Razor Leaf," the young trainer pleaded.
She listened, never turning to look at her opponent. A bevy of leaves was released…
"Razor Leaf!" Ash called in return.
… But, they never found purchase on Bulbasaur's flesh. Calm and collected, the elder grass/poison type made calculated releases of his own leaves, the second wave of Razor Leaf cutting each of the first in half.
Realizing what had happened only for the lack of whimpers from her opponent, Ivysaur looked to the field and was stunned, then insulted. "... Ivy… Saur!"
"Bulba!" The sheer arrogance of Ivysaur and Venusaur in general would never cease to disgust the little grass type.
Max felt a sense of relief. At least she was taking this seriously now. "Tackle!"
"Dodge!"
Thanks to his smaller size, Bulbasaur was able to dash, twist, and leap out of the way. This served only to vex Ivysaur, the bigger grass type beginning to growl and snarl with every failed attempt to Tackle her opponent. Finally, her patience wore thin. Sharp leaves were tossed towards Bulbasaur with angry vigor.
"... Hey! I didn't tell you to use Razor Leaf!" Max yelled.
Regardless, Ivysaur continued her attack. The attack could have perhaps been well planned… If Bulbasaur hadn't used his vines to launch himself back into the air at the last minute.
"Vine Whip!" Max ordered, hoping that if he gave her some structure she'd calm down.
"Power Whip," Ash countered.
Though Ivysaur was able to drag her opponent towards her, it should have been telling that Bulbasaur so patiently allowed himself to get close. At the point of no return, where she could not flee from him even if she wanted, Bulbasaur's own vines flung out, striking her harshly across the cheeks. Stunned, the bigger grass type couldn't defend herself against being picked up and thrown by the smaller poison type.
With an echoing thwack, the crash of the Ivysaur marked her defeat. She fell to the ground after hitting a nearby tree with swirls in her eyes. Bulbasaur snorted contently.
Max sighed, returning Ivysaur. "We lost… And, Ivysaur's still too full of herself. We've really gotta do some work."
"That was still great!" Dawn praised, she and the others walking over to note the end of the match. "Ash has been training a lot, but you did your best against him!" she reminded.
"She's right," Ash agreed. "This is one of your first trainer battles, right?"
"One of the very first," Max admitted, looking at the ground. "After I heard from Professor Oak that you were in the region, I kind of tried to avoid any battles… Forrest was, like, my second."
"What?! No wonder you lost!" Misty snapped. "Why are you even in Kanto? I mean, I'm happy to see you, but why here?"
"I just like the region." The youth crossed his arms and shrugged his shoulders. "I learned a lot when Ash was taking on the Battle Frontier and I wanted to see more foreign Pokémon. Plus, none of my folks have quite so big a reputation here. I can make my own reputation!"
"Speaking of your family, how's May?" Dawn inquired, clasping her hands together happily at the thought of the Princess of Hoenn. "I thought I saw her in the Johto Grand Festival, but the winner was some guy with this wild Cacturne!"
"That was Harley. Yeah, she was pretty ticked… He still hasn't let her live it down. He calls and reminds her every now and then; or did, when I was home…"
"Yikes," Ash trailed off, recalling just how devilish and irritating Harley could be.
"She's supposed to be heading out with Drew to tour Sinnoh! So, I wouldn't worry too much. She said she liked it when she saw you guys there," Max assured them.
Misty nodded, glad to hear her friend was doing well. "Well, everyone's doing good, then. Hopefully this will be a good season for everyone. Though, isn't Drew a coordinator, too? They're rivals traveling together…"
Ash nodded. "It'll be fine, probably. They'll keep pushing each other forward! Speaking of forward…" The trainer turned to his traveling partner. "Dawn, we should be heading out."
"It's that time, huh?" Max mused. "Okay then! Misty, my dad's a Gym Leader, so I know you have a healing machine in the gym! You'll let me use it before we have our battle!"
"How are you gonna tell me what I'm gonna do?" she hissed. Shaking her head, Misty grinned a bit at Dawn's giggles over the situation.
The coordinator stepped towards Ash, smiling at everyone. "We'll see you guys later!"
"You bet!" Max assured. "I've gotta beat Ash!"
"Not any time soon," Ash snickered. "See you guys."
"Later, Feraligatr's. And, Ash… Don't get the two of you lost," Misty insisted.
The trainer frowned, fiddling with his hat. "Yeah, yeah, we won't get lost."
With that, the two groups parted. Misty and Max headed back to the gym. Ash and Dawn headed south towards the forest standing as a border between Cerulean and Saffron. The adventure would continue, Dawn's revelation handled well and Ash's mind on his next battle.
