Chapter 10: Waterflowers of Cerulean City Part 2

"How disappointing," Rachel said. "Though it was to be expected given Seel's healing capabilities. I commend you on setting up for your next Pokémon. Tell me, who came up with that strategy?"

"Your daughter," Ash replied, returning his Pokémon. "She thought Butterfree would make a good scout and setter given what it knew." Though, what was he going to do now? His opponent has been surprising him at every turn since the start of the match.

Rachel glanced over by the dugout. "I see. Did she also tell you of the Pokémon that I typically use for this battle? You looked surprised to see a Seel."

Ash frowned while nodding. All of their hard work appeared to be wasted.

"If I wanted to just test your skills, I would have used my typical team, but as you're aware this is a special battle to determine if she's worthy to be my Trainee. So show me what you two have accomplished!"

He gripped onto his next Pokeball, recalling his promise that he made with Misty. No matter the challenge, he must do it for the both of them. "Pidgeotto, I choose you!"

The Bird Pokémon soared in a circle around the battlefield. The ice pellets made it angry.

"Battle begin!"

"Gust and Feather Dance!" Ash commanded.

Pidgeotto flapped its wings, unleashing strong winds and a few of its feathers.

Rachel sighed. "Ice Shard!"

Seel fired off icicles in random directions before being blown back into the water with feathers covering it and lowering its attacking capabilities.

The Bird Pokemon ascended to avoid the attacks.

"Aqua Jet!" Rachel commanded.

Seel popped out of the water, spiraling out of control and smacking into the palm tree, bashing its head repeatedly. Purple energy consumed its body in tandem with the Aqua Rings and Ice Body ability.

"Quick Attack into Wing Attack!" Ash hollered.

"Headbutt!" Rachel countered.

Pidgeotto dove down, using gravity to up its speed and headed straight towards the Sea Lion Pokémon.

Despite having its back turned and power decreased, Seel managed to score a direct hit, leading with its horn.

"Aqua Jet into Aqua Tail!"

Following up that attack, Seel jetted back into the air wildly.

Pidgeotto climbed high with Seel still persisting.

"Twister!" Ash yelled.

The Bird Pokémon turned around to fire a cyclone of wind, knocking Seel back into the water.

The Sea Lion Pokémon popped back up on the surface, seemingly free of its confusion.

"Stay underwater!" Rachel narrowed her eyes.

"Oh no, you don't!" Ash stated. "Pidgeotto eye its movement and use Twister into the water!"

Seel dove into the water.

Pidgeotto flew closer to the water and produced a cyclone perpendicularly to the water, creating a whirlpool.

The currents forced Seel to pop out just like he thought.

"Aerial Ace!" Ash commanded.

Before Seel was able to fall back into the water, Pidgeotto slammed its peak into it with streaks of white light flying off it.

Seel rolled onto the grassland on Rachel's side. The hail soon ended as well.

"Seel is unable to battle!"

Ash let out a sigh of relief. He had no idea how much longer Pidgeotto would have enjoyed flying in Hail. If he had lost it too, Pikachu would have to be perfect. "Great work, Pidgeotto!"

"Pidgeotto!" The Bird Pokémon responded with a battle cry.

"Pikachu!" The Mouse Pokémon cheered.

Rachel returned her Pokémon. "I doubt my daughter was responsible for that victory."

"Actually, she was the one who told me of the Feather Dance and Gust combo," Ash corrected. "And she's the one who showed me of a similar technique and I thought the inverse would have been a way to draw out water-types."

"Really?" The Gym Leader glanced at the dugout once again. "Impressive that you managed to take a technique and make it your own in a short time; however, your execution was flawed. I know I didn't teach my daughter to lower the attacking power of a confused Pokémon. Seel hung in there longer than you would have liked." With a kiss and toss, she sent out her next Pokémon. "Poliwhirl, make it rain!"

Materializing was a blue spherical body with budging eyes. It had a swirl on its belly and stood on two legs. It had arms with a pair of hands that resemble white gloves.

Ash scanned it. Poliwhirl, the Tadpole Pokémon and the evolved form of Poliwag. It's capable of living underwater or on the surface. It sweats to keep its body slimy when out of the water.

He learned that Poliwhirl could have the Water Absorb, Damp, or Swift Swim ability. Given Swift Swim was rare, he ruled that out. Same with Damp as it would be silly to have a specific counter to Self-Destruct. That let with Water Absorb which he didn't need to worry about.

Considering Pidgeotto had taken damage, he recalled it to give it some rest. Maybe it was against Misty's strategy but everything was out the window when Butterfree was taken out. "Pikachu, I choose you!"

The Electric Mouse hopped down from the platform and onto the field, sparks flying. The crowd cheered at how adorable it looked.

"Battle begin!"

"Belly Drum!" Rachel began.

"Hit it with Electro Ball, quick!" Ash shouted.

Poliwhirl pounded its belly lie a drum, maxing out its attacking power at the cost of damaging itself.

Pikachu ran to the side to get a better vantage point to send an Electro Ball sailing.

"Ice Punch!" Rachel calmly ordered.

Ice energy covered the Tadpole's Pokémon's fists and stared down the electric attack. With one punch, it eliminated the attack without blinking an eye. Some of the grass blades around its feet were covered in frost.

Ash was stunned by its power. Guess he better keep things at a distance. "Thunderbolt!"

"Rain Dance!" Rachel countered.

The Mouse Pokémon used its newly learned move, curtsey from learning from Starmie. The bolt of lightning crawled its way through the air.

Poliwhirl raised its arms in the air, conjuring rainclouds to drench the entire field. In a blink of an eye, it dashed out of the way of the electrical attack and made its way to the pool of water.

"No way," Ash held onto the railing, recognizing the Swift Swim ability. "Double Team!"

Copies of Pikachu appeared all over his side of the field.

"Surf!" Rachel laughed.

The Tadpole Pokémon conjured a giant wave that washed over the entire grassland, wiping away all of the Pikachu copies, and causing the Mouse Pokémon to be brushed up against a small hit.

"Ice Punch!" The Gym Leader followed up.

Ash's eyes widened. "JUMP!"

With one punch of its icy fist, the water on the grassland froze with Pikachu failing to jump in time. Its fur froze over, acting as a prison as it struggled to break free.

"End this with Waterfall!" Rachel commanded.

Ash closed his eyes, shuffling between everything that Misty and him came up with, but none of them prepared him for this situation. Then he recalled Poliwhirl's attack. "Iron Tail on the ground!"

Pikachu's tail was encased in steel, shattering the ice to give it free movement.

Too late. Poliwhirl grabbed ahold of Pikachu with water, swirling around them.

"Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted quickly.

Pikachu managed to zap its opponent, canceling out its previous attack.

"Quick Attack!" Ash followed up.

Pikachu bashed Poliwhirl in the stomach, bring it down.

"Poliwhirl is unable to battle!"

Ash wanted to relax but that would have been foolish of him. He might have gotten in the lead, but both of his Pokémon were exhausted from battle. He was going to have to get creative if he still wanted a chance to win.

"Return!" He cried out to Pikachu. He couldn't imagine how cold it must be down there compared to where he was standing. His little buddy returned to the platform, shaking. "Pidgeotto, your turn again!"

The Bird Pokémon flew in place, looking back at its trainer. Something told him that it didn't appreciate flying in weathered conditions.

Rachel recalled her Pokémon with her eyes closed. "Impressive quick thinking there. You used my own technique against me to break Pikachu free."

"It seemed like the only option since Pikachu had problems moving," Ash remarked.

"Still, that victory belongs to you and you alone," the Gym Leader smiled. "Let's see if that continues! Tentacruel, make a splash!"

Appearing in the water was a jellyfish-like Pokémon. It was large and had many tentacles at its disposal. It seemed that it enjoyed the rain. The crowd went wild.

Ash scanned it. Tentacruel, the Jellyfish Pokémon and the evolved form of Tentacool. The tentacles are normally kept short. On hunts, they are extended to ensnare and immobilize prey.

The Jellyfish Pokémon could have the Clear Body, Liquid Ooze, or the Rain Dish ability. If he had a guess, he would say it had the Liquid Ooze ability to combat against grass-types.

"Battle begin!"

"Quick Attack into Wing Attack!" Ash commanded.

"Get into the water and Poison Jab!" Rachel calmly ordered.

Tentacruel dove underwater as Pidgeotto glided on top of the water. Soon after, tentacles popped out of the water.

Pidgeotto juked all that it could before getting smacked by one in its stomach.

"Bubble Beam!" Rachel shouted.

"Twister and Feather Dance!" Ash countered.

The Jellyfish Pokémon popped out of the water, launching a series of bubbles into the air.

Pidgeotto regained its balance, moving around to avoid the bubbles, and find an opening. The Bird Pokémon timed its move in between volleys.

Tentacruel was blasted from behind. As rain fell upon it, green energy healed its body.

Ash held onto the railing with frustration. "You got to be kidding me. All of your Pokémon have Hidden Abilities?"

The Gym Leader flicked her hair. "A Pokémon lineup is more than just coming up with the best possible type matchups. It's about how your team synergizes with one another with their moves and ability. Rain Dance empowers all of my water-types and cancels out Hail if I need it. Swift Swim catches many opponents like yourself off guard. Rain Dish and Ice Body ensures that all I need to do is outlast your Pokémon. This lineup of mine is highly flexible and challenging to overcome. So, what are you going to do?"

On the one hand, he was happy to learn of another way to unlock Pokémon's full potential. On the other hand, he had no idea how he was going to overcome a wall with his remaining Pokémon. Tentacruel were known for being able to take special moves so Pidgeotto was the right choice to stay in.

"We're going to hit you hard and fast!" He declared. "Quick Attack into Aerial Ace!"

Rachel folded her arms. "I see you didn't learn from last time. Poison Jab!"

Pidgeotto dashed towards the Jellyfish Pokémon with all of its speed.

Tentacruel ducked underwater again with tentacles sprouting out of the water. One of them stroke Pidgeotto on the stomach again, poisoning it in the process.

Ash gritted his teeth, unsure what he could do now. If he went in close then Tentacruel would just duck underwater. He guessed he needed to do what he could. "Twister and Feather Dance!"

"Confuse Ray and Wrap!" Rachel countered.

Pidgeotto created a series of cyclones with some of its feathers.

Tentacruel emitted a rainbow color of lights from its red sacs.

The Bird Pokemon managed to evade it for some time while continuing its attacks that the Jellyfish Pokémon braved; however, it eventually stopped, confused about what was happening.

Tentacruel took the opportunity for one of its tentacles to suck the living air from Pidgeotto.

"Return!" Ash aimed his Pokéball, but Tentacruel kept moving it around for a clear shot.

"Rapid Spin!" Rachel hollered.

The Jellyfish Pokémon swirled in the water at a fast pace and chucking Pidgeotto against a hill.

"Pidgeotto is unable to battle!"

Ash sighed, returning his Pokémon and telling what an amazing job it did. At the very least, Tentacruel's physical attacks wouldn't do much against Pikachu, but it was still raining. Any water move would be devastating if they hit.

The crowd appeared to be enjoying the battle even if some of his decisions were not optimal. He looked over by the dugout to look at his friends where a stranger sat next to them, appeared to be taking some notes.

Miette had her Pikachu in her arms, appeared to be invested in the battle. He couldn't hear a single word that she was saying, but he figured it was encouragement.

Similarly with Brock, raising a fist in the air.

Serena locked eyes with him, giving him a nod. No matter what, he could always count on her support.

Misty had her face buried in her legs. Had she given up on him? That's not what a coach was supposed to do. At this time, she should stop the match to go over some last-minute strategy changes. Even if Tentacruel would be more refreshed, he would appreciate some guidance on dealing with a special tank.

He guessed he was on his own in fulfilling both dreams as he twisted his cap around, looking at his little buddy. "Pikachu, it's just me and you!"

Pikachu nodded, rushing back onto the field. The arena had warmed up in the passing time; though, it was not saying much with the rain.

Rachel glanced over by the dugout once again and closed her eyes. "Looks like this is your last chance to earn yourself a Cascade Badge. Can you do this alone or perhaps will someone help you?"

"As long as Pikachu is by my side, I'm never alone!" Ash declared.

"Then let's test the limit of your bond!" Rachel grinned.

"Battle begin!"

Ash took a deep breath as he didn't want to rush into any poor decisions. "Double Team into Quick Attack!"

"Bubble Beam and shoot them all down!" Rachel countered.

Copies of Pikachu appeared on the field.

Tentacruel blasted them all down except for the real one, dashing towards the water.

"Iron Tail!" Ash commanded.

"Poison Jab!" Rachel ordered.

Tentacles rose from the water, trying to ensnare Pikachu.

The Electric Mouse used its tail to defect them, inching its way closer to Tentacruel's head to land a hit.

"Confuse Ray!" Rachel yelled.

"Into the water!"

Pikachu dove into the water, avoiding Confuse Ray.

"Wrap and Rapid Spin!" Rachel snapped her fingers.

The Jellyfish Pokémon spun around with Pikachu in tow, not allowing the Mouse Pokémon to get any air.

"Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted at the top of his lungs.

Tentacruel was enveloped in a shocking light, tossing Pikachu against the Palm Tree.

"Poison Jab!" Rachel commanded.

"Climb the tree and Thunderbolt!" Ash yelled.

Pikachu shook off its daze and climbed the tree just in time to avoid the first round of Poison Jabs. It fired off electrical charges.

Tentacruel was initially scared off, about to dive in the water when it was zapped.

"Shake the tree and Bubble Beam!" Rachel hollered.

The Jellyfish Pokémon fought through the pain to shake the tree.

Pikachu lost its footing, falling down, only to be met by a bombardment of bubbles. By some miracle, Pikachu stood up, panting.

Ash growled, knowing his Pokémon wouldn't be able to take much more. He had hope for Tentacruel to get paralyzed so Electro Ball would do max damage. The rain let up which was his only sigh for good news. The other was he was not out of this competition yet and still had a chance, but every move mattered from this point forward.

"End of the road," the Gym Leader closed her eyes. "Poison Jab!"

Not if he could help it. "Double Team!"

Copies of Pikachu appeared all over the field this time.

The Jellyfish Pokémon extended all of its tentacles out to make the nearest ones vanish.

"Electro Ball!" Ash hollered.

Rachel shook her head. "You're only delaying the inevitable. Duck and Bubble Beam!"

The copies of Pikachu vanished, revealing the real one that sent an Electro Ball soaring across the field.

Tentacruel ducked and quickly popping back up, firing bubbles at the Mouse Pokémon.

"Double Team and Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted the first thing that came to mind.

Pikachu summoned more copies of itself. Appearing near the shore, the Electric Mouse zapped the Jellyfish Pokémon once again. Tentacruel looked worse for wear.

Rachel narrowed her eyes. "Wrap and Rapid Spin!"

A tentacle wrapped itself around Pikachu, squeezing it with all of its might. Then it spun around in the water.

"THUNDERBOLT!" Ash shouted at the top of his lungs, hoping that Pikachu was able to pull a miracle.

Somehow, Pikachu managed to zap Tentacruel in a blinding light.

Tentacruel slowed down, chucking the Electric Mouse to the grassland while it came to a halt, floating in the water.

"Both Pokémon are unable to battle!" The judge declared. "This match is a tie!"

An empty feeling washed over the aspiring Pokémon Master. In the event of a tie, the Gym Leader decided if he was worthy of a badge. Part of him wanted to believe that he had earned one of his own merits, but considering their deal, he was not sure if he would be awarded.

Without wasting any time, he hopped down onto the battlefield to pick up his MVP of the match. He coddled in his arms, thanking it for an awesome battle. He then met Rachel in front of the dugout.

The crowd cheered as if they were happy with the result.

Rachel glanced over the dugout once again, seeing Misty was astonished as if she couldn't believe he ended the battle in a tie. The Gym Leader clapped for Ash. "I never would have imagined this battle ended in a draw. I admire your will to continue even when all was hopeless in the fight. A true making of a talented Trainer."

Ash rubbed the back of his neck. "My motto has always been never giving up until it's over. My Pokémon worked too hard for me to give up on them." He looked towards the titled floor. "So…did I qualify for a badge?"

The crowd silenced themselves, leaving the entire stadium in awkward silence.

Rachel looked at Ash before smiling and taking out a raindrop shaped pin. "I would be a fool not to say you've earned yourself a badge. Besides your incredible will to never give up, you earned this badge for adapting your strategies on the fly and quick thinking to get out of sticky situations. It takes great improvising skills and trust overcome even the greatest of strategies. Congratulations, I hereby award you with the Cascade Badge!"

He took the badge in the palm of his hand and held it high in the air. "Alright! I just earned myself the Cascade Badge!" The crowd went wild and for the first time, he didn't mind it.

Pikachu weakly pumped a paw in the air. "Pi-Pikachu!"

He received earnings from the league and plenty of messages from his friends and family.

Leaf: Wonderful! Keep up the good work!

Gary: Congrats on earning yourself a pity badge. I knew you couldn't beat a real Gym Leader.

He decided to ignore the message while celebrating his accomplishment with his friends.


Misty joined her mother in her office along with Ash and his friends. After waving to the crowd, Rachel decided some privacy would be nice with the topic she wanted to talk about. All Misty knew was her mother was a woman of her word. She would only follow through with the deal had Ash officially won. Instead, it was all a tie.

Scout decided to bail and miss the opportunity to meet Ash. Misty guessed that his performance was not highly impressive despite overcoming some odds to get a badge.

"Why are we wasting their time?" Misty lowered her head. "Ash didn't win so I guess I'll have to find another way to obtain my dreams."

Her mother giggled while shaking her head. "First of all, I never said I wouldn't accept you in event of a draw nor reject you if he had lost."

The orange-haired beauty had her mouth wide open. "Does that mean I'm your Trainee?"

Rachel shook her head, with a wicked smile. Did she have to be so cruel? "While I'm impressed with the progress you've made, you still have a lot to learn in terms of what it means to be a Gym Leader."

"I'm confused," Serena sighed. "Why isn't she qualified? She did coach Ash and developed some strategies given the time table you put on them."

Brock folded his arms. "Unfortunately, the battle Rachel put Ash through was more difficult than normal because she wanted her to make some adjustments with Ash."

"What do you mean by that?" Misty blinked.

"He means part of a Gym Leader's duty is to help their challengers overcome obstacles," her mother answered. "Being a Gym Leader does not always mean you keep winning battles until you're the very best. It's about mentorship as well as learning."

Misty sighed. It all seemed so simple, yet complicated at the same time.

"You don't know the true meaning of a Gym Leader," her mother continued. "That's why you'll never qualify for anyone's Trainee for long. Until you learn that important lesson, I suggest you travel with Ash."

The raven-haired kid blinked. "Wait, what?"

"Why would I want to travel with him?" Misty added.

Rachel placed a hand on Misty's shoulder. "Because I believe you can learn a lot from one another. Consider coaching him to the Regional League as part of your training to be my Trainee."

"Y-You really mean it?" Tears formed around her eyes.

"You know I wouldn't lie to you," her mother assured her. "If you manage to do that, then we'll have a full battle to see how far you've come." She turned to Ash. "Assuming you wouldn't mind having my daughter as your coach."

Misty faced him. "Remember our promise to one another in fulfilling goals?"

Ash nodded with a smile. "Of course." He pumped a fist. "I'll learn your family secrets for when I get a water-type!"

"Be ready because I'm going to get you in tip-top shape!" Misty folded her arms.

Ash appeared to be nervous about what that supposed to mean.

Brock placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry. I'll make sure she's not too out of line, especially with the Pokémon."

"Make me proud," Rachel hugged Misty.

The beauty returned the hug. She was excited to train up the next legend.


Serena was in the back of the group with Ash leading the way back to the Pokémon Center. Miette had been hyping up every single one of his battles with Brock informing the handsome Trainer of her reactions. She would always try to make Serena's reactions worse than they were actually.

In the final round, Miette had all but given up while Serena believed Ash would find away. Just like always, he never gave up and it paid off.

On the flip side of his victory, she was disgusted with the aftermath and adding another person to their group. It had been one thing for Brock to join them, but he was at least nice to everyone from start to finish. It took Ash taking away Misty's chance to become a Trainee for her to realize that being a jerk wasn't going to get her anywhere.

Of course, that's only half the problem. Her best friend had to make a promise in helping one another to fulfill their goals. What was he thinking? As if people weren't judging him based on Gary and his father already. Urgh…Why did he have to be such a nice guy?

The honey-blonde stayed mostly quiet when they entered the Pokémon Center. Nurse Joy waved her down so she approached the front desk. There, the nurse handed her a package. It was from her mother.

She rushed upstairs to her room to open it up. Inside was a beautiful red and pink dress with a big red bow around the chest. It came with leggings and a choker. Without wasting any more time, she called her mother.

"I see Dragonite Express has done it again," her mother chuckled. "Well? What do you think?"

"I love it!" Serena exclaimed, twirling around with her phone raised high. "But how did you know I needed a dress?"

Grace giggled. "Let's just say a little birdie told me."

That had to have been Ash. Her feelings of his recent choices vanished and replaced with admiration. He had always known how to be a great friend. She still needed to find a way to properly repay him for everything he had done for her so far on this journey.

"Before I lose you to your dreams, I have to say that Delia handcrafted the dress for you because you enjoyed her sense of fashion," her mother broke the silence. "She spent many waking hours making it as soon as possible so when you have the time, give her a call before your big debut."

"I will!" She nodded.

Grace smirked. "Now go for broke tomorrow and make me proud."

"Promise!" Serena smiled while daydreaming about her debut. It was going to be a lot of fun!


AN: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Let me know some of your thoughts.

Next Time: Contest Showtime! (Serena's Debut)

Questions You Might Have

Q: Why am having Misty be Ash official coach?

Listen, this is the direction I want to take Misty. There's more to being a coach outside of the battle. In a real competition, the people who are most prepared, typically end up winning a big competition. There's a lot of skills to it all.