A familiar trio observed the Cerulean harbor, watching the large ship that was currently docked.
"Well, that complicates things," said James as he adjusted his binoculars. "How are we supposed to raid the harbor if Captain Misty is here?"
"We can't," said Jessie. "As long as the Shining Pearl is docked there, we don't stand a chance!"
"Clef, Clefairy!"
"Well, we need to try," said James. "Proton's not going to be happy if we back out."
"Or, we could just pretend we got beaten up," said Jessie. "I mean, it's not like he'd notice."
"You'd better hope he doesn't."
The trio yelped and dropped their binoculars. They then turned around and looked at their superior, who was glaring at them.
"Um, hi?" said Jessie. "We were just talking about how we're totally going to attack the-"
"Zip it," the green haired executive growled, silencing the trio immediately. "We need to acquire a very important item that is currently being held at Cerulean Harbor."
"Oh," James said nervously. "And what would that be?"
"None of your business," Proton snapped, causing the trio to flinch. "All you need to know is that we need to focus their attention away from us so that we can acquire the asset."
"Oh," said James. "Well, what are you going to do?"
"Oh, I'm not," Proton said as he smirked. "You are."
The faces of the trio went pale.
"Clef… Clef?"
"Yeah," said Proton. "You and a couple other flunkies are distracting the Pearl's crew while I infiltrate the harbor's storage hold."
"You… want us to fight those guys?" said Jessie.
"But we're going to get beaten!" said James.
"Cleeefff!"
"Exactly," said Proton. "They'll think that you're the ones who are trying to cause trouble, so they'll focus all their attention on you. Then, once you've been beaten, it'll look like they took care of everything, so they won't bother to check anything else."
"Uh, okay," Jessie said nervously. "But do we have to get beaten up like that?"
"Well," the green haired admin said with a smirk, "it's not like you're much use otherwise."
Proton then laughed as he turned away. As the trio watched him walk off, they looked at each other and whimpered.
"This is going to be awful," said Jessie.
"I hear you, Jess," said James.
"Clefairyyy…"
The next day, Ash made sure to thoroughly check his team. While he was confident that his Pokémon could win, he still wanted them to be in perfect shape before their gym challenge.
"So," said Meowth, "do you think we're ready to challenge Misty?"
"I think we are," said Ash. "I mean, Riolu and Metapod have gotten their new moves working pretty well, so it shouldn't be too hard to do plenty of damage to Misty's electric type team. And if that fails, we've still got plenty of guts and determination!"
"Well, I'm glad you're confident," said Maria. "I sure hope you don't get too confident for your own good, though."
"Ratta, rat."
"Relax, Yellow," said Ash. "My team's got this in the bag! What could possibly go wrong?"
Maria opened her mouth to say that she wasn't called Yellow, but was interrupted by Mikaela before she could do so.
"You jinxed it. Now stuff's gonna go wrong for sure."
The rest of the group stared at her. The brown haired girl had been uncharacteristically quiet the whole morning, and even when she spoke up she was much more subdued than normal. Sam had attributed it to the disappearance of her TM, which the others had found to be rather likely.
On the other hand, Eevee was just as cheerful as ever. The others had no idea how.
"I don't think that's how it works," said Sam as he pushed these musings away.
"Pika."
Ash shrugged. He didn't find it likely that he would have too much trouble with his Gym battle, but he supposed that Maria's advice was reasonable.
"Anyway," he said, "I'm kind of thirsty. I think I'll get something from McAdam's before we go."
"I like that idea!" said Meowth. "I really want some more of those Pokebeans."
"Sure," said Mikaela. "I bet Eevee would like some beans too."
"Veevee!"
"Sure," said Maria. "Ratty would probably like that too."
"Rattata!" Ratty said happily.
Ash smiled and turned around to lead his friends towards the cafe section of the Pokémon Center. Upon reaching the counter, they were greeted by a familiar face.
"Hello Ash. I've been expecting you."
Ash blinked. He hadn't been expecting to see McAdam in the Cerulean Pokémon Center.
"Uh, hi?" said Ash. "I mean, weren't you at Pewter?"
"It would seem so," said McAdam. "Or perhaps I have a brother who runs the Coffee House in that city."
"Like how Nurse Joy has a bunch of relatives who all look the same?" said Maria.
"I guess that would make sense," said Meowth. "But then how did he already know Ash's name?"
"He already knew our names in Pewter, though," said Mikaela.
Ash and the others looked at her, then turned back to McAdam.
"How did you know that?"
"It's my job to know these things," McAdam said cryptically, causing Ash to raise an eyebrow.
For a moment, he considered asking further, but then realized that he was unlikely to get a concrete answer. So he shrugged and moved on.
"So, I'm planning to get my next badge today," he said.
"Ah, yes," said McAdam. "So you're going to challenge Captain Misty?"
"Yeah!" said Ash. "My team's been getting ready for this, and I know we're gonna do really well!"
"I would certainly hope so," McAdam said as he observed the young trainer. "After all, a trainer chosen by Ho-oh should be able to overcome any challenges that come their way!"
Ash stared in confusion.
"Ho-oh?"
"A legendary Pokémon from the Johto region," said McAdam. "According to legend, its feathers shine with the colors of the rainbow. They also say that if a trainer is pure of heart, Ho-oh may share one of its feathers with them."
"Whoa…" said Mikaela. "So, you think Ho-oh chose Ash or something?"
"Hold on," said Maria, "if Ho-oh chose Ash, shouldn't he have one of those feathers?"
The group then turned to Ash.
"I mean… do you?"
Ash felt awkward as the rest of the gang stared at him. He then looked down at Meowth, who seemed just as surprised as him. He then sighed and reached into his backpack.
"I mean, I don't know if it's from a legendary Pokémon, but I did see this weird Pokémon on the first day of my journey. My Pokedex couldn't identify it, though, so I don't know if it was Ho-oh."
He then found what he was looking for, and pulled it out.
"I did get this feather, though."
He lifted the feather up high for his friends to see. His friends leaned in to look at the feather, now very interested in the mysterious item.
"Whoa!" said Mikaela. "So that came from a legendary Pokémon?"
"Vee!"
"Well," said Ash, "I don't know for sure if it was, but it was really different from any Pokémon I've ever seen!"
"It sure felt like it could be a legendary," said Meowth. "Especially when it flew over the rainbow!"
"Well, that certainly sounds like Ho-oh," said McAdam. "It is referred to as the Rainbow Pokémon, after all."
Ash looked down at the feather, surprised by the revelation that it may have come from a Legendary Pokémon.
"So, if Ash saw Ho-oh,and got a feather from it, does that mean he really was chosen?" said Sam.
"I can't say for certain," said McAdam, "but Ash certainly seems to fit the right criteria, doesn't he?"
For a moment, Ash was unsure of what to say. The idea that he may have been chosen by Ho-oh was exciting, but also not something he'd ever thought would happen.
True, he would love to meet a legendary Pokémon one day. Who wouldn't? But to actually be chosen by one was something else entirely.
Fortunately, Meowth chose that moment to speak.
"Well, if Ash was chosen by Ho-oh, then that must mean he's really special, right?"
"I mean, that sounds right," said Mikaela. "Ash wants to be a Pokémon Master, after all."
"Vee!"
"That doesn't guarantee that he'll actually do it, though," Maria pointed out. "Though Ash is a pretty good trainer. Maybe there is something special about him."
"Ratta!"
"I mean, he's kind of the reason we all met up," said Sam. "So he definitely seems special to me."
"Chuuu."
Ash couldn't help but look downwards in embarrassment.
"Wow," he said. "You guys really think I'm special?"
"I certainly think so," said McAdam. "Any trainer who would work as hard as you to save an abandoned Pokémon is truly a remarkable trainer."
The group stared at him in surprise.
"Abandoned Pokémon?" said Ash. "I think you've got the wrong guy."
"Perhaps," said McAdam. "Still, I do think you're someone worth keeping an eye on, Ash Ketchum."
Ash raised an eyebrow. He wanted to ask how the old man knew his last name, but knowing McAdam, he figured it would be a waste of time, so he kept it to himself.
"Well," he said, a smile forming on his face, "then I guess I'd better show Captain Misty what a trainer chosen by Ho-oh can do!"
"Yeah!" said Meowth. "We're gonna get that badge no matter what!"
McAdam smiled, then handed the group a tray with several beverages, as well as a bowl of Poke Beans.
"Have something to drink, my friends," he said. "Something to enjoy before your battle."
Ash smiled as he took the Tapu Cocoa.
"Well then," said Ash as he lifted his cup, "to my gym battle!"
"To Ash's gym battle!" his friends repeated.
Ash was feeling confident as he walked up to the gym. His conversation with McAdam had left him excited by the possibility that he had been chosen by Ho-oh, and he was determined to have a Gym battle worthy of the legendary flying type.
"Are you ready, buddy?" he said as he turned to Meowth.
"You bet!" said Meowth.
"Then let's do this!"
They walked into the gym, where they were immediately met by a trio of young women with colorful hair.
"So sorry, but today's performance is over," the first one, a woman with pink hair, said. "So, like, you should come back tomorrow."
Ash frowned. He'd heard that Misty's sisters could be distracted from their gym duties easily, but that was just annoying.
"I'm here for a gym battle," he replied.
"Oh, that's cool," said the second one, who had blue hair. "'Cause we're not bad at battling, but we'd rather just do our shows, and like, our baby sister is back in town, so you can totes battle her, and that's better for everyone!"
"I sure hope so," muttered Meowth, "because I sure ain't battling any of them."
"Yeah," said Ash, "I really am glad that Misty's in town."
The lady then led them into the Gym's main arena, which consisted of a large swimming pool with a number of platforms floating within. This in and of itself wasn't surprising; after all, Misty and her sisters specialized in water type Pokémon, and the sisters were known for their swimming performances, so it made sense for them to have a swimming pool in their gym.
What was surprising, however, was the shape of the platforms.
Most of the smaller platforms were actually rowboats or other small boats. In the middle of the pool there was a pair of larger platforms which resembled small sail ships. Finally, on either side of the pool was a platform for trainers, each of which looked like a smaller version of Misty's ship.
"Huh," said Sam, "Captain Misty sure is dedicated to this ship captain thing, isn't she?"
"Yeah," said Mikaela. "It's kinda cool, though."
"I think it's a bit weird," said Maria.
Ash shrugged. He didn't care that much about the design of the gym, as long as he could get his battle. And fortunately for him, a familiar figure was leaning on the challenger's platform.
"Hey, Misty," the oldest sister, the one with blonde hair, said. "You got a new challenger.
"That's Captain Misty to you," the orange haired girl replied. "But thank you, Daisy."
Daisy huffed, then turned to Ash.
"So, I hope you, like, enjoy your battle! I'll totally be cheering for you!"
"Is that so?" said Misty. "I could have sworn that you three didn't enjoy watching my battles. Though to be fair, I don't enjoy your performances either. They're boring and dull, and they're a terrible waste of good water types. Though they would certainly explain how you rotted all your useless little brain cells."
Misty's sisters glared at her, and she stared back at them apathetically.
"Well, that's why we're the Sensational Sisters, and you're the runt of the litter," said Daisy.
"Wonderful," said Misty. "So you, my Sensational Sister, can be my sensational referee."
She then turned to Ash, who had a small droplet of sweat rolling down his forehead.
"How many badges have you got?"
"Just one," Ash replied, slightly unnerved by the sudden family drama unfolding before him.
"Alright," she said. "Three Pokémon a side, no switching for me, last one standing wins. Savvy?"
She then walked over to the Gym Leader's platform and jumped onto the deck of the "ship." With a grunt, her sisters turned to Ash and pointed at the other platform. Deciding to forget about what he had just seen, he hopped over to his own "ship" and turned towards his opponent.
"I know you're strong, but I'm not going to let that stop me," he declared. "I'm gonna get that badge today!"
"Confident, eh?" said Misty. "Good. It's fun to knock that out of cocky challengers."
Ash rolled his eyes. Just because he was confident, didn't make him cocky. And he sure wasn't going to let Misty knock him around like that!
I wouldn't mind having that happen to Gary, though.
Ash's friends walked over to the gym stands to watch the battle, with Misty's sisters trailing behind them.
"Man, I can't wait for Ash to get his second badge," said Mikaela. "This is gonna be great!"
"Eevee!"
"Well, you shouldn't be too excited," said Sam. "He still needs to beat Misty, and she's not someone to take lightly.
"Still, Ash has practiced a lot for this battle," said Maria. "He should do well."
"Ratta!"
They then looked over at the other two sisters, who were sitting not too far away with bored looks on their faces.
"So, Misty's getting her first Gym Battle since she came back," the pink haired lady, Lily, said.
"Yeah," said Violet, the blue haired sister. "Sucks that she had Daisy be the referee, though. Now we'll need to wait until they're done before we can practice for our next show."
The gang looked at the sisters in confusion.
"Uh, aren't you two going to cheer for your sister?" Sam asked. He was surprised when Violet scoffed.
"Nah," she replied. "She doesn't need us to cheer for her. She's the best trainer out of all of us."
"Besides," said Lily, "her battles are, like, so boring."
"You know, it's not nice to say that about your sister," said Mikaela. "I mean, shouldn't you at least try to support her?"
"Why?" said Lily. "She's not as pretty as us, and she sucks at performing."
"And she won't let us use any of her strong Pokémon," said Violet, "so we, like, had to train all our own Pokémon to be good at battling. Like, you know how hard it is to make sure they're ready to perform when you also have to make them strong enough for gym challengers?"
The gang stared at the sisters in disbelief.
"Okay!" said Daisy. "This battle is between they Gym Leader, Misty-"
"Captain Misty."
"-between Captain Misty, and the challenger, Ash. Both of you can use three Pokémon, and, like, Captain Misty can't switch Pokémon. When one side doesn't have any Pokémon left, the battle is over!"
Satisfied with this, Misty took one of the pokeballs from her belt and tossed it out. With a burst of light, a brown star shaped Pokémon emerged onto a platform. Intrigued, Ash took out his Pokedex.
"Staryu, the Star Shape Pokémon. Staryu apparently communicates with the stars in the night sky by flashing the red core at the center of its body. If parts of its body are torn, this Pokémon simply regenerates the missing pieces and limbs."
"Huh, cool," said Ash as he grabbed a Pokeball. "Well, let's see how much that training helped. Riolu! I choose you!"
The emanation Pokémon burst out, barking as she landed on the nearest platform. She grinned as her gaze landed on Staryu.
"Okay then!" said Daisy. "Battle begin!"
"Riolu!" Ash called out. "Force Palm!"
"Rio!" Riolu called as she rushed forwards, jumping across the platforms towards Staryu. In response, Misty pulled out her sword and pointed it towards her Pokémon as she gave a command.
"Jump into the water!"
Just before Riolu could reach Staryu's platform, the water type jumped into the pool. Riolu stopped in her tracks, worried by her opponent's sudden disappearance.
"When I tell you, come out and use Water Gun!"
Ash and Riolu looked around, trying to find Staryu before it could launch the attack. But before they could do so, Misty spoke.
"Now!"
There was a huge splash of water as the star shape Pokémon emerged and shot out a stream of water at Riolu. The little fighting type yelped as she was knocked off the platform and into the water.
"Olu!" she cried as she flailed around in the water, trying desperately to get back to the platform. But Misty clearly intended to deny her that chance.
"Rapid Spin! Don't let Riolu escape!"
Staryu swam effortlessly through the water as its body began to spin. The motion dragged the water around it, creating a whirlpool that sucked Riolu in. She yelped as she spun around in the vortex, occasionally colliding against her opponent.
Ash grit his teeth as he watched his newest Pokémon getting spun around the pool. However, as he watched Staryu hit her repeatedly, an idea came to him.
"Riolu! Staryu's hitting you every time you come near it! So you need to hit back when you do! Wait until you're almost about to hit it, then use Force Palm!"
Riolu was still struggling to keep herself from sinking, but she was still lucid enough to hear Ash. She then saw a familiar brown blur heading straight for her and activated her attack. Misty's eyes went wide as she realized what was happening.
"Wait! Stop Staryu!" she yelled, but it was too late. The emanation Pokémon slammed her hand into Staryu, sending the spinning water type sinking into the pool while she was propelled upwards. Fortunately, she managed to land on one of the platforms, and quickly regained her footing.
"Yeah!" said Ash. "Nice work, Riolu!"
"Rio Rio!"
Misty was surprised by Ash's tactic, but she quickly regained her composure.
"Not bad," she said. "You almost had me worried for a second there."
She then pointed her sword at Riolu.
"Tackle them off!"
Ash watched as the surface of the water bubbled and Staryu rushed towards Riolu. He then grinned as an idea came to him.
"Use Thunder Punch on the water!"
"What?!"
"Riolu!" the emanation Pokémon cried as her fist crackled with electricity. She then slammed it into the pool just before Staryu reached her, causing the water to become electrified. In an instant, Staryu was stopped in its tracks and cried out in pain. It then tried to escape the electrified area, only to stop as a jolt passed through its body.
"Now pull it out of the water!"
"Rio!" Riolu called as she grabbed Staryu, yanking the star shape Pokémon out before it could react.
"Staryu!" Misty yelled. "Get out of there!"
Staryu tried to escape it's opponent's grip, but the paralysis was too strong for it to move. Ash grinned as he saw the opportunity.
"Finish it off with Thunder Punch!"
"Rioluuu!" Riolu cried out as her fist slammed into Staryu and sent it flying. Misty watched as her Pokémon landed in the water, motionless.
"Staryu?" Misty asked, only to be met with silence.
"Staryu is unable to battle," said Daisy. "So Riolu wins!"
Misty grit her teeth as she recalled Staryu. However, she smirked as she looked at Ash.
"I will admit, you're much better than I thought you'd be," she said. "But this battle is just getting started!"
She then grabbed a second Pokeball from her belt and tossed it out. With a burst of light, a white and orange fishlike Pokémon with a horn on its head dove into the water. Once again, Ash took out his Pokedex and scanned it.
"Goldeen, the Goldfish Pokémon. Goldeen's tail fin billows like an elegant ballroom dress, giving it the nickname of the Water Queen."
"Really?" said Ash. "That sounds more like something Misty's sisters would be into."
Still, he knew better than to underestimate Goldeen. After all, Misty was a Gym Leader, so she had to have a very good reason to have it on her team.
"Right!" he said. "Let's get this over with, Riolu! Thunder Punch!"
The emanation Pokémon barked as she rushed across the platforms towards her new opponent. She then brought her electrified fist forwards and slammed it into Goldeen.
"Yeah!" said Ash. "We got it!"
"Are you sure about that?"
Ash blinked. His eyes then widened as he realized what was happening. All the electric energy from Riolu's punch was being sucked into Goldeen's horn. And to make matters worse, Goldeen was now glowing with energy.
"Uh oh," said Ash. "Get out of there, Riolu!"
"Hit it with Water Pulse before it can get away!"
Riolu just barely managed to dodge the blast of water. Unfortunately, she jumped away with such force that she ended up landing in the water behind the platform.
"Riolu!" Ash yelled. "Get out of the water!"
"Not happening!" said Misty. "Horn Attack!"
Ash was shocked by how quickly Goldeen could swim through the water. Before he could warn Riolu, the emanation Pokémon was sent flying out of the water by Goldeen's horn.
"Rioluuu!"
"Don't give up, Riolu!" he called out. "Use Force Palm when you land on Goldeen!"
Riolu grunted as she plummeted towards the water. Still, she did her best to straighten herself as she fell, and readied her paw to strike.
"Don't let it hit you!" said Misty. "Strike back with Water Pulse!"
Goldeen opened its mouth and readied a sphere of water. At the same time, the blue fighting type cried out as she came down on top of her opponent. She then launched her attack right on top of the Water Pulse attack.
The effect was incredible. The two attacks let out a huge burst of energy as they collided, sending a huge wave of water outwards. Both combatants were sent backwards by the force of the explosion; Goldeen stayed in the water, but Riolu was catapulted up onto the platform closest to Ash.
"Riolu!" he said. "Are you okay?"
Riolu groaned, clearly unable to fight any longer.
"Riolu isn't able to battle anymore," Daisy declared, "so, like, Goldeen wins!"
Ash sighed as he returned Riolu to her Pokeball. He then smiled as he looked down at the ball.
"You did great for your first Gym Battle, buddy," he said with pride. "Now rest up. You deserve it."
He then looked out at Goldeen. He was surprised by its ability to absorb Riolu's Thunder Punch, but it made sense; he'd heard that some Goldeen could have the Lightning Rod ability, which not only granted them immunity to electric type attacks, but also allowed them to absorb those attacks to increase their own power. Which meant that not only was Goldeen much stronger than it would have been otherwise, but also that Metapod's Electroweb would be similarly useless.
Not only that, but the white and orange fish, like all of Misty's Pokémon, had a huge advantage in the water. They didn't need to rely on the Gym's floating platforms to move about, giving them far greater mobility than anything that needed to walk on land. So Ash needed to find a way to match that mobility.
With this in mind, he chose his next Pokémon.
"Spearow! I choose you!"
"Spear!" Spearow called out as she emerged onto the battlefield. She then landed on one of the platforms and looked out at her opponent.
"Okay Spearow!" said Ash. "It's time for your first Gym Battle, so let's make it a great one!"
Spearow turned her head back towards him with an expectant look.
"...Is something wrong?" said Ash.
"Spear, spear?"
Meowth stared blankly, then turned to Ash.
"She says she'll battle if you give her soy sauce-covered dumplings."
Ash fell over in disbelief.
"So, am I crazy," said Violet, "or, like, did that Meowth really just talk?"
"It's something he does," said Maria. "We don't know how, though."
"Rattata."
"That is totes cool!" said Lily. "Like, imagine if we had a talking Pokémon! Our shows would be so much cooler!"
Ash's friends stared at the two sisters, wondering how they could possibly be related to Misty.
Back on the battlefield, Ash had promised Spearow that he would get her as many soy sauce-covered dumplings as she wanted after the battle. Satisfied, Spearow had turned back to Goldeen and gotten into a fighting position.
"Okay then!" said Ash. "Now let's win this!"
On the other side of the pool, Misty was intrigued by Meowth. While she had heard of rumors of talking Pokémon in the past, it had never been something that she had ever been able to witness. The fact that she was now seeing one was something unusual… something that offered potential.
Still, that was something to consider later. For now, she had a battle to get to.
"Goldeen! Water Pulse!"
"Fly up to avoid it!"
"Spear Spear!" said Spearow as she spread her wings and shot upwards, easily dodging the attack.
"Now use Fury Attack!"
"Swim down!"
Spearow dove towards Goldeen. However, the goldfish Pokémon swam downwards before the attack could hit.
"Horn Attack!"
"Dodge!"
Once again, Spearow flew out of range before the move could hit. Then, Spearow tried to hit Goldeen, only for it to dive down before the move could connect. This continued for a few moments, with both combatants dodging each other while trying to hit their respective opponent.
"We need a different approach," said Misty. "Goldeen! Let the bird hit you!"
"Gol?" Goldeen said in confusion. Still, it obeyed, and let itself be hit by a ferocious Fury Attack.
"Now use Water Pulse!"
Goldeen was clearly in pain from the attack, but it was still able to shoot out a blast of water. The tiny bird Pokémon was barely able to react before it was hit by the move, and was knocked into the water.
"Again!"
Goldeen launched another Water Pulse, which hit Spearow with enough force to launch her out of the water.
"Speeear!" she cried as she landed on a nearby platform.
"Spearow!" Ash yelled. "Are you okay?"
The flying type groaned as she slowly got back up. Goldeen's boosted Water Pulse had clearly done a lot of damage, and Ash doubted that she would be able to take another hit. On the other hand, Goldeen was also severely injured, having taken damage from both Riolu and Spearow.
At this point, it was only a matter of time before one would have to yield. And Ash intended for it to be Goldeen.
"Spearow!" he called out. "Fly up again!"
"Goldeen! Swim down!"
The tiny bird Pokémon spread her wings and took off, watching angrily as her opponent dove underwater.
"Now get closer! We need to draw Goldeen out!"
Spearow didn't want to get hit again, but still decided to follow Ash's command. She got closer to the surface of the water, keeping her eyes wide open as she tried to find her opponent.
She didn't have to wait long.
"Horn Attack!"
The little flying type had only a split second to move out of the way as the goldfish Pokémon jumped out of the water to attack. The attack managed to pull a feather out of Spearow's wing, but she was otherwise unharmed.
"Almost there!" Misty declared. "Another horn attack!"
"Block it with Steel Wing!"
Spearow squawked as her wings turned to metal. She then wrapped them around her body as Goldeen's horn slammed into her.
"Now use Aerial Ace!"
"Spearooow!" Spearow cried as she slammed her beak into Goldeen, hitting it with such force that it was forced out of the pool. The goldfish Pokémon yelped as it landed on a platform. It then tried to move, but now that it was out of the water, its mobility was severely compromised.
"Finish it with Aerial Ace!"
"Counter with Horn Attack!"
Spearow took off and flew at Goldeen at high speed. At the same time, Goldeen swung its horn forwards. In an instant, both attacks connected, and the two Pokémon stood in front of each other, glaring towards their opponent as if daring them to give up.
Then both Pokémon collapsed.
"Spearow!"
"Goldeen!"
"Both Pokémon are knocked out!" Daisy announced. "So, like, this battle is a draw!"
Ash's friends watched in disappointment as Ash recalled Spearow.
"Man, that looked really close!" said Mikaela. "I thought that Spearow was gonna win for sure, though."
"Veevee!"
"Well, that Golden was clearly well trained," said Sam. "Not to mention that it had the Lightning Rod ability, which let it absorb Riolu's Thunder Punch. Something tells me Ash hadn't considered that possibility."
"Chuu."
"Well, he still has one Pokemon left," said Maria. "He can still win this, right?"
"Ratta?"
"Yeah, maybe," said Violet. "But, like, Misty's really strong."
"Yeah," said Lily. "She may suck at performances, but she's great at being a Gym Leader!"
The gang stared at the two girls in amazement.
"I think that's the nicest thing you've said about her," said Sam.
Back on the field, Misty was looking at Ash with an impressed look.
"Not bad, mate," she said as she recalled Goldeen. "That Spearow of yours has a lot of guts, doesn't she?"
"Yeah, she does," Ash replied as he looked down at Spearow's Pokeball.
"You know she's gonna demand extra dumplings, right?" said Meowth.
"Well, she did great for her first Gym Battle," said Ash. "I'd say she earned them."
Misty raised an eyebrow, then grabbed her final Pokeball.
"As much as I hate to disappoint a promising young trainer such as yourself, it's time for me to crush any hope you may have had for victory. Say hello to my final Pokémon!"
She then rolled back her arm, ready to throw the Pokeball out. Before she could do so, however, the Gym's door burst open, and a familiar young man rushed in.
"Misty!" he said, panting as he ran up to her platform. "You… need to come! Now!"
"Really, Georgio?" she said in an annoyed tone. "I know you think I'm beautiful, but a gym battle is hardly the time to be asking me out."
"Also, you're kind of stupid if you think she's beautiful," said Daisy.
"You'll be walking the plank for that one," Misty growled.
The brown haired boy stared at the two sisters in disbelief, before he shook himself and looked towards Misty.
"This is serious!" he yelled. "The Shining Pearl is under attack!"
Immediately, any sign of annoyance vanished from Misty's face. She then jumped off her platform and ran up to Georgio.
"Who's attacking my ship?!" she demanded.
"It looked like Team Rocket!" he said. "Nessa's holding them off, but-"
Before he could continue, Misty shoved him out of the way, throwing him into the pool. She then rushed off towards the door, leaving a shocked Ash behind.
"Team Rocket is attacking Misty's ship?" he said.
"Well, that sucks," said Daisy. "I guess we'll have to, like, cancel the match?"
Ash and Meowth looked at each other, both knowing exactly what they needed to do.
"No way," said Meowth, "We're going to help!"
"Yeah," said Ash. "There's no way that Team Rocket's going to mess up my Gym Match!"
With that, the two ran off to follow Misty, leaving Daisy behind. She just looked on, wondering what had just happened.
"Seriously? Like, why can't I just get, like, a normal gym battle?"
She then looked down at the pool, where Georgio was floating in front of her.
"Do you mind giving me a hand?"
A/N: Well, this took a lot longer than I thought it would. Oh well, good thing it's finally here!
Anyway, we have not one, but two of Ash's Pokemon making their Gym debut! And also some sinister business from Team Rocket. What is it that they need to get? Well, you'll find out soon.
Also, McAdam being mysterious.
I'll try to get one more chapter out before the end of the year. No promises, though.