Yeah, so...it's been almost five years since I've updated this story, and I had to reread it since I literally forgot probably about 80% what happened lol. Additionally, I wanna keep a goal of chapters being around 6-8k a piece, and maybe if I really feel the need, up to 10 or so. 14k like the one where Ash encountered Brock is a bit too long imho.
This story was last updated on December 8, 2017.
Wednesday, October 22, 1997
The following morning, Ash and Erika got up and they arrived at a Pokemon Center that was on the outskirts about ten kilometers from Cerulean City.
"You know, I think I'll give my parents a call," Erika said as she went over to the video phones. She had a feeling for some odd reason that something good was going to happen today with her parents and she also needed to heal her new Slowpoke before they pressed onwards.
"I'll do the same with my parents," Ash said as he left to give her privacy.
She picked up the phone and entered the household number It rang four times before finally it was picked up.
"Hello?" answered her father, Bernard, as he was getting ready for work, adjusting his tie.
"Good morning, father! I just wanted to talk with you and mother really quick before you head out to work. Is that okay?"
"It sure is, Erika," said her mother, Natalie, as she appeared in the video. "Where are you at the moment?"
After seeing her mother, the young teenage girl stated with her a smile on her face, "I'm just outside of Cerulean City, at the eastern foot of Mt. Moon. During our adventure of traversing the cave, I caught a Slowpoke!"
"Really? That's quite a different change for you, young lady, and I'm proud for you. It's interesting how you brought this up because I wanted to discuss something with you. Your uncle at Silph has managed to program and capture a Porygon, and he let me have it. However, I was not exceptionally interested in raising it at the time that I received it since I'm so busy with work. Anyways, was wondering if perhaps you would be interested in it."
Erika's interest grew as she listened to her father speak, understanding why logically it was not the best to be a trainer when he travelled a lot and just occupied much of the time. She glanced at the direction of Ash, who was talking to his parents on the phone, and wondered what he would think if she accepted her father's generous offer. She didn't want to deceive the other, so she would just be vague and say that her father let her have a new Pokemon.
"I...I will accept this and take good care of it," Erika assured her father. "This will make for an interesting team, and I will do what I can to raise it properly."
"I believe so, too, young lady, and with a new team, you need diversity in your moves, so I decided to give you something that is stored in your PC's data file to help you out," Bernard added with a warm smile on his face. "I think Ash may make good use of it as well, and considering that you have a Slowpoke, more than one can make use of it."
"Also, how is Stephanie doing as the new gym leader? I entrust her more than enough to fulfill her duties, but sometimes I wonder if her attitude is damaging the reputation of the gym."
"You are correct that she is handling her duties, but her attitude has thankfully mellowed a bit. I think she is beginning to see some of the errors of her way and is maturing. She is 15, so she's clearly just going through some transitionary phase, I suppose," Natalie stated with a calm smile on her face. "She uses Vileplume, Victreebel, and Exeggcute as the Pokemon that she uses, and has a decent win/loss ratio. She isn't as skilled as you are, but she's improving. Anyways, the perfume shop is blooming in business, as per usual, as we are getting some of our early winter selection. Now don't go freezing out there with the days turning colder, young lady! Or you may catch sick."
"I appreciate the concern, and I will be cautious," Erika stated. She looked over at Ash and gave him a brief smile before returning her view to her mother, small blush on the indigo haired girl's face. Natalie noticed this, but chose not to say anything to avoid embarrassing her, not to mention Ash could overhear.
"Anyways," Bernard trailed off to remove the tension from his daughter, "we have to head for work, so please take care. Tell Ash to do the same, okay?" He noticed the blush, too, and wasn't upset by it, but he respected his daughter's feelings and well-being to end the conversation.
"Will do, father, mother. Both of you have a productive day!" Erika finished and hung up, ending the call. She ran her hand through her indigo hair, sighing as she tried to regain her composure. "Keep it together, Erika, you'll be okay." She moved away from the computer and she said to Ash, "By the way, father gave me a new Pokemon as well as something useful for us to use.
"Really? That's awesome! Is it another grass Pokemon?" Asked Ash as his interest was at full peak and he was paying full attention to Erika.
"I think it would be best to show you once our Pokemon are fully healed," Erika commented in a straightforward, as she did not want to ruin the surprise. "I have to get the Pokemon from the PC as well as the items and we will go from there. Would you mind in giving me a moment?"
"Of course! C'mon, Machop, let's go look outside. It looks like it may rain again," Ash told his small grey Pokemon. With those two out of the way, Erika went over and input her I.D onto the computer and withdrew her Porygon as well as the items that her father gave her. They were two TM's-thunder punch and ice beam.
"I guess he gave that little girl on the rooftop a bottle of water," chuckled Erika. "Plus, I feel he would want Porygon to have ice beam and Machop can have thunder punch. He does care about Ash Well, it will most certainly be an interesting choice to have a Pokemon that knows an ice type. There's no telling when ice beam may be of use. Plus, Ash can use it as well should he find a Pokemon with the capability of knowing this move."
Erika momentarily forgot that most water-type Pokemon could learn ice beam. Additionally, she wanted Ash to teach Misty a lesson, but at the same time, she felt that she was helping him too much. Machop only knew Karate chop, seismic toss, low kick, and take down, so having an electric move would create a lot of diversity and give him a huge edge in Cerulean's gym.
She connected the TM device to her Pokeball and added the two moves while Ash watched from afar. His curiosity got the better of him and he walked over.
"Hey, did you get a cool move to teach your Pokemon?" He smiled as he watched with utmost interest.
"Indeed. How about we go get some breakfast and we can explore outside for a bit and then I will show you what I got? Also, I want to see more of Slowpoke and we can practice."
"All right!" Ash cheered as they went to go have breakfast. Erika and he talked about trivial matters but then something came to Erika's mind. Why have Team Rocket stopped pursuing Ash? It was quite odd, indeed, that the crooks just all of the sudden have given up on the two teens, unless they were deciding to ambush them. Still, Erika wondered as well where Ash's Pokemon had gone.
As they were greeted by the cold autumn day, Ash and Erika went out to an open spot in the forest to begin practicing. She was really interested in what Porygon would be capable, so she took out the balls of her two new her three basic starter Pokemon as well as the ones she acquired just recently to introduce one another.
"Come on out, everybody, and let's all get acquainted!" Erika stated with a level of enthusiasm.
"I say let's do it, too! Come on out...Rhyhorn, Krabby, Butterfree, and Fearow!" Ash knew it was a bit of a gamble with the bird Pokemon, but since there would be some grass Pokemon who could unleash sleep powder if the bird decided to act up, he figured it would be okay.
First popped out Gloom, followed by Ivysaur, Tangela, Weepinbell, Slowpoke, then Krabby, Rhyhorn, Fearow. The bird Pokemon decided to fly over and perch on Rhyhorn's back without permission, but the stubborn rock rhino did not seem to bother by this at all. Rhyhorn and Krabby approached their trainer and wanting attention and he gracefully patted their heads while he watched Erika's Pokemon. Butterfree flew to Ash and wanted a hug, and flew over to Machop to get one too.
"Ahaha, all right! It's so cool seeing all your Pokemon out and-" Ash began with a huge grin on his face as he saw the four Pokemon, but when he saw the light of Erika's mystery Pokemon reveal its shape, he stopped and stared with amazement at artificial Pokemon that was shaped like an origami crane. "W-what is that?"
He fished PokeDex out of his Pocket and he pointed it at Porygon. "Porygon, the virtual Pokemon. It is the first artificially created Pokemon. As it consists entirely of programming code, it does not breathe nor require food, and can withstand any environment, including the vacuum of space. It can also travel through cyberspace."
"That's so cool, Erika! How did you get a Porygon?" asked Ash who was beyond impressed, as was Machop who approached the pink and teal Pokemon.
"My father's brother gave it to him, and my father in turn felt it needed a good home to go train with since he's too busy. So he let me have it," Erika nodded. She wasn't entirely thrilled at first at having Porygon since a part of her personality, which had a shallow aspect of only pursuing Pokemon she deemed as being aesthetically pleasing, would object. But maybe this would serve as an eyeopener and get her to change her ways regarding Pokemon and just in general. "Everyone, this is Por-"
Before she made a proper introduction, Porygon's body began to glow white and it vanished! Erika and Ash both gasped, as well as the Pokemon.
"Is...is it glitching?" asked Ash who was perplexed. But like it was yesterday, he remembered something. Abra's body turned that white color when he teleported when Ash was fighting Sabrina.
"How about we check its moves?" Erika suggested and Ash did just so.
"Porygon's moves are ice beam, conversion, conversion 2, tackle, and teleport."
"Teleport!" they both said in unison. And just as they finished saying that, Porygon appeared behind Slowpoke so that both pink Pokemon were next to each other.
"Ry?" said the Porygon. It had a somewhat shrill digital voice that sounded noticeably different from how other Pokemon talked.
"Ma?" said Machop as he walked over to the Pokemon. Erika's other grass types approached the others as well.
"Pooooke," said the female water Pokemon as she stood up on her small feet and looked at Porygon. Rhyhorn was interested too, and she looked at the artificial Pokemon with amazement.
"Well, they all seem to be interested," Ash said. "I wonder what conversion is? And why are there two versions of it? It's one of its moves and I've never heard of such."
"I'm not fully sure what that does either," admitted Erika as she recognized that she did not have a full scope of knowledge of everything Pokemon related. "I presume it involves some type of changing, but what exactly I'm not sure-" she stopped speaking when Porygon teleported towards Rhyhorn and began looking at her. "Umm...Porygon, use conversion! And I'm sorry if this hurts you, Rhyhorn!"
"Por...ry...gon..." the digital voice said as it began analyzing Rhyhorn through its coding. A light white appeared and Porygon turned grey and had more of a stony texture to its body. Not identical to Rhyhorn, but fairly similar. The trainers both sighed in relief as they saw that the Pokemon was not doing something overly dangerous to the rock Pokemon.
"So it means it changes its type to that of whatever it analyzes. Interesting, indeed," Erika commented as she rubbed her chin as she looked at the crane-shaped Pokemon. "This could be very useful, but now I'm curious what Conversion 2 is?"
"Hmm. Let's have a battle and find out. Porygon, we're going to test you out a bit, so be prepared."
"Gon!" the digital voice responded as its body shifted back to its normal shape and color.
"I got an idea," Ash said. "Machop, why don't you give Porygon a low kick?"
"Okay, that is fair," Erika nodded and Machop said his name in agreement. "Porygon, use conversion 2!"
"Ryyyyy..." began the voice as it started scanning its external environment and it turned a green color with scales.
"It turned into a bug type!" Ash and Erika said in unison, and Machop's kick landed and didn't do much damage.
"Cool!" Ash exclaimed and he patted his fighting type. Ash was indeed very impressed with Erika's new Pokemon, but he feared that this would be a huge attention grabber. Considering that this was an artificial Pokemon, it was definitely possible that Team Rocket may one day show up and steal it.
"Give Machop a tackle, Porygon!" Erika commanded. The Pokemon still retained the temporary bug type and headed towards Machop to unleash a basic tackle.
"Hmm, Machop knows almost all fighting moves, but we'll try to take Porygon down the best we can," Ash reassured his Pokemon. "Dodge it and give it take down!"
Ash was aware that this was a bit reckless since Machop would get injured in the process, but fighting moves wouldn't do any good. Porygon missed its target and turned back to see Machop diving towards it in a brash manner.
"Porygon, tel-" Erika began, but before she finished her sentence, Porygon teleported on its own free will. Machop missed, but because he did not hit Porygon, he was able to get back on his feet without damaging himself. "Try thunderbolt, and await my commands before you act, please!" Erika pleaded. She really hoped this Porygon was not stubborn and would not disobey her.
"Oh, no, we're gonna play defense. Light screen!" Ash yelled out strictly to his Machop. Machop waved his hands about to create an orb of yellowish green light and took the brute of thunderbolt without much damage. Since Porygon did not get a same type attack bonus, it wasn't an overly powerful move, and Porygon wasn't at a particularly high level, either.
"Great job, Machop, I had a feeling that light screen was useful for you!" Erika cheered for the other. "You've got quite a healthy thunderbolt, Porygon, but let's see how they like ice beam." Erika had full intentions of sharing these two new moves with Ash so he could have more diversity, too. Even though none of his Pokemon had great special attack powers, it could take some foes by surprise with these unexpected moves.
"Gon!" A frosty blue orb appeared near the tip of Porygon's "mouth" and expanded a bit before firing a single frigid beam towards Machop.
"If Machop doesn't get outta the way, he'll get frozen!" Ash said to himself a bit loudly. He did not want the Pokemon to get hurt, but he didn't want to lose on purpose just to be kind for Erika's sake, nor did she want either of those as well. "Dodge it, then carefully monitor its unpredictable teleports. Once you got a chance, hit Porygon with a good take down!"
"Chop!" Said the small fighting type. He dove out of the way from the ice beam and rolled to smoothly recover. Porygon stopped the ice attack and teleported a few times, but Machop did not lose sight of the other. He did not want to attack just yet and wanted the other to tire out from Teleporting so much since it did require a fair amount of energy in order to perform the move. Porygon had teleported six times to and fro and was beginning to wear down and needed to prevent its coding from overloading from repeating the same procedure over and over. Machop lunged his body at Porygon and hit it directly, causing the virtual Pokemon to gasp in shock at what just happened. To prevent an overload of data, Porygon reverted to normal type again.
"Hmm. It must be overworking itself with all these commands in such a short period," Erika pondered out loud. "Maybe we can improve upon that with training. Tackle!"
Porygon flew over to Machop and hit the other with the side of its body, causing Machop to roll backwards, but it didn't do too much damage.
"You'll pull through, because I believe in you!" Ash reassured his partner. "Now, let's finish this with low kick!"
Machop drop kicked Porygon and it caused the other to fly back about ten feet and roll over. Porygon had enough and had X's for its eyes.
"Oh, Porygon!" Erika gasped. She was so proud at how coordinated Ash had become and wanted this to keep up. She fished a yellow item from her backpack and put it on Porygon, causing it to wake up from its fainted state. "I revived Porygon, but I concede defeat. That was a very interesting practice round and I hope to improve training with Porygon further."
"No problem, Erika, that was a lot of fun!" Chirped Ash with a smile on his face.
"Poooookeee..." drew out Slowpoke as she watched the male trainer. "Slooow." Despite being a dimwitted Pokemon, she was in the mood for a fight and felt motivated after watching the virtual Pokemon.
Rhyhorn grunted as she saw the other four-legged Pokemon. They had a bit in common; they were slow, both with mental capabilities, and physically, but they at least had the capability of being loving to their trainers.
"So, looks like Slowpoke may want some action!" Ash observed. "You know, you got two Pokemon that can learn psychic moves. Not to mention that you have an Exeggcute at the gym. Would you consider having psychic as a backup specialty?"
Erika took a moment to think about this. It was rather unintentional that this outcome came out, but he did come up with a good point. It would give her an edge over poison types, as well as fighting, but that was about it. She said,
"It seems unlikely, but I'm not shutting out that possibility for good," Erika replied with careful consideration. "If I were to send back a Pokemon, I would probably send back Ivysaur since he is father's. I may reconsider though. Anyway, Slowpoke, do you think that you'll be able to provide a stunning display of power like you did yesterday at Mt. Moon?"
Slowpoke looked at her trainer as if she were speaking a completely different language while her mouth was hanging wide open. She was beyond confused at what her trainer just said and tilted her head, oblivious at what she was just saying. Rhyhorn approached her and gave a look that had a "I feel your confusion since I'm often like that as well." But oddly the rock/ground Pokemon was paying full attention to what Erika just said and made a few grunting noises at Slowpoke so she wouldn't be confused.
"Okay, so it looks like they want to battle, huh," Ash said.
"Poke?" asked the pink water Pokemon who was completely oblivious to what she now wanted to do. All of her desires to combat completely vanished on the spot and she began to loll about on the ground and smelling a flower that was on the ground.
Ash looked at Erika and she returned the glance. They both sweat dropped at the awkwardness that the pink Pokemon was creating and Erika said, "Um. I believe you were getting motivated for a battle, Slowpoke. Maybe we could try to fight Rhyhorn and see how this goes."
Rhyhorn was equally stubborn, but she was willing to practice with Slowpoke. Ash was nervous due to the fact that a water move was six times powerful against the Pokemon found in Diglett's cave, so he was quite cautious about what would happen.
"Poooooooooke," said the Pokemon. She got up slowly off the ground, realizing that she had a huge disadvantage since she was not in the water like at Mt. Moon. Still decided that maybe it was okay to battle now. After all, she had desires of evolving.
"Okay, Rhyhorn, why don't you give Slowpoke a horn attack and see how she responds to that. But be ready to dodge because she can cause a lot of damage with water," Ash urged with caution. Rhyhorn did just so and began to head towards the water/psychic Pokemon. Her small horn hit Slowpoke but Slowpoke did not seem to really react to what just happened.
"Did...did that do nothing?" asked Ash, but his question was answered after a few seconds passed and it was evident that this Pokemon was seriously having a hard time being someone else's Pokemon.
"C'mon, Slowpoke, don't you remember the battle we had yesterday? You were so full of energy, but now it seems that you're quite slow to react," Erika criticized. "Please try to overcome your laziness and think of how well you battled. It'll take time to get used to not being in the environment you were used to, but I promise that I will love you and see to it that your potential gets fully developed. In time, you will fish for a Shellder and become a brilliant Slowbro."
It took about ten seconds after a few blank stares from Slowpoke before her internal drive kicked in. "Poke!" she said with enthusiasm and stood up somewhat fast, at least by her standards.
"Use confusion, Slowpoke," Erika ordered. After she gave the command, Slowpoke was surrounded by a light blue aura and lifted Rhyhorn up about ten feet before slamming her down. It did a fair amount of damage, thanks to weak special defense, but confusion wasn't very weak nor very strong. Ash said to his Pokemon,
"Hang in there, Rhyhorn, and let's see how they can handle fire blast."
Ash knew it was going to be weak, but he didn't want to cause a lot of damage to Slowpoke.
"Slowpoke, do you think you can stop it with your water pulse?" coaxed Erika. "You were so impressive yesterday, so let us see your prowess again!"
"Mmmm, Poke," said the Pink Pokemon who formed an orb of water and fired it towards the large kanji for fire. The two collided and Slowpoke was looking off to the side at a random Pidgey that was flying back.
"Maybe in time you'll be able to focus more on what's ahead, Slowpoke," Erika stated with a wavering temper. She did not want to act mean, as she did have empathy for Pokemon, but that didn't mean it fully prevented her from feeling annoyed.
"That was cool! It seems Slowpoke's a bit stubborn, too," Ash smiled. Just like Rhyhorn, but it seemed that Slowpoke. "But I wonder why Slowpoke isn't as fiesty as yesterday?"
"Maybe she wanted to fish for a Shellder to evolve," proposed Erika. "Well, it's ultimately up to her when she chooses to evolve."
"Pooooooke," drew out the Pokemon as she was now confused as to what was happening.
"The thing is, Slowpoke and her evolved form of Slowbro are quite powerful," Ash commented, "but it seems that the power only comes when they actually choose to use said power and can think of what they're doing." The same applied to Rhyhorn, as she could topple over a house with a full charge, but she sometimes lost awareness of her surroundings.
The two humans saw the clouds approaching in from the distance and saw thunder. "We're about 10 km from the Pokemon Center in Cerulean. We can make it in almost two hours if we travel fast enough."
Ash did not like these mid autumn thunderstorms that happened occasionally, but it was what came with the climate of Kanto. "Right, we better get a move on."
Ash and Erika began to fish out their ponchos and withdrew their Pokemon, except for Machop. Ash hated seeing rainy days. It made him think of Charmander on that rock, patiently waiting for his trainer to come back, but never did. He wanted so bad to find his Pokemon again, but just how would he be able to find them? Could Team Rocket have found them, or did they return to tribes that contained their kin? Ash did not want to abandon his Pokemon that he had just acquire, as he wished he could carry ten Pokemon at once, but still..
"Hey, I just hope that the old gang is safe," Ash said as he looked upwards at the sky as small droplets of rain fell down.
"They've got to be. They just have to," Erika really wanted to make a clean sweep of all of Kanto to search for them, but it honestly seemed impossible. There was nothing about his Pokemon that gave off clear distinctions, like being a shiny or any abnormal physical features, so it was gonna a lot tougher. "Maybe in due time, they will return one by one."
"I'm just gonna dread confronting them, if they can be found," Ash said to Erika. "The only thing that I have in mind is traveling with my new companions, and you. I..." A loud clap of thunder shook the sky and interrupted Ash, and he was a bit flustered and did not finish.
Erika gasped. "I...want the same, Ash. I feel so relieved that you are growing for yourself and I want to resume hanging with you and your new Pokemon. My Pokemon have a liking towards yours as friends and I consider you a good friend myself." Erika didn't think this was the proper time to confess any feelings towards the other since the setting seemed so off. But she was glad to know that they both were on the same wavelength regarding what they wanted.
Meanwhile...
The light sound of pitter patter of footsteps that splashed against water on the ground echoed on the lonesome street in Cerulean City. Misty was out with her head hanging down low as her mind was just pacing endlessly back and forth about all the things that had happened when she was Ash. She knew the kid was impulsive, but the situations where he recklessly disregarded their safety (like when he was a ghost and dropped her) had embedded her with anger that she had retained for so long. But she had plenty of moments where she expressed minor feelings of resentment passive aggressively, which was a feature of her personality that needed serious looking into.
"Ash...I just hope that you are okay...wherever you may be," the redhead whispered as was walking from her house to the Cerulean Gym. Her mood had fallen a lot lately and had turned rather despondent, and it was honestly bothering everyone. She figured that battling some trainers today at least get her out of her funk. The sliding doors of the gym opened for her and she entered, not bothering to even acknowledge some of the staff who presided that area.
"Ahh, Misty, feeling glum again, I see," said her oldest sister Daisy. She was 23 year old vain young woman who under the veneer of her vanity possessed a decent amount of empathy for the girl as she did not engage in excessive teasing like her two younger sisters.
"Yeah...I just wish that I could tell Ash how sorry I am for what I've said to him in the heat in the moment, and just...over the past," she responded lowly to her elder sister. She sat down on the couch and took out a water bottle and began to sip it to hydrate herself after crying again as she had reminisced on some of the good memories that she had formed with Brock and Ash, as well as the other Pokemon.
"Maybe one day he will show up here," Daisy stated, "And you two can totally find some common ground to work on."
"Yeah, I suppose so, but I wouldn't feel surprised if he resents me for some of the things that I have said to him. A lot of those were really personal," Misty went on, watching as others entered and stopping her conversation so they wouldn't eavesdrop.
"Well...it is true that you have said things that weren't really nice about other people," Daisy agreed. "It's just, like, not that cool to lose your cool because it upsets the balance of things."
Misty, who was infamous for her irritability and aggressive attitude, did not object to what her older sister said, as she felt her sister was merely criticizing the behavior versus personally shaming her. She also arched an eyebrow at her sister's odd wording, as she sounded like a guru mixed in with a surfer.
"But you're 14, and your personality hasn't fully developed, so maybe you will get out of this stage." She was doing her best to try to reassure Misty that she was still a kid at the end of the day, although Misty hated being referred to as such.
"Yeah, you're right about all of this," Misty agreed as she capped the bottle and set it aside. "It's just...with this weather, I'm really concerned about Charmander. The rain is affecting all of Kanto, so there is no telling if he is out in the open vulnerable like when we first met him, or hiding in a cave..."
"This honestly sounds like this was just one huge lack of planning ahead," Daisy commented as she went over to sit down by Misty. Even if Ash was not the most graceful trainer, he honestly never intended nor actively abused his Pokemon by shaming them, and he knew when to call it quits for their sake. Like with Pikachu when battling against Brock.
"I'm just in so many different emotions regarding Ash, ya know?" Misty resumed as she looked out the glass door to see the downpour. "I feel angered by a lot of his immaturity, but at the same time, I really like the soft spot that he has for his own Pokemon. Not to mention that victory laugh of his. And his really pretty black hair." She got lost in a small daydream about him and the time that both of them were in their Kimonos at the Summer Festival at Maiden's Peak two months ago. She thought thought he was so cute...
"You had a little bit of a crush on him, and that's like, totally okay," Daisy answered. "I may not see what you see in him, but everyone's different. Do you feel like training some Pokemon?"
Misty sighed. She didn't need to continue shirking her responsibilities as a gym leader even when she was feeling bummed, so she didn't put forth any resistance. She was still concerned about Ash's Pokemon and wondered where they could be on a stormy day like this. Pidgeotto could long be gone to a different continent, so that would be the hardest one to find. Misty went to the big open pool and saw that Daisy's boyfriend was already there, blowing a whistle as he threw objects into the air to enhance the accuracy of the Pokemon. He had been subbing for Misty whenever she did not feel like running the gym since he actually put effort in maintaining the Cerulean Gym prestige.
"Hey, Misty, why don't we train the Pokemon a bit today until a new challenger shows up?" asked the guy, a tall guy of about 196 cm and slim build. "The last challenger left about fifteen minutes ago, and there hasn't been another one yet. Maybe some of them don't wanna get caught out in this rain storm, yeah?"
"I guess," Misty said. "I'd just feel better if I knew that Pikachu and the others were safe." It helped telling him what she felt.
"Yeah, it is indeed a grave misfortune that that happened," he said as he put his hands on his knees so he could make eye contact with Misty better. He was sad for Misty, but he felt bad for Ash, too, being betrayed by his Pokemon. Daisy came in and they began to train, as Violet and Lily were out buying groceries.
Back with Ash and Erika and a little time later...
Erika and Ash were still walking in the rain, the water still falling, but the thunder and lighting had finally gone. It was moving fast, so they had to make haste to the other Pokemon center that was in Cerulean. Erika wanted to know what Ash was thinking, but did not want to bring it up, since it would likely end up being an awkward moment and not the right time. They had known each other for just about a month, but it seemed like they were moving a bit fast to be having these kind of feelings, but they shouldn't deny themselves of what they feel. In the distance, they could see some of the skyline of Cerulean City, the tallest building only being about 80 meters tall. It brought back fond memories of when he was here with Misty, but...this time things were quite different, and he wanted to make sure that she knew what he was feeling. And Ash was a bit terrified of taking it on right now.
"I wanna get stronger before taking on Misty. The only Pokemon who really can take her on is Butterfree with mega drain, but Butterfree doesn't get a type advantage bonus. I can't even imagine sending out Rhyhorn and Fearow is such a risk that I don't want to take."
"That is very much true, Ash, and I have something that can help you." She pulled out thunder punch from her bag. "Father sent this to me through the PC when I got Porygon earlier. Machop can learn it and it can be very useful."
Ash thought it over for a second and really appreciated that she supported his cause so much. It meant a lot to him for her to be so eager to help him out, but Ash didn't want to be so dependent on Erika in order to make it through. He shook his head and said,
"I'll take it..."
Erika handed it over, but her action was interrupted...
"After I win. I really appreciate how you let me have mega drain, but it's time for me to rely on myself when it comes to super-effective moves. I don't mind asking for help in the toughest spots, but I don't wanna be so reliant on another person all the time. Because when we get to Vermillion, you may hand me earthquake or dig. If I wanna use those moves, I'll buy them at Celadon's department store with the money I earn."
Ash kept his tone neutral, but straightforward and assertive. He took in consideration how to word what he wanted to say so that he couldn't offend Erika, and Erika was proud at how he asserted himself so confidently.
"Ash. I understand and I'm sorry that I've butted into your life more than you are comfortable with. I have faith that you will pull through at this gym."
"Thank you, and if it's okay, I would like to use ice beam. I've been thinking of a strategy. Ice isn't effective against water, but what I have in mind may work," Ash told her.
"Sure, I'd like to see what you have in mind," Erika told him calmly with a bright smile as he took out Krabby's Poke ball. The TM device stated that Krabby was capable of learning the move. He smiled since he at least had a larger selection and it could come in handy against grass, flying, ground, and dragon types.
"Thank you for that, Erika," Ash said graciously for what the other had done. He felt like telling her what he wanted to before that thunder clap shook the sky. "I wanna continue traveling with you because-"
Erika's interest was definitely caught as she heard the other speak. Machop felt proud for his owner to express his feelings as such. But before Ash could finish what he was doing, a black, tan, and red figure jumped up and grabbed the TM.
"Machop!" exclaimed the fighting Pokemon as he watch the action happened so quickly.
"Hey!" Ash called out when he saw it run away with the TM. Maybe he just had to wait for somewhere more unique to express what he was feeling. And he had an idea of where, not just for Erika but somebody else. Ash caught his composure again as to what happened and took out his PokeDex.
"Growlithe female-the puppy Pokemon. Highly energetic and loyal, these friendly Pokemon will turn aggressive and bark loudly to defend its territory and masters. They are notorious for taking people's items and using them as toys."
"That's not a toy in the least bit!" Erika exclaimed, as she wanted to recuperate the item that her father had given her.
The two humans and Machop pursued the Growlithe and Ash said, "Okay, Krabby, come out and use ice beam ahead of Growlithe's path!"
Krabby emerged from his Pokeball and sent forward an icy beam a few feet in front of Growlithe. The Pokemon slipped on the ice and the impact caused the canine Pokemon to let go of the TM. Erika managed to pick it up once it was out of the Pokemon's mouth from the end that was not covered with slobber and made a bit of a disgusted look.
"Well, at least we got this back," Erika said.
"Come on, Growlithe," Ash said as he was eager to battle the fire type. He could use a fire type on his team. Sure, he had Rhyhorn's fire blast, but Rhyhorn didn't get bonus attack and was weak to grass and ice moves while Growlithe resisted them.* Plus, he did think Growlithes were adorable ever since he was a child since his aunt owned one, but she kept hers only as a pet and companion.
"Growl!" the Fire type growled through clenched teeth and began to bark. She wanted to let loose some energy and was upset that they took away the item she stole.
"I'm not going to let you get off the hook for that," Ash warned the canine. "Krabby, bubble!"
The crustacean blew out some bubbles and they were on their way towards a direct hit with Growlithe's body, but she decided against going down so easily. She expelled small bright flames at them and watch the bubbles turn to steam.
"Ember," both Ash and Erika commented.
"Give Growlithe a leer! Try to make her nervous!" Ash called out.
Krabby did just so, make a shifty and malicious look at the puppy. Growlithe sweat dropped, but decided to counter back with a loud roar that pushed Krabby back a little bit. She in turn also gave Krabby a vicious look to lower his defense.
"Krabby, we're gonna have to try something else. Vicegrip!"
Krabby clamped his pincers aggressively and began to scuttle over to Growlithe, but the puppy Pokemon bit Krabby's left pincer and started growling. With a strong tug, Krabby's Pincer came off! Ash, Erika, and Machop all gasped, and Krabby started to get even angrier at this Pokemon, but he was not going to disobey his trainer's orders! Krabby pinched Growlithe's tail with his remaining claw, causing the Pokemon to howl in reaction to this.
"Krabby...please...hang in there..." Ash said tearfully as he felt really bad at what was going on with his Pokemon. Krabby was surprisingly not in pain, but it was annoying to just have one pincer. Still, had to at least acknowledge that the canine Pokemon was quite strong, or Krabby was just weak. If it were the former, he was not going to let this Pokemon get away. Krabby clicked the remaining claw really loudly at Growlithe and the canine Pokemon used take down, causing Krabby to fall over on his back. Krabby had no intentions of giving up with this small issue and he got up right and wanted to vindicate his claw, so...
"Bubble!"
...Krabby let Growlithe have this weak water attack, but it was enough to really damage the Pokemon. Krabby blew even harder, the bubbles really causing damage to the other until...
"Okay, I made up my mind. Pokeball...go!" Shouted Ash as he threw the item at Growlithe. The canine was sucked into the device and the ball started shaking for about seven seconds until it stayed put. Ash walked over and picked up the Pokeball.
"Haha, I just caught a Growlithe!"
"Machop!" cheered the fighting type. Machop felt really bad with tears in his eyes and went over to comfort Krabby. "Chop, chop. Ma."
"Cookie, cookie," Krabby reassured. Ash walked over, feeling sad for the Pokemon and said,
"I'm so sorry that I sent you out and this happened. I hope you'll be okay..." he picked up Krabby and a few tears fell onto the crab. Erika thought that tender part of Ash was really sweet and and she went over to Krabby, too, and began to pat his head. With all three entities surrounding and tears splattering on his shell, Krabby felt something that was hard to believe that a crab could feel. Love. Krabby did not want to disappoint his trainer and he had fought so hard recently, such as the battle with Rhyhorn, as well as some Shellder at the beach when he was by himself. His body began to glow and the two humans and Machop were stupefied.
"Can it be..." Erika wondered.
"Krabby?! Are you..." started Ash as he watched his crab get larger and soon, the white light disappeared.
"Cookie, cookie!" said a deeper voice.
"Kingler!" The two teenagers said. And Ash took out his Pokedex.
"Kingler, the pincer Pokemon. Their massive claw has an output of 10,000 hp. While it is possible to use this claw, it takes a lot of strength and is quite inaccurate."
Ash was in complete awe at the huge Pokemon that was now in front in him. His Krabby had just involved into an amazing new Pokemon that was a lot stronger, too! He was so eager to face Misty now even though Krabby offerened no type advantage.
"I'm so glad to see that your claw is back on!" Ash cheered as he patted Kingler. Kingler clicked his pincers with his eyes closed and made a "cookie, cookie" sound happily in response. "I'm just glad that you're not in pain anymore."
Kingler shook his head no to try to make it seem obvious that he never was in pain, but just made a few more sounds of affection.
"Okay. Machop, Kingler, Fearow, Butterfree, Rhyhorn, and a Growlithe. I got a new team that I'm ready to try out against Misty."
Erika was quite astonished at Kingler's feat and just the sheer size of him as she had never seen one in person. She was quite intersted in seeing this Pokemon in action and wondered how it would fair against Misty's Staryu, Starmie, and Horsea, should she choose to use the small Pokemon. But then again, Brock had an Omanyte that could use an ice move, so it there was nothing that they could really prepare for.
Ash wondered something to help prepare for battle and he never considered it. Could Machop even swim? Sure, he was just a fighting type and had no disadvantage nor advantage with water, but in case there would a battle with more than two Pokemon, he was willing to use Machop.
"We're gonna do a little bit of training to prepare for Misty," Ash told Machop and Kingler. "If we're gonna tell her a thing or two of not underestimating and calling me a loser...well, we need to focus on surprising her. Kingler, you're gonna serve as the lifeguard. Machop, can you swim? I wanna use you but I have to know just how well you can swim, if at all."
"Machop!" the fighting said. They headed to the now calm river bank and Machop began to wade in the somewhat icy water that was probably about 10 C cold. It was quite chilly outside, probably about 12 C and partly cloudy, but Ash knew he could make Growlithe light a campfire to warm themselves up if needed. Machop stuck his oval foot in the water. He momentarily flinched, but Impulsively jumped into the water so that his body could get used to the cold sensation. He wanted to get used to the water for himself, too, just in case something happened to Ash or Erika and he needed to immediately swim in to catch one of them.
"Machop, is the water too cold?" asked Erika as she was concerned about the wellbeing of the grey Pokemon as well.
"Mmm, Machop!" He said and gave a thumbs up. He didn't have a lot of insulating fat, but he became more and more tolerant of the cold water. He began to do a front crawl, impressing the humans and even Machop himself.
"Kra-I mean, Kingler, why don't you dive underwater, and Machop, try to Karate chop Kingler. We need to be strong both on top of the water and under it!"
Ash really hoped Misty's Pokemon wouldn't flee into the water too much, like the time Staryu washed off Butterfree's sleep powder. But he had to think of a way to get a full advantage and he had a strategy going, thanks to Erika. But he wanted to use it as a last resort.
Machop dove underwater about five feet where Kingler was and his hand was ready to smack Kingler. The two had become battling partners and were really good friends, so they knew it was nothing personal. Kingler had a huge advantage underwater and scuttled out of the way at about twice the speed Machop could swim.
Ash could see them quite clearly since the water was quite clear and he said, "Kingler, bubble! Machop, try to dodge it!"
Kingler shot bubbles at Machop, but Machop was out of the way except his tail which got hit by the bubbles, minimizing the amount of damage he took. It was giving Ash a good idea of what to expect if he had to use Machop.
"Okay, Machop, Kingler, you've both done well. Let's come back to the surface."
Machop swam to the surface and exhaled deeply and inhaled, glad to be able to breathe again. He swam to the shore and Ash said,
"Growlithe, come on out!"
When the dog came out, she eyed Machop and wagged her tail at him, but when she saw the much larger Kingler, she sweat dropped, now afraid. Kingler said 'cookie' and clicked his pincers, letting the other know that he was much stronger and wanting them to reach a truce since they were now allies.
"Okay, you two, we're gonna be friends," Ash told the others. "Growlithe, you'll get training later, since you won't do well against a water gym leader." He held out his hand, hoping the other would accept it. Growlithe opened her mouth and gently bit Ash's hand as a sign of affection and rubbed against him. Machop came in on the trainer and hugged him, too, and rubbed Growlithe's head, both the dog and humanoid Pokemon wagging their tails.
Growlithe, do you wanna do a favor for me? It'll be fun," Ash told the other. Erika was interested in what he could possibly ask the other.
"Lithe!"
"You liked grabbing that TM and seem like you wanna play. But now we need to make a fire and warm up Machop. Could you go fetch some sticks and I'll even play with you a little?"
"Growl!" She ran off and began to look at some of the trees nearby, searching and sniffing the smell of tree bark and she managed to get about eight small sticks into her mouth and dropped them at Ash's feet. She went and got about six more and brought them back, proud that her human could make use of what she got.
"Awesome! Thanks a lot, girl," Ash said as he rubbed her head. They made a small camp fire and Growlithe used ember. Machop rubbed his hands and shivered a bit as he sat by the fire and warmed up. He wanted to get even better and wanted to become a Machamp one day, but he wanted to remain how he was for now and just take it one day, one battle at a time.
After about fifteen minutes and Machop was all warmed up, Kingler used a strong bubble and put out the fire. "Right, let's take a brief trip to the Pokemon Center," Ash told the others.
Ash was grateful that Growlithe wasn't too aggressive but just really energetic.
"Hello again, Ash, it's nice to see you again after quite some time!" Nurse Joy said as she greeted Ash. She noticed that Pikachu wasn't with him, nor was Misty or Brock. She was relieved that Brock wasn't because he made her feel really uncomfortable with his creepy advances.
"Hey, Nurse Joy, I just caught a Growlithe and my Krabby evolved into Kingler!" Ash chirped with satisfaction.
"That's wonderful, Ash! I wonder if it was the Growlithe that many people have been complaining about," she stated. "They say a Growlithe has been in the area and has been stealing items. But nobody wanted a Pokemon who was a thief, so they decided not to capture her."
"Huh," Ash murmured. "She seems friendly to me and the rest, although she did cause Krabby's pincer to come off."
"Oh my..." Nurse Joy whispered sadly. "Did Krabby regain his claw when he turned into Kingler?" She never had experienced a situation like that and was concerned.
"Thankfully, yes," Ash nodded. "Kingler's A-Okay!"
Erika chuckled at Ash's personality. She loved how energetic and sweet he was.
"Oh, that's such a relief!" Nurse Joy sighed. "I will do anything to ensure Pokemon don't suffer."
"And your work is highly appreciated," Ash nodded. "I'm going to face Misty again to rightfully earn my gym badge. I did some training by the river and Machop swam in the cold water and he needs rest."
"Of course. And I imagine you'll do a great job since you got a water type that's strong like Kingler!" She told Ash. "Misty is back in town. She was gone for a little bit, but she came back about a week ago."
Ash was curious as to what was going on, but he figured to just ask her when he reached the gym later.
"Thanks for telling me that," Ash said with a nod. He helped Machop onto the counter and Nurse Joy took him and examined him for a little bit before she deduced that he was okay. "I just...I just don't feel like confronting her, but I feel like I should. You saw us in Celadon the day after the incident took place and defended me, and for that I will always be grateful for your kindness."
Erika stood next to Ash and said, "I was just doing what I felt you deserved. I...I felt a lot of sympathy for you and thought that maybe you just needed some guidance. Maybe you were just covering up some insecurities of some sort."
"I was...I was just uncomfortable with her maturing and growing up, but now I realize that it's just all irrelevant now. I'm moving on with my life and I'm okay with the people and Pokemon that follow me, but still...I still just think of the old group and just want them to come back safely."
"You've had them for several months and they were your friends; it's normal to still think about them," Erika agreed.
"I just. I dunno," was all that Ash could muster. "But I guess it's time to confront Misty again."
"You'll be brave, Ash; you handled Brock so well and I'm proud for you," Erika told the other. Erika wanted to tell the other about her feelings, but she felt that it was not the time because having an argument with Misty would completely ruin the positivity of the experience Erika wanted them to have.
Ash rubbed the ridges on Machop's head as a sign of affection for the Pokemon. If it hadn't been for this Pokemon, he never would have gotten Erika and she in turn never would have defended Ash against Misty. But now it was Ash's turn to confront her again and get a few things straighten out. They left on a sour note, and Ash did not want to hold a grudge against Misty forever; in fact, he honestly still wanted to be friends with her, but he did not know what she wanted. Erika wondered if Ash still had feelings for Misty, but she understood she and Ash were not official. Still, maybe it was time to confess what she felt in order to sway Ash's confrontation with Misty to her favor. She had a feeling Ash would do what was right for himself.
"I'm gonna make a brief phone call," Ash told Erika. Erika decided to let Nurse Joy have a look at her Pokemon, too, while Ash headed over to the phone and he dialed Professor Oak's number.
"Ash, so good to see you!" the scattered-mind but friendly Professor said as he was sipping on some tea. "I have not spoken to you in a bit of time. The last time, I believe, you were in Celadon City. Where are you calling from now?"
"I'm in Cerulean City," Ash chirped to the other with a smile on his face. "Krabby finally evolved into Kingler!" He chuckled with excitement as he told him that.
"That's wonderful to hear! I'd be more than happy to see him in person one day for some research, as I have not yet had a Kingler," Professor Oak said.
"Not even Gary's has evolved?" asked Ash.
"Afraid not. He's been more interested in his own Pokemon and has kind of just forgotten about his Krabby." Professor Oak was about to ask something daring, and he figured it would eventually get mentioned from one of them, so he said, "What about you, Ash? Have you managed to find any of your old Pokemon?"
Ash had a feeling this would be mentioned, so he said, "I'm afraid not. I did manage to catch some new Pokemon; a Machop, a Rhyhorn, a Fearow, and a Growlithe. And my old Butterfree returned!"
Professor Oak had a face of sorrow at first, but it brightened when the other told him the new team he had. "How interesting! I'm so glad for you that you've got a full team now, but..." it sulked again. "I'm sorry that you haven't had any luck. I'm just hoping they've returned to maybe where you first encountered them, though with Pidgeotto, that may be more difficult since they tend to migrate. Still, I would recommend you look back at the places you found them in."
"Do you really think it's possible that they found their way back to where we found them?" Asked Ash. "I mean, it was apparent that Damian didn't want Charmander, so why would Charmander return to wait for him? And even if so, how could Charmander get back there?"
"It's surprising, but from research, it has been shown that some Pokemon have a strong sense of navigation, though it ranges from species to species," Professor Oak stated as he scratched his chin. The screen had a bit of smoke and he said, "Just one second, Ash! My tofu is about to be fried to a burnt crisp!"
Ash couldn't help but stifle a laugh, but what the professor said did make a lot of sense. Celadon was a natural maze of a city, but Machop was able to maneuver between two points he had been before quite easily, even with a damaged foot! Maybe there was an odd chance that...
"The tofu is only slightly burnt," Professor Oak chuckled. "Best that you start searching the perimeters of where you caught them and hope for the best."
"I will," Ash told the professor. "But for now, I will treasure my current team, especially Machop. He's been there for me during some pretty rough times and I have been there for him." He patted Machop's head again as he talked.
"You said you had a Growlithe. They have quite remarkable senses of smell, so if you had a bit of something which belonged to your former Pokemon, you may increase your chances," the professor told him.
Ash completely was dumbfounded by this knowledge. He completely forgot about the tv show "Growlie" and how she was able to find missing things by sniffing and then pawing at the ground even if something was buried. He was quite cautious about feeling optimistic since he did not want to raise his hopes up just yet, but at least he had information on where to start. He just really hoped that he could reach them first before Team Rocket...
"Is there anything else you would like to say, Ash? I need to resume this experiment on a Victreebel."
"I'd say that's all," Ash said. "Thank you, Professor Oak. I won't go this long without contacting you."
Ash hung up and went over to Erika.
"I just got some information that may be useful," he told the girl.
"Oh, what did you find out?" she asked.
"Professor Oak said some Pokemon have a very strong sense of navigation and may return to a place they are connected to," he explained to her. "
Ash and Erika headed over to the Pokemon Gym and Ash walked in with confidence in his demeanor. Erika and Machop were right behind him and at the front desk, there was Daisy.
"Ash! You've, like, come back! We've been wondering if you were ever gonna see Misty again!" the 23-year old woman said. She knew about the ordeal regarding him and Ash didn't really care that she knew; he expected Misty to give a reason why she came back and didn't expect her to hold back since she had been so callous to just dump him right there without a proper good-bye. Erika looked over at the woman and felt a bit bad that Ash's reputation was likely being tarnished throughout Kanto if Misty blabbed to others like she used to.
"Yeah, well, I've come to see your youngest sister," Ash told her. "Misty and I left on a sour note and I need her to know a few things. I don't wanna harbor any grudges against anybody and I just want to know if she's seen any of my old Pokemon."
Ash didn't think that Misty could be so spiteful to hold any of his old Pokemon back, but Brock did state that he could've sworn that he saw a Primeape not far from Pewter City. There wasn't a guarantee it was Ash's, but Ash would do anything to show his Pokemon the remorse of being a lousy trainer and put more consideration in how to effectively battle.
Misty was in the center of the gym with Daisy's boyfriend and they were both practicing their swimming strokes alongside their Pokemon. Misty had obtained a few new Pokemon and was eager to one day use them again in battle since she had not been fulfilling her duties as the gym leader as often, but thanks to the young man, she had cheered up a bit.
"Not bad, Ben, you and your Poliwhirl sure seems to have improved the backstroke!" Misty told the other. She was quite glad that her sister had such a good boyfriend who didn't pick on her like Lily and Violet did.
"Thank you, though it sure seems your Starmie has gotten even better at-" started Ben as he got out to put on his robe, but all the sudden a voice called out.
"Misty, I'm back! And I want to rightfully earn my Cascade Badge for beating you instead of it being given out as a merit badge for saving the gym!"
Ash looked around the gym and saw that everything was back in order from when Team Rocket had been here. He noticed the guy who was ten years older than he was and just looked at him blankly, not saying anything as he then cast his glance at Misty.
"Oh, my," Ben said as he took this as his cue to leave since he figured some heavy drama was about to unfold. He had taken a neutral stance on the situation that Misty was on, and did not wish to get involved any further.
Misty got out of the pool and put on her jacket. Ash was back! She couldn't believe that he was finally back but then she Erika next to Ash! Was...was he done with her? Misty held her head down when she saw the other girl shoot an angry look at her. There was something else Misty noticed; there was no Pikachu in sight. She gasped when she noticed this and was genuinely expecting that Ash would find them. She had a special bond for the Pokemon and wanted to know if there were any clues on where they could have gone.
"So, is a rematch what you want, Ash?" Misty said as she shook off lingering sadness and her fighting spirit was returning. It was amazing to watch how fast she transitioned between two emotional states.
"You bet I do. I've got my own team now and when I was here last time, the outcome of the battle was not yet determined thanks to Team Rocket. I'm going back to re-earn all the badges that I got since three of them were not officially earned. I just want you to know that the anger that I have had for you has subsided, but it still hurt some of the things you have said to me along the way and the last day we met almost a month ago!"
Misty felt the guilt rise as she played in her mind all the times she had insulted Ash. Yes, she did not like how Ash had taken her bike, burnt it to a crisp and never repaid her, but she could tell that deep down inside, Ash ultimately was a good guy who tried his very best. While waiting for Ash to repay her for the bike was the primary reason why she followed him, she could not deny there were good qualities in the other. She did admire his energy but the sheer lack of considering their safety and property had pushed her too far. And now she was starting to regret what was going on.
"I won't lie; I did handle my anger towards you when we walked out that night rather poorly," Misty said softly as she, too, looked like she could possibly cry. But the fighter in her pushed back those feelings of sorrow and she said, "But I-"
"You're damn right you did!" Ash called out without thinking. Machop approached Misty and gave her a vehement barrage of the syllables in his name and poked her, visibly angry at what she had done to his trainer.
Misty had begun to worry about Ash's Pokemon, especially Pikachu and Charmander, simply due to the fact Misty had a strong bond with Pikachu, and the rain recently which could leave Charmander in a very bad predicament. She also wondered if Ash had captured this Machop who was visibly angry with her.
"I'm...I'm really sorry that I couldn't have been more mature and supportive towards you. Even if you have major difficulties with thinking because of ADHD, picking on you like I did wasn't very mature of me. I really had felt the most scared that I've ever felt in life because of some of the journeys we went on..."
Ash couldn't help but feel guilt when Misty had said that. She was very much justified to feel that way, but it wasn't exactly fair to blame the St. Anne fiasco exclusively on him as Ash had no control over the see. Still, he was to blame for when he picked her up and dropped her when he had turned into a ghost. Or when she had been turned into a doll-that was Sabrina's doing, but she blamed Ash for it because he was too stubborn to refuse to give up on the badge.
Erika believed that Misty, too, had a right to speak her mind, but in a diplomatic way.
"...but I do want you to know that there have been times where we had very special memories that I would never throw away, like the Summer Festival at Maiden's Peak, or watching Butterfree fly away when we were in the hot air balloon."
Ash was almost so tempted to say something in that regard, but he did not say anything as he would keep it a secret.
"Yeah, those were good times," was all he could muster with a tone which was vacillating between indifference and nostalgia.
He wanted to prove to Misty that what she had done was wrong, but after hanging with Erika for a period of time, he truly began to notice just how immature he was.
"I guess the thing is is that...I believe I was starting to fall in love with you..." Misty said in a wavering voice. She did not expect Ash to return the feelings considering how he felt obliged to get his anger out and move on. Ash gasped when he heard those words and almost felt like he wanted to cry. Misty...was falling in love with him? He felt that he was in a no win situation because his current feelings were with Erika. But he had to reject her because he felt the most growth in himself with Erika than he was with Misty, and ultimately, that seemed like it mattered the most. Ash said,
"The truth was that...around that time, I was starting to feel the same way about you. I didn't want you growing up and start going after other guys. That's why I acted so immaturely at the perfume shop, but..." he wiped a tear from his eye. "I think it's best to say that regarding our feelings for one another in that way, we need to move on. Too much has happened and I've recklessly jeopardized your safety from my inattention and just not thinking through, so I said what was the first thing that came out..."
Misty was not surprised in the least bit that she got this response from him. She would have been delusional to honestly believe that Ash could just sweep out a betrayal like this under the rug, but she felt so justified at the exact moment when she left that night almost a month ago. Misty put aside her own feelings and wants and said to the other,
"I'm not upset in your answer in the least bit-I was among the closest person to you at this time and I just left you. It just shows that I'm just as guilty for putting my pride first and not thinking through. I'm sorry that I hurt you with my actions and just want you to be happy and succeed at your own rate."
And she really meant what she said, as hard as Ash was having to believe her at the moment and he said, "Are you saying that for me, or just to rid yourself of guilt?"
"For you. You deserve to be treated better and I used some of your vulnerabilities against you," Misty admitted. Erika felt proud of how well this was turning out. Sure, she was not really surprised that Misty was beginning to feel in love with Ash based on the things he had told her earlier when they had met, but at the same time, she was relieved that Misty could not potentially hurt Ash again.
"I appreciate you saying that, and I'm sorry that I've said things that weren't exactly fair, like how I thought it was weird to see you looking like a girl when were at Porta Vista." Erika was taken slightly back by that since Ash did not mention that, but she could tell that the teenager was moving up in maturity and would put it behind him.
"I forgive you. But I had for so long wondered about you and your Pokemon after I left Celadon and was out for a while to sort things out before returning to the gym," Misty explained. "But it seems that they aren't here, not unless Pikachu is inside his ball."
Ash couldn't believe that Misty really cared that much about his Pokemon and he said, "No. I haven't found any of them yet, but I will do anything that I can to make sure I can find them. This Machop is my new buddy now. I may be a fool, but a part of me deep inside feels that they haven't been captured yet. But I swear that I will find them eventually. I may be pursuing a farfetched quest, but I plan to reunite the old team somehow.""
"I am sorry that they just up and left just like that," Misty sighed. She decided not to say anything about Ash calling himself a fool as a part almost wanted to say it was logical to feel that way, but she felt she could be fanning a fire by saying that. She definitely did not think that a trainer should not abandon their Pokemon, nor should a Pokemon abandon a trainer who really cared for them. Sure, Ash wasn't really a good trainer and often goofed up, but to reach a breaking point with his Pokemon? It almost seemed impossible, really.
"So. I am going back to fix the battles that I didn't fully earn the badge," Ash said, completely changing the subject as he did not want to further dive into the matters of his Pokemon who had left. "I think a part of you also feels, like me, who wanted to be the stronger of the two trainers."
Misty remembered that match and honestly speaking, he was right. She really did want to battle him again and felt this was going to be a really good time to test her new Pokemon that Ash had not seen before.
"You're right, I certainly do," Misty told Ash. "How has your quest been on getting the badges?"
"I barely beat Brock, and he's doing well; he's waiting for his father to get a job in the meanwhile and he did offer to join me back on my journey, but I declined," Ash explained. "Now you make the second battle. Even though I did beat Lt. Surge fair and square, I still wanna beat him, and maybe on the first try."
"I hope you give a good kick in the pants to that Lt. Surge," Misty chuckled. "You didn't deserve to be called a baby. And I'm glad that Brock is taking some responsibility of his family, though it was kinda crappy that his father did that. Now...I bet you're looking forward to that rematch, huh?"
"You bet I am," Ash said with clenched fists. "So, how should we have this battle? How many Pokemon each?"
"Let's switch things up a bit from last round where we did two on two and make it three on three," Misty suggested.
"That sounds fine with me," Ash told the other. "Okay, I'll send out you, Machop. You can keep your balance on the floating platforms." Besides the two platforms that Ash and Misty were standing on apiece, there were five extra scattered about. This was something additional that was added to the gym to give the challengers a bit more fair game when facing the water Pokemon. The two challengers got on to their respective platforms and
Erika wondered what type of strategy Ash was going against if he were to use Machop. Part of her wondered if he kept using Machop so the small fighting type would not feel hurt or did he really have some sort of plan since water types were normal in defense against fighting moves. Ash wanted Machop to get as much experience as he could, plus, Machop had made it clear that he wanted to evolve.
"Interesting. So you choose a Machop?" Misty said. "Very well. Misty calls out..." She took out a Pokeball from the pocket of her jacket's pocket and threw it out. "Seadra!"
Erika's Porygon is homage to the manga, but I made her uncle give it to her instead of her father to not break continuity with the fic. Additionally, I felt that Erika needed to broaden her catalog of Pokemon.
*Technically in Gen I games, Fire types didn't resist ice, but they do in this fanfic/their world.
The next chapter won't be as long as this one; I felt that was a bit too long. The next chapter will be another battle to determine who is the strongest!
Also, I'm not quite as creative with conflicts like I did with Brock 6 years ago, so that's why I thought it was somewhat stale (at least in comparison, anyway).
