Alright y'all! I know it's been a long time since I posted for this fic, as well as all my other fics. However, I am slowly starting to get back into writing for my page! Life has been super crazy. I'm back in college, getting my Master's Degree, and I'm working a full time job right now. I'm looking to move this year, and I've got myself a wonderful boyfriend. But enough about my life.
I wanted to let you guys know, I'm trying not to abandon my fics. I'm genuinely trying to pump stuff out. Right now, my main focus is going to be this fic, and I'm going to try for my My Hero Academia fic as well. I also need to go back and edit some of my chapters to fix some stuff. There are new concepts that have been brought in thanks to Pokemon: Legends Arceus. So I need to find my old chapters for this fic and fix them.
I'm going to be possibly posting for other areas as well, but my two Naruto fics are on the back burner for now, and might be there for a while.
I hope you enjoy this chapter!
***PS: Thank you to all the people who pointed out the missing words! I don't know why it did that! But it should all be fixed now!
Disclaimer: I own nothing!
Chapter 6
Ash laid in his hospital bed, his right index finger tapping the top of his arm rest anxiously. He had just come back from xray and was waiting for his lab results.
"Ash, honey. You need to relax. You can't magically make the results come faster."
"I know, Mom." Ash sighed.
Ash had been in the Cerulean City hospital for a week. When Ash had arrived at the hospital, he had severe burns all along the backside of his body, and several large cuts from debris and shrapnel. It was also determined that he had a sprained ankle and wrist, and a broken collar bone.
His mother had been called by the Cerulean Police Department, stating that he had been in an incident with Team Rocket in Mt. Moon, and he had been hurt. Delia had quickly rushed to Professor Oak's lab, where he lent her his Alakazam to teleport her to Cerulean City.
Ash had woken up after two days of being unconscious, where he was greeted by his crying mother and a teary-eyed Leaf. He had spent the next five days recuperating, after having several tests and medical procedures done to ensure his recovery.
"Leaf is at the Pokemon Center, getting your rooms and pokemon sorted out." Delia smiled, gently stroking Ash's hair.
"I hope Pikachu will be okay. I know Leaf said that Nurse Joy was taking good care of him, but I can't help but worry. And Paras, too. That poor pokemon was so weak when I caught him." Ash frowned, fisting the hospital blanket that was covering him.
Delia smiled, gently brushing a few strands away from Ash's face. "I've spoken with Nurse Joy, Ash. You did a very kind thing for that Paras. Nurse Joy said he will make a full recovery, but isn't sure if he would be able to battle near the future."
Ash nodded. "I understand. Actually, Mom, why don't you take Paras? Once he's released, I mean."
Delia blinked, staring at her son in confusion. "But…why?"
"Well, I'm sure you're lonely without me there, and Paras could be a good companion for you. On top of that, he'll need a lot of TLC, which I may not be able to give him on my journey. He deserves to rest and heal with someone who will take care of him." Ash smiled, gently taking his mom's hand.
Delia smiled, caressing her son's cheek. "Okay Ash. I'll do that. Thank you."
A knock came at the door, and a man wearing a white lab coat approached Ash's bed with a clipboard.
"Well Mr. Ketchum, it seems that all your tests have come back normal." The doctor said with a smile. "The ditto cells have taken to your injuries well, though you will have scarring on your back from the explosion."
"I understand. What about this?" Ash asked, motioning to his arm that was still in a sling thanks to the broken collar bone.
"The bone has repaired itself, but it is likely to still be sore. I would suggest wearing the sling for at least another week. Your wrist looks good, but I'll be giving you a brace in case it starts to flare up. As for your ankle, I'll also be sending you with a brace, but I want you to take your time traveling. Sprains can hurt a lot worse than brakes. It's muscular damage, and because you always using your muscles, tendons, and ligaments, they tend to take longer to heal. Wear the brace, and try not to do too much traveling for a week or two." The doctor said, with a nod.
"You couldn't use ditto cells on my sprains?" Ash blinked.
"Unfortunately, we try not to use ditto cells on minor injuries. A lot of your cuts and bruises will heal on their own, as well as the sprains. But your back was completely torn up, and your collar bone was shattered. Those were more important to heal than the other injuries."
"I understand, Doctor. Thank you." Ash smiled.
"Alright. I'll get the paperwork for your discharge." The doctor smiled, leaving his room.
The sun was setting when Ash was discharged, and he and his mother made the trip to the Center. It was a slow trip, with Ash not having really moved around since he had been hospitalized and his ankle still hurting. After the long trek, he finally walked through the Center doors, where Leaf and Pikachu were waiting for him in the lobby.
"Ash!" Leaf exclaimed.
"PikaPi!" Pikachu rushed from his spot next to Leaf, rushing over to his trainer.
Ash smiled brightly, catching Pikachu with his free arm, hugging him close. "Pikachu! I'm so glad you're alright." He could feel himself tearing up as he held his . "You are alright, right buddy?"
Pikachu looked up at Ash with a bright smile. "Pika!"
"I'm so glad!" Ash said, hugging Pikachu again. He looked up, seeing Leaf approach with a teary smile. "Hey Leaf."
"I'm so glad you're okay, Ash." Leaf wiped away the gathering tears, still smiling at Ash. She reached into her bag on her hips, pulling out Ash's six pokeballs. "Here."
Ash smiled, taking his pokeballs back, clipping them to his belt. Ash moved Pikachu to his shoulder, pulling Leaf into a hug, being mindful of his sling. "I'm glad you're okay. And thank you for taking care of my pokemon."
Leaf sniffled, hugging Ash back. "You're welcome."
After a few moments, the two teens pulled away as they heard Delia sniffling.
"Oh, don't mind me." Delia chuckled, wiping away her own tears. "I'm fine." Delia took a deep breath, slowly letting it out. "I need to get a hold of Professor Oak so I can borrow Alakazam. As much as I'd love to stay, I've been gone from the cafe for too long."
"I'll come with you. I need to ask if he can transfer Paras to you." He smiled. He pulled Paras's pokeball, releasing the mushroom .
"Parr?" The small insect trilled.
"Hello Paras. I'm Ash. I captured you in Mount Moon, remember?"
The Paras nodded, giving Ash a grateful eye-smile.
"I was told that while you're better, you still have a long road to recovery. So…if it's okay with you, I'd like you to go with my mom." Ash said, motioning towards his mother.
"Parr? Paras ras!" The bug buzzed happily, waving his claws in the air.
"I'm glad you're okay with this, Paras. Mom is a wonderful person, and she'll be able to take good care of you. But I also need you to do something for me."
"Ras?"
"I need you to watch over my mom. I'm going to be gone a lot because of my journey, and I need you to watch over her and make sure she doesn't get lonely, okay?" Ash smiled, gently holding out his finger to Paras.
Paras trilled happily, gently touching his claw to Ash's finger.
"Thank you, Paras. I'll definitely see you when I come home, okay?" Ash smiled, unclipping Paras's pokeball from his belt.
"Parr!" The bug trilled again, eye-smiling at Ash.
Ash smiled, returning Paras to his pokeball. He turned, handing it to his mom. "Here you go, Mom."
"Oh my boy! Thank you!" Delia smiled, hugging her son.
Once Delia let go of Ash, the trio walked towards the video phones, where Ash dialed Professor Oak's number.
"Hello? Oh Ash! It's good to see you! Your mother told me everything that happened! Are you alright?" The professor asked over video.
"Definitely better now, Professor. Thanks. Hey, there were a couple of things I wanted to ask you."
"Of course, my boy! Ask me anything!"
"Mom needs to borrow Alakazam to get home. Now that I'm better, Mom needs to get back home." Ash explained.
"Of course. I'll let him know in just a-"
"CLEFAIRY!"
"Ack! Clefairy! Wait a minute! I was-"
"CLEFAIRY!"
Ash blinked, staring at the screen in front of him. An energetic Clefairy appeared in front of the screen, smiling happily at him.
"Fairy! Fairy! Clefairy!" She cheered, patting the screen.
"Uh Professor? When did you get a Clefairy?" Ash blinked, staring at the cute pink in confusion.
Professor Oak grabbed Clefairy, pulling her into his lap. "I didn't get a Clefairy, my boy. You did."
"What?! I never caught a Clefairy though!" Ash said, continuing to stare at the fairy in wonder.
"Ah, I actually can explain that." Leaf chuckled, gently scratching the tip of her nose. "It was the night they brought you into the hospital. Me and your mom were here at the hospital, waiting to hear word from the doctors on your condition, when that little Clefairy came in. She rushed up to me and seemed to be wondering where you were. I think she wanted to thank you for saving her and her friends."
"Fairy! Fairy!" The little pink nodded.
"Obviously she couldn't see you, but I suggested she wait until you got better. She then pointed to one of my pokeballs, and I figured she wanted to be your pokemon after saving her." Leaf explained. "So I grabbed one of your pokeballs from your backpack and captured her for you."
"Clefairy!" She exclaimed, waving her arms in the air.
Ash blinked, staring at the screen. "Well…that's awesome! Glad to have you on the team, Clefairy!" He smiled.
"Fairy! Fairy!"
Professor Oak chuckled, gently patting Clefairy's head. "While it is unfortunate the circumstances you received Clefairy, I am grateful she wanted to be your pokemon. While you've been recuperating, I've been doing quite a bit of research on her. There is so little known about Clefairy, and this has been a magnificent opportunity."
Ash chuckled. "Of course. Professor, the Paras that I caught in Mount Moon, I was wondering if you could transfer him to my mother. He's better now, but still has a long way to go. And I don't want to put him in battles or training if it's going to be too much for him. So, I'm giving him to my mom."
Professor Oak gave Ash a gentle smile and nodded. "Of course. When Alakazam brings her over, I'll make the transfer of ownership. Would you like me to send you Clefairy, then?"
Ash nodded. "Yup. Mom has Paras's pokeball, so I can take Clefairy whenever you're ready, Professor."
"Fairy! Clef Clefairy!" The small fairy cheered, waving her small arms above her head.
Professor Oak chuckled. "I'll get Clefairy's pokeball ready, and send Alakazam and Clefairy right over. Take care Ash."
"Bye Professor." Ash smiled, ending the call.
Ash stood up, turning to his mom. "Bye Mom. Be safe." He said, giving her a hug.
"You too, Sweetie. I love you." She said, kissing his forehead. She looked up, smiling at Leaf. "Take care of him, Leaf."
"I will." She smiled. "Bye Mrs. Ketchum."
A moment later, Alakazam appeared next to Delia, giving the woman a nod.
"And don't forget to change your underwear every day!" She smiled, vanishing in a blink of an eye.
"Mom!" Ash whined, his face turning a bright shade of pink. He grumbled when he heard Leaf and Pikachu snicker at his embarrassment. He heard the transfer machine whir to life, seeing his Clefairy's pokeball appearing. He smiled, picking up the pokeball.
"Let's go to our room. I want to see my ." Ash smiled, following Leaf to their assigned room.
Once inside, he grabbed his five pokeballs and tossed them in the air. He braced for impact when all of his pokemon swarmed him in greeting.
"Okay okay!" He laughed. "It's great to see you all too!" He smiled, seeing his pokemon back off. "We have a new friend, guys. This is Clefairy. She decided to join us after the mess at Mt. Moon." He smiled.
His pokemon greeted the pink fairy-type, who greeted them all back cheerfully.
"I want to apologize for what happened back at Mt. Moon." Ash started. His pokemon all protested his apology, but he held his hand up to stop them.
"No. I was stupid. While I feel like I was doing the right thing trying to save all of the caged up pokemon, but you guys got taken away from me when I got caught. I should have waited with Leaf until the police showed up. I put you guys in a lot of danger, and I'm sorry."
His pokemon call chirped with smiles, quickly forgiving him.
Leaf smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, Ash. You were trying to do the right thing. Just don't do anything stupid next time." She teased.
Ash chuckled, turning back to his pokemon. "Alright. Tonight, we're going to relax and take it easy. Tomorrow, we're back to training. I won't be able to join you guys for a while." He said, motioning to his braces and sling. "But I want to make sure you're all still in top form."
All his pokemon cried out with approval. He returned all his pokemon, promising to bring them out for dinner, except for Clefairy.
He looked at the cheerful fairy , giving it a soft smile. "I'll be honest with you, Clefairy. I never thought I'd capture one of your species, let alone see one." He chuckled. He smiled when Clefairy giggled with him. "I thought that if I did manage to get one of you, I'd give you to my mom to take care of. But I can see you are a real go-getter, aren't you?"
Clefairy nodded, her face full of determination.
"That's just what I like to hear. I'm going to scan you with my Pokedex to see what we're working with, okay?" Ash asked. Seeing Clefairy nod, he pulled out Dexter and scanned her.
"Clefairy. The Fairy Pokemon. Clefairy are adored for their cute looks and playfulness. They are thought to be rare, and do not appear to humans often. Gender: Female. Ability: Magic Guard. Move set: Pound, Sing, Disarming Voice, Charm, Double Slap, Baby-Doll eyes."
Ash smiled, putting his Pokedex away. "That's a pretty solid move set, Clefairy. We'll see what you can do tomorrow." Ash pulled her pokeball out, returning his new friend.
"What do you want to do now, Ash?" Leaf asked.
"I'm gonna take a shower, then we can go grab some dinner." He smiled.
Leaf nodded, moving to her bed to relax until Ash was done.
After breakfast the next morning, Ash stood with his pokemon on the training grounds of the Pokemon Center. Leaf had decided she wanted to really explore Cerulean, since she didn't get much time since she was spending most of her time at the hospital and Pokemon Center. And since Ash's ankle was still sore, he told her to go without him, and he'd seen any sites she recommended when he could walk better.
"Alright everyone. It's time to get back to training. I know we haven't had a lot of time recently, so it's time to pick up the slack. Spearow, I know you're still working on Steel Wing. I want you to keep working on that." Ash smirked.
Spearow squawked in understanding and moved to her own training space.
"Butterfree, I want you to keep working on Confusion. I also want you to strengthen your Bug Bite, alright?" Ash asked.
Butterfree nodded, moving over to his own space as well.
"Pidgeotto, I'm going to have you work on a new move. I want you to learn Twister. It's similar to gust, but it's a dragon-type move. It's going to be a bit more difficult to master because you have to hone in on your surrounding energy and harness the draconic energy around you."
Pidgeotto trilled in understanding, moving to his own space to work.
During his studies at Professor Oak's lab, Ash had learned that there were different kinds of energy in the world. Pokemon used the energy inside them to use their amazing powers, as well as using the natural energy around them.
Moves like Hyper Beam were a gathering of energy, both inside and out, which caused significant damage to the foe, while also tiring out the user. Moon Blast was similar, but it gathered lunar energy, as well as the fae energy inside of fairy-type pokemon.
Dragon-type pokemon were able to use the draconic energy inside of them to use dragon-type moves. This made it easier for dragon-types to use said moves, but non dragon-types had to use the dragon energy around them to create such moves.
For pokemon like Charizard or Gyarados, while not being dragon-types themselves, they had an easier time pulling draconic energy due to their genes. The Magikarp and Charmander lines have been bred with other dragon-types for centuries, allowing dragon-typing to be bred into their genetics. For pokemon like Pidgeotto, dragon-typing had long been bred out of their line, so using dragon-type moves required them to harness the draconic energy around them.
Ash turned to Poliwag and smiled. "For you, Poliwag, I want you to work on Bubblebeam. It's a stronger, more concentrated version of Bubble. Understand?"
Poliwag jumped, kicking its feet in the air with excitement. He scampered off to his own area, quickly getting to work.
"As for you two," He said, turning to Pikachu and Clefairy. "I want you to do a mock battle. I want to see where Clefairy is with her moves, and this will give me a good idea. I'll let you guys battle on your own, with no commands. But when I say stop, you stop. Okay?"
Pikachu and Clefairy nodded, separating themselves and began their battle.
Ash watched both pokemon intently, taking in both of their moves, agility, and power. Despite Clefairy's roundness, it was a very nimble . She also had a solid grasp on her moves. Pikachu was also showing a lot of progress with his moves and power. His moves were strong, and he was capable of dealing quite a bit of damage to Clefairy.
What he did notice was that Pikachu tended to fall into a pattern of the same moves and dodges, where Clefairy was rather creative in her ways of evading attacks. While Pikachu was overpowering Clefairy, she was outmaneuvering him.
"Okay. That's enough." Ash called. His two pokemon approached him, panting from their workout.
"Good job, both of you. You definitely have been working on your strength, Pikachu. Good job!" Ash praised. He smiled, seeing his Pikachu beam at his encouragement. "I spotted some things you need to work on. You were doing the same dodges and attacks, like a pattern, and Clefairy was able to pick up on that and counter you. On top of that, Clefairy was more agile than you. I think we need to work on Double Team and Agility."
Pikachu took his criticisms well, nodding at Ash's advice. "Let's start with Agility. Start by using Quick Attack around the practice field as many times as you can, as fast as you can."
Pikachu gave Ash a salute, taking off around the field.
Ash looked down at Clefairy, who was still panting. "Not used to working out?" He teased. He saw the little pokemon pout, making him laugh. "Don't worry, Clefairy. You'll get used to it." He said, gently patting the top of her head.
Clefairy preened under Ash's touch, smiling up at him.
"Like I said to Pikachu, you are very agile. He is faster, but you were very nimble in the way you dodged his moves. And most of your attacks were pretty solid." He praised. "I want you to work on your vocal moves. Sing and Disarming Voice looked good, but I feel like they could be better. Sing needs to be louder and more concentrated. Disarming Voice also needs to be loud, but it needs to cover a greater area."
Clefairy nodded, moving to her own area to practice.
Ash smiled, watching his work. After instructing Clefairy, he moved to help his other pokemon.
Ash spent the better part of his week overseeing his pokemon's training. They had improved leaps and bounds from their first day. Spearow had finally mastered Steel Wing, and was now working on Aerial Ace. Pidgeotto was still working on Twister, but was able to pull the draconic energy a lot easier than before. Butterfree had mastered Bug Bite and Confusion, as well as worked on his status spores. Ash had then had Butterfree work on gust, with the help of Pidgeotto when he wasn't working on twister. Poliwag had gotten the hang of Bubblebeam, though it wasn't as powerful as it could be. Clefairy had strengthened her vocal chords with her moves Sing and Disarming Voice, and now had them down perfectly. Ash had started the pink on Fairy Wind, which was still a work in progress. Finally, Pikachu had managed to master Agility, and had the basic concept of Double Team down. He also had Clefairy work with Pikachu on his dodging skills, getting him to be more nimble and agile so he didn't use so much energy dodging.
All in all, Ash was very proud of his pokemon. They had trained very hard, and he was happy with their progress so far.
At the end of the week, Ash returned to the hospital where the doctor gave him one final check up. Given a clean bill of health, Ash was ready to continue his journey.
"Where do you want to go first, Ash?" Leaf asked as they walked through Cerulean.
"I wouldn't mind going to the gym. I still need to earn my second badge, and my pokemon have put in a lot of work." Ash said, gently scratching under Pikachu's chin.
Pikachu sighed in happiness, leaning into Ash's touch.
"That's true, though I heard that the Cerulean Gym is kind of a joke." Leaf mumbled.
"What do you mean?" He blinked.
"Well…the gym is run by the Waterflower sisters. The three older sisters are known for putting on synchronized swimming performances with . They also do underwater theater. But they aren't the best battlers. They're pretty weak." Leaf shrugged.
Ash sighed, looking a little dejected. "Man…I was hoping for a challenge."
"Well…they do have a little sister who shows a lot of promise in battling. But I heard she went on her own journey. I guess for a while, she was the one that was keeping the gym afloat with the Pokemon League. But I heard the League is seriously considering closing Cerulean's Pokemon Gym if they can't get it together." Leaf explained as she continued to walk with Ash.
"That sucks." Ash felt sad that the Cerulean Gym had the possibility of closing. It was one of the major gyms in Kanto, and used to be a real challenge to newbie trainers if they didn't have a grass or electric type.
The duo approached the large building, both gaping at it's beautiful structure. It was a round building that had a pointed glass roof, which allowed a lot of sunlight into the building. The building had definitely changed, considering the only time Ash saw the building was in a book. The original building had been smaller, with barely any windows at all. Instead of a glass roof, it had a round roof with orange and pink stripes, as well as a giant Dewgong on the front. It looked more like a giant circus tent than a gym.
"I didn't expect the gym to look like this. If the gym was going to close, why would they upgrade the building?" Leaf asked, staring at the large building.
"Because my sisters tricked the League into remodeling the gym." A female voice said from behind them.
Ash blinked, turning around at the familiar voice.
"Misty?" Ash blinked, staring at the red-headed girl.
"Ash! It's good to see you again." Misty smiled, approaching Ash and Leaf. "Are you here for a gym battle?"
"I am. How would you-wait. You said you had to go back home because you had incompetent sisters. Are your sisters the Cerulean Gym leaders?" Ash balked.
"Unfortunately." Misty growled. She looked to Ash's right, seeing a girl with long brown hair. "Hello. I'm Misty, one of Cerulean's Gym leaders. Are you here for a badge as well?" Misty asked.
"Oh no. I'm traveling with Ash. I'm more into pokemon research than I am competing in the Pokemon League." Leaf explained with a smile. "I want to fill up the Pokedex with every pokemon on the planet."
Misty stared wide eyed. "That's some goal. Good luck with it." Misty smiled. "We need some strong female brains in pokemon research." She winked.
Leaf blushed slightly, nodding her head.
"Anyways Misty, you said your sisters tricked the Pokemon League?" Ash asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah. About four years ago, my sisters were still the main gym leaders while I was a gym leader in training. But they weren't interested in pokemon battles, and wanted to put on more and more shows. When the league stepped in the first time, they lied, saying that they didn't have a proper facility to really work out and train their pokemon. And after convincing the League Board, the Cerulean Gym was remodeled. After it was finished last year, my sister put on even more shows, and even started their underwater theater. It's a good way to bring in money for the gym, but they never focused on training their pokemon. They just wanted a nicer building to entertain in." Misty growled.
"I had started my own pokemon journey right before construction was finished, and had been gone for about a year. Then I got a call from my eldest sister saying that the gym was in danger of closing, and my sisters were going to have to pay back the League for the gym remodel if the gym didn't start challenging trainers." Misty sighed.
"That's when I met you." Ash concluded.
"Yup. I actually got the call about two days before I met you. I had been just outside Viridian City when I got the call, and was having to bike my way home when I ran into you and that Caterpie." Misty laughed. "Speaking of, how is your little daredevil?" She teased.
Ash chuckled. "He's doing well. He's evolved into a Butterfree now."
"Wow! Congratulations!" Misty smiled. "Well, come on in. I'll call on my sisters and have one of them referee our match." She said, leading the duo into the gym.
Ash and Leaf entered, taking in the large building. The entrance was a normal reception hall, but the battle stadium of the gym was beautiful. In the center of the stadium was a large Olympic size pool with several platforms floating on it. The light from the glass ceiling made the water of the stadium shimmer and sparkle.
"Woah…" The duo gasped.
"Pretty cool, right? Let me get a hold of my sisters." Misty excused herself to the reception desk, where she used the phone.
A few minutes later, three beautiful women entered the battle stadium. All three women were tall and had the same deep blue eyes, but they all had different hair colors. One had long wavy blonde hair with a pink flower barrette. Another had long, wavy indigo hair with a red beaded barrette, and the last had bright pink hair that was styled in an asymmetric bob with a longer, wavy strands in the front.
"What do you want, Runt?" The pink-haired girl sighed. "We were getting ready for our next show."
"Yeah, Misty. Why do you need us if you're taking over the gym anyways?" The indigo-haired girl frowned.
"I wouldn't have to take over the gym if you did your job! I was supposed to be on my own journey, and now that's ruined because you guys can't be bothered to run the gym like you're supposed to!" Misty retorted.
"Like…calm down Misty. Lily and Violet didn't mean any harm." The blonde sighed.
"Don't defend them, Daisy. You were the only one that actually tried to be a gym leader, but you let them get lazy and rope you into all your dumb water shows. If it wasn't for me, this gym would've closed down, and you would have to pay the League back for all the renovations they did!"
The three girls had the decency to keep quiet after their tongue lashing, all looking down at their feet in shame.
Leaf gently leaned over to Ash, keeping her voice low. "Are you sure you want a battle? It feels like we're intruding on a family argument."
Ash shrugged. "I think this argument would happen with any trainer." Ash whispered back.
"Listen, I just need one of you to referee the match. After that, you guys can go back to planning your dumb show." Misty growled out.
Daisy sighed, stepping forward to the edge of the pool. Lily and Violet decided to go sit in the stands to watch the battle.
Ash and Misty took their respective spots, while Leaf also went to the stands.
"This will be, like, a two-on-two battle between the Cerulean Gym Leader Misty, and the challenger Ash! There will be no substitutions! Like, go!" Daisy called out, throwing her hand in the air.
"Misty calls Horsea!" Misty cried, throwing her pokeball in the air. The pokeball opened, releasing a small, light blue seahorse.
Ash pulled out his Pokedex, pointing it at Horsea.
"Horsea, the Dragon Pokemon. Horsea makes its home in oceans with gentle currents. If this is under attack, it spits out pitch-black ink and escapes."
Ash put Dexter away, grabbing one of his pokeballs "Butterfree! I choose you!" Ash yelled, throwing his pokeball
Butterfree emerged from his pokeball with a battle cry. Seeing Misty from across the arena, Butterfree trilled in happiness.
"Hello again, Butterfree! Congratulations on evolving!" Misty called.
Butterfree trilled back with joy.
.
.
"Does Misty like…know this kid?" Lily asked her sister.
Leaf, who was sitting behind them, interjected. "They met in Viridian Forest when she was traveling back here. She knew his Butterfree as a Caterpie back then."
Lily and Violet nodded, turning back to the battle.
.
.
"Alright Ash! I'll let you make the first move!" Misty called.
"Alright." Ash smirked. "Butterfree! Use Sleep Powder!"
Butterfree nodded, flying over Horsea. His wings started to vibrate as light green spores emerged from the scales.
"Horsea dive!" Misty called.
Horsea cried out, diving under the water.
"Now use Water Gun!"
"Dodge Butterfree!" Ash yelled.
Butterfree swiftly dodged the shots of water that were aimed for him, fluttering over the water as he stared down at his opponent.
"Your Butterfree won't be able to get Horsea in the water, Ash!" Misty smirked. "Good luck trying to get her out of the water!"
Ash frowned, staring at the Horsea in the pool. The only move that might affect Horsea in the water was Confusion, but he wasn't sure how much good that would do.
"Wait…Butterfree! Use Gust on the water!" He yelled.
Butterfree cried out, beating his wings as fast as he could. Large gusts of wind emerged from Butterfree's wings, going directly into the water.
.
.
"Like…what is he doing?" Violet asked, her arms folded over her chest. "That wind isn't going to get Horsea in the water."
"Yeah…this kid is a total noob." Lily scoffed. "We could have beaten him, easy."
Leaf rolled her eyes, giving the girls a scoff of her own. "You guys really are stupid." She sighed.
"Like, excuse me?!" Lily growled.
"Why don't you pay attention and see what real pokemon trainers do." Leaf frowned. "Maybe you'll actually learn something."
.
.
Misty stared at the pool with a raised eyebrow. 'What is he doing? Gust isn't going to reach inside the pool. He's just wasting his 's energy.'
Ash smirked as he watched his pokemon continue to push the gusts of air at the water. "That's right, Butterfree! Keep it up!"
"What is he-ah! Horsea!" Misty cried, seeing the fruits of Butterfree's gust.
Gust wasn't only capable of creating gusts of wind; it could also create small tornadoes. The small tornado touched the water, sucking it up like a funnel cloud. The large waterspout caused the water to spin like a maelstrom, pulling Horsea into the tornado.
"Horsea!" Misty cried, her eyes wide with concern for her pokemon.
"Okay Butterfree! Stop with Gust!" Ash commanded.
Butterfree stopped flapping his wings, the wind dying down. The waterspout came to a stop, dropping the water and Horsea back into the pool. Horsea slowly swam to the top of the pool, looking a little rough from its ride in the tornado.
"Horsea! Are you okay?" Misty cried.
Horsea gave Misty a small cry, but it was obvious from Horsea's heavy breathing that it was injured and tired.
"Horsea use Dragon Breath!" Misty commanded.
Horsea took a deep breath, firing a purple and yellow beam from its snout.
"Dodge it Butterfree!" Ash commanded. He watched Butterfree try to evade the attack, but the beam managed to catch Butterfree.
Butterfree cried out in pain, it's body suddenly sparking with electricity. Butter free struggled to stay airborne as his body twitched in pain.
"Oh no! Butterfree's paralyzed!" Ash frowned.
Misty smirked, happy that Horsea's Dragon Breath was able to status Ash's Butterfree. "We've got you now, Ash! Horsea! Water Gun!"
"Butterfree! Dodge and use Confusion!" Ash yelled.
Butterfree cringed in pain, unable to dodge the Water Gun that was fired at him. Butterfree took the hit with a cry, but focused itself to stay airborne and fired a purple iridescent blast at Horsea.
"Horsea!" The pokemon cried in pain, flying across the pool. The small seahorse pokemon landed with a splash, floating atop the water with swirls in its eyes.
"Horsea is unable to battle!" Daisy cried, holding her hand up towards Ash. "The round goes to Ash."
Misty's eyes widened, staring at her fallen beaten pokemon. She sighed, giving her pokemon an apologetic smile as she recalled it back to it's pokeball.
"You did a great job Horsea. Thank you." Misty clipped Horsea's pokeball on her belt.
.
.
"Woah, that was some crazy move." Violet said, completely caught off guard by the waterspout Ash had created.
"Like…no kidding." Lily said, her eyes wide at the battle.
"Ash is pretty smart when it comes to pokemon and pokemon battles. He doesn't go into a challenge without some sort of strategy. He knew that his Butterfree's spores wouldn't do anything, so he got creative." Leaf smirked. "Though Misty did get lucky with Dragon Breath's secondary effect."
"What do you mean?" Violet blinked.
"Dragon Breath has a small chance of paralyzing its opponent when the attack hits. While risky, Misty was betting on Dragon Breath hitting Butterfree and paralyzing it. If it worked, it would severely handicap Butterfree for the rest of the battle."
Lily and Violet took in Leaf's words, staring at their sister in awe.
.
.
Misty frowned, grabbing another pokeball. "Misty chooses Starmie!"
A blue, double star pokemon appeared with a bright red jewel in the center. It gave a soft cry as it entered the arena.
Ash pulled out his Pokedex again, pointing it to the star .
"Starmie. The Mysterious Pokemon. The gem in the center is known as the core. People think it is communicating when it glows in seven different colors."
Ash stared at Starmie with a frown. Starmie were speedy pokemon with a very diverse move set. This was going to be tough, and Butterfree was in no condition to put up a fight.
"I'm withdrawing Butterfree." Ash announced.
Misty blinked. "Are you sure?"
Ash nodded, pulling out Butterfree's pokeball. "Butterfree is tired and paralyzed. He wouldn't last very long against your Starmie, and I don't want him to get hurt anymore than he already is." Ash stated, recalling Butterfree.
"The opponent Ash has withdrawn his pokemon. The score is tied at 1-1." Daisy announced. "Please call out your next pokemon." Daisy asked Ash.
Ash smirked, looking down at Pikachu. "Ready buddy?"
"Pikachu!" The mouse cried, leaping out on a platform in the water.
Misty frowned as Pikachu jumped into battle. She was going to have to rely on Starmie's speed to hit Pikachu before it hit Starmie.
"Okay Starmie, use Swift!" Misty called out.
Starmie lept into the air, it's back star spinning as bright yellow stars fired at Pikachu from it's gem.
"Dodge Pikachu! Then use Thundershock!" Ash commanded.
Pikachu jumped in the air, the bright stars hitting the platform where he just was. With a cry, Pikachu released the electricity inside him and fired it at the floating Starmie.
"Dodge Starmie! Then use Rapid Spin!" Misty cried.
"Dodge Pikachu!"
Pikachu managed to spin out of the way of spinning Starmie, but was unable to dodge a second time as the star pokemon slammed into Pikachu's back.
"Pika!" The small mouse cried out.
"Ah! Pikachu! You okay buddy?" Ash asked, a worried expression on his face.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu confirmed, nodding at Ash.
"Okay! Pikachu, Use Charge and Agility at the same time, then use Thundershock!" Ash commanded.
"Pika!" Pikachu agreed, speeding across the pool towards Starmie, it's body glowing yellow.
"Starmie use Confuse Ray to stop Pikachu!" Misty yelled.
Starmie stood on a platform, several purple iridescent orbs floating from it's gem towards Pikachu. However, Pikachu was too fast from using Agility, and evaded the orbs with ease. Pikachu rushed the Starmie, it's body still glowing yellow. Once Pikachu was in front of Starmie, it released the Thundershock, connecting it with the star pokemon.
"Starmie!" Misty cried, seeing her precious pokemon being consumed by electricity. Starmie fell into the pool, it's body slightly charred from Pikachu's Thundershock.
"Great job Pikachu!" Ash praised.
"Starmie Recover!" Misty commanded.
"What?!" Ash gasped.
Starmie's body glowed a light blue, the scorch marks on it's body fading away. Starmie jumped back upright, looking healthy again.
.
.
"That was pretty smart." Leaf said, watching Starmie heal itself.
Lily blinked, looking back at Leaf. "Why?"
"Misty can draw the battle out as long as she wants, as long as Pikachu doesn't get a critical hit on Starmie." She explained.
"Woah." Violet said in awe. "Misty's like…actually pretty good."
"Like…yeah." Lily said softly.
.
.
'Oh man. I didn't realize her Starmie would know Recover. That's just going to drag out the battle, and make Pikachu more tired. I need to end this fast.' Ash said, gritting his teeth. "Pikachu, use Charge!"
"Piiiiiiiiiii!" Pikachu's body began to glow yellow, as small bits of electricity crackled around his body.
"Starmie! Use Water Pulse on Pikachu!"
Ash smirked as he watched Misty's Starmie charge up a Water Pulse. 'Go ahead. Pikachu's first Charge raised it's Special Attack and Special Defense. With another Charge, Pikachu would be able to take that Water Pulse no problem, and do some serious damage to Starmie.'
"Pikachu! Take the hit, then use Quick Attack!"
Misty's eyes widened as she watched the yellow mouse take the Water Pulse head on. 'What is he doing?' She thought, watching Pikachu speed towards her . "Dodge Starmie!"
She had called the command too late, however, as Pikachu rushed the starfish pokemon, slamming its body into Starmie.
"Now, Thundershock!" Ash yelled.
Piiiikaaachuuuuuuuuuuuu!" Pikachu cried, sending a large Thundershock at the Starmie.
"Oh no! Starmie!" Misty yelled, seeing her precious pokemon be enveloped by the electric attack.
Starmie fell from its position, its dark blue body singed from the Thundershock. It's bright red gem flashed repeatedly, indicating its low health.
"Starmie is unable to battle! Pikachu is the winner! Which means the match goes to Ash Ketchum!" Daisy announced, raising her hand towards Pikachu and Ash.
Ash jumped and whooped with excitement, as he held his arms out for Pikachu to jump into them.
Pikachu rushed his trainer, leaping into his arms and nuzzled his trainer's chest with joy.
"You did amazing, Pikachu! I'm so proud of you!" Ash smiled brightly, gently petting the top of Pikachu's head.
"Pi Pikachu!" The mouse responded happily.
Misty sighed, giving a sad smile as she returned her Starmie. "You did amazing, Starmie. Thank you." Misty walked around the pool, approaching Ash and Pikachu. "Congratulations, Ash. You battled really well. I present you the Cascade Badge." Misty smiled, holding out the blue teardrop badge.
"Awesome! Thanks Misty!" He smiled, taking the badge and pinning it inside his badge case.
"I also have a TM for Water Pulse, if you want it." Misty offered.
"Sure. That'd be great!"
"Ash!" Leaf smiled, jogging over to Ash and Pikachu. "Great job, Ash!"
"Thanks Leaf." He smiled, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.
"Follow me to the lobby." Misty said, guiding the two teens back to the lobby. She reached the front desk, pulling out a drawer with neatly stacked disks. She pulled one out, it's cerulean blue color shining in the sunlight. "Here. This is TM03. You can teach your pokemon Water Pulse with this."
Ash smiled. "Thanks Misty." He smiled, putting the TM in his backpack with the one Brock had given him. He really needed to buy a TM case.
"Hey Misty." Daisy said, approaching the group with Lily and Violet. "Could we like…talk with you for a little bit?"
Misty sighed, turning towards Ash and Leaf. "Have a good journey, you guys." She smiled, turning to go talk with her sisters.
Ash and Leaf smiled, saying their farewells and left the gym.
"Well, now that you've got your second gym badge, what do you want to do Ash?" Leaf asked, folding her hands behind her back.
Ash thought for a moment as he moved Pikachu to rest on his shoulder. "Route 24 is north of here, and there are a lot of there. There's also a huge lighthouse and beach towards the end of the route. It'll be pretty cool to do some fishing and see the lighthouse." Ash thought, tapping his finger against his chin.
"That's a good idea." Leaf pulled out her Pokegear, bringing up the map app. "To get to Route 24 we have to go over the Nugget Bridge. Nugget Bridge is a few days hike to get to, so we should probably leave tomorrow."
"That's fine with me. We'll stock up on supplies tonight and head out in the morning." Ash smiled.
"Sound like a plan!"
~End Chapter
So guys? What do you think of the chapter? Please let me know in a review! Thanks!
~Lu Lu-Chan