On the outskirts of Cerulean City, Ash was looking down at his six Pokemon as they rested. Things may not have gone as he expected at the Gym yesterday, but he would certainly take advantage with with extra training, and specialized training for the Pokemon he wanted to battle in the Gym. The group was slightly panting, especially Clefairy since she was new, because they had just finished up their daily morning endurance run. After a while, Ash called an end to the break and got down to business.
"The Gym Battle is in two days guys. I don't think we will have any trouble, especially with the attitude those "Gym Leaders" had," muttered Ash. "That does not give us an excuse to slack off though. For this battle, I have decided to go with Bulbasaur and Pidgeotto. Bulbasaur has a type advantage against Water Pokemon, and is also resistant to water attacks. Pidgeotto's speed and maneuverability will be a good asset to counter the advantage those Water Pokemon will have in the water," explained Ash.
Pikachu and Charmander had already gotten to take part of one Gym Battle, so there were no complaints there. Butterfree was a little down, but got to see some action in Mt. Moon, so he accepted the decision. Clefairy was too busy staring at Pikachu to care...
"ClEFAIRY!" please pay attention snapped Ash.
"Clefairy!" said the Pokemon as it beamed at the boy with faux innocence, making Ash sweat drop.
"Anyway, I want use to focus on expanding your move set Clefairy. Right now you only now Pound, Growl, and Encore, according to the Pokedex. I had a chat with Brock about this last night and we came up with a pretty good idea. He has been making a special tea that should do wonders for your vocal cords," said Ash, pointing out Brock in the distance. "Go hang out with him for a bit and drink the tea. This should help you to learn Sing and Disarming Voice."
"Clefairy!" exclaimed the happy Pokemon. It then pranced off to Brock, leaving Ash with 5 more Pokemon.
"Butterfree, I want you to gain some more battle experience, so you can learn Psybeam. It will be a useful move that will make you far more versatile. To do that, you are going to have some mock battles with Pikachu and Charmander. Both of them will attack at the same time. Be careful buddy, and know that I have faith in you," Ash said as he patted the Bug Pokemon on the head.
The three went off into another direction to get cracking, which meant it was time to focus on the Pokemon that would be battling in two days time.
"Ok you two, let's dive into our strategy. Like I said, I don't think the Gym Battle will be much of a problem, but it never hurts to be prepared. Our opponents' biggest advantage will be their ability to hide in the water and set the pace of the battle. That is something we will not allow," said Ash with a sly smile.
"Bulbasaur, I want you to focus on training up your Razor Leaf attack. Train it in a similar way that you worked with Vine Whip. Just keep firing Razor Leaf until you are tired. The trick though, is that you're going to be using your Razor Leaf in the stream over there. Your goal is for the leaves to hit the bottom of the stream at full speed. Go get em Bulbasuar!" said Ash with a smile.
"Bulba!" cried out the grass type, and it ran off to the stream.
"As for your Pidgeotto, we are going to work on a move called Twister."
Two Days Later at the Cerulean Gym
Ash walked into the Gym confident in himself and his team, with Brock and Pikachu following behind him. As always, his team gave their very best. The Gym Leaders were about to find out the results of that training, that is if they're ready to battle, thought Ash with a frown.
Back in the room with the battlefield, Ash and Pikachu saw a girl with orange hair who looked to be around Ash's age. The Gym Leaders were nowhere to be found.
Before Ash spoke, the mystery girl did first. "Hi. You must be Ash and Pikachu right? Sorry, but I don't know your name," said the orange haired girl referring to Brock.
"Uh. Yeah I'm Ash," responded the boy in a curious tone.
"The name is Brock," answered the spiky haired teenager.
"And you are?" questioned Ash.
"My name is Misty. Ash... Brock... Pikachu... I owe you all a big thank you," she said with a smile.
"What do you mean Misty?" said Ash.
"Let me show you" replied the girl with a mischevous smile. Reaching for a Pokeball on her belt, she tossed it in the air, revealing a familiar star shaped Pokemon with a jewel encrusted at the center.
"Starmie... Then that must mean you are its trainer!" said Ash excitedly.
"It looks healthy too," noted Brock.
"Yup. It is only thanks to you two that we are together again and that Starmie is ok though. If you guys ever need anything, please let me know," Misty said in a more serious voice. To Ash and Brock's surprise, she brought both of them into a quick hug, before backing off with a blush.
"It w-w-was nothing," stuttered Ash as he also blushed with embarrassment, while Brock had a knowing smile in the background. "Anyway, do you know where we can find the Gym Leaders. I'm here to challenge them to a battle!" sad Ash with his usual passion.
Misty shook her head. "Sorry to tell you Ash, but the three of them are out at the beach."
"You've got to be kidding me..." muttered the boy as he now had a downtrodden face.
Brock was more skeptical. "Forgive me for asking, but how would you know?"
"I guess you caught me Brock," laughed Misty. "I know because I am their younger sister."
"SISTER?" a stunned Ash yelled out.
"That's right Ash. I know this doesn't equal what you two did for me, but I hope what I am about to do repays you a bit," Misty said calmly. "ASH! As the fourth Sensational Sister and CO-Gym Leader of Cerulean City, I accept your challenge to battle!" Misty yelled with a spitfire personality.
Ash's face went from shocked to pumped in an instant. 'YES!" replied the boy as he punched his fist in the air. The two swiftly took their places opposite one another on the trainer platforms in the water.
"Brock, would you mind acting as the referee for this battle? Typically, one of my sisters would battle and another would be referee, but since they are gone that isn't going to work," Misty explained with a sheepish smile.
"Not a problem. Cerulean City Gym rules are 2 on 2 right?" questioned the older boy.
"Spot on," smiled Misty.
"Very well," said Brock as he took his place. "This will be a two on two official Cerulean City Gym battle! At stake is the Cascade badge. Only the challenger may make substitutions. The battle will be over when a trainer's two Pokemon are unable to battle. Let the match begin!" called out Brock.
"Don't think i'll hold back because I owe you Ash! Misty calls, Staryu!" Out of her Pokeball came a golden star shaped Pokemon with a smaller red jewel encrusted in the center.
"Staryu huh. Then I will start with Bulbasaur. Go Pokeball!" Ash called as he sent out the grass type. Ash could already tell that Misty had a much greater intensity for battle, and he would not underestimate her. Therefore, time slowed down for Ash as he considered the situation. Misty trained that Starmie well and it knew Water Gun and Recover. I have to assume that Staryu also knows these moves as Starmie's pre-evolution. If that's the case, I'm going to have to knock it out fast after we land our first hit, or it will simply heal itself like Starmie did. She'll probably have her Pokemon try and hide in the water when it goes to recover. Thanks to our special training, that won't do her any good, thought Ash as time sped back up.
"Staryu, use Rapid Spin," called out Misty. The yellow star flew into the air as it began to rapidly spin towards Bulbasaur at a high speed.
"Swat that away with your Vine Whip Bulbasaur," Ash said with a neutral expression. Vines shout out of Bulbasaur, easily stopping the spinning Staryu, and swatting it back to where it came from. Staryu landed hard back on its original platform, taking a good amount of damage from the super-effective move.
"Keep pressing the attack Bulbasaur. Fire off a Razor Leaf!" commanded Ash. Sharp leaves shot out of Bulbasaur at a high speed, right at Staryu.
"Counter with Swift Staryu!" yelled Misty. The Pokemon jumped in the air and began to spin, sending yellow stars at the oncoming leaves. At first, that seemed to do the trick, to Misty's relief... but the Razor Leaf would not stop coming. Once again, Ash's endurance training proved its merits as Bulbasaur's attack began to break through, striking Staryu and sending it back down on the platform.
Staryu was now badly damaged and barely managed to stand back up.
"Recover Staryu!" cried out Misty.
"I don't think so," responded Ash right away. "One more Razor Leaf before it heals itself Bulbasaur!" Leaves were fired at Staryu yet again, but Misty also acted fast.
"Jump into the water and Recover there!" yelled Misty. Her Pokemon obeyed and fell straight into the water, barely dodging the oncoming onslaught.
Ash smirked. "Follow the Staryu's trajectory and max the power on your Razor Leaf into the water Bulbasaur!"
"It can use Razor Leaf through water?" the shocked Gym Leader asked with distress. Answering her question, Bulbasaur lowered its aim and sharp leaves blazed through the water and into Staryu, who was far too weak to dodge at this point. The speed of the oncoming leaves forced Staryu into the wall of the pool on Misty's side. A few moments passed, and Staryu slowly rose to the surface, clearly knocked out.
"Staryu is unable to battle. Bulbasaur is the winner," called Brock.
Misty returned her fainted Pokemon was a scowl on her face. She may be grateful to Ash, but she still hated to lose. "You're pretty good Ash, but it isn't over yet. Go Seel!" Out came the familiar white Pokemon with the horn on its head on the platform opposing Bulbasaur.
"You did great Bulbasaur. Let's give our other pal a chance to shine. Return," Ash called sucking Bulbasaur back into its Pokeball. "I choose you Pidgeotto!" who appeared in the air, flapping its wings to maintain its height.
Ash already knew how he was going to win this one and focused on the battle right away.
"Dive into the water Seel," started out Misty. Seel obeyed and dove deep, disappearing from sight.
"Stay steady Pidgeotto and be prepared to move as soon as it shows itself.
Without any prompting from Misty, Seel leaped out of the Water behind Pidgeotto, going for a quick horn attack.
"Spin around and Gust Pidgeotto!" yelled out Ash. The avian Pokemon did a quick spin and blew a powerful Gust, shooting Seal away and back into the water.
"Seel, poke your head out and use Aurora Beam!" smirked Misty. Her Pokemon's head quickly popped back out of the water and releases a rainbow like beam of energy from its mouth, heading towards Pidgeotto with frightening speed.
"Try a quick attack straight ahead to dodge Pidgeotto!" Ash replied with narrowed eyes at the somewhat surprising Ice attack. It worked at first, as Pidgeotto's speed allowed it to avoid the beam of ice. However, Seel took a page out of Bulbasaur's book and simply adjusted its aim until it managed to clip Pidgeotto's wing, sending the Pokemon crashing into the water in obvious pain.
"Now's our chance to finish it off Seel! Dive back into the water and swim towards Pidegotto with a full powered Horn Attack!" triumphantly called out Misty.
A small smile graced Ash's lips. This is what they had trained for.
Two Days Ago During Training
"Nice job Pidgeotto! It looks like you got the move down and can keep it going pretty long too," praised Ash. The bird Pokemon preened in response.
"That's just the beginning of our strategy though buddy," warned Ash.
"Pidgeo?" questioned the bird Pokemon
Ash explained. "Even if we use Twister, the Gym Leader can simply order her Pokemon to swim away as fast as possible. To make this work, we are going to have to catch her offguard and let them get close. The perfect place for that, is in the water..."
Present Day
Seel darted towards the "helpless" Pidgeotto in the water, with its horn leading the charge. As it got close, Ash made his move to end it himself.
"FULL POWERED TWISTER PIDEGOTTO!" yelled Ash with fervor. The Pokemon immediately stopped struggling in the water, and began to spin in place at a rapid pace, creating a cyclone made of water in the middle of the pool, which jumped right up to the Gym ceiling.
Seel was far too close to dodge and was dragged into the Twister with Pidegotto, who had risen into the air, controlling the cycle from the center.
"SEEL, NO!" cried out Misty, who was horrified for her Pokemon, and mad at herself for falling into another one of Ash's traps.
Ash had Pidgeotto keep the Twister up for a good minute, spinning the poor Sea Lion Pokemon at a high speed, before mercifully releasing it. Seel maintained the velocity from the Twister and was hurled into a Gym wall, outside of the pool at a high speed. Misty's Pokemon crashed hard, leaving a noticeable dent in the wall, before falling to the ground, knocked out.
"Seel is unable to battle! Therefore, the winner of this Gym Match is Ash Red Ketchum from Pallet Town," declared Brock.
"BOOYAH!" Ash said with a fist pump. "You were amazing out there Pidgeotto. Return for a well deserved rest," smiled the boy as he recalled his proud Pokemon.
Misty had already recalled Seel, thanking the Pokemon for its hard work. Ash was simply better than her, she grudgingly admitted. Jumping back onto the outside of the pool, Misty began to walk towards Ash and Brock at the middle.
"Wow, lost already Misty? I was sure we would have gotten back, before you embarrassed yourself," said the mocking voice of her older sister Daisy with a laugh.
This day just kept getting better and better, she thought, turning around to face her sisters. " I though you guys were going to be at the beach all day?" Misty retorted, trying to keep her temper in.
"We were, but like, then we thought, why not head back to the Gym and support our little sister in her first Gym Battle? You're right though. The beach would have been a way better use of our time," laughed Violet.
"WHY YOU," started Misty
"Oh can it Misty," interrupted Lily. "You're just jealous because we're more beautiful and talented than you."
Before Misty could fire back, Ash stepped up. "Shut it! Misty fought a battle worthy of a Gym leader. You three were too busy playing in water and getting slaughtered by other trainers to even care. From where I'm standing, Misty is a far better trainer than the three of you put together!" Ash said with determination and a glare aimed at the Sensational Sisters.
"Ash..." Misty softly muttered.
"I never thought I would see the day, but look at that, you've got a boyfriend Misty," smirked Violet.
"HE'S/I'M NOT MY/HER BOYFRIEND!" yelled out the two teens who were deeply blushing.
The sisters continued to laugh and gossip, but for the sake of the two youngsters in the room, Brock finally called an end to it. "Enough. An official Gym Battle has been concluded and Ash is owed a badge," noted Brock.
"Oh yeah," said Ash scratching the back of his head as he had forgotten about the thing.
Misty gave one final glare to her sisters, before turning to the challenger. "Ash, the way you battle is truly inspiring. I'm going to get better though and give you an even better match next time we fight. Until then, take the Cascade Badge, as proof of your victory at the Cerulean City Gym," Misty said handing over a blue badge the shape of a drop of water.
"AWE YEAH! WE GOT, THE CASCADE BADGE!" Ash said in his classic pose with Pikachu, making everyone in the room sweat drop.
Some time later, Ash and Brock were on the outskirts of Cerulean City, heading towards Vermillion City, and the sight of Ash's next Gym Battle. They had made a quick pit stop at the Pokemon Center to heal their Pokemon, and Ash made sure to call the Professor and his Mom.
The two continued on their way, before a yelling voice stopped them. Turning back, they saw Misty running after them, nearly out of breath. Misty finally caught up as the two waited for her to catch her breath.
"Thanks for stopping guys. I-I'm glad I managed to catch up you two," Misty said.
"What's up Misty?" ash Asked with some concern.
"I don't think i've told you two about my dream," Misty started. "My dream is to be the world's greatest Water Pokemon Master! That's why I left Cerulean City on a journey in the first place. Then before I knew it, Starmie was taken from me... I returned to Cerulean City full of shame at failing my Pokemon. I-I couldn't risk something happening to another innocent Pokemon, so I gave up my dream and was prepared to stay in Cerulean City forever... But you guys showed up. You stood up to those criminals and won. You rescued Starmie. I want to grow stronger! I want to be a Water Pokemon Master again!" Misty affirmed." "I guess what i'm asking is... Can I join you guys on your journey?" Misty asked with trepidation.
Ash and Brock gave each other a quick look and a subtle nod.
"I have no problems with it," smiled Brock.
"Welcome to the team Misty," Ash said, surprising Misty by pulling her into a warm hug.
Ash, Brock, and Misty walked on, continuing their journey together.
END CHAPTER
Ash wins his second badge and Misty finally joins the gang! Will Ash and Misty's friendship become something more down the line? Who knows? From here on out, this is where the anime really opened up with a lot of "side" episodes. I am going to start making cuts, ignoring episodes I do not feel will add to this story. Some changes are going to be unpopular, but it is what it is.
On a brighter note, next time we will see Ash take on AJ in a very fun twist to the original episode. Stay tuned!
DragonEmperor999 - Thank you for the review! Yeah. They were always more interested in being celebrities than Gym Leaders.
Today I am going to be recommending The Lost Master, by Iama2p. This features a very powerful Ash who ascends to the title of Champion at the very start. I like that he doesn't use legendaries here, and even takes a certain annoying somebody who does down. It is the first part of a trilogy. Sadly, the final part was never completed, but still worth the read for sure!
Remember to review with your thoughts/critique :)
Smell ya later!
