Chapter 9:
I groaned as I woke up with my body sore from last day's training. Shielding my eyes from the rays of light coming from the open window, I noted that Milo, Rapier, and Zion were still sleeping. Ignoring my mind's protest, I carefully got up from below the warm covers and headed to the bathroom to take a quick shower.
It has been a day since I caught Zion, and regretfully I don't seem to have been able to get closer to him at all, despite my efforts. As cute and peaceful Zion's sleeping face is, it gets a little frustrating, if sleeping is literally all he does. I tried to involve him in training, as I think it would be fun seeing Kayda trying to hit him while he teleported around, but Zion always seems more interested in lazing around than having fun and bonding with his new teammates. Unless talking directly to him, he will ignore conversations and doze off. During the entire day, we only exchanged some words between ourselves, and only when I started the conversation. After I looked for information about Abra on my laptop, I discovered that Abra naturally sleeps 18 hours a day, but I'm sure mine spends 23 hours per day sleeping. I just hope that he will spend more time with us after he evolves.
I wonder if Zion will be able to talk telepathically with me in the future? That would be really cool. Now that I'm thinking, is any Pokemon capable of learning Telepathy in this universe, if some conditions are met? Because if I'm right, Ash met a Lapras and some other Pokemon during his journey that could use Telepathy, even though their species don't learn the move.
Something else that I ended up learning when I gave a scan on Abra's information was that it can only naturally learn Teleport until he evolves, but he can learn other moves via TM/HM and tutors. I can't help but feel giggly at the potential Zion has, with a good move pool and excellent natural stats, and with the limit of moves removed, along with the possibility of creative use of the moves and combination attacks. He has the possibility of becoming a powerful Pokemon. Hopefully, it won't take too long before he evolves, in the game, it happens rather soon, only level 16, but the way he spends his time only dozing off, I doubt he will make any progress unless using an Exp. Share, something I don't have, and don't even know if it exists.
I sigh as I use a towel to dry my hair, if only he didn't sleep all the time. Tying the towel on my waist, I look at the mirror noticing my eye-catching pink eyes. Looking closer, my iris looked to be almost dancing as different shades of pink clashed creating a complicated pattern that randomly seemed to release a soft pulse, almost unnoticeable. Thinking about it now, I noticed that sometimes my eyes change the shade and intensity of the pink, maybe there is a reason? If there is, I still don't know why, and if it influences something. To be honest, I know very little of what changes the fusion with Mew DNA caused in my body. It is quite scary that there might be some strange power or backlash, but also quite exciting. Well, there is nothing I can do about that now, I guess only time will tell.
After putting some clean clothes on, I thought of what's our plan today. Yesterday I spent the day training and preparing for the gym. I plan on using Milo and Kayda again, as the other members are still unable to fight. Kayda will fit right into the pool, but Milo worries me a little. There will be only some platforms for him to stand, and he himself isn't very excited for the battle after I told him he would battle on a water field. I swear I think he already evolved into a Flareon or something in the way he completely despises water. I'm really giving it a thought, if it would be better to challenge the other gyms first, and come back later to this one later, with a more suitable team. But that would be quite troublesome, and getting in the way of the plan and the order in which I will get the badges. Although, as I said before, there isn't a right order indicated by the league, so I'm free to go through it inthe order I prefer.
Softly shaking Milo and Zion awake for breakfast, I released Kayda from her pokeball and put Rapier carefully inside my bag. We all went downstairs after getting everything back in my bag, which wasn't much, and went to the cafeteria that is almost empty as it is still very early.
After eating, I feel much more ready to face the day. This is supposed to be the day Ash gets to Celadon so I guess I will do some warmup before challenging the gym first. I hope the sensational sisters aren't as bad, as they were in the anime, but my instincts tell me otherwise. Well, I will think about something when I challenge them.
"So what are we doing today?" Milo asks me, interrupting my thoughts, "Can we do something that doesn't involve water? I'm sick of being wet!" He exclaimed hopefully.
I smiled softly in amusement "Sorry buddy, but I promise this will be the last time for a while." He saddens but gets a determined face as I finish, "I plan on challenging the gym. So if we win, we can leave this city."
He nods animated. Chuckling, I walk to the open space behind the Pokemon centre, with Milo walking alongside me, Zion in my arms, already sleeping again, while Kayda takes the spot on my head. Yesterday, we mostly trained on how to battle on a pool like a battleground that the gym will have. I have to admit that it is harder than I thought, but I think I became good enough to win a second badge difficulty gym battle at Cerulean Gym. Milo also ended up leaning Covet, which is actually pretty useful and is stronger than Tackle and Quick Attack.
After we did some exercises, with me joining up to run some laps and trying to convince Zion to participate in the activities with us, we headed towards the gym. The structure, like in the anime is very eye-catching, a little too much in my opinion, with the ceiling being painted with stripes of pink and yellow. Although, I like the Dewgong image on the front, as I've always liked Dewgong. Maybe one day I could catch my own?
Looking at my watch,I see that the gym should already be open for about 10 minutes or so. Taking a deep breath, I softly grab Milos's pokeball for comfort before entering the double glass doors from the gym. There isn't anyone on the front desk, but after looking around, I see a small sign pointing the way towards the pool that is used for the battles. I have to point out that the hallway is quite impressive, with glass walls showing a big aquarium full of corals and water type Pokemon. My walk ended at a big stadium with a pool at the bottom, I can't see, but if I'm not mistaken,the pool is connected with the aquarium, which is cool. But I wonder how they deal with electric attacks, won't they electrocute all the Pokemon, the ones at the aquarium included?
I put my questions aside as I spotted the three sisters in swimwear practicing with a Seel, Seaking, and some Goldeen. I already dread how this discussion will go. Yesterday night I spent quite some time thinking on how I should try to convince them to battle me, and the only plan I came up with is to try to be friendly and discuss a solution that follows the rules and satisfies both parties, but if it fails, threaten them with laws that I spend two sleepless nights memorizing. I was quite surprised that the gym is actually still standing, considering how important and enforced are the laws they broke. I think, they only started to give out badges for free after Misty left, which was two or so weeks ago, if I'm not mistaken, but if they continue like this, it's only a matter of time before someone reports them and the gym is closed.
"Hey, you three!" I call out to them, while going down the stairs. They seemed a little surprised by my appearance, but quickly recovered.
"Sorry, if you want an interview you have to, like, call our manager", said the pink-haired sister. If my memory's right, her name is Lily, with the blond-haired one being the oldest, Daisy, and the last one with the indigo hair being Violet.
"Oh no, I don't want an interview, I want a gym battle for my second badge," I told them. As expected their entire demeanor seemed to change and Violet came forward.
"You see, we just got beaten three times by kids from this nowhere place called Pallet Town", she said, while putting her hands on her head and letting out a groan. "So we are, like, not battling anyone today, come another time."
"But the gym just opened ten minutes ago. They obviously challenged you all yesterday, so there is no reason for you to refuse my challenge." I stubbornly said, refusing to leave. They didn't seem to like that, as they shared a look.
"You came here for a badge right?", Daisy asked, while clapping her hands. Seel jumped out of the water and opened its mouth revealing a water drop shaped badge, "Here, you can have it." She extended her hand and offered me the badge.
"Sorry, but I can't accept your badge without a battle. And, my Pokemon trained hard for this battle, and I would be disrespecting their effort by simply taking it without proving myself." I explained seriously. "And offering the badge is against the league rules." Their faces contorted into frowns, as I finished.
"Look, kid, no one will know, and I'm sure your Pokemon won't mind." Her smile seemed more forced as she tried to shove the badge closer to my face. This is getting annoying, and it isn't going anywhere. Should I start to threaten them?
"I'm pretty sure they would. Kayda is really excited to fight in the water, against water type Pokemon trained by specialists on the field", I stated much to their annoyance.
They groaned before they seemed to give up. "Alright I will battle you", Violet stated as she moved toward her platform on her side of the field.
Internally grinning, I quickly ran to my platform and picked Milo's pokeball from my belt. The first battle will be the more difficult in my opinion, with Milo being at a disadvantage against whatever Pokemon she chooses, but Kayda's battle may actually be more draining as I never battled against someone with our Pokemon below water.
"This is a match between the gym leader Violet Waterflower and Aaron Pine from Celadon City." Daisy said from the sidelines, "Both trainers will use two Pokemon, but only the challenger is allowed to substitute their Pokemon during the battle. Begin!" She exclaimed as both of us released our Pokemon.
"Milo, battle stance", I shouted, while throwing his Pokeball. He let out a confident cry, but his face turned into a scowl at seeing the pool around him. Looking at my opponent, I see that she chose a Marill. This is quite unexpected, but also very understandable, if you think about it. Why did I expect all the Pokemons in the gym to be from Kanto? This world I'm living in is much more real than the anime, that didn't have the other regions at the time. So, it's obvious that the gym leaders are going to catch and trade Pokemon from other regions.
"Marill, Bubblebeam," Violet commanded from her side of the pool. Marill, who is floating on one of the platforms, releases a spray of bubbles against Milo.
"Milo, use Quick Attack to avoid them, and then hit Marill with Covet." Milo doesn't need any more encouragement as he quickly jumps away avoiding the bubbles. It seems the training with Kayda really paid off as the bubbles aren't nearly as fast or precise as Kayda's Water Gun. Jumping between the floating platforms, Milo easily decreased the distance between him and Marill, his movements looking almost like a dance, as he jumped and avoided the bubbles flying in his direction.
"Marill, Tackle quick!", Violet commanded, when Milo passed the barrage of bubbles. The two Pokemons collided with their respective moves in a battle of strength. I'm shocked, when Milo's Covet didn't immediately overpower Marill's Tackle. Not only did Covet do more damage, but Milo also had much more kinetic force from running. Shit, is Marill's ability Huge Power? Huge Power doubles the Pokemon Attack stat, which leaves Milo definitely at a disadvantage in close combat.
"Milo, Bite!" With a fast movement, Milo jumps behind Marill and sinks his dark glowing fangs on its head. Marill let out a pained cry and tried to shake Milo off with little success. I guess having its body shaped like a ball didn't help.
"Marill dive in the water!" Violet orders the pained Pokemon. This is quite the intelligent move, as Milo can't breathe underwater, and would naturally be at great disadvantage.
"Milo, let go." Marill jumps into the waters of the pool, leaving Milo alone on the floating platform. It is at times like this that I wish Milo knew how to perform Double Team, it would be easy to confuse Marill with a move like that. "Milo, keep calm. When Marill jumps out of the water use stars." Again I'm not using the attack names in hope that my opponent isn't able to predict and counter my plans. I should really set up some coded names for certain strategies or movements, something only me and my Pokemon will understand, so I can have an advantage in the battle.
"Marill, Water Gun." Violet finally gets tired of waiting and decides to make a move. Marill emerges from underwater and fires a spray of pressurized water against Milo. But he is already expecting that and jumps up while waving his tail, releasing a Swift attack. "Marill!" Violet cries out as multiple stars directly hit Marill.
"Yeah, Milo! Now use Double Kick." Not wasting any time, Milo springs to action and jumps into the prior hurt Pokemon.
"Marill, Water Gun, quick!" Violet shouts to her Pokemon. Marill recovers after that I thought possible and releases a spray of water that hits the unexpecting Milo straight on his chest. Milo is tossed into the air with his air squeezed out of his lungs and he lets out a pain-filled cry that makes my heart ache.
"Milo, I believe in you, use Swift!" Still in the air, Milo tries to steadily maneuver himself before swinging his tail, bringing a group of bright yellow stars against Marill. The blue round rat is thrown out of the pool and stays down with swirling eyes.
"Marill is unable to battle, Aaron, wins," Daisy says while looking at me impressed. Great, the first battle is over, now Kayda only needs to win the next one and we are set.
"Yeah Milo,you did it," I scream in glee at my little fluff ball that was able to swim back on toone of the platforms after he landed on the water. Soaked, and letting ragged breaths, he still puffed up his chest and smiled proudly.
Chuckling, I return him to his Pokeball, while still praising the small fox. Looking towards Violet, I see that she is returning her fainted Pokemon with a frown. Pocketing her Pokeball, she took another one from her purse and stood on her station with a more cautious gaze.
"I underestimated you in the last battle, don't think you'll be so lucky again." She proclaimed, as she released a Poliwhirl on the water.
I smirked, "But now you won't have the advantage of the terrain." I threw Kayda's pokeball "Kayda, battle stance." She emerged inside the water and let out a challenging cry.
"A Horsea!" Lily exclaimed in surprise, "And it looks very well trained too." I can't help, but feel pride, with a water expert like the sensational sister praising my Pokemon. They may not care about gym matches but they still are incredible water type Pokemon specialists.
"Kayda, let's show them what we got. Use Bubblebeam." Kayda released various bubbles spread in a wide range. Almost all of Kayda's attacks are water type, which is very ineffective against Poliwhirl, or completely useless, if he has Water Absorb. So I'm almost depending on Twister to win this match.
"Poliwhirl, use Water Gun." Well, to my relief it seems that its ability is not Water Absorb, as Poliwhirl shot pressured water on the bubbles that get too close.
"Kayda, now! Twister." I shouted as Kayda as planned before, sneaked close to Poliwhirl, while it was focused on the bubbles from Bubblebeam, and released a Twister underwater creating a bastard weakened version of Whirlpool.
"No, Poliwhirl!" Violet cried out, "Get out of there and use Double Slap." I'm surprised when Poliwhirl is able to stabilize itself and get out of Twister, and sadly the enemy didn't waste my moment of shock, giving time to Poliwhirl to hit Kayda. "One more time, Poliwhirl."
Not on my watch, "Kayda, Smokescreen." Something I noticed while training, is that Kayda's Smokescreen attack is considerably more effective underwater since it is made out of black ink. "Kayda hit it with Water Gun from all sides," I commanded after the pool water became impossible to see through. While it is weaker used beneath the surface, Water Gun can cause quite the damage, if hit in the right spots. And with Poliwhirl not knowing from where the attack will come, it can't protect these places.
Looking a little distressed, Violet called out after a couple of minutes of sounds of the underwater battle between the two Pokemon. "Poliwhirl, get out of the water!"
I smirk as my plan comes to fruition, "Kayda, use Twister again." Now unprotected and unexpecting, Poliwhirl is sucked into another small whirlpool created by Kayda. Violet let out a surprised yelp, but did not give up.
"Poliwhirl get Ice Beam!" With its last strength, Poliwhirl releases a cold beam that hits the already panting Kayda before fainting.
We both watched silently as the two Pokemon have been knocked out. The whirlpool calms down and both of us return our respective Pokemons for a good rest.
"Poliwhirl and Horsea are unable to battle. Since the challenger still has one Pokemon, the victory goes to Aaron Pine!" Daisy announces from her place as a referee. I smile widely, I did it! Now only six more gyms to go. As I descend from the trainer platform, I notice how wet my legs and shorts are from all the water that splashed on me. I swear, I almost didn't notice anything during the match.
"That was an incredible match, Aaron." Daisy says impressed, as I walk to them. She seems to be looking at me with a calculative gaze that makes me feel slightly uncomfortable, "You trained that Horsea really well."
Violet extended her hand to me containing the Cascade Badge, "Here, will you accept it now?", she asked.
Smiling, I picked the badge and put it in front of my eyes to have a better look at it. It is quite a simple design, but intriguing all the same. I wonder what badges are made of? I think there is an episode about that, maybe I should check it out.
"Thanks," I say as I put the badge securely on my badge case. Opening my bag, I withdrew two Oran Berries and offered them to Violet, "take these, for Marill and Poliwhirl." She looked surprised, but took the two berries with some hesitation.
"I'll make sure to, like, feed them these." Violet gave me a small smile. I'm about to leave, when she looks like she just got an idea, and she gets a small piece of paper from her back pocket and offers it to me. "This is a ticket for our show today in the afternoon, make sure to watch." Did she give me one of her tickets? I wasn't expecting that, but why not? After I gave a quick look around the web here, I discovered that Pokemon Contests are just starting to become popular recently, and only in some regions. One thing I can say for sure is that Kanto is not one of these regions, so it will be interesting to see some kind of artistic performance.
"Whoa, t-thanks." I grab the ticket and put it inside one of the side pockets of my bag. "I'll make sure to watch."
After that, we said our goodbyes and I headed to the Pokemon centre to heal my exhausted and injured Pokemon. I'm quite satisfied with how my visit to the gym went and I'm a little excited to see the show the sensational sisters will do. Also, if I'm not wrong, which I doubt I am, Ash will appear at the gym for his match at the ending of the show. I guess, I want to ask Brock some questions on Pokemon care, as he probably already studied more of the topic than I. Even if he couldn't leave his home, that still is his dream.
"Aaron Pine, please come to the front desk to retrieve your Pokemon." The voice of nurse Joy sounded on the speakers. Humming in though, I got up from my seat and headed towards the front desk, still thinking of what to do from now on.
The rays of sun feel really good on my skin, as I and my Team relax, lying down on the grass of a small hill. I can't help but feel slightly sleepy with the calming sound of water running on a rocky stream near our resting place. The warmth and sound, making an atmosphere that almost seems to create an intoxicating feeling of comfort and calmness, I snicker silently, as I imagine myself in one of those zen movies.
Since we won the gym, I decided that it would be nice, if we spent the rest of the morning relaxing having some time to have fun together. All my Pokemons are out with most of them sleeping near me, with the exception of Kayda, who is resting inside the calm stream. Having a simple, but a refreshing moment like this is very nice and invigorating. Just forgetting all my worries and simply appreciating the refreshing breeze and warm sun.
I wonder what I should exactly do from here. Going with Ash for a while sounds nice since there are quite a lot of interesting events that happen between Cerulean and Vermilion City. But when we get to the S.S. Anne I'm bailing out. I doubt that the ship will follow the events of the game, where I will meet my current non-existent rival, before the captain contributes to global warming teaching one more kid how to cut down trees. Sorry, but I did enough drowning for a while.
Slightly opening my eyes, I observe the fluffy clouds moving in the sky. Another problem is Zion, I have to find a way to convince him to train asap. I'm really not counting my chances that the strategy where I throw him first in a battle, to return him and finish the opponent with another Pokemon will work here. For Zion to get stronger, he must make an effort himself. I just need to find something that incentivizes him enough for him to train. But what? Maybe some kind of food? I don't know, but there must be something, I can do to make this lazy fox to train.
I sigh, as I shift into a more comfortable position, how troublesome. I guess I'll start trying, when we go out on the road, who knows what could happen. Having a Pokemon that can use Teleport sounds very helpful in any dangerous situation that we might encounter.
Well, this isn't the time to be worrying. Closing my eyes, I feel the soft grass caress my sides, and hear the soft sounds of nature. It's not long before I feel myself being pulled into unconsciousness.
While walking towards the Cerulean Gym for the sensational sisters' show, I softly scratch behind Milo's ear, earning me purs from him. After I woke up from my nap near midday, I went to eat lunch and play some games with my team to pass the time until the show started. I showed them some card games, and I ended up discovering that Kayda is a fearful opponent in Memory, while Milo seems to lack talent in that area. But that is nothing compared to chess. I fear the world might be in danger, if Kayda is unleashed upon chess communities. Apparently, she already knew the game and quite enjoyed it. I find it funny how the game works the same way with the same pieces, but now they are made looking like Pokemon.
Anyway, it is finally time and the show will start in about ten minutes. Milo is relatively excited, but the one who really wants to see it, is Kayda. I smile softly, before we walk through the glass doors that we passed earlier this morning, but now with a lot of people around us. I head towards the reception where we must show a ticket to pass. The security is really lax, but I guess there isn't much of a need for security, when you yourself are a gym leader with powerful Pokemon to defend the building.
"Hello, I came here for the sensational sisters show," I say to the men behind the service desk. He looks at me with something resembling boredom, as I give him my ticket. He takes the ticket, but as soon as he sees it, his eyes widen in surprise and shock, and he gives me a second look. "Is something wrong?" I ask worried. Did the sisters give me a fake ticket?
He quickly shakes his head, "No, no, no, please follow me." He comes out from behind his desk before walking into a different walkway than everyone else is going. I'm a little hesitant with the men's strange behavior, but end up following him.
The hallway like the other one has a big glass wall, displaying the aquarium, but as we continue the man guides me through a set of stairs. I don't remember the gym having a second floor, well, but I guess I know really little about the gym overall. We continued on a new hallway, until the man stopped in front of a door.
"Here, it is sir." Sir? Well, whatever. I entered the room and he closed the door behind me.
I'm shocked. When the sisters gave me a ticket, I didn't expect it to be some kind of VIP ticket or something. But here I am. The room I'm in has a big glass window showing the show from a higher view, a nice couch, and potted plants decorating the corners of the room. I let everyone out and we all squeeze ourselves on the couch, which is very soft and nice to the touch.
We don't have to wait much for the show to start. The lights are turned off and big spotlights start, making the pool the only place with light. I watch amazed as Violet, Daisy, and Lily dance while swimming with their Pokemon. The anime really didn't do justice. I'm unable to look away as they dive and throw water in the air, creating small rainbows and sparkles of light. I can feel Milo's tail animatedly waging at my side, as he watched with awe. I think I now understand why the sisters don't like battling as much as their shows. It's obvious where their real talent lies.
I can't help but feel disappointed, when the show ended. I feel like this presentation is a great inspiration if one day I decide to try contests. Getting up, I returned Rapier and Zion back to their pokeballs and left the VIP room with Kayda on my head and Milo walking alongside me.
Right now, Ash must be challenging the gym leaders for a badge, I hummed in thought. Passing the hallways, I walk leisurely in the direction of the pool, since I plan on accompanying him for a while. So,why not watch his battle? But I doubt it will be any different from the anime, I didn't do enough to change the results of this battle.
I'm just nearing the pool, when I hear Misty scream. This must be the moment Misty shows up when Ash is about to accept the badge. My thoughts turn out to be true, when I enter the stadium to see Misty and her sisters arguing. I slowly walk down the stairs and stop at Ash's side watching the girls scream at each other.
"Alright Ash, are you ready to battle?", Misty asked Ash angrily. Not liking to be ignored anymore, I gave a wave to the three sisters.
"Hey, Lily, Violet, Daisy, I loved your show, it was very nice." Ash let out a girly scream and jumped to the side shocked at my sudden appearance. I'm surprised he didn't notice me earlier, since I was standing literally at his side for quite a while. "It's nice to see you two again, Misty, Ash."
"Aaron! What are you doing here?!" Ash asked flabbergasted. I gave him a look clearly pointing out that his question was extremely dumb.
"I said that I was going to Cerulean City for my next badge, didn't Misty tell you?" He smiled sheepishly and scratched behind his head.
"Sorry, I forgot." I mentally face palm at Ash's stupidity. I hope with all my being that my presence makes him less of an airhead, but I don't dare to have high hopes.
"Aaron, you didn't accept the badge without a battle, did you?" Misty asked me suspiciously.
Understandable, I guess. "No, I was able to convince them to have a battle with me this morning," I said while showing her the Cascade Badge in my badge case. She let out a sigh of relief, and the sisters decided to intervene at that moment.
"Yes, and he used his Horsea." Violet said, while pointing to Kayda on my head, who looked proud, "It was quite impressive." I felt my cheeks heat at the compliment.
"But you were good as well." I pointed out, "And you three did really well in your show as well."
Ash seemed to get impatient and shouted, "Can I have my battle now?!" Pikachu lit his electric pouches in agreement. Like trainers, like Pokemon I guess.
Violet, Daisy, Lily, and I sat at the stands to watch Misty and Ash's match. Ah, just remember that the Team Rocket gang following Ash will show up, I don't think I should intervene. Maybe with Kayda? I don't want them to start following me to capture Milo. But I also don't want Ash getting his badge without at least beating Misty.
I'm brought out of my thoughts with Team Rocket breaking in with their giant vacuum. There was no point in watching Ash's battle, as I already know how it is going to happen. Anyway, the trio appeared and started their motto, again…
"Sorry to break in on you ladies~" Jessie started.
"Allow us to introduce ourselves," "To protect the worl-"
"Why do you three have to repeat these lines every time?!" I exclaimed irritated, successfully interrupting them.
"You, like, know these guys, Aaron?" Lily asked, surprised.
"They are Team Rocket, a group of bad guys that steal Pokemon," Ash explained, before I could say anything.
"Thanks for the compliment, brat," Jessie said with an evil smile.
"The water Pokemon have the advantage," James started.
"But if we steal that water away," Jessie continued.
"The Pokemon are ours for the taking!" James finished.
"And Meowth knows just how to do it", Meowth proclaimed, while pressing a button on a remote controller. The giant vacuum released a big tube that fell into the pool and started sucking the water. While the others let out gasps of surprise, I quickly reacted by calling out to Kayda.
"Kayda, blast them with Twister!" My small seahorse jumped from my head and released the dragon type move. The winds piqued up with the small hurricane, the vacuum started shaking, throwing Jessie, James and Meowth around.
"What do you think you're doing, brat!" Jessie exclaimed, furious.
"Ash hit them with Thundershock, Gust, or something," I said trying to snap him out of his moment of realization that it was Team Rocket, who stole the giant vacuum from the store he passed earlier.
"Pikachu, use Thundershock, Pidgeotto, Gust!" Thankfully he heard me and commanded his Pokemon to attack.
"Milo, use Swift." Milo, who before was just watching warily, sent a group of yellow stars at the trio. The three moves hit Jessie, James, and Meowth, creating a small explosion and launching them into the air.
"Team Rocket is flying off again!" They all screamed before disappearing.
"Huh, I guess we better call the police now." All of them looked at me like I have two heads before Daisy piqued her phone and called for the cops.
It didn't take long for officer Jenny to appear. Since the culprits escaped, we were forced to go through some interrogation. It is mostly boring stuff, but is a little nerve-wracking. Thankfully most of the questions were asked to the gym leaders and there wasn't much I had to do. It wasn't long before the cops had finished their work and left.
"It seems that we won't be able to finish our battle, Ash," Misty said, saddened. Oh no, don't tell me he's going to-
"I think he proved himself when he defeated those thieves." Daisy proclaimed, "You earned the Cascade Badge." Yes, he did end up gaining the badge for free after all. I really think this is a plot from the sisters to not have to battle him again.
"What?! But he didn't win the battle." Misty exclaimed, flabbergasted. She obviously didn't want people to think that she lost the match.
"Yeah but, like, he helped in defeating those thieves." Lily joined in, "I doubt you can win with your water type Pokemon against him using his Pikachu." Ash looked very happy at the prospect of being given the badge. If only he could see that it's just a plot from the sisters trying to get rid of him.
"Jeez, thanks!", he cheerfully exclaimed. "I'll take it."
"Yeah!", Pikachu agreed from Ash's side.
"Humpf, I'll allow it", Misty said, before turning to her sisters glaring, "but if I hear anything more of you three giving away free badges, I'll personally come here. I don't want you three closing our father's gym"
A pained look passed on the sensational sisters, but it went away so quickly that I almost think, I imagined it. "Don't worry Misty. You can go out there trying to be a Pokemon trainer. You might as well be, like, good at something. Cause you'll never be stars like us."
"Hey!", she exclaimed, indignantly. "Keep up with that and I'll make you see stars!"
"Chill out Misty, you know we love you," Daisy said.
I chuckled "Goodbye you three. I hope I can watch your show again sometime." They turned to me and smiled.
"Ah, if only you were some years older." Violet sighted, while I looked confused at her not understanding what she meant by that.
"What do you mean?", I asked and the sisters looked amused for some reason.
"With a cute face like that now, you are bound to become handsome in the future", she proclaimed. My face got hot and I glared at her.
"I'm not cute!", I exclaimed indignantly while NOT pouting.
"Ash, hey man." I heard from behind us and turned to see Brock running in our direction. Ah, thanks Arceus for changing the subject.
"Hey, Brocko", Ash called out. Seriously? It makes no sense, why make a nickname that only makes the name longer and harder to pronounce?
"How did it go?", he asked Ash, who shewed him the Cascade Badge. After giving a nod, he seemed to notice my presence and smiled. "Aaron, I wasn't expecting to see you again so soon."
"Well, and I wasn't expecting to see you out of your gym." I must make this conversation as quickly as possible. The truth is that I'm a terrible liar, every time I lie, I get nervous, my ears turn red and I get fidgety. It would be hilarious, if it wasn't for the fact that it is me who has these habits.
"True, it's because my real dream is to become a Pokemon breeder, but since I had so many siblings to take care, I never could try to accomplish it. But after Ash here defeated me, my missing father appeared and now he is taking care of the gym", he explained. Not that I didn't know, but he couldn't know that.
"Nice, I am learning some things about taking care of my Pokemon as well. I'm starting with food, since it is mostly recipes and knowledge found in books." I said, excited to talk about something I enjoyed, "Maybe since we will be journeying together for a while, you could help me a little." Brock seemed to like the idea and agreed.
We decided to leave Cerulean City tomorrow morning since it is already late, and we all preferred sleeping in beds than camping. Misty and Ash went to eat something for dinner, as Ash would stop complaining about his stomach, and I and Brock went together to buy supplies. Ash's group on the cannon would probably starve without Brock to take care of them. We all know Ash has zero responsibility, and Misty would probably bring food for only for a week maximum.
Have I already talked about how amazing Cerulean Marketplace is? And even better, when your partner knows what he is doing, as I and Milo have about zero experience in going shopping. Last time I just followed my instincts and did what people do in movies. I probably was extremely lucky that it went well as it did. Anyway, Brock has experience in traveling and knows approximately how much food and ingredients to buy. The last routes I took were a maximum one week journey, but the distance between Cerulean and Vermillion takes the average trainer two or so weeks. Also, Brock is super nice and teaches me while we shop. This knowledge will be life-saving, when I leave the group.
I'm just looking around, when Milo taps my leg to get my attention. Glancing down at him, he gives me puppy eyes, which sadly are super effective against me.
"Can we buy this. Pleaseee", he says softly. Looking at what he is pointing at, I see a brush on display. Hum, well why not? I'm already planning on buying one, so I guess there is no problem. And, I still have a safe quantity of money left. It was a nice sum I got from capturing that Team Rocket grunt.
"Brock, wait a moment. I'll just quickly buy a brush." Brock nodded to me, clearly not paying much attention, as he is currently making calculations in his head about the quantity of bread, we will need.
Entering the store, I see that it sells a variety of products focused on Pokemon health and care, with its shelves displaying multiple types of brushes and other things. There were even some shampoos specially made for Pokemon. The man behind the front desk seems to be friendly enough, so I approached calmly.
"Hello, I'm looking for brushes for my Pokemon." The men glanced up from the book he's reading.
"Would you like something specific?", he asked. His voice is raspy and he speaks slowly, almost as if he is thinking over every word before he talks.
"Not really, something simple and multi-use would be enough. Something that could be used for different types of Pokemon." He seems to think it through, before getting something from below the desk and putting it in front of me. A package with three different brushes of different sizes and forms.
"This is a kit with three different brushes, it comes with one for Pokemon with short fur, one for Pokemon with more fur, and one for Pokemon with scales.", the man explained. That sounds good, I guess. I'm no specialist when it comes to brushes or animal care, so I can't say.
"I'll take it", I say, before paying for the product and leaving the store.
"Thanks, Aaron!" Milo exclaimed happily, while walking by my side with his tail wagging enthusiastically, showing his emotions clear enough.
Outside, we found Brock finishing to buy the bread and we joined him as we continued to buy all the supplies, we would need. Now that I think about it, would I be able to convince Zion to train with us for a brushing? I should test it out later. He does like relaxing activities and food doesn't seem to be working.
Aaron gets his second badge, hurray! I was seriously thinking of making the sensational sister very unlikeable, with Aaron arguing with them, to then have a battle and then they would dislike each other, but I think it's better like this. Anyway, thanks again for the reviews and I hope you all have a good week.