Sorry about the wait guys. This chapter took much longer than I thought it would and I got stuck multiple times on several different parts.
I'm also not exactly happy with some parts but I preferred to just get it out there and over with.
Funnily enough I found the drive to finish this when I should have been studying for uni exams. Hopefully when they're done I'll start pushing out chapters very quickly.
Also, as an Australian I'll be using 'tomato sauce' instead of 'ketchup'.
The Goal of Masters
Chapter Two
A Girl and Her Gible
"Someone tried to rob the Viridian Pokémon Centre?" exclaimed one of the young trainers excitedly as Ash and Misty walked into the Cerulean Pokémon Centre.
"Yea, about a week ago," replied one of his friends. "Apparently they managed to get off with most of the Pokéballs there before running into Officer Jenny – quite literally – at the end of the street and wetting themselves in fear at her Arcanine, leaving the Pokéballs behind."
"Arceus, those Team Rocket guys sound pathetic," laughed a girl.
"I heard someone say that their Meowth talked," chimed in another.
"Yea right, that's a laugh."
Ash and Misty took a glance at the group discussing the failings of Team Rocket as both their eyebrows connected.
"That would have been when I was supposed to arrive in Viridian City," said Ash as they waited in line to gain the services of Nurse Joy, Pikachu on his shoulder and Ruby currently transformed into a Pichu because apparently in this form she has more success burying herself into his jacket to hide from all of the people.
"Hmm, it's odd," said Misty. "Team Rocket is supposed to be really ruthless; that screw-up must be really bad for their image – everyone is laughing at them."
"Hello, Misty," said Nurse Joy as they reached the front of the queue. "I haven't seen you around for a while."
"Hi, Nurse Joy," greeted Misty distractedly. "I only just back to Cerulean City half an hour ago; I've been away for a while."
Ash was still slightly put out by Misty keeping her status as Gym Leader a secret; she still hadn't explained why either but did offer to let him use the spare room at the gym instead of staying at the Pokémon Centre.
"So how may I help you then?" asked the nurse.
"My Pokémon need a check-up; we've been away from civilisation for a while and I think it's about time they got one. Ash?"
"Oh yea," he replied, realising Misty was speaking to him as he watched the comings and goings of the Pokémon centre. "Professor Oak said I should get you to check over Ruby – one of my Pokémon, Nurse Joy. He said you had better diagnostics equipment in case there is anything he missed when he treated her."
"It's probably best Ash goes in with you," added Misty because Ash seemed to have forgotten or maybe he didn't understand that standard procedure was to simply give Nurse Joy your Pokéballs and wait. "She doesn't handle other people very well and he needs to explain a few things."
Nurse Joy nodded, led them to one of the private rooms and waited for an explanation.
"You can transform back now, Ruby," said Ash quietly to the tiny Pichu in his arms.
Ruby slowly transformed back from the tiny yellow and black mouse-like Pokémon and into the pink and more feline Mew she was. She then stoped burying her head in Ash's jacket and looked around to find the area considerably more person and Pokémon free.
"Mew?" she asked.
"We're in the Pokémon Centre, Ruby," said Ash. "Nurse Joy just needs to look you over – don't worry she'll be nicer than the Professor."
Ruby relaxed slightly at Ash's assurances though was still visibly tense about encountering a new person.
"Is she what I think she is?" asked Nurse Joy visibly shocked.
"Yea, she's a Mew," said Ash. "I found her very injured and being attacked by a group of Spearow. Because of that she doesn't seem to react well to other people or Pokémon very well."
"Traumatic events unfortunately do that," replied Nurse Joy sadly. "I take it she doesn't like her Pokéball either, does she? That would make it easier to treat her but if she doesn't like being inside one…"
"Yea, she doesn't," replied Ash. "Bad habit she picked up from Pikachu."
Pikachu wasn't sorry about that; he hated being inside a Pokéball, so he wasn't going to feel bad if another Pokémon hated being inside them too.
"Can you place her over here?" asked Nurse Joy as she directed to some sort of medical scanner.
The scans weren't difficult and before long Ruby was declared perfectly healthy except for some malnutrition.
"Yea, the Professor gave me some medicine for her for that," said Ash when asked.
"How long is there left on the prescription?"
Ash pulled the pill bottle out of his pocket and took a peek inside.
"Maybe three days?" he said after counting.
"She'll need to stay on those for longer," replied Nurse Joy. "I'll give you another week's worth then I want you to come into a Pokémon Centre again and we'll see if it needs to be continued. She will also need to eat plenty of food."
o0o0o0o
"You're a fucking embarrassment to the organisation," shouted the irate voice of Giovanni through the mobile phone. "I've had countless reports through my desk this week of people laughing when other Rockets have tried to rob them. The story of the 'Pissing Rockets' has spread like fucking wildfire."
The three – Jessie, James and a talking Meowth – gulped audibly at this; the boss as seen people 'sleeping with the Magikarp' – so to speak – for less.
"Sorry, Bo –" the Meowth tried to apologise before being cut off by Giovanni.
"Shut your fucking mouth!" he shouted in rage before continuing in a deadly voice. "From now on the only time you'll even think about robbing another trainer is when you find a ten year old walking a deserted road alone; I would hope even you wouldn't fuck that up and embarrass the organisation again. From now on you three are assigned to reconnaissance duty; when you find a trainer carrying something worth stealing you report back immediately and I'll send someone actually competent to retrieve it. You will do nothing else!"
"Y-yes, Sir!" the three chimed before their boss, Giovanni – leader of Kanto's most ruthless organised crime syndicate – hung up.
Their attention no longer solely focussed on the phone in Meowth's paws, the three looked at each other and saw how pale they were – or in Meowth's case how pale he would be if he wasn't covered in fur – from fright; the boss was scary.
"What are we going to do?" stuttered out Jessie.
"What da' Boss said," replied Meowth immediately. "I'm pretty good as this surveillin' and spyin' stuff anyway."
"We could run…" trailed of James as he got cold feet.
"There's nowhere we can go the Boss wouldn't find us," said Jessie.
"So I guess we are doing what the Boss ordered?"
"Of course," said Meowth as if it was obvious.
o0o0o0o
Despite having offered Ash a place to stay and Ash's eagerness to get on with a gym battle, Misty was clearly hesitant to go to the Cerulean City Gym straight away. Instead, she tried to show Ash the sights of Cerulean City.
"Oh – Hello, Professor," they said, running into Professor Oak in a café.
The Professor, after dropping the pair off at the Pokémon Centre had driven off to find the hotel he would be staying in for the next few days for the conference.
"Hello, you two," replied the Professor. "How did the check-up go?"
"Fine, Ruby just needed more of those nutrition pills," replied Ash.
"That's good to hear," the Professor Commented. "I was just reading the conference schedule; there is something that might interest you."
Ash took the offered sheet of paper and read.
The Significance of Mew in Ancient Kanto Culture
"Someone's presenting a paper on Mew at the conference?" asked Misty as she read the schedule over Ash's shoulder.
"Well, it not really on Mew," he replied, referring to how he thought a paper actually on Mew would be about its biology. "More on how cultures worshiped and perceived Mew."
"That might be interesting," said Ash. "Are we able to see any of this?"
"I can probably sneak you in to see just that," replied the Professor as he thought. "Conferences are usually aimed at academics, not – well – young trainers. You would have to not disturb anyone and be on your best behaviour."
"I can do that, Professor," said Ash enthusiastically.
"I'd like to see it too, Professor," said Misty as she gave Ruby – who was back in the form of Pichu – a scratch.
"Pikachu?" asked Ash.
"Pika!" replied Pikachu as a yes.
"Very well; its tomorrow morning," said the Professor. "Now, when are you going to have your gym battle? I wouldn't mind watching."
Ash turned to Misty for an answer.
"What is up with that, Misty?" asked Ash when she didn't say anything.
"Uh," was all Misty said as she alternated between looking at the piercing gaze of the professor and the curious expression of Ash's face.
"Something wrong?" asked the Professor carefully.
Misty gave a sigh and dropped into a free chair.
"My sisters," she replied sadly. "My three older sisters are also gym leaders at our gym. They're terrible at battling and no interest or drive to actually run the gym."
"Oh," replied the Professor as he began to get a picture of why Misty had been previously hesitant to discuss it.
"They spent all their time doing makeup, complaining about how hard it is to a run a gym despite the fact that I practically run it – thought they would never admit that – and mocking my dream to be a water-type Master. Eventually I got fed up and left – and I may have said I wasn't coming back until I was a water Pokémon Master…"
"Saving face then?"
"Hmm, I guess," she replied. "I wouldn't be surprised if they're handing out the badges like candy; they always said they preferred to do shows."
"They could lose their gym status if they do that," said the Professor in thought.
"I was joking," replied Misty before realising it might just be the case. "I hope…"
"Well you should remind your sisters that they could lose their status as a gym and the subsequent funding if they don't smarten up their act."
"I'll try, Professor. But they might just use it as an excuse to be done with it."
"It would be a great loss, Misty," said the Professor with concern. "Your mother ran that gym for many years."
"She did," was all Misty got out.
A silence passed between the three for a few minutes before Ash broke it.
"Why don't we get meeting your sisters oven and done with?" suggested Ash cautiously.
o0o0o0o
"Daisy, Violet, Lily," greeted Misty curtly near the edge of the Cerulean Gym pool as Ash – who was carrying Ruby – and Pikachu trailed behind.
"The prodigal sister returns," proclaimed the blue haired sister sarcastically.
"Water master yet?" asked the sister with red hair.
Misty merely gave a glare in response.
"Are you going to introduce us?" asked the last – and apparently oldest looking – sister who possessed blond hair.
"Huh?" asked Misty as she momentarily forgot her anger. "Oh – Ash."
Misty grabbed Ash by the arm and dragged him to the forefront of the group.
"Ash Ketchum meet my sisters," said Misty.
"This is Daisy," she said as she pointed at the blond sister.
"That's Violet," she said again as she pointed at the blue haired sister.
"And that is Lily," she finished as she pointed at the sister with pink hair.
"So… he's your boyfriend?" asked Daisy.
"What?" replied Ash and Misty in unison. "No!"
"He's not my boyfriend, Daisy," said Misty with her hands on her hips.
"Right…" responded the sister sceptically.
"So have you been looking after the gym?" asked Misty forcefully, moving on.
"Well, yea, of course we have!" replied Violet.
"Like, we can't host our shows in a dump!" said Lily.
"Shows?" asked Misty with confusion. "What do you mean by shows?"
"Like, performances… plays, you uncouth little brat," replied Lily irritably.
Misty scowled at being called both uncouth and a little brat but she was more concerned about what they were talking about to be bothered by that right now.
"You've been using the gym to host shows?" she asked as she made the connections.
"Well, duh," replied Violet condescendingly.
"What about the gym, then?" demanded Misty. "Have you even been running the gym?"
"Well, like, we've been handing out badges and stuff," replied Lily.
"Yea… we've been doing gym stuff," continued Daisy with a slight nervousness which Misty immediately latched onto.
"Have you actually won any battles?"
"Well, no…" said Daisy with a hint of shame.
"How can you not win a single battle?" shouted Misty.
"Because we – like – just hand the badges out," said Lily nonchalantly eliciting a small wince from Daisy.
"You what?" screeched Misty. "You just handed them out?"
"Well, yea – It's not like we can beat them so what is the point?"
"Like only last week we were utterly creamed by some arrogant little brat from some backwater nowhere place called Pallet Town," said Lily as the flipped hair out of her face. "I'm like not going through that humiliation again."
Misty looked despairingly between Lily and Violet.
"Do you even care about the gym?" shouted Misty.
Ash could detect a bit of pain even through the shouting while Daisy actually looked guilty. Lily and Violet however didn't seem fazed by the comment.
"Well, not really, I – like – prefer doing shows instead," said Lily as Violet nodded.
Clearly this was the wrong thing to say.
"WHAT?"
"We prefer doing shows," said Violet unbothered by her youngest sister's distress.
"Daisy?" asked Misty quietly.
Daisy didn't respond for several seconds
"I admit I prefer doing shows," said Daisy carefully.
Misty's face fell as she – disheartened – turned around and left her sisters behind.
o0o0o0o
Without prompting, Ash and Pikachu followed Misty into the accommodation and living area of the Gym. Silently she led them upstairs.
"You can stay here, Ash," she said quietly as she indicated to a guest bedroom.
Misty didn't say anything else as she closed the door behind herself as she entered her own room.
"Uh – do you think we're supposed to do something, buddy?" asked Ash.
"Pi-ka," replied Pikachu with a shake of his head. He was pretty sure Ash would bungle any comforting up and just make the situation worse.
"Alright then," said Ash.
Ash opened the door to his provided room. Inside he found a simple room with a double bed, a TV and an outdated computer that he suspected didn't even have internet access. Everything looked like it hadn't been touched in a long time.
"Well," said Ash as he gazed around the room. "I guess it's better than what we'd get in a Pokémon Centre, right buddy?"
Pikachu responded in the affirmative as Ash dropped his bag on the bed before checking if there was anything he missed in the room.
"I guess we should get some training in," said Ash. "Never hurts to get some in before a battle."
Ash, Pikachu and Ruby – who was in Ash's arms and had fallen asleep – left the room before Ash nervously knocked on the door to Misty's room.
"Uh – Misty?" asked Ash to which Misty didn't respond so he continued anyway. "I'm going to go find somewhere to train."
Ash heard some mumbled words through the door so assuming she heard him he left down the stairs and passed the gym pool to shouts. Ever curious Ash poked his head around the bleachers to see the Blond sister – Daisy he remembered – actually shouting angrily at the two younger sisters. It being none of his business Ash moved on in search of a nice remote place that would enable him to train Ruby without any eavesdroppers.
o0o0o0o
Remembering the Professor's warnings Ash and Pikachu had to walk a good thirty minutes out of town and off the beaten track before they felt safe training Ruby openly. Ruby had woken back up during the walk and eventually Ash told her she could transform back upon which she started to fly around and curiously examine the clearing they had come to a stop in to train.
"Pidgeotto, come on out!" called Ash as he threw the Pokéball causing Pidgeotto to appear with a small flash of red light before landing gracefully on a nearby log awaiting orders.
So far the training for Ash's two main Pokémon had been quite simple; speed. Both Pikachu and Pidgeotto suffered the same problem that they weren't the most physically strong of Pokémon. A single good hit from a reasonably powerful Pokémon that had a type advantage over either of them would put them down for a battle. The solution to this was simple for a pair of naturally speedy Pokémon; don't get hit.
"Alright Pidgeotto," said Ash as he decided on what today's training would entail. "We've got plenty of trees here so focus on both your speed and high speed manoeuvrability."
Pidgeotto knew what to do and immediately got onto it; flying fast through the forest and navigating around trees very quickly the wake he made through the air would rustle leaves and branches as he passed.
Ash knew there was more to avoiding attacks than simple raw speed. A Pokémon who moved in a straight line very fast to counter a ranged attack could be counter-countered with some practice of hitting moving targets. However, when a target moved both at high speed and erratically they became almost impossible to hit. The purpose of flying fast through heavy forest was to teach that; if you can't change direction quickly you'll hit a tree.
Moving onto his main purpose though, he called Ruby over.
"Ruby, over here!" he asked causing her look in his direction before eagerly flying his way and landing on his shoulder.
"Mew!" she said happily, earning scratch behind the ears.
So far Ruby hadn't been in any battles. She had demonstrated a few moves for Professor Oak against debris like small trees and branches in one of the forests near Pallet Town but that was it. So Ash wanted to give her a simple mock battle to introduce the concept to her.
"You up to give a battle a go, Ruby?"
"Mew!" she replied as a yes.
"Alright then," he replied. "You'll be up against Pikachu. Can you go to the other side of the clearing for now?"
Ruby nodded before flying over to the other side of the makeshift battle field.
"You game, Pikachu?"
"Pi-ka!" he replied surely.
"Good," said Ash before adding more quietly. "Go nicely on her though; she is just a baby after all."
Pikachu gave a clear nod before readying himself for a fight. Satisfied that Pikachu could hold his own ground without direction he retreated to behind Ruby to direct her.
"Alright, Pikachu, you have first move," called Ash thinking it was best to get Ruby used to starting from a weaker defensive position rather than the position of attack.
With the go ahead Pikachu quickly charged a Thunderbolt – a Thunderbolt that looked significantly weaker than usual – and shot it at Ruby.
"Quick, move!" shouted Ash.
Instead of moving straight away however, she looked over her shoulder at Ash in confirmation – or possibly reassurance – before moving, and Ash immediately knew she wouldn't get out of the way in time as he watched in what felt like slow motion the Thunderbolt – which despite being weaker than normal would still probably hurt – fly towards Ruby… and miss; causing Ruby to give a startled jump.
Ash was puzzled for a few seconds there; Pikachu shouldn't have missed at that range. Before realising that Pikachu was taking 'go nicely' a bit more seriously that Ash thought he would.
"Ruby, Reflect Type!" ordered Ash causing Pikachu and Ruby to each give off a single blue pulse of light. "Now – Pound!"
At the same time as Ruby began to rapidly approach Pikachu to perform the attack, Pikachu charged another weak Thunderbolt and let it lose at Ruby. When it struck her she gave a noticeable wince but didn't stop moving due to the type resistance offered by Reflect Type. Quickly she approached engagement range and began to turn, whipping her tail around so she could use it to strike Pikachu.
Pikachu didn't move to dodge as he intended to let Ruby get a move in before giving her another Thunderbolt, possibly followed by either Double Team to confuse her or maybe quick attack just to give a bit of variety – and more experience – to Ruby; he didn't expect the match to last much longer than that.
However, just as the rapidly moving tail came into view he realised it was moving a lot quicker than expect and then he came to the realization that he probably should have moved before being struck in the side of the face by said tail; causing him to be lifted off his feet and fly several metres through the air and land on his already sore face.
Ruby immediately burst into tears and flew into Ash's arms while a bewildered – and slightly sore – Pikachu looked on. Ash was slightly stunned by the proceedings and it took several seconds for him to respond to Ruby's pleas for comfort.
"Uh – It's ok Ruby," said Ash unsure of why she was crying.
Pikachu however could understand why she was crying through to sobs as he quickly approached Ash who was still comforting Ruby.
"Pika-pi!" called Pikachu as he tried the gain the attention of Ruby.
Thankfully any bruises Pikachu had gained were covered up by his yellow fur and he didn't sustain any injuries that might cause a limp, so he could easily reassure Ruby that he was fine and that she hadn't done any damage.
Hearing Pikachu's call Ruby lifted her head from where she had been crying onto Ash and looked down at the – visibly – health Pikachu causing her to give a cry, fly out of Ash's arms and actually hug a surprised Pikachu. Pikachu returned the hug with an awkward pat on the back.
"Uh – do you want to continue?" asked an unsure Ash.
Ruby didn't reply and Pikachu gave a sad shake of the head.
"Alright then," said Ash with a hint of sadness.
Ash was just about to organise some individual training for Pikachu when they heard a crash and a screech in the forest.
o0o0o0o
Ash, Pikachu and Ruby were waiting in the Pokémon centre nervously for Nurse Joy to come out with – hopefully – good news.
While Ash, Pikachu and Ruby had been conducting their mock battle, Pidgeotto had been continuing his training. Whether it was because of exhaustion, complacency or just sheer dumb luck didn't really matter when Pidgeotto clipped a branch with his wing and crashed to the ground. Ash had then raced to the Pokémon centre to get Pidgeotto looked after.
Breaking the silence, the door to the infirmary opened.
"Nurse Joy!" called Ash. "Is Pidgeotto going to be ok?"
"Don't worry, Ash, he's going to be fine," said Nurse Joy reassuringly. "I want to keep him in the infirmary overnight though for observation."
Relieved but still a little shaken Ash nodded.
"Mind if we going in and say hi?" he asked.
"That won't be a problem, Ash," she replied with a smile.
Ash sent into the infirmary to find Pidgeotto asleep and under the influence of several types of medication, so he sat with Pidgeotto for a while and eventually left once he saw it getting late with the intention of returning tomorrow morning.
o0o0o0o
"Misty?" called Ash as he entered the living area of the Cerulean City Gym.
"Oh – Ash," said Misty from behind him causing Ash to give a small jump and spin around. "I was just looking for you and wondering if you wanted to join us for dinner."
Facing Misty he could see fait rings around her eyes. The way she talked still sounded a bit… flat he thought, but it was better than when he had last seen her.
"Uh, yea – dinner sounds good," he said as his stomach rumbled and Pikachu nodded vigorously – Ruby – in Pichu form – was asleep again. "That's with your sisters?"
Misty twitched slightly at the mention.
"Yes."
Nodding, Ash and Pikachu followed Misty to the Gym's living area and dining room.
Upon entering even Ash could see something was up; the blond – Daisy – was giving furious glances towards the two blue and red haired middle aged sisters who didn't seem all that cowed by their elder's glares as she carried a large pot into the room and placed it in the centre of the table.
"Um – hi!" said Ash, gaining the attention of the three older Waterflower sisters.
"Uh – hi," said Daisy. "Ash, isn't it?"
Ash nodded.
"Take a seat."
Ash did as asked, taking a seat next to Misty at the table and Pikachu on the table on the other side of Misty. Ruby was asleep on Ash's lap – he assumed she would have some Pokémon food later.
"So where did you two meet?" asked Daisy with a smirk.
Misty glanced at Ash – knowing that Daisy meant by 'meet' – who didn't seem to have connected what Daisy had said.
"Well, Ash stole my bike about a week ago rescuing an injured Pokémon," explained Misty. "Ruby, the – uh – Pichu."
"It is a pretty cute Pokémon. That's why you hung around Ash, wasn't it?" asked Daisy jokingly which Misty ignored.
"Anyway, after patching Ruby up, Professor Oak – Pallet town's resident Pokémon Professor – offered us both a lift to Cerulean City," continued Misty.
"Professor Oak…" repeated Daisy as she tried to remember where she had heard that name. "Isn't that the Haiku guy on the TV?"
Ash nodded furiously at that as he quickly tried to swallow the spaghetti in his mouth.
"Yes," said Ash after a gulp. "The Professor really likes his Haiku."
The conversation after that was still strained while Violet and Lily simply didn't join in.
o0o0o0o
Ash was in his having just given Ruby some food later that night when there was a knock at the door.
"Ash? You decent?" came the voice of Misty through the door.
"Uh – yea," he replied causing Misty to open the door, enter and shut it quietly behind her.
"Ash, we need to work out Ruby's cover story better," she said as she gave the pink psychic-type a scratch.
"Um – why?" he asked.
"Well, people might look at her more closely if they start hearing inconsistencies regarding her," explained Misty. "You really can't risk it."
The pair discussed what the story would be using what they had already told Misty's sisters as a base – it wouldn't do to change that now and have them point it out.
"So when can we have a battle?" asked Ash once they had got Ruby's story down pat. "It can't be tomorrow."
"The day after?" suggested Misty to which Ash agreed.
"Goodnight, Ash," said Misty as she left and closed the door behind her.
"Night, Misty."
Not long after – Ash had just started changing into his pyjamas – shouting could be heard in the corridor.
"Daisy!" exclaimed Misty. "He's not my boyfriend!"
Ash was a bit confused why Misty's eldest sister kept saying that.
o0o0o0o
The first thing Ash had done the next morning was go to the Pokémon centre to pick up a healthy Pidgeotto. Then – after a thanks to Nurse Joy – he went to find Misty so they could get some breakfast before the presentation which started at ten AM.
After breakfast at a takeaway place Ash, Misty, Pikachu and Ruby walked to the convention centre and found Professor Oak waiting out the front for them.
"Morning, kids," he greeted. "All ready?"
Ash and Misty nodded.
"Good," replied the Professor. "Now, normally you'd have to pay for the full conference just to see one presentation but I have a bit of pull and can get you in. Also remember to be polite and please don't talk while Doctor Halling is presenting his paper – it would reflect rather poorly on me if someone I brought in was rude."
"Understood, Professor," they replied.
"Pokémon too," added Professor Oak to which Pikachu nodded and Ruby didn't – she seemed to be distracted by the sights.
Ruby seemed to be getting better around people. She no longer shied away from sight when seeing new things but she still didn't like going near new people or Pokémon.
"Very well," said the Professor assuming he wasn't going to get a response from Ruby. "Please follow me."
Professor Oak led the group up the stone steps and into the entrance hall of the conference centre where a large group of people who predominantly were wearing either lab coats or well-worn clothing like hikers – or many well season Pokémon trainers – might wear were gathered. Professor Oak led the group around the mob of scientists and archaeologists, occasionally saying hello or greeting some. As they nearly finished passing the mob they were cut off by a short and somewhat stern looking middle aged woman with bob-cut greying brown hair.
"Carolina!" said the Professor jovially. "It had been a while, hasn't it?"
"Samuel," replied Carolina with a tiny smirk. "I wasn't expecting you to be here; I hear you're hardly out of the lab these days – especially for an archaeology conference."
"Well, my trainers keep sending in lots of interesting Pokémon I've never studies before," he explained. "I have lots of things to do – though I do wish I got out into the field more often."
"So…" said Misty abruptly.
"Oh – yes," said Professor Oak in realisation. "Ash, Misty, meet Professor Carolina."
"Children," she replied giving a nod. "My granddaughter is around your age; she's around here somewhere."
Professor Carolina glanced around for the distinctive baubled blond hair of her granddaughter before spotting her listening in on a discussion between Doctor Halling and some researchers from Hoenn.
"Cynthia!" she called out causing the blond to perk up and turn to face her grandmother. "I have some people you might want to meet."
Cynthia gave a nod and walked over to greet these new people.
"Cynthia, I'd like you to meet a friend of mine; Professor Oak," introduced Professor Carolina.
"Nice to meet you, Professor," she greeted politely with a small smile. "I've read some of your work."
"Nice to meet you as well, Cynthia – and that's good to hear," said Professor Oak as he returned the greeting. "This here is Ash who's one of my new trainers and Misty who's one of the Cerulean City Gym leaders."
Ash and Misty gave Cynthia a smile and a nod each.
"Have you started your journey yet?" asked Cynthia to Ash.
"Yea, just last week," replied Ash. "What about you?"
"Grandmother said when I'm fourteen I can start, so about… three months," replied Cynthia with a hint of sadness.
"Have you got your starter yet?" asked Misty.
At the question Cynthia pulled a Pokéball off her belt, expanded it and then released the Pokémon inside.
"Gible!" announced the grey and red Pokémon as Cynthia picked it up. Ash and Misty noted the very large mouth and several large teeth.
"Grandmother gave me him on my tenth birthday," said Cynthia proudly.
Gible wasn't the prettiest of Pokémon but Cynthia clearly adored it.
"What Pokémon is it?" asked Misty curiously but before Cynthia could answer Ash pulled out his Pokédex.
"Gible, the Dragon and Ground-type Pokémon," said the electronic voice of the Pokédex. "It nests in deep holes warmed by geothermal heat and attacks using its huge mouth."
"I've never heard of a Gible before and I can recognise most of the Pokémon found in Kanto," said Misty as she examined the Gible. "I take it that Gible isn't from around here?"
"No, Gible is native to Sinnoh. That's where Grandmother and I are from – Celestic Town to be precise," explained Cynthia.
Ash and Misty gave a nod in understanding.
"So what were your starters?" she asked looking at the Pikachu on Ash's shoulder.
Ash turned to Misty curious himself what Misty's starter was but she instead indicated to Ash to go first.
"Well Pikachu was my starter, I got him from Professor Oak," said Ash as he pointed to Pikachu.
At the mentioning of Professor Oak the three teens turned to the two Professors to find they had started their own conversation and weren't listening.
"Do they normally give Pikachu's as starters in Kanto?" asked Cynthia curiously as she turned back to the conversation. "I thought the standard starters in most regions were either a fire, a grass or a water-type."
"Well – no," replied Ash sheepishly as Pikachu gave an awkward scratch. "The morning I was getting my starter I missed my alarm and everyone else took the normal starters so Professor Oak gave me Pikachu."
Cynthia thought that was a bit odd but passed up the thought.
"So are you just in Kanto with your grandmother for this conference?" asked Misty. "Are you doing anything else while in Kanto?"
"We're only here for the conference unfortunately," replied Cynthia sadly. "While I enjoy it I would like to see some of the Kanto sights and maybe try catching a few Pokémon but we pretty much have to return to Sinnoh when the conference ends."
Ash, Misty and Pikachu nodded sadly at that.
"I see you've got a Pichu as well as a Pikachu, did you breed her?" asked Cynthia moving on.
"Huh? No, I found Ruby being attacked by Spearow a bit under two weeks back," replied Ash. "It's when I met Misty as well."
Cynthia and Misty were both about to respond when they were cut off by Professors' Oak and Carolina returning.
"The presentation is about to start, why don't we go in?"
o0o0o0o
Ash and Misty had been given seats at the back of the auditorium by Professor Oak where Cynthia joined them.
"Do you normally sit at the back?" asked Ash. He assumed she would sit with her grandmother.
"I normally sit with Grandmother," replied Cynthia.
Misty assumed that Cynthia just wanted to sit with people her own age for once and pushed it out of her mind as Doctor Halling – a glasses-clad doctor in his mid-twenties – began his presentation.
o0o0o0o
As people got up to leave the auditorium the three teens saw Professor Oak approach Doctor Halling to talk to him. Interested in what might be said they walked to the front to join him.
Doctor Halling's presentation had been interesting but they didn't learn anything about Ruby in it. Like Professor oak had said the presentation was on ancient cultures that worshiped Mew rather than Mew themselves.
"I didn't expect to see you here actually, Professor," said Doctor Halling as they reached the pair.
"Well," replied Professor Oak as he scratched his head awkwardly. "That happens to be exactly what Carolina said."
"Yes…" replied Doctor Halling. "So what have you been up to recently, Professor?"
"Things here and there," replied Professor Oak absently. "Though recently… I'm going to be writing a paper on Mew actually."
"Really?" asked Doctor Halling as his eyebrows shot up.
Ash and misty went wide eyed at Professor Oak's revelation before giving each other a sideways glance. Ruby – who had moved into Misty's grasp during the presentation – was sitting in Misty's arms attentively; she had heard her old name mentioned.
"What exactly are you going to do it on?" asked Doctor Halling as he adjusted his glasses. "I'm not sure what a Pokémon researcher could do that hasn't been done already."
"Well, one of my trainers found a young and injured Mew about a week and a half ago," replied the Professor proudly. "First time it's ever happened and I managed to get some data so I'll be writing a paper on her."
Doctor Halling and Cynthia gasped at this while Ash and Misty each tried to force a smile as if they weren't internally cringing at the Professors boasting.
"Y-y-you really?" he sputtered eyes wide. "You really found a Mew?"
Professor Oak nodded before cutting the doctor off before he could start asking a dozen of the million questions racing through his head.
"Well… one of my trainers did – but he paper will be out in a few weeks, you just have to wait for it to be delivered," said Professor Oak quickly.
Meanwhile Cynthia was staring intently at the Pichu in Misty's arms wide eyed, rapidly making the necessary connections to figure out Ruby's true nature. Seeing this Misty gave a sigh which brought it to Ash's attention who too sighed.
"Come on," said Misty as she directed Ash and Cynthia towards the back of the auditorium. As they got out of earshot of the Professor and Doctor, Cynthia decided to be blunt.
"That isn't a Pichu, is it?" she said causing Ash, Misty and Pikachu to give perfectly timed sighs.
"No," replied Ash.
"So… so you found a Mew?" asked Cynthia.
Ash gave a weak nod.
"I can understand why you're trying to keep her a secret," said Cynthia thoughtfully. "It would make you a target. Don't worry, I promise my lips are sealed."
Ash gave Cynthia small smile at her promise.
"Is it possible I could see … Ruby –" said Cynthia as she remembered Ruby's name. "– in her normal form?"
"Hmm, maybe," replied Ash as he thought it over; it wasn't like any more damage could be done. "It definitely can't be here though."
"The gym has privacy," suggested Misty with a small wince. "We could go now."
"Are you sticking around for the other presentations?"
"Uhh," thought Cynthia before shaking her head. "I don't think so; this is too valuable to pass up. Let me tell Grandmother and then we can go."
"Don't tell her about Ruby!" said Ash and Misty at the same time before Ash continued. "It's got to stay a secret."
"I wasn't going to; I'm just telling her I won't be here."
o0o0o0o
"So do you know a lot about Mew?" asked Misty as they walked towards the gym.
"A bit," replied Cynthia. "Mew worship isn't anywhere near as common in Sinnoh as it is here but there are still a few temples dedicated to Mew in Sinnoh and I've been to a few dig sites where they uncovered them."
"So do you want to be an archaeologist like your grandmother?" asked Ash.
"Not really," replied Cynthia before continuing enthusiastically. "Archaeology is more like a hobby for me. I actually want to be a Pokémon Master!"
"Now you're sounding like Ash," said Misty with a giggle. "That's what he keeps saying."
"Hey!" replied Ash indignantly. "You can't talk; you want to become a water Pokémon Master!"
"And you're a gym leader?" asked Cynthia. "That's what Professor Oak said, didn't he?"
"I'm one of them," replied Misty. "I have three older sisters who are technically also gym leaders."
"Hey, what happened with that, anyway?" asked Ash. "You seemed pretty put out with how your sisters were managing the gym."
"I'd rather not talk about it," said Misty quietly.
"So…" said Cynthia after a few moments. "Got any gym badges yet?"
"Only one so far," said Ash, brightening up. "I'll have two tomorrow though."
"Oh – please," said Misty. "There is no guarantee you'll beat me tomorrow."
"Sure," said Ash as he rolled his eyes. "Say, how many Pokémon do I have to use? I've only got two who can really battle."
"Only two?" repeated Cynthia.
"Yea," replied Ash. "Pikachu and Pidgeotto. I have a Magikarp as well that I hope will soon evolve into a Gyarados but it's kind've useless for battling right now, and I don't think Ruby will be battling for a long time."
"You shouldn't use her anyway as it will go on your official league record what Pokémon you use in a gym battle… Wait – what do you mean she won't be battling for a long time? She's a…" Misty paused for a second and looked around for anyone who could overhear them. With no one in earshot she continued more quietly. "She's a legendary, why can't she battle?"
"Well…" said Ash as he thought how to phrase it. "Yesterday we went out into the woods so we could do some training. I thought it would be a good idea to introduce Ruby to battling so I had her go up against Pikachu."
"Did she get hurt?" asked Cynthia curiously.
"Well – no," replied Ash awkwardly. "She use Pound on Pikachu which I guess was reasonably effective…"
"Pika," agreed Pikachu from Ash's shoulder as he rubbed his still slightly sore cheek.
"And then she started crying," continued Ash. "I think she was really scared she hurt Pikachu."
Misty and Cynthia pondered this in silence.
"I think it will be a long time before I can get her interested in battling now," said Ash.
"What Pokémon have you got, Cynthia?" asked Misty as they neared the Gym.
"At the moment all I've got is Gible and an Eevee," she replied.
"Ohh – they're so cute! Do you know what you're going to evolve it into?" asked Misty. "I want one to evolve into Vaporeon."
Ash smirked at Misty acting like a girl for once.
"Yea – I've got it all worked out," replied Cynthia confidently. "I'm going to evolve her into Glaceon; that will complement Gible nicely I think."
"Gible is weak to what… Ice, Dragon and Fairy-types? Isn't it? While resistant to Poison, Rock and Fire, and immune to Electric-types," mused Ash as he thought it through. "Glaceon is weak to Fighting, Rock, Steel and Fire-types and resistant to Ice-types. Gible covers Glaceon's weaknesses and Glaceon covers Gible's. That right?"
"Yea," replied Cynthia as she too though it through. "That was the intention."
"Wow, Ash, You actually put some thought into something," teased Misty which got Ash in a huff.
o0o0o0o
Ruby was once again doing aerial summersaults as she tried to examine her own tail as Misty and Cynthia giggled and Ash watched on.
Ruby seemed to be warming to people ever faster. It had only taken a few minutes of encouragement under Ash's watchful eye and she was happy to be cuddled by joyous Cynthia.
"This is still so amazing," commented Cynthia as they watched Ruby fly around. "I mean, I know you said you had a Mew back at the conference centre but it didn't really hit me until I actually saw her."
"She is pretty special, isn't she?" said Misty.
"Yeah," said Ash with a small smile.
o0o0o0o
The three ended up in a burger joint for a slightly late lunch.
"So you found Ruby being attacked by Spearow?" asked Cynthia as she moved onto her chips.
"Yea, still no sure why though," replied Ash after hastily swallowing his food. "It's a bit weird."
"It could have been anything from abandonment to getting lost to someone capturing her mother," added Misty.
"Or maybe that's just how Mew raise their young," said Cynthia with a small shrug and a frown as she glanced at Ruby.
Ruby had gone back to sleep as a Pichu again and was sleeping on the spare seat at the table.
"So yea, me and Pikachu found Ruby injured," said Ash. "Pikachu kept the Spearow back and we ran off. I eventually found Misty's bike –"
"And stole it."
"– And stole it to get Ruby back to the Professor's lab," continued Ash as Cynthia listened intently before he jerked his thumb in Misty's direction. "Misty showed up the next day I think looking for her bike."
"I did," she said.
"So have you been travelling long together?" asked Cynthia before directing another question solely at Misty. "What was Ash like in his first gym battle?"
"We haven't really been travelling together; Professor Oak only gave us a lift in his car from Pallet Town," said Misty.
"Yea, we've only known each other a week or so."
"So you're staying in Cerulean City then?"
"Wha – no!" said Misty quickly. "I won't be here for long."
"So you'll probably go with Ash then?" she asked.
"Well, maybe – I guess," said Misty awkwardly.
"I wouldn't mind," said Ash. "I'm sure we wouldn't mind."
"Pika!" said Pikachu in agreement as he momentarily abandoned his tomato sauce causing Misty to give Pikachu a small smile.
"Still, I'm interested in hearing about Ash's first gym battle," said Cynthia.
"I wasn't there," replied Misty. "Ash got his Boulder badge before I met him."
"You did? Didn't you start your journey last week though?" asked Cynthia with slight confusion.
"Well, yea," replied Ash awkwardly. "Mum had to go to Pewter City for some reason and she brought me along – this was maybe a year and a half back. While we were there we decided to try and get the Boulder Badge from the Pewter City Gym."
"What Pokémon did you use?" asked Misty.
"Uhh – Pikachu and Pidgeotto," replied Ash as he scratched his hair awkwardly when he saw the look of confusion Misty's face. "Well, actually just Pikachu."
"Wait, is Pewter City one of those gyms that love dual rock/ground-types?" asked Cynthia with realisation.
"Yea, Pewter City is a rock-type gym, and I know Brock is fond of dual rock/ground-types," said Misty after blinking a few times. "How did you do it Ash?"
"Well…" said Ash awkwardly. "I really wasn't the best trainer then; I was a bit of an idiot."
"Pika," said a somewhat subdued Pikachu as he nodded.
"Yea," agreed Ash with a small wince before he continued his story. "Basically Pikachu set off the fire alarm in the gym. Obviously Gym Leader Brock's Pokémon didn't like that and combined with electricity… Well, you get the picture I think."
"A bit of luck then?" asked a stunned Cynthia.
"That would be a massive understatement," said Ash with a sigh. "I feel pretty bad about my Boulder Badge, actually. I don't feel we… really earned it. Honestly, Brock should have kicked our asses."
"So that's why you've been trying to get Pikachu to learn Iron Tail?" asked Misty.
"Yea, that's why," replied Ash. "At the moment ground-types are a major weak point for us; unless Magikarp evolves."
"Don't think that because you have the type advantage that you'll win tomorrow," said Misty.
"So Ash is going up against you tomorrow then?" asked Cynthia in realisation before Ash could respond to which they both nodded.
"Yea, Ash is battling me for the Cascade Badge," replied Misty.
"Cool, can I watch?" asked Cynthia with a smile to which they both nodded. "I wish Grandmother would let me start battling gyms but she keeps telling me to wait until I'm fourteen."
"A couple of months, wasn't it?"
"Yea, three months and then I can start travelling around Sinnoh," she replied.
"Is the league in Sinnoh like the one in Kanto?" asked Ash.
"I would guess it is," replied Cynthia before pausing to think. "In Sinnoh you have to have eight badges to enter the league conference. If you win that you can challenge the Elite Four and then you can go on to challenge the Champion."
"That sounds just like the Indigo League to me," replied Misty.
"I wish I could start now," said Cynthia with a sigh.
o0o0o0o
Cynthia was seated next to Professor Oak in the stands, feverishly interrogating the Pokémon Professor on his research which the Professor happily answered – both were under strict instructions to look after Ruby. Two rows further back were a bored looking Violet and Lily while the eldest sister was on the referee podium ready to start the match.
"Good luck, Ash!" called out Professor Oak.
"Yea, good luck Ash!" added Cynthia.
"I see you've been getting along well with Ash and Misty then?" asked the Professor quietly.
"Pikachu and Ruby too," she added. "Ruby is quite adorable."
"You – uhh…" trailed off the Professor.
"Know what she is?" asked Cynthia gave the Pokémon in question a scratch to which Professor Oak nodded. "Yes."
"I told Ash he shouldn't tell too many people," said the Professor with a sigh. "Not that you're not untrustworthy but the less people who know the better."
"They didn't, I figured it out myself."
"This is an official Pokémon gym battle between Misty, the Cerulean City Gym leader, and the challenger; Ash of Pallet Town, for the Cascade Badge," called out Daisy cutting off Professor Oak and Cynthia's conversation. "As agreed this is a two-on-two battle and only the challenger can substitute Pokémon. Are the trainers ready?"
"We are," called out Ash as he saw the determination on Misty's face.
"I'm surprised you don't have a script in hand, Daisy," quipped Misty despite being focused on the water battlefield.
"I was up all night practicing," muttered Daisy. "Trainers, release your Pokémon."
"Pidgeotto, I choose you!" called out Ash as he released the Pokémon from the Pokéball.
Pidgeotto flapped his wings as he hover in front of Ash, getting ready to stare down his opponent and attack at a moment's notice.
Ash only had two useable Pokémon so Misty didn't need to put any thought into it when she called out her own.
"Staryu, let's go!" she called as the Pokémon appeared on the platform in front of her with a red flash.
"Challenger, you have the first move. Begin!"
As soon as Daisy said 'begin' Ash leaped into action.
"Quick Attack, go!"
Misty hadn't been expecting Ash to react so suddenly.
"Staryu, into the water! Quickly!" called Misty.
Staryu was in the water, but not through the method Misty had intended; before Misty had finished issuing her command, Pidgeotto had slammed into Staryu pushing the water-type into the pool. She had already lost the initiative and had to regain it quickly.
"Staryu, use Swift to fly out of the water and hit Pidgeotto with a Rapid Spin!"
"Circle the centre platform and watch the water, Pidgeotto," called Ash.
Pidgeotto immediately did as told and kept a keen eye on the surface of the water. Ash was hoping that with the platform in the way he had reduced the area Staryu could emerge from slightly and forced it to attack from the side, giving Pidgeotto a few extra milliseconds to dodge the blow with the longer distance Staryu would have to cover through the air.
Everyone held their breath waiting for the splash that would signify Staryu's reappearance.
"Dive!" Ash called as the red, gold and brown blur shot towards Pidgeotto's position.
Pidgeotto tucked in his wings and let gravity do the work; plummeting towards the platform only to have the sharp spinning edge of Staryu graze his back. He gave out a squawk of pain; just managing to open his wings again before he hit the surface of the platform as his claws scratched its surface.
"Alright, Staryu, onto the platform and follow it up with Watergun!" called the Gym Leader.
"To the corner of the field, Pidgeotto," called Ash as Staryu fired off his first burst of water. "Dodge it!"
Pidgeotto rolled to the side and down before flapping his wings harder and levelling out again, the stream of water passing to his side as he hoped to get out of range of the Watergun at the field's edge.
"Staryu, again! And keep it up!"
This wouldn't happen; Pidgeotto was still well in range of Staryu's Watergun. Cursing quietly Ash gave another order.
"Use your speed, Pidgeotto, pretend you're still flying through the forest!"
Ash didn't particularly want to make that comparison so soon following Pidgeotto's little mishap two days before, but it did quickly convey the idea of what Ash wanted him to do before Staryu could land a hit with its Watergun. Ash made a note to kick himself later for only giving Pidgeotto a quick fly after his injury the night before and not a full training session; if there were still any issues this would show it.
Everyone watched as Pidgeotto flew erratically through the air around the edge of the field, dodging streams of water from Staryu. Seeing that Pidgeotto was tiring faster than he thought he would Ash decided this couldn't be a game of who could outlast who.
"Pidgeotto, use Gust!" called Ash timing it for only a few seconds before Staryu would launch another Watergun.
The wind buffeted the water-type Pokémon but at the distance between them the attack didn't knock Staryu off the platform. Staryu however – as ordered – launched another Watergun which turned to mist long before it reached Pidgeotto.
"Quick Attack, Pidgeotto!" called Ash.
Having just fired another Watergun, it was unlikely that Staryu could get off another before being struck by the Quick Attack. Ash watched as the large bird Pokémon got closer and closer to its target.
"Tackle, Staryu!" cried Misty.
Staryu pushed itself off the platform and into the air at the rapidly approaching Pidgeotto where they both collided with a thump; Pidgeotto landing in the water and Staryu shooting past to bounce off one of the side platform and land too in the water.
"Uh…" said Daisy as she looked between the slowly pulsing red gem of Staryu as it floated motionless in the water and the panicking form of Pidgeotto exhaustedly trying to swim.
"Pidgeotto, return," called Ash as the flailing Pokémon disappeared in a flash of red light.
"You did a good job, Staryu, return," said Misty with a sigh.
"Bot Pokémon are unable to battle. Trainers, send out your next Pokémon," called Daisy as she regained her bearings.
"Daisy really shouldn't have called Ash out yet," said Professor Oak quietly over in the stands. "While Misty wouldn't have been able to return Staryu to the field, Ash could still have used Pidgeotto."
"True," replied Cynthia. "I don't think he would have though; Pidgeotto was pretty beaten up."
"Still, Daisy obviously doesn't referee often; I'll just have a word with her after the battle about it."
Cynthia nodded as she returned to the match.
"Let's go, Starmie!" called Misty as she released her second and final Pokémon.
"Alright Pikachu, you're up," said Ash.
Pikachu just stood there as he looked back and forth between his trainer and Misty on the other side of the field. He then shook his head.
"Uh – what's wrong, buddy?" asked Ash worriedly. "We're kind've in the middle of a battle."
Pikachu attempted to mime fighting with his fists before grabbing his own ears and roughly impersonating Misty's tied to the side hair.
"Something to do with Misty?" asked Ash to which Pikachu nodded and mimed fighting again. "You don't want to fight her?"
"Pika-chu," replied Pikachu with a nod causing Ash to give a sigh.
"And you couldn't have told me this before?"
Pikachu abashedly scratched his ear when he realised he probably should have.
"So what am I supposed to do now? I can't send Magikarp out into the battle, Pikachu."
"What is taking so long, Ash?" shouted Misty across the battlefield.
"Uh – the challenger is reminded that unless he sends out a Pokémon he forfeits the round and the match," said Daisy weakly – she clearly didn't want to actually do that.
"Come on Pikachu, I'm sure Misty wants a decent battle," said Ash.
Pikachu was still torn about battling Misty when Ash realised what he could do to give Pikachu a little push. He gave a small smirk.
"I'm sure Misty doesn't want you going easy on her," said Ash loud enough to carry across the field to where Misty was waiting.
"Pikachu!" shouted an enraged Misty across the field. "Don't you dare give me a soft battle, get out here and fight me!"
Pikachu gave Ash a quick glare knowing exactly what he had done before agilely jumping on to the nearest floating platform and stood ready for the battle.
"Pikachu versus Starmie, begin!"
As before, Ash ordered Pikachu to move as soon as Daisy told them to begin, however Misty was expecting it.
"Thunderbolt!" called Ash hoping to end the match with one hit. It was unlikely if Misty was on her game though.
"Pii-kaa-chuu!" called Pikachu as he quickly tried to charge a Thunderbolt. However, before he could release it Misty gave her order.
"Into the water, Starmie!"
Starmie complied and sank to the bottom of the pool as Pikachu released his Thunderbolt harmlessly into the floating platform and water – there being too much water in the pool for Pikachu to energise and do damage to a submerged Pokémon.
"Starmie, use Swift to propel yourself out of the water and hit Pikachu with Rapid Spin," called Misty, hoping what she had attempted on Pidgeotto would be more effective on – what she presumed was – a slower Pikachu.
"Double Team, Pikachu!" with a quick nod to Ash Pikachu jumped and vanished; occasionally appearing on the floating platforms as he changed direction.
Starmie erupted from the surface of the water and as a blur sped towards one of the many image of Pikachu dotting the field.
"Watergun, Starmie!" called Misty before Starmie had even made contact with the possible location of Pikachu.
Landing on two of its arms, Starmie immediately fired off a jet of water at the closest image which uneventfully vanished and before Misty could tell it to fire again it automatically fired a jet of water at the next closest image.
By this point there was only three 'ghost' images left and it was a one in three chance that the jet of water would connect, it did; Pikachu was knocked off the platform and into the water. Pikachu – not far from the platform – quickly scrambled back onto it.
"Thunderbolt!" called Ash as Pikachu coughed up some water.
"Pii-kaa-chuu!" called Pikachu as the yellow bolt of electricity flew through the air an illuminated the inside of the gym.
"Water!" was all Misty managed to call as Starmie desperately tried to dive into the pool.
With the yellow flash of light from the Thunderbolt, no one was quite sure the thunderbolt had connected with Starmie, or possibly landing in the water next to it; Ash hoping it had done some damage.
Everyone held their breath – except Pikachu who was trying to recover from the Watergun and the dunk in the pool – waiting to see if an unconscious Starmie floated to the surface. After several seconds Misty let her breath go, happy Starmie was still kicking and quickly decided what she was going to do to put Ash back on the defensive.
"Swift, followed by rapid spin again, Starmie!" called Misty, hoping she would get another hit in with Watergun and force Pikachu to use the non-damaging move Double Team.
"Double Team!"
Ash saw that Misty was going for a repeat and knew that keeping Pikachu on the defensive wouldn't help here; Double Team was exhausting. It would only be a few minutes before Pikachu wouldn't be able to keep up the speed needed – a pikachu's major defence – and end up getting hit either by Watergun or Rapid Spin.
Suddenly Ash had an idea; an untested idea but it was better than repeating Double Team endlessly until Pikachu was exhausted.
"Pikachu, onto the corner platform," called Ash as he pointed at the far left corner of the pool.
Ash had selected that particular corner because it was the only corner where one of the floating platforms had back into it. Pikachu came to a sliding stop on the platform.
"Charge a Thunderbolt, Pikachu!" called Ash.
Misty unwisely was trying to figure out what Ash was doing rather than stopping Starmie from continuing it attack when she suddenly realised why Ash had Pikachu backed into the corner of the pool.
The reason why earlier Ash didn't simply have Pikachu wait with a charged Thunderbolt for Starmie to emerge was that Starmie could emerge from any direction. By the time Pikachu would had turned and directed said Thunderbolt he would have had a gut full of reasonably pointy Starmie. Now though, Starmie could only come from a significantly smaller ninety degree arc. By the time Misty caught on, Starmie was uncontrollably leaving the surface of the pool.
"Now!" shouted Ash, and right on cue the gym was once again lit up by the yellow flash of Thunderbolt.
The Thunderbolt landed true and instantly knocked Starmie out of the match; who flew just over Pikachu's head and out of the field before skimming across the tiled gym floor and coming to a stop.
"Starmie!" called out Misty as she left the trainers box and ran towards her injured Pokémon.
Misty worriedly gave Starmie the once over and – satisfied it wasn't in any immediate danger – withdrew a Pokéball from her belt, enlarged it and returned Starmie to it.
"You did you best," murmured Misty quietly to the Pokéball.
Standing back up and giving Ash a small smile to indicate that Starmie would be okay, Misty returned to the box just as Daisy officially declared the battle.
"Starmie is unable to battle, Pikachu is the winner. The victory goes to Ash the challenger!" she called.
"Yes!" shouted Ash now it was official.
"Pika!" chirped Pikachu happily from Ash's shoulder after jumping to the side of the pool and racing towards Ash.
"Congratulations, my boy," said Professor Oak as he offered a handshake; the first person to make it from the stands to Ash. "For only your second gym battle I'd say that was an interesting battle; I think you have quite a bit of potential."
"Thanks, Professor."
"That was a good battle Ash," said Cynthia who was following the Professor. "I was just expecting you to go for the brute force approach there."
"Huh?" asked Ash in confusion.
"I've made a habit of watching videos of official gym battles," she replied with a shrug. "Most new trainers seem to prefer a mass spamming of attacks – particularly when they have the type advantage – to win a battle; it was nice to see a battle where you used the field. Few higher level trainers use spamming as a tactic. That was the first time I've seen a live gym battle though."
"Uh – thanks, I'll take it as a compliment."
"I meant it as such," replied Cynthia with a smile and a small giggle.
By this point Misty followed by Daisy had made it to the small congregation; however Lily and Violet were loitering with a bored expression by the foot of the stands which Misty noticed with a frown.
"Congratulations, Ash," said Misty – her face retuning to a smile – as she held out the tear drop shaped blue badge. "You earned that, it was a good battle."
o0o0o0o
Ash, Misty, Cynthia and the Professor ended up with Cynthia's grandmother at the Pokémon Centre for lunch as Pidgeotto, Starmie and Staryu were healed by Nurse Joy.
"Battling makes me hungry, doesn't it Pikachu?" said Ash as he dug into his meal.
"Pika-pi!" chirped Pikachu happily as he too dug into his food – Pokémon food and tomato sauce.
"You missed out on an interesting presentation on Kanto Proto-culture this morning," said Professor Carolina, directing the comment at both Professor Oak and Cynthia.
"True, but I did want to see how well one of my newer trainers was going," replied Professor Oak.
Satisfied with the answer Professor Caroline turned her gaze to her granddaughter.
"I've never seen a gym battle live before," said Cynthia with a shrug.
"Very well," said Professor Carolina with a sigh. "How did the battle go, then?"
"It was great, Grandmother," said Cynthia happily. "Ash and Misty drew the first round and then Pikachu defeated Misty's Starmie with just one hit! Well it's not that unexpected with Pikachu being and electric-type, Thunderbolt being an electric-type move and Starmie being a water-type, but it was still really good."
Cynthia finished her description breathlessly before dropping into a much more detailed and passionate description of the fight. Her grandmother listened intently and gave a small smile at how engrossed and passionate Cynthia was about Pokémon battling.
"… I just really wish I could start now," finished Cynthia as the spectators – Professor Oak, Misty, Ash, Pikachu and Ruby – watched on. "I don't really want to wait three months."
"Why don't you join Ash and Misty?" suggested Professor Oak as he glanced at Caroline who gave him a calculating gaze. "I'm sure your grandmother wouldn't mind you starting a few months early to accompany some new friends."
"In Kanto?" asked Cynthia to which Professor Oak nodded. "I didn't think I'd start in Kanto but I wouldn't mind actually doing that."
Cynthia turned to her grandmother and looked expectantly at her, about to plead her case.
"Does Mr Ketchum have a good head on his shoulders, Samuel?" asked Professor Carolina sternly.
"He does; if you'd asked me a few years ago I wouldn't say so – Ash was rather rash when he first got Pikachu – but he has grown up nicely," replied Professor Oak. "I haven't known Misty long but I believe she too is a responsible young lady; until recently she kept her older sisters and the Cerulean Gym in line."
"Hmm," she hummed as she thought about it before she realised it was just three months and Cynthia was guaranteed to have some people looking out for her. She gave a sigh. "Very well."
"Yes!" exclaimed Cynthia loudly who looked like she was about to dance before she stopped suddenly and turned to Ash and Misty. "That's if you're ok with me tagging along."
"Of course we are, I'm happy to have any extra additions," replied Ash, breaking all of Cynthia's fear.
o0o0o0o
Ash and Misty had another tense takeaway dinner with Misty's sisters that night as they prepared to leave in the morning. When they finished Misty told Ash to go on and stayed behind to talk with her sisters. When Ash saw her again an hour later she looked a bit weary but at the same time a bit more confident.
They met up with Professors Oak and Carolina, and Cynthia – who had managed to acquire a backpack and camping gear in one of Cerulean City's many stores, the next morning.
"Be safe Cynthia," said her grandmother and she gave her a hug. "I expect a call every time you come across a videophone."
"I will, Grandmother," she replied. "I love you."
"I love you too, Cynthia."
With waves and calls of 'goodbye' the trio walked out of Cerulean City.
o0o0o0o
Misty woke up in the early hours of the morning after the first night of their trek to Vermilion City to find Cynthia up and sipping a cup of something warm in front of the dying embers of the fire.
"Can't get to sleep?" asked Misty causing Cynthia to give a small jump.
"I guess," she replied once she had checked she hadn't spilt anything on her brand new hiking outfit. "Just my first night of my journey; I mean I've been camping before but this is different."
"No adults?" suggested Misty.
"I guess," she replied again. "It just feels different."
"I guess," replied Misty with a small snort eliciting a small giggle from Cynthia.
"What was bothering you?" asked Cynthia.
"I – uh," Misty wasn't sure why she decided to tell Cynthia, but she did. "My sisters and the gym."
Misty gave Cynthia a very weak and sad smile.
"The gym was mum's life's work; she put so much effort into it but… she's gone," explained Misty. "I… I always thought my sisters would be just as interested as I was in preserving that legacy but they weren't."
Misty gave a sigh.
"I hardly even remember mum but I wanted to do everything I could to preserve her memory. Still, I think I got through to Daisy; she practically raised me and I hope she'll at least try her best to run the gym and keep Violet and Lily in line."
"You were really young, weren't you, when she died?" asked Cynthia.
"Yea," replied Misty in almost a whisper.
"A lot of people died," said Cynthia sadly.
After several seconds and a glance at the sleeping form of Ash through the entrance to the tent Misty replied.
"A lot did," she replied just as sadly.
Giving the blond a small smile in the dark Misty tried to move onto a happier topic.
"So when are you go to challenge the Cerulean Gym then, if you're entering the Indigo League?"
Cynthia gave a mirthful huff.
"When I catch some more Pokémon, Misty."
So yea, I'm not entirely happy with this; I feel I really have fucked Cynthia up.
The chapter took so long because I first got stuck on Misty meeting her sisters, then I got stuck on starting the battle (though it was easy to write once I started) and the whole way through I kept thinking I'm mutilating several characters.
I chose to OOC Misty's sisters a bit. In their first episode they hate battling and don't like Misty but suddenly like her again when she does well in a battle. It was a bit lame. I've rewritten them based on what I saw in later episodes and from that side episodes: Misty has a pretty decent relationship with Daisy while Lily and Violet are hardly seen or mentioned. So I like to assume Daisy cares more about the gym.
I'm only going to mention the war occasionally and it won't make a major plot point (I think). I also forgot to mention; I chose to have Ash and Pikachu's relationship already established because we've all seen how it goes and it's boring as Hell to see them becoming best friends again every time you read a new fic so I skipped over it.
Comments and criticism for the first time I've ever written a battle of any kind are needed please!
Please favourite, follow and review.
AN 1 - Fixed a few typos, rewrote one paragraph because it was unclear.