Chapter 10

"So Ryan, you ready for your next battle?"

"Yep, I'm ready to win this! The Cascade Badge will be mine!"

"Bulba, Bulbasaur!"

"Whoa, look at him. There's fire literally burning in his eyes!" Sawyer murmured in awe from her spot on the left of Nina's shoulder "Pikachu." Chewy nodded in agreement from his spot on her right "Bulbasaur looks excited too." Nina smiled as she glanced at the Seed Pokémon whom stood anxiously at his determined trainer's side, waiting for the doors of the gym to open. Several moments passed before a clicking noise was heard and the doors to the Cerulean Gym opened with a flourish, revealing a hallway with an aquarium.

"Wow, look at all the water Pokémon!" Nina gasped as she pressed her face against the glass and stared at the large Seaking and Goldeen that were swimming playfully around one another "Yeah, there sure is a lot of them." Ryan murmured from the other side of the hallway. Through the glass he saw a group of various Pokémon swim by, consisting of Shellder, Magikarp, Seel and Horsea, while on the aquarium floor, was Gyarados sleeping soundly, its large serpentine body curled up tight. "Too bad this big guy is sleeping," he murmured with a slight frown "Hey Ryan, come look at this! It's a Dewgong!" Smiling slightly, Ryan moved over to stand beside Nina and watched as the white mermaid looking Pokémon swam up to the glass and grinned at them both, while on the other side of the hall, Bulbasaur was gazing curiously at the sleeping Gyarados "Bulba…" he stood on his hind legs and used the wall of the hallway to obtain balance, so he could get a better look at the large sleeping Pokémon "Basaur" he mumbled blinking as the Gyarados opened its eyes slowly, locking gazes with the curious seed Pokémon.

"Bulba! Bulbasaur!" Bulbasaur gasped and turned his head slightly and alerting Ryan that Gyarados was awake "Huh? What's up buddy?" Bulbasaur pointed at Gyarados with his paw "Bulbasaur!" Ryan tilted his head to the side slightly before scratching it "yeah, I see its sleeping right now Bulbasaur, it's a shame we can't see it when its awake."

"Bulba?"

Upon hearing that it was sleep, Bulbasaur turned around and glanced back at the blue water serpent and sure enough, it was sleeping again, Ryan then whirled back around to watch the Starmie that flitted past. Bulbasaur was confused, the Gyarados was just up, he saw it! Gazing at the water Pokémon again, he saw the large Pokémon lift its head slightly and open one of its eyes to wink at him "B-Bulba!" Bulbasaur scowled at the dirty trick and the Gyarados just gave a devious grin "Bulbasaur…" he grumbled, but before he could do anything, Ryan had picked him up and they were heading down the hallway, towards the gym area "C'mon Bulbasaur, we've got a badge to win."

They rounded the corner and were met with an interesting sight.

"Now, pay attention Azurill, this is the best part! Caserin, Double Team then use Water Gun!"

"Luv! Luv! Luv! Luv! Luuuuv!"

In the middle of the large pool was a pink, heart shaped Pokémon swimming at a rapid pace as it darted around the water, fulfilling its trainers command, splitting into several copy forms that spread out to form a circle and then as one, they fired powerful jets of water towards the middle of the circle, causing them to collide and explode in a rush of droplets.

"Luvdisc!"

"Azurill!"

"Good job Caserin!"

From the sidelines, Ryan pulled out his Pokédex and the electronic voice rang out loudly in the gym. "Luvdisc, the Rendezvous Pokémon. Luvdisc group together during breeding season, covering the surface of the ocean in a brilliant pink." Once the scan was finished, the orange haired girl who had been standing on the side of the pool looked up and glanced quizzically at Ryan and Nina, she was wearing a sleeveless yellow top with a hood, loose blue shorts, a small white belt with a pink buckle, and reddish-brown penny loafer shoes worn with white socks. She also had small backpack designed to look like a Spheal.

"May I help you?" The orange haired girls asked, recalling her Luvdisc and hugging the Azurill in her arms closer.

"Yes, I'm Ryan Summers and I'm here to challenge the leader of this gym for my next badge!"

"Bulbasaur!"

Misty smiled at Ryan and then nodded "Alright, we'll have a two on two battle to decide if your worthy of my badge." Motioning for Ryan to follow, Misty led him towards the water platform that he'd be standing on during their battle. Ryan stepped on first, but Bulbasaur was a bit hesitant at first "Bulba" he mumbled eying the large platform with cautious eyes, then he glanced at the pool water below. Ryan paused and glanced back at Bulbasaur, who was dabbing lightly at the pool water "what's wrong buddy?"

"Bulba… saur."

"It's not going to hurt you Bulbasaur, we just have to stand on this during the battle and if you fall into the water, you can just swim back up. Don't tell me you're afraid of a little pool water?" Ryan grinned teasingly and Bulbasaur glanced briefly at the water before looking at Ryan and the Seed Pokémon frowned slightly "Bulba!" He shook his head and hopped forward onto the platform "See, its not scary at all, right?" Bulbasaur gazed up at Ryan and gave a slow nod "Basaur."

"Alright, now let's win this!"

"Bulba!"

Misty smiled at the exchange and then pulled out her first choice, sitting Azurill gently at her feet "Politoed I choose you!" the Pokéball snapped open and in a flash of white light, in the pool appeared a large green toad Pokémon. Ryan pulled out his Pokédex and scanned it "Politoed, the Frog Pokémon. It gathers groups of others as their leader. Its cries make Poliwag obey."

"Poli!" it croaked from its side of the field.

Ryan thoughtfully glanced at Politoed and nodded slightly, tugging at one of the balls on his belt "Ekans, you're up!"

"Ekaaanss!" The purple snake hissed as it appeared from its capsule, leering at its opponent across the pool. From the sidelines, Nina raised a brow "He's using Ekans? I thought he'd use Beedrill, since it could fly and would be able to cover more ground in the air… I mean, can Ekans even swim in water?" As if on cue, Ekans slithered forward, out into the pool gliding gracefully on the watery surface and shooting off like a rocket at Politoed "Ekanss!"

"Bite!"

"Kaa!"

"Headbutt!"

"Poli!"

Ekans had lunged at Politoed, who dodged by ducking under the water, only to appear split seconds later, to butt its head into the mid lunging snake that was soaring over it. Ekans was sent sailing backwards from the headbutt, but with its flexible body, it managed to right itself and twist around in mid air and lunge at Politoed again, successfully biting it on the arm "Poli!" It croaked, shaking its arm, trying to get the snake off "Double Slap!"

"Toed! Poli! Toed! Politoed!"

Repeatedly, Politoed whipped its yellow paw across Ekans' face and nose in an attempt to get the snake off its arm after the fifth slap, Ekans quickly released Politoeds arm, slithering back to its starting platform beside Ryan and rubbed its face with its tail, sneering at the green frog, who jumped back onto one of the floating platforms nearby, rubbing its own sore arm as well "Use Glare!" Ekans met Politoeds gaze and the Frog Pokémon stiffened, becoming paralyzed in fear.

"Yes!" Ryan whooped leaping into the air.

"Oh no! Politoed, try to shake it off, dive underwater!"

"Don't let it get into the water, use Poison Sting!"

Just as Politoed was slowly inching its way towards the edge of the platform, Ekans opened its mouth and fired several purple darts at the frogs feet, causing it to back away to keep from getting hit "Poli…" it grumbled clenching its hands "Swagger!"

"Politoed!" Politoed crossed its arms and looked at Ekans in an intimidating manner, a red glow outlined its body "Ekaa?" Ekans attack was suddenly raised and instantly it became confused, eyes glowing red in anger "Kaaaannnsss!" It hissed flailing about wildly.

"Ekans! Snap out of it!"

As if it didn't even hear him, Ekans cried out again and fired off another Poison Sting attack, but this time at itself and at the water surrounding it "Ekans!" Ryan exclaimed, watching as Ekans shifted to biting itself. "Water Gun, Politoed!" Politoed croaked in affirmation and leaped into the air, opening its mouth and firing a powerful spiraling gush of water at Ekans, the force from the water, pushed the snake Pokémon back, knocking it off the platform it was on and slamming it into the wall of the stands "Ekaansss," it hissed lowly, dropping to the ground like a dead weight with its eyes swirling in defeat. "Way to go Politoed!" Misty smiled at her win and watched as Politoed danced around, clapping happily "Politoed! Politoed!"

"Return Ekans!"

After recalling Ekans, Ryan glanced at Bulbasaur, who nodded and took a step forward, ready to step in for battle "Poli." Politoed stopped its happy dance and took on a serious face "okay Politoed, use Water Gun!" Politoed opened its mouth where it stood, once again and fired another powerful spiral of water, this time at Bulbasaur "Dodge, then Leaf Storm!" Bulbasaur easily leapt out of the way of Water Gun on Ryan's command, the bulb on his back began to glow green and a swirl of leave came rushing out of it, the cyclone of green leaves then were shot at Politoed, sending the frog Pokémon flying backwards into the water "Poli…toed."

Politoed resurfaced from the water moments later, with swirled eyes, indicating defeat.

"Wow, your Bulbasaur must be really strong to be able to take out Politoed with one hit. Return Politoed!" Misty recalled the green frog and smiled at its Pokéball "you did a great job." Her gaze then lifted to meet Ryan and she grinned at the brown haired boy "You may have beaten Politoed, but there's no way you can beat my next Pokémon!" Reach behind her for her next Pokémon, Misty poised herself to throw down the next ball "Staryu, I choose—"

However, before Misty could call upon her Staryu, a flash of white light erupted from behind her and in the water appeared her Psyduck.

"Not you Psyduck!" the orange haired girl cried comically "You know you can't swim!"

"Psy." The yellow Pokémon quacked clutching its head and blinking, unaware of the fact that it was suddenly sinking into the pool, the only thing visible were the air bubbles that popped up. Nina, Ryan and Misty watched with confused and exasperated expressions respectively as Psyduck broke for air, flailing about madly "Psyduck! Psyduck! Psyyiyiyiyi!"

"Psyduck, return." Misty, palmed her face and sighed as she pulled out Psyducks Pokéball and recalled the yellow creature "Hehe, sorry about that," she murmured giving a sheepish grin, while both Ryan and Bulbasaur sweatdropped "now, for my actual Pokémon! Staryu, go!" The large star shaped Pokémon appeared in a flash, materializing onto one of the floating platforms.

"Kya!"

"Staryu. The Star Shape Pokémon, the core of this Water Pokémon shines in a rainbow of seven colors, a core that is valued by some as a type of jewelry."

"Bulbasaur, use Leaf Storm!"

"Bulba!" Another cyclone of glowing green leaves shot from the bulb on Bulbasaur's back, but Staryu was able to swiftly dodge them by spinning out of the way "Tackle!" Misty shouted and Staryu rounded back in mid air, spinning towards Bulbasaur and smashing harshly into the Seed Pokémon. "Bulba!" Bulbasaur flew backwards and was sent flailing off the platform and into the water.

"Bulbasaur!"

"Bulba! Bulba! Bulbasaur! Bulba!"

The instant Bulbasaur hit the water, he began flailing and splashing about madly in a panic, griping at the air in hopes of grabbing onto something solid, but he had been knocked a little ways away from the platform he and Ryan had been standing on. From his spot on their platform, Ryan called out to his panicked Pokémon "Calm down Bulbasaur! No need to freak out! It's not gonna hurt you, just relax and swim to another platform!" Slowly, Bulbasaur's mad flailing ceased at Ryan's words and he floated stilly on the water, kicking his legs beneath the surface to stay afloat. Glancing around, the Seed Pokémon spotted a platform that wasn't too far away and began to dog paddle towards it.

"Don't let it get on the platform Staryu! Rapid Spin!"

"Kya!"

Staryu dove into the water and disappeared.

"Bulba. Basaur?" While in the midst of dog paddling, Bulbasaur was glancing curiously around for Staryu, wondering where it would pop up and attack "Don't get caught off guard Bulbasaur, it could be anywhere!" Bulbasaur nodded and narrowed his eyes, scanning the still waters for any signs or shadows. It wasn't until it was too late, that Bulbasaur realized Staryu was under it. The Star Shape Pokémon had used Rapid Spin while being submerged in the water, resulting in a vicious twister appearing beneath the grass starter sucking it down below "Bulbaglg!" The water twister stopped as soon as Bulbasaur disappeared underneath the pool.

"Bulbasaur!"

"Piikachu."

"Oh no."

From their spot on the sidelines, Nina, Chewy and Sawyer stared at the still pool water with worry in their eyes "there's no way Bulbasaur is going to be able to survive underwater. Staryu's got the home advantage!" Nina exclaimed biting her lip nervously "Ryan might lose this match, because I honestly don't see how Bulbasaur can make a comeback after this turn of events."

On the platform, Ryan grit his teeth and clenched his fist, he hoped that Bulbasaur would be alright and resurface soon, because he had no clue how his partner was faring in an environment he wasn't used to. "C'mon Bulbasaur, don't let me down buddy." As if on cue, bubbles began to slowly float towards the surface and then, Bulbasaur came flying out of the pool, landing on his stomach with a wet thud on Ryan's platform. Second later, Staryu was spinning out afterward, landing in the platform with Misty, looking far from tired. "Bulbasaur!" Ryan dropped to his knees and placed a hand on his sprawled out partner "Bulbasaur? You alright?"

"B-Bulba." He gasped and spluttered, coughing up water. The poor guy was literally washed up, water dripped heavily from his bulb. Curiously, Ryan leaned over to peer in the opening of Bulbasaur's bulb, finding it filled completely with water "Hold on. I'll help you," Grabbing Bulbasaur around the stomach, Ryan lifted the Seed Pokémon and flipped him over, allowing the water that was lodged in his bulb to pour out, it remind him of a faucet as it fell towards the surface of the platform.

"Bulbasaaur."

Bulbasaur grumbled his thanks and Ryan grinned down at the Seed Pokémon once they were both sure all the water was out of his bulb "are you still able to battle? Cause we can stop right now and try again later if you want." Bulbasaur wriggled from Ryan's grip, landing on all fours he shook the excess water off his body and shook his head no "Bulba!"

"You sure?"

"Bulbasaur!"

"Okay then, as long as you're sure, then I'm sure!"

"Bulba!"

"Alright! I'm sorry for the holdup Misty, but me and Bulbasaur are ready now!"

On the opposite side of the field, Misty smiled and gave a slight nod "Just like Ash." Her grin widened at the thought of the dark haired boy "That's good to know. Seems to me your Bulbasaur got its second wind huh?" Both Ryan and Bulbasaur nodded in unison, giving her and Staryu a respective look of determination "I hope my words are true, don't disappoint me guys."

"Heh, we won't. Right Bulbasaur?"

"Bulba!"

"Hmm. Staryu, Water Gun!"

"Kya!"

"Leaf Storm Bulbasaur!"

"Bulba!"

The elements collided with both Pokémon's respective cries, a cyclone of glowing green leaves met a powerful swirling stream of water in the middle of the battlefield. "Push back!" Misty and Ryan exclaimed simultaneously and both Pokémon pushed more power into their attacks with all their might, but neither side was giving in. "We have to win this." Ryan closed his eyes and clenched his fists tightly, he felt raw emotion bubbling up inside just itching to burst, so he released it with a yell of encouragement. "Come on Bulbasaur, push back harder! I know we can beat them!"

"BULBAA!"

Ryan's eyes opened with a snap as he watched Bulbasaur respond to his shout, Leaf Storm was no longer being matched evenly with Staryu's Water Gun, instead it was pushing it back!

"Ryan's words must've really gotten to Bulbasaur, he's got Staryu on the run!" Nina exclaimed, watching with wide eyes as Staryu's Water Gun began receding due to the force from Bulbasaur's Leaf Storm.

"Hang in there Staryu!"

"K-Kya!" The jewel in Staryu's core shimmered pink and it gave off a siren link bing due to exhaustion "Staryu's getting tired," Misty murmured before her eyes flickered over to Bulbasaur, who was panting and looking tired himself "but so is Bulbasaur. We've got to finish it, this last attack is going to decide the match." With a flourish of her hand, Misty pointed at Bulbasaur "Finish this with Tackle Staryu!"

"KYA!"

On command, Staryu stopped firing Water Gun and slid underneath Leaf Storm as it rushed past and into a fast spin, aiming at Bulbasaur "Stand your ground Bulbasaur! Stop it with Vine Whip!"

"Bulba!"

As soon as Staryu got close enough, Bulbasaur's vines shot out from beneath the bulb on his back and they lashed out at the spinning star, grabbing a hold of two of Staryu's spinning edges, Bulbasaur managed to abruptly halt the Star Shaped Pokémon mid tackle "Heh." Ryan smirked at the successful capture "great job Bulbasaur, now Seed Bomb!"

"Bulba." Bulbasaur's smirk mimicked its trainers as the Seed Pokémon opened his mouth and charged the attack briefly, the white orb growing slightly larger than normal. Bulbasaur fired his attack and due to the close range, upon hitting Staryu and exploding on impact, a plume of smoke covered the two for a few moments before it dissipated and revealed Bulbasaur holding a limp looking Staryu.

"He won." Misty's lips quirked into a slight smile and she recalled her fallen Staryu "you did a good job Staryu and you deserve a nice rest." She whispered putting the ball away and picking up Azurill, whom was still at her feet "Azurill."

"We won! Bulbasaur you did it!" Ryan picked up Bulbasaur and hugged him tightly.

"Bulbaaa…"

"Huh?"

"B-Bulbasaur, he's. . ."

While still being held in Ryan's arms, Bulbasaur began glowing white and his form began to change, everyone watched in silence and awe as Bulbasaur's shape began to expand, the bulb on his back grew and leaves suddenly popped out of nowhere, the light weight that was once held in his arms increased and his skin grew slightly darker. Once the evolution process was over, Bulbasaur spoke up.

"Ivysaauur."

"Bulbasaur, you evolved!"

"Ivy."

"This is great Bulba— uhh, I mean Ivysaur!" Ryan laughed sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head at the minor slip up "You've gotten a bit heavier buddy." Ivysaur grinned and the leaves on his back shook, releasing a pink powder, which Ryan managed to inhale, smiling at the sweet soothing smell. "Mm, that smells good. You've learned a new move too I see."

"Ivy!"

Once Misty, Ryan and his newly evolved Ivysaur, made it back onto the gyms walkway, Nina congratulated him on the win and Ivysaur's evolution, while Misty presented Ryan with the Cascade Badge "Thanks a lot Misty! That's two down, we're on a roll!"

"Ivy-saur!"

"Heh, good luck on your next Gym battle Ryan."

"Azurill!"

They were now standing outside the entrance of the Cerulean Gym, with Misty seeing the boy and his companions off. Ryan grinned back at Misty and nodded "thanks, we'll need it. Right buddy?" By his legs, Ivysaur nodded "well, we'll be going now. Bye!" The parting duo waved to the orange haired gym leader and began making their way towards the Pokémon Center so Ryan could heal his Pokémon and tell his mother the exciting news.

Whoo! Double digits! I have also chosen my female, but she won't be appearing for a while. Also, thinking back to the beginning of this fic, I just realized that in the anime, Oak is in Isshu with Ash and his mom, so Ryan should have probably gotten his starter from Tracey, but whatever what's done is done. Also, I have chosen the female, it was tough, but I finally picked her and since I'm so indecisive, I decided that all those who sent me in female OCs, will get the chance to see their character debut in a few chapters. Because, I really liked all the girls and it was so hard choosing just one, so I've got my main and the rest of the girls will have chapter appearances. So it all works out in the end right? I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, so leave a review! Constructive Criticism is welcomed. Also, Happy New Years to you all!