Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.
"Well, Ash, no more waiting. Pikachu and your other pokemon are all back to normal." Ash smiled happily as he picked up the two pokeballs for Pidgeotto and Butterfree. Pikachu jumped eagerly on her shoulder, making Ash giggle.
Ash opened the large, imposing doors with less difficulty than she thought, stepping into the large, dark, empty room with no hesitation. "Hello~?" She called, hearing a slight echo to her voice.
"Who goes there?" A spot light turned on above a dark skinned teen sitting on a stone slab, one Ash easily recognized as Brock. She smiled at his theatrical entrance.
"You must be Brock. My name is Aislinn, from Pallet Town. I challenge you to a battle." His expression didn't change.
"Is this your first gym match?" He asked. Ash didn't have a chance to respond before he continued. "A gym match is different from other battles. This match is for pokemon league authorization. There are special rules." Ash rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, yeah. What are these special rules?" She asked, knowing each gym could have varying rules.
"Two pokemon each, understand?" He said as he stood. Ash made a noncommittal sound. "How long have you been with that pokemon?" Brock asked.
"Two weeks," Ash answered easily.
"So that Pikachu is in its cutest stage," Pikachu only smiled and looked adorable, tilting its head as it said,
"Pikachu," Ash had to resist the strong urge to pick him up and cuddle him.
"It can't win," Brock finished, making Pikachu tilt comically and sweat drop.
"Chu!" Ash frown and glared at Brock.
"I'll worry about my pokemon and you worry about yours, alright?"
"Suit yourself. As gym leader, I have to accept every challenge so let's just get this over with." He snapped his fingers and all the lights suddenly turned on. Ash and Pikachu were quick to get out of the way when large garage doors opened on either side and slid inward to create a rock terrain battlefield. Brock jumped from his perch to the white box on his side, taking out a pokeball.
"Let the match begin." Ash smiled at that.
"Now that's what I'm talking about." Ash smirked and shifted her hat back.
"Geodude, go!" Brock called, throwing his pokeball into the field. Ash smiled and took out her own pokeball.
"Butterfree, I choose you!" Butterfree came out trilling happily. "Butterfree use psychic!" Ash called, glad she managed to teach it to him on their way to Pewter. One hit was all it took for Geodude to go down.
"Geodude, return." He minimized the pokeball and switched it out. "You Butterfree is well trained, but still no match for Onyx, go!" He shouted as he threw his second ball, revealing the large rock snake. Ash grit her teeth when she saw that Butterfree was intimidated by his size and roar.
"Butterfree use psychic again!" She called Butterfree was quick to comply, but unlike Geodude, he didn't go down.
"Onyx, use bind!" Brock called.
"Butterfree!" Ash called in worry, seeing that it was too late to dodge. Just a few minutes and Butterfree was knocked out. "Return!" She said as Butterfree was called back. She gave the pokeball a kiss. "Good job." She turned to Pikachu. "Ready, Pikachu?" Pikachu smirked.
"Pikachu!" He exclaimed, his cheeks sparking with electricity. He ran out and faced the large pokemon courageously though Ash could tell he was still nervous.
"Pikachu use quick attack to climb to his head then use thundershock on the sprinklers!" Pikachu nodded.
"Pikachu!" He exclaimed again before complying, shocking Brock.
"Onyx use bind!" But it was too late, Pikachu was too fast to catch while using quick attack and he set off the sprinklers without a hitch, dowsing the field with water.
"Now! Use thunderbolt!" Ash shouted. Onyx cried out in pain and fell heavily to the floor, Pikachu jumping safely. Ash nodded in approval. She was about to finish Onyx off when all of a sudden, all of Brock's siblings clung to her to stop her from winning.
"Leave Onyx alone, you big bully!" Cried the boy clinging around her neck. Ash frowned, her brows knit in frustration.
"Hey! I am not a bully," she said with a pout. She hated bullies.
"Stop it! All of you, get off her right now," Brock called out. "This is an official match and we're going to finish it no matter what."
"But Brock," the girl on her back called, "we know that you love your pokemon so much!'
"That's why we can't watch Onyx suffer from another attack!" Said the boy clinging to my arm. Ash just sighed in defeat.
"Pikachu… return." Pikachu turned and ran back.
"What are you doing?" Brock called as Ash set down his massive amount of siblings. "This is an official match."
"It looks like we both love our pokemon so much we don't want to see anyone else's suffer. I'll win the badge from you some other time, Brock." She said as she set her hat straight again and waved goodbye without turning from the exit, like maybe when your siblings aren't around to guilt trip her. "Until then."
Ash was walking along the road with her hands behind her head and Pikachu trotting along. She sighed as she looked up into the pink and blue sky.
"Sometimes I think I'm too nice a person. I'm sorry Pikachu, you did a really amazing job in battle," Ash said despondently.
"Pika…chu," he said just as sadly. Ash sighed again.
"You sound just the way I do." Ash heard running footsteps behind her.
"Hey, Ash, wait up!" Ash turned to see Brock coming up and panting.
"Brock?" Ash questioned. He held out his hand.
"Ash, you forgot this," he opened his hand to reveal an octagonal grey badge.
"A badge?" Ash asked. "I can't accept that, I forfeit the match."
"Nah," Brock answered. "I lost to you. You beat me in battle and being kind to all pokemon." Ash flushed at that.
"But-"
"To tell you the truth," Brock interrupted looking towards the sunset, "I get more pleasure from raising pokemon than from making them battle. Rather than being a great pokemon trainer, I want to be the world's best pokemon breeder, but I can't leaver here because I have to look after my brothers and sisters." He held up the fist that had the badge as he turned to her. "Ash I want you to take this and fulfill my dream. He offered the badge to her again. "Will you do that for me?" Ash smiled at him and stepped forward to accept, nodding her head once.
"I will. I'll do my best to fulfill both our dreams," Ash said as she took the badge from his palm.
"Brock, you go follow your own dreams," the rock selling guy named Flint said, suddenly appearing.
"Flint!" Ash called in surprise, even more shocked when he suddenly ripped away his beard and took off the red beanie to reveal an older looking Brock.
"My father," Brock called out in a partially loathing tone. Ash's brows rose in surprise. Ash had to bite her lip to keep from laughing when Brock started to tell his father about everything involving his siblings, obviously taking this opportunity to pursue his dream.
"Hey, Ash, you sure it's okay if I go with you on your pokemon journey?" Brock asked as they walked along the road during the night, the full moon above them lighting their path.
"Sure I'm sure, the more the merrier. And it's nice to have somebody else to talk with," she said cheerily. Brock smiled, reassured by this. 'Plus, if we ever run into Gary and he tries anything funny, I'm sure Brock's instinctive sibling protectiveness will come into effect and he'll help me out,' Ash thought privately.
"Mt. Moon, huh?" Ash said, vaguely remembering something about moon stones and clefairy's from her previous life.
"People say that a huge meteor crashed into the mountain back in prehistoric times."
"A meteor? Do you think it's true?" Ash asked Brock, hiding her amusement since she already knew the answer.
"They call it the moon stone." All of a sudden they heard a scream in the distance.
"Look, over there!" Ash called as the two set off running to the sound of distress. They came to the sight of a man being attacked by a flock of zubat. Ash took out her pokedex to get its info while Pikachu climbed on her head.
"Pikachu, use thundershock."
"Pi~ka~chuu!" Pikachu called out as he attacked, making all the zubat flee back into the cave, screeching. Ash ran up to the moaning man.
"Are you okay?" Ash stiffened when the man suddenly got up and hugged her.
"Wow, you're the greatest!" He shouted while crying behind his round glasses.
"Really…it was nothing," Ash tried to say as she was being suffocated by the man.
"That was really superfantabulistic! I give two thumbs up!" He continued as he kept smothering both Ash and Pikachu who was growing quite tired of it. "The best rescue I've ever had!" Pikachu pushed Ash away and shocked the scientist that was smothering them both. The scientist fell over, but recovered annoyingly quick.
"They say that man's best friend is a pokemon," he adjusted his glasses, "and with you two I believe it." He said with a smile and conviction, his fist raised in emphasis. Ash hugged Pikachu to her, looking unsure.
"Umm, that's nice," Ash said uncertainly.
"I'm so moved," he continued. "Such friendship I thought I'd never see when the Zubat began attacking me I thought I was done for when who should arrive my new hero thanks to whom I'm alive! I'm aliiiiivee!" He shouted exuberantly, creeping Ash out. "Thank you so much! Thank you!"
"He certainly doesn't look like the poetic type," Ash muttered.
"Did I mention how grateful I am?" He said, grabbing Ash's wrists and making Pikachu's ears flatten at the proximity.
"Um, yeah, but why were the zubat attacking you, mister?" He gasped.
"Never call me mister! My name is Seymour. Seymour the scientist! Knowledge! Research! I am Seymour the scientist!" Brock and Ash just stared at him.
He showed us how the zubat were irritated because someone lit up the whole cave with strung up lights.
"The pokemon in this cave need the dark. The lights are upsetting them and making them confused." Ash just sighed as he went on about the light's effects, the moon stone and his theory. Ash didn't really pay attention since she already knew what was going to happen, more or less. She was actually rather interested in obtaining a clefairy since she'd picked up a moonstone and quickly put it in her bag so she could evolve a pokemon later if she wanted. Of course team Rocket showed up. Ash decided to just play along.
Ash was extremely happy when the clefairy that made friends with Pikachu decided to come with her. Her mood was barely even dampened when she saw Gary's childish note on the Cerulean City sign, though she did erase it.
Ash smiled and stretched as she and Brock walked along the road. "Ah~, a great day to enjoy the sunshine!" Ash said giddily.
"And while you're enjoying the sunshine, Gary's catching more pokemon," Brock said. Ash frowned at the reminder of her unwanted suitor.
"Ugh, don't remind me. I'm all for catching pokemon, but I don't want to just catch a bunch arbitrarily for the sake of numbers," Ash grumbled and Brock only smiled in approval.
"I guess a trainer can catch pokemon and enjoy the sun." Ash grinned and put her hands behind her head.
"Can't wait to challenge the gym in Cerulean city. I heard they're a water type gym. With Pikachu as my partner we'll have an awesome type advantage." Ash said excitedly, Pikachu also jumping onto her shoulder in excitement and rubbing his cheek against hers.
"Pikachu!" her partner enthused. Brock only grinned.
"If your battle with me was any indication, I'm sure that your next gym battle will be just as good." Brock complimented. Ash flushed at the praise and scratched Pikachu behind the ears in embarrassment.
"Aw, thanks Brock, that's nice to hear," Ash said.
Ash looked around her, taking in her surroundings. "So this is Cerulean City. Pretty cool," she commented idly. Ash's eyes landed on a crowd around what looked like an electronics shop, the cop car's siren in the air as it was parked in front of the establishment.
"Hm? I wonder what happened," Ash said.
"Yeah," Brock replied. With that, the two jogged over and made their way through the crowd. A bunch of officers were on guard, keeping the crowd out while others were investigating the scene.
"Excuse me," Ash asked the man next to her, "do you know what happened here?" She asked politely.
"Some burglars broke into that store last night," he answered.
"Burglars?" Ash parroted.
"What do you know about burglars?" A familiar voice asked. Ash looked forward to see Officer Jenny scrutinizing them carefully. "You two look very suspicious to me," she said, one hand under her chin, the other on her hip.
"Aren't you...the motorcycle officer from Veridian?" Ash questioned, knowing she was just a sister, but she wasn't supposed to know that yet.
"Huh? Ohh, you must have met my sister in law!" Jenny said with a smile before turning to glare at Ash, arms crossed. "If you know her then you probably had some dealings with the police in Veridian!" She stated. Ash tilted her head in confusion, resisting the urge to step back.
"Um..." She was interrupted.
"Now maybe you just stopped to ask her for directions...or maybe you found a wallet on the street and turned it into her...or maybe you're burglars that have broken out of jail!" Jenny shouted the last, twirling handcuffs in one hand before displaying them to Ash threateningly, this time making Ash actually take a step back at how quickly that escalated.
"I've never been to jail!" Ash defended.
"Neither have I ma'am!" Brock responded as well.
"That's what they all say!" Jenny deflected.
"We just got into town and saw the crowd and just came over to see what was going on!" Brock explained. Jenny only smirked.
"The criminal always returns to the scene of the crime." Ash resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
"Only the stupid ones," Ash muttered under her breath.
"We're not-ugh," Brock didn't know what to say. Ash just sighed and smiled, taking out her pokedex.
"Maybe this will help clear things up," Ash said. Her pokedex binged.
"I am Dexter, the pokedex programmed by Professor Oak for the pokemon trainer Aislinn Ketchum," the pokedex said in a computer like voice.
"Yeah and I'm the previous gym leader of Pewter City gym," Brock said, showing his gym badge.
"Well, that's evidence enough for me," she stated sternly before suddenly straightening and smiling sheepishly, holding up her handcuffs with a finger, her other hand on her cheek. "I'm sorry I was suspicious." She looked away with a worried glance. "Well, now I'm suspicious of my sister in law. She sure has weird friends..." Ash didn't know whether to smirk or pout at that.
"Miss," Ash resisted the urge to groan as she turned to look at Brock. "I was wondering since I'm new in town, maybe we could get together tonight and you can show me around," Brock invited.
"Well, I'm not off duty until past your bed time," Jenny said with a confident smirk, putting her hands on her hips and looking away with her eyes closed, "and I might even have to work round the clock to catch these burglars," she said, rejecting the offer. Ash just sighed at Brock's dejected behavior.
"Well, what exactly did they steal?" Ash asked.
"That's the strange thing about it," Jenny said, crossing her arms in confusion. "They didn't take any money. Just a massive vacuum and a giant hose," Jenny said. Ash knew that it was Team Rocket, but having it said like that made it seem silly.
"What would anyone want that stuff for?" Ash questioned to keep up pretense.
"Well, I don't know young lady but I do know I don't have time to play guessing games with you. I've got a job to do and it's time for you two to move along. Come on," she said, starting to push both Ash and Brock back, "let's go." After getting rid of the two she began to disperse the rest of the crowd. "Alright everybody, the show's over, nothing to see here, break it up, break it up!" She shouted.
Ash and Brock sat on a bench on the side of the road. "Good thing I had Dexter and you had your badge," Ash said, leaning back into the bench.
"Yeah," he turned to me, his posture straight and his arms crossed like usual. "Shouldn't you head for Cerulean City gym?" Brock asked her.
"Yeah, probably." We both stood up and stopped when we reached a four way crossroad.
"Well, I have some stuff I need to check out," Brock said. Ash raised a skeptical brow at him.
"What stuff?" She questioned.
"Just...stuff. See you later," he said, turning left.
"Bye," Ash said, waving him off. Ash turned to her partner with a smile. "Well, let's get going, Pikachu."
"Pika." Ash took out her map and began walking, looking for the building marked on the map.
"Cerulean city gym," she looked to the other side, "Cerulean City Gym," she took a right. "Should be right around here someplace," Ash said. The two stopped when they spotted the dome roofed building with carousel coloring and a giant dewgong on the front.
Ash sighed as she entered and had to watch Misty's three sisters do their synchronized swimming show. She sighed as she walked down the stairs and looked at the aquarium that lined the walls. "It's sad what this gym has been degraded to," Ash said sadly. She heard the cali girl chatting and laughing of the three sisters as they approached. Ash knew she wasn't going to be getting a gym battle as she walked up to the three.
"Excuse me," she called, making them stop.
"I'm sorry, but if you want an interview, you have to, like, call our manager," the middle blunette said. Ash sighed again.
"No, it's not that," she assured.
"We don't do autographs," the shortest pinkette answered next.
"I don't want one," Ash stated. "I just want to know if this is really a pokemon gym."
"It sure is," the strawberry blond said.
"Where can I find the gym leader?" Ash questioned, though she already knew the dreaded answer.
"You're looking at them," Ash sighed, afraid of that answer. She tuned out their little intro.
"What's with the swimming then?" Ash asked.
"It's like our hobby and our fans love to watch us perform," the shortest answered.
"We pool our talents to make a big splash," they all laughed at the lame joke, making Ash almost fall over, Pikachu as well.
Ash almost sighed aloud in relief when Misty made her appearance as Ash was about to reluctantly accept the Cascade badge without having battled. She made an impressive leap from the stands to where Ash and her sisters were below.
"Alright Daisy, if you don't want to battle her I will!" She said. Ash just sighed at the turn of events and crossed her arms.
"And who are you?" Ash asked in exasperation, privately relieved that Misty showed up without her having met the girl yet.
"I'm a Cerulean gym trainer too," she stated. "The fourth sensational sister," she added unnecessarily, the pinkette quick to correct her.
"There are only three sensational sisters and one runt," she said rather rudely, angering the ginger haired girl.
"So little sister, it's a surprise to see you back so soon," the one I assumed was called Daisy said.
"That little girl with a big mouth that said she wasn't gonna come back until she was a great pokemon trainer, wasn't that you?" The blunette taunted.
"...I guess I did say something like that when I left," she stated grudgingly.
"Misty, you left here pretending you wanted to be a pokemon trainer because you couldn't compete with us because obviously we're more talented and beautiful than you are," the blunette said.
"That wasn't the reason!" Misty shouted angrily.
"Oh, I guess you came back because you couldn't make it as a pokemon trainer," Daisy said with a sigh.
"It wasn't my idea to come back here! The only reason I'm here is because I was following her!" She said, pointing at Ash in an accusing way. Ash actually looked stunned at this.
"Me? What? Why?" Ash asked, baffled at the turn of events. Ash hadn't actually expected Misty to show up as she hadn't been made a part of the group since Ash had skipped the whole spearow/electrocuting bike scenario from the get go. She hadn't known Misty had been following her.
"I admit that she's cute, Misty, and if she wore the right clothes she'd even make a good candidate for the fourth sensational sister if she were related to us, but I didn't think you were into other girls," Daisy said, making Ash flush at the praise and Misty flush in anger and embarrassment.
"It's not that! If I battle her then it proves I'm not a quitter and that I'm just as good as you three!" She shouted.
"Well, you are the only one of us with pokemon that can actually battle," Daisy acquiesced.
"Alright Ash!" She shouted, getting in my face and pointing rudely at me, "are you ready to rumble?!" Ash just took a step back and smiled nervously at her apparent stalker.
"I wasn't planning on challenging you until you got a few more badges and at least until I introduced myself but this is as good a time as any! If you want that Cascade badge, you're gonna have to beat me!" She shouted from her floating platform in the pool. Ash looked at her from her own floating platform and felt really bad about this.
"Um...okay," Ash said uncertainly. She felt kind of bad since she didn't really see Misty as a challenge, especially with Pikachu on her side and unlike in the anime, he wasn't emotionally attached to Misty since they never traveled together. He seemed ready to battle, but seemed to notice my hesitation so he too looked uncertain.
"Pika?" He asked me questioningly. I gave him a weak smile in return for his concern.
"How many pokemon?" Ash asked, looking back to Misty.
"Two against two works for me!" Misty shouted.
"Alright then." She looked between Pikachu and the pokeballs on her belt. "DO you want to battle Pikachu?" She asked him and he saw that his answer would affect how she took this battle. He gave her a determined look and nodded.
"Pikachu!" He stated, his cheeks crackling a little with electricity. Ash smiled more firmly and nodded.
"Alright then partner," she picked him up delicately. "I choose you, Pikachu!" She shouted as she tossed Pikachu to the waiting platform in front, Pikachu spinning a little in midair before landing perfectly on the platform, battle ready.
"Alright then, Staryu I choose you!" Misty shouted, tossing her pokeball to the other platform and releasing the star shaped pokemon. Ash looked at Misty's three sisters uncertainly and saw that they could tell the outcome of the battle like she could. They gave her a look of understanding and one, Ash thought, of respect. It seemed they also understood that she would have beaten them just as easily as she was about to do with Misty.
"Pikachu end this fast with a thunderbolt!" Ash said with surprising steely determination, her entire attitude changing from uncertain to confident as she shifted her hat back. Pikachu nodded and did so quickly, Misty and Staryu stunned at the sudden move and too late to counteract.
"Pi-ka-chu~!" Pikachu shouted as the attack hit, Misty's staryu crying out in pain before it fainted.
"Oh, no! Staryu!" Misty cried. She called it back and let out her next pokemon with a growl. "Fine then! Misty calls Starmie!" She shouted. "Use tackle!" Misty added quickly.
"Dodge with quick attack and use swift!" Ash called out.
"Pikachu!" He cried out as he did just that, jumping from his platform to the one Starmie had been on and jumping into the air and unleashing a small rain of stars.
"Starmie! Go underwater to tackle him again!" Misty said, knowing starmie's speed underwater would be much faster.
"Double team, Pikachu!" He did so and just in time, Misty's starmie hitting one of the doubles rather than the original. "Finish it off with-" Ash was interrupted when Team Rocket burst in with their stupid vacuum machine.
"Like, check out that hair!" One sister said.
"Like, who invited the party crashers," another said.
"Sorry to break in on you ladies!" Jesse said.
"Allow us to introduce ourselves," James continued.
"To protect the world from devastation."
"To unite all people within our nations."
"To denounce the evil of truth and love."
"To extend our reach to the stars above."
"Jesse."
"James."
"Blast off at the speed of light!"
"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"
"Meowth! Dat's right!" Meowth said, making his appearance from above.
"The water pokemon have the advantage," James said.
"But if we steal that water away," Jesse continued.
"The water pokemon are ours for the taking!" James finished.
"And Meowth knows just how to do it!" The talking pokemon said, pointing at us.
"What are they trying to prove?" One sister asked, at least until all three of them squealed in distress and shock when a large hose was thrown into the pool. Ash, not wanting to deal with Team Rocket took out a pokeball from her belt.
"Pidgeotto! Take that hose out of the water before it takes anything!" Ash shouted, Pidgeotto coming out quickly as she threw the pokeball airborne.
"Pidgeot!" He cried before digging his claws into the hose and tossing it out of the pool.
"Use gust to drench them all in water!" Ash instructed.
"Pidgeot-to!" her pokemon called out as it flapped its wings and did as instructed, sending a large wave at the machine and the trio.
"Pikachu follow it up with a thunderbolt!"
"Pi-ka-chu~!" Pikachu called out as it electrocuted the heck out of the machine and team rocket, making them all cry out. The machine exploded on them and sent them flying out the hole they made in the wall and into the sky.
"Team Rocket's blasting off again!" They shouted as they became specks in the sky. Ash only looked at the charred walls and floor that the explosion of the machine caused.
"Er, sorry about the explosion," Ash apologized sheepishly, bowing in apology to the four sisters.
"Don't be, you, like, totally saved our pokemon from those nefarious evil doers," the blunette said. Ash only sweatdropped.
"Hey, we never got to finish our match," Misty said amiably.
"Er, yeah..." Ash trailed off, not wanting to point out that she was going to win.
"Don't worry. I know you were going to win and you earned it." Misty said, surprisingly.
"That's right," Daisy said, presenting the badge to Ash, "we're giving this badge to you. Your pikachu, like, totally saved us all and we knew that you would totally win since you called on him." Ash smiled warmly at the four.
"Thank you so much!" Ash said gratefully.
"Hey Ash!" Brock called, running up to the gym where the sisters and her were standing outside.
"Hey, Brock."
"How'd it go?" Ash smiled.
"See for yourself," Ash said, proudly displaying her badge.
"Cool, let's go!"
"H-hey, wait! Take me with you!" Misty shouted, coming after us.
"Um, not that I'm super against it, but why were you stalking me...and why do you want to come with us?" Ash asked.
"I-I wasn't stalking you!" She shouted. "I-I saw how you handled that Team Rocket at the Viridian City Pokemon center and...thought you were a great trainer. You look as beautiful as my sisters but you were nice and such a dedicated trainer. I saw how much you loved your pokemon and how strong you are and thought I could learn from you," Misty admitted. Ash flushed at the sound of admiration in her voice and the look of respect she was giving me.
"It...doesn't bother you that I'm younger than you?" Ash asked.
"Of course not! I admire any girl that proves herself as a tough trainer and it makes it all the better when stupid boys underestimate just because you look pretty!" Misty said, fist raised and fire in her eyes. Pikachu and Ash just sweatdropped as Ash laughed nervously. She never knew Misty was that much of a feminist.
"A ha ha, yeah," Ash answered awkwardly.
AN: As you can probably tell I skimmed over a few episodes or skipped them altogether like the last chapter. This will most likely keep happening. I can only promise that I won't cut out any important episodes like gym battles or meeting relevant people to the plot, things like that obviously. Thanks for reading and I hope you liked it. Reviews are very much appreciated.