Disclaimer: I do not, nor have I ever, owned anything related to Nintendo's Pokémon franchise.
Legend:
"A human or a Pokémon is talking."
'A human or a Pokémon is thinking.'
"A machine is being used."
Chapter 18:
(Cerulean City—Gym—Pool Room #1)
As soon as Ms. Stone had announced the start of the match, Misty had Seel start off by attacking with a Water Sport. Seel barked out its compliance before an orb of water quickly began to form in front of its open maw. It took less than five seconds to complete, surprising both Ash and Rattata, before Seel fired its attack towards Rattata.
"Rattata—dodge it!" Ash didn't know what Water Sport did exactly but he wasn't going to allow Rattata to pay the price so he could find out. Rattata complied by jumping three feet to the left, causing Seel's Water Sport to crash into the spot Rattata had been before the orb exploded, sending water sloshing into all directions. "Okay... Now use your 'Quick Swim'!"
Rattata chittered in response before diving into the water as a white glow surrounded his body. Misty tilted her head slightly, "... 'Quick Swim'? Is that the name of your Pokémon's new move?" She got her answer when Rattata torpedoed out of the water towards Seel. "Seel, use Headbutt!"
"Eel!" Seel said as she reared her head backwards.
It was only a second later when the two Pokémon collided; Seel slamming her head into Rattata's back as Rattata's head collided with her chest. The force of the blows sent Rattata crashing into the platform while Seel tumbled back. A moment later, both Pokémon stood back up, with Rattata eyeing Seel warily.
"Not bad." Misty admitted with a small smile. "If that wasn't Seel, that attack would've forced my other Pokémon back at least ten feet... and maybe knocked out a Wild Pokémon." Ash smiled at the obvious bit of praise. "However, you're Rattata is facing my Seel, so this won't be that easy for you. Seel—Icy Wind!"
Unlike Water Sport, Ash knew exactly what Icy Wind did, having seen it multiple times on television. "Rattata, dodge with Quick Attack!"
Seel opened her mouth and released a powerful, chilling wind towards Rattata. Rattata, however, had already raced away with Quick Attack, forcing Seel to continue her attack as she turned around. Soon enough, a thin sheet of ice had been created. This, in turn, caused Rattata to skid on the now-slippery surface before he fell back into the water. "After it, Seel!"
With a nod, Seel complied and dragged herself to the edge of the platform before diving in. It was a second later when Rattata's head breached the surface of the water and he looked around. Ash quickly ordered for Rattata to dodge with Quick Swim, while Misty ordered Seel to attack with another Headbutt.
Underneath Rattata, Seel's horn glinted before she quickly swam upwards to obey her Trainer's orders. Rattata, however, used Quick Swim at the last second, leaving Seel's horn to merely leave a small gash in Rattata's side.
"Now, swim around Seel as fast as you can!" Ash ordered hurriedly.
Misty frowned, 'What is he going for with that. Wait, I know what he's doing!' She clutched the railing tightly, "Get out of there, Seel! He's trying to create a Whirlpool!"
However, despite her intentions, Misty's warnings came a tad too late. The water had already begun to swirl around and underneath Seel as Rattata continued to spin underneath the water. Soon enough, the makeshift Whirlpool had completely formed, sucking in Seel who was trying her hardest to swim out of it.
"... That was clever of you, Ash, but... we're not done just yet!" Misty announced with a small scowl. To get out of that Whirlpool, she would have to have Seel freeze it, which would be detrimental to her success against Ash if Seel was to be taken out. "Seel, freeze the Whirlpool with Icy Wind!"
Hearing this, Ash blinked in mild surprise and confusion. 'She can freeze a Whirlpool?'
Apparently, she—Seel—could. This realization came about just about Seel took in a deep breath before she began to release another Icy Wind. When the cold wind hit the swirling waters of the Whirlpool, the water slowed down slightly before it began to freeze. This allowed Seel more maneuverability which she used to turn around and continue to freeze the water around her. Soon enough, all was left of Rattata's Whirlpool was a frozen cone with a smaller cone of water inside of it.
Rattata's head then breached the surface 10 feet away from this 'cone', where he began to take in several deep breaths. He was kind of relieved that Seel had done that, as he knew he wouldn't have been able to hold his breath any longer. He was also thankful because Seel had now provided some more land that he and his Trainer would use.
"Rattata, get on the ice and prepare yourself." Ash ordered as he watched the barely-visible form of Seel that was visible through the ice. 'Sooner or later, Misty will have to have Seel swim upwards and drag itself out of the water. Because, as Seel is, it's a sitting duck while in there.'
Misty smiled slightly, 'Nice strategy, Ash... but I think you've forgotten what your Pokédex said about Seel.' Then, without wasting a single moment, Misty ordered Seel to use her horn to break the ice and make a hole wide enough for her to swim out of.
"What in the..." Ash wondered before he remembered his Pokédex's entry on Seel. "How could I have forgotten that?" He looked down towards the battlefield and heard the ice begin to crack as Seel began to chip away at the ice, which then floated up to the top of the water inside of the cone. "Rattata, dive in and use Quick Swim!"
Rattata obliged and dove into the water inside the 'ice cone' with a splash. Ash and Misty held their breaths as they waited for what would happen next. After a moment, Rattata climbed out of the water and back onto the ice, looking confused.
Misty smirked seconds before she spotted Seel emerging from the water just out of Ash and Rattata's sight. So, Seel had managed to make a hole and escape before Rattata had found her, huh? It was strange as she thought that Rattata would've seen the hole but she wasn't going to complain about that. Just use it to her advantage.
"Seel, use Ice Shard!"
"What—" Ash demanded as Seel opened her mouth again. He and Rattata began looking around for Seel, though to no effect. "Where in the world—" He stopped mid-sentence as he caught a flash of white fur just behind the bend of the 'ice cone' before Seel came into view. "Rattata, dodge it!"
"Seel!" Seel cried as she unleashed a barrage of thin, six-inch ice needles from her mouth and towards Rattata. Rattata, unlike Ash, hadn't spotted Seel yet which made dodging impossible as he simply didn't know where the attack was coming from.
This led to Rattata receiving the full-force of Seel's attack; the ice shards raked against Rattata's skin and fur, leaving thin gashes that oozed small amount of blood. Rattata chittered painfully as he was slowly pushed back before, slipping, Rattata fell into the water.
"Rattata!" Ash called out, concerned.
"Nice job, Seel." Misty congratulated with a grin before she said, "Now, finish off Rattata with a Headbutt!"
Rattata's head emerged from the surface of the water just as Seel dived underneath it. Knowing the danger his Pokémon was in, Ash quickly ordered for Rattata to use Quick Swim. Fortunately for him, Rattata obeyed and dived back underneath the water. There, a white glow surrounded Rattata's body before he began to look around for Seel, looking like a miniature torpedo as he swam.
Ash and Misty could only watch as both Pokémon spotted each other underwater. Following this, both Pokémon began swimming at each other as fast as they could, on a collision course with each other. There was a moment of silence before both Pokémon collided with one another, sending a massive amount of water flying up into the air.
After shielding their eyes from the sudden spray, Ash and Misty—both wet—hesitantly lowered their arms and looked down towards the battlefield. The water from Rattata and Seel's collision was trickling back into the pool from where it lay over the floating platforms and ice cone. However, that was not the thing that drew their attention the most.
"Double Knockout!" Ms. Stone announced as Ash and Misty viewed the unconscious bodies of their Pokémon floating on the top of the water, swirls in their eyes. Besides the wounds that Seel had formerly inflicted on him, Rattata now was missing a good deal of fur near his chest, where a good-sized gash lay. Seel had gained an angry red mark near the base of her head, just above her neck. "No winner!"
A sigh escaped Ash's lips before they stretched into a thin smile, "You did great, Rattata." He pulled out Rattata's Poké Ball and aimed it at Rattata milliseconds before he clicked the small silver button. A thin red beam shot out from the Poké Ball and hit Rattata before drawing the Pokémon into it. "Take a good, long rest."
"Your Rattata did pretty good." Misty admitted after she had recalled her own Pokémon, not looking the least put out. "It was certainly impressive the way it was able to create a makeshift Whirlpool with its 'Quick Swim'... You must have trained him well.
She paused to draw out her next Poké Ball. "So, let's see if you've trained your other Pokémon as well as you trained that Rattata, shall we?" She drew back her arm and threw the Poké Ball towards a platform on the water. "I choose you, Staryu!"
Staryu was a golden-brown Pokémon with a body that was shaped like a star. Between its five appendages, at the very center of its body, was an exterior organ called the core that resembled a red jewel. Holding the core in place was a golden piece while a golden ring was lopped around its left leg, holding the core in place.
"Staryu: The Star Shape Pokémon. Staryu can be found at the very bottom of the ocean's floor, the water in caves, and rivers that lead to the ocean. A Staryu's body is torn, it can grow back as long as the red core remains." Ash's Pokédex supplied.
"Now that you've checked out my Pokémon, could you send out yours?" Misty asked, a little irritated. She was pumped up for the next battle and here Ash was, wasting time to get only somewhat useful information. She wanted to battle, damnit!
Ash winced at Misty's tone, "... Sorry." He then turned towards Eevee, "You ready, girl?" Eevee nodded with an excited yip, to which Ash grinned before he directed her to go down towards one of the platforms on the battlefield.
XXXXXX
"Alright..." Ms. Stone announced once Eevee had gotten into position. "The second match: Ash's Eevee vs. Misty's Staryu. Begin!"
Unlike last time, Ash wasn't going to allow Misty to make the first move. He and Eevee were going on the offensive. "Eevee—kick that water into the air with a Sand Attack!" Once Eevee did that, Misty's vision would be obscured and Eevee would have the chance to attack Staryu.
"Staryu, use your Water Gun!"
"Ve Ee, Ee-V-E!" Eevee yipped as she turned around so her back faced Staryu before she began kicking out with her hind-legs. This caused the water that was left on the platform to be kicked up into the air seconds before it fell down towards the ground like rain.
Staryu quickly jumped back from the sudden downpour—thinking it some kind of attack—and then released a jet of water towards Eevee from the uppermost of its appendages. Once Eevee had been hit with the attack, the force of it pushed Eevee forward and into the pool with a splash.
"Now, Staryu, follow it in and use Rapid Spin!" Misty ordered.
Well, that certainly put a stopper into Ash's plans. "Eevee, use Tail Whip!"
Staryu's uppermost appendence bent over in a semblance of a nod before it jumped into the water. Once in the water, Staryu began to rotate around in place like a saw blade, with its five appendages blurring into a single cutting edge. With a 'Hyah', it spun towards Eevee.
Having heard her Trainer's order, and seeing Staryu rapidly closing in on her, Eevee quickly spun around and whipped her tail towards Staryu. Staryu collided with the tail not a second later, where it began to cut into Eevee's tail as it slowly slowed down. Eevee whined, "Ve Eve, Ee-V-E!"
"Now, kick out with your feet!" Ash ordered.
Not wanting Staryu to continue tearing into her tail, Eevee complied; quickly raising one of her hind-legs before she kicked Staryu. The blow impacted just underneath Staryu's core, knocking Staryu into the air for a couple of seconds, until Staryu crashed back into the water.
"Staryu!" Misty called out with a slightly worried expression on her face. That expression faded when Staryu swam to the top of the pool, looking relatively undamaged except for the growing bruise next to its core. She sighed in relief before refocusing on the battle. "That was clever; stopping Staryu's rapid spin like that. It provided you the chance to hold it off and attack..." She grinned at Ash. "Nice job."
"Thanks." Ash responded with a grin of his own.
"You've surprised me a couple of times so far... so I think it's time I got serious and return the favor, don't you?" Misty asked with a mischievous expression on her face. Then, before Ash could say anything, she turned her attention to Staryu. "Use Camouflage."
"Hyah!"
Both Ash and Eevee watched in stunned fascination as Staryu's body began to lose its color as slowly became more and more transparent. By the time Ash was able to snap out of it—a small voice yelling inside his head and telling him that what was going on was very, very bad for his chance at success—Staryu had disappeared completely.
"Ve?" Eevee asked, tilting her head confusedly.
"Now, let's try this again, shall we?" Misty asked. "Staryu; Harden and then use Rapid Spin!"
It was seconds before Ash yelled for Eevee to get out of the water that Staryu struck. The invisible Pokémon hit Eevee from behind, cutting into the area right above Eevee's right hind-leg. However, before Ash could order Eevee to counterattack, Staryu seemingly backed off. Two seconds passed before Staryu attacked once again, cutting into Eevee's front with its Rapid Spin.
XXXXXX
(With Willow—On the sidelines)
Willow frowned in mild concern as she watched her childhood friend continue his battle. 'Her strategy is killing Ash...' She thought as she watched the Camouflaged Staryu tear into Eevee, back off, and then attack from another direction. Because of this, Eevee was effectively pinned and it would be only a matter of time before the amount of her injuries knocked her out. 'And, if that happens, then Ash will...'
"He'll lose if this keeps up." .
Willow turned around slightly to the speaker, Anabel White and felt a brief pang of anger at her. She knew that Ash was losing at this point but it offended her to see that Ash's new friend didn't have confidence in him. She was about to speak up and voice her objection to Anabel's statement, but the other girl interrupted her before she could get out one word.
"I don't mean to offend you, but it's the truth." Anabel said with a soft shake of her head, before she pointed towards the battlefield. "With Staryu using Camouflage, Misty has the advantage. She has solidified that advantage by having Staryu use Rapid Spin to injure Eevee, back off, and attack again... pinning Eevee to that spot. The only way for Ash to win is to get out of there and find a way to detect Staryu..."
Willow frowned, "Then why haven't you told Ash? You seem to know how he could do it..."
"If I told Ash now, it would be like me telling him I don't believe in him as a good Pokémon Trainer." Anabel said with a brief look at Willow, surprising the other girl with her words. "By telling him, I 'tell' him I don't believe he can do it by himself and that he needs people to help him..." She looked back at Ash. "I believe he can do it by himself if he tries hard enough so I'm keeping my silence."
After mulling over Anabel's words for a little bit, Willow came to realize that Anabel was correct. If she or Anabel told Ash how to find Staryu or what he should do, then it would be like telling him that he needed their help. And if she did that, she would damage her friendship with him. No, the best thing to do was keep quiet right now.
XXXXXX
(Ash and Eevee vs. Misty and Staryu)
At the moment, Ash was at the point of almost pulling his hair out. With that Camouflage ability, neither he or Eevee were able to see where Staryu was before it attacked. What made it worse was the fact that Staryu appeared to be circling around Eevee and would attack her randomly, leaving no pattern for him to detect.
'Come on Ash, think!' Ash clenched the railing on both sides of him. 'There has to be a way to find out where Staryu is... You've just gotta find it... Think!'
Misty looked over at him, "Are you done? If so, I can end this match right now..." She paused to wait for a response, only to grow irritated when Ash didn't respond. Was he ignoring her? Well, she would see to that! "Staryu! Harden again and use Rapid Spin!"
'Not this again!' Ash thought as Staryu apparently backed off before a small area underneath the water began to glow—'Glow...? I can... see Staryu when its glowing...' His eyes widened, only for Staryu's glow to vanish. 'I have to think of something that'll make Staryu glow! But, what? What can Eevee do that'll make Staryu glow? C'mon, think!'
Unseen, Staryu cut into Eevee's side again before backing off. It circled around Eevee for two seconds before charging in again, this time slicing into Eevee's wounded tail. These sudden injuries caused Eevee to cry out in pain and instinctively lash out with her right fore-paw, only to hit water instead of her tormentor. In the next second, that same paw received a cut as Staryu attacked her front side, pushing her back through the water as it attacked.
'C'mon, think... think... Eevee needs to do something that'll cause Staryu to glow...' Ash's hands gripped the railing even tighter before he clenched his eyes shut. '... It's no use...' He thought after a couple of moments. 'The only time I saw Eevee do that was by using Helping-Hand...' His eyes snapped open. "That's it!" Leaning over the railing, Ash looked at Eevee. "Eevee use Helping-Hand!"
Hands clenched around the railing, Ash watched as Eevee started to glow blue before she released a bolt of blue energy. This bolt quickly hit the water three feet from Eevee, whereupon a blue-tinted Staryu could be seen spinning towards Eevee. It worked. It worked!
'What the—' Misty thought.
"Eevee, Tail-Whip!" Ash quickly ordered.
Instead of responding, Eevee brought up her injured tail and whipped it towards the now-visible form of her tormentor. She felt satisfaction when the blow finally connected, punting Staryu a couple feet under the water where the blue glow around it began to fade.
"Now—get to the top of the ice cone!" Ash commanded. He now had a way of finding Staryu, but it wouldn't help if Eevee got stuck like she had before. By getting onto the ice cone, Staryu wouldn't be able to pin her down like it had, which would allow him some time to think of how he would use his discovery in the continuing battle.
Misty seemed to realize this as well as, in the next second, she ordered. "Don't let Eevee get away! Use Swift and follow it with a Rapid Spin!"
"Use Helping-Hand!" Ash ordered Eevee as she continued to swim towards the ice cone. He needed to know just what direction that Staryu was going to come from so he could counteract it. He watched as Eevee paused before she launched another blue bolt. "Good work!"
The blue bolt hit Staryu just as it jumped out of the water, making its invisible body blue-tinted and visible amongst the water droplets. It was only a couple of seconds later when Staryu released a series of gold-tinted stars from its core, which then rocketed towards Eevee as gravity pulled Staryu down.
"Swim to the left!" Ash commanded.
The first star of Staryu's Swift hit the water where Eevee had been seconds before, causing a small plume of water to be sent into the air. The other stars followed—hitting the water to Eevee's left and right as well as a few feet behind and in front of her—with each sending another plume of water into the air.
However, it was obvious that Eevee didn't escape unharmed. Eevee was hit by the force of the water as it sloshed back into the pool, pushing her backwards and trying to pull her underneath the surface. It was hard, especially with her injuries, but Eevee struggled onwards until the last of the stars had hit the water.
"Hyah!" Staryu cried as its rapidly rotating body exploded out of the water from in front Eevee before it rocketed towards her. Surprised, Eevee barely heard her Trainer yell for her to use Scratch. She did hear him, however, and raised her paw from the water and swung it towards Staryu, claws extended.
"C'mon Eevee, you can do it!" Ash called out as Eevee's paw raced towards Staryu.
Misty clenched the railing tight enough for her fists to turn white, "Finish it off, Staryu! I know you can do it!"
As the two Pokémon collided—Eevee's paw against Staryu's spinning body—the water around them was displaced into the air, provided an effective smokescreen. Ash and Misty, alongside Ms. Stone and everyone on the sidelines, watched with bated breaths as to what would happen next. The answer came when Eevee's battered form swam out of the falling water and slowly made her way towards the ice cone.
'What happened?' Misty thought with a small frown. 'I know that blow wouldn't have been able to take Staryu out, so it should've already gotten out of there... Unless—' Eevee climbed to the top of the ice cone before Ash ordered it to use Helping-Hand again. He was already too late.
The blue bolt struck Staryu's spinning body as the Pokémon spun out of the water from inside the ice cone, heading straight for Eevee. The unexpected blow sent both tumbling back into the water with good splash, whereupon the two Pokémon began to fight anew.
'Without waiting for my orders, Staryu reacted and decided to go with the blow, which knocked it underwater...' Misty realized. 'It then swam to where Eevee was headed and allowed Eevee to get onto the ice cone before it attacked with a Rapid Spin—obeying my earlier instructions.'
"C'mon, Eevee! Scratch it and then a Tail-Whip!" Ash ordered.
"Staryu—Harden!" Misty countered. While she knew Eevee's attacks hadn't knocked Staryu unconscious, they did cause some damage. What made it worse was that most of the damage was around Staryu's core; a couple more hits and Staryu would be knocked out. By using Harden, Staryu's defense would go up and prolong the inevitable. "Then use Tackle!"
Eevee scratched at Staryu's core and left a very thin gash in the material, as Staryu had already used Harden again. She brought up her tail to whack Staryu in its core, but Staryu was faster. It bent its upper body backwards to avoid the blow before it moved to the side and charged at Eevee. Eevee tried to defend with her tail but was too slow, resulting in her getting Tackled.
"Finish it with another Rapid Spin." Misty ordered.
Ash leaned forward on the railing, "Eevee! You need to dodge!"
However, moments after ordering this, Ash realized that Eevee wouldn't be able to fulfill it. Staryu's earlier attacks had taken their toll on his Pokémon, leaving Eevee just clinging onto consciousness. He supposed he hadn't seen it before because they were in the heat of battle but now, as Eevee sunk, he saw it. She looked so very tired.
Staryu faded from view once more, its body already spinning. Ash knew that it would now be rocketing down towards Eevee to finish her off. He couldn't allow that. No matter how playful and gluttonous Eevee could be—especially when she smelled French Fries—he also knew that she greatly enjoyed battling and wouldn't want him to give up on her. She would never forgive him if he did that.
"One last shot!" Ash called to his exhausted Pokémon. "Use Helping-Hand on yourself and Tackle Staryu!" Instead of responding, Eevee merely drifted further into the water, seeming to have not heard his order. "C'mon, Eevee! Just one last shot! I know you can do it!" Eevee was rammed by an invisible force and sent deeper into the pool, coming to a stop when her back touched smooth concrete. "Eevee!"
There was no response.
From her position on the referee's platform, Ms. Stone sighed. It was time to end this match so that Ash could recall his Pokémon before any unwanted damage could be done due to prolonged exposure underwater. "The winner for this match is—"
XXXXXX
Eevee slowly opened her eyes, blinking sluggishly when she noticed that she was surrounded with water. It took her a moment to recall where she was and what had been happening before she had blacked out. The battle—her Trainer needed her!
"Just one last shot! I know you can do it!" Eevee heard her Trainer yell, though his voice was somewhat distorted by the water around her. She felt emboldened by his words and began swimming upwards, exhausted eyes locked on where she could see Staryu. "Eevee!"
Eevee opened her mouth and used Growl seconds before she rammed the full force her body could provide into Staryu's core. Her Growl disoriented Staryu enough so that it didn't have enough time to process that it was under attack before she hit it will her Tackle.
XXXXXXX
Ms. Stone never got to finish her statement as the water where Staryu—who had disengaged its Camouflage when Eevee seemed down for the count—had been exploded upwards. People gasped as they saw the reason for this; Eevee had gotten back up and had rammed Staryu from underneath, right into its core.
The reactions that this surprising action caused were varied. Everyone was certainly surprised that Eevee had been able to make a comeback, especially when Ms. Stone was just about to announce Misty's victory. In addition, Ash was beyond happy that Eevee had managed to listen to him and give 'one last shot' while Misty was annoyed. Why couldn't Eevee have just stayed down?
It was only a couple of seconds later when Eevee and Staryu collided with the edge of the ice cone. This caused that edge of the ice cone to break off and fall into the water as Staryu's body slackened—its formerly glowing core dimming as it fell into unconsciousness.
There came a couple moments of stunned silence. Then came the expected responses as everyone snapped out of their shock:
"Yes!"
"Damnit!"
"Awesome job, Eevee!"
"Well done!"
Ms. Stone cleared her throat to gain everyone's attention, "It appeared I was wrong. The winner of this match is—" Flag in hand, she then waved it downwards, in Ash's side of the battlefield. "—Eevee! Challenger Ash wins Round Two!"
"I knew you could it Eevee!" Ash stated as he looked down at Eevee, who just smiled at him tiredly. He had been right to think that Eevee would be able to pull it off, somehow, and she had. He couldn't be more proud of her than he was now, "You did awesome!"
By this point, Misty had retrieved Staryu's Poké Ball before reabsorbing Staryu into it. She had calmed down a bit from her usual feelings of disappointment and irritation over her recent loss and was now feeling a bit excited. Here was a Trainer who didn't go the standard path and capture a strong Electric or Grass-Type Pokémon. Instead, he had trained his current team of Pokémon for this match and had even developed an entirely new move.
It made Misty appreciate him more as a Trainer.
'Even though I like your style, I won't go easy on you in the next match.' Misty thought to herself as she retrieved another Poké Ball from her pocket. 'I'll make you earn the Cascade Badge by defeating one of my strongest Pokémon. Let's see how you do against—' Misty threw her Poké Ball into the air. "I choose you, Starmie!"
Once the Pokémon—Starmie—had materialized, Ash brought out his Pokédex and pointed it at it. There was a brief pause before the Pokédex began to speak, informing everyone within hearing range of the information it possessed on Starmie's species.
"Starmie: The Mysterious Pokémon. This species, along with their pre-evolutionary form, Staryu, are thought to be from an alien planet. This theory is supported by the fact that Starmie send electric signals into outer space, suggesting that terrestrial Starmie are communicating with their alien relatives."
Starmie, like its pre-evolved form Staryu, resembled a sea star. Its main body was violet, but it retained the gold formation on its front. Starmie's red jewel core was larger than Staryu's and had developed to resemble a cut precious stone. The major difference between the two species, though, was the second semi-attached star on Starmie's back.
Ash put away his Pokédex away again, feeling somewhat confused about the information that it had given him. He had always known that Pokémon covered all regions of the world and came in numerous shapes and forms—had been told stories as a child about the legendary Mew—but aliens? Was it even possible that some Pokémon weren't native to Earth or that there were Pokémon on other planets?
After a moment, Ash shook his head to clear his thoughts. 'I can't focus on this, now. I need to focus on the battle and winning the Cascade Badge...' He glanced down at Eevee, who was staring at Starmie with a slight grimace visible on her face. "Do you think you can last another round or do you want to come back up here Eevee? You've done more than enough."
Eevee stubbornly shook her head and got back up to her feet, having been laying on the platform she had swam to after Staryu had been knocked unconscious. Ash nodded, having expected this, before he turned his attention to the battlefield.
"Alright, Round Three: Ash's Eevee vs. Misty's Starmie!" Ms. Stone announced. She glanced at both Ash and Misty, and then their Pokémon, before she said. "Begin!"
As soon as Ms. Stone had started the match, Ash and Misty had barked out their orders to their Pokémon:
"Starmie! Use your Confuse Ray and follow it with a Water Gun!"
"Dodge it, Eevee!"
Starmie's core glowed orange for a couple of seconds before it released an orange beam in Eevee's general direction. This beam was quickly followed with an intense jet of water from the tip of Starmie's uppermost appendage. Seeing the incoming danger, Eevee quickly jumped to the side and avoided Starmie's Confuse Ray before she was forced to dodge Starmie's Water Gun.
Misty grinned, "Now, Starmie, use Rapid Spin!"
Starmie nodded with its uppermost appendage before it quickly jumped into the water, aiming it so that its body would land on the water horizontally. There, Starmie began to spin around until the tips of its appendages blurred into two cutting edges. All of this had taken less than five seconds.
On an unseen signal, Starmie launched forward and cut through the water towards Eevee's platform. Both Ash and Eevee quickly learned that Starmie was faster than Staryu had ever been—maybe because of the additional star attached to its back?—with its speed similar to that of a small motor boat.
"Dodge and then use Tackle!" Ash ordered.
Eevee nodded seconds before Starmie cut the distance between them and tilted its body so that it swerved out of the water and into the air, spinning. It hung there for a moment before it suddenly launched downwards towards Eevee. Seeing this, Eevee quickly dodged, leaving Starmie to cut into the space where she had been only moments before.
That space soon became shredded, with the stuffing inside the platform soon coming out and flying everywhere. Eevee stumbled in her run towards Starmie as the platform suddenly shifted before the area underneath Starmie began to sink into the water. Starmie seemed to have torn through the platform.
Starmie stopped spinning just when Eevee was about to Tackle it head-first and send it into the hole it had just created. Starmie, however, apparently sensed her presence and dodged—following Misty's order—before it twisted around and blocked Eevee's outstretched paw with one of its appendages.
"Now, Water Gun!"
Ash's eyes widened as he leaned forward on the railing, "Get out of there Eevee! It was a trap!"
However, despite his intentions, it was already far too late. Starmie bent the tip of its uppermost appendage towards Eevee and released a stream of pressurized water directly in her face. Eevee was propelled backwards from the force of the sudden attack, landing on the edge of the platform, where the water began pounding her body.
When Starmie's attack ended and the last of the water trickled away, Eevee was revealed in the corner. That last attack had been way too much for her exhausted and already-injured body to take and, as such, had knocked her unconscious.
"... You did really well, Eevee." Ash said as he unclipped Eevee's barely-used Poké Ball from his belt and recalled her as Ms. Stone announced Misty's victory. "Take a long rest, girl. You certainly deserve it for doing so much."
As Starmie returned to its starting position, Ash unclipped another Poké Ball from his belt before he looked at Misty. As it stood, he and Misty had each achieved one victory and one draw so the winner of the next match would win the battle. He couldn't say he wasn't excited and nervous about the prospect, because he was, but he would do his best to insure that he won.
"Ready, Ash?" Misty called.
Ash nodded, "I'm ready." He held back his final Poké Ball and threw it towards Eevee's sinking platform. "I choose you—Beedrill!"
Beedrill materialized in the air a couple of inches above the platform, wings beating to keep it aloft, and his antennae twitching slightly as he looked around the battlefield. He quickly spotted Starmie and raised his stingers offensively and buzzed warningly.
"You brought out a Beedrill?" Misty asked, taking a couple of steps backwards. Sure, she could imagine how he could think it would be effective—it could fly around the battlefield—but it was a Bug-Type. Why did he have to bring a Bug-Type out?
Could he possibly know that she was slightly afraid of Bug-Type Pokémon? No, that wasn't possible. She hadn't told any of her staff at the Gym that she was afraid of anything, let alone Bug-Type Pokémon, so they couldn't have told him.
Ash grinned, "Yeah. I had thought about bringing Pidgeotto into this, but I've worked out some good strategies with Beedrill—" Beedrill buzzed happily. "—over the past two weeks. And reworked some old ones."
"Okay! I will now announce the beginning of the final match." Ms. Stone stated, bringing everyone's attention back to her. "Whomever wins this round will win the entire battle, so do your best..." Ash and Misty nodded. "Round Four: Ash's Beedrill vs. Misty's Starmie! Begin!"
Like the beginning of Round Three, both Ash and Misty were eager to begin so, as soon as she began Round Four, they were on the offensive. It was the last round and the winner of it would win the entire battle, so the stakes couldn't be higher.
"Starmie, use Rain Dance!" Misty commanded. She knew that Ash would order his bug into the air at some point and that Starmie would have to attack it from below. That is why she needed Starmie to use Rain Dance, so that the effectiveness of its Water Gun wouldn't be lowered by the distance between it and Beedrill.
"Use Poison Sting, Beedrill!" Ash ordered as Starmie began to dance around. He had seen this move used a couple of times on the Pokémon Fight Channel, during its coverage of the Pokémon League, so he quickly caught onto Misty's plan.
Beedrill buzzed in agreement before he raised one of his stingers towards Starmie as clouds began to form above the battlefield. The tip of his stinger glowed purple before he began to fire a series of thin, purple 'needles' at Starmie at a rapid speed.
'What?' Misty thought in shock. And why shouldn't she be shocked? As a species, Beedrill usually used Poison Sting with the stingers on their arms, coating it with their poison and then attempting to stab their enemy with the poisoned appendage. So, why was this Beedrill not doing that? Misty shook her head; she could ask Ash about that later. Right now, she needed to focus on the battle. "Harden!"
Starmie's body glowed for a couple of moments, fading as rain began to fall onto the battlefield and Beedrill's Poison Sting approached. It weathered the attack, which barely left small scratches on its newly-Hardened body, until it had ended. All in all, it didn't seem that effective.
It was only a second later that a white rope-like thing wrapped around Starmie's body and pulled it towards Beedrill. This caused Misty's eyes to widen in slight alarm—when had Beedrill managed to use String Shot?—before she quickly ordered for Starmie to use Rapid Spin.
"Use Fury Attack!" Ash ordered as Starmie began to spin around, quickly cutting through the 'rope' around it. He had worked it out with Beedrill during the last two weeks that, after it used Poison Sting, to use String Shot. It was too bad that Misty had recovered from the shock, but Starmie's momentum would bring it directly in Beedrill's line of fire, with or without Beedrill's String Shot.
Beedrill buzzed in acknowledgement before he brought up his stingers before he flew towards Starmie as it 'flew' towards him. "Drill Bee-drill!"
Moments before the two Pokémon collided, Starmie's body glowed as it used Harden again, seeming to expect what was coming next. Beedrill's first stinger impacted harshly against Starmie's back at an angle that forced the purple Pokémon onto the wet platform underneath it. Beedrill quickly spun around and continued his attack, stabbing at Starmie with a quick series of stinger-jabs.
"Use Water Gun!"
Right as Beedrill's left stinger was about to impact against Starmie's core, Starmie's uppermost appendage got in the way and blocked it. Remembering what had happened to Eevee, Ash quickly ordered for Beedrill to dodge. Beedrill bent backwards as Starmie released another pressurized burst of water which flew centimeters above Beedrill's eyes.
"Now, use Confuse Ray!" Misty ordered.
"Dodge it and then use another Poison Sting!"
Starmie's core glowed orange as it got back onto its 'feet' before it quickly fired off a Confuse Ray at Beedrill's rapidly retreating form. It then began to dodge as Beedrill turned around and unleashed another series of 'needles' towards it.
As Starmie dodged, Misty looked over at Ash. "I don't think you should be getting too comfortable, Ash... 'Cause Starmie and I haven't even begun to battle yet." She paused to turn to Starmie, seeing that Beedrill's Poison Sting had ended. "Starmie, use Camouflage."
"Up into the air!" Ash hurriedly ordered as Misty's Starmie began to fade from view. Even if Starmie couldn't be seen, Starmie wouldn't be able to attack Beedrill if he was in the air. Wait. That wasn't quite true. Starmie wouldn't be able to attack without being seen if Beedrill was up in the air.
Misty smirked, "Flying away? Oh, well..." She seemed to ponder her next move. "... Starmie, dive into the water and hide. Then use Recover."
This was what she had been planning ever since Ash's Beedrill had landed that Fury Attack on her Starmie. She first had to force Ash to make Beedrill go into the air, away from Starmie, which she accomplished by making Starmie use Camouflage. He probably remembered how dangerous for his Pokémon to be on the ground while that move was in use.
Another advantage of using Camouflage—besides tricking Ash and allowing Starmie to heal—was that Beedrill wouldn't be able to pinpoint where Starmie was. That meant it wouldn't be able to use its Poison Sting on Starmie, let alone use that String Shot trick of its.
A disadvantage of using Camouflage now, however, was that she wouldn't be able to use any long-range attacks on Beedrill without Ash being able to pinpoint where Starmie was. So, if Starmie missed after using a Water Gun, Ash would know where Starmie was at and react accordingly.
As Misty thought about her current advantages and disadvantages, Ash was now regretting his move to get Beedrill into the air. He should've known that Misty would trick him like that, but, as they said, hindsight is good in retrospect.
What he needed now was to figure out a way to lure Starmie out into the open and detect it like how he had detected Staryu. Beedrill, however, didn't know Helping Hand like Eevee did. He supposed he could have Beedrill use a widespread Poison Sting to see if Starmie was anywhere near the top of the pool, but that would exhaust Beedrill if he had to use it more than a couple of times.
There! Ash quickly spotted Starmie underneath the water, seeming to 'peak' out from the side of the ice cone. It must've hide there when Misty had ordered it to hide. He needed to act before that glow faded and Starmie became invisible again. "Beedrill! Use String Shot to wrap around Starmie!"
'Damnit.' Misty thought as Ash pointed out Starmie's location to Beedrill. There went her whole plan if Beedrill managed to get Starmie. So, she would need to make it so that it didn't happen. "Starmie! As soon as you see Beedrill, use Confuse Ray!"
Coming to a hover above the water, Beedrill then released two thick String Shot from the tips of his stingers, which then raced towards Starmie's location. As this was happening, Starmie moved to get a proper aim on Beedrill before releasing a Confuse Ray from its core. The Confuse Ray collided with Beedrill just as Beedrill's String Shot encircled around and then tightened around Starmie.
"Beedrill? Drill, Beedrill..." Beedrill's tilted his head confusedly before he suddenly flew to the right, pulling along a reluctant Starmie out of the water. Confused as to why there seemed to be something weighing him down, he flew faster and in a zigzag pattern, trying to get the thing off of him.
Ash frowned, 'Beedrill is confused.'
This was bad. A confused Pokémon would not be able to attack properly, as its confusion would make it dizzy. Furthermore, it made it almost impossible to hit their target, as a confused Pokémon wouldn't be able to tell where everything was correctly.
In addition, a confused Pokémon may not realize where it was or might attack itself. This made it easy for a confused Pokémon to fly out of the range of a battlefield, disqualifying itself. And Ash couldn't allow Beedrill to do that or hurt itself, as he really wanted to win. How would he stop it, though; he didn't believe he had any Full Restore or Full Heal on him.
Starmie slammed into the side of the ice cone as Beedrill wiped the String Shot around, trying to get the 'weight' off himself but being unable to remember how to get the String Shot off itself. Getting angry, it jerked its stingers around, causing Starmie to hit the ice cone a couple more times.
'Then again...' Ash thought with a small grin. 'Beedrill looks to be doing just fine...'
Misty was not so amused, "Starmie, use Water Gun on Beedrill's stingers!"
Starmie replied with a firm 'Hah' seconds before it was slammed against the top of the ice cone again. When Beedrill next jerked his stingers back, moving Starmie away from the ice cone, Starmie pointed its uppermost appendage at Beedrill and fired.
"Dodge it, Beedrill!" Ash ordered, having seen the danger too late and now hoping that Beedrill, in his confusion, would be able to understand and obey. If Beedrill couldn't, things could quickly go south for the both of them.
Beedrill's head jerked upwards before he turned slightly and faltered in mid-air. This caused Starmie's Water Gun to miss its intended target—Beedrill's stingers—and instead hit Beedrill's side. Beedrill buzzed angrily at the pain before he seemingly forgot what he had been doing and began flying again.
Beedrill was now doing loop de loops before spinning around in little circles. He sometimes faltered in mid-air, which caused him to plummet to the water, only to shake himself off and stagger upwards into the air. It would've been funny to see Beedrill acting this drunk if it weren't for the fact that they were in a battle.
Throughout all of this, Starmie was slammed into the ice cone, one of the floating platforms, or the water itself numerous times. This led to a growing increase of bruises and scratches along Starmie's body, a testament to how strongly Starmie was hitting things.
By this point, Misty had finally had enough. "Starmie, use Rapid Spin!"
There was no verbal response from Starmie, though it did begin to rotate its body, allowing it to begin cutting through Beedrill's String Shot. That may not have been the best time to do that as Beedrill suddenly surged upwards, dragging Starmie upwards. The 'rope' around Starmie's body broke when Beedrill was 60 feet in the air and Starmie was 30 feet above the water.
"You need to slow yourself down!" Misty called out while she watched her Starmie plummet towards the water, frantically thinking of ways to help it complete her command. She found one when Starmie was 23 feet away from the water. "Turn so your core is facing the water and use Water Gun!"
"Beedrill! Now's our chance! Use Twineedle!"
Beedrill swayed in the air—vaguely hearing someone calling his name before he heard his Trainer say Twineedle—and turned towards the way where he saw a blurred form. Gliding downwards, Beedrill brought his stingers forward, almost plummeting because of the sudden weight, but managed to correct himself before he fell into the water.
Misty spotted Beedrill far too late. She barely managed to give Starmie a warning before Beedrill slammed both of his stingers into Starmie's back, where Starmie's appendages came together. Starmie released a pained cry before it plummeted downwards, its Water Gun failing as the toxins along Beedrill's stingers entered its body.
The only consolation was that Starmie wasn't knocked unconscious when it hit the water; no, it was knocked out ten seconds later by the strong poison that had been injected into it with Beedrill's Twineedle.
XXXXXX
"As the Gym Leader of the Cerulean City Gym, I am proud to present you with the Cascade Badge, Ash." Misty stated with a small smile as she stood before Ash, Anabel, and Willow with Ms. Stone standing behind her. Her smile grew as he took the teardrop-shaped badge from her hands. "You definitely earned it."
Eevee—who had been released from her Poké Ball and was now on Ash's shoulder once more—watched as Ash reached towards his belt and unclipped two Poké Balls, slightly confused. What was her Trainer doing? Wasn't he going to celebrate their victory?
"C'mon out, guys!" Ash called as he released the two Pokémon from their Poké Balls. The Pokémon in question happened to be Rattata and Beedrill. When they turned to Ash, obviously confused, Ash raised his Cascade Badge and grinned. "We did it, guys! We won the Cascade Badge!"
Beedrill and Rattata cheered while Eevee merely snuggled into Ash's neck. The other two Pokémon seemed to take this as some sort of signal as they suddenly rushed forward before Beedrill gave him a tight hug. Rattata pranced around them, chattering about his Trainer's success to anybody that would hear.
"Beedrill..." Ash complained as Misty, Willow, and Anabel laughed. "... too tight..."
XXXXXX
(Later—Cerulean City)
"What do you mean that you aren't coming?"
It had been two days since Ash had challenged the Cerulean City Gym and had defeated Misty. They hadn't already left beforehand because everyone needed to stock up on their supplies for their upcoming trip across Route Five, where the money Ash had received from Misty had been a huge help.
Ready to move out, Ash and Anabel had packed everything back into their backpacks and returned their room keys to Nurse Joy. They were now standing outside of the Pokémon Center, where Willow had told them that she wouldn't be able to come with them.
Willow looked away, "I'm sorry, Ash. I really wish I could come with you guys but... I can't." She pet the top of Bulbasaur's head, who closed her eyes at the touch, before she looked back up. "You see, there is this Pokémon Breeder convention at Scissor Street that I really can't miss. I should've already left a few days ago, but I wanted to see you guys off."
Well, didn't that just suck. Ash had really enjoyed seeing Willow again and spending some time with her over the past two weeks and had hoped that she could come with him and Anabel. They would probably have had a great time together, too.
But, Willow wanted to be a Pokémon Breeder and, as such, had different goals and dreams than he and Anabel did. She needed to learn more about the different types of Pokémon out there and how to care for them. She needed to talk with other Breeders at conventions and learn from them, something which would probably become invaluable to her.
He couldn't tell her not to go or beg her to stay with him. To do that would be really mean and would damage their friendship. So, no matter how much he wished that she could stay, he had to respect her decisions and let her do what she needed to do.
Ash looked down before he sighed, "... Have fun at Scissor Lane."
In the next moment, Ash found himself the surprised recipient of a one-armed hug from Willow. He returned it with a one-armed hug of his own, making sure not to drop his Egg Container or hit Bulbasaur in the face with it, and held his old friend close.
"I'll miss you."
"I'll miss you to, Willow." Ash murmured before they separated. "... Try to Video Chat me sometimes, okay? I want to know how you're doing and you know how long regular mail would take..."
They all shared a laugh at that before Willow nodded. She promised that she would try and call him every day, though she expected him to call her when she didn't. He promised that he would before Willow gave him one last one-armed hug, leaving once it was over.
Ash watched Willow walk away until he couldn't see anymore, "So, are you leaving too, Anabel?"
"No. I'm coming." Anabel stepped up to stand beside Ash before she laid a hand on his shoulder. He turned to look at her and she gave him a small smile, "Besides, you don't know how to take care of Baby Pokémon; it would be criminal of me to let you go with that Pokémon Egg... Who knows what you'll do when it hatches."
Ash laughed sarcastically before he began to walk away with Anabel following close behind. It was time to move on to the next city but, to do that, they would first have to cross Route Five.
Ash's Pokémon Team:
Eevee (Female): Level 19.
Attacks: Tackle (Normal), Sand Attack (Normal), Scratch (Normal), Tail-Whip (Normal), Helping Hand (Normal), and Growl (Normal).
Pidgeotto (Male): Level 17.
Attacks: Sand Attack (Ground), Tackle (Normal), Gust (Flying), and Peck (Flying).
Rattata (Male): Level 16.
Attacks: Bite (Dark), Tackle (Normal), Quick Attack (Normal), Hyper Fang (Normal), Scratch (Normal), and Quick Swim (Normal).
Beedrill (Male): Level 17.
Attacks: String-Shot (Bug), Poison-Sting (Poison), Bug-Bite (Bug), Fury Attack (Normal), and Twineedle (Bug).
Clefairy (Female): Level 13.
Attacks: Sing (Normal), Pound (Normal), and Metronome (Normal).
Paras (Male): Level 15.
Attacks: PoisonPowder (Poison), Stun Spore (Grass), Sleep Powder (Grass), and Spore (Grass).
Misty's Pokémon Team:
Seel (Female): Level 22.
Attacks: Headbutt (Normal), Growl (Normal), Water Sport (Water), Icy Wind (Ice), Ice Shard (Ice), and Rest (Psychic).
Staryu: Level 20.
Attacks: Tackle (Normal), Water Gun (Water), Harden (Normal), Rapid Spin (Normal), Swift (Normal), Recover (Normal), and Camouflage (Normal).
Starmie: Level 25.
Attacks: Water Gun (Water), Harden (Normal), Rapid Spin (Normal), Recover (Normal), Tackle (Normal), Rain Dance (Water), and Confuse Ray (Ghost).
Anabel's Pokémon Team:
Abra (Male): Level 20.
Attacks: Teleport (Psychic), Psyshock (Psychic), and Confusion (Psychic).
? Unknown:
Attacks: Unknown.
Willow's Pokémon Team:
Bulbasaur (Female): Level 16.
Attacks: Unknown.
A/N: Author's Note: Well, that's the end of this chapter. I hope that you guys enjoyed it and leave your thoughts about it. And don't worry about Willow; we'll see her and Bulbasaur eventually. But enough of that... I'm hoping you guys are excited about the familar face that's going to appear next! I know I am!