Chapter Two
Setting Foot in Cerulean! The Initial Attempt at Fulfulling the Task
The walk down the hall from the Headmistresses' Office seemed much long than usual for the four. Their footsteps echoed down the empty passage, bouncing off the hundreds of metal lockers lining the walls. As they passed by classroom doors, the students inside pushed and shoved each other to get a better look, pressing their noses and cheeks against the small windows.
"I feel like a zoo exhibit," muttered Stacee blithely, jamming her hands in her jacket pockets, glowering at the people peering eagerly at her.
"Who cares?" said Yellow, brown eyes gleaming with excitement. "We got chosen, not them, so let's get on with it already!"
"Exactly!" Stan agreed, nodding fiercely. "Even though I never thought it was possible in the first place…"
"Aren't you a bright ray of sunshine?" Blue said blandly, adjusting his messenger bag on his shoulder. A well-worn ballcap now settled atop his head, hiding his ice-blue eyes under the shadow of the brim.
"Oh shush," Stan snapped, but looked rather pleased with himself nonetheless. He leapt down the stairs of the main entrance, the other three following him outside. Tara instructed them to leave immediately via one of the several Seagallop Ferries that traveled between the Sevii Islands and the mainland of Kanto.
The weather was warm but pleasant: clouds drifted lazily along the crisp blue sky, the sun warming everyone after the air conditioned school building. The four friends traveled down the small path leading down to the Town Square of Knot Island. The red roof of the Pokemon Center was instantly distinguishable, even amongst the Spanish-tiled tops of the houses dotted around. To the north, the giant inactive volcano of Mount Ember cast a rather foreboding shadow over the rest of the island, columns of steam rising up from its crater.
But the destination today was the bustling port to the south. Muscular sailors heaved boxes and crates onto and off the many boats nestled here, and some fishermen were setting up their tackle and rods on a designated fishing dock. Stacee, Stan, Yellow, and Blue edged their way through the activity towards the Ferry building, almost accidently knocking over a few young children feeding docile Wingulls perched on signposts.
"Hello," said Stacee to the sailor standing cross-armed at the building's entrance. "We'd like to ride the ferry, please."
"Where to?" The sailor asked, unfolding his arms. "Of course, I'll take you pretty girls anywhere you please." He added with a grin and a wink.
"We need to go to Vermillion City," cut in Blue, a slight edge in his voice. He flashed his Rainbow Pass, a permanent ticket that allowed travel access to all seven islands and Kanto.
"Certainly," said the sailor, ignoring the young man's irritation. "Right this way, then." He moved aside and bowed mockingly when Blue passed by, who scowled in response.
"Who crapped in your cereal this morning?" Stan muttered to his friend as they got on board the state-of-the-art hydrofoil ship that would take them to the Kanto mainland. Yellow and Stacee settled into seats by a window, while Blue and Stan sat a few rows back to converse.
"Nothing," The older boy said, reclining in his seat as a few more passengers piled onto the ship. He spared a quick glance towards the girls, who were now cooing over a collection of fan-art Yellow had pulled from her backpack. Stan quickly understood and grinned evilly.
"You're pissed the sailor was flirting at them,"
"No I wasn't," said Blue much too quickly, shooting a glare at the younger boy.
"Yes you were, don't deny it."
"I can and I will." Blue pulled his hat low over his eyes and folded his arms, intending to nap over the voyage. But Stan had other plans: he leaned over and started poking Blue's cheek.
"You were jealous and mad at the perverted sailor man, huh~?"
"Poke me one more time and I'll lower you over the boat and feed to the Sharpedo."
"Aw, you don't mean that." But Blue's glare told him otherwise, so Stan desisted and turned to stare out the window to his right instead, chin in his hand.
"Thank you for riding the Seagallop Hi-Speed Seven today," came the captain's voice over the intercom about a half-hour later. "We have now arrived at Vermillion City. Please gather your belongings and depart the ship safely and have a nice day."
The passengers began to get up and leave, the noise level increasing as the doors opened and sounds of Vermillion drifted in. Stan stood up from his seat, but Blue was fast asleep now and wouldn't budge. With a sigh, Stan caught Yellow's eye and the two girls came over.
"He won't wake up," Stan explained as Blue shifted a little, hat still over his eyes. "If we don't hurry we'll end up back at Knot Island."
Yellow leaned down and whispered something into Blue's ear. It must've been something effective, because he got up out of his seat and walked off the boat, seemingly oblivious to everyone else.
"What did you say?" asked Stacee, inhaling the salty sea breeze as they followed their half-asleep comrade off the Seagallop Ferry.
"That the Annual Swimsuit Modeling Contest was going on," replied Yellow, a light smile playing across her lips.
"… There's no such thing, is there?"
"Not at all."
"That's just evil," Pouted Stan, sulking a little. "I wanted to see if any of these sailors were gonna participate…" They soon caught up with Blue, who was standing by the PokeMart a few yards away from the dock.
"That wasn't funny," he grumbled at Yellow, who simply giggled. "I actually thought you were being nice,"
"You're just so easy to tease," Yellow replied, walking by.
"If you two are done flirting," cut in Stacee (Yellow and Blue both demanded "Don't say that,"). "Let's get moving, shall we? Cerulean's still up north, and the sooner we get there the better."
"I agree," added Stan. "The sooner we complete this mission the sooner we can be treated as heroes."
They began their track through Vermillion City, listening to the waves crashing against the shoreline, the cry of Wingulls, and people chatting as they walked by. The sun blazed down on them, the giant orb holding in the exact middle of the sky, the heat lessened by soft yet frequent breezes of wind.
"It's such a romantic city," sighed Yellow contently. "The weather, the atmosphere… everything."
"Yeah, once you get past some of the less desirable things," added Stacee as they passed an enthusiastic vendor slapping a paper fan against his stall, promising passer-by that they could win a rare Pokemon. "That guy's just selling Magikarp; you can see the tank underneath the stall… what a scam."
"I wonder what Magikarp taste like," Blue wondered aloud, hands in his pant pockets, not seeing Stan stare aghast at him.
"Don't let Misty hear you say that," Stacee said with a smirk. "She'll gut you alive and feed you to her Gyarados."
"I have a four-foot-long electric tarantula that says otherwise," Blue shot back, accepting a few sample of Sunny Sunkern-brand popcorn and popping a few kernels in his mouth.
Yellow visibly shuddered. "I don't see how you like that thing," She said, nose wrinkling at the smell of the popcorn. "And popcorn." Blue simply ignored her, offering his sample to Stan and Stacee as they walked on.
Soon they reached Route Six, a vast winding dirt road lined with tall grass, tall oak trees, and a small lake of clear, blue water. A few people were here, mostly Trainers battling each other or taking care of their Pokemon. One boy with a straw hat and a butterfly net was grooming his Weedle, and Yellow drew away, instinctively grabbing Blue's arm, whom she was walking next to.
"I hate bugs," She hissed, turning away as the Bug-type looked towards her. "They're so gross." Blue said nothing, but both Stacee and Stan noticed that his face had gotten very slightly red.
The gate connecting Route Six and Saffron City was locked (the guard, presumably, on his lunch break), so the group had to instead take the Underground Path which would take them directly north to Route Five. The tunnel was dimly lit, dank, and smelled like wet Zigzagoon fur.
"We should give ourselves a name," said Yellow about half-way through the tunnel, avoiding getting her school shoes in a puddle of some odd-looking liquid.
"Like a collective name, of us as a group?" asked Stacee, her voice bouncing off the walls. "Okay, what were you thinking of?"
"Er… well… I hadn't thought of anything specific." The dark-haired girl admitted with a nervous laugh, a drop of sweat falling down the back of her head.
"I know, I know!" chirped Stan, easily seen within the dark passageway because of his blond hair. "Since we're obviously gonna get questioned about how much we know about them – Ash and Misty, I mean – we can be 'the Stalkers'! Huh?"
"That's a bit counter-productive, isn't it?" asked Blue, kicking a small rock with his foot as he walked.
"I like it, though," said Yellow. "It's very accurate. Shall we put it to a vote?"
"I think it's perfect," put in Stacee. "So let's use it." She turned to Blue, who blinked.
"Yeah, okay."
"So it's settled!" said Stan, his voice rising in volume. "Henceforth, we shall be known as the Four Stalkers!"
"Oh this is going to go over well," muttered Blue, eyes closed, pinching the bridge of his nose, as the other three let out a cheer at their accomplishment.
Fifteen minutes later, as the newly-named Stalkers emerged from the Underground Tunnel onto Route Five weary, slightly exhausted, and smelling like Stunky spray. Yet they persevered, for they were that much closer to their goal.
"I swore that tunnel went on forever," cursed Yellow, glaring behind her at the entrance.
"Doesn't matter, let's move on." Said Stacee, patting her friend's back and pointing. "Look, Cerulean City limits, straight ahead." They tracked along, passing the Pokemon Day Care center, where young Pokemon were playing in the backyard. Blue and Stacee practically had to drag Stan and Yellow along, as they had stopped to "ooh" and "aww" at them: Yellow in particular was getting attached to a small Psyduck who had waddled over to see the commotion.
"But it's so cuteeee!" she said, practically melting as the Duck Pokemon tilted its head in observation.
"We have someplace to be, though," Blue said, pulling her arm. "If you want, though, we can leave you here and we'll meet Misty on our own."
"No, I'm coming, I'm coming!" It was no surprise that she was the first to set foot in Cerulean City. The northern-most city of Kanto, Cerulean was known for its bicycle shop and magnificent water fountains in its many plazas. The cape further north was a well-known dating spot, with Nugget Bridge being a popular spot for Trainers to battle.
However, the Stalkers were exploring the city today, with the intent of finding the Pokemon League Gym. They surmised it wouldn't be too hard to find: how many domed buildings had a ceramic Dewgong plastered on the front existed in one place? That said, of course, they weren't having much luck navigating their way around.
"We've passed by that bike shop three times already." Observed Stan, looking worriedly at Stacee, whose nose was buried through her Town Map. "I think we're lost."
"Unless the Gym exists in an alternate dimension only accessible by circling the Miracle Cycle Shop clockwise three times…" said Blue, hands behind his head.
"Nah, I had the map upside down, sorry." Stacee looked up and pointed to a street on their left. "It's down this way."
"Then let's go already!" cheered Yellow, and dashed off, leaving her friends to catch up. When they did, they found her staring up in awe at the Cerulean City Gym, with the plastic Dewgong posed above the entrance, the domed roof colored with yellow-and-pink stripes. "Found it!" announced Yellow, beaming behind her at her friends, and she reached out and opened the glass doors.
As they piled into the lobby, Blue looked around: a lot of the lights were off, but the sunlight filtering through the windows and doors gave off the illusion of being immersed underwater. Posters and paintings of Water Pokemon were framed up on the walls, the distorted light flickering along them. "This is eerie."
"I'll say…" agreed Stacee, eyes wide. "It's quiet, too… like you never know what's going to pop out at you…"
As soon as Stacee finished speaking, there was a click from behind them and all four of them whipped around, hands moving instinctively to the small red-and-white balls clipped to their belts. They were all taken aback when they saw a small blue screen rise up from a small table, suspended by a metallic arm. The screen lit up and a cool, female voice spoke from it:
"Welcome to the Cerulean City Gym. Will you be challenging the Gym Leader today?"
"Er…" Yellow glanced around before stepping forward and speaking to the screen. "No, we're here for a… social visit."
"Please enjoy your stay." Said the voice, and the screen lowered itself back into the table, disappearing seamlessly. Immediately, Blue and Stan rushed forward and leaned over the table, hands running over it, trying to find where the screen disappeared. "S-so cool!"
"That was awesome!" gushed Stan. "I had no idea they did stuff like that!"
"Such advanced technology!" agreed Blue. "The League must've allocated extra funds for stuff like this!"
"If you two are done," said Stacee firmly, hands on her hips. "Let's go look for Miss Misty."
"Oh, right. Um…" Yellow walked up to the table. "Uh… is Misty available?" At this, the screen popped out of the table again, the screen displaying a blueprint of the building. A red dot flashed in the center of the map.
"Misty is currently swimming in the pool." Spoke the voice. The lights leading to the main section of the Gym lit up, illuminating the path.
"Thank you," said Yellow, and the screen fell back into the table. Blue and Stan grinned at each other, eyes gleaming, still awed at the spectacle. "Okay, everyone, let's go!" She marched down the hall, the others in tow.
The main room of the Cerulean Gym was huge, and it needed to be in order to house the enormous pool. Made of thick, completely translucent glass, the pool was specially designed to hold hundreds of thousands of gallons of water. Realistically-designed coral, shells, and rocky caves sat on the bottom, acting as backgrounds for the water shows hosted every few weeks. It could also rise up out of the floor to allow a full view of its contents. Metal bleachers stood on either side for spectators to sit, and on the far end of the pool stood a tall, orange diving board. Currently, the pool was lowered into the floor, the normally smooth surface being disturbed by the person swimming in it.
As the Stalkers walked up to the edge, Gym Leader Misty popped out of the water, her flame-orange hair undone from its normal side-ponytail. Wiping the water out of her clear blue eyes and staring at them, she said, "Oh… hello. Can I help you?"
Holding Yellow back to keep her from tackling her idol, Stacee said, "Hello, we're, uh… students here for a… school project."
"Oh… okay. Hold on, let me get out." Misty pulled herself out of the pool, wearing a red form-fitting one-piece swimsuit with a white floral pattern. She picked up a towel and began drying her hair. "I'm sorry, I'm Misty. And who're you?"
"I'm Stan", said Stan, pointing to himself. "This is Stacee, and Blue, and—" Yellow broke free of Stacee's grasp and flung herself forward, grabbing Misty's hands.
"I'm so glad to finally meet you!" The girl cheered, not noticing (or caring) that Misty had flinched. "I'm Yellow, and I've been a fan of you for years!"
"Um… thank you. I think," Misty wrenched her hands free as Blue pulled Yellow back. "So, what exactly are you all doing here? A school project, you said?"
"Er, pretty much." Said Blue, struggling to keep Yellow from attacking Misty again. "We're, uh… here to… observe… you in your daily habits."
"Yeah, the project's called… um, 'A Day in the Life of a Gym Leader'!" added Stan, nodding. "So we chose you."
"Oh… well, thank you." Misty brightened at this and draped her towel around her shoulders. "Just let me get changed and we can get started." She turned and disappeared down a hallway.
"Can you control yourself?" hissed Blue as he released Yellow from his grip. "You almost scared her."
"We met Misty! We just met Misty! Holy crap I can die happy now." Yellow beamed and began bouncing on the balls of her feet. Blue rolled his eyes.
"And here's the other half of our project," whispered Stacee, pointing to the hallway opposite of where Misty had gone, where a young man had just appeared.
With dark, unruly hair forced under a ballcap and light brown eyes, Ash Ketchum stared blindly at the Stalkers. Riding his shoulder was his Pikachu, who seemed more overjoyed at the prospect of company that his Trainer. "Uh, hi… who're you guys?"
Another round of introductions: all the Stalkers shook hands with Ash and were permitted by Pikachu each a pat on the head. "So, what did you come here for?"
"A school project." Said Misty, now casually dressed in a tank top and mid-length jeans. "They're here to interview me."
"Huh? Why you?" demanded Ash loudly, pointing a demanding finger at her.
"Because it's about a Gym Leader, not a mediocre Trainer." Replied Misty somewhat smugly, lips tugging into a smile at the prospect of annoying her oldest friend.
"Mediocre—!"
"Anyways," interjected Stacee, quickly stepping in front of Misty and preventing Ash from getting closer. "Misty, would you mind if Yellow and I talked to you, in private? For the project."
"Oh, sure," Misty stuck her tongue out at Ash as Yellow paraded her away. Stacee shot Blue and Stan a significant look as she followed after them. Understanding, Blue and Stan each grabbed one of Ash's arms and lead him back into the hallway from where he had come previously.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Ash said loudly. Pikachu seemed to understand, however, and refrained from electrocuting the newcomers now dragging his Trainer down the hallway.
"Alright, look here," said Blue sternly, pushing Ash against a wall. "You're part of our project, too. We just don't need Misty knowing yet."
"Why not?"
"None of your business." Answered Stan, now scratching a satisfied Pikachu behind the ears. "So keep your mouth shut and this will be as painless as possible." He added, his voice oddly cheerful for someone threatening physical violence.
"First things first," continued Blue. "Define the exact nature of your relationship with Misty."
"… What?"
"Your relationship with Misty. Define it."
"Uh… w-we're just friends."
"Alright," said Stan. "So you wouldn't object to someone asking her out?"
"Asking her out? What, you mean, on a date? Why? Why would anyone want to do that?"
"Because they like her."
"But… I mean… she shouldn't…"
Blue and Stan glanced at each other: there was something there that was of use to them. But what?
"If you're just friends," pried Blue, watching Ash's reaction carefully. "Then you wouldn't mind if someone started flirting with her or something?"
Something flashed in Ash's eyes, and his face contorted just slightly at Blue's words. He opened his mouth and struggled to speak. "I… she… I don't…"
"What?" Pressed Stan, leaning in towards him, eyes narrowing. "You don't what?"
"I don't like it when she's paying attention to other men! She shouldn't. Not if I'm with her…"
"But you said you're 'just friends'." Blue reminded him, a rather sinister sneer appearing on his face. "Unless there's something more there…"
"We're just friends!" snapped Ash, his temper rising. "But I don't like it when she's off praising other guys!"
"Blue, I think we've heard enough." Said Stan quickly, an idea forming in his head. "C'mon, let's go." He patted Pikachu's head once more, grabbed Blue's wrist, and pulled him away, leaving Pikachu and Ash in the hallway.
They found Yellow and Stacee back in the lobby of the Gym, sitting in a couple of chairs. The girls looked up when they heard the boys approaching. "So? What'd you find?" asked Stacee, her face full of curiosity. "We just had to ask a bunch of lame questions to Misty."
"But we found a lot!" Yellow protested.
"Well, we found out that Ash doesn't like it when Misty is fawning over another guy," explained Stan, as Blue sat down in an empty chair. "Even though he says they're just friends…" He trailed off, and looked at the two girls. A sudden wave of inspiration ran through them and they all experienced a jolt of energy.
"Okay! We got it!"
"Got what?" asked Blue, who had been lost in thought for the past minute.
"A plan! A plan to get Ash and Misty together!" exclaimed Yellow.
"It's so simple, too." said Stan. "We just get someone to flirt with Misty in front of Ash, and he'll get all pissed…"
"And then knowing him, he'll probably challenge whoever it is to a battle." Continued Stacee. "He wins, and Misty sees how much he thinks of her!"
"Alright," said Blue, raising an eyebrow. "We just need to get someone who's willing to flirt with Misty and throw a Pokemon battle…" He stopped talking when he noticed everyone else staring at him, a creepy smile on their faces. "… What? Why are you all looking at me?"
"You're gonna do it." announced Yellow.
"WHAT?"
"You're the only one you can do it," clarified Stacee patiently. "Yellow and I are girls, Stan's gay… you're the only straight guy out of the four of us."
"I… you… but…" Blue sputtered, utterly outraged and confused. "You can't be serious!"
"We are," said Stan seriously. "If you don't, we'll have come out here for nothing. Besides, once we tell Headmistress Tara that you refused to cooperate..."
Blue shuddered involuntarily at the thought. "Alright, alright, fine… but don't ever bring this up again." He stood up from his chair with a sigh, slipped off his uniform jacket, cricked his neck, and walked back out to the pool, where Misty was now sitting up on the bleachers writing on a clipboard. Ash and Pikachu, as luck would have it, were playing with a rubber ball a few rows up.
With a deep breath, Blue walked over to Misty and sat down next to her on the bleachers. "Hi there,"
She smiled slightly, just looking up from the clipboard. "Hello… you're Blue, right?"
"I'm flattered you remembered my name," I can't believe I just said that! He thought, glancing up to see Stan, Stacee, and Yellow watching him. They gestured at him to continue. "Um… anyways, I just wanted to tell you how… breathtaking you are in a swimsuit."
Misty turned slightly pink and turned back to her clipboard. "Um… thank you."
"He's so cheesy." Observed Stacee, feeling slightly embarrassed for her friend.
"This is hilarious," whispered Stan, overcome with glee. He looked over at Yellow and noticed she had a very familiar-looking glint in her eyes… but a sudden metallic scrape caught his attention and turned back to see that Ash had stood up, glaring down at Blue, who hadn't noticed.
"I know a lot of people say your older sisters are more beautiful," Blue was saying, referring to Daisy, Lily, and Violet, who were currently going on a worldwide cruise. "But you have a certain physical attraction of your own."
"If only some people would realize that," Misty said a little loudly, having also noticed that Ash had stood up and was now making his way down to them. Blue turned to see Ash point a gloved finger at his face.
"I knew there was a reason you were asking all these questions! I challenge you to a battle!"
Blue grinned and stood up, loosening his tie a bit. "You're talking my language. If you win, I leave Misty alone. But if I win…" He reached down, pulled Misty up, and put his arm around her shoulder. "I take Misty out on a date."
"Physical contact wasn't part of the plan!" Yellow seethed, and Stan quickly reached up to hold her back, saying "Stop! You'll ruin it!"
"You're on!" Ash stormed down the bleachers and took a spot on one of the pool, where small platforms where now appearing. Pikachu stood next to him, looking embarrassed and ashamed.
"You're really not doing this," Misty asked Blue, looking very confused at the entire situation.
"Not really, no." Blue admitted with a grin, reaching for one of the PokeBalls on his belt. "But there is a purpose to all this, trust me." When he got to his spot across from Ash, he tossed his PokeBall into the air, where it split open and spewed out a burst of formless white light, which then disappeared to reveal a large, blue quadruped dragon with curved crimson wings and a mouthful of pearly-white fangs. The Salamence yawned widely and flexed its wings, turning its head to stare at its Trainer.
"We have a plan," Blue whispered to his Pokemon, looking across the pool at Ash. Pikachu was standing on the platform in front of him, but it was obvious that Ash would choose his most loyal partner for something like this. "We have to lose on purpose."
Salamence gave Blue a look that very clearly said, You've got to be kidding.
"I know it's stupid, but it has to be done. Got it?"
The dragon rolled its eyes and turned its attention to Pikachu. Stan had stepped forward to act as a referee, while Stacee and Yellow stood next to Misty. "Salamence versus Pikachu!" Stan announced, his voice amplified throughout the room. "Begin!"
With surprising speed, Salamence leapt into the air and dived full-speed at the electric mouse. "Wait, Salamence! That's not the plan!" shouted Blue, but the dragon was too prideful to purposely lose a battle: it launched a white-hot fireball at Pikachu, who jumped out of the way with Agility.
"Pikachu, Iron Tail!" The lightning-bolt-shaped tail of the rodent glowed silver and swung down towards Salamence's head. The dragon turned up towards it, and opened its mouth…
There was a blinding flash and Ash cheered. When the flash disappeared, Pikachu had its tail clamped firmly between its opponent's jaws. "Thunderbolt!" instructed Ash, and Pikachu's cheeks sparked with electricity and unleashed thousands of volts upon Salamence, who dropped Pikachu into the water.
"Salamence, Dragon Claw!" Blue shouted as Pikachu resurfaced, but threw a look meaning Miss on purpose. Salamence glared at its Trainer and instead charged full speed at Pikachu, front left claw alit in flames.
"Agility!" cried Ash, and Pikachu skipped across the water's surface to evade the attack. Salamence turned in mid-air and charged again, unleashing a Flamethrower. Pikachu swerved the pillar of flame, still jumping across the water…
Only to run into Salamence, who had used Flamethrower as a decoy. With violence in its eyes, the dragon increased its flying speed and drove its Dragon Claw right into Pikachu's stomach. Both Ash and Blue groaned: Ash for his Pokemon getting damaged, and Blue for his Pokemon's disobedience.
Pikachu was flung across the room, smashed into the wall, and fell to the floor. "Chaaa.." he moaned, struggling to get up. "Urgh… Pikachu, are you alright?" Ash asked, running over to his partner. When the Pokemon shook its head, Ash glared up at Blue and said, "I forfeit."
Salamence flew over to Blue and landed next to him, looking very pleased with itself. "Well I hope you're happy," said Blue, glaring at his Pokemon. Salamence gave off a grin that said Damn right I'm happy, human. This is what you get for sending me out when you need to lose.
With a roll of his eyes, Blue recalled Salamence back into its ball and walked over to Stan. "Sorry I messed things up, Shota-Man."
Stan shrugged, seemingly not bothered by it. "I didn't expect Salamence to purposely fail anyways."
"Yellow's gonna kill me," grumbled Blue, taking off his hat and running his fingers through his hair in frustration.
"I think she'd kill you even if the plan succeeded…" said Stan, mostly to himself.
"Hm, what was that?"
"N-nothing…"
To be continued...