"Go, Staryu!" said Misty, tossing out a pokeball. The pokeball landed on the deck, releasing the star-shaped pokemon it held into the water beside it.

"Urg. That thing's hideous," said Arden. "Look at it—it doesn't have a face!"

"Staryu doesn't need a face," said Misty. "It's the starshape pokemon."

"But it's like… a sentient creature without a face!" said Arden. "That's macabre!"

"It is not," said Misty, putting her hands on her hips. "Send out your pokemon!"

Arden reached to his belt. "Yeah, yeah," he mumbled. Gimpy grabbed his hand. "What?"

"War! Wartortle!" said Gimpy, moving his trainer's hand away from Cruelty's ball.

Arden looked at him flatly. "He's going to have to come out sooner or later, you know."

"Tortle."

"Urg. Fine," said Arden, seizing another pokeball. "Go, Gentry!"

With a flash, the nidoran appeared on the dock. "Nido!" shouted Gentry, looking around.

"Staryu, use water pulse!" said Misty.

With a grunt, the staryu shot a blast of water at Gentry, which struck the poison pokemon, balling him over. With a yelp of pain, the nidoran hit the dock and rolled.

"Gentry, get up! This is no time for weakness!" said Arden, kicking the pokemon. "Use double kick!"

Misty raised her eyebrows. "You treat your pokemon like that?"

Gentry ran up to the edge of the platform before leaping off it, and pummeling the staryu with his back feet. Staryu grunted, but showed little sign of being more than mildly annoyed by the attack.

"Watergun, Staryu," said Misty.

A beam of water shot out the tip of one of the staryu's points, and hit Gentry hard in the face. With another yelp, Gentry flew into the water, unconscious.

"Jeez," mumbled Arden, recalling the nidoran. "Sorry, Gimp—I'm gonna have to use him."

"Tortle!" objected Gimpy, grabbing his arm.

Arden pushed him away before grabbing up the pokeball from his hip. "Go, Cruelty!"

"Wartortle!" screamed Gimpy, smacking Arden on the arm as the pikachu emerged from his pokeball.

"Quiet down," said Arden, hitting the wartortle back. "Sheesh, you really are annoying. Cruelty—use quick attack!"

"Cha!" shouted Cruelty, leaping toward the staryu. He smacked it with his tail before balling up his little fist and punching it. The staryu grunted as Cruelty used it as a spring board to leap back onto the dock. "Piika!"

"Shake it off, Staryu—you're doing fine," said Misty. "Water Pulse!"

Staryu shot a blast of water at Cruelty, which he dodged without trouble. "Chaa!"

"Thundershock," ordered Arden.

"Pikachu!" shouted Cruelty, his cheeks crackling with electricity. He leapt forward in another quick attack, repeatedly smacking the staryu before leaping back onto the dock. "Cha!"

"Good job, Cruelty," said Arden. "Not—uh, not what I commanded, but good attack!"

The staryu moaned and sank down in the water. "That's enough, Staryu," said Misty, returning it to its pokeball. "You tried your best. Your turn now, Starmie!"

The young gym leader tossed out another pokeball, releasing the purple star pokemon onto the deck. It grunted, its gem flashing. Cruelty flattened his ears along his back and bared his teeth, his cheeks still crackling with unused electricity. "Kaa chu," growled Cruelty, the fur on his back raising on end.

"Okay, hit it with a thundershock," said Arden.

Cruelty launched himself forward, slamming himself into the starmie. The starmie grunted and recoiled slightly.

"That's… not thundershock," said Arden.

"You call yourself a trainer?" asked Misty. "Your pokemon doesn't even listen to you!"

"He does too! …sometimes. Most of the time."

"Cha!" shouted Cruelty.

"Starmie, this is an easy fight," said Misty, rubbing one of the pokemon's points. "Water pulse!"

The starmie fired a blast of water at the pikachu. Cruelty tried to dodge, but wasn't quite quick enough to get out of the way. The water struck his back, sending him rolling across the deck. Cruelty jumped to his feet, growling angrily as electricity crackled all over his body. "Pika pikaaa!"

"You deserved that," said Arden. "Not listening to my orders… Now, use thundershock. Not quick attack. Not slam. Thundershock!" He kicked the pikachu at the base of the tail. "Thundershock."

"Piiika," growled Cruelty. He arched his back and released the electricity stored in his cheeks. Lightning shot forth, striking the starmie, causing it to twitch and shake in pain. "Kachu!"

"Starmie!" shouted Misty, hugging the injured pokemon. "Hang in there, and hit that mean little rat with swift!"

The starmie groaned and tried to move only to fall. Misty caught it. "Oh no—you've been paralyzed," she murmured to her pokemon. The gym leader set her starmie back up. "Just hang in there, alright?"

"Hit it again, Cruelty," said Arden. "Thundershock!"

"Cha!" The pikachu released more electricity from its cheeks. The starmie grunted as the electricity ran through its body, before finally collapsing.

"Oh, Starmie!" said Misty, dropping to her knees and cradling the fainted pokemon. "Oh, it's okay… It's okay, you did good. Return, now."

"Alright!" said Arden. "Good job, Cruelty!"

The pikachu slowly turned around to glare at his trainer. The air around him crackled as he showed his fangs to Arden. "Ka… chu… kaaa…"

"W-woah, there, Cruelty," said Arden, holding up his hands and stepping back. "We won. It's, uh, it's… please don't hurt me."

"Pikachu!" shouted Cruelty, leaping at Arden. He bit and scratched at the boy, simultaneously smacking him about the face and neck with his tail and periodically shocking him.

"Tortle! Tortle!" said Gimpy, frantically limping around Arden as the trainer tried to free himself from the pikachu's abuse.

Misty watched, wide eyed, as the trainer fumbled about with one pokemon attacking him and the other one panicking at his feet. She walked up to Arden as he batted at the pikachu attacking him and pulled Cruelty's empty pokeball from his belt before pointing it at the pikachu. "Return," she said. With a flash of light, Cruelty was drawn back into the pokeball.

"Oh, jeez," said Arden, rubbing at the scratches covering his face. "Th-thanks…"

Misty handed him back the pokeball. "Well," she said. "You beat me, so… I guess you're a competent trainer. Of course, what I just saw begs to differ. All the same, the rules of the Pokemon League are clear. Here. This is the Cascade Badge. Technically, you've earned it. Technically."