Summer saved Bill from being a Caterpie forever and almost eaten by a Pidgeotto. In the process, she earned a ticket for the S.S. Anne and a new friend, Flower. After training for the Gym battle, Summer decides she's ready to take Misty on. What she didn't expect was how strong Misty is. Will Summer be able to win her second Gym battle?

Chapter 13- A Water Battle Royale

"Great job everyone!" I cheered as we finished training near Nugget Bridge. Everyone was exhausted, but they did look stronger. "Let's head back!" I returned everyone and walked back to Cerulean City.

After we arrived at the Pokémon Center, we freshened up and had dinner in the cafeteria. I then went to the computer lab and did research on SRI on the Cerulean City Gym.

Hmm… so the Gym Leader's name is Misty. She's a Water-type specialist. For new Trainers, her battle conditions are 2 on 2 singles battles. Her main Pokémon in every battle is Starmie. Her hobbies include water ballet, fishing, and swimming. Appropriate hobbies for a Water-type Trainer. Noticing the lab was about to close, I went back into my room to continue strategizing while Lightning jumped on the bed.

"I got it!" I said out loud, startling her. "I'll use Flower and Swirls for the battle."

"How come not me?" Lightning whined while emitting small sparks from her pink cheeks.

"Don't worry," I reassured. "For sure, you'll be in the next Gym battle." This calmed her down, and I looked at my Pokégear. "It's getting late, let's go to bed." Lightning nodded, and she curled up next to my hands while I turned off the lamp in the room and drifted off to sleep.

After a good night's sleep, we woke up bright and early, had a big breakfast, and headed to the Cerulean City Gym.

Lightning and I were amazed by the Water Pokémon designs along the Gym walls. We entered the gym lobby and saw green glass cabinets filled swimming and water ballet trophies. A light blue desk gave some contrast to the aqua blue walls. Unfortunately, there was no receptionist there.

"I hope we're not too early," I said, remembering that I was supposed to register for a Gym battle.

"Why don't we look around and find the Gym Leader?" Lightning suggested. "That way, we can find out ourselves instead of going back to the Pokémon Center."

"Okay, let's go look around."

We walked past the lobby doors into the battlefield room. This aqua blue room contained a pool with concrete walkways, large tanks filled with various Water-type Pokémon, a large TV screen, and a set of three metal bleachers to the left of the pool. At the right edge, a teenage girl with orange hair wearing a blue sports bikini ran after a yellow duck Pokémon. I scanned him and my Pokédex said [Psyduck, the Duck Pokémon. When its headache intensifies, it starts using strange powers. However, it has no recollection of its powers, so it always looks befuddled and bewildered.]

"Psyduck, come back here!" she shouted, but he refused to stop. She finally caught the Duck Pokémon in her hands but he kept squirming.

I ran over to the teenager and asked, "Do you need any help?"

"Oh!" she gasped, startled by my appearance. "There's a pink and orange inner tube by the entrance. Could you get that for me?"

"I'll get it, Summer," Lighting offered. She leaped down my shoulder and ran over towards the entrance. She jumped up and removed the inner tube with her tail.

Seeing that Psyduck started to struggle harder, I commanded Lightning, "Fling the inner tube to me using Iron Tail!" Lightning flung it at high speed, and I caught it with both hand.

"Quick! Put it on!" she shouted as she started to lose her grip. I quickly did so, calming the Pokémon. Psyduck then happily jumped into the pool and floated on the water.

"Whew! Thanks for your help," she said. "I'm Misty, the Gym Leader."

"I'm Summer, and this is Lightning. How come your Psyduck needs an inner tube to swim?"

Misty groaned and ranted, "Psyduck gets scared of being in the water. I've tried to get him into the pool to overcome it, but he runs wildly around, like what you saw earlier."

"Anyway, I take it that you're here for a Gym battle?" she asked.

Lightning and I nodded. "If that's okay with you. I forgot to register yesterday."

Misty smiled and said, "Oh, don't worry about that. I don't have any challengers until 10, so I'm down with Trainers who drop in."

"Thanks, Misty!"

"No problem! I've been itching for a good one!" Misty then pressed a button near the bleachers. Six concrete patches rose out of the pool and stopped at the level of the walkways. Misty grabbed two Pokéballs from a compartment, and a referee came out of the double doors near her.

He walked to the middle of the pool and, "This battle will be a two on two singles battle, with the challenger being allowed to switch her Pokémon. The challenger also has the first move. The winner will be decided when the opponent's two Pokémon are unable to battle. Do you agree to these rules, Summer from Hoenn?" I accepted the terms and prepared myself for a tough battle.

"All right!" Misty shouted, enlarging a Pokéball. "Go "

"All right, a battle!" a voice quacked. Psyduck jumped out of the water, wriggled out of his inner tube, and waddled onto a concrete patch in the middle of the pool.

Misty face palmed herself and yelled, "Psyduck! You're not supposed to be battling!" Psyduck looked at her with a blank face and turned to face me.

"Umm…" Misty said, unsure of what to do.

Knowing Misty didn't expect to use Psyduck, I offered, "Why don't we use this battle as a practice one? That way, Psyduck can battle and we can still have the official match."

"Hmm…" she thought while Psyduck gave her a longing stare. "Fine," she said with a smile. "I accept the offer."

The referee shrugged his shoulders and accepted the unofficial battle. "Which Pokémon will you be using, Summer from Hoenn?"

"Let's do this, Lightning!" I shouted. The Pichu happily jumped off my shoulder and landed on a concrete patch.

She turned to me and said, "Finally! Let's win this, Summer!"

The referee looked at us and shouted, "This unofficial battle between Psyduck and Lightning will now begin! You have the first move, Summer of Hoenn."

"Lightning, use Thundershock!" I commanded. Lightning quickly charged her attack and hit Psyduck with a lot of power.

Psyduck shook it off and Misty countered, "Psyduck, use Water Gun!"

Lightning and I were braced for a stream of water. What we got instead was a trickle of water coming out of Psyduck's mouth. Lightning and I looked at each other with confusion. Misty became upset and said, "Come on, Psyduck! You need to focus!" The Duck Pokémon just stared at her.

Misty sighed, then told Psyduck, "Use Scratch!" Psyduck started to charge but hesitated at the edge of the concrete patch.

Guess he doesn't want to jump over the water. I should help Misty end this. "Lightning, use Iron Tail to softly hit Psyduck!"

Lightning was surprised at my command, but she nodded. She jumped over the pool gap and hit Psyduck lightly on the head with her silver tail. Psyduck tumbled backwards and fell into the water, struggling to stay afloat.

"Psyduck is unable to battle! Lightning and Summer win!" the referee shouted, a little embarrassed at the result.

Misty gave a small smile and said, "Nice try, Psyduck. Return."

I was shocked at Lightning's power and quickly said, "I'm sorry, Misty. I didn't expect Lightning to be so strong!"

Misty chuckled and said, "You don't need to apologize. Although I admit, Lightning's very powerful for a Pichu." I thanked her for the compliment. Maybe this match won't be so bad…

Misty smiled and asked, "Ready for the real one?"

"You bet!"

Lightning returned to my side, happy about the outcome.

The referee nodded and shouted, "The official Gym battle shall now commence! Trainers, choose your first Pokémon!" I saw the TV screen light up with our faces next to two Pokémon slots.

"All right! Go, Ruby!" Misty sent out a brown star with a red jewel in the middle.

Hey, that's a Staryu, they're pretty rare in Hoenn.

"Let's do this, Flower!" Flower came out, calm and ready for a battle. Staryu and Flower's picture showed up on the TV screen. The referee shouted, "Battle begin!"

Wanting to get a good start, I commanded, "Flower, use Vine Whip!" Flower shot out two vines towards Ruby.

Misty smiled and shouted, "Ruby, dive then use Tackle!" Ruby narrowed missed the vines and quickly dove into the clear water. While Flower was trying to focus on the Staryu, it jumped out and hit her. It then jumped to the concrete patch it was on earlier.

I didn't know that's what the pool's for! This isn't good… I took a deep breath and asked, "You okay, Flower?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, trying not to show any pain.

"Let's try a status condition. Use Sleep Powder!"

Flower released a white powder from her bulb towards Ruby, quickly putting her to sleep.

"Yes!" I cheered, "Now use Vine Whip again!" Flower released two vines from her bulb, grabbed the sleeping Pokémon, and threw it into the water.

I thought it fainted until I saw it waking up. It jumped out of the water and again landed on the concrete patch.

"How did that happen?" I wondered out loud.

Misty smiled and said, "By pushing Ruby into the water, the Sleep Powder got washed off."

"That's not really fair," I muttered. "Only one of my Pokémon can use the pool as an advantage."

"I bet you're wondering about the battlefield," Misty shouted, as if she heard my words. "Any battlefield has advantages and disadvantages, but it's up to the Pokémon and Trainer to use it to their advantage."

Advantages and disadvantages…I think I know a disadvantage to the pool!

"Flower, hit Ruby with a Leech Seed!" I commanded.

Flower nodded and launched a seed at Ruby. Once the seed hit it, vines quickly shot out and trapped the Sea Star Pokémon. The vines then sapped Ruby with a red energy and transferred it to Flower, slowly healing her injuries.

Misty gritted her teeth and shouted, "Quick, Ruby! Wash it off!" Ruby immediately jumped into the water and tried to shake the vines off. After a few futile shakes and more sapping from the Leech Seed, Ruby floated to the surface, its red jewel flashing.

The referee shouted, "Ruby is unable to battle! Flower wins!"

Misty returned Ruby and praised it for its hard work. "You and Flower are pretty strong. But the battle isn't over yet! Go, Amethyst!"

She sent out her final Pokémon, a purple doubled star with an iridescent jewel. That Pokémon's picture showed up on the screen while Ruby's picture turned black.

I looked it up in my Pokédex, and it said [Starmie, the Mysterious Pokémon and the evolved form of Staryu. People in ancient times imagined that Starmie were transformed from the reflections of starts that twinkled on gentle waves at night.]

"Battle begin!" the referee shouted, waving his arms.

Starmie looks really pretty but strong. I should be a little more careful. Flower's getting tired.

"Flower, use Leech Seed again!" Flower launched a seed at Amethyst, which surrounded it with vines.

Misty smiled and said, "That trick won't work twice! Amethyst, free yourself with Rapid Spin!"

It quickly spun around, causing the vines to detach from its body and hit the back wall. Flower and I were shocked at what happened.

Misty smirked and explained, "Rapid Spin removes entry hazards and moves like Leech Seed. So you can't use that move anymore!"

Thinking I had to stop Amethyst somehow, I commanded, "Flower, use Vine Whip to stop Amethyst from spinning!" Flower tried to grab Amethyst but it kept spinning out of reach.

"Finish Flower with Water Pulse!"

Starmie shot an orb of water from its red jewel, and it hit Flower. Flower got knocked back from the impact and fell into the water. When she rose to the surface, she didn't move.

"Flower is unable to battle! Amethyst wins!" the referee shouted.

I returned Flower and said, "Thanks for her hard work, Flower. Now, Swirls, let's win that badge!"

Swirls came out of her Pokéball, excited about fighting in the water.

Misty squealed and exclaimed, "Now this is a real Water Pokémon battle!"

Flower's picture turned black, and Swirls's picture showed up on the TV screen.

"Battle begin!"

Let's see if I can slow Amethyst down…

"Swirls, use Bubble!" I shouted.

"I thought you've learned your lesson!" Misty shouted. "Amethyst, pop those bubbles with Rapid Spin!" Amethyst spun so fast that it popped all of the bubbles.

"Now, use Swift!" Amethyst shot a stream of white stars from its jewel.

"Quick, Swirls! Use Water Gun!" Swirls quickly knocked the stars down with several shots of water.

"Good defense. But let' see how you're on offense! Amethyst, Rapid Spin!"

"Swirls, Doubleslap!" Swirls jumped up to attack with her tail but Amethyst's spinning knocked her back onto a concrete patch. Swirls slowly got up, hurt from the height of the fall.

"You okay, Swirls?" I asked with concern. Swirls nodded but had some trouble standing.

"Sorry, Summer, but this battle's over," Misty confidently said. "Amethyst, finish Swirls with Water Pulse!" As Amethyst shot the water orb, Misty's confidence turned to fear. "Wait, Amethyst! Stop the attack!"

Stop the attack, why?

Amethyst tried to stop the orb, but it was too late. The orb of water easily hit Swirls. I thought the match was over, but Swirls' body began to sparkle green. After the green light faded, she eagerly jumped up and down, wanting to keep on battling.

"What just happened?" I asked, confused.

Misty face palmed and explained, "One of Poliwag's abilities is Water Absorb, which allows it to heal from being hit by Water-type moves."

"Dudette, let's ride the wave and win!" Swirls shouted to me.

I smiled and told Misty, "We'll beat you, Misty, and earn that badge!"

"I like your willpower, Summer! Amethyst, Rapid Spin!"

"Swirls, dive in the water then use Water Gun!"

Swirls dodged the spinning Starmie and dove into the water. While Amethyst was searching for Swirls, who was harder to spot than Ruby, she jumped out of the water and shot a strong stream of water. The attack hit Amethyst in slow motion, making it a critical hit.

"I guess I'm going all or nothing!" Misty shouted with determination. "Amethyst, use Swift!"

"Swirls, use Bubble!" I countered. The two attacks collided in the air, filling the room with a bright light.

Taking advantage of the light, I commanded, "Swirls, use Doubleslap!" As the light quickly faded, Swirls jumped forward and hit a confused Amethyst multiple times. After five hits, the Mysterious Pokémon fell over, its jewel flashing red.

"Amethyst is unable to battle! The winner is Swirls, and the victory goes to…Summer from Hoenn!"

"Yes, we did it, Swirls!" I screamed. Swirls happily swam towards me and jumped into my arms. Although, I was splashed with water, I didn't care. I rubbed her head and said, "Great job."

After Misty returned Amethyst, she walked over to us. She then presented to us a light-blue water droplet.

"Great job today, Summer. You gave me a battle I'll remember for a long time. As proof of your victory, I present you with the Cascade Badge."

I accepted it and said, "Thanks, Misty."

After putting my new badge in my badge case, Misty reminded me, "Don't forget what you learned from every battle. Each experience will make you a better Trainer."

"Thanks for the advice. I didn't expect to hear that from a feisty person like you, no offense."

Misty laughed and said, "That's what my sisters keep telling me to say to everyone. It does get a little repetitive, though. Why don't we exchange Pokégear numbers? I'd love to have lunch with you whenever you're back."

I nodded, and we did just that.

"Good luck with the Gym in Vermillion City, Summer. The Gym Leader there is really strong."

"Thanks, Misty! Bye!" I returned Swirls, and Lightning and I went back to the Pokémon Center.

I gave the nurse my Pokémon, and she went into the back room to heal them. As I got to the TV in the lobby, a breaking news report from Kanto TV came on.

"This just in! All entrances to Saffron City will be closed to allow the city to fix its drainage issues. To reach the neighboring cities, people are advised to take the Underground Paths. The north-south path (CV) will connect Cerulean City and Vermillion City while the east-west path (LC) will connect Lavender Town and Celadon City. Trainers who have Flying-type Pokémon will be able to enter the city without going through the paths. We will bring updates about the future reopening of the entrances."

That's strange. Saffron City's a metropolis, so why would they need to shut down all of the entrances to fix drainage issues?

"Excuse me, Summer?" a female voice said behind me. I turned around and saw the nurse with my Pokéballs. I thanked her for her healing my Pokémon, packed my things, and checked out of the Pokémon Center.

"Where are we going next, Summer?" Lightning asked as we left the building.

"Well, we're going to Vermillion City. But we have to go through the Underground Path to get there."

Errol suddenly popped out of his Pokéball. He scratched his chin and asked, "Ms. Summer, is this path you speak of south of here?"

I slowly nodded. Errol and Lightning smiled at each other and firmly nodded.

"Excellent! We must train there! Follow me!" Errol immediately took off and flew south over the city fence.

"Wait, Errol!" I shouted, chasing after him. Lightning went ahead and destroyed the small tree with her Iron Tail attack, allowing us to leave Cerulean City and continue our journey.

Pokémon: Blaze (Combusken): Brave Nature, moves: Quick Attack, Double Kick, Flamethrower, Focus Energy

Errol (Hoothoot): Rash Nature, moves: Tackle, Growl, Hypnosis, Peck

Swirls (Poliwag): Relaxed Nature, moves: Bubble, Hypnosis, Water Gun, Doubleslap

Lightning (Pichu): Adamant Nature, moves: Thundershock, Charm, Iron Tail

Flower (Bulbasaur): Gentle Nature, moves: Tackle, Leech Seed, Vine Whip, Sleep Powder

Questions for the Chapter:

Will Misty's Psyduck ever learn how to swim?

Who will be the last member on Summer's team?