Hey Everybody! First, I want to say how amazing it was to get your reviews and private messages over the last two weeks. The funniest thing happened when I published last chapter…as soon as I hit "publish," it suddenly dawned on me that maybe no one would review! I felt so embarrassed, honestly, being so brazen in last chapter's comments thinking that anyone would remember or still subscribe to this story after so many years away…but you saved me from my own humiliation. If I haven't written back to your reviews or messages, please don't be discouraged. I'm trying, but as all of you know from your own lives, work and family life take up a lot more time than they did when we were in high school and college, so it really took everything I had to even get this chapter out.
Which leads me to "second." You see, I have a chapter here today, but you'll see that it's not very long – like last chapter. Last chapter, this was on purpose, because I was trying to move the story forward after so many years of stagnation. This one, though, was meant to be much longer. Unfortunately, it's impossible for me to find the time to write longer chapters in a two week period. So this installment and the next are two halves of the same whole. In fact, my time has been so pressed that I'm actually submitting this from the computer on my ship right now! My wife deserves credit for sending me my account info for FF, since I didn't remember to bring it, haha.
Third, because of the fact I can't write full-length chapters in two weeks' time, I want to leave it to you – the readers. In your reviews, along with any thoughts and critiques you may have, please let me know if you want me to continue in this style (with 3000 word "half-chapters" that I submit every two weeks) or publish a full chapter once a month! Let me know!
Last, I want to clarify something. In my previous chapter, I realize I sounded almost gravely serious about getting back to the story – that it was my duty to finish it. While this is true, I want to be clear that it has been an absolute joy returning to the world of Pokémon and FanFiction. I used to write this story from a place of nostalgia for the childhood I feared losing as I graduated high school and began college. Ironically, now, as I conclude this epic, I feel more embraced by the warm nostalgia from those memories of late nights spent writing almost ten years ago. Let's never allow our love for the past to blind us to the good times we're blessed to have in the present.
Anyway, that's enough from me! READ and REVIEW PLEASE!
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon, or any of its affiliated companies including, but not limited to, 4Kids, The Pokémon Company, Game Freaks, or Cartoon Network. The characters written within this fic are solely based upon the fictional characters created by these companies, and the story is not meant to, nor will it, receive any monetary funding.
Characters' Ages:
Ash: 17
Brock: 22
Misty: 18
Delia: 41
Oak: 56
From the outside, the Cerulean Gym was not an intimidating presence. Though located in the heart of the city, its previous leader had purchased a large tract of the surrounding land during more prestigious, successful days; so it seemed completely removed from the hustle and bustle of urban life.
But the outside didn't concern Tye. It was the gym leaders inside. For over a decade it had been joked that Cerulean was where the blind went to get a badge. Its goofy water shows, and fall from grace as an eighth badge gym to a second only fueled the ridicule further.
Now, though? Seemingly overnight, the gym was a sixth badge arena, and rumor had it that it wouldn't be long before it was stronger than even in its heyday.
To say he was nervous was an understatement. Not only was his path to the Indigo League blocked by this enigma, but this enigma just happened to use the same type of Pokémon that he specialized in.
As he walked through the door and down the hallway, he noted the eerie silence. He'd managed to reserve a spot on the gym's roster online, but didn't expect to have the entire place to himself like this. Somehow, being alone made the anticipation worse, and he felt his sixteen-year-old heart thud frantically.
Coming to the threshold of the main pool, he took a moment to gather his nerves. Stepping past the sliding door, he tasted the sea and drank the darkness. Only the field and aquarium were lit. The battlefield had recently been renovated – it was now the length of an Olympic pool and had equal width, with two circular steel platforms anchored to the bottom only seven feet in diameter on either side, with blue LEDs built into the floor fifty feet below. An aquarium still surrounded the field, with water Pokémon from all over Kanto swimming. They were also illuminated in a blue light that shimmered off the walls and into the empty bleachers that sat atop the glass casing.
"Hell-hello." His voice cracked and he cursed himself for it. "It's me. Tye. I'm here for-I mean, I need to challenge you for a gym badge."
Click.
Suddenly, the other side of the battlefield was illuminated via spotlight, and a blond trainer he immediately recognized from a perfume ad stood opposite him.
"Like, here's the deal, little man. You have to win three of four. Understood?"
Dumbly, he nodded. She was in a bikini, he couldn't help but notice. He furrowed his brow. "W-wait, three of four? I thought it was two of three?"
"Why would you think that?"
"I mean, that's what the forums say."
She gave him a wink and stuck her tongue out. "Cheating won't get you very far in my gym."
He blushed and tried to apologize, but she cut him off. "Like, are you gonna battle, or what? I still have a show to prepare for, you know?"
"R-right, sorry!" Fumbling, he grabbed the first pokéball his clumsy fingers could find. He pulled too hard, though, and the tiny ball flew from his fingers into the brine.
"Oh my gosh, I'm sorry! I-let me get that!" Without thinking of the phone and wallet in his pockets, he jumped into the pool and swam towards the pokéball. Daisy release an annoyed sigh as she crossed her arms – a move which only made Tye blush more as he turned to go back to his side.
Out of the drink, he turned around again. Come on, Tye. You have to pull yourself together. You didn't come this far to lose to a bikini! Straightening himself, he held the pokéball up to Daisy. "My name is Tye Richards, from Evergreen." Finally, some confidence. "I've traveled all through Kanto, battling the toughest trainers and catching the rarest Pokémon you have to offer, and I'm here to challenge you!" With a flourish, he enlarged the capsule and heaved it towards the middle of the pool.
In a flash, a Kingdra appeared, only its tail resting in the water.
"Not bad, kid." With a light underhand, she tossed her Pokémon into battle. Dewgong sprang forth, crying his name. "You take the first move."
"Right. Dragon Dance!" Kingdra's body was enveloped by a pink and purple aura, and her eyes glowed orange for a second.
"I see…" Daisy glanced at her water and ice type. "Like, Dewgong, you know what to do."
The Pokémon nodded and dove underwater.
"You think your Dewgong can hide from us?" Tye snorted, becoming intoxicated by his own hubris. "Let me show you what speed looks like. Kingdra, go under and hit him with Outrage. Let's finish this before it even starts!"
In the blink of an eye, Kingdra indeed disappeared beneath the calm pool waters. The silhouettes, though, of the two could still be seen clearly atop the bright LEDs below. Kingdra raced towards her prey, her body now consumed by an indigo aura.
Daisy just smiled.
At the moment when it seemed contact was inevitable, Dewgong unleashed a torrent of ice from his small horn that transformed an entire section of the pool into a skating rink. Caught in the middle, eyes still blazing, was Kingdra.
"Like, dragon types are weak to ice. Didn't you know that?"
His fists clenched. "But water types aren't!" Kingdra appeared frozen in place. He tried shouting orders, but it appeared impossible for his Pokémon to hear him from beneath the slowly lapping waves.
"I wouldn't waste my breath if I were you. She's stuck in an ice cube." Giggling, Daisy pointed, "Like, waiter! There's something in my drink!"
His cheeks reddened as he realized she was right. He couldn't believe Kingdra's amazing speed and strength of attack hadn't been enough to overcome the water's freezing rate. He had studied water Pokémon his entire life, and even with rough math done in his head, saltwater shouldn't have solidified fast enough to stop his partner's advance.
"Don't, like, hurt yourself thinking about it. I'll let you in on the secret now that the battle's over. As soon as you ordered Dragon Dance, Dewgong began freezing the water in front of him. He was doing it slowly, at first, to, like, lower the temperature without you seeing. That way, when you made your attack, it was ready to flash freeze when he used his full power! Neat, huh?"
Beautiful and smart. He was in love, but there wasn't time for that now.
"You deserve a good rest, Kingdra. Return."
Click.
The spotlight across the water went out, but Tye didn't pay it any mind. He had studied this tactic of the Waterflower sisters before coming, so he spent the next few moments in darkness deciding on his next Pokémon.
Sure enough, just seconds later the lights came back on across the field, and now a pink-haired trainer stood where Daisy had been a minute before.
"I'm, like, the second Waterflower sister," she announced, holding a Lure Ball to meet his gaze. "Are you ready for me?"
"Let's do this."
The next two battles were far more competitive.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
"Lapras, Ice Beam!"
"Cloyster, you do the same!"
The twin attacks met, but it was obvious Tye's Lapras was the stronger specimen, and Cloyster was soon encapsulated by ice.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
"Seaking, Horn Drill!"
"Vaporeon, time to dissolve."
After months of training, Tye's Eeveelution had mastered a little-known ability she had to manipulate her molecules to "melt" into the water. As Seaking flew harmlessly by, she solidified once more.
"Follow it up with Aqua Tail!"
With a twist, Vaporeon shot the fish Pokémon out of the water and against the glass of the surrounding aquarium. As Seaking flopped helplessly on the floor, Violet smacked her forehead.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Breathing a small sigh of relief, he returned Vaporeon as the lights dimmed and Violet bowed out. Though he had managed to overcome his deficit, he was still nervous. He wasn't from Kanto, and didn't know who this mysterious fourth challenger could be.
Click.
"Well, you managed to defeat two of my sisters, so I guess it's up to me to stop you."
Before him stood a striking redhead, who looked strangely familiar. "Don't worry; I actually wear clothes for my battles, unlike the others, so you don't have to be shy." The mocking smirk on her lips was enough to incense him.
"I wasn't too shy to beat them! And now I'm gonna take down you – whoever you are – and get my badge!"
"Whoever I am? You aren't from around here, are you?"
"You're just another trainer for me to beat."
She smiled. Good. "Then let's see what you've got!"
In a flash, a Starmie appeared on the platform before her. After he knew there would be a fourth battle, Tye had concluded he should save his strongest for last. He didn't know who this girl was, exactly, but he had a feeling that if the Waterflower sisters saved her for the end, she was probably no joke.
Pitching the pokéball towards the platform, his Blastoise appeared on the scene with a loud declaration of his name. Without pause, "Hydro Pump, now!"
The turtle's cannons emerged, and shot forth a violent jet of water. Before master or Pokémon could respond, Starmie was thrown backwards into the pool.
He's eager. Having watched the previous three battles from the shadows, Misty was aware that this challenger was undoubtedly one of the more skilled their gym had seen in the two weeks since she had arrived. Of the dozens who had walked through their halls, only four had managed to even get to her. Once they had, though, none had been able to stand a chance. Let's see if this guy is any different.
"Starmie, Whirlpool!"
Moving to the center of the pool, the starfish began spinning on its axis. Within seconds the entire water surface was being pulled downward into a cyclone. Blastoise struggled to stay on his platform as it slowly made its descent.
"Jump and use Skull Bash!"
Using the tilt of the platform to his advantage, Blastoise tucked his legs and head into his shell and peered down at the center of the Whirlpool.
"Surf, Starmie!"
As he launched himself down, the cyclone suddenly took the appearance of a large wave whose crest engulfed the turtle as he charged.
Misty gave a small sigh of relief, but smiled. "You know what to do!"
Starmie's body began to glow a bright yellow, and small sparks started leaping atop the water's rough surface.
"What's going – Blastoise, out of the water!" But it was too late as low-level voltage coursed through his Pokémon's bulky frame. After a minute, the turtle floated to the top on his back, completely immobilized.
"Come back up!"
With a flourish, Starmie returned to its platform, staring down its opponent with a glowing red crystal.
"Finish this with a Psychic blast!" The red core glowed purple, as Blastoise struggled to right himself.
"Wait! Stop, I call the match!"
Starmie immediately powered down.
"You're sure?"
Tye nodded. "I didn't stand a chance. No point in getting Blastoise more hurt." He returned the water starter to his pokéball. "Good job out there. I'll get you to a Center as soon as we leave."
They met halfway across the pool and shook hands.
"That was a good match, Tye."
"Are you kidding? It didn't last two minutes."
"Yeah, but your Pokémon are obviously well-trained. The way you used the Whirlpool to your advantage like that was really surprising."
He smiled sheepishly at the praise. "Well, I've studied water Pokémon my whole life. I know everything about them, from their biology to the physics of their attacks. I figured the best way to stop the cyclone was to launch Blastoise in the middle of it."
"Wow, now I'm really impressed." And, if she were being honest, a little insecure of her own knowledge. "Trainers – especially water trainers – usually let their Pokémon jump into the Whirlpool, since they think it can't do them any damage."
"That's why you use it, right? To trick them into the water and hit them with a Thunderbolt?"
"Thunder Wave, actually, but yeah. Once they're in the water, there's no escape from the electricity. Also, Starmie's electric attacks aren't very strong, but when we get our opponents in the pool, they become a lot more powerful."
"I figured. I know Starmie's movesets, obviously, and I knew you wouldn't waste time using Whirlpool if you didn't wanna get Blastoise off that platform. I couldn't account for how strong its Surf would be, though."
"Well, it worried me when I saw how fast your Blastoise was moving. I knew Starmie couldn't take another direct hit after the Hydro Pump, so honestly, that was my last resort. If he'd broken through, we would've lost."
"But you didn't." He stuck his hand out once again. "I'm sad I didn't get the badge, but at least I had some amazing water battles today, and learned a couple of new techniques. Your sisters are really good trainers, too!"
"Like, thank you!" a voice from the darkness returned. "Yeah, thanks, cutie!"
He blushed madly, and Misty laughed. "Don't mind them. They just like messing with boys who come to the gym."
"Heh, yeah, I figured. Why else wear a bikini to a match?"
"Oh, they're always dressing like that, but they definitely use it to their advantage in battles. I've seen a few trainers quit giving orders altogether because they're ogling so hard."
Tye snickered. "By the way, I'm sorry if it seems rude, but I could swear I've seen you somewhere before? Do we know each other?"
She smiled. "You may have seen me on TV. I'm Misty Waterflower."
Nothing.
"Ash Ketchum's girlfriend?"
His eyes shot wide open. "You're Ash Ketchum's girlfriend?! The Sinnoh Champion?!"
"The one and the same."
"Oh my gosh, no wonder I recognized you! I'm so sorry for not knowing before."
She rolled her eyes. "Oh, don't be silly. I'm guessing you're like most trainers on a journey – you don't really keep up with the tabloids."
"Well, no, but still! I should've guessed it was you! It would make sense a champion would have a really pretty girlfriend, after all."
Now it was her turn to blush. "Aw, you're sweet! Thanks, Tye."
"Don't mention it!" He paused. "Actually, really don't mention it. I didn't mean to hit on you or anything, and I really don't want the Champion of Sinnoh coming after me."
She snorted. "I know you weren't! Besides, I'm the tough one in the relationship, not Ash. If you're gonna be scared of anyone, be scared of me."
"R-right."
"My sisters are putting on a show in an hour. I know you didn't win the badge, but if you wanna stay for that, we could give you a ticket for free?" She felt bad for the kid. It was bad luck that he had shown up while she was here – otherwise he would have won the Cascade Badge after defeating Lily and Violet.
"No, that's okay." He gave a sad smile. "I have a lot to figure out."
"Okay, but just so you know, I'm leaving in a week. When I do, the gym will be back in my sisters' hands. If I were you, I'd stick around Cerulean and train. The next closest gym is in Saffron, and that will take a week walking, at least. Just come by during gym hours and train with us to prepare!"
"You mean it?"
"Of course. The job of a gym leader is to make sure trainers reach their maximum potential. I don't like not handing out badges – I want to give them to everyone who deserves them, and that includes you."
He blushed again. "Well, thank you. I guess I'll stick around, then."
"Good! We'll see you bright and early, then. Gym opens at six, much to my sisters' dismay."
"Right! I'll be there! And, uh…"
"Yes?"
"Well, um…could I get one of those tickets to the show after all?"