Eevee was just as useful a Pokemon as Bill had said, Josh had learned. Its Helping Hand, was an incredible boost to have while battling wild Pokemon, and all of his own Pokemon were benefiting from it. And his Pokemon were learning actually impressive moves: Razor Leaf, Magnitude, Wing Attack, Seismic Toss. They were close to evolving, Josh could feel it, even if he couldn't exactly explain why.
However, as his Eevee scampered forward down the streets of Cerulean, it was proving to be a bit too popular and too useful. First, were the droves of female Trainers clamoring to pet it and take pictures of it. Josh hated watching his Pokemon get all the attention while he stammered like an idiot trying to make conversation with the girls. And by now, Josh was well aware that his Eevee loved the attention.
I see you ignoring me when I tell you to get back in your Poke Ball, Josh silently grumbled to himself.
And worst of all was when his Eevee suddenly perked up and ran off into an alley. Josh had to follow, at least to get away from the girls, if nothing else, until he came upon a strange hole in the middle of the street.
At first, it looked like just a pothole, but as Josh came up to it he saw it was much deeper. Before he could say anything, his Eevee barked and jumped into the hole. Josh had never seen him upset before, but his Eevee seemed angry at something. Josh left his bag against a building, rolled up his sleeves, and slowly crawled after his errant Normal-type.
#
Yukari was in the middle of laps when she heard her phone ring near the edge of the pool where she had left it. The Cerulean Gym was closed to challengers indefinitely, but it served as a good place to swim. She finished her last lap of freestyle and gracefully climbed out of the pool, only toweling herself off enough to answer the phone.
"Hello?" she said, idly checking her fingernails.
There was no response, but Yukari froze when she heard the sounds of a battle — a very different kind of battle than the kind she was used to.
"Hit 'em with Revenge!"
"Hades, return — Ares, come out!"
"Drowzee, Poison Gas!"
"Eevee, use Quick Attack!"
Yukari hung up. She had heard enough. Her heart raced as she fumbled with her phone, brought up the favorites in her contact list, and called the number at the top. She ran to the lockers as she listened to it ring, already getting dressed.
#
Mizuki tensed every time Misty so much as lifted a finger. She was pretty, sure, but she was also terrifying. He had seen dozens of Trainers enter Cerulean Gym only to walk out just two minutes later looking like they had been slapped in the face. Not to mention the multiple times Mizuki had seen Misty break up battles on the Nugget Bridge, sometimes bringing an entire tidal wave and counting down on her fingers as it approached the bridge, while the Trainers all laughed and screamed as they ran for land. How anyone could laugh while being threatened with possible drowning from Misty's Pokemon baffled Mizuki.
These Trainers, he thought to himself, they're all crazy. The guys are crazy. The girls are crazy. The girl Gym Leaders are the craziest of them all. And I'm on a date with one because I couldn't just tell my friends to screw off when they dared me to ask her out. Why did I ask her out? Why in the world did I ask her out? And why did she say yes?!
Mizuki was handsome, in just the way Misty liked. He was tall, with shaggy dark hair and a square jaw. He's cute, but doesn't know it, Misty thought to herself, always better when they don't know, otherwise they get so full of themselves it makes me want to hurl. But, God, is this guy boring. I can't believe I wasted so much time on my outfit.
"So, um," Mizuki murmured, "are you sure you should be here?"
"Hmm? What do you mean?"
The two of them were sitting on a grassy ridge in Cerulean Cape, overlooking the water below. Misty had had her fortune read in Saffron City, she was told she would meet her soulmate here. She had been on twelve first dates since then. So far, no dice. So much for you, Sabrina, as Misty often thought to herself. Even so, Misty clung on to that hope, suggesting it as the spot to any guy who actually bothered to make the first move. Maybe she was addicted to the excitement of the first date. Like reality TV. Or peach ice cream.
"I mean, isn't that break-in guy still out there?"
Misty groaned, throwing her head back, missing the fact that Mizuki visibly flinched when she did.
"Of course he's still out there," she said, "me and my Trainers went door-to-door. For three whole days, we searched every house, closed every tunnel we could find, but I'm not a Ground-type specialist! I can't just send my Pokemon in there and drown him."
"But, this could be Team Ro—"
"Can we please not talk about this?" Misty said, finally looking at him, her smile dropping when he wouldn't meet her eyes, "Seriously, there's only so much I can do. And we don't know that it was Team Rocket, that's just a rumor. And if it is, they're going to learn the hard way why I was put in charge of this city. I'll let you in on a secret: Cerulean City is a special city when it comes to Gym Leaders in Kanto. We're not a huge city with thousands of Trainers, we may not have a super important radio tower or a secret underground generator that might explode at any moment."
"Wait, what?"
"My point is, whoever is in charge of Cerulean has to be the best. I'm in charge of Cerulean Cave. There's a lot of newbie Trainers always passing by here, and they can't be let anywhere near there — ever. And the wild Pokemon there are brutally strong. I'm in charge of keeping them in there," Misty said, "I have it under control, I promise. If Team Rocket tries to mess with my city, I'm going to show them how one of the best Gym Leaders in Kanto handles her business."
Mizuki let out a sigh of relief. That actually was comforting to hear. As scary as Misty was, she was partly here to protect him, right? Only now did he realize how entirely different Misty looked tonight. It wasn't just the dress she was wearing, or the fact that her hair was down for once and slightly curled at the ends, or the moonlight. She really was pretty. And only now, while he was close enough for her to lean against his shoulder, did he see something he couldn't believe he had never noticed before. Misty's eyes weren't blue, they were a brilliant, deep green. They were beautiful. She was beautiful… and she was sitting awfully close.
Misty smiled at him, and he smiled back. She closed her eyes and gently parted her lips, and he leaned forward.
The ringtone was loud and the bench behind them shook as Misty's phone rang, jolting them both upright and Mizuki flinched again as Misty swore and ran back to answer it.
"This better be important," she snapped.
Mizuki looked back as he watched Misty hold the phone to her cheek, impatiently tapping her foot in those heels he had never seen her wear before, and listened in silence. There she was again. The Misty everyone knew her as; haughty, aggressive, and absolutely terrifying.
"He WHAT?!"
Mizuki flinched again.
#
Josh was on his last legs. He was down four Pokemon, and he knew his Bulbasaur and Eevee wouldn't be able to take down the Rocket Grunt's Pokemon on their own. He was way out of his depth. And he couldn't spare another moment to make another call. Why did he call Yukari? Why didn't he just call the police?
"It's a real shame, kid," the Rocket grunt said, "if you had played it smart, we could've worked something out. Maybe even recruited you. Team Rocket can always use a young Trainer like you."
His Mankey was no match for the Grunt's Machop. It was clear the moment the Machop blocked Ares's Karate Chop and sent it flying with a Vital Throw that this Fighting-type didn't just charge in and screech, it had real fighting training. The Drowzee was even worse. It snorted and honked incessantly, spat poison, and wreaked havoc with its Hypnosis and Confusion. Josh himself was almost put to sleep by it, only to shut his eyes and immediately feel what felt like a hot knife being shoved into his forehead. Psychic-types really are a whole other level of psychological warfare, Josh thought to himself, as he held his hands to his temples trying to relieve the pain while he felt tears form from the sheer searing pain he was feeling.
As his Eevee was thrown back by a Karate Chop from the Machop, Josh barely made out the sound of a deafening roar coming from the other end of the alley he was in. He dropped his hands and finally opened his eyes. Josh's jaw dropped at what he saw.
Misty, riding on top of her Gyarados, which was barreling toward them with terrifying speed. Just as the Gyarados reached them, it coiled its body and lifted its head, blocking the alley completely and launching Misty up into the air. She soared into the air, spread her arms, spun, and fell back down as if she were performing a dive. But instead, she threw an Ultraball down in front of her, and a Starmie emerged. The Starmie was nothing but a blur of purple and sparkling red light as it quickly unleashed a torrent of water. Misty dove into it, hardly making a splash. A moment later, Misty and her Starmie emerged from the water, and the Starmie unleashed two powerful jets of water that blasted the Machop and Drowzee away, slamming them against the wall of the building.
The sheer volume of water made it immediately rush down the alley and slam into Josh, not with enough force to throw him into the wall, but enough to knock him down. Josh scrambled to get to his feet and wiped the water from his eyes, just in time to see the Rocket Grunt get lifted into the air, surrounded by a pink aura, and be thrown into the wall along with his Pokemon.
The water slowly receded as it fed into the storm drains on the street, and Josh stumbled forward, watching in awe as Misty ran up and started kicking the Rocket Grunt in the stomach.
"Come to MY city, attack little KIDS, this is what you GET!" she yelled, punctuating each sentence with a vicious kick, "You play STUPID games, win STUPID prizes! I'm going to KNOCK your teeth out, put you in JAIL, and throw away the KEY!"
The Rocket Grunt was nothing but a crumpled mess, crying and wincing in pain on the ground. Josh laughed, and turned to Misty, but immediately backed away as he saw her rounding on him.
"And you!" she barked. "What were you thinking attacking Team Rocket?! Do you have any idea what they do to people like you? Did you even think for one second what would have happened if I didn't get here? Are you taking a bunch of stupid pills every morning!?"
"I was just trying to get my Eevee back in his Poke Ball!" Josh stammered, tripping over the curb and landing on his butt. "Ow. I just got him, I had no idea he was leading me to that guy, I swear!"
Misty froze. She looked down the street, and saw the Eevee limping towards Josh. She immediately rounded back on the Grunt and gave him another two kicks to the stomach.
"You hurt an EEVEE?! The cutest Pokemon EVER?!"
#
The Rocket Grunt was taken to the police station, Josh's team was taken to the Pokemon Center, and Josh was taken to the hospital. Aside from the bruise on his butt, he was mostly unscathed. Of course, the raging headache the Drowzee had given him would take longer to go away, the doctor told him, but they also gave him painkillers that would help.
Incredibly, Josh walked out of the hospital with something of an entourage. Alli from the Cerulean City Trainer School, Yukari, and Misty herself. A reporter tried to talk to Josh, but was immediately shooed away by Misty. And so was everyone gathered at the Cerulean Gym.
"You really don't have to do this now," Yukari said, as the four of them entered the Gym, "we can reserve you spot for tomorrow, or until you feel better."
"I'm fine, I promise," Josh lied. He hadn't taken the painkillers, and was already regretting it.
"I can't believe I'm going to watch you battle Misty!" Alli said, beaming.
"If he wants a battle, he gets one," Misty said while unstrapping her heels and kicking them away, "Ah, finally. And since this one likes picking fights he has no chance of winning, might as well let him do it twice in one day."
"Well, I'm glad you're giving me a shot," Josh said, "everyone says you're the best."
Josh glanced at Yukari, who gave him a thumbs-up.
"See? Why can't more guys be like this one?" Misty said to Yukari.
The girls laughed, and took their positions. Alli walked to the stands and took a seat. Yukari ran to the side of the pool and took the referee flags in her hands. Misty jumped across the platforms until she reached the top end of the figure 8 in the pool, then turned gracefully like a dancer to reveal two Poke Balls in her hand.
"Two-on-two sound good?" she asked.
"Sure," Josh said, as he jumped onto the first platform in the pool, the other end of the figure 8. The platforms, as it turned out, were not anchored, and Josh landed with much less grace than Misty did, almost falling over as he did and again cursing his headache for making him light-headed.
"Two-on-two battle," Yukari announced, "Misty will call her Pokemon first, no substitutions for her. Josh, you can use substitutions at any time. Understood?"
Josh gave a thumbs-up, and Misty called her Pokemon.
"Let's go, Psyduck!"
Alli cheered as the poor Water-type emerged, and immediately quacked as it held its head in its hands.
Me too, buddy, Josh thought to himself.
"Come on out, Pan!"
"Psyduck, Confusion!"
"Pan, Vine Whip!"
The Psyduck quacked and its eyes glowed pink. Pan's body became surrounded by a pink aura, and he grimaced in pain. But Pan still sent forth a vine that swung across the entire pool and smacked the Psyduck in the face, knocking it off the platform and into the water.
"Psyduck, Disable!"
The Psyduck slowly sunk to the bottom of the pool, but Josh could see its eyes flash pink again, and then watched as Pan's vine involuntarily receded back into his body. The Bulbasaur looked back at Josh.
"It's okay, Pan, just wait."
"Psyduck, Confusion!"
The Psyduck finally stopped holding its head in its hands and flapped its arms, slowly swimming back up and taking a breath as its face breached the water's surface.
"Now, Pan, Razor Leaf!"
Pan roared triumphantly as it sent two crescent shaped leaves flying towards the Psyduck, just barely skimming the water, and colliding with the Psyduck's eyes. The Water-type gave one, final pained quack and went limp, floating face up in the water.
"Psyduck is unable to battle," Yukari said, holding up the red flag.
"Psyduck, return," Misty said.
Alli cheered, and Josh finally felt his headache begin to clear up.
"All right, Staryu, I need you!"
"Pan, Razor Leaf!"
"Use Camouflage!"
Misty's Staryu, a spinning blur with a sparkling red core scarily reminiscent of her Starmie, emerged from its Poke Ball, flew to the surface of the water, and then disappeared. Pan's leaves hit the spot it had landed, but only made splashes as they hit the surface and sunk into the pool.
"Now, use Swift!"
The faintest ripple in the water was the only warning before a wave of pale, white star-shaped projectiles sprang forth and hit Pan.
"Don't fall in the water, stand your ground, Pan!"
Pan was battered by the stars, from one direction, and then another, but he brought out his vines and anchored himself to both edges of the platform like a carnival tent. Pan withstood the attacks well enough, but Josh knew this battle was getting him nowhere.
"Keep hitting him, Staryu, Swift!"
"Pan, return! Come out, Eevee!"
Eevee came forth and landed on a different platform, only to be hit by the same stars that had been assailing Pan.
"Ha! Did you think I'd take it easy just because I think Eevee are cute?" Misty scoffed.
Maybe a little bit, Josh thought to himself.
"Eevee, use Sand-Attack, aim for where the stars are coming from!"
Eevee planted its feet, growling in pain, but lurched forward and sent a spray of dirt and sand forward from the platform it was on. Just as he had hoped, the dirt clung to the Staryu, a vague star shape that was now gently spinning around the platform Eevee was on.
"Staryu, use Water Pulse!"
"Eevee, return! Pan, use Razor Leaf!"
The Staryu rose from the surface of the water, the water rising up with it as it spun in the air and sent an arc of water towards Eevee. But the Normal-type withdrew and Pan came out, launching two leaves that cut through the wave and landed squarely in the Staryu's core. The Water-type made no noise, but but its pain was unmistakable as it shuddered and landed back in the water with a messy splash.
"Staryu, Recover!"
"Quickly, Pan, Razor Leaf!"
The Staryu glowed a brilliant white, the cuts in its core gradually disappearing, but the next two leaves hit it again, and the Staryu's glow disappeared. It floated in the water, motionless.
"Staryu is unable to battle," Yukari announced, holding up the red flag.
Alli cheered and clapped as Misty returned her Staryu and jumped back across the pool effortlessly toward Josh.
"Okay, you are kind of good," Misty said, "here's your Cascade Badge."
Josh took the raindrop-shaped Badge from Misty and stored it in his case along with the other one.
"And this is my special gift to you," Misty said, handing him a TM, "that's Water Pulse, my favorite move."
"Thanks!" Josh said.
"Don't get the wrong idea," Misty said as she crossed her arms, "I'm still really mad at you for that stunt you pulled, don't go thinking you can actually take on Team Rocket just because you have two Badges."
"It's not my first time running into them," Josh said, his smile disappearing.
"What? Where else have you seen them?"
"In Mt. Moon, on my way here," Josh said. "They attacked me and my friend, Ash."
Misty scowled and looked out the window, to Cerulean City.
"And now here. They're getting more brazen by the day," she murmured. "But you don't worry about that. If you see them, you call me, or another Gym Leader, got it?"
"Got it," Josh said, and then tilted his head as he looked at her.
"What?" she asked.
"Do you always wear dresses when you battle?"
Yukari and Alli laughed as Misty's face turned bright red.
"It's not like I wore this for you or anything!" she snapped.
"Speaking of which, whatever happened with Mizuki?" Yukari asked with a sly smile.
"Hmm? Oh!" Misty said, and then laughed. "I totally left him!"