After leaving Mt. Moon, Ash, Brock and Misty headed towards Cerulean City.
"This is where I'll obtain my second gym badge." Ash said out loud.
As they walked along Route 4 to get to Cerulean City, Ash saw a Pokemon resembling a cross between a weasel and otter.
Ash took out his Pokedex to look it up. Prof. Oak had given him a upgraded model before they headed inside Mt. Moon.
(Flashback)
"This new Pokedex will allow you to analyze Pokemon that come from different regions." Prof. Oak explained.
(End flashback)
"Buizel, the Sea Weasel Pokemon. It has a flotation sac that is like an inflatable collar. It floats on water with it's head out."
"Buizel huh? Pikachu let's catch it." Ash released Pikachu from his Poke Ball.
Pikachu stood ready to take Buizel on.
"Thunder Shock!" Pikachu generated a current of electricity that shot towards Buizel.
The Buizel countered with a Water Gun, which turned out to be a bad idea. The electricity mixed with the water and Buizel cried out in pain after being shocked.
"Alright, go Poke Ball!" The Poke Ball struck Buizel and sucked it inside. After a few shakes, the Poke Ball remained still.
"I caught a Buizel!" Ash exclaimed.
"Pi Pikachu!" Pikachu cheered.
As they continued walking, Brock tripped on something sticking out of the ground. It was a fossil with a shell on top.
"That's a Dome Fossil." Brock recognized what it was.
He put the Dome Fossil in his backpack.
Misty was silently walking along. She hadn't said a word the entire time.
"Is something wrong?" Ash asked. "You haven't said anything since we arrived."
She didn't want to tell them, but eventually decided to share her issue.
"Because I didn't want to come back here."
"Why? Did something bad transpire?" Brock asked.
"Not exactly." She remarked. "I'm actually one of the four gym leaders here."
"You're a gym leader?" Ash asked, surprised.
Misty opened her backpack and pulled out a photograph.
"These are my sisters Daisy, Lily and Violet." Misty explained. "Because they're so beautiful, I'm a runt compared to them."
"Do they bully you?" Ash asked.
"Not at all." Misty replied. "But they do tease me."
"Let me see if I understand. The real reason you left Cerulean City was to get some distance from them."
"Yeah." Misty nodded.
Being picked on wasn't a pleasant experience for anyone.
"I don't have a problem with you missing going to the gym." Ash stated in a attempt to cheer her up. Misty smiled and accepted his offer.
"I have other business to attend to in the city." She said and walked off.
Ash and Brock headed to the Cerulean Gym alone while Misty resolved her business. As they got closer they observed several police cars in front of a shop.
"What's going on?" Ash asked.
"Let's find out." Brock said. They approached Officer Jenny.
"Officer Jenny, what's the problem?" The two asked her what happened.
"Some machine parts were stolen from this shop." She explained.
"Why would machine parts be stolen?" Ash asked out loud.
"Thieves have all sorts of reasons for taking stuff." Brock replied.
They soon made it to the Cerulean Gym. It was a building that resembled a pink and yellow dome with a big picture of a Dewgong.
"I'm going to get more supplies for our trip." Brock walked off, leaving Ash and Pikachu by themselves. He and Pikachu then walked into the gym and found no one in the lobby.
"That's odd." Ash noted.
Just then he heard cheering in a different part of the gym. He passed through the lobby doors and saw what was going on. Three beautiful women were performing a water ballet.
'Those are Misty's sisters. I'm not impressed.' Ash thought. They looked like the type that was more interested in performing than Pokemon battles.
After the water ballet ended, Ash went to talk to the gym leaders. Daisy, Lily and Violet stood by the pool and were going over their successful performance.
"Daisy that was a perfect dive." Lily complimented her.
"Practice does make perfect." Daisy commented.
"I think that was our best performance yet." Violet said.
"Excuse me." Ash called out.
"If you're here for autographs, we don't do that." Daisy replied.
"I'm not here for a autograph." Ash informed her. "I came here for a gym badge."
The three shot each other a look.
"Sorry, but we don't engage in Pokemon battles anymore." Violet explained.
"What?" Ash gasped.
"We were defeated by three trainers from Pallet Town." Daisy told him.
'So Gary was here.' Ash thought.
"This is the only remaining Pokemon." Lily threw a Poke Ball. It contained a Goldeen.
"This Goldeen is a baby and is not ready for battles."
"At the moment we focus on our water ballets." Daisy said. "We know exactly what you want though. Come out Seel."
A white sea lion surfaced from the pool.
"Seel." Ash said.
He opened his upgraded Pokedex.
"Seel, the Sea Lion Pokemon. The protruding horn on it's head is very hard. It is used for bashing through thick ice."
The Seel stuck it's tongue out and showed something blue.
"Since you want the Cascade Badge." Lily said, removing the badge from Seel's tongue. "You can take it for free."
The Cascade Badge was a blue badge shaped like a rain drop.
Ash was irritated. He came here to earn the badge in a battle, not receive it for free. He wanted to give them a piece of his mind.
"Don't even think about it!" Misty shouted.
"For crying out loud Daisy." She reprimanded her sister. "Are you trying to ruin the gym's reputation."
"Why hello Misty." Daisy greeted her. "Have you become a great water Pokemon trainer yet?"
"You did tell us you wouldn't return until you achieved your goal." Lily pointed out.
"I did." Misty nodded. "But since you're intending to hand badges out for free, I have no choice but to return early."
She turned to Ash.
"Ash, you and I are battling for the Cascade Badge."
"That's just what I wanted Misty." Ash smirked.
"Our battlefield will be the pool and they would each use two Pokemon." Misty explained.
"I know who I'll be using." Ash said to himself.
Ash stood on a red platform while Misty stood on a blue platform. The battle was about to start.
"Misty calls Staryu!" Misty said. Her brown starfish was ready for battle.
"Go Pikachu!" Pikachu emerged from his Poke Ball with cheeks sparking.
"Staryu, Water Gun!" Misty shouted.
"Retaliate with Shock Wave." Shock Wave stopped Water Gun dead in it's tracks and then connected with Staryu.
'Oh dear, Staryu is injured.' Misty thought.
She was surprised to see Ash's Pokemon were this strong, but then again he trained them well.
"Staryu, Swift!" Misty said. White stars struck Pikachu.
Misty's sisters watched the battle from the sidelines.
"Misty's doing well." Violet said.
"Yeah." Daisy added. "She may not have our looks, but she's a lot better at battling than we are."
Seel was enjoying the battle and clapped it's fins.
"Pikachu, Electro Ball!" Pikachu's body was surrounded by yellow electricity and multiple yellow sparks come off of it's body. The electricity is then condensed at Pikachu's tail and formed into a orange-yellow ball of electricity with sparks of yellow electricity coming off of it. Pikachu then jumped into the air and flung the orb at Staryu, hitting it dead on. Staryu fainted on Misty's platform.
"Oh no, Staryu return!" Misty returned Staryu to it's Poke Ball.
"You're a tough opponent, Ash. But this battle's not over yet. Misty calls Starmie." A big purple starfish came out of the Poke Ball.
"Starmie?" Ash asked, taking out his upgraded Pokedex.
"Starmie, the Mysterious Pokemon and the evolved form of Staryu. It's central core glows with the seven colors of the rainbow. Some people value the core as a gem."
"Are you still up for battling Pikachu?" Ash asked.
"Pika." Pikachu nodded.
Pikachu and Starmie were about to battle when a large machine crashed into the gym.
"Where did that come from?!" Misty shouted.
"Ha ha ha!" Two voices said.
"Prepare for trouble."
"And make it double."
"To protect the world from devastation."
"To unite all people within our nation."
"To denounce the evils of truth and love."
"To extend our reach to the stars above."
"Jessie."
"James."
"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light."
"Surrender now or prepare to fight."
"Meowth that's right."
"Since you're curious about our machine." James said. "We constructed it ourselves. And we're very proud of it."
'So they stole the parts from the machine shop.' Ash thought.
"Now to show you how this machine works." Meowth pressed a button. A giant hose emerged from the machine and began to suck up the water from the pool.
"This is our giant vacuum and hose machine." Jessie explained.
"Hey that's our water!" Daisy shouted.
"Give it back!" Lily shouted.
"All right." Meowth said, smirking. He pressed another button and sucked out the water hitting Ash, Misty and her sisters. Starmie dived into the water.
"Now it's time to suck up the water Pokemon." Meowth said.
The hose sucked Starmie, Seel and Ash up, who was also in the water.
"Oh no!" Misty exclaimed.
"Come back Seel!" Daisy cried.
The machine then suddenly exploded producing a large smoke cloud that obscured a reptilian creature.
"What the?!" Meowth exclaimed.
When the smoke produced by the explosion faded, a red dragon was floating over the pool. Starmie and Seel landed in the pool after being set free.
Said dragon produced a burst of fire from his mouth that was aimed at the top of the gym.
"Dra...dra...dragon!" James was freaking out.
"Where did that come from?" Misty asked. She had never seen this dragon before.
"What's the matter? Don't recognize me? We were battling a few minutes ago." The dragon asked in a familiar voice. Misty's eyes widen in shock.
"Ash? Is that you?"
"Yeah it's me." He responded. "I'll tell you about this later. Right now there's work to be done."
Team Rocket huddled together in fear over what might happen to them.
"Fire Dragon Iron Fist!" A clawed fist was engulfed in flames and then the dragon punched Team Rocket and their machine straight out of the gym.
"Team Rocket's blasting off again!" They shouted, disappearing into the horizon.
After Team Rocket was disposed of, Ash reverted back into human form. Misty and her sisters smiled; they thought he looked cool in his dragon form.
"Oh yeah, do you want to continue our battle?" He asked Misty.
"There's no point. Pikachu defeated Staryu and then you prevented Team Rocket from stealing the Pokemon here. Therefore I present you with the Cascade Badge."
"Thanks." He said, gratefully.
"I have to say Misty." Daisy spoke. "You've proven to us that you're a great battler."
Violet and Lily nodded in agreement. Misty was happy and thanked her sisters.
Just then Seel came up to Misty.
"What's wrong Seel?" She asked.
"It seems Seel wants to go with you." Ash told her.
"Is that true?" Misty asked Seel and it nodded.
"Okay." Misty said. "To be honest I'd like to leave some Pokemon here."
She took six Poke Balls out of her backpack.
"These Poke Balls contain six Poliwag. I caught eight sometime after leaving the city. Since there aren't any Poliwag here, I'm going to leave six behind and take two with me."
Misty kept Seel with her while her sisters took six of the Poliwag.
The two then said goodbye to Daisy, Lily and Violet then left the gym.
Outside they met back up with Brock and filled him in on what had happened.
"I missed out on a lot, didn't I?" Brock asked.
"You did." Ash answered. "Next stop, Vermilion City so I can obtain my third badge."
The trio then left Cerulean City to head to their next destination.