Chapter 7: The Second Gym
June and Trace's battle was nearing the climax and so far it had been a very close contest.
Ray and Eevee had started the battle with Ray emerging victorious thanks to having a super-effective attack to use on Eevee and also showing off the power of his Zippy Zap attack he'd invented but he was soon defeated by Trace's Bulbasaur, who ended up evolving into Ivysaur during the battle. That didn't help him any against Ace the Pidgeotto who managed to finish it off with ease and Trace's own Pidgey quickly fell victim to June's new Onix. During the fight, his Pidgey also evolved into Pidgeotto but it made no difference and Behemoth still emerged victorious. Trace was now down to his last Pokémon, his male Nidoran. June had been tempted to use Behemoth again but she didn't want to win too easily and wanted to give Trace a chance so she sent out Paige to battle Nidoran instead. Paige fought well but was unfortunately poisoned by Nidoran's Poison Sting and she was taken out by it. June had decided that next she would send out Victoria. Once again, she didn't want to just have a guaranteed win with Behemoth and wanted to give Trace a chance to show off his skills. Also she hoped that Victoria would evolve in this battle so once that was done, she could go back into Mt. Moon and look for a Moon Stone to evolve her again into a Nidoqueen.
Both Nidoran faced each other and prepared to battle. June and Trace knew this was going to be a tough one for both of them as their Nidoran were likely to be evenly-matched. They were both Poison-types, which would render their Poison Stings useless and Victoria's Toxic Spikes would do no good either. Fighting attacks weren't very effective on Poison-types so both sides would have to rely on their other moves to do any meaningful damage.
"We'll go first!" Trace shouted, "Nidoran, use Horn Attack!"
Nidoran charged towards Victoria with his horn aimed straight ahead, ready to skewer his opponent.
"Dodge and use Bite!" June called out.
Victoria jumped to one side but Nidoran was quick to react. He swerved on his feet and threw himself sideways towards Victoria just as she dodged. He hit her in the thigh with Horn Attack. Victoria grimaced in pain, feeling as if she'd been jabbed by a sword. She did her best to ignore the pain as she followed up on June's second command and retaliated with Bite. Her sharp teeth sank into Nidoran's shoulder and the rabbit-like Pokémon winced in anguish. Trace grimaced and even instinctively rubbed his own leg as if he felt his Nidoran's pain.
"With those teeth, I bet that hurt!" he muttered, "But we've got a mean bite ourselves! Fight back with Peck!"
Nidoran obeyed and pecked at Victoria numerous times with his own buck teeth. June giggled slightly, finding it strangely funny to see a non-bird like Pokémon using Peck. Victoria winced as Nidoran's teeth jabbed into her over and over but she refused to back down. It would take more than that to hurt her! She lashed out with Double Kick and because Nidoran was so close, he couldn't dodge in time and was hit both times in the face by the poison rabbit's feet. Nidoran recoiled but shook off the pain quickly enough to fight back with another Horn Attack. He lunged towards Victoria as if he was an arrow whizzing to its target and he jabbed her hard in the chest with his horn. Victoria grunted and coughed as the wind was briefly knocked out of her. Trace grinned excitedly. It seemed this fight was going his way and he'd soon have another of June's Pokémon down and out. He ordered Nidoran to use Horn Attack again but before anything else could happen, the fight turned on its head as completely unexpectedly, Victoria began to evolve!
All eyes were on the female Nidoran as her body glowed and she changed into her second stage. She was no longer a Nidoran, she was now a Nidorina. Nidorina were bigger than Nidoran and were able to stand up on two legs, though they still had a rather hunched over stance and sometimes went down on all fours. Nidorina had narrow red eyes that made them look more fierce than before, four large spines on its back, large round, spiny ears and a stubby tail. Victoria blinked heavily, bewildered by what had happened. She looked herself over curiously.
"Well I'll be blown! I'm a Nidorina now!" she exclaimed, "I didn't think I'd ever evolve but here I am!"
"This is awesome! Just in time for our next Gym Battle no less!" June cheered gleefully, "Congratulations on evolving Victoria!"
Ace, Behemoth and Paige cheered for her while Ray just folded his arms and turned his head away in a huff.
So what if she evolved? She's still gonna be the same pompous windbag as she was before! he thought.
"That's so not fair! Your Nidoran evolve before mine did!" Trace complained, "But still, congrats on getting that Nidorina!"
"Thanks Trace!" June said gratefully, "Now she's a Nidorina, I just need a Moon Stone and I can evolve her into a Nidoqueen. But I'll do that after I get my second badge. I don't want to spend too much of the day trying to find one and not getting the chance to challenge Misty before the day is done."
"Good call." Trace agreed, "Do you wanna keep practicing or should we get going?"
"We can go now if you like." June offered, "Let's call the match off. I don't think we need to continue."
"Yeah. It was pretty obvious we were gonna win anyway." Ray said conceitedly.
"You hush. There's no need to get full of yourself." June said firmly, "Let's go get that Cascade Badge everyone!"
She and Trace returned all their Pokémon to their Pokéballs and headed back into Cerulean City. They made a quick stop by the Pokémon Centre to get their Pokémon healed back up after their little work out and ready to battle again. As they waited for their Pokémon to recover, June made a phone call to Ruby. Luckily, Ruby was able to answer.
"Morning mum! Me and Trace are getting ready to battle the Cerulean Gym!" June said cheerfully, "We've been training real hard together to get ourselves ready for this battle."
"That's excellent June." Ruby said happily, "I wish me and your father could watch this one but…you know." she said grimly.
"We are in Cerulean City right now but we haven't found any leads on Team Rocket." Hop reported, "If they're anywhere, it doesn't seem like they're in Cerulean City. We're still looking. If we don't find anything, we'll come to the Gym and hopefully we'll be in time to see you in action."
"I don't mind if you miss it dad. Your mission takes priority after all." June said understandingly, "I hope you find anything that will lead you to Team Rocket. Speaking of…" she turned to Trace, who nodded to her, silently giving her permission to tell Ruby and Hop about what they'd learned yesterday, "I have something important to tell you both."
She informed the two about Tricia, Trace's family being past victims of Team Rocket and how Team Rocket was off her back thanks to Tricia's lie. Ruby took everything in with a curious interest.
"I'm surprised she covered for you like that, but I appreciate it." Ruby said after taking a minute to mull everything over, "I'm so sorry to hear that your sister's been roped into all this Trace. I can't even begin to imagine how devastating that must be to you."
"Even I can't begin to describe it Mrs. Silverlock." Trace said, scowling angrily, "I'm gonna do whatever I can to get Tricia out of Team Rocket's hands!"
"If we come across her, we'll do what we can to help." Hop offered, "We promise not to hurt her unless Team Rocket forces her to battle us or anything like that."
"I can trust you two to do what's right." Trace said reassuringly, "Just remember to save some of Team Rocket for me, I want to beat them up too!"
"Heh, I'm sure we'll leave their boss for you to punch." Ruby chuckled, "Good luck at Cerulean Gym you two. And say hi to Ash for me." she added with a wink.
"Will do mum! Bye-bye for now!" June said brightly.
She knew that her mother and Ash went back a long way and that they'd battled each other in the past. Ash would appreciate knowing that Ruby was still thinking about him even now. June ended the call and she and Trace collected their Pokémon from Nurse Joy. They hadn't received any serious injuries so it hadn't taken long to treat them. Now everyone was fighting fit again, the Galarian teen and her friend were ready to earn their Cascade Badge.
They left the Pokémon Centre and headed straight to Cerulean Gym. The building sported a glass, dome-shaped roof and was also home to an aquarium that was full of Water-type Pokémon like Goldeen, Horsea and Shellder. The Gym was mostly blue-in colour and had a sleek, mostly round design that gave it an appealing appearance to many who saw it. The Gym was also used as a swimming centre complete with its own pools with the biggest one being the Gym's battlefield. As June approached the Gym, she felt her heart beginning to race. She was about to meet the wife of her biggest idol! And with any luck, Ash would be there with her! What if she made a fool of herself in front of the two? What could she even SAY to them?! June breathed in and out and tried her best to keep calm.
Don't mess this up June. Set a good impression for yourself! You're just meeting another Gym Leader. That's all it is!
She and Trace walked inside. They were recognized as new challengers and were brought straight to the biggest pool to challenge the Gym Leader. June and Trace entered the battle arena. There was a colossal swimming pool standing in the middle of the room with the sun's rays shining down and casting dazzling reflections from the water through the glass ceiling above. It added an extra air of beauty to the pool as if to show that a battle arena could still look pretty despite its intended purpose. There were five people in the pool swimming lengths back and forth with barely a moment's pause. A Pikachu and a Togekiss were sitting on the side watching their trainers swim. June recognized them instantly. Both of those Pokémon belonged to Ash and Misty! She looked back to the pool to see that indeed they were the ones in the pool with three children. She presumed they belonged to Ash and Misty.
The family reached the far end of the pool and came up for air. June watched, spellbound as the beautiful, graceful figure of Misty emerged from under the water, her fiery ginger hair flipping in a neat arch behind her as she threw her head back. In that moment, she looked like a model in some kind of beauty advert. Misty was quite possibly the most beautiful woman June had ever seen. From her slender swimmer's build to her shapely legs and her perfect stomach, she could easily imagine her providing stiff competition for Nessa in the beauty department! Ash was equally as easy on the eyes. Now in his 30's, he'd grown much bigger over the years and sported an impressive muscular figure that made him look as if he would be as fearsome in a fight as his Pokémon were. June found it hard to keep her eyes off his huge, muscular chest and shoulders as he and Misty climbed out of the pool and perched themselves on the side. Her face was redder than a ripe tomato. She put her hands to her mouth in astonishment. She hadn't expected to see both Ash and Misty like this, clad in their swimwear and showing off their impressive looking bodies!
"They're…both…so…beautiful!" she whispered to herself.
The couple didn't realize they had a new challenger until after they'd picked up a towel each and began drying off. Their children came out after them and dried off as well. Ash raised his head and saw June and Trace standing at the other end of the pool. He smirked at them. He knew why they were here.
"Hey Misty, you've got two new challengers it seems." he informed.
Misty looked in Ash's direction and saw June and Trace. The ginger-haired woman smiled welcomingly at her visitors. She held the towel around her neck and kept rubbing her shoulders with it as she approached the teens.
"Welcome to the Cerulean Gym!" she said cheerfully, her voice as sweet as honey as she spoke, "My name's Misty and the Gym Leader here. What are your names?"
"I'm Trace!" Trace introduced.
June didn't answer. She was still too awestruck at the fact she was looking at her idols to even speak. Misty giggled.
"Shy, are we?" she teased, "Don't worry, we get that a lot. Ash always teases me on how I'm "too good looking for my own good"."
"I say it because it's true Misty!" Ash teased in response.
"You say that like I'm the only one people get awestruck at when they come here." Misty retorted, "Just yesterday we had at least three girls faint once they saw you as you are!"
"That's why they fainted? I would've sworn it was something else." Ash said in confusion.
"Never mind that now. Which one of you two will challenge me first?" Misty asked.
"I WILL!" June exclaimed, finally getting the words of her mouth.
She blushed in embarrassment over how loudly she'd spoken. The three children giggled. June coughed sheepishly.
"Sorry about that." she mumbled, "Kind of a bad habit I have. But if you please, I'd like to challenge you first."
"Of course!" Misty said cheerfully, "Just hang on a sec while I get the pool prepped."
She headed off to set up the battle arena. As soon as she left, June turned to Ash. Ash had gone over to a deck chair to slip his shirt back on. That made it easier for June to look at him now he was more covered up. She still felt nervous over the fact she was looking at her biggest idol but she tried not to let it get to her.
"You know, you look kinda familiar." Ash acknowledged, "Those eyes…that silver hair…I'm sure I fought a trainer like that years ago. Wasn't her name Ruby or something?"
"That's right!" June confirmed, "My name's June and I'm her daughter. She says hi by the way."
"So Ruby has a kid too?" Ash said with interest, "I'm sure you'll be as awesome as she was in battle! And speaking of kids, here are mine and Misty's."
He ushered the children towards him to say hi. There were two girls and one boy with the boy being the youngest. The oldest girl had black hair like Ash but the younger girl and the boy had ginger hair like Misty. They looked to be 13, 11 and 8 respectively. June could see they were Ash and Misty's children. They not only shared hair colours with their parents but the girls had the same eyes as their mother and the boy had the same eyes as Ash.
"From oldest to youngest, they're Rachel, Veronica and Eric." Ash introduced, "Kids, say hi to our challenger."
"Hi challenger!" Veronica and Eric cooed cheerfully.
"So you're Ruby's daughter? As in Ruby Silverlock, Champion of Galar?" Rachel inquired.
"Heh, heh. Yes, that's me." June said shyly, "I'm hoping to be a trainer as strong as her someday. And if I may confess, your dad was one of my biggest inspirations in being a trainer. Watching him in action was some of the most incredible stuff I've ever seen! I just never thought I'd actually get to meet him! I'm just all a flutter!"
"Great, another hyper fangirl." Rachel muttered sarcastically.
"Come on Rachel, be nice." Ash said sternly, "Well June, I'm flattered you think that highly of me. I guess I have done some incredible things during my journey. But let's see what you can do. I'm especially interested to see you battle given you have a Pikachu also." he acknowledged, looking at Ray.
"Oh I don't expect he'll be as strong as your Pikachu Ash, but I assure you we're going to give it our all!" June cried eagerly, "That Cascade Badge will be mine!"
"Don't expect Misty to make it easy for you." Ash warned.
As he finished that sentence, Misty returned to let June know the battlefield was ready. She'd pressed a button set in one of the walls and it had caused a pair of stands to rise up from either side of the pool so both trainers had somewhere to stand while they battled. One side of the pool was covered up while the other side remained open so Misty's Water Pokémon could swim in it. Ash put his arms around Misty and pulled her close for a moment. His wife's hands caressed his chest and his arms wrapped around her.
"Give our new challenger a good battle Misty." Ash said softly, "Like you always do."
"I wouldn't give her anything less sweetie. Hope you and the children enjoy the show." Misty purred back."
They embraced for luck. June tried not to blush as she watched her idols kissing each other. She was sure Ash and Misty did that before any Gym battle. How many times did they kiss and it paid off for Misty with a victory in the end? June had no idea. With any luck, she wouldn't be one of those that failed to claim their badge. June and Misty took up their positions on either side of the pool and prepared to battle as Ash stood by the side of the pool. Trace stood with Ash, the children, Pikachu and Togekiss to watch the battle. Rachel smiled slyly at Trace and pulled her closer to her by the arm.
"Hey handsome, you can stand by me if you want." she purred.
"Oh? Uh…OK." Trace said bashfully.
Veronica and Eric rolled their eyes sarcastically. Ash shook his head and smirked. That girl just couldn't help herself whenever a cute boy was in the room! He fixed his eyes on June and Ray. He was sure June would use him first. She was in a Water Gym, it was common sense to use an Electric-type in this battle!
Reminds me of when I first challenged Misty back when we were young and unmarried. he thought, I won my badge because Misty's sisters just gave it to me saying "I would've won". I bet June won't need a technicality to win her match…
"I assume you're aware of the rules already." Misty acknowledged, "So I won't go over them again. All I'm gonna say is don't think you're gonna win just because you have a Pikachu. Even Electric-types have a hard time against me!"
"True, but I'm still confident that we'll have this one!" June said optimistically, "I'll win this battle and claim my second Gym Badge and that's a promise!"
"It'd be a shame if you end up breaking that promise." Misty teased, "Gyarados, go my steady!"
She threw her first Pokéball into the water. It opened up whilst submerged and Gyarados rose up from under the surface, sending a wave of water whooshing over the pool. Trace yelped and hid behind a deck chair to keep himself from getting wet while Ash and the kids just took the wave. Veronica and Eric laughed as they were soaked while Rachel just stood there and took it without even flinching.
"Always gotta make a big scene to start off with, haven't you mom?" she sighed.
"Go and kick the challenger's butt mom!" Veronica cheered.
Ray gulped as he found himself staring up at the fearsome face of Gyarados. Just seeing the serpent like Pokémon was enough to give him bad memories of Tricia's Gyarados. He was sure June would make him fight it. He was the only Pokémon in her arsenal to have a type-advantage after all. But to everyone's surprise, June didn't send Ray out first! Instead, she threw a Pokéball and brought out Victoria. Trace had a feeling he could guess what June was planning while the rest were wondering what she was up to.
"A Nidorina? I'm curious. What are you up to June?" Misty inquired.
"I'll show you." June said coolly, "Use Toxic Spikes!"
Victoria arched her back and fired poisonous spikes up into the air. They landed into the water on Misty's side of the pool and sank to the bottom. They would remain there until Misty sent out another Pokémon. Then they would shoot up from the water and poison it. Misty grinned eagerly.
"Can't say I expected that. You're gonna make this battle very interesting indeed!" the tomboyish mermaid declared.
"I hope I do!" June said brightly, "Victoria's set things up for later. Now for the primary attack…"
She returned Victoria to her Pokéball and sent Ray out to fight instead. Despite feeling scared of Gyarados, Ray entered the battle and put on a brave face. He reminded himself that this wasn't an evil Gyarados he was fighting and it wasn't a battle to keep out of Team Rocket's hands. He was perfectly fine for this one.
"Alright Gyarados, let's start off with Dragon Rage!" Misty commanded.
Gyarados opened its huge jaws and blasted at Ray with a huge blast of fiery draconian energy. Ray was too slow to react and he winced as Dragon Rage swept over him. It felt as if he was being cooked alive. June remained calm and made her first move.
"Let's show everyone our secret weapon!" she cried, "Use Zippy Zap!"
"Zippy what?" Ash asked in confusion.
"Pika?" Ash's Pikachu echoed, equally as puzzled.
Misty could only watched in astonishment as Ray charged towards Gyarados with what looked like an electric-powered Quick Attack. Ray rocketed into Gyarados and slammed into it, simultaneously hurting it and electrocuting it upon impact. Gyarados reeled back and collapsed into the pool, sending water rushing everywhere. Gyarados had miraculously managed to survive the hit but it was clear to Misty that it wouldn't survive another Zippy Zap. Gyarados picked itself up and scowled at Ray. The sassy Pikachu just folded his arms and smiled smugly at his opponent.
"What was that?" Misty asked, still bewildered by what had happened, "I've never heard of such a move before! What's "Zippy Zap"?"
"We made it up!" June replied, "Ray kinda improvised on the battlefield and mixed up Thunder Shock with Quick Attack and presto, we have a new move that Ray invented himself!"
"That's awesome!" Ash cried, "Hey Pikachu, we should totally learn that move ourselves!"
"Pika, pi!" Pikachu agreed. He thought it looked very cool and liked the idea of using Zippy Zap himself one day.
"That sounds like such an Ash thing to do." Misty chuckled, "I can see you're his biggest fan! But this battle's not done yet. Gyarados, use Waterfall!"
Gyarados's eyes glowed blue and it caused a pillar of water to shoot up from the pool and towards the ceiling. Then it swam up the pillar all the way to the top and came straight back down towards Ray. Ray tried to dodge but Gyarados came in too quickly and it crashed down on top of him. It had to soften the impact a little so as not to break the pool covering Ray was standing on. Once Ray was knocked down, Gyarados followed up by using Bite. It grabbed Ray with its mouth and threw him into June's stand. Ray grunted as he hit the stand and he flopped back down onto the pool cover. He was about to stand up again but Gyarados ambushed him with another Dragon Rage. Ray cried out as he was hit and he was left lying on the floor panting for breath for a minute. He was feeling banged up from the attack but he was still in the fight.
He picked himself up and launched himself towards Gyarados with another Zippy Zap. Gyarados saw it coming and was able to fly out of the way to avoid being hit. Ray ended up falling straight into the pool due to missing his opponent. Gyarados dived down after him and grabbed him again with Bite. It threw Ray up into the air and he screamed helplessly, flailing about frantically as he came back down. Gyarados used Waterfall once more and swam straight up the pillar of water towards Ray. Gyarados swam straight into Ray and knocked him aside. But as he started to come back down, Ray fired off a Thunder Shock in return. He scored a direct hit and both opponents were brought down as Ray landed back on his side of the pool and Gyarados collapsed on Misty's side. Misty and June watched with baited breath as their Pokémon lay down together in the arena, one in the water and one out of it. Was this battle going to end in a tie? It looked that way but in the end, Ray was able to get back up again while Gyarados wasn't. The first win of the match was June's!
"No way, she beat mom's Gyarados!" Eric exclaimed.
"She used a Pikachu against a Pokémon with a double-electric weakness. What did you expect to happen?" Rachel retorted.
"Way to go June! You really pulled through!" Trace cheered.
"That was intense! Even though I had the type-advantage, I still came close to losing!" June cried, wiping her forehead, "I can already see you're a strong Gym Leader, Misty!"
"Oh you haven't seen strong until you've seen my ace." Misty purred as she returned Gyarados to its Pokéball, "Gyarados is strong, but this beauty of mine never lets me down. Starmie, go my steady!" she yelled, throwing her second Pokéball.
June knew full well what she was up against. Her Aunt Emerald owned a Starmie herself. She had fond memories of playing with Gemstone when she was little and had always been mesmerized by the pretty gem in its centre. Emerald's Starmie was great in battles and contests and she had a feeling Misty's would be just the same. She also had a feeling this Starmie's move set wouldn't be identical to Gemstone's so even if she knew what a Starmie was, she couldn't predict what it could do.
"Here we go, a Starmie." June observed, "A Water/Psychic type Pokémon. It's about 1.1 metres high and can have Illuminate or Natural Cure as its ability. It's as powerful as it is beautiful so I can't let my guard down, even if Victoria's handicapped it a little…"
She watched as the Toxic Spikes shot into Starmie and infected it with poison. Now Starmie was poisoned, that gave Ray a little advantage for Starmie would gradually grow weaker and weaker thanks to the poison. But could Ray still win? He was already looking pretty worn out from the beating he took from Gyarados. Ray turned to her and gave her a thumbs up.
"Don't sweat it June, I can still fight!" he insisted.
"If you're sure, then let's keep it up!" June cried, "Use Zippy Zap again!"
Ray rocketed straight into Starmie, moving so fast that nobody saw him do it. It was a literal blink-and-you'll-miss it attack. Starmie was knocked backwards by the electrified tackle and it winced from the pain of the electric attack. But despite Ray's best attack, Starmie didn't seem too fazed by it. It leapt up out of the water and began circling through the air as it used Rapid Spin. It spun so fast that it became a purple blur and it also blew away the Toxic Spikes. It boomeranged straight into Ray and knocked him backwards. Then while he was down, Misty ordered Starmie to use Recover. The starfish Pokémon used some kind of magic on its self and now its earlier damage from Ray's attack seemed to disappear. It looked as if Misty had only just sent it out to battle despite already being in battle now!
"Argh, it knows Recover! That's going to complicate things for us!" June complained.
"So what if it does? It's just stalling at this point!" Trace cried, "You can still beat that Starmie!"
Despite Trace's optimism, June could only hope that he was right. She ordered Ray to use Zippy Zap again in the hopes she could end this battle quickly before Starmie could overwhelm Ray. Ray sped towards Starmie and crashed into it a second time. He'd managed to inflict a lot of damage but once again, it didn't matter for Starmie just used Recover again to replenish its health. In spite of this, the poison was still effecting it so it wasn't able to replenish all the health it normally would've, which still gave June and Ray a chance to win. June commanded Ray to use Zippy Zap once more…but it never happened. Starmie retaliated by using Psywave before June finished talking. Starmie's gem glowed pink and it seized Ray with psychic energy. Then, waving its appendages around as if conducting an orchestra, Starmie began tossing Ray through the air and spinning him around. Rachel cheered while Veronica and Eric giggled. To them it was like watching a funny magic show. Starmie then threw Ray up into the air and brought him crashing back down onto the pool cover with its psychic energy. The impact was so heavy that Ray was winded and too stunned to move. That left him wide open for a Scald attack. Starmie blasted Ray full on with scorching hot water that pushed him back against June's stand. The Galarian girl could only watch helplessly as Ray was sprayed by the water. Eventually, Starmie's attack concluded…and Ray didn't get back up again. He groaned dopily as he passed out against the stand. Trace blinked heavily, unable to believe what had happened.
"That's insane! Starmie managed to win?!" he exclaimed.
"Yep! Mom's Starmie is the best!" Veronica cheered.
"Even Electric-types fall to its great power!" Eric cried.
"That very same Starmie even gave me a tough time when I battled Misty back in the day." Ash commented, "I'm not surprised June's struggling against it. But thanks to that poison, I wonder if Starmie can even last any longer…"
"Pikachu." Pikachu agreed.
June climbed down from her stand so she could pick Ray up and carry him off the pool stand. She patted him softly on the head.
"You did brilliantly mate. Thanks so much for your hard work." she said soothingly, "I assure you, we'll still win this…"
She put Ray back down and took a moment to consider her options. Ray had been her best hope of winning and he was out of the match! Misty's Starmie was currently poisoned but it knew Recover which meant the poison damage wouldn't mean much in the long run. She had four Pokémon remaining but three of them had a weakness to at least one of Starmie's types. Only Ace had no weaknesses to Water or Psychic but would it be enough? Sighing, she decided to risk using another Pokémon first and save Ace for later.
"Victoria may be weak to Psychic attacks, but she knows a Dark-type move so that might help." June murmured aloud, "Victoria, it's your turn now!"
Her newly evolved Nidorina materialized onto the field. She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists, looking more than ready to take on her opponent. Misty pursed her lips curiously. Surely June knew that Nidorina was a bad match-up? If she was using her, chances are the girl had a plan and Misty knew that if June was able to execute it, she might be in for a nasty surprise.
"We can't lower our guard Starmie." Misty warned, "We may have the advantage but something tells me June's not to be underestimated. Let's start off with Psywave!"
June didn't even react as Starmie executed its order. It was just what she'd expected to happen. Starmie used Psywave and grabbed hold of its opponent with psychic energy. Victoria wailed in pain as she was caught and thrown about in the air like a rag doll. Starmie slammed Victoria down onto the pool stand, knocking the wind out of the poor Pokémon. But the moment she hit the floor, Victoria fought back by using Poison Sting. She aimed at the gem in Starmie's centre and showered it with poisonous stings. Starmie shrugged off the attack effortlessly and dived down under the water to hide from Victoria and launch a surprise attack. Victoria just watched and waited for Starmie to come back up again. Then the starfish Pokémon shot up like a dolphin making a graceful jump out of the sea and boomeranged towards the Poison-type Pokémon with Rapid Spin. But Victoria dodged the attack with a neat somersault and she landed on top of Starmie. Now she couldn't miss, Victoria bit Starmie and held on tight with her sharp teeth and powerful jaws. The Water/Psychic Pokémon grimaced and tried to shake her off but Victoria wouldn't let go. Misty ordered it to use Rapid Spin again but even that didn't help. Victoria was spun around like clothes in a washing machine and still she wouldn't let go!
Eventually, Starmie had to stop spinning before it made itself too dizzy. Once it did, Victoria used another Bite on the starfish Pokémon. June clenched her fists excitedly. So far so good! Victoria looked as if she might actually win this one! With Starmie still in her teeth, Victoria used Toxic Spikes once again, setting another poisonous trap up for her opponent. Then with a flick of her head, she send the Starmie hurling into the pool on Misty's side of the arena, creating an enormous splash that sprayed water all over the Gym Leader's feet. Starmie hit the Toxic Spikes and ended up getting poisoned even worse than before. Now the poison would cause more damage over time than usual. Misty was amazed to see Starmie actually on the back foot for this moment.
"I was right to be cautious. That June sure is Ruby's little girl alright!" she cried, "She's inherited her strengths and smarts as a trainer! Starmie, use Recover!" the ginger woman ordered.
"Oh no you don't! Bite it again while it's Recovering!" June commanded.
Victoria pounced on Starmie and bit down on it just as it was healing up. Now Starmie's Recover was rendered useless for it now lost the health it had just recovered because of Victoria's attack. Misty felt like she'd wasted a turn as a result. But this next turn wouldn't be a waste!
"I guess we better end this fight before we recover!" she acknowledged, "Use one more Psywave!"
Victoria yelped and let go of Starmie. She tried to dive into the water to escape from it but Starmie was much too fast for her. It caught hold of her with Psywave and spun her around with psychic energy. Victoria cried out helplessly as Starmie toyed with her. Then it sent Victoria hurling through the air and crashing straight into June's stand. The challenging trainer felt the stand shudder under her feet as Victoria crashed into it. She peered over to see her Nidorina lying on her side completely wiped out and unable to fight anymore. June sighed sadly. While she hadn't expected Victoria to win, she had become hopeful she might after such a good performance. With any luck, Victoria's efforts had been enough and Ace would be able to finish the job. She returned Victoria to her Pokéball with Ash, Trace and the kids commenting on what had happened. Misty had Starmie use Recover as they talked.
"Not gonna lie, I really thought the challenger was gonna win there." Rachel murmured, sounding impressed, "Even with a type-disadvantage, Starmie actually looked to be struggling in that fight."
"No kidding!" Veronica agreed, "Mom's sure up against a tough trainer. I wonder if she can pull it back around?"
"We'll just have to keep watching and find out." Ash acknowledged, "We don't know what else June has left to use so anything could happen."
"I know what she'll use next." Trace put in, "She has three Pokémon left and two of them are a terrible match-up against Starmie so she only has one option. She's gotta hope it works…"
June nodded at Trace in acknowledgement. He was right about this. Either Ace won this match or it was all over!
"If Ace fails this battle, I may as well call it quits because Paige and Behemoth will be no good against that Starmie." June muttered, "Please let this work…Ace, it's all up to you now!"
She threw her next Pokéball and her challenge-seeking Pidgeotto materialized into the air above the pool, flapping her wings and squawking proudly. Ash's eyes lit up with awe.
"Wow, she has a Pidgeotto too!" he exclaimed, "Hey Misty, bet this brings back memories!" he added.
"Oh I remember. Your Pidgeotto managed to beat Starmie when we battled." Misty remembered, "Let's see if June can mirror your performance Ash! Starmie, use Scald!"
Starmie aimed one of its appendages at Ace and blasted scorching hot water directly at her. Ace dodged the attack by flying out of the way and she retaliated by using Wing Attack. The bird-like Pokémon swooped quickly towards Starmie and walloped it hard with her wing. Starmie reeled to one side, looking disoriented by the attack. While it was still stunned, Ace followed up with a mighty Tackle attack. Ace ploughed into Starmie and knocked it flying backwards into Misty's stand. Starmie hit it so hard that Misty found herself wobbling as the stand shook beneath her. She grabbed onto the railing to keep herself standing. Starmie picked itself up and fought back with Rapid Spin. Circling through the air like a frisbee, Starmie rushed towards Ace and collided into her. Ace felt as if she'd been shot with that move. She used Wing Attack again and hit Starmie but the Water/Psychic Pokémon steadied itself in mid-air and then blasted her with Scald. Ace cried out from the burning hot water that blasted over her. With her feathers soaked, it would be much harder for her to fly. Ace landed down on the pool stand and shook herself as dry as she could. Starmie respectfully waited for her to finish so they could continue fighting fairly.
Once Ace was finished, June ordered her to use Tackle again. Ace flew towards Starmie in a powerful charge but Starmie jumped into the water to avoid the attack. While it was under there, Misty told it to use Recover again and heal itself up while Ace couldn't attack it. Or at least she thought Ace couldn't attack it underwater. As Starmie submerged, June had a great idea.
"Maybe we can still attack despite it being underwater!" the silver-haired teen exclaimed excitedly, "Use Twister on the water Ace!"
The Pidgeotto flapped her wings at the pool and began to create a swirling vortex of water that extended upwards into a huge, aquatic funnel that spun around and around at incredible speeds. It was like a tornado had burst into the gym and was blowing around the pool. Misty and her family watched incredulously as Starmie was whisked around by the Twister attack. Trace cheered, feeling June had just executed a great tactic with this. As Starmie was spun around inside the Twister, it wouldn't be able to fight back for now! Ace kept it going for a full minute until eventually, the Twister stopped and Starmie was flung across the pool, straight past Misty and into the wall behind her. The ginger woman gasped in shock as she saw her ace Pokémon slump to the floor in a heap. It looked very dizzy and like it wouldn't even be able to walk straight anymore. It managed to stand up but the world was all topsy-turvy to it. It floundered about dopily, looking almost drunk with how it staggered. June couldn't stop herself laughing as Starmie staggered about crazily.
"Good grief! I think that Twister twisted it about more than we thought it would!" June giggled, "Still, we've got a fight to finish. Use one more Wing Attack to take it down!" she commanded.
Ace swooped towards Starmie and gave it one last wallop with her wing. Starmie was far too dizzy to even attempt to dodge the attack. It was hit and that final attack was enough to take it down at last. Starmie collapsed onto its back and its gem flashed to signify that it had been knocked out. The Ketchum family were left incredulous as the whole situation settled in for them. Against all odds, June had managed to win the battle! Even June was completely stunned and unable to take in what had just happened. Nobody knew what to say for the minute except for Trace, who was ecstatic about his friend's victory.
"Wahoo! What a win June! You totally earned that Cascade Badge!" he cried.
Misty smiled in agreement. She returned Starmie to its Pokéball and thanked it for an excellent fight. Then she climbed down from her stand and walked towards June.
"Your friend's right June. You really earned that badge!" the tomboyish mermaid declared, "Congratulations June! That was one heck of a win!"
"Yeah…heck of a win!" June mumbled, still in a daze over what had happened.
How had she managed to win TWO Gym badges already, and on her first try no less?! She remembered how her mother and aunts had done the same thing on their journeys. At this rate, she'd mirror their successes if she kept this going! June staggered off her stand, still trying to comprehend her current situation. Misty chuckled. She'd met many challengers who had had those same kinds of reactions before. Sometimes it really was impossible to take in a big win like this.
"I know it's amazing June but believe me, you really did win that fight!" Misty acknowledged, "You truly beat me! And because you did, you've earned yourself a Cascade Badge!"
Ash approached the girls and handed out a Cascade Badge to June. The badge, appropriately enough, was shaped like a drop of water and was coloured a beautiful sparkling blue. June snapped out of her daze and took the Cascade Badge from Ash. She smiled bashfully and bowed to him and Misty.
"Th-thank you. Both of you." she said meekly, "My head's in a whirl just thinking about it! I have two Gym Badges already! I really don't know what to say about it!"
"Well I say you should be proud of yourself!" Ash said jovially, "And you better wear that badge with pride cause Misty gets mighty salty if you don't." he added, smirking at his wife.
"You hush Ash Ketchum." Misty retorted, "At least most people who win the Cascade Badge can ACTUALLY wear it with pride! You can't exactly say the same thing about your own, can you?" she sneered.
"It's been over twenty years since then Misty. You STILL gonna hold that one over me?" Ash sighed in annoyance.
"I'm gonna hold it over you for the rest of your life, sweetie, and you know it." Misty teased.
June giggled as the two argued amongst each other. They were certainly a married couple alright! Their bantering made her think to times when Ruby and Hop would playfully tease and wind each other up. Even though they did so, they still loved each other very much. She was sure Ash and Misty were just the same. She put her Cascade Badge away in her badge case and as she slipped it back into her backpack, June suddenly had an idea. She would kick herself forever if she didn't do this now! The Galarian girl whipped out her sketch book and a pencil and held it out to the couple.
"Oh, before I go you two…may I ask for your autographs?" June asked politely, trying not to shake with nerves, "You can sign my sketchbook if you want."
Ash and Misty beamed and took the sketchbook from June.
"Sure! We'll sign it for you." Misty offered, "I think you deserve that as well after such an excellent Gym battle."
"Anything for one of my biggest fans! Pikachu can sign it too." Ash declared.
"Pika!" Pikachu cried eagerly.
Ash and Misty wrote their names down on the first page of June's sketchbook with the pencil June had given them. Ash then gave the pencil to Pikachu. The Electric mouse Pokémon used both paws to scribble down a lightning bolt shape and the letter "P" for its name. They handed it back to June. The teen trainer clutched her sketchbook as if she'd been handed a valuable piece of treasure. In this case, it had become just that!
"I have Ash and Misty's autographs! I HAVE ASH AND MISTY'S AUTOGRAPHS!" June screeched at the top of her lungs, "Pinch me somebody! This is the most epic moment of my life!"
Unable to handle her excitement anymore, June fell over backwards a faint and collapsed onto her back. She'd managed to wipe herself out with fangirlish glee. As much as it was in poor taste, the others couldn't help themselves as they giggled over June's faint.
"I best get her revived." Trace offered, "Hang on Misty, I'll come and challenge you later once June's feeling better."
"You look after her. I'm sure she'll appreciate it." Misty chuckled.
Trace dragged June out of the Gym, leaving the Ketchum family alone and awaiting their next challenger. Ash could only rub the back of his head and chuckle sheepishly.
"Heh…hyper fans, am I right?" he said uneasily.
"I know. I wish we didn't get so many of those coming to the Gym." Rachel muttered, "It's embarrassing seeing those poor trainers make a fool of themselves over you two."
"Now Rachel, there's no need for that." Misty said firmly, "We don't mind the odd fan or two. As long as they don't mean any harm, they're OK to go a bit gaga for us."
"I thought June was pretty funny!" Veronica said with a giggle.
"And cute too." Eric said with an impish smile, "It's a shame she has to go now."
"I doubt this'll be the last we see of her." Ash said matter-of-factly, "I'm sure she'll come back and watch Trace battle next. I wonder how he'll do when he battles." he murmured.
"He'll be a strong trainer, I'm sure." Misty said, sounding very sure of herself, "I'll get Gyarados and Starmie healed up and ready for the next battle once they return."
But as Misty was about to leave, the sound of footsteps filled the room and made the Ketchum family stop for a minute. Was Trace back already? Surely June hadn't recovered that quickly! But they soon saw it wasn't June at all. Their eyes widened as two adults approached them, one a woman with silver hair and the other a man with purple hair. The family couldn't believe what they were seeing. The man and woman stopped by the pool and smiled at Ash specifically.
"Hello Ash Ketchum." Ruby Silverlock said smoothly, "It's been a long time old friend."
"Ruby!" Ash cried, "Wow! I haven't seen you in years! Gosh you've grown!" he acknowledged, taking in how much the silver-haired Champion had changed over the years.
"As have you." Ruby acknowledged, "You certainly weren't this big and strong looking last time we met."
"And you've sure grown too Misty." Hop added, "You look absolutely wonderful."
"Aww, thank you!" Misty said appreciatively, "And so do you Hop! I think Ruby made the right choice in marrying you." she added, winking flirtatiously.
"He doesn't need you to tell him that you cheeky devil." Ruby purred, "I tell him that every day."
She turned to the children, who looked positively awestruck at the sight of her.
"And those are your children I take it?" the Galarian Champion asked.
"Oh yes. Rachel, Veronica and Eric, this is Ruby Silverlock, the Champion of Galar." Ash introduced, "We fought each other twice back in the day, one time in Galar and one time in Kanto. You better believe that she's strong!"
"So they're June's mom and dad." Rachel murmured in awe, "I didn't think I'd ever meet Galar's reigning Champion and her husband both at once!"
"What kind of Pokémon do you have?" Veronica asked, "I bet they're crazy strong! Are they all from Galar?"
"You should've seen your daughter in action! She was really awesome!" Eric cheered.
"I'm sure she was little ones." Hop said brightly, "I only wish we were in time to see it. Where is June now?"
Ash and Misty explained what had happened.
"Aww bless her. We'll be sure to check up on her shortly." Ruby said, shaking her head in exasperation, "I had a feeling that would happen if she ever met you two. But first, the reason why we're here at all."
"Oh?" Misty said in surprise, "Why are you here then? I doubt you're here just to catch up on old times."
"If only Misty." Ruby murmured, "But no. We're here because we'd like to borrow your husband for a very important mission we're on." she continued, glancing straight at Ash, "We're after Team Rocket, and we'd love it if Ash could join us in our little manhunt…"
Pokémon evolved: Victoria the Nidoran, now Victoria the Nidorina
It was a close call but June now has another Gym Badge for her collection! Two down, six to go and the third one lies ahead in Vermillion City! And it also seems Ruby and Hop have another ally in their crusade against Team Rocket. What will happen next? We'll soon find out as June and Trace head off to battle "The Third Gym"...
Trivia: Misty's "Go, my steady!" catchphrase here is a reference to the Japanese dub of the anime where she says that when summoning a Pokémon. Funny enough, the 4Kids dubbed anime seasons never had her say this but the current English dubs of the anime do make her say it. It's a pity that's the case as I wouldn't mind hearing Rachel Lillis ever say Misty's catchphrase in her Misty voice.
Oh and this won't surprise you, but Ash and Misty's children share the names of Ash, Misty and Brock's original voice actors Veronica Taylor, Rachel Lillis and Eric Stuart respectively. I couldn't resist. XD
Also as you can see, in this universe Misty never released her Togetic and she still has it now as a Togekiss. I thought that would be a lovely Easter Egg. ;)
And just like with Ash, Misty's Starmie loses to a Pidgeotto here. I didn't plan it to go like this but with Ray gone and no other Pokémon that would stand a chance against Starmie, it was only logical I let Ace finish the job.
And finally, you may find it interesting to know why I paired Ash with Misty specifically and not any other girls like Dawn or Serena. While I ship Ash with either Misty, Dawn or Serena (or maybe even all three of them at once), AshXMisty was my first ship of them all and them being together is also meant to be a metaphor for myself having grown up with these characters since childhood. Pokémon started with Ash, Misty and Brock for me and now here I am, an adult, writing them as adults in this story. Could I pay more lip-service to my childhood if I tried? XD And who knows, maybe you all feel this relates to you too. ^^