Ash groaned at the sound of the chime of his PokeNav's alarm and stared at the nylon ceiling of his tent. He hadn't slept much after the incident with Totodile. Between the adrenaline from the fight and his mind rehearsing how he would handle dealing with the water type down to the exact words he would say.
He tapped the touchscreen to silence the alarm and sat up. He looked around the tent for his teammates only to notice they were missing.
Had they slipped out already? He had left the tent flap open for his team to move in and out freely during the night both for guard duty shifts and so they could rest as well.
He crawled out of the tent and looked around the meadow in search of his team. He smiled approvingly upon noticing Aurora sliding on a sheet of ice she had made on the lake.
She wasn't the only one who took initiative to train either. Orion and Titan were equally hard at work, testing each other with what looked like a light sparring session.
Titan would toss a few boulders Orion's way while he would retaliate with a few wisps of fire or a charge towards Titan with a weakened Blaze Rush or Flame Charge.
He loved their work ethic and couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt for having to interrupt them.
"Alright, good work you guys, gather around because we have a change of plans!" he called out. "We're headed back to our initial camp! We have one last thing to take care of before we head back for Rota."
It didn't take them long to return to the forest clearing where they conducted most of their training over the past week and a half.
Introducing his team to Totodile, on the other hand, was taking a long time. Part of it was due to the fact he wanted to be prepared for it and part of it was due to him putting it off. He really wasn't looking forward to having to do a meet and greet with a hostile Pokemon
Orion snorted and stamped the ground with his hooves, reminding Ash once more that he was waiting. Ash rolled his eyes. Just as hasty as ever. Aurora gave him a nod and Titan grunted, signaling they were ready.
Ash took a deep breath and ran his thumb across the release on Totodile's Poke Ball. He couldn't put it off much longer. His team was in place, they were informed of Totodile's aggression along with how the water type attacked him, and they had a plan to deal with Totodile in case they needed to stop him.
Aurora would neutralize Totodile's ability to shoot water and bite with his jaws by sealing his mouth shut with ice; Orion would strike with hit and run tactics and overwhelm the water type with his speed; and Titan would box him in with projectiles and disorient him using Screech.
Most importantly, possibly even beyond having a plan, the team had favorable ground for a fight. The forest clearing was a much better battlefield for his team because the clearing didn't have a lake. Fighting in the meadow would have put his team at a disadvantage. Water types were in their element in the water as they were equipped to fight underwater and could use hit and run tactics since they were usually capable of diving for long periods of time
Every aspect of the meeting was accounted for, leaving them with the tricky part of dealing with Totodile.
"Here goes nothing!"
Ash reluctantly reached for Totodile's Poke Ball and tapped the button on the front of the capsule, causing it to expand and grow twice its usual size. He pressed the button a second time to release Totodile from stasis in a flash of light.
Titan grumbled uneasily, the previous encounter still fresh in his mind.
The water type glanced around frantically, seemingly confused by his surroundings until he locked eyes with Titan. The water type hissed and bared its fangs.
Titan grunted back in defiance, prompting Totodile to tense up like it was going to lunge forward at him.
A threatening growl from Aurora and a glare from Orion made Totodile hesitate. Taking on Titan was one thing, but he knew three on one was an entirely different thing.
Ash stared into Totodile's cold, blood-red eyes. "Totodile, I caught you, not because I wanted to but because you left me no other choice due to attacking me."
Totodile's eyes narrowed. The water type tensed again like he was going to strike, focusing on Titan specifically. Titan hunched forward with his jaw lowered to the ground ready to pull earth from the ground. Totodile begrudgingly backed down, if only to avoid getting pummeled by rock.
"I am going to warn you ahead of time that attacking us is not an option." Ash warned. "Besides, you're nowhere near strong enough to beat all my team at once; but if you want to be pummeled that's your choice."
Totodile snapped at the put down.
His decision to back down didn't last long. Totodile lunged at Titan only to have its mouth frozen shut by a Freeze-Dry from Aurora. His eyes widened in shock upon realizing his strong jaws were sealed shut by a thick layer of ice. He turned his fury on Aurora and drew his arm back to lash out at her with his claws. Titan staggered him with a Screech before he could even get close. Orion delivered the decisive blow by rushing towards him and delivering a powerful kick to the chest that launched Totodile backwards.
The water type tumbled across the clearing and slammed into a tree with a loud crack. Totodile hissed, leaping back on his feet and charging at the group again.
Orion galloped ahead at full speed and cloaked himself with Blaze Rush to meet Totodile head-on. The Ponyta lowered his shoulder and rammed his opponent.
Fire crackled and cascaded off Orion's body upon impact. Totodile hissed in pain from the intense heat of the flames.
"I told you that you can't win against us." Ash chuckled.
Totodile grunted and rushed at the team again, this time cloaking himself in a faint violet aura beforehand that made the water type a couple steps faster.
"Dragon Dance," he muttered, recognizing the energy immediately.
It wouldn't matter.
Orion put Totodile on the defensive by psyching out the water type with Double Team. Totodile hesitated momentarily at the sight of three Ponyta cloaked in flames rushing towards him instead of one, opening Totodile up to a volley of Ice Shard attacks from Aurora.
Totodile grunted as he was pelted over and over by large chunks of ice launched at it telepathically.
Totodile slashed at the ice shards, cutting through them with his razor sharp claws. While Totodile was distracted by the ice bombardment, Orion shifted into his second gear and lowered his shoulder to leave his illusionary copies in the dust. By the time Totodile realized what was happening it was far too late.
Another head-on collision.
Totodile flipped through the air and landed on his back with a thud.
Titan rumbled forward and tore a chunk of earth from the ground. He flipped the boulder into the air. A flurry of weak punches cracked the stone in numerous places before a final full power punch launched it forward.
The boulder split apart into dozens of jagged fragments while traveling through the air due to all the fractures and cracks. Sharp rock rained down around Totodile and stuck in the ground, creating a perilous labyrinth of jagged rock around him.
Totodile swiped at one of the rocks to slice it in half with his razor sharp claws. The water type hissed in pain. Blood trickled from his arm where the sharp edges of the rock nicked his arm. Totodile could clear the rock, but he certainly wouldn't come out unscathed if it tried.
It simply emphasized the reality of the situation. Even with the boost in speed and strength from Dragon Dance, Totodile was simply no match for the combined strength, strategy, and experience of Ash's team.
"You can't win," Ash repeated once more. "Get this through your head."
Totodile glared daggers at Ash and hissed..
Ash folded his arms and flashed him a smug grin. "You know it's true. That's why I'm going to give you a choice and present you with a crossroads. You can take your loss graciously and go back to the wild where you attack travelers like me only to get your butt kicked; or you can join us and train so you can be every bit as strong as my team here. The choice is yours."
Totodile stared at the ground and scraped at the ground with his claws in frustration. He was conflicted. On one hand, he wanted nothing more than to return to the lake where he could rule over his habitat; but another part of him could not help but begrudgingly respect the Pokemon that beat him. A part of him desired and longed for the power they had.
He stared at Aurora, Orion, and Titan for a moment. Each of them had skills far beyond even what he was capable of. Clearly a result of working alongside their leader and learning from him. If he left, there was no guarantee he could truly reach the level of skill he witnessed from the trainer's team and no guarantee he could even reach a level near it. The offer of additional power and training was enticing.
"Waiting on a decision." Ash huffed.
The water type pointed at his Poke Ball begrudgingly.
"You want to join us?" Ash asked, making sure they were on the same page.
Totodile nodded reluctantly.
"You made the right choice, I can help you get stronger."
Totodile perked up at that remark.
"But that will include learning discipline. Part of discipline involves not lashing out at us constantly." Ash warned.
Totodile's eyes narrowed in what appeared to be a mixture of frustration and disappointment.
"I expect you to stay out of trouble and to at least try working together with the rest of the group."
Totodile folded his arms and hesitantly nodded in agreement – a small price for such power.
Ash motioned for Titan. "First off, clever use of Stealth Rock. I should have thought of that at the start."
Titan looked up at Ash and gurgled cheerfully.
"Second, I want you to take out the Stealth Rock barriers closest to us to give Totodile a path out of the containment."
Titan's cheery expression shifted immediately into one of absolute horror. Orion and even Aurora gave him skeptical looks.
Ash frowned."Totodile has given us his word that he will behave. If he's to be one of the team, we'll treat him like one of the team – that means no barriers between us and that the ice muzzle needs to go." he said, pausing momentarily to glare at Totodile. "Besides, I authorize you to put twice the whooping on him if he misbehaves."
Totodile hissed at the remark, prompting an amused snort from Orion. Titan snapped the jagged rocks in half that were blocking Totodile off from the rest of the team with a quick swipe of arm.
Totodile shuffled towards the team, eyeing them warily every step of the way. The intense stares of Aurora and Titan along with the minor irritation from the usually friendly Orion showed that the distrust wasn't going away anytime soon.
Perhaps, it would have to start with an act of good faith.
"Orion, melt the muzzle." Ash ordered.
The Ponyta gave him an incredulous look.
"Melt it." Ash repeated, more confident than before.
Orion stepped towards Totodile and increased the intensity of his flaming mane to melt the ice sealing his jaws shut.
Totodile grunted a begrudged thank you which Orion gave a friendly whinny in reply to. He quickly turned to Titan and reluctantly thanked him with a terse grunt for releasing him from his Stealth Rock prison.
Titan gave a cold grumble of acknowledgment in reply.
"As you know, this is my team – Aurora, Orion, and Titan." he said, pointing to each Pokemon in order. "Would you like a name like them?"
Totodile's eyes narrowed to slits and rumbled. He certainly didn't appreciate the suggestion.
Ash raised his hands defensively. "You don't have to take a name, I only offered it to you because the rest of the team has one. It's an identity and sounds a lot better than a species name." he explained. "It's a bit more personal and a name carries a bit of weight to it. What sounds cooler – Larvitar wins the conference semifinals or Titan wins the conference semifinals?"
The water type gaze softened and he cocked his head. He clearly hadn't thought of it that way.
"So are you sure you don't want a name?"
Totodile took a deep breath and stared at the sky in contemplation before shaking his head.
"So you do want one?"
Totodile hissed.
"Hey, I was just making sure!" he exclaimed. Ash rubbed his chin in thought. What was he supposed to name a Totodile anyway?
Tsunami, Tide, Torrent?
He cast those ideas aside. He was almost positive he already heard those used – last Indigo Conference, perhaps?
"How about Maelstrom?"
Totodile snapped at him and bared his fangs. Ash flinched. That was definitely a no. Not that he could blame him. He wouldn't want to be named Maelstrom either.
"Downpour, Downspout, Waterspout?"
Totodile snarled at all three suggestions, growing louder with each suggestion.
"Okay, not those!"
Something finally clicked in his head, prompting him to smirk. "How about Typhoon?" he asked, offering one last suggestion.
Totodile perked up at the suggestion with a glint of excitement in his eyes. Ash grinned. They had found the right name.
"Alright, Typhoon it is."
Ash reached for his Pokedex to do a quick scan, prompting a conspiratorial hiss from Typhoon.
He rolled his eyes. "It's just a scan to see what moves you have."
Totodile calmed a bit, but watched the device warily as Ash held it up to scan him.
"Totodile – the big jaw Pokemon. Its powerful, well-developed jaws are capable of crushing anything. Even its Trainer must be careful." the device said in its robotic tone, repeating the info from the previous night. "This Totodile is male and has the ability Sheer Force – a genetic trait where adrenal glands are enlarged granting more stamina and strength. Warning! Pokemon with Sheer Force are prone to mood swings and outright aggressive due to the extra hormones in their system."
The information wasn't necessarily new or groundbreaking. He wasn't as acquainted with the Johto starters but he knew some basics about them such as Totodile being a primarily male species and their strong jaws. However, the last part about Sheer Force explained a lot about Totodile's temperament.
He tapped a button on the side of the Pokedex to get it to continue onto the movepool analysis.
This Totodile knows Water Gun, Dragon Dance, Rage, and Scratch.
Not the most diverse movepool, but it was definitely a start. Maybe he'd ask about water types at the Cerulean Gym or early techniques to teach them. At the very least, he would likely have a TM he could use on Totodile once he beat the gym leader and they could work on perfecting that.
He smirked at the thought of Cerulean. The Cerulean Gym was why he and his team spent so long training nonstop. He wanted them to be ready and now they were equipped to beat the gym leader.
The promise of a shiny new gym badge awaited them.
He forgot how nice it was to talk to his mother and hear her voice. It had been a while since he checked in on his mother due to his travels which made the conversation more lively. They had plenty to share whether it was Delia sharing stories about lab work or Ash talking about being on the road.
He couldn't help be disappointed when their chat was interrupted by the sound of the dryer buzzer.
He leaned forward in his seat and slid his thumb across the monitor of the videophone. It would take his mother a couple minutes to come back to the phone due to having to get the laundry which would give him a chance to wipe a smudge off the monitor that had been driving him nuts from the start of the call.
Ash groaned. Using his finger only seemed to make things worse, smearing whatever gunk was on the screen even more.
He didn't have time to dwell on it. Before he could reach into his backpack for something to wipe the screen off properly, his mother returned to the phone. "Sounds like you've been pretty active from what you've said."
Ash nodded. "Yeah, we have worked hard. My team and I walked the distance back to Rota from our training ground."
Delia shook her head. "Try not to push them too hard."
"I don't push them that much, at least not any further than I push myself." Ash assured.
"I was about to offer the same advice to you. You shouldn't overdo it either. I mean all that training and traveling to Rota, that's quite a bit out of the way from Cerulean." Delia replied.
Ash chuckled. "Don't worry, I'm taking care of myself and keeping myself out of trouble. It actually wasn't really my idea to travel to Rota,"
"Is that so?" Delia asked, tilting her head.
"I had a bit of a detour."
"A detour?"
Ash paused for a second to gather the right words and a story that wouldn't be problematic for him. "There were Onix in Mt. Moon and because they were on the move it caused some rumblings. The cavern ceilings collapsed in a few spots which forced me to a different route."
Delia's eyes widened in fear. "The ceilings collapsed? You didn't get hurt, did you?"
"My team and I were fine, it just changed our direction. I was heading for Cerulean but got taken off course." Ash reassured. "That is part of the reason I called. Not only did I want to check up on you, but I was hoping that Professor Oak could warp me to Cerulean."
Delia nodded. "He was busy working on a research project earlier, but I don't think he'll mind if I send Alakazam over."
Ash smiled. "Thanks! I hate to ask because it feels like I'm just calling for a favor, but there's not many travel options to get to Cerulean from Rota. I either would have to take the mountain trails or backtrack through Mt. Moon."
Delia frowned. "You shouldn't be afraid to call or feel bad for asking for help. I want you to have fun on your journey but I also want you to be safe. The mountain trails are long, winding, and can be treacherous. Also if Mt. Moon is having cave-ins it's clearly not a safe route to take. You made the right decision."
Ash nodded. "Thanks, Mom,"
Delia waved him off. "Ash, I know you're independent now that you're on your journey but I want you to remember that I'm here to help you. Don't be afraid to call if you need help or just want to talk because you need support. If you need ideas for raising a certain type of Pokemon, I can talk about it. Whatever it is, I will always be there for you."
"I'll make sure to do that, I'd love to talk more. I appreciate it."
"Of course, just because you're older now doesn't mean I stopped being your mother." Delia giggled. "Speaking of which…"
Ash frowned. He knew that look all too well. She had her mischievous glint in her eyes.
"You're not forgetting to change your underwear, are you?"
Ash slumped in his seat and groaned. "Mom!"
Delia burst into laughter. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding – anyway, I'll head over to the lab and have Alakazam pick you up."
"Love you, Mom!"
"Love you too, sweetheart. Stay out of trouble!"
Ash snorted. "Yup, I'll stay out of trouble and eat all my vegetables."
Delia shook her head. "Smart aleck."
Ash turned the video monitor off and got up from the chair. He couldn't help but feel a small longing for home. For just a second, he smelled the scent of freshly cut grass, his mother's cooking, and the cleaner Professor Oak used to clean his lab.
He enjoyed traveling, meeting new people, and seeing the sights; but he would never forget the two most influential people in his life or place he grew up. It wouldn't hurt to talk to Professor Oak and his mother more. He could even pay them a visit or two down the road.
He would love to show his team Pallet Town at some point in the future and share his experiences with them. They'd likely appreciate a day spent exploring the corral and the beach. A couple days off might be a fun reward for all of them down the road.
Until then, he had other things to focus on – namely Cerulean.
He glanced at his PokeNav and opened the web browser. It would likely take his mother some time to get to the lab and find Oak's Alakazam which left him some time to kill until she arrived to teleport him to Cerulean City.
He couldn't think of any better time killer than researching the city he was to arrive in soon.
Ash skimmed through much of the Kanto Earth article on Cerulean and scrolled down the page in search of information on its geography and its modern history. The history of the city was longer than he anticipated and didn't have time to read information about its ancient history.
Cerulean City is best known for the sea inlet to its north and the multiple ships that come in and out from the harbor to its north. The city was once one of the largest economies in Kanto due to an active mercantile economy supported by fishing, jewelry, and dyes. Divers often collected dead Cloyster and Shellder or fragments of their shells which were crushed and made into exotic fabric dyes. Shellder and Cloyster along with the much rarer Clamperl were immensely valuable to divers not only because of the dyes that could be made with their shells but due to the pearls they produced. These booming markets resulted in heavy amounts of poaching and over harvesting that decimated the Shellder and Cloyster population with the Clamperl population disappearing completely from Kanto. Due to over harvesting and poaching, the export heavy economy diminished along with its Shellder and Cloyster populations. As a result, the economy of Cerulean has never quite returned to its previous levels and neither has its Shellder and Cloyster population; although the rise of tourism has helped mitigate the economic loss from the exports drying up.
Ash frowned. He was actually glad that the Pokemon Center was too busy for him to consider reading with Aurora because he was certain that the Alolan Vulpix wouldn't have enjoyed that information. He never heard of entire Pokemon populations being hunted to near extinction nor had he heard of Pokemon shells being crushed and used for dye.
He wasn't sure which thought was more disturbing.
Fortunately, he didn't have to dwell on those thoughts very long. A bright flash of light caught his attention along with many of the tourists and trainers waiting in the lobby with him. He ignored the dirty looks given to him from the sudden appearance of an Alakazam.
"About time, you got here." he mocked.
A soft feminine voice echoed in his mind. "Is that how you decide to greet me after traveling all the way here?"
Ash snorted. "My manners could still use some work."
"Getting yourself into trouble already, Ketchum?"
He ignored the question. "I didn't know Professor Oak was going to send a babysitter."
"Only because someone must keep an eye on you and make sure you stay out of trouble."
"I didn't get in trouble, I just took the scenic route for once." he answered.
Alakazam rolled her eyes and pointed to his backpack on the floor. "Just gather your things, Ketchum. I was informed you are to be sent to Cerulean."
Ash nodded. "Yes, that's right."
Alakazam stretched out her hand and rested it on Ash's shoulder before pulling him with her though space and time. Ash blinked. Before he could even process what was happening, he found himself on the outskirts of Cerulean City.
He glanced over at Alakazam. "Thank you."
"Of course, may the road ahead be fortuitous. And remember, Ketchum, you are no longer in Pallet. Professor, Assistant, and I are no longer able to watch over you. Do take care of yourself and try not to do anything ignorant."
"I will, Mom." Ash replied somewhat sarcastically.
Alakazam eyes widened with amusement. "Brat."
In a moment, the psychic type was gone in a flash of light.
Ash grinned as a wave of memories flooded over him. Multiple arguments between him and Alakazam echoed in his mind with the psychic type serving as a voice of reason to Gary and Ash before they could get themselves in trouble with some sort of exploration into something they shouldn't probably have been getting into. He forgot how fun it was to banter with her.
All the more reason he would need to visit Pallet Town in the future, but homecoming could wait. How could he possibly relax until he actually accomplished what he set out to do? He had a gym battle to win.
Cerulean City was different than he expected, more specifically it was a prettier town than he expected it to be. One of the first things he noticed was the roads. Instead of asphalt or cement, the streets of Cerulean were paved with cobblestone similar to that of Rota. Artificial streams teeming with Goldeen lay underneath cobblestone bridges spaced throughout the city for decoration.
He smirked at the sight of giggling children tossing bread over the side of the bridge into the water, causing droves of Goldeen to swarm to the dropped bread and devour it.
He stopped at the arch of the bridge to get an even better look of everything around him. The Goldeen ponds and bridges weren't the only impressive aspects of Cerulean. He appreciated the scenic view from the city. Due to the elevation the city was built at, he had a clear view of mountains and vast amounts of sea far in the distance on the northmost outskirts of Cerulean.
Cerulean Cave and Cerulean Harbor, perhaps? He would have to double check what the map said those landmarks were.
The second thing he hadn't expected regarding Cerulean was its sheer size. He found that the size of Cerulean made it easy to get lost, although part of that was due to the fact that he hadn't visited or navigated a big city for a while.
Either way, he was definitely lost. He set out to find the gym and he wasn't seeing the gym anywhere.
All he could see was house after house after house to the point he was starting to lose count of the amount of houses he saw. Area not occupied by homes was occupied by small office buildings and apartments.
Ash glanced at his PokeNav and pulled up the GPS app. Judging by the icon on the map representing his position, he made several wrong turns and went down several wrong streets. The gym was four blocks over.
He tapped the screen of his PokeNav twice to zoom in and scrolled across the map in search of the proper route to the gym.
Ash grinned. It looked like he wouldn't have to backtrack even though he made some wrong turns. Thankfully, there was another road that intersected with the other roads around the gym allowing him to get back on track.
Fifteen minutes worth of walking and he finally arrived at his destination – a massive dome with a transparent glass ceiling.
He stared at the massive glass dome with a perplexed look before tapping the gym icon on his PokeNav's map to make sure he was in the right location.
He frowned. His map said he was in the right spot, but he was less confident.
The Cerulean Gym wasn't at all what he expected it would be like. He imagined it would be something akin to the humble building that the Pewter Gym was, but he found the Cerulean Gym was flashier and more modern.
It reminded him a lot of the pompous stadiums in Galar. He supposed all that was missing was the large crowds and television crews.
He strolled down the cobblestone sidewalk until he entered the gym through its sliding automatic doors. He squinted for a moment as his eyes took a moment to adjust to the dim light inside the gym.
He raised an eyebrow. Aquariums – the first thing he noticed in the lobby was the aquariums stocked with Goldeen and Magikarp. The second thing he couldn't help but notice was the lack of a service desk. Pewter had a service desk and secretary that handled the registration of challengers and checked in with the gym leader, but that didn't seem to be the case here..
"Hello?" he called out, cupping his hands to amplify his voice.
He wasn't sure what to make of the gym lacking a service counter. Did Cerulean not get many challengers or did the gym leader simply not bother with appointments? He supposed it didn't matter since it meant he would be able to challenge the gym leader either way.
He let the dim lights serve as his guide and wandered through a long hallway made of aquarium tanks stocked with water types from foreign regions. He peeked into the aquariums on both sides of the hallway, turning his head back and forth occasionally to make sure he didn't miss anything.
In the tanks on the left, a school of sleek, rounded fish darted through the water. He hadn't ever seen them before or anything with their exotic color pattern – blue on the bottom and black on top, but perhaps what stood out most was the stripe on their sides that glowed a fluorescent purple and cast a faint tinge of purple light in the water.
In the tanks to the right, more familiar foreign fish swam around in the water. Remoraid zipped through the water closer to the surface while Lanturn and Mantyke trolled the bottom of the aquarium.
Further ahead, another long stretch of aquarium tanks featured species more common to Cerulean instead of exotic water types. Poliwag, Magikarp, and Horsea roamed the remaining stretch of tanks that led to a push bar door at the end of the hallway.
He pressed his body against the door and stepped into the next room..
He flinched from the sharp smell of chlorine and the sudden spike in temperature between rooms. He wasn't sure he had ever experienced humidity quite like this. The air wasn't just hot and sticky, but it almost felt like it had a weight to it from the moisture. Even breathing seemed to be a chore due to the humidity.
It didn't take him long to figure out why. A massive pool, far larger than even the one used for the water battlefield at the Indigo Plateau, lay at the center of the room.
He couldn't say he was surprised since the Cerulean Gym was supposed to be a water type gym; however, what did surprise him was the rows of bleachers set up on both sides of the pool. Gyms traditionally didn't allow spectators and even if they did the crowds were generally very small.
It made him wonder just what the true purpose of the stands were because he found it hard to believe the gym could pack that many people in the building just to watch a Pokemon battle.
"The show doesn't start for an hour and forty-five minutes!" a feminine voice called out.
Ash flinched, caught off guard by the unexpected shout. He looked around for the person speaking and found a slender blonde woman swimming over to him from the far end of the pool.
One look and he started to suspect why they drew crowds to the gym. Her red one-piece may not have revealed too much, but it was form fitting and emphasized her shapely curves. If Brock's reaction to Nurse Joy had taught him anything, it was that some guys let their hormones take over instead of using their brains and it likely had direct correlation to the crowds.
"You're either too late or too early, our last show just ended an hour ago." she said, climbing up out of the pool.
"I'm sorry, the what now?"
The blonde scowled at him for his ignorance. "Only the most famous performance in Kanto – The Sensational Sisters!" she exclaimed with a twirl.
Ash frowned. He had to wonder why he had never heard of it if it was so famous.
"Not here for the wonderful show today, as fun as that might be since it's such a prestigious show," he sputtered, hoping his praise would keep her from asking him about it. "But, I'm actually here to challenge the gym leader."
The blonde stared at him with a spacey look like he suggested flying to the moon.
"Hello?" Ash waved his hand in front of her face.
"The gym leader, huh?" the blonde mumbled, tilting her head.
"Yes, the gym leader! I'd like to challenge the gym leader!" Ash exclaimed.
"Challenge the gym leader?" the blonde echoed.
Ash's eyes narrowed to slits. "Yes, I want to challenge the gym leader!"
"Why would you want to see the gym leader?"
Ash groaned, barely resisting the urge to facepalm. Was she not understanding any of this? "Can you at least help me find the gym leader?"
"I am the gym leader," the blonde retorted.
Ash facepalmed. "Then why not just say that from the beginning?"
"Sorry, I was kinda lost in my thoughts there," she apologized. "My name is Daisy, I'm the oldest of The Sensational Sisters and one of the gym leaders here since we share the responsibility."
Ash flashed a thumbs up. "Great, then I challenge you to a gym battle!"
Daisy pressed the tips of her fingers together anxiously. "Uhh, I mean, that's why I was so unresponsive. I was crunching the numbers in my head and calculating the free time here, I don't think we have time for a gym battle with a show coming up."
Ash's eyes widened. "But you said you have an hour and forty-five minutes." he protested.
"Which barely gives us time to set everything back up for the next showing and if I have Dewgong fight you she will be too tired for the show." Daisy replied.
Ash frowned. "What about later today?"
"We have an additional evening routine tonight."
"Tomorrow?" Ash suggested.
"We have five shows then."
"How about the next day after that?"
Daisy frowned. "It would be hard to pencil you in then because of our schedule, we are very busy." she replied, a hint of irritation seeping out in her voice.
Ash glared daggers at Daisy. "If you are so busy, I would appreciate it if you could tell me when you're free."
"I'm not sure what you're so adamant about challenging the gym for." Daisy sighed. "You'd beat me anyway.."
She reached into a cardboard box beside the edge of the pool and pulled out a shiny blue emblem shaped like a raindrop.
"Here, just take the Cascade Badge." she said, holding out her hand to Ash.
Ash pushed her hand away, earning a perplexed look from Daisy. "I won't take a badge I haven't earned!" he explained, noticing her confusion.
"You wanted the badge, right? Traveling all the way here kinda counts for earning the badge."
"I came here to challenge the gym, not take a handout! I trained so my team and I could test our skills against one of Indigo League's prestigious gyms. Taking the Cascade Badge without battling would not be earning the badge because we didn't have our abilities in battle tested." Ash insisted.
Daisy's eyes narrowed. "Do you have to make this so difficult, kid?" she groaned.
"Look, isn't there someone else here that will battle? You said you're not the only gym leader here. Will anyone here battle me?"
"Well, if you're going to be stubborn about this, there is one other person you can challenge," Daisy sighed, pointing to a separate corridor leading away from the pool. "My younger sister is a gym trainer prepping to take over the gym one day. She's an extremely talented battler – a bit of a prodigy, although I might be a bit biased. She probably will accept your challenge if I asked."
Ash smirked upon hearing the word prodigy. She would no doubt be a worthy opponent.
"Would that be good enough for you?" Daisy added, a heavy air of sarcasm in her voice.
"That's all I ask. I want the opportunity to win the badge." Ash replied, the additional And for someone here to actually do their job line in his mind going unspoken despite his desire to use it.
Daisy left for a hallway and another room inside the back of the gym. Ash tapped his foot on the floor impatiently, waiting for the blonde to return or at least to send someone out to battle him.
He took another glimpse around the room, examining his surroundings. He frowned at the realization that the only thing in the room was the pool. He couldn't help but feel uneasy. Did the Cerulean Gym even have a battlefield so challengers could face the gym leader? Daisy's lax attitude towards her responsibilities as gym leader was beginning to make him wonder.
Before he could continue down that line of thought, a shrill voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
"Alright, who do I have the honor of beating down today?"
Ash gave the orange-haired girl a perplexed look, caught off guard by her harsh greeting. "I'm sorry, what was that?"
"Got something in your ears? I asked for your name, I'd like to know the name of the challenger I'm going to beat!" the girl exclaimed, resting her hands on her hips. "Come on, you baby! Spit it out!"
Ash glared daggers at her. He really didn't like her attitude, especially considering who it was coming from. Who was she to call him a baby when she looked his age, if not younger?
"You do know your name, right?" the girl snapped.
"The name is Ash Ketchum, I'm a trainer from Pallet Town here to challenge the Cerulean Gym for the Cascade Badge. You'll learn the name after I sweep your team." he fired back with a smug grin. If it was a war of words she wanted, he was more than willing to fight.
The girl shook with anger. "Don't you under appreciate…" she stopped herself and facepalmed, realizing her mistake in wording. "Don't you underestimate me – I'm warning you that I'm the best water type trainer in Cerulean!"
"Not sure that's saying much given the competition here at the gym." Ash retorted. "Besides, are there any other water type trainers here?"
Her face turned a bright red. "Make no mistake, I spend my time training while my sisters swim around in pools and do their stupid fancy twirls!" Misty declared, making a circle in the air with her finger mockingly.
Ash rolled his eyes. "Good for you, you deserve a medal."
"Since you're here to challenge the gym – I, Misty, gladly accept your challenge!" the girl declared.
"What are the rules?" Ash asked.
"Two vs two okay with you?" Misty fired back.
Ash nodded. "Ready whenever you are." he said, reaching down to his belt and unclipping the lone Luxury Ball from his belt.
Misty nodded and pressed her foot down on a discolored tile on the floor that caused the entire room to rumble. The water in the pool began to froth violently as a large circular platform rose up from the bottom of the pool. A faint humming echoed through the gym as retractable walkways emerged from the far ends of the pool to allow Pokemon access to the platform.
Ash's eyes widened. He could not help but be impressed. He hadn't seen anything quite like a transforming room before.
"Pretty neat, huh?" Misty asked, pointing to the newly created battlefield with a smug grin on her face. "Gotta say the design was all my idea. I drew the plans up myself, although I won't lie, the designs were loosely based on the layout of Blaine's gym in Cinnabar."
"Well, at the very least, I know you'd make a great architect; although I kind of came here for a battle. Or did you forget that?"
Misty reached down into the pocket of her jean shorts for a Poke Ball. "I didn't forget, in fact, beating you will be a fun memory!" she exclaimed.
"Might want to set your sights a little lower," Ash snickered, finding it harder and harder to take her seriously. "Maybe start with something more manageable."
Misty gritted her teeth and glared at Ash for laughing at her. "Keep laughing, laughing boy! You're gonna lose! Go, Starmie, my steady!" she exclaimed, finally pressing the release on the Poke Ball.
Ash tilted his head as he gave the water type a once over, not entirely familiar with the star-shaped Pokemon. He couldn't help but stare at the blinking gem in the center of its body like the light was drawing him in. He felt a faint headache flare up from staring at the gem. He rubbed his temples in hopes of relieving the dull ache, but his headache only truly went away once he looked away from Starmie's core.
He reached into his pocket and whipped out his Pokedex to scan Starmie, prompting the device to chime and display a picture of the Pokemon on the screen.
Starmie – the Mysterious Pokemon. At the center of its body is a red core, which sends mysterious radio signals into the night sky. Its shining core is thought to receive and transmit enigmatic signals. It has been known to cause headaches in those who approach it.
Ash blinked. That certainly explained the headache. He stared at Starmie again, this time making a conscious effort not to look at its core. He wasn't sure what to make of the star Pokemon because he hadn't seen anything like it. Could it see since it lacked eyes? How did it move without legs? It was tricky to strategize around something with variables like that of Starmie's.
Ash tapped the release on Aurora's Luxury Ball. Not that he was worried about fighting the water type. He had a plan of his own to deal with water types. If anything, Misty would likely have to adjust her strategy to his plans.
Aurora sputtered from the oppressive humidity and glanced around the room, examining her surroundings upon emerging from her Luxury Ball.
Misty flinched at the sight of the Alolan Vulpix. The perplexed look on her face told him everything. She likely wasn't familiar with Alolan forms judging by her expression.
"What is that thing?" Misty gasped, confirming what Ash suspected. "It looks like a Vulpix with the shiny gene."
He couldn't help but smirk. He had the element of surprise. Misty apparently was unfamiliar with the Alolan forms. "You could say that, but then you'd be wrong."
Misty frowned at the reply and whispered something to Starmie that Ash couldn't hear.
He pointed at Starmie at the other end of the pool. "Think you can take that, Aurora?" he asked.
Aurora turned her head to stare at Starmie for a moment before turning back to Ash and nodding.
"Remember what we practiced, it's time to put that training to use." Ash whispered.
Aurora yipped in agreement as she trotted across the narrow walkway to the platform at the center of the pool. Misty stomped her foot down on a second discolored tile, causing the walkways to retract after Aurora reached the platform.
"Into the water, Starmie!" Misty ordered.
The water immediately fell forward into the water and sunk below the surface.
"Aurora, you know what to do!" Ash shouted.
She lowered her body temperature instantly creating a thick fog that filled the room and light snow flurries from the moisture in the air freezing.
"Vulpix is trying to heat up the water so I can't see the battlefield. Starmie, Rapid Spin!" Misty shouted, a hint of panic in her voice.
The star Pokemon shot out from the water and spun like fan blades, generating strong winds that cleared the haze and fog.
Ash frowned. That was two mistakes on Misty's part. First, she assumed that the fog was steam caused from fire colliding with water. Second, she was paying attention to the fog when she needed to focus on what was coming next. He expected a bit more from someone described as a prodigy.
Aurora took a deep breath and exhaled, unleashing a series of powerful gusts of frigid air from her mouth aimed at the water in the pool.
Loud crackles echoed through the room as each blast of cold air formed massive sheets of ice, expanding the size of ice floe with each subsequent gust until the floe extended across the entire pool.
Misty's eyes widened at the sight of the frozen water. Her terrain advantage of the pool had been taken away in just a matter of seconds. "Starmie, Power Gem, bust through that ice!"
Ash flinched as Starmie took to the air with some sort of enhanced levitation – a slight surprise but nothing they couldn't adapt to. Its gem glowed radiantly and a sphere of light formed at its core before expanding outward into a beam that sailed towards the ice floe.
Aurora formed a small, sparkling ball of light and fired it at the beam launched by Starmie. A blinding flash of light staggered Ash and Misty as Moonblast and Power Gem collided.
The concussive force of the blasts pushed both Starmie and Aurora back, sending Starmie spinning through the air and Aurora skidding across the platform she was standing on.
"Aurora, close the distance and strike!"
She barked in acknowledgement and sprinted across the platform using Agility to enhance her speed. Aurora transferred her momentum forward and flung herself across the ice, sliding the rest of the way to her opponent. She formed a sphere of ice in her mouth and leapt into the air before launching it at the still stunned Starmie, hovering in the air. The star Pokemon's core flickered erratically and plummeted down to the ice with a thud.
"Finish this, Aurora, Moonblast!"
Shimmering pink light coalesced in Aurora's mouth to form another ball of light that she fired at her downed opponent.
"This isn't over yet, Recover!" Misty shouted.
Ash cursed under his breath, caught off guard by Misty's second surprise. Starmie's core flickered faintly before the Moonblast slammed into Starmie and exploded with a flash of light, sending the star Pokemon careening across the ice and into a wall behind Misty.
She gritted her teeth as she whipped around and rushed over to her battered Pokemon.
He used the break in the action to glance over at Aurora. He couldn't help but notice her rapid breaths and slumped posture. She wasn't at her limit yet, but he knew their offensive was taking a toll on Aurora.
She froze an entire pool with a series of Freeze-Dry attacks, she was burning energy to maintain a cold temperature around her to keep the ice from melting, and had unleashed two near full power Moonblasts.
They hadn't exactly used her power sparingly. It was why Recover was problematic. Starmie could heal damage done to it and win through a war of attrition with the technique. Judging by the smug look on Misty's face, she knew it too.
"I told you, this isn't over, yet! Starmie, Recover!" Misty repeated.
Ash raised an eyebrow. Why would she use it again so early in the fight?
Starmie's core blinked erratically and its body healed of the bruises suffered from the concussive force of Moonblast before it took to the air again with its levitation.
"Water Gun!"
A very weak stream of pressurized water sailed outward from Starmie's core towards Aurora only to be stopped in its tracks by a stream of cold air that froze the water so Aurora could scatter the ice with a flick of her tails.
Ash shook his head. He had to admit that Misty's plan wasn't bad but she clearly didn't think about spacing out Recover. Even though Recover sped up cellular processes to aid cellular repair and cell growth, it came at the cost of speeding up metabolic functions which meant that the user burned energy faster.
She may have repaired the damage dished out by Aurora, but having used Recover back to back like she had meant the water type wouldn't have much left to dish out offensively.
"Refraction!" Misty ordered.
As if on cue, Starmie spun itself like a fan to generate fierce wind gusts and unleashed a blast of energy from its core. A wave of energy swept across the battlefield and forced Aurora to retreat. She turned and slid towards the platform for better traction only for the energy wave to knock her off her feet before she could reach it.
Ash cursed under his breath as Aurora hit the ice with a thud and tumbled across the platform. He was fortunate that the technique from Starmie wasn't at full power. The wave of energy still packed a decent punch judging by how far Aurora had been tossed by the energy wave and the cracks left in the ice where the blast hit.
Misty grinned manically and her eyes sparkled with glee, gaining more and more confidence from the turning tide of the battle. "Finish this, Starmie, Power Gem!"
Starmie's core flickered and a small sphere of radiant rainbow colored light formed at the center of its gem.
"Disable, then take out Starmie with Ice Shard!"
Aurora sprung to her feet and fixed her gaze on Starmie. She trapped the water type in a weak telekinetic barrier and weakly pushed the water type to disrupt its shot. The beam of light sailed far over Aurora and bored a hole through the ice.
She fired a small Ice Shard back at Starmie in retaliation.
"Intercept with Water Pulse, climb higher in air to get out of Vulpix's range and finish this with Water Barrage!"
Starmie launched a cannonball of water from its core that clashed with Ice Shard and detonated on impact, scattering the chunk of ice into dozens of fragments of ice that rained down on the battlefield.
Starmie climbed higher and higher into the air only for Aurora to fire a weak stream of cold air up into the air. Ash had to applaud her for thinking of taking to the air since it probably would have worked if Aurora hadn't worked extensively on hitting aerial targets and improving her accuracy. A thick layer of ice coated Starmie's body and weighed the water type down, sending it plummeting to the ground with a loud thud.
Misty paled at the sight of her fallen Starmie. The flashes of light from Starmie's gem dimmed and became fewer in number.
Ash folded his arms. The dying light told him everything he needed to know – the first round of their match was over.
Misty gritted her teeth in frustration. "Recover, Starmie, Recover, come on!" she shouted at the water type.
Misty frowned as the light from Starmie's gem finally died out completely. She reached for Starmie's Poke Ball and pointed it at the water type, allowing the device to pull it back into the safety of stasis. "Starmie, you fought well." she whispered.
Misty stared at Starmie's Poke Ball with a hint of disappointment clouding her previously bright aqua eyes. The surge of confidence from the short-lived momentum shift in her favor left as quickly as it came.
Ash sighed. He couldn't help but feel bad for her. She wasn't even remotely ready to deal with Aurora and her inexperience showed. A more seasoned trainer would have noticed Aurora's rapid, shallow breaths and gone on the offensive after the initial Recover to make the Alolan Vulpix pay for such an exhausting first wave of tricks and attacks. Misty was not a seasoned trainer and the results showed.
"Not a bad plan, but you relied on Recover too much when you would have been better off going on the offensive and wearing out Vulpix. Overusing Recover will wear out a Pokemon more than it will help it." Ash said, hoping to take some of the sting of losing the first round away.
Misty recoiled and her face curled into a scowl. "Yeah, yeah, messed up," she growled as she clenched her fists.
"It's all a part of the learning curve, just keep at it. You're doing great." he encouraged in the cheeriest tone he could muster.
Misty's eyes narrowed as she reached for a second Poke Ball. "Ha, very funny! No need to rub it in." she growled.
Ash frowned, making a mental note not to try the cheery tone of voice in the future. Judging by Misty's reaction, he sounded more patronizing than helpful and encouraging.
"You might have dealt with Starmie, but let's see how you handle this one." Misty said as she pressed the release on the red and white orb in her hand.
A bright pink coral Pokemon emerged from the Poke Ball in a flash of light, prompting Ash to reach for his Pokedex again to scan it.
"Corsola – the coral Pokemon. Clusters of Corsola congregate in warm seas where they serve as ideal hiding places for smaller Pokémon. When the water temperature falls, this Pokémon migrates to the southern seas. Corsola live in warm southern seas. If the sea becomes polluted, the beautiful coral stalks become discolored and crumble away in tatters." the cold monotone of the Pokedex declared.
Ash tilted his head. Corsola was an interesting choice, although he couldn't say he knew much about it aside from its ability to regenerate which he read about in encyclopedia entries and magazines.
Was Misty really planning another defensive battle with Corsola? Had she not listened to anything he had told her earlier?
"You really think you can win with Corsola, especially when it's tailored for defense?" Ash asked.
"Can't win if we don't at least try, right? Besides, it's my first Pokemon. Corsola might not be the strongest, but she's willing to give her all."
He couldn't help but chuckle a bit. For all her inexperience and foolish decision making, he couldn't help but begrudgingly respect Misty. Despite being outmatched, she was still willing to fight and give her all. Not in a million years did he think he would meet someone as stubborn and determined as he was.
"You fought well, Aurora." he whispered as he reached for Aurora's Luxury Ball and tapped the button on the front.
A crimson beam of light pulled her back into the stasis of her Luxury Ball. While he was confident in Aurora's abilities and confident she could pull out a win, he didn't see the need to push her further when his other teammates needed the battling experience.
Besides, he respected Misty's fighting spirit too much to embarrass her again with Aurora.
Ash clipped Aurora's Luxury Ball to his belt and reached for a Poke Ball. If it was a battle of defense Misty wanted, it was a battle of defense she would get. He tapped the release on the front of the Poke Ball, causing Titan to emerge in a flash of light.
Titan tilted his head and stared at the frozen pool with uncertainty.
"Aurora created a terrain advantage for us, it should be sturdy enough to walk on." Ash explained, pointing to the ice. "That being said, without her to preserve the ice by keeping the ice cold, we'll have to finish this before it starts to melt. Think you can do that?"
Titan grumbled reluctantly in agreement and shuffled out onto the ice, slipping and sliding in the process.
"Is that a Larvitar? Interesting choice against my Corsola, but it won't matter. I'm going all out now, you don't stand a chance!" Misty exclaimed, pointing at Titan. "Corsola, Water Pulse!"
The coral Pokemon opened its mouth and
spit out a densely packed orb of water, aimed for Titan's head. Titan cloaked himself with Iron Defense and lifted his stubby arms to protect his head as the sphere made impact, shielding his head from the brunt of the blast and retaliated with an ear-splitting cry mingled with the sound of his arm scraping against his chest.
Misty winced, covering her ears to lessen the deafening noise from Screech while Corsola shuddered from the overwhelming sounds.
"Silence that Larvitar, Corsola, Spike Cannon!" Misty all but screamed at the top of her lungs.
Corsola tensed and leaned forward before
launching shards and fragments of its body at Titan. The Larvitar cloaked himself with Iron Defense, causing the razor-sharp barbs to fall to the ground harmlessly before unleashing another Screech.
Corsola buckled from the hideous noise and fell to the ground.
"Corsola, Rollout!" Misty hollered.
Ash couldn't help but frown as Corsola curled up into a ball and launched itself forward with a weak stream of water to propel it. He hated the fact Titan was limited to Screech and Bite due to lack of material for Rock Tomb and Stealth Rock, lest they try to knock Corsola off balance or disrupt the water type by barraging it with earth.
Instead they would have to power through.
Titan planted his feet, preparing to take the hit head-on while cloaked with Iron Defense. A loud smack echoed through the gym upon impact and Titan slid across the ice, unable to find any traction.
"Not so tough now, are you? You're less prepared for your own terrain than me!" Misty taunted.
Ash gritted his teeth. It wasn't that they weren't prepared, but more of a problem with the ice melting faster than anticipated. Ice was slick on its own much less when it had water on its surface to make it even harder to move around on.
They would need some solid ground, but more importantly the melting ice served to remind them that they needed to end this quickly.
Corsola rolled at Titan again, prompting him to try to block the coral Pokemon and push back against the water type with his arms. Titan grunted and threw all his weight into his push, beating Corsola back for a moment as both Pokemon slid away from each other.
Ash smirked. Knocking Titan to the very edge of the pool was a mistake. The pool liners were just what the rock type needed for traction and push.
"Rollout, again!" Misty ordered. "Finish this!"
"Make Corsola pay, Titan!"
Titan pushed off the edge of the pool to meet his charging opponent head-on and opened his mouth to snag Corsola in his powerful jaws. Corsola screeched in agony as he squeezed down on it, crushing it with vice-like grip.
Misty's eyes widened in panic. "Corsola!" she gasped in horror. "Water Pulse!"
In sheer desperation, Corsola fired another cannonball of water aimed at the ground. The water blast detonated upon hitting the ground and forced Titan to let go due to the concussive force.
"Take that!" Misty jeered, sticking her tongue out at Ash as Titan tumbled across the ice.
Ash nodded approvingly. He had to give her credit for thinking things through a bit more this time. Not only had she forced Titan to release Corsola but forced him to the middle of the ice and away from the traction the pool liners provided.
Not that it would matter. Misty was still predictable. If her fatal flaw with Starmie had been her cautious defensive approach, her plan with Corsola was almost too straight forward.
As if on cue, Corsola curled up again and rolled at full speed towards Titan.
Titan sunk his jaws into the ice to pull up a large chunk of ice from the ice floe, out of instinct and launched it at Corsola with a single punch.
Corsola squealed again as it was pummeled by the massive chunk of ice and flipped through the air. Momentum or not, Corsola was simply too small to take on a mass of ice that large. Misty cursed and threw her hands up in the air in frustration as Corsola hit the ground with a thud.
Ash smirked. Why hadn't he thought of using the ice sooner?
They didn't have earth or rock, but had the next best thing. Heavy ice chunks could hit every bit as hard as rock.
"Titan, finish this, throw as much ice as you can! Bury Corsola!"
Titan grunted in acknowledgment and lifted massive pieces of ice with his jaws before hurling them at Corsola with a series of swift jabs. One by one, icebergs rained down upon the water type and pinned the water type down underneath a mountain of ice.
Ash nodded approvingly at Titan's handiwork. There was no way Corsola was getting out of that. Water Pulse wouldn't be enough to free Corsola, not this time.
"Corsola, Self-Destruct!" Misty exclaimed.
Ash shuddered at the command. He should have known Misty would have one last trick up her sleeve. "Titan, get down!" he screamed, dropping to the ground.
Titan dropped to his stomach and cloaked himself with Iron Defense just as a loud bang echoed through the gym.
A strong explosion rattled the room and a shockwave tore through the ice piled on top of Corsola along with the ice sheet beneath the water type.
Fissures formed in the entire ice floe, splitting it apart and causing the ice to drift apart in separate directions. Titan cloaked himself with Iron Defense out of panic as the ice beneath him cracked, forcing him to choose between sheets of ice. He stepped across one of the fractures and clung to the larger ice drift just as waves formed from the explosion swept over the ice drift.
"Hang on, Titan!" Ash shouted.
Titan sunk his dull claws into the ice in hopes of not getting swept away by the wall of water.
Ash reached for Titan's Poke Ball and held his breath momentarily while waiting for the water to subside. Titan sputtered from accidentally inhaling water as the water receded and revealed the rock type managed to hang on.
Misty's jaw dropped at the sight of Titan clinging to the ice by his claws which only caused Ash to grin more. He couldn't help but feel proud. Corsola had thrown everything it could at Titan and he took all of it on without so much as flinching.
He was growing up. Gone were the days of Titan fearing his own shadow. He was quickly coming into his own on par with the rest of his team.
Titan grumbled warily as he pushed himself onto his feet with his arms. He grunted triumphantly and waved at Ash while standing up on the ice only to lose his balance. He cloaked himself with Iron Defense in a panic only to fall flat on his face from the ice crashing into the side of the pool.
Ash shook his head and reached out to help Titan off the ice and back on solid ground.
"You did a great job, Titan," he congratulated, eliciting a contented rumble from the rock type. "I'm very proud of you. You never backed down and hung in there to the very end."
Titan nodded and pointed a dull claw at his Poke Ball as he yawned. "Tired, huh? Imagine you would be after that. You've more than earned a rest." Ash muttered, holding up Titan's Poke Ball and allowing the device to pull him into stasis.
With Titan in his Poke Ball, he turned his attention from the rock type to Misty. "Good match!" he exclaimed with a grin only to find the girl lying on the ground and holding a hand to her chest like she had been mortally wounded.
Ash gave her a perplexed look. "What are you doing?"
"Let me wallow in my misery." Misty groaned. "I can't believe I lost."
"Get up, this is ridiculous!" Ash scolded, reaching out his hand. "Is this how a gym leader is supposed to act?"
Misty swatted his hand away. "Leave me here."
Ash facepalmed and groaned. The respect he gained from her not backing down instantly disappeared due to her attitude. "Stand up!" he demanded, grabbing Misty's hand and pulling her onto her feet.
Misty glared at him and opened her mouth to protest only for Ash to interrupt. "So you lost, that's going to happen once in a while."
"Yeah, but after all that talk and even going all out with the Self-Destruct?" Misty whined.
"You and your team gave your all, right?" Ash asked.
Misty nodded reluctantly.
Ash gripped her shoulder. "In the end, that's what really matters. You'll win some battles and lose some battles. People will respect you either way so long as you give it your all. What people won't respect is if you throw tantrums." he said.
"I don't throw tantrums!" Misty hissed, folding her arms and turning her back on Ash.
Ash gave her an incredulous look. "You're only making my point."
Misty peeked over her shoulder at Ash and opened her mouth to protest only for Ash to interrupt again. "You said you're the best trainer in Cerulean and want to be better than your sisters? Then you should act like it. Be better and earn respect." he said.
"Fine, I guess you're right. I should handle this better." Misty begrudgingly conceded. "If I am going to be better than them, I have to be more professional."
"You have a passion for battling and a good start as a trainer but you still have room to improve. You have to work more, talk less, seek out people that can help you improve, and most importantly think things through and plan ahead in battles. At least, this is what I've learned about being a trainer. Can you promise me you'll do those things and live up to the title of best in Cerulean?"
"You can bet on it," Misty replied, her smug grin returning. "I'll keep those tips in mind. Next time we meet, I'll be the official gym leader and give you a real battle."
Ash snorted, amused by her cockiness now that he understood her. "I'll have to hold you to that."
Misty nodded. "You should." she replied as she reached into her pocket, pulling out and presenting the Cascade Badge to Ash. "Anyway, since my idiot sisters aren't here, I guess I'll be doing the honors,"
Ash shrugged as he took the badge and pinned it to the inside of his jacket until he could put it in his badge case. "Wouldn't have it any other way. Someone who at least kind of knows what they're doing should present the badge, right?"
Misty chuckled. "The Cascade Badge is proof you won here, counts towards the Indigo Conference, and your account has been credited in light of your win blah blah blah. You know the gist of this stuff."
She reached into her pocket for a TM and held it out in her hand. "And one more thing."
Ash reached out, taking the floppy disk from Misty and giving the TM a quick once over. "What TM is it?" he asked, not seeing any marking or labels on the disk.
"My favorite technique, Water Pulse." Misty explained. "It's versatile and comes in handy in all sorts of situations."
Ash nodded. Even if Misty didn't use it all that much in their battle, he still saw how useful the technique could be. The pressurized water blasts packed quite a punch and had some knockback power to them. It would be perfect for breaking through defenses and keeping opponents at a distance. At the very least, it would be a nice addition to Typhoon's limited move pool. "Thanks, I appreciate it."
"As do I," Misty replied with a smile. "You made me think about some stuff and reevaluate some things."
Ash flashed her a thumbs up. "Just passing some lessons forward," he replied, smirking at his use of the words.
"Well, you're pretty good at it, I'll have to try to pass it forward too. Just don't let it go to your head, next time we meet, I am going to win!" Misty teased.
"We'll see." Ash replied as he turned leave, heading out the door he entered and back into the hallway with the aquariums.
Tobias' words echoed in his mind. Just passing it forward.
Memories of Aurora sparring with Froslass, Tobias helping teach her Confuse Ray and Ice Shard, and the veteran trainer quizzing him about techniques flooded his mind.
The training session felt so far away now he almost had forgotten it until he used the same phrase with Misty, but looking back on the moment he realized how influential and helpful it was.
He learned a lot from the training session and it set the groundwork for his team. Through Tobias, he learned about the stampede and met Orion in the process and Aurora learned the technique that would seal their win against Brock.
He just hoped his advice would help Misty as much as Tobias' teaching and advice had helped him.
He couldn't help but feel sentimental about being a trainer. It amazed him that no matter how long or how short one's journey, there were people to learn from and people to teach. He never would have dreamed in a million years that he would go from a young trainer crushed under the weight of tons of metal would be able to give advice to another trainer.
Ash chuckled at the thought and the realization that Titan wasn't the only one maturing and growing as he glanced at the Cascade Badge pinned inside his sports jacket. His training and hard work was paying off. He still wasn't anywhere near the summit yet, but he had made another step towards his goal.
He was making progress and giving every challenge his all. And like he told Misty, that was all that really mattered.
Author's Note: StandingMan here! Back with another update which wouldn't have been possible without the help of my awesome support team and my beta readers, you guys know who you are. Without you guys these chapters would never be released, haha!
Went with a different feel for the gym battle and with a different approach since Cerulean involves dealing with the Sensational Sisters, who canonically don't really take their job seriously. I felt focusing on Misty's inexperience might be an interesting aspect to explore a bit. I just didn't see the gym being that much of a challenge for Ash anyway so I wanted to explore how he's matured on his journey and how he has grown.
Hope you all enjoy the chapter and don't forget to review! God bless!