Notes: Give Ace a serious pat on the back for this one, final word count came in at over 7800 words. Seriously, give her props. She's earned them. Ashley's Pokemon:
Hope (Pikachu) Female
Clint (Spearow) Male
Amethyst (Vivillon) Female
Gale (Pidgeotto) Female
Mustard (Beedrill) Male Erika's Pokemon:
Meadow (Leafeon) Female
Rafflesia (Gloom) Female
Ichigo (Shiny Lokix) Male
Venom (Beedrill) Male Brock's Pokemon:
Quake (Onix) Male
Bolin (Shiny Grotle) Male
Geodude (N/A)
Razzberry (Male)
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter TextSamantha was thumbing through a fashion magazine, the title reading off: "20 hot tips for getting your guy gal or non binary pal huh? Uh huh, sure… Tell me more."
Suddenly almost as if on cue, Ashley burst in. One look at her and Samantha knew she'd been crying. Barely looking up from her magazine, the Joy said in perfect deadpan, barely raising an eyebrow: "So are you back to bask in your glorious victory, Worlds Greatest Pokemon Trainer? Should I bow at your feet?"
The Joy noticed Erika giving her a dirty look, then she saw the look on Ashley's face. Samantha forced back a sigh, thinking: "...and I just hate to see little girls cry, it always manages to tug at my heartstrings. Sometimes I wonder why I became a doctor if I didn't want to have to see that?"
"Please Ms. Joy, this is no time for… I admit it, I'm not the world's greatest trainer. I'm barely even a passable one. Hope, she got hurt real bad in the bat..." Ashley's lip quivered, and she looked like she was about to start crying again. The moment Samantha heard that a Pokemon had been seriously hurt, she shot up and tossed her magazine aside.
"CINDI, GET IN HERE NOW, it's an emergency!" Joy shouted, and she quickly took Hope, swaddled tightly in Ashley's arms along with Clint and Mustard's pokeballs.
"Now, now it's ok little cutie you'll be fine," Samantha said, surprising even herself with how gentle her tone was. Hope groaned in pain, even as Cindi wheeled in a gurney.
Ashley watched as Hope was wheeled away, and punched the wall in frustration.
"I'll… I'll be right back," she said, choking back tears and walking off. "Just… I need some time to myself, to t-think, that's all."
Erika, for her part, fought against her better instincts to comfort the girl.
"That's always the hardest part, isn't it?" Brock said, solemnly. "Knowing when someone needs time to themselves, knowing when they need that time alone even when they're hurting."
"...Yeah," Erika said with a sigh, wanting to comfort her little sister. "I hate it."
—-
Ashley, sitting alone in her room, let out a deep sigh. She was in the dark, the drapes closed to block out the shining sun which felt almost mocking right now.
"...World's greatest Pokemon trainer huh? Look where all my bragging got me," Ashley said, wiping away her tears as she clenched the sheets beneath her. Her body shook slightly, as she finally admitted just how badly she'd messed up. "It's not just the fact I lost, I can take a loss. No, I didn't just lose. I was utterly destroyed, and the worst part is I can't look Erika in the eye right now. She was right, she warned me about this and that I was letting my own pride get the better of me. I ignored her, and I got creamed."
Grabbing at her head, she pulled some of her hair out in frustration.
"Ashley, what are you even doing? I… I was so happy this morning, I felt like I was on cloud nine! Now look at me, I'm pathetic. Gary, he'd probably love to see me sulking right about now. No, that's the worst part. Gary… GARY was right!"
Looking at the pills, she threw a pillow against a wall and began punching it repeatedly. Letting out a yell, she groaned out: "Arceus, this sucks. Maybe Gary's right, maybe I should just quit while I'm behind, go back home."
She could see Gary laughing, and hear his voice in her head.
"So I was right, Ashley-girl! I knew you didn't have what it takes. So who's the world's great Pokemon trainer? That's right, it's me! Smell ya later, Ketchum!"
That really stung, and she slapped both hands to her face. "NO! What are you saying to yourself, Ashley? What are you thinking? I can't do that! Mom… She was so proud of me, wanting to go on my own journey. I can't disappoint her, not when I said I was going to be the world's greatest Pokemon trainer! Cynthia… Diantha… They're waiting on me, at the top! If I give up now, I'll never be able to challenge them! Mom would forgive me but….. I want to fulfill her dream but more than that… This is MY dream as well. My goal!"
Her hands trembled, as she clenched them into fists.
"Like I said, Gary was right. It hurts to admit that, makes me a little bit sick but I guess I owe him an apology. The next time I see him… if I see him… NO! What are you talking about, Ashley! You're going to see him again, and you're going to beat him for the first time in your life! I refuse to let him show me up!"
She hugged her legs to her chest, tilting her hat over her head.
"...where did I even go wrong…? Oh, of course I know where I went wrong. I let my own stupid arrogant pride get the better of me, I refused to listen to anyone but myself. I ignored Erika, I ignored Brock… My strategies were good. It's just Misty's were better. Is that it? Is she just better than me? Of course she is, she's a gym leader! It's her job to weed out the weak trainers! I won't let my journey stop here! I will beat her!"
Thinking to herself, she replayed the battle in her head over and over until it finally hit her.
"Wait, I did catch her off guard several times…" Ashley mused. "Clint, Mustard… they did some damage and Misty's terrified of bug-types. …I could use that, but, no, what kind of person would that make me? I'd be a real bitch if I did that…"
She shook her head, disregarding the notion entirely.
"No, I'm not doing that. Clint, Mustard, they did some damage but not enough and her Starmie… it's super strong. Stronger than any of my Pokemon besides Hope and I…"
Ashley let out a scream as it hit her.
"Agh, that's it, I'm a moron! I've just been coasting by with Hope, I've barely spared a thought to any of my other Pokemon. Some trainer I am!"
She snapped her fingers as she realized.
"My strategies were not bad, trouble is my Pokemon aren't as strong as they should be. They can't take full advantage of them. Plus… the water! I need to take advantage of it!"
She nodded, furrowing her brow in thought.
"Misty's an expert of using her gym's terrain to her advantage, and she even used it to beat Hope with an electric type move!"
Ashley got up off the bed, pacing back and forth.
"Think girl, think… Hehe, girl that sounds right. I'm a girl now! I'm going to be an idol to both cis and trans girls, like Dianthia was for me… Anyways, the water, the gym's environment… Can I turn that to my favor? Wait, no I'm looking at this wrong. If I try to turn the water to my advantage she would likely be prepared for that. I need to keep the battle away from the water, make her lose that advantage."
She tapped her foot against the floor in thought.
"Though there is another thing to consider. Misty, she knows my pokemon now. She knows Clint and Mustard, so should I…" Ashley paused to shake her head. "No, I owe it to Clint and Mustard to try again, with them. I'd be insulting them if I suddenly switched out to Gale and Amethyst. If I don't let them recover, if I switch out, I'd be failing them as their trainer. I have to make it up to them! Okay, sure, so she will have an advantage of knowing my pokemon's moves. I can work with that, I just need to get stronger, a lot stronger. Work with what I have."
Ashley, throwing open the curtains to let the light in, felt the warm sunlight on her face. Maybe her lucky star really was shining today. With that thought, she began to act out scenarios in her head.
"Clint, use your Quick Attack!" she called out, and adjusted her hat with 1 finger like Clint would then rushed forward and channeling her Spearow let out a cry of: "Spear, Spear!"
She grinned, and laughed. Yeah, she knew what she had to do now.
—-
Ashley, fully re-invigorated, stepped out of the room and smiled looking towards the Cerulean Gym.
"You're mine," Ashley said, thinking of the Cascade Badge. "You will be mine, you hear me MISTY? I'm taking your gym! And I will have your badge!"
She heard a chuckle from behind her, and saw Brock.
"It seems you're back in high spirits," he said. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you'd want more than just Misty's badge."
"What's that supposed to mean!"
"A declaration of war like that…" Brock said. "A passionate one, it only comes from the heart and y'know, there's nothing wrong with being interested in another woman. It's perfectly natural."
"Yuck! Gross! I just want a great Pokemon battle!" Ashley said, not sure why her heart was skipping a beat at the thought of Misty congratulating her.
She wasn't sure why at all, even as a crimson dust covered her face. Just what was with her!?
—-
Meanwhile Erika was flipping through the pages of a romance novel, giggling at the idiot commoner romancing the equally moronic blonde she was interested in. Giggling some more, she tried to suppress a squee as the blonde declared the commoner 'hers'. Calling the commoner one of her things, possessively, passionately.
"Oooh this is starting to get a bit steamy," Erika said to herself standing up and stretching. "I can't read something like this out here, and Ashley's still in her room so I guess I'll take a…"
Then she was hit with a Tackle by Ashley, with her romance novel flying through the air and landing inside Ashley's backpack.
"Gyaaaaaaah!" Erika said, wondering if she should start getting used to this.
Ashley was hugging her tightly, saying frantic apologies. "I'm so sorry you kept warning me over and over and I failed to listen and I just brushed you off and I'll listen to you more often from now on! I-I-I gotta go check on Hope and the others! Bye!"
Erika smiled softly, her sister was an idiot but she loved her.
—-
Ashley, as she entered the waiting room, was greeted by Samantha who said: "Oh, there you are. You'll be happy to know all of your Pokemon are just fine."
Cindi was wheeling in the three on a gurney, all three Pokemon nomming on Pokebeans of various colors. Hope let out a happy 'Cha!' in delight, hugging a bottle of ketchup to her chest.
Hope, seeing her idiot trainer, excitedly hopped off the gurney and leapt into Ashley's arms. Her idiot trainer, who was crying, holding her tight before scooping the other two into her arms as well. Her idiot trainer, who was frantically apologizing: "I'm so so sorry, I've failed you as your trainer. I have failed you and I swear, no I promise you I'm going to make it up to you. We'll all get stronger together, that's a promise. So will you take me back? Will you forgive me?"
"Pika, Pikapi!" Hope said, which Ashley knew meant: "Of course, you idiot human!"
"Bee!" Mustard buzzed while Clint tipped his hat politely.
Ashley sobbed happily.
Samantha then walked off with a dismissive wave going back to her magazine. "Go cry elsewhere, I don't want to have to mop up the floor. Now if you'll excuse me, I've a magazine to get back to. Huh… pink highlights are in this year… Cindi, what do you think? What about makeup? You think that'd work for you?"
"Champ?" Cindi tilted her head and Hope and Ashley shared a look wondering if they should feel very sorry for the shiny Machamp.
"Bee…" Mustard said to Ashley, which was probably a: "If you do that to me, you're getting stung with my twin stingers."
"Heheh, noted!"
—-
"I'll be back later! I just need to get serious about my training, and I need to do this alone, that's all," Ashley said.
"You sure you don't need our help?" Erika asked, concerned. Brock laid a hand on her shoulder and shook his head.
"The little flower needs to blossom on her own, you can't steal her sunlight if you know what I mean."
"That's… oddly poetic, coming from you but yeah," Erika smiled proudly. "Yeah I do."
Ashley found a tennis court in a park, stepping inside the fenced-in field and pulled out her Pokeballs. She smiled, adjusting her hat to block some of the sun and enlarged two of her Pokeballs.
"Alright then," Ashley said, throwing off her hat. "It's time to get serious! Amethyst, Gale! Come on out! I need your assistance!"
"PIiiiiiiiiiiiiiiddddddgggggggee!" Gale cried as she flew up, and out of the ball, perching herself on the fence. She tilted her head, quizzically, her talons grasping at her perch. "Pidge?"
"Okay, I need your help training Clint and Mustard. I've… not been the best trainer to any of you and I apologize for that."
Gale chirped happily and nuzzled her face against Ashley's own, rubbing her feathers against her skin. Another sense of almost eerie familiarity, Ashley noted. Like she'd seen her Pidgeotto before.
Something felt different though, and for a brief moment she wondered why she saw a much larger Pidgeot instead. In the back of her mind, it felt like she was forgetting something only she didn't know what.
Amethyst gently fluttered about over her head, letting out a soft chirp of her own in acknowledgement
"Ok first up, Gale you're gonna have a match with Clint. We need to improve his speed, and the accuracy of his attacks. Now I want you to come at him with everything you've got!"
"GEETTO!" Gale crowed out in reply.
"Clint, you ready?" Ashley asked, and the tiny bird glared at his larger counterpart with his one good eye.
"ALRIGHT CLINT GO IN WITH A QUICK ATTACK!" Clint flew upwards Gale, who bolted out of the way. "Now, follow up with Fury Attack!"
Gale flew up and out of the way of Clint's talons and began to chirp rapidly.
"Goeottogetoogetoto!" the first-stage evolution continued squawking, pretty much laughing down at Clint. The Spearow glared daggers at his opponent, and if looks could kill, Gale would be six feet under.
"Clint stay calm buddy the point of this training is to help you get faster so just keep focused on that, okay bud?" Clint turned back to his trainer and nodded. And so it continued, with Ashley directing Clint to keep slowly increasing his speed and attacking Gale until finally the tiny bird got a good hit in. Gale let out a cry of pain, some feathers falling to the ground.
"Now, Fury Attack!" Ashley cried, with Clint not giving Gale a chance to get her bearings He slammed into her with a fury attack knocking her down and Ashley called out: "now before she hits the ground finish it with a wing attack"
Clint let out a war cry, and burst forward with wings glowing but he's still a little too slow. He only just nicked Gale before he was forced to pull up to avoid slamming into the ground. Gale however, didn't get the chance and smashed into the dirt, causing a small dust cloud to fly up.
Landing in front of Gale, he did a mocking little bow as the Pidgeotto glared back at him.
"Gale, that's a good girl. Now get some rest, okay?" Ashley said as she recalled the flying-type. "Remind me to give you both some extra Pokebeans, you both did great!"
She turned to her two bug-types.
"Now Mustard for you, I need you to improve the strength of your strikes, how fast your poison works and Amethyst your gonna help with that. Don't worry, it'll be fun!"
Amethyst looked very concerned for a moment, fluttering nervously but her trainer continued "I'm also gonna help you get stronger at the same time, increasing your strength."
Walking out of the tennis court, she had the two bug-types follow after her. She pointed at some rocks, with her two bugs following her gaze. "Now, here's what you're gonna be doing. Amethyst, you're gonna be dropping those rocks so fly up high in the sky with one then release it but don't let us know when you do"
Amethyst let out a breath she had been holding and then fluttered over to a rock, grabbing onto it with her tiny hands. She started flapping, it was rather heavy but she eventually managed
"All right Mustard you're gonna have to strike fast and hard so keep your eyes focused and be rea… NOW USE POISON STING!"
Mustard saw the shadow of a falling rock, and lunged forwards with his stingers. His wings buzzed and he struck at the falling rock only landing a glancing blow which barely scratched the rock. It landed on the ground, and Amethyst picked it up again and floated back up into the air.
"Bzzy bzzt!" Mustard said, feeling rather frustrated and looking around awkwardly.
"It's ok Mustard that's why we are training. You have nothing to be frustrated by," Ashley said, gently, encouragingly getting a nod from the wasp.
And then once more Ashley shouts: "POISON STING!"
Mustard turned his head quickly back and forth spotting the rock this time as it plummeted downward. He thrust his right stinger into it. The stinger pierced through and through, and yanked him into the ground.
"Looks like we need to improve that too…" Ashley mused, rubbing her chin and trying to ignore the growing stubble on it.
Mustard rubs the back of his head with his free stinger as he finally gets the other one out. The rock broke clean in two, and Amethyst flew off to grab another one.
This went on for a while, the cycle of 'drop rock, strike and sting' repeating when suddenly the normally purple glow of Poison Sting changed to a bright white just as Mustard stinger struck a rock. The rock shattered, sending rubble flying everywhere. Ashley jumped backwards in shock, letting out a shout of: "wait what happened, was that Rock Smash?"
"Bzz, bzz!" Mustard said, as he flexed his stingers, before looking confused and glancing at them in shock.
"I didn't even know you could learn that move!" Ashley said with a laugh.
Mustard laughs along with his trainer even as Amethyst fluttered down to them looking exhausted.
"Yeah, you did good, both of you," Ashley said, rubbing their heads. "You deserve a nice long rest, return the both of you."
Recalling the two to their balls, Ashley fell backwards into the grass and smiled. "...yeah, I think I did… No, I know I did good."
Later that night, Ashley sat in her room with Hope, Clint and Mustard. She looked them dead in the eye, looking far more serious than any of the Pokemon had ever seen her.
"Ok listen up troops! Tomorrow we'll be facing Misty again and this time I have no intent on losing. We've got to be ready, we've only seen one of her Pokemon and she's seen us. She knows what to expect from us and she will be using all three of her pokemon and I suspect I know what the other two are. Don't worry though, I have a plan in mind, so listen closely because here's what we're going to do…"
—-
The next day, Ashley smiled at her opponent and curtsied at her, shocking both Misty and Erika. "Before we begin, I want to thank you for yesterday. I needed that wake-up call, to shock me out of my own stupidity. I've just been coasting by so far, neglecting the rest of my team in favor of my Pikachu. I guess on some level I was hoping I could just bulldoze through the gyms with just her. So… thanks. I needed that wake-up call, to realize my own weaknesses."
Erika, from behind her fan, smiled with pride, thinking; "Good girl."
Misty flashed Ashley an upturned little smile and Ashley didn't know why but her heart skipped a beat. She tried to force the rapidly rising red from her face as Misty said: "Huh, so maybe you can learn after all. I'm impressed, I thought you'd run home crying. Lemme guess, you've got all of those hopes and dreams about being the next Cynthia or Dianthia right?"
"Yeah, they're my idols!"
"I was worried I'd actually crushed those dreams of yours, frankly I like seeing fellow trainers learn and grow. Now, you came here for a battle against the beautiful battling mermaid of Cerulean City, right?"
"Yeah!"
"Be warned, you're about to enter some troubled waters. There's some stormy weather ahead, so be careful not to get swept away, by me, Misty Waterflower! The star of the show, and Cerulean City's pride and joy! This will be a three on three battle, same rules as the last time!"
"Just the way I like it," Ashley grinned. "This time, you'll lose!"
"Oh, cocky!" Misty said, giving another one of those little upturned smiles she liked. The ones that made Ashley's heart race, and not from the thrill of a challenging battle. "I like that about you, you just don't stay down for long! You're like Ho-Oh, rising from the ashes!"
"Remember our strategy guys," Ashley said, as she pulled out her first pokeball.
"Hopefully you just didn't plan on a new way to lose!"
Jessica once again, acted as the referee shouting out: "Both combatants are ready! As before, only the challenger can substitute pokemon and this will be a 3 on 3!"
Misty enlarged and tossed her first pokeball, crying out: "GO HOWARD!"
Ashley smirked, seeing the Psyduck on the opposing platform. "I knew it, go for it Clint!"
The Spearow let out a cry, flying upwards with a caw. He adjusted his hat with his wing, Leering at the doofy derpy duck with his good eye.
Jessica looked back and forth between the two, stuttering out: "B-Begin!"
"Clint, use your Quick Attack!" Ashley said, as her Spearow flew off at high speed, rocketing towards Howard the Psyduck.
"Howard, use your Water Pulse!" Misty cried out, as Howard spat a blast of water from his bill.
"Quickly, evade to the right side then go in for a Fury Attack!" Ashley said, with her Pokemon darting to the side and leaping forwards with sharpened talons.
"I see Clint has gotten faster, much faster. You're right, you're actually starting to take your training seriously. It's still a long way to the top though!" Misty said, as a warning. "And is your Spearow fast enough?"
"PSYPSYPSY!" Howard cried in a panic, his face covered in scratch marks and he was flailing his arms around wildly.
"I'm not sure who's going to have more of a headache with him carrying on… him or me…" Misty muttered. "Shake him off, Howard!"
Ashley didn't give the duck a chance.
"Now, swoop in low for a Wing Attack!"
Clint let out a caw, as he flew up and looped back down towards his opponent. His wings glowed and he flew past Howard, sending the bouncing across the water. Howard's head constantly smacked into the water, the duck crying in pain.
"Now, go in for a Quick Attack! Ring him out!" Ashley said, even as she thought back to last night…
"Ok Clint, she is definitely using her Psyduck first. If that thing gets a serious headache we're in deep trouble. You'll need to ring it out of the arena, before he has any chance to use his psychic powers."
Clint had nodded, giving a salute with his wing and then tipping his hat. Back in the present, he was flying at top speed, right towards Howard aiming to knock him out of the ring. Suddenly, Misty shouted: "Use Water Gun… NOW!" "
Howard, still bouncing, aimed at the pool and fired off a shot of water from his beak. Shooting himself into the air, the Psyduck quickly and surprisingly nimbly landed on the platform, his eyes glowing. The water-type was clutching his head with his wings, moaning in pain and Ashley felt a sick feeling in her stomach.
"...crap," she said to herself, realizing how her plan had backfired.
"Disable!" Misty shouted, with Clint feeling a strange tingle in his body. He didn't know how, but he couldn't make himself use Quick Attack anymore. It was like the ability was completely foreign to him now.
"I know, it's going to hurt," Misty said, sympathetically to her duck. "But you know what to do, okay?"
"Psy…" Howard said, having landed on the platform head-first and moaning in pain.
"Nice try on the ring out, I have to admit. Good plan, but it wasn't good enough! It will take more than that to beat me, sorry!" Misty said, looking towards her duck who looked to be in complete agony. She grinned. "And it looks like Howard's headache is in full force so you know what that means right?"
Ashley's eyes widened, knowing what was coming. She thought fast, quickly shouting out an attack.
"Quick fly at him with a Wing Attack, and finish him off before he can attack with his powers!"
Clint nodded, and flew as fast as he could though without his Quick Attack his top speed wasn't as high as it could have been. Which Ashley knew would probably cost them, and it did as she heard Misty's next command.
"Too late, and too slow!" Misty wagged her finger at Ashley, her Pokemon mimicking the motion. Her voice turned softer, more sympathetic as she, soothingly, said: "Howard, it's okay, it's almost over and your headache will go back to normal just as soon as you use your Psybeam!"
Howard let out a 'Psssssssssssy!' as he fired a strange sort of beam towards Clint.
Ashley felt oddly calm, despite the situation. This was okay, she told herself. She could handle this, she'd expected there was a possibility she couldn't ring out Howard. It was time for plan B, then. She allowed herself to smirk. "Now who's the cocky one, huh, Misty? You're so sure of yourself, you didn't think I had a plan for this? Clint, Double Team!"
"I'll still hit your Spearow, it shouldn't take long to find the right one!" Misty said, as fiery as ever.
"...wait, are they…?" Brock blinked, from his spot in the stands. "Is she having them…"
"I think she is," Erika said, giggling a little. "So that's her plan! Talk about unconventional! I suppose I should have expected nothing less!"
Clint's doppelgangers were dancing, line-dancing like they were at a saloon listening to country music. Misty could only stare, trying to keep her face even. She was failing and looking like she was about to laugh. Her Psyduck however, was even worse.
Her Psyduck was flatout laughing, rolling around on the floor crying tears of joy.
Ashley was trying not to break down laughing at herself, thinking back.
"But I'm sure Misty won't let us go for the ring out. I'm sure she's expecting me to try that. Don't worry Clint, I have a back up plan in the likely event that fails. Namely, using your Double Team but not for evasion or distraction. No, I want you to make her Psyduck laugh."
Back in the present, Psyduck's headache was completely forgotten. And Ashley grinned. "Now for real this time, Fury Attack!"
Clint flew in and slashed the water-type again and again, letting out a war cry. Finally, Psyduck fell backwards, completely unconscious.
"Howard is unable to battle, the winner is the challenger's Spearow, Clint!" Jessica declared.
"Okay, I have to admit," Misty said, still laughing. As she tried to regain control over herself, she admitted through giggles: "I wasn't expecting that! Unconventional, but effective!"
Ashley loved hearing Misty's laugh, a part of her wanted to hear it more often. She slapped herself in the face, reminding herself to focus instead of drooling at Misty. …wait, she wasn't drooling. She was just admiring her!
That's all she was doing! It was simple admiration!
Pulling out a dive ball, Misty enlarged it and tossed it into the pool. A very familiar serpentine figure rose up out of the waters, infamous to every sailor in Kanto. Ashley had seen one before, though this one was definitely not her friend unlike King Triton.
She swallowed, she knew it was coming but all the same… "Clint, return! Mustard, swap in!"
"Hmmm interesting I figured she would want Hope for this one," Brock mused. "Is she challenging herself, no… she's got a plan here."
"If Ashley has proved anything it's that she doesn't rely on the expected," Erica agreed.
Brock snapped his fingers. "Ah-ha, I think I know what she's doing now… Clever girl."
"B-Begin…" Jessica stammered out, the shadow of the Gyarados looming over her.
"S-Start off with a-a-a W-Water Pulse, confuse that nasty b-bug before he has a chance to strike!" Misty said, somewhat fearfully seeing the giant wasp hovering in place.
Ashley winced, wondering if using a Pokemon that Misty was clearly terrified of was really the best option. It just didn't feel that fair.
But, a badge was a badge she supposed.
"Dodge it, quick!" she said, thinking back.
"Ok Mustard, you're gonna have the hardest job but also the most straightforward. You're going to be facing Misty's prized Gyarados."
Mustard slowly nodded his head, uncertainty. He wasn't looking forward at all to facing the infamous Kanto sea serpent.
"So the first step, is to keep away from its jaws and behind its head, don't let up and don't give it a chance to strike…"
"Now go in for a Fury Attack, don't give Misty any time to react!" Ashley said, and her Beedrill flew in, hammering away with his stingers.
"Use Flail, and knock it away quickly! " Misty shouted, still eying Mustard with fear in her eyes. Mustard, using the air currents, easily dodged the massive swing of Ariel's tail swipe.
"Now, string shot and slow that tail down!" Ashley commanded, and Mustard spat out some sticky string, wrapping the tail up in it. "Now fly in and bite her left whisker with your Bug Bite!"
Mustard flew in, biting down hard even as the Gyarados roared in pain. Windows shattered just from how loudly the sea serpent roared and Ashley swore her ears were bleeding. As the ringing subsided, she quickly regained her bearings.
"Now, jab at her jaw with another Fury Attack!" Ashley said, and Mustard flew in low with his stingers shining.
"Quick, into the water! Don't let that creepy wasp get you!" Misty said, biting her nails. Again, Ashley felt a little guilty, seeing how obviously afraid Misty was of her bug-type.
As Ariel dived into the water, a massive wave nearly swept Ashley off her feet.
"Okay, now stay focused, Mustard. Don't give her any breathing room. When she comes out again, strike with your stingers! Poison her!"
"A-As c-creepy as your B-B-Beedrill is, using t-that thing to chip away at Ariel is a good strategy. But it won't work, I've trained my Gyarados for years, and your puny bug won't hold out forever! Now, Ice Fang!"
Ariel let out another roar as she rose up out of the pool, her fangs glistening with frost.
Misty, too late, noticed the smirk on Ashley's face.
"Just what we've been waiting for…" Ashley said. "Mustard, charge right at her!"
"HUH?" Brock asked.
"What's she doing?" Erika said, dropping her fan in shock.
Ashley thought back…
"Now, I know this sounds scary, but I want you to let her eat you. She can't hit you, if you're inside her. That's her weak spot! Misty won't expect this! She won't be able to defend against it!"
Mustard began to panic, letting out cries of "BZZT BZZT!" as he waved his stingers in terror.
"Don't worry if things go bad I'll save you but I'll need you to trust me okay?" Ashley said, laying a hand on Mustard's shoulders. The Beedrill, after a moment, nodded. "Okay, good. Ok after you're swallowed unleash a Poison Sting powered Fury Attack!"
Mustard nodded, starting to get the picture. Though, his trainer owed him lots of sweet Combee honey after this!
Brock and Erika stared dumb-founded, Erika finally managing to speak up: "...so was this what you were expecting?"
"Not at all actually…" Brock said. "I thought her plan was to outlast Ariel and chip away at her with Poison Stings, not this!"
Ariel howls in pain at the onslaught going on in her gut feeling the poison inside her. She thrashed about, roaring in pain and Ashley saw the tears in Misty's eyes. Ashley felt sick, wondering if she'd gone too far.
Misty clenches her fist not able to see her prized Pokemon in such pain. She pulled out Ariel's ball, recalling the serpent and said: "I can't watch this, I… I hereby withdraw Ariel from this match."
Mustard just hovered in the air still thrusting his stingers now at empty air. Finally, he noticed the battle was over and rubbed the back of his head. If Beedrills could blush, he would have been.
"MISTY HAS FORFEITED THE ROUND, THE WINNER IS MUSTARD!" Jessica declared, waving a flag towards Ashley.
Ashley stared, before shouting: "HEY, WHAT'S THE DEAL ARE YOU TRYING TO IMPLY I CAN'T WIN THIS!"
Misty shook her head, and said: "Not at all you had clearly defeated Ariel but it's more than that. Ariel…"
Ashley noticed Misty was crying, and felt terrible and didn't feel like a winner at all at the moment.
"She used severe trust issues and lashed out at everyone and everything. It's just… Well, seeing her in such pain thrashing about it reminded me of those days. To me, it felt like I would be betraying her and leaving her in that state… It brought back bad memories, it was triggering for the both of us. I used to be terrified of Gyarados, I still am actually… Ariel's the exception."
Ashley swallowed. "...I… I can't accept the badge, what I did… it was dirty, I sent your Ariel into a rampage. I…"
"No," Misty smiled, wiping her eyes. "You didn't know, and what you did… it was a legitimate tactic if not a conventional one. You didn't know about my history with Gyarados. Not many people do, they think I'm perfectly fine with them. They don't know my history, or Ariel's. What you were doing, it wasn't dirty. It was a strategy, and a good one."
"All the same…"
"Please, don't try and argue," Misty said. "You beat Ariel, please don't argue with me about this."
"Still, you're terrified of Mustard and… I won't use him again," Ashley said. "Feels wrong."
Misty nodded gratefully and Ashley wondered why she liked seeing Misty so happy. Erika, in the stands, smiled pridefully. Her little sister was growing up.
Misty nodded and then threw a Pokeball. "That just leaves me with Elise and you know how powerful she is."
The fearsome Starmie took the field once more, gem glowing in the setting sun.
"...No," Misty said. "You're my challenger, and bug or not, he's your Pokemon. What kind of gym leader would I be if I let my own fear get the better of me?"
"Okay, if you say so…" Ashley said, with Mustard rejoining the battle.
"A-And begin!" Jessica shouted.
"Quick rush in with a Fury Attack," Ashley said, even as Mustard rushed forward his stingers glowing.
"Harden!" Misty said, commandingly and thought to herself "so is Ashley going for the poison again… or does she have something else up her sleeve?"
Mustard's strikes started hammering the now hardened Starmie.
"Now, combine it with your Rock Smash!" Ashley said and Misty's eyes went wide as Mustard's stingers glowed even brighter.
—-
"The plan for that monster of a Starmie is just wear it down little by little. I need all three of you for this, even with Recover it still cant fully heal itself so over time that damage will add up!"
—-
"Psybeam, now! Misty shouted and Elise blasted Mustard point blank with a Psybeam. The Beedrill flew backwards, sliding back on the platform and used one of his stingers to slow himself, planting it in the ground.
"Recover, quickly!" Misty said, and Elise began to glow.
"Come on, get up you can keep going…" Ashley said, worriedly. Mustard with his stingers slowly pushed himself up trying to flap his wings, but was clearly struggling to get airborne. Ashley bit her thumb, saying to herself: "Think think… come on girl, you got this. You've gotten this far, she's tough but she's not unbeatable. Gary beat her, so can you! If Gary can beat her, this should be easy! Ah, I got it! Mustard, pull her in close with your String Shot!"
Mustard shot string from his mouth grabbing onto Elise, and yanked it back, pulling Elise towards him. "Now an old classic for you by now. Fury Attack combined with Poison Sting!"
Mustard put all he had left into this, crying out: "BZZT BZZT BZZT BZZT BZZT BZZT BZZT BZZZZZZZZT!" even as Elise was pummeled by his stingers. With one last hard strike he passes out, Elise poisoned. "Bzzz….t…"
"Mus-Mustard is unable to battle, the winner is Elise!" Jessica stammered out.
Ashley called Mustard back and kissed his Pokeball. "you did amazing, now take a well earned rest. I promise you'll get plenty of honey later. Now… Clint, get in there, Mustard softened her up for you!"
He panted, still tired from his previous battle but looking at him, Ashley knew he had plenty of fight left in him. She smiled, proudly.
"SPEAROW!" he crowed, mightily.
"Begin!" Jessica said.
"Don't give them any time to even react! Rush in with a Quick Attack!" Ashley ordered, and Clint burst forward. The time in the Pokeball had been enough for Howard's Disable to wear off. "Combine it with a Wing Attack!"
His wings glowed white and he raced past Elise slicing into her and flew back around for another strike.
"Again!"
"Not so fast! That's not going to work this time, I know what you're after and I'm not going to let you have it! Elise, Rapid Spin!"
Like a massive purple shuriken, Elise spun towards Clint.
"Now, grab onto her with your claws and give her a Peck barrage!"
Clint grabbed ahold of the spinning star, and like a drill pecked away at her.
"Harden, again!" Misty said, as her Pokemon's body became like solid rock.
Clint's Pecks were starting to clink off Elise, but he was slowly whittling away at her defenses.
"Hit him with your Water Pulse!" Misty shouted and Elise blasted Clint off herself. Clint almost landed in the water but he managed to use his wings to steer himself towards the platform. He smashed into it, the impact ironically likely why he avoided Confusion. Leering at Elise, he barely hears his trainer shout for a Quick Attack/Wing Attack combo. Seeing the Starmie starting to glow from a Recover he shot off with all his remaining strength like a bullet from a gun and slammed into Elise.
He hadn't gone fast enough to prevent the Recover, but even as he passed out he could see Elise flinch.
"Clint is unable to battle the winner is Elise," Jessica said.
"Alright, Hope… it's all up to you. My Hope… our hopes… rest on you now!"
"PIKA!" Hope cried, cheeks sparking as she leapt into battle.
"Now, let's see if you can avoid being swept away!" Misty said. "Careful, dangerous waters ahead!"
Ashley nodded. "This has been an incredible battle. Win or lose, I've had a great time today."
"LET THE FINAL MATCH BEGIN!" Jessica shouted, actually excited to see how this played out.
"Full speed ahead with Spark and Quick Attack" Ashley shouted as Hope was covered in electricity and darted towards Elise.
"Pika pika pika pika pika!" Hope said as she ran across the water covered in the beginnings of a golden glow.
"Evade it and go for a Psybeam!" Misty said, as Elise began to glow.
Suddenly Ashley shouted out, "Now hit it with a Thunder Shock!"
Hope blasted Elise with a golden bolt which stunned her just long enough for Hope to fall and avoid the Psybeam.
"NOW DOUBLE TEAM!" Ashley shouted as Hope now filled every inch of both platforms.
Misty said to herself, "She's up to something. She knows that I can counter Double Team. Well, there's only one way to find out what she is planning and that's to make her act on it."
"Elise turn on your side and start spinning and use Swift!"
Elise spun like a miniature hurricane, dozens of stars shooting out resembling a miniature galaxy.
"Hope use Spark and jump up through the Swift using Iron Tail to destroy them!"
Hope leapt up into the air and spun into an Iron Tail through the stars. Even as she took damage, she barreled towards Elise. Hope came down, her heart-shaped tail glowing silver slamming Elise into the platform cracking it.
"Return the favor, Double Team!"
Mirroring Hope, Elise filled the arena with dozens of copies of herself.
"Pika!" Hope growled in frustration.
"Just fire off a Thunder Shock and hope we get lucky," Ashley said, knowing exactly what was coming next.
Hope fired off a small storm of lightning bolts, as Ashley waited to see the tell-tale glow of the real Starmie's Recover. Then, out of the corner of her eye…
Ashley shouted: "There, to your left! Spark, and Quick Attack into her now! Grab on, and don't let go!"
"Dodge it!" Misty said, but Hope was too fast for her and latched on to Elise.
"NOW GO FOR A THUNDER SHOCK!" Ashley said, having a feeling what Misty would do next. "I know how you fight, I'm not being surprised this time!"
"You know what to do, Elise! Rapid Spin and get her off of you!" Misty said.
Hope held on for dear life, holding on tight but like before she was flung off. Then Ashley shouted out: "Spark and Iron Tail combo!"
Hope was covered with electricity, and then leaped upwards before slamming down back into Elise. The platform below them shattered, plunging Elise into the pool.
Misty's eyes widened, realizing what was about to happen. "GET OUT OF THERE QUICK!"
"NOW THIS IS OUR CHANCE THUNDER SHOCK INTO THE WATER!" Ashley shouted, her voice a bit hoarse by now.
"PIKKKAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACHHHHHHHHHHHHUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" Hope cried out, letting off not a Thunder Shock but something far more powerful; a Thunderbolt.
Elise was shooting towards the surface, like a missile, fighting the poison all the while. But she wasn't fast enough, the lightning racing through her body. Floating to the surface, her gem pulsed slightly but the starfish slipped into unconsciousness.
"...wow…" Misty said, staring in stunned shock.
"E-Elise is unable to battle! Misty has no Pokemon left so the challenger Ashley, from Pallet Town is the victor!" Jessica said, unable to believe it herself.
Hope panted, exhausted as she swam to shore and into Ashley's arms.
"Hope!" Ashley said, lifting her up and spinning her around, cuddling the electric mouse against her cheek. She got zapped for her troubles, but she didn't mind.
Misty smiled as she recalled Elise and walked towards Ashley. "Congratulations, you earned this. It's my honor to present to you the Cerulean City's Cascade Badge."
She pinned the badge to Ashley's bag, and kissed her on the cheek.
Now Ashley was really seeing sparks, her whole face glowing red as she rebooted.
"ALRIGHT WE GOT A CASCADE BADGE!" Ashley shouted jumping in the air.
"By the way, I heard you talking about Gary. I'm guessing he's your rival right?"
"Rival, ex-friend, absolute asshole, take your pick…" Ashley grumbled. Misty giggled, as Ashley said: "Probably all of the above."
"Here is a bit of news for you. He didn't face the team lineup you just did. You're actually the first person to actually beat this lineup that I can actually remember. Take pride in that, just don't let it go to your head okay cutie?" Misty said, winking at Ashley as she walked off with a distinct graceful sway in her steps.
Before she had a chance to process any of that, Ashley was pulled into a hug by Erika. "YOU WON YOU WON I'M SO PROUD OF YOU LITTLE SIS!"
"...so what's that about proper ladies and decorum then?" Brock teased.
"Kyyyaaaaa!" Ashley let out a very girlish scream as she was tackled thinking: "Huh… so that's what that feels like…"
Jessica having been watching all this ran to catch up with Misty: "M-Misty before you take your pokemon to Doctor Joy, I've got something I'd like to talk to you about."
"Yeah?" Misty turned back to look at her and to her shock Jessica threw off her disguise to reveal she was in fact another Joy.
"I'm not just a normal Pokemon League sanctioned referee, I have another far more important job. Which is scouting for potential members of the Elite 4. After today, I'm thinking you would be a perfect candidate. I've watched you closely and these past two days have cemented my decision to recommend you."
A Latias appeared from out of one of Jessica's Pokeballs, flying around and then nuzzling Misty letting out a coo.
Misty stepped back, stunned and stuttering: "M-M-Me a member of the Elite 4? Are you serious? You're not just pulling my leg?"
"Very serious. Agatha is looking to retire actually," Jessica Joy explained, even as she stroked her Latias' head feathers. "Honestly, I've watched several trainers but you're the most promising one I've seen."
Ashley and Erika, while stunned, both agreed. "Go for it! You'll be the last person people face before fucking Lance!"
Erika didn't even bother to chide her for swearing, actually in agreement. "While I won't put it as crassly, Ashley's right. It's not something that comes along every day, and it's an honor to even be considered."
Brock nods in agreement. "What they said."
"Hey you sure helped me get stronger," Ashley grinned. "So I say go for it! Maybe I'll fight you again one day!"
Misty wiped away tears from her eyes. "Well fine sure, I'll take it and dont think I'm giving up on my Gym either. I've put too much work into this place to let it go back to my idiot older sisters!"
Jessica could only laugh. "Well that's not my position to discuss but I'll put it in my report!"
Notes: And there we have it, this massive chapter is over. Ashley won her 2nd badge and Misty is gonna advance her career but that is a story for another day. Next time our heroes encounter a dastardly egg poacher in: The Poke Poacher, and the Crisis of the Missing Eggs!