It took Ash and his friends another few days to get from Mount Moon to Cerulean City. Coming down from the highlands, they were able to see the city two days before they reached it. A large glass roofed structure stood amidst a ring of gentle green hills and spots of forest, which was in turn surrounded by patches of buildings. A narrow inlet sparkled in the distance, separating the town from the end of Kanto's northern mountain range.
About a day from their destination, before Ash and company were able to reach the main road, they met a squad of gym trainers.
"Halt," a man in a brown khaki uniform, bearing the water drop emblem of the Cerulean Gym said holding up his hand. Two woman and one man stood off in the distance, wearing the same uniform, watching them. "Can I see some identific- Misty, is that you?"
"Hello to you too Eddie," Misty replied. "What are you doing out here?"
"Your sisters got wind of the attack on Pewter City," Eddie answered. "They've got us doing patrols to make sure Team Rocket doesn't try anything here."
"They're more on top of things than I expected," Misty said. "I thought they'd have you helping put together the set for their next performance."
"Oh, no," Eddie said. "They're just working double time by themselves to get that put together."
Misty slapped her forehead and let her hand drag down her face. "Of course, they are," Misty groaned through her palm.
"So, who are these two?" Eddie asked, turning to Brock and Ash.
"This is Aaron," Misty answered, "and this is Brock, former Gym Leader from Pewter City."
"Huh," Eddie looked at the two of them. "Odd bunch. Anyway, I'm Eddie." He held out his hand.
"Brock," Brock said, shaking the hand. Eddie turned to Ash. Ash didn't do anything.
"Earth to Aaron," Misty said. "You're supposed to shake it and introduce yourself."
"Oh!" Ash exclaimed. "But didn't you just introduce us?"
"You're also supposed to introduce yourself! Didn't whoever raised you teach you manners!" Misty exclaimed.
She's right you know, Pikachu chimed in from Ash's shoulder. Don't argue, just shake the hand.
"Uh," Ash rubbed the back of his head, and then turned to Eddie. "I'm Aaron," the boy said, shaking the man's hand.
"Nice to meet you," Eddie said, looking amused. "Anyway, Misty, I'll call your sisters and tell them you're coming- "
"No need," Misty interrupted, smiling sheepishly. Ash thought that something seemed off about her expression. "I want to surprise them."
"Okay," Eddie replied. "It's nice to see you getting along better with them."
"Yep," Misty said, smiling weirdly. "I'll see you later."
"Be seeing you miss," Eddie said and then rejoined his squad, who resumed their patrol.
"I'm guessing that you're not actually planning on telling your sisters that you're in town," Brock commented once the gym trainers were out of hearing distance
"And if you know what's good for you, you won't tell them either," Misty growled. "Same goes for you Aaron."
"Ooookaaay," Ash answered, understanding why her earlier expressions seemed strange. "But don't you want to see your family while you're here?"
"No!" Misty exclaimed. "Let's just get to the pokémon center."
They checked into the pokémon center, which was currently hosting trainers for four days. Their pokémon were looked over and then the three humans retired to their rooms.
Huh, Ash said, looking around at his room. Somehow, I expected the room to either be more different from the one in Pewter City, or more similar. This is just some strange in-between. I don't get how's that's possible…..
It's because the furniture's the same, idiot, Pikachu said, jumping onto the bed. The wall's a different color, the room's a different shape, and everything in a different place, but it's the same furniture.
Oh, Ash said glancing around. I guess you're right.
Of course, I'm right, Pikachu said.
This gym is supposed specialize in water-types, Ash said, changing the topic. I guess I'll be relying on you a lot here.
Yes! Pikachu pumped one forepaw in the air. It's my time to shine!
Should we come up with a strategy? Ash asked.
Yes, Pikachu replied, crossing his forepaws and nodding. Should I shock them hard or should I shock them very hard? Such a tough question…
You know, they're specialists, Ash said. They'll probably have some counters against electric types.
Oh, and what hope do they have against my overwhelming power!? Pikachu asked sparks flying from his cheeks.
Well, if Misty's any indication, they'll probably have a lot of ice-type moves, Ash answered looking at the ceiling and thinking, and ice is a poor conductor. They might do something with that. What else…. what would I do….? Maybe a mist to diffuse the bolt…. Though you could counter that with the control training you've been doing….. if it's an underwater battlefield there's not much they could do to stop you from electrocuting everything, but they might have a trick…. Assuming that they're not just strong enough to shrug off whatever you can throw at them….
You're overthinking this, Pikachu said. All we got to do is show up and shock them. It'll be quick and easy. Just you see.
I hope you're right.
The next day Ash hurried up and ate breakfast, barely taking time to exchange greetings with Brock and Misty, and then he hurried outside and was on his way to the gym.
Along the way Ash thought that he recognized a familiar face, a girl with brown eyes and charcoal brown hair. It was Leaf!
"Hi Leaf!" Ash called out, gently jogging over to her.
"Oh, hi Aaron," Leaf said, turning and stopping to let him catch up to her. "It's good to see you're alright. I heard about what happened in the forest from Professor Oak."
"Oh, that?" Ash replied. "It was scary, but I didn't get really get hurt."
"And then I heard about what happened in Pewter City from the Professor as well."
"Yeah, but that was better then the forest," Ash replied. "They didn't even hit me there!" Leaf's face gained a funny expression after hearing that and Pikachu sighed.
Ash, you're an idiot, the electric type said from his human's shoulder. That's not going to reassure other humans.
There were several seconds of awkward silence before Leaf spoke again.
"Anyway," Leaf said, fidgeting. "Have you seen Gary lately?" Her cheeks took on a red tint when she asked the question.
"He stopped by in Pewter City," Ash answered. "We had a pokémon battle."
"Did he say anything about me- I mean anything about why he was still back in Pewter City?" Leaf asked.
"Oh, he asked where you were, and when I didn't know, he said that he'd hurry up through Mount Moon to catch up," Ash answered.
"Hmmpf," Leaf huffed. "I got the Cascade badge weeks ago and had time to go to Lavender Town and back."
"What were the gym leaders here like?" Ash asked.
Soon to be shocked, I can assure you of that, Pikachu piped up.
"I don't know, I got tested by a gym trainer," Leaf said. "Just watch out for ice moves, I think most of their pokémon know at least one."
"Okay, thank you," Ash said. "I've got to go get my badge today."
"Good luck," Leaf said. "Take care of yourself." She clenched her fists by her sides and then declared in a louder voice. "And if you see Gary again, tell him that I'm heading to Saffron City and that he needs to pick up his pace! Tell him he needs to live up to all that talk of his!"
"Okay?" Ash replied, confused, as she turned around and walked off. He never got what was going on with her and Gary.
After his conversation with Leaf, Ash continued on his way to the gym. When he got there, he found the gym to be bustling with activity. But there were also no identifiable trainers, gym trainers or otherwise.
Instead it seemed to be construction workers and other laborers, carrying plants and what looked like pieces of terrain at first glance. When Ash got a closer look, he realized that the terrain was fake. The pokéraised child wondered what was going on. Maybe the battle arena was being redone?
He eventually found a person sitting at a desk that looked like they might know how to schedule a battle.
You might need to bribe the secretary with coffee, Pikachu suggested. Or pastries. It's how detectives get access to things.
I've never heard of that, Ash whispered back. Where did you hear that?
On all the detective shows they liked to play at one of the appliance stores I raided, Pikachu answered.
Ash rolled his eyes and walked over to the person at the desk.
"Hi, I'm here for a gym battle," Ash said to the lady at the desk.
"We don't have anyone currently available for one," the lady said without looking up at him. "You'll want to schedule one for the future."
"Why don't you have anyone available for a gym battle?" Ash asked. "What's going on?"
"All the gym trainers are currently assigned to patrolling outside the city," the lady told him. "And the gym leaders are busy preparing for their next performance."
"Okay, when will they be ready to do battles again?"
A month….. So much for quick, Ash muttered as he walked back to the pokémon center.
Well, my battle will be quick and easy, Pikachu replied. I didn't say anything about your struggles.
Ash made his way into the pokémon center, where Brock was reading a book in the lobby and Misty was talking to the on-duty nurse.
"Don't tell me they're done with you already," Misty groaned when she noticed that Ash had returned. "Did they just give you the damn badge?"
"No," Ash replied in a sullen tone, crossing his arms. "They're not doing any battles for a month….."
"What?" Misty said in a flat voice.
"The leaders are getting ready for some performance," Ash explained. "And the gym trainers are out."
"Those- Why I oughta- Grrrrrr," Misty growled. She grabbed Ash's arm and starting walking towards the pokémon center exit. "Aaron, we're going back to the gym and you're going to get a damn battle."
"This should be fun," Brock commented, getting up and following them.
"Wait!" Ash protested as he was dragged back outside. "Can't I grab a snack first?"
Once again Ash found himself in the Cerulean City Gym, but this time an irate red-head dragged him past the surprised looking secretary and through some official looking doors.
Past the doors there was an empty tank where laborers were busy arranging the fake terrain and plants. Three svelte young women were directing them, one with cherry pink hair, one with indigo blue hair, and one with gold blonde hair.
"What do you think you're doing!" Misty shouted as soon as she saw the three women.
"Misty!" The woman with blue hair exclaimed. "You're back so soon! And you brought friends!"
"I brought a trainer looking to get a badge!" Misty shouted. "Which this gym doesn't seem to be giving out anymore!"
"Hi Brock!" The violet haired woman said, ignoring Misty, and waving at Brock who had followed behind Ash and Misty.
"Brock!" The blonde-haired woman called out. "Finally got out of Pewter City?"
"Long time no see Brock!" The cherry haired woman said. "How's the gym?"
"Hi Violet, Daisy, Lily," Brock replied. "And I don't know how the gym is, I'm not the gym leader anymore. Flint finally came back so it's his problem now."
"Oh, you're so lucky," Lily sighed as she and her sisters walked over. "So why are you with the runt?"
"I'm not a runt, and we're making sure that this rookie- "Misty shoved Ash forward, to face her sisters, "- stays out of trouble. And right now, he's here for a badge. Which you should be handing out, instead of pretending that you're coordinators!"
"Why are you guarding this rookie?" Violet asked. "Wait, is that Professor Oak's grandson?"
"No, uh, ma'am, that's Gary Oak," Ash replied. "I'm Aaron Autumns."
"So why are you guarding this squirt?" Lily asked. "Don't you have better things to be doing? What happened to becoming a water-type master?"
"I can do that and guard this shrimp at the same time!" Misty shouted, stepping forward. "But you need to quit playing at being a coordinator, put on your big girl clothes, and start being gym leaders!"
"Calm down runt," Lily said. "We've got the trainers doing patrols, we recently convinced City Hall to upgrade the defense system's cybersecurity, and we integrated the gym's communication system with the police. The city's fine, so we can relax."
"No, you can't!" Misty shouted. "You also need to test trainers and hand out badges! If-"
"Again, calm down runt," Lily said, with a dismissive wave of her hand, "there's no conference this year, so a little waiting won't hurt anyone."
"Yes, yes it will!" Misty shouted back. "One of the fundamental responsibilities of a gym is to provide training and testing! It's vital to both the League and the economy of the region to have as many strong trainers and pokémon as it can!"
("So how are your siblings?" Violet asked Brock while Misty shouted at Lily.)
"Don't you go quoting your civics textbook at me. Besides, it's vital for us to do this performance on time," Lily shot back at Misty.
("Oh, they're doing great," Brock answered and began to tell Violet all about them.)
"You can do the performance after it's safe for the gym trainers to quit patrolling!" Misty howled at her sister, clenching her fists and stepping into Lily's space.
("Why are they guarding you in the first place?" Daisy asked Ash.)
"Oh, so now you want to put the city in danger by calling back the patrols!? How hypocritical!" Lily shouted back at Misty, looming over her younger sister.
("Well I met Misty when she saved me from some Team Rocket pokémon," Ash said, explaining the basics of his situation.)
"No, I'm saying wait to do your stupid performance until it's safe to call the gym trainers back!" Misty yelled, getting up on the balls of her feet so that she could get in her older sister's face.
The shouting match continued for several minutes while Violet chatted with Brock and Daisy chatted with Ash.
"You dumb bimbo!" Misty growled as she fought off the headlock Lily was trying to put her in.
"You ignorant brat!" Lily growled back, straining to keep her younger sister in the headlock.
Should we be worried about this? Pikachu asked Ash, who ignored him in favor of continuing to talk with Daisy.
"So, what do you think about Agatha's new look?" Violet asked Brock, still ignoring her sisters.
"It's so frustrating," Brock answered. "Last year she was doing the hot older witch look and now she's doing the grandmother witch thing, which makes the fact that I found her hot last year awkward…."
"Like, I know, right?" Violet agreed. "I was too young for her, and she doesn't like women anyway, but I could at least look."
"What do you think of Cerulean City?" Daisy asked Ash, also ignoring Misty.
"I thought it would have more water," Ash commented. "You know, like Canalave City."
"Oh, you've been to Canalave City?" Daisy replied. "You'll have to tell me about it. But, as to Cerulean, people always think we should switch types with Vermillion City Gym, just because they have a port and we have an abandoned power plant."
"You're a disgrace!" Lily and Misty shouted at each other at the same time, trading punches and grappling with each other.
At least this is entertaining, Pikachu commented, sitting by Ash's feet and watching the sisters fight.
"Lorelei spent too much time here when we were kids, before she became a member of the Elite Four, so she's too much like family," Violet complained to Brock, "and the same goes for Sabrina, so I can't even ogle them without it getting awkward. Erika's the only Gym Leader who's a pretty girl, not related to me, and not a former Kanto gym brat, so I can at least ogle her. But, of course, she's not into girls."
"Ouch," Brock winced in sympathy. "I mean, yeah, I'm too young for Erika and Lorelei, but at least they're into my gender and they don't see me as family so I can dream."
"At least you don't have to stay at the gym anymore," Violet whined. "You can go out and meet pretty girls all over Kanto…."
"It's great, I know," Brock agreed. "But surely you have plenty of girls in Cerulean?"
"We do, but we're cursed!" Violet moaned. "I get all the boys and Lily gets all the girls! And it's not like we can trade! We've tried and it never works!"
"We're actually second-generation gym leaders," Daisy explained to Ash. "Our parents joined the gym as gym trainers and later won the gym in the succession tournament after the old gym leader retired. When they died none of our gym trainers challenged us for the position, so we just inherited it."
"Is that how you become a gym leader?" Ash asked. "I sort of wondered…"
"I mean in the old days you just challenged the leader to a battle to the death and if you won you got the gym," Daisy answered. "But that was during the days after the Great War and before the Unification War. Today you have to wait until the old gym leader dies or retires, and then you either inherit it, or contest the inheritance and win the succession tournament."
"Huh," Ash said. "What does a gym leader do other than give out badges? Do you catch criminals?"
"No, that's what the police do. We, like, have to guard the city against big threats, like rampaging pokémon or terrorists or invaders or something," Daisy replied. "I mean, if the police need some muscle, we can help them, but mostly they do their thing and we do our thing."
"I go away for a few months and you quit even trying to be good gym leaders!" Misty growled as her sister bore down on her, attempting to force Misty to the ground and into a three-quarter nelson.
"Well, maybe if you stayed here you could've helped out," Lily growled. "And then maybe we could still give out badges!"
"Oh, so you want me to do your work for you! That's what this is all about!" Misty said through gritted teeth, jamming her thumb into one of Lily's pressure points. "Mad that you lost a source of free labor!"
"I'm mad because you got into a fight with Team Rocket and nearly died!" Lily screamed. She and Misty quit their struggle, Misty staring at Lily in shock. Then Lily swept Misty up into a hug. Misty squeaked in surprise, face going red.
"Will you please stay here?" Lily begged her youngest sister, holding her tight. "I'm sick of having nightmares about you dying in the wild. If I had known that Team Rocket was getting more active, I wouldn't have let you leave. I would have made sure that Daisy and Violet wouldn't let you leave. Please don't leave."
"Hey," Misty protested, squirming in her sister's grasp. "I handled those Rocket's fine! If I hadn't needed to protect Aaron, I could have gotten away from them!"
"I wonder if Oak was trying to protect her as well," Daisy speculated to Ash. "If she's traveling with you, she's traveling with Brock, and he can protect her too."
Ash just shrugged.
"My little sisters are getting along," Violet said, wiping away a tear from the corner of her eye. "Excuse me," she said to Brock. "I've got to go hug them both."
"Hey!" Misty protested as Violet joined in on the hug.
"I don't want to be left out," Daisy told Ash, before following suit.
"Girls, stop, this is embarrassing," a blushing Misty protested as she was hugged by all three of her sisters. "I'm fine. The crossbow bolts didn't even leave scars."
"That's not as reassuring as you seem to think it is," Daisy told her youngest sister.
"I always knew you could take care of yourself," Violet told Misty. "But did you have to prove it by picking a fight with a squad of Rockets?"
"Hey!" Misty said, still trying to squirm out of her sisters' embrace. "This isn't about me! I came here to yell at you about your irresponsible running of the gym!"
"Yes, but now you're being a good girl and letting your big sisters, who have been worried sick about you, hug you," Daisy said.
"No," Misty said, her face completely red. "Go talk to Aaron about a gym battle! He needs to get a Cascade badge."
"After this hug," Violet said.
"Now!"
Ahh, I love a happy ending, Pikachu said, wiping a tear out of the corner of his eye.
Eventually Misty was able to escape. She talked to her sisters about the issue with badges again, with both sides behaving more calmly this time, and got them to agree to at least do battles with trainers who only four or less badges.
Ash was the first one to be put through the battle, choosing two pokémon to use in a series of one on one battles. Ash choose Pidgeotto and Pikachu and a couple of fun battles against a gym goldeen and a gym shellder. In the end Ash narrowly scraped by with a victory after figuring out that the shellder was using Substitute to distract Pikachu and having his pokémon reposition accordingly.
Okay, Pikachu panted. So maybe I was a bit overconfident earlier. But it doesn't matter, because I still won!
The Sensational Sisters gave Ash the badge and then sent him and Brock on their way back to the pokémon center. Misty had to stay behind because her sisters wanted to spend some more time with her. Ash and Brock amused themselves by walking around Cerulean City, trying out places to eat and snack.
They met Misty at the pokémon center that night.
"How'd things go with your sisters?" Brock asked as he and Ash lounged in comfy chairs in the lobby.
"Fine," Misty replied. "We talked for and then they made me go out to dinner with them."
"Oh, was the food good?" Ash asked, remembering the places he had been. The sushi place had been good, the burger place less so….
"Too expensive for my tastes," Misty replied. "We're heading out tomorrow, right?"
"Yes," Ash confirmed.
We could stay here a bit longer, Pikachu, who had stuffed himself on various pastries when Ash and Brock had stopped by a bakery, said lying on his back on the arm of the chair. I need to gain a few pounds and this would be a great place to do it.
"Good," Misty replied, grabbing an unoccupied chair and joining Brock and Ash. "I don't want to spend another minute here if I can help it."
"You don't like it here?" Brock asked.
"No, I just hate the way they run the gym," Misty said, sinking into the chair. "I don't want to come back until I can kick them out of the gym and they can go become coordinators or something."
Brock thought that Misty's sisters were eagerly awaiting the day that Misty could do that as well, but said nothing.
"Well, were to next Aaron?" Brock asked the pokéraised child.
"Uh," Ash pulled out his pokédex and looked at the map. "Vermillion City. Daisy told me that they specialize in electric types there and I might be able to get some advice on how to train Pikachu better."
"As long as we get out of here soon, we can go to the moon for all I care," Misty said.
AN:
Not too much to say. I'll just mentioned that Aoba from last chapter isn't technically an OC (though he might as well be one), if you dig around in Bulbapedia you can find the source for that character.
Don't forget to review.