Chapter 5: Waterflower
A redheaded girl stared at her reflection in the pool.
Her cerulean eyes matching that of her birthplace's namesake.
Thinking back to her recent challengers.
A young brunette with a Bulbasaur.
An overconfident brat with unparalleled skills to back up.
Sighing, she wondered where those 10-year-olds came from.
Her colleague, Brock knew those two but what he told next surprised her.
There was a third:
A raven-haired boy,
Crimson red eyes,
A Pikachu on his shoulder.
She started imagining the mysterious boy who caught the attention of her senior Gym Leader.
"Excuse me, I would like to have a Gym Battle!"
Or maybe she did not need to.
Standing across the pool was her newest challenger.
The same boy Brock described.
Raven-haired with a Pikachu on his shoulder.
However, his words do no justice for his eyes.
Crimson orbs that looked as if they had been set ablaze.
It was captivating.
Standing up, she resumed her Gym Leader duties.
"Welcome, Challenger. I'm the Cerulean Gym Leader, Misty Waterflower," the girl introduced.
"My name is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town. My dream is to become a Pokémon Master!" Ash replied in kind.
Misty had never heard of that title before and thought of it as ridiculous.
And yet, she could not laugh.
As those shining eyes were looking ahead.
Already further than their ensuing battle.
Towards the ever-distant peak.
"Well then, Pokémon Master, let's begin," Misty declared, signalling the referee.
"This will be a 2 vs 2 between Gym Leader Misty Waterflower and Challenger Red. Only the Challenger may switch their Pokémon."
"Red?" Misty asked.
"Ah, I registered under that name. Ash's still my name," Ash replied readily to not delay the battle.
Nodding, the redhead summoned her Pokémon.
"Go, my steady! Staryu!"
"Charmander, I choose you!"
Charmander vs Staryu.
"A fire-type? Are you mocking me, As- err Red?" Misty questioned, feeling as if she had been slapped.
"Nope. Don't underestimate my Charmander, Misty. He's a fighter," Ash replied with a confident grin.
"Char!" the fire lizard cried out confidently.
"Well, if you say so. Just don't say I didn't warn you," Misty shrugged.
With that, the match began.
"[Water Gun]!" Misty commanded.
"Stop it in its tracks! [Ember]!" Ash called out.
The blast from the two attacks dispersed into a thick cloud of smoke.
"[Dragonbreath] straight ahead!"
Misty's eyes widened as her brown starfish was hit by beam of purple energy.
To add to her worries, Staryu had been paralyzed.
"Staryu, no!"
"One more! [Dragonbreath]!" Ash called out once again.
Gritting her teeth, Misty decided to go for broke.
"Staryu, [Rapid Spin] towards Charmander!" Misty commanded.
The starfish spun its way towards victory, taking the full brunt of [Dragonbreath].
"[Water Gun] on its face!"
An explosion blossomed.
From the aftermath, the results shocked the two battlers.
A double knockout from both sides.
"Not bad, Red. To force a tie with a fire-type, no wonder Brock's got his eyes on you," Misty said with bated breath.
"You as well. Using [Rapid Spin] to disperse the damage until Staryu reached Charmander and going for a point-blank [Water Gun]? As expected of a Gym Leader, you guys are on another level." Ash replied, sweat dripping from his face.
"Looks like my Level 2 sweeties are equal to your team, huh?" Misty mused.
The two Trainers took a moment to catch their breath from the heat exerted from the blast.
'She's strong. Can't make a single mistake if I wanna win…' Ash thought with a determined look.
'This guy's unlike the other two. He's a challenger, in every sense of the word," Misty thought.
The two both got up.
And the battle resumed.
"Pidgeotto, I choose you!"
"Go, my steady! Starmie!"
A large bird with a crest of pinkish-red feathers appeared as well as a purple diamond-textured starfish with a red gem in its center.
"Dive into the pool, Starmie," Misty coolly said.
"What?" Ash said confused.
"Terrain is also a vital point in a Pokémon battle, Pokémon Master. Remember that. Now, [Water Pulse]!"
A pulsing blast of water made its way to the unsuspecting bird, landing a clean hit.
"Pidgeotto, you alright?" Ash cried out.
"Pid-gaw!" the bird nodded.
"Pidgeotto, use [Gust] on the pool!" Ash called out.
Pidgeotto's wings whipped up a vortex upwards near Starmie but [Gust] was not strong enough to raise the water.
"Damn it, I thought a tornado would form…" Ash bit back a smile.
'A smile?'
Ash thought for a moment before concluding his affirmations.
He knew himself.
He was enjoying the battle.
The mistakes he made.
The fact that something went wrong from what he envisioned.
He relished it. He loved a challenge.
'That's right. It's no fun if everything goes to plan. Thinking's not my thing so I'll just wing it from now on.' He thought with a crazed smile.
Seeing Ash's face, Misty thought it was over and decided to grant him a swift defeat.
"Too bad, Red. Looks like I'm taking you down!" Misty declared.
'Taking me down? Take down? Down…' Ash's eyes lit up.
"That's right, DOWN! Pidgeotto, aim downwards this time!" Ash called out to his Pokémon.
"[Gust] isn't gonna work, Red. Give it up! Starmie, [Water Pulse], full power!" Misty cried out.
"If [Gust] doesn't work, we just gotta use something bigger!" Ash declared, defiant of his defeat.
A defeat that would never come.
"[Twister]!"
A downward [Twister] created a vortex of water inside the pool, causing the poor starfish to crash into the eye.
"This is…" Misty muttered.
"I call it [Whirlpool (Fake)]," Ash said with a smug look.
"Pidgeotto! Final attack, [Twister] full power!"
Trapped in the center of the [Whirlpool (Fake)], Starmie was defeated between a collision of [Twisters] surrounding it as well as from above.
Starmie had fainted.
"The winner is the Challenger Red!" the referee announced.
Ash then hugged his victorious bird, praising it for its work.
Alongside them was Charmander, who came out of his Ball, battered up but happily dancing. Pikachu joined in the dance.
"You have to be the most insane rookie I've ever faced, Red," a voice called out behind them.
Misty was drenched by the wake of the resulting battle, courtesy of the pool as well as Ash, who was in the same situation.
"Thanks for the great battle, Misty," Ash said with a satisfied smile.
Misty was taken aback by his smile but collected herself quickly, albeit slightly blushing.
'Huh, so he can smile like that…' she thought as within the time she battled against him, Ash only gave her the impression of an ambitious battle maniac with insane tendencies.
Seeing him calm and serene was a complete 180 for her.
And she liked that.
"Well, in any case, congratulations, Red," Misty said with a smile.
"Have the Cascade Badge as proof of your victory!"
Ash grinned at the sight of his second badge and thanked Misty once more.
"The Grand League is coming within a few months so you better collect those badges ASAP," Misty advised.
"Wait, are you participating as well, Misty?" Ash asked quizzingly.
"Yep, Gym Leaders that want to participate can skip the Qualifier Matches, starting in the main event," Misty answered with a wink.
"Doesn't that mean…" Ash gulped.
"Yep, you have to go through the Qualifier Matches if want a shot at the Grand League," Misty stated, confirming his question.
"Thought so, well at least I can battle more," Ash sighed.
"You really are a battle junkie," Misty said with a sweat drop.
With a final bow, Ash ran towards the PokéCenter, exiting the Gym with his second badge.
The second of eight.
"Really, what an interesting boy…" Misty whispered to herself, replaying the image of the raven-haired boy's eyes of light.
Chapter 5: Waterflower
"Hope we meet each other soon, Ash Ketchum."