It has been almost three weeks since Misty took up the post at the Cerulean Gym, and Misty is going to figure out that battling is not the only skill required if she wants to be a good gym leader…

"Horsea," Misty said as she stood on a ladder near the Pokémon's tank, "lunchtime!" Horsea swam up to Misty as the trainer dropped brown pellets into the tank. Horsea sucked up the food. "Does that taste good, Horsea?" Misty asked.

"Sea!" Horsea said happily as she sucked up another pellet.

"Toge toge!" Togepi chirped as she waved her little arms around.

"Alright," Misty said, "now let's go and feed Seel!"

Misty brought the trolley with all of the Pokémon food towards the pool and put a metal bowl in front of the white Pokémon. "Alright, eat up!" Misty said.

Seel happily ate. While Misty was feeding the Pokémon who lived in the gym, Psyduck was walking around aimlessly, and especially close to the pool! The Pokémon tripped in and gave several panicked cries. Despite being a Water-type, Psyduck was not able to swim… at all. Misty saw this and gasped. "I am coming!" she said before pulling Psyduck out of the pool. "Oh boy," Misty said, "this is getting ridiculous, Psyduck…" The Pokémon was unable to swim and had not used a single Water-type attack since she accidently caught him back in Celadon City.

"Hello?" a voice said. "Anyone here?"

Misty turned around. "I wonder who that could be," she wondered. She got up, Togepi in her arms, as she headed to the entry area of the gym to see a familiar face:

Misty Chronicles OP1:

"I Ain't The Same, I'm the Power"

Lyrics by TheGlassyGuyArt

Vocals by Rachael Lillis (as Misty)

(Lyrics

Accompanying Visual)

I feel the change in the air, I'm feeling so alive
On a blue background, a silhouette of Misty's feet appears, and zooms up her body as the lyrics continue.
My heart is beating faster, higher than a kite
When it reaches her face, it zooms out and reveals her whole body.
I ain't the same, I'm something new, I'm something bold
Misty pulls out a Pokeball and throws it, a flash of light appears
I'm feeling the power, I'm never getting old!
The logo for "The Misty Chronicles" appears as it transitions to the first verse.

I ain't the same, I'm way much more,
Misty is shown running alongside a river, her Goldeen jumps out and wags her tail before falling back into the water.
My spirit's got the power to open every door!
Staryu jumps out of the water and spins before it too falls into the water.
"Giving up" was never in my dictionary,
Psyduck suddenly pops out of his Pokeball. Misty stops running as Psyduck falls into the water.
My power has been reborn, and so I have been!
Misty sighs as Togepi, who was in her arms, just chirps happily and claps
I'm on a mission to live my life right,
Misty is now facing off against another trainer, as Politoed cheers her on by clapping.
Spreading love and light with all of my might,
Misty sends out Corsola as it makes a pose.
Gotta rise up high don't be afraid to fall,
Horsea and Starmie are swimming behind a glass wall, giving happy expressions as if they are happy to see Misty again.
The courage within me is gonna carry all!
Gyarados swims straight up in front of the Pokemon as it cuts to Misty on the battlefield
OH YEAH, I AIN'T THE SAME BABY!
Misty sends out all of her Pokemon as the chorus starts up.

I ain't the same, I'm the power and younger!
Goldeen jumps up and uses a Horn Attack
I am the victory, feeling so much stronger!
Staryu and Starmie use Water Guns to form arcs as Misty makes a pose in between.
Oh yeah, I ain't the same,
Togepi shakes her arms back and forth like a metronome to the beat.
Oh yeah, I ain't the same!
Psyduck shakes his booty in front of the camera
I ain't the same, I'm the motivation.
Horsea uses a Smokescreen attack to cover the whole screen.
I'm the heartbeat, born for inspiration!
Corsola clears the smoke by using a Spike Cannon attack.
Oh yeah, I ain't the same,
Politoed claps along to the beat.
Oh yeah, I ain't the same!
Gyarados pops out of the pool and unleashes an attack
I know in my heart I can do anything!
Misty and all of her Pokemon are seen together as the song ends.

On a cerulean blue background, the episode's title appears in white text as Misty reads it out loud:

THE BLUE BADGE OF COURAGE

The familiar face who came to see Misty at the gym was none other than Tracey Sketchit. "Tracey!" Misty said. "It is good to see you!"

"You too," Tracey said with a smile.

"This is great," Misty said before she asked him, "What brings you here?"

"Professor Oak asked me to come by to ask you if you needed some help with the Pokémon," Tracey explained as Psyduck came walking in to see what was going on.

Misty grew a sad face. "Well, I have been having some trouble convincing Psyduck to learn how to swim…" she explained, hoping that the Pokémon Watcher would be able to help her out. "It is a WATER Pokémon, but it is scared of the water."

"There is a new reluctant swimmer's program that might work," Tracey said.

This cheered Misty up. "Sounds good, let's give it a try!" Misty said with a smile and her eyes shut.

"Toge toge!" Togepi said, imitating her mother.

Soon, Misty, Psyduck, and Tracey (who was wearing a navy and orange pair of swimming trunks) were standing in front of the pool. "Now," Tracey said, "let's start off with some simple warm ups. First, move your arms like so, in a circular motion." Tracey then demonstrated what he wanted Psyduck to do, but Psyduck quickly got confused and put his hands on his head. "Come on, Psyduck!" Misty said as she tried to help her Pokémon out. "At least TRY to do what Tracey is telling you!"

"Next," Tracey, who got into the pool, said, "let's get used to the feel of the water. Try your feet first."

"Yeah," Misty said, who was gently lowering her Psyduck into the pool, "go ahead." As soon as one of Psyduck's webbed feet hit the water, however, he jumped several feet into the air and ran off. Obviously what Tracey wanted to do was not working.

"Psy-yigh-yigh-igh!" Psyduck said as he ran off.

"Psyduck," Misty said, sick of his antics, "get back here!" She held him down, and while he was still having a panic attack, Misty told him, "Psyduck, you are going to have to learn how to swim somehow… You can NOT keep running away from this!"

"What we need to do is to find a way to get it used to the water without scaring it," Tracey said.

"Yeah, but how?" Misty asked the Orange Islander.

They soon found an inflatable tube just the right size for Psyduck to use as they put him in the water. Psyduck seemed content with its tube in the pool, but Misty and Tracey were not that impressed.

"Next time," Tracey said, "we will try it WITHOUT the life preserver." Misty nodded in agreement as the next part of Tracey's lesson began. Tracey, kneeling beside the pool, stuck his head into the water, encouraging Psyduck to do the same to help it get used to the water.

"And now it is your turn," Misty said happily, but Psyduck was still scared to do it. He was pushing against Misty in protest. "Come on," Misty said, frustrated, "I have got you Psyduck, no need to worry about falling in." Psyduck's beak grew closer and closer to the water, and the moment his beak got wet, he flew into panic mode again. "The water is not going to hurt you!" Misty said as she chased after Psyduck.

"It is only water!" Tracey said in agreement.

Meanwhile, another old friend of Misty's, this one from the Johto region, was standing outside of the Cerulean City gym. "Well, I am feeling pretty confident," she said. She then turned to her faithful Espeon. "What about you, how do you feel?"

"Espie!" Espeon cried out as they headed into the gym.

"The shape we are in makes me feel unbeatable!" the girl said as she headed into the pool area. Unfortunately for her, she decided to come into the area just as Psyduck was running OUT of the area and collided with her. Tracey and Misty came out to see what had happened before helping Sakura onto a nearby chair.

"Sorry about that, Sakura," Misty said, "You okay?"

"Sure, I am fine," Sakura said. "Psyduck really knows how to welcome a girl."

"Apologize to Sakura, Psyduck," Misty told her Pokémon before she remembered what brought Sakura here in the first place…

After another day at the gym, Misty was checking if she had gotten any emails from Ash. When the two of them had to part ways so she could run the gym and he could take part in the Hoenn league, the two trainers exchanged email addresses so they could stay in contact with one another even if they were in two different regions. Ash's last email talked about an experience he, Brock, and their new friends May and Max had had with a powerful trainer with a Pelipper with a less than ethical strategy. Ash hadn't updated since, which was expected as it wasn't like he could reach a Pokémon center every day of his journey. But while ASH didn't respond, another friend of hers did.

sakurasayo396
To: misskwaterflower049
Subject: Rematch

Hey, Misty! I have been traveling through the Johto and Kanto regions, and while approaching Cerulean City, I heard that you have taken over as the gym leader. I was hoping to stop by the gym in a couple of days for a rematch. I am hoping to show you some of the new battle skills Espeon and I have picked up, which earned us three badges so far. I hope you are ready!

Sakura

Misty smiled when she read the email. She quickly wrote a response to her:

misskwaterflower049
To: sakurasayo396
Subject: Rematch

Hey there, Sakura. I would be happy to have you come over to the gym for a rematch! But be warned: While you and Espeon have picked up some new skills since we last met in Ecruteak, I have been improving as a trainer as well, and I do NOT plan on making it easy on you.

Misty

"Uhm, hi there, Sakura," Tracey said, hoping to get involved in the conversation, "My name is Tracey."

"I didn't know you had a boyfriend, Misty," Sakura said before the room grew silent.

"Oh," Misty said as she waved her hand, "it isn't like that. Tracey traveled with me and Ash while we were in the Orange Islands and Brock was with Professor Ivy. He has been spending the past year as Professor Oak's assistant, and was just coming by to help out." She didn't include the fact that she had little interest in being with Tracey, and her true sights were miles away in the Hoenn region.

Sakura gasped before asking, "You mean THE Professor Oak?"

"That's right," Tracey confirmed.

"Wow," Sakura said, "that must be an honor…"

"This is Sakura," Misty said with a smile.

"Nice to meet you," Sakura said, bowing her head down in respect.

"We have met in Ecruteak City," Misty said.

Espeon greeted Tracey by saying his name. "Is that your Espeon?" Tracey asked, interested in the Psychic-type Eeveelution. "It sure looks beautiful and well behaved."

"Unlike Psyduck," Misty said as she looked down at the golden duck.

The group then headed to the pool that would be serving as the battleground for Misty and Sakura's battle. "I have been fixing up the pool," Misty said as Sakura got a glimpse at the area where she would fight Misty for her fourth Gym Badge. "Doesn't it look great?"

"Wow," Sakura said.

"I know," Misty said, "and this will be the perfect place for our rematch."

"Toge, toge!" Togepi happily chirped from Misty's arms.

"It sounds like Togepi likes that idea!" Misty said with a smile.

"If you are not too busy today," Sakura said, "is it okay if we have our battle right now?"

"The rest of my afternoon is pretty free," Misty said, "so why not?"

"That's great!" Sakura said. "So, do you have any badges?"

Misty looked at Sakura in shock. Despite Sakura saying she'd already won three badges, Misty somehow did not expect for this one to involve a Cascade Badge. "You want to battle for a badge?" Misty asked, not forgiving herself for not thinking the email all the way through.

"Well, why not?" Sakura asked. "You are a gym leader now, aren't you?"

Misty stood there as she received her first challenger for a gym battle. She hadn't gotten many people coming over for a gym battle recently due to it being an off season, and she was underprepared for what would happen when a challenger came!

"She is right," Tracey said. "Why don't you make it official?"

Sakura showed off the badges she had won so far. "I already have three," she said, "and to enter this tournament I want to be a part of in a few months, I need five more."

"They say that the Cerulean City Badge is the most beautiful badge of them all," Tracey said.

"That's right," Misty said with a slight smile, "it sure is." She then went to the drawer before explaining to Sakura, "They are called Cascade Badges, and…" when she opened the drawer where they were usually kept, she did not see a single one! Misty turned to Sakura. "Do not worry, I have a feeling I know where they are…" She went to a nearby safe and started to open it. "My sisters must have put them in here." She opened it… to find it completely empty. "Guess we have to call my sisters," Misty said calmly to Sakura, but inside her temper was the same color as her hair.

Soon Misty, Tracey, and Sakura were standing in front of the videophone. Daisy, Lily, and Violet were on the screen. "I am sorry for interrupting your time off."

"I am Sakura," Sakura said as she leaned into the computer screen, but the elder Waterflower sisters did not seem interested in the Johtonian.

"We are, like, about to head to the beach with some cool guys," Daisy said, "so can this wait until later, Misty?"

"But I cannot find any more Cascade Badges!" Misty said, trying to explain the situation to her sisters. "Where did you guys put them?"

"Oh, oopsie, we, like, forgot to tell you," Daisy said. "We ran out."

Misty looked down when her sister said those words. "Typicial," she said before telling her sisters. "We are a GYM, Daisy. How do we not have Gym Badges? Should I place an order?"

"So cute," Daisy said. "'Fraid you are going to have to go to Rifure Village and personally pick them up." Misty gasped before Daisy said, "They are specially made by an artisan there. Well, the limo is here to take us to the beach, so we have to move! Tell Togepi that Auntie Daisy gives love!" Daisy then hung up, not caring about the concerns that Misty was having with running Cerulean Gym.

"Why do I feel like Cinderella?" Misty asked. It was always HER that had to clean up the messes that her sisters made, and stay back at the gym while her sisters were out traveling.

"Okay then," Tracey said, "it looks like we are off to Rifure Village!"

"Can I come along?" Sakura asked the Cerulean Gym leader.

"If you want to," Misty said, smiling about how her friends were willing to help her out.

"Well then," Tracey said, putting his hand in front of his forehead the way a soldier would, "what do you say we get a move on, captain? Lead the way!"

Misty nodded. They locked the doors to the gym and handed the keys to Nurse Joy so she could take care of the Pokémon at the gym while she was away. For this adventure, Misty decided to bring along Horsea, Corsola, Psyduck, and of course, Togepi.

And so, our intrepid new gym leader sets out to Rifure Village, to seek out the mysterious artisan and get a new batch of Cascade Badges for Cerulean City Gym…

"According to my map," Misty said, "it should be right at the foot of this mountain…" The three trainers were looking at a tall mountain. The sun was starting to set on the Kanto region, and travel would be difficult for them when it got dark.

"If it isn't, we can always pitch a tent!" Tracey said.

Just then, Sakura's Espeon sensed something. It turned a certain direction and ran off. Sakura saw this and shouted, "Wait!" She, Misty, and Tracey ran after the Psychic-type Pokémon as the Johtonian asked, "What's the matter?"

Espeon did not answer. It just ran and ran before jumping off of a small cliff to where a man was lying on the ground. The trainers slid down to see if he was okay. "You okay?" they all asked the man as he got up.

The man woke up and explained what got him in that situation. "I fell from that tree and twisted my ankle!" He grunted in pain.

"What can we do for you, Mister?" Tracey asked.

"Just get me… to my cabin… will you, please?" the old man asked. The group of trainers nodded before Misty and Tracey each grabbed onto one of his shoulders, Sakura holding Togepi right behind them and Espeon leading the way. While they were walking back to his cabin, a rather large yellow one, the man explained what he was doing before they found him. "I was doing my morning tree hopping," he said. "That is when I jump from tree to tree; keeps me in shape. Must have slipped somehow…"

Soon, the man was inside his humble home with his foot wrapped up in a bandage thanks to Tracey. "That should be okay for now, sir."

"That it will," the old man said. "Much obliged."

"It is a good thing that we passed by when we did," Misty said, Togepi safely back in her arms. "We've come all the way here from Cerulean City, and we are looking for an artisan from the village here who makes gym badges. We were hoping to take a bunch home with us."

"Ah," the old man said, "that is what you are here for, is it?"

"So you have heard of him?" Sakura asked the old man.

"Do you know where we can find him?" Tracey asked.

The old man blinked and stared at the trio for a while before pointing his finger downwards. "Right here!" he said. The three trainers gasped as the man explained, "The name's Kinso. If you are looking for the Badge Maker, that is me."

There was silence amongst Misty, Tracey, and Sakura before they all smiled before introducing themselves to Kinso. "I am Misty Waterflower, I am from the Cerulean City Gym," Misty said to the artisan.

"Ah, yes," Kinso said. "Waterflower, I believe I have served your family before."

Misty closed her eyes and smiled. "That is great!" she said. "So, can you give us some Cascade Badges, Mr. Kinso?"

Kinso seemed to be offended by the simple request that Misty made to the artisan. "WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" Kinso screamed, which surprised Misty and her companions.

"Toge!" Togepi said, the little one being just as surprised by Kinso's outburst as her mother figure and friends.

"HOW DARE YOU ASK ME THAT?!" Kinso asked Misty. "We do not just GIVE badges away here."

"Oh, um," Misty said, confused as to what Kinso meant.

"Those without effort will want for all eternity," Kinso said as he pointed his finger up into the sky.

Misty and her friends did not understand what he meant. "What kind of effort?" she asked.

"The effort found in hard work, of course!" Kinso retorted.

"We have to WORK to earn them?" Misty asked in shock, all while Sakura and Tracey stood there, staring on.

"That is correct," Kinso said to the young gym leader. "If you prove yourselves worthy, then you will get the badges, but ONLY then!"

"But," Misty said, but saw no point in arguing with the old man. "Well, I suppose if there is no other way to get badges…" She looked at her friends before looking back at the artisan. "We are going to do it, Kinso," Misty said. "Besides, how hard can it actually be to make badges by hand?"

"I agree," Sakura said.

"Hold on," Tracey said, "I don't see the point in actually working for them…"

Kinso groaned before stating, "Know this, from arduous work, one recognizes value." He then crossed his arm.

"I will do it then!" Misty said with a smile, her two friends nodding in agreement. They were always up for a new challenge…

"Alright then, we will start making the badges tomorrow morning," Kinso said. "It will come VERY early…"

The trio of trainers spent the next two days working hard in order to make the badges. Every morning at 4 AM, Kinso woke them up and ordered them to do a lap around the mountain. Kinso himself didn't join in any of the running sessions due to his bum leg from earlier. Once they returned from their run, they chopped wood so they could make a fire to burn metal. Once the metal was hot enough, they would strike at the metal and mold it until it was the perfect shape. Kinso was what you would call a perfectionist, so anything good enough for Misty wasn't good enough for the badge maker. Once they were the perfect shape in the eyes of Kinso, they would apply a pin so it could be put into a badge case or on a jacket before painting it the familiar shade of blue that the Cascade Badges were known for. Once they dried after another lap around the mountain, which pooped the three trainers and their Pokémon out, they painted on a layer of polish to make the badges shiny when being shown off.

"Let's see here," Kinso said as he examined the badges that Tracey, Sakura, and Misty had polished, nodding and giving approving looks as he did so. He then smiled before saying, "Not bad, I must say!"

The three trainers sighed in relief. "I cannot believe we have made our own badges, Misty," Sakura said to her friend.

"Cool," Misty said, out of energy.

"Yeah," Tracey said, almost ready to faint on the spot, "we did it…"

"So does that mean we have earned the badges we have made, Mr. Kinso?" Misty asked the artisan.

"Not quite yet," Kinso said, waving his finger around as if he was using Metronome. "There is one more step you need to do…"

Misty and her friends looked at Kinso and gasped. What was it that they needed to do?

Soon, the group was outside of Kinso's hut as he sent out his Feraligatr. Kinso explained what Misty had to do. "If you can put up a good fight against me and my Feraligatr, the badges are yours to keep."

"A battle?" Misty asked with a smile on her face. That sounded easy! She pulled out a Pokéball with a confident look on her face. "I like the sound of that, Mr. Kinso! Corsola, let's…"

But before she could even send the Pokémon out of her Pokéball, Psyduck popped out of his Pokéball that was in her bag, waving his arms and giving his cries. Misty gasped in shock and horror. "What do you think you are doing, Psyduck!"

"Gator!" Feraligatr said as it used Scary Face. Psyduck gasped before running off, much to the embarrassment of everyone watching. Psyduck ended up falling down a hill and right into the lake. The moment he touched the water, Psyduck panicked and waved his arms around.

Misty ran down the hill to where her Pokémon was. "Grab a hold of my hand, Psyduck."

The Cerulean native managed to get her Pokémon out of the lake, but Kinso was not pleased. "A water-type Pokémon who cannot swim?" he asked Misty.

"Well, um," Misty said, knowing there was no way out of this awkward situation, "I can explain…" But Kinso didn't want to hear it.

"What kind of respectable gym leader has a WATER Pokémon that cannot swim?! No badges for you!" He then stormed off, leaving Misty and her friends there.

"Wait!" Misty said, as sending Psyduck out to battle was not her plan.

"Misty!" Sakura said, sorry about what her friend.

"Agh," Misty said, upset with her Psyduck. "Good going," she said to the Duck Pokémon.

"Psyduck," Psyduck quacked.

"We have worked too hard for those badges, Misty!" Tracey said. "We have to teach Psyduck to swim, and fast!"

And so, Misty slowly moved Psyduck beak first into the water. "Just put your face in," Misty said, but it was clear that he would not do it willingly. "Psyduck, we REALLY need you to do this for us." She pushed down on his face, and the moment that Psyduck's beak hit the water, he jumped up in panic and ran off.

"Come on, gang!" Misty said as she swiftly grabbed Togepi and ran after her Pokémon. "After him!"

Tracey, Sakura, and Espeon ran right behind Misty as Psyduck ran all the way back to Kinso's cabin. Just as it was nearing the yellow building, Kinso opened the door. "Robbery! Help!" he shouted. He got knocked down by Psyduck just as the three trainers arrived, concerned.

"What is it?" Misty asked.

"Are you okay?" Sakura asked.

"We heard you shouting, Mr. Kinso," Tracey said.

Kinso then explained, "While we were gone, somebody broke into the cabin and stole all of the badges! Every last one of them!"

Misty, Tracey, and Sakura gasped in shock as they headed inside. Sure enough, when they looked inside, the safe that the badges were kept in was empty. "There are stories about these bands of hooligans," Kinso explained to the young trainers. "They roam around the countryside and steal gym badges so they don't have to earn them from working hard by battling or making them by hand, and sometimes they sell them to make a quick buck." The artisan simply hung his head low and shook his head in disgust. "I bet those were the ones who broke in here…"

"Hey," Sakura said to Misty, "if we hurry, maybe we can catch those badge thieves!

"Good idea," Misty said in agreement to her Johtonian friend. "Let's go!"

They rushed out of the cabin before Sakura pulled out a Pokéball. "Go! Beautifly!" she said before sending out a Pokémon unfamiliar to Misty.

"Beautifly?" Misty asked as she looked at the Pokémon. But while it looked like it was a bug-type Pokémon, she was more comfortable around butterfly-like Pokémon such as Butterfree, which this one seemed to resemble.

"That's right," Sakura said, "Beautifly. I captured it as a Wurmple before it evolved into a Silcoon and then into Beautifly. Beautiful, isn't it?"

"I got to get a good picture of this," Tracey said, impressed by the Pokémon that was just as new to him. He pulled out his sketchbook before drawing a quick picture of the Bug/Flying type.

"Beautifly is my pride and joy," Sakura said as she raised her hand high in the sky. "Now go and scout the area!"

Beautifly nodded before lifting itself high into the sky in order to search for anyone suspicious. It soon returned to the trainers, pointing its wings to the right as if to tell them that the badge thieves had made their way west. "Good," Kinso said, "that is where the road is!" He ran towards the road with Misty, Tracey, and Sakura right behind him.

As they were going down the road, they overheard a pair of trainers talking to each other about how lucky they were to get all of the badges they did with so little work. The two goons laughed as they walked along the dirt path before Espeon, who ran ahead of her master and the others, jumped in front of the two thieves. "Espeon…" one of them said in surprise.

"Hold it right there!" Misty shouted as she and her allies jumped out of the bushes to ambush the crooks.

"Those badges do not belong to you!" Sakura shouted.

"So you hooligans better hand them over RIGHT NOW!" Kinso shouted.

"That's right!" Tracey stated in agreement with the old man.

The two thugs simply growled. "So, you think you are tough?" The thin, brown haired crook asked.

"We will SHOW you tough!" the fat, black haired one said. The two crooks sent out their Pokémon. The first one sent out a Zigzagoon, a Pokémon Misty remembered from one of the emails that Ash sent to her, when Ash and his friends helped another trainer capture the Pokémon. The other thief sent out a Pokémon that wasn't as familiar to the young gym leader: Poochyena.

"Those are amazing!" Tracey said as he sketched the Pokémon. Poochyena looked like a puppy, sort of like Growlithe, while Zigzagoon looked like a funny raccoon, unlike anything seen in the Kanto or Johto regions.

The battle for the badges soon began, with Sakura telling her Espeon to use Tackle on the two Pokémon. Espeon rammed her body into the Poochyena. Zigzagoon tried to Headbutt the Eeveelution in retaliation, but Espeon dodged the attack. Misty decided to help her friend out by telling Psyduck to use Scratch. It did so… but ended up scratching thin air and became dizzy due to missing his attack, forcing Espeon to pick up the slack as it used Swift on Poochyena. Poochyena dodged before his trainer told him to use Tackle, with it doing so on Psyduck. Poochyena's trainer got cocky before telling his Pokémon to use Bite. Poochyena did so… right on Psyduck's head…

"PSY-IGH-IGH!" Psyduck quacked as it ran around like crazy.

Misty gasped, worried about her Pokémon, as it was being beaten badly by Poochyena. Sakura, just as worried as her friend, cried out, "Psyduck!" As Zigzagoon was running up to deal another blow to the Water-type, Psyduck unleashed his ultimate attack! His eyes turned blue as a similarly colored aura outlined the two Pokémon from the Hoenn region and lifted them into the air.

"That's it, Psyduck!" Misty said. "Now use Disable!" Psyduck threw the two Pokémon towards their trainers. "Now use Confusion!" Psyduck soon lifted THE TRAINERS as he crashed them all into a nearby tree!

"That Psyduck sure is something," Kinso said in shock as he witnessed what Psyduck was doing.

"Psy!" Psyduck said as it raised his flippers up in triumph just as his headache-fueled Psychic came to an end. He then put his hands on his head in confusion as everyone stood in front of the two criminals, arms crossed.

"I am sorry, sir," one of the crooks said, on his knees and begging for mercy. His comrade swore alongside him that they wouldn't repeat their actions.

"You should be ashamed of yourselves," Kinso said. "Those badges are meant to be EARNED, not STOLEN!"

"That's right!" Misty scolded.

"We understand," the badge thieves said. "Our badge stealing days are over!"

"Good," Kinso said. "Now move it before I use my good leg on you!"

The two enemies ran off without another word, leaving Kinso alone with Misty, Tracey, and Sakura. "I got to say, Misty, your Psyduck put up quite a fight," the artisan said to the young gym leader. "He might not be a swimmer, but it is definitely a winner."

"Thanks, Mr. Kinso," Misty said. "Now I am ready to battle you and Feraligatr."

Kinso gave out a small chuckle before explaining, "No need for that, Misty. You have already proved your battle skills against those sneaks. You were great. You have also passed the final FINAL test, as a gym leader is not only hardworking, courageous, and highly resourceful, but most importantly, she is a true and loyal friend to those she meets." As he said that last bit, he looked at Sakura and Tracey.

The three trainers smiled as Kinso handed Misty her badges. "Now I can finally accept challengers at the gym!" she said.

"Misty," Sakura said, "I would be honored to be your first challenger you accept."

Misty smiled and nodded, "Of course," she said.

Once the group returned to the gym, Misty and Sakura took their positions on either side of the gym's pool. Tracey stood at the center edge, acting as this match's referee, Togepi and Psyduck on either side of him.

"This will be a one on one battle between the gym leader, Misty Waterflower, and the challenger, Sakura Sayo!" Tracey said before explaining the rules of the battle. "Neither trainer will be allowed to switch at any point, and whoever knocks their opponent's Pokémon out first wins! Sakura, you have the first move!"

"Alright then," Sakura said as she sent out her Espeon to battle against Misty's Corsola, "Tackle, now!" she said. The purple catlike Pokémon tackled the Water/Rock-type back as it bounced along the platforms meant for Pokémon who couldn't swim.

"That was a powerful attack, Sakura," Misty said, "but not strong enough!" She then commanded Corsola to use Spike Cannon against Espeon. Corsola obeyed as energy came out of her points to try and hurt Espeon, but Espeon dodged every one of them before jumping into the water below.

"Bet you didn't expect that, Misty," Sakura said with a smile.

"Espeon is such a good swimmer," Misty said in shock, "and it isn't even a Water Pokémon!" She then looked over to her Pokémon. "You could really learn something, Psyduck."

"Psy," Psyduck quacked while tilting his head.

"Toge toge!" Togepi chirped, enjoying her mama's interaction with her Pokémon.

Meanwhile, the battle continued as Espeon jumped out of the water and used Swift on the order of her trainer. Corsola got knocked into the water, as Misty told the Johto Pokémon to use Recover. Corsola did so and regained energy before jumping out of the water and onto a platform. She then Tackled Espeon, who flew backwards, but caught herself on a wall. Espeon then jumped off of the wall, swiftly dodging Corsola's Spike Cannon attack and going in for a Tackle. On Sakura's orders, she finished the battle off with a Psybeam attack.

After waiting a while, Tracey gave his orders once Corsola resurfaced, unconscious. "Corsola is unable to battle!" he declared. "That means that this match goes to the challenger, Sakura!"

"Alright!" Sakura said. "We did it, Espeon!"

"Espe!" Espeon cried before the trainer and Pokémon duo made their way towards Misty. While it was true the redhead lost, she did not feel upset about her defeat. Sakura showed she was worthy of earning her fourth badge. "Is Corsola okay, Misty?" Sakura asked her friend.

"She is fine," Misty said.

"Corsola, Corsola!" Corsola said, agreeing with her trainer's statement.

Misty held out her palm to Sakura, one of the Cascade badges she made inside. "Now you have one more badge for your collection. I have made this one."

"Thanks," Sakura said before staring at the badge before taking it and reaching into her pocket, "and you can have the badge I have made. You are the best, Misty."

"That's sweet," Misty said before taking it with a smile.

"That badge means a lot to me," Sakura said.

"Me too," Misty said.

Later on, Misty was on her own. Sakura and Tracey decided to head back to Professor Oak's lab together, so the former could meet the famous professor in person. Ash still hadn't responded to her most recent email yet, but she didn't want to wait to tell Ash about all of the growth she had gone through as a gym leader.

I am sorry for giving you two emails in a row without you responding to one, Ash, but it looks like I can still have adventures back here in Kanto! A while back, Sakura decided to show up for a rematch, specifically for a badge. There was just one small problem with that: someone gave away the last remaining badges and forgot to tell me about it! So we had to go to a remote village and find Kinso, an artisan who made badges used at the Cerulean City Gym. While it was good to get out of the gym for a while, I never expected making badges would be such hard work! It was almost as hard for me making them as you earning them, Ash! After that was done, Sakura and I returned to the gym for our battle. While Corsola put up a good fight against Espeon, she just couldn't stand up to Espeon's abilities. Espeon was a strong Pokémon, being able to swim unlike a certain one of my Water Pokémon. Despite me losing, I gave Sakura her gym badge, one that I have made. Sakura decided to return the favor and give me one of the badges that she made in return to symbolize our friendship. Even though I lost my first battle as a gym leader, I won't let it hold me down. After all, it was just my first gym battle… good luck when it comes to yours, Ash!

Misty

The young gym leader looked at her work and hit SEND.

As Misty sent her message to Ash, she thought about the tray of badges she earned in Rifure Village, and now she felt truly ready for all of the challenges that awaited her as the official leader of the Cerulean Gym…

TO BE CONTINUED…

(An Instrumental Version of Ain't the Same, I am the Power Plays, with clips from the episode on one side, credits on the other)

THE MISTY CHRONICLES

INSPIRED BY THE STORIES AND CHARACTERS OF:
Satoshi Tajiri
Takeshi Shudo

WRITTEN BY:
Northstar Pokeshipper

BASED ON THE EPISODE:
The Blue Badge of Courage, written by Yukiyoshi Ohashi

BETA READ BY:
Accanthus Addams

OPENING SONG WRITTEN BY:
TheGlassyGuyArt

STARRING:
Rachael Lillis
Ted Lewis
Kerry Williams
Corey James
Lisa Ortiz
Michael Haigney
Kayzie Rogers
Mike Pollock

VOICE OF TOGEPI:
Satomi Korogi

SPECIAL THANKS:
IanCotterill56, for favoriting, following, and reviewing
firestorm100, for favoriting and following
Boogie08, for favoritng
Stormcloud6, for following
A guest, for reviewing
And You, for reading this!