Phcgamer: No, Seymour was not randomized. Neither was Samurai, and as you'll see this chapter, neither are the Sensational Sisters. Only major and/or recurring characters are randomized - if I threw every single character of the day into the randomizer, there would literally be thousands of characters to sift through and it would be far too complicated.

"Now, Ash," said Clay, "you remember what happened in Cyrus's Gym? You can't just go storming into the next Gym without real training and a proper plan."

Ash sighed, glancing over to his team. Nurse Tabitha had just released them from the Pokemon Center, and now they were sparring with Clay's team in a field, with Scizor and Kubfu in particular showing off their newly-learned Pursuit and Aerial Ace techniques against Sandile and Drilbur, respectively. "I know…but I just want to do the Gym Battle and catch up to Miette! My team got a lot stronger in Mount Moon - why do they need to get even stronger than that?"

"Because," Clay explained, "Gyms ain't meant to be easy. They're specifically made so that you can't just walk in and take the badge for free. You have to earn those eight Gym Badges - after all, if you don't earn them, how are you going to be ready for the Pokemon League? You really think the Trainers there are going to hold back?"

Ash nodded. "All right. A day of training, and then it's off to the Cerulean Gym!"

Clay cleared his throat. "Ash…" he said, sounding surprisingly serious. "Listen. Being a Gym Leader myself…let me share a little bit of insider information with you."

"Really?" Ash grinned. "I was going to ask something about that…"

"The Cerulean Gym Is one of the hardest Gyms in the region," said Clay. "To be honest, you're probably better off skipping it and moving on to Vermillion City. I've heard of a lot of Trainers who got stuck here for weeks because they couldn't beat the Gym Leader."

Before Ash could react, Cyrus's voice broke in. "What are you talking about, Clay?"

Ash and Clay turned to see their third group member stepping up; he'd gone off to purchase food from a nearby shop, seeing as none of the three were the best at cooking. "The Cerulean Gym may be hard for some people, but with Ash's team, he should find it perfectly tolerable."

Ash's grin grew wider. "That sounds great!"

He didn't understand why Cyrus's eyes were locked on Clay even though he'd been speaking to Ash, or why Clay's expression had shifted to a frown, but he didn't really care. Before he could start caring, his wandering eyes fell onto Hisuian Growlithe blasting at Kubfu with a Flamethrower, and a realization came to his mind. "Wait! Hisuian Growlithe! Cyrus told me that you might be able to learn Bite - let's start working on that!"

As Ash walked away, Clay glared at Cyrus. "What?" the Dark-type Gym Leader asked.

"You know what," Clay growled.

"After what you told me in Pewter City," said Cyrus, "I am surprised that you're taking so little responsibility when it comes to Cerulean City."

"There's more than eight Gyms in Kanto," Clay pointed out. "He can easily get the last one at one of those side Gyms-"

"I am not talking about Ash, I am talking about you," Cyrus interrupted. "Let me tell you a story. Three weeks ago, I received a visit from a Trainer with four badges. He was coming down from Cerulean to Viridian and chose to stop by my Gym on the way. And when I asked him how he handled the Cerulean Gym, do you know what he told me?"

"No," said Clay, "and I don't want to know."

"He told me," said Cyrus, "that he got his Cerulean Gym Badge for free. He did not even have to-."

"I said I don't want to know," Clay retorted; before Cyrus could speak again, Clay twisted and stormed off, leaving the Dark-type Gym Leader and the entire field behind.

"Take this!" Kubfu cried as he sprang at Drilbur with a swift Aerial Ace. Drilbur dodged just as quickly, retaliating with a Rock Tomb that Kubfu only barely managed to punch away with a rapid Rock Smash.

Beyond them, Sandile and Scizor sparred, the Ground/Dark-type's teeth gnashing down on empty air time and time again as Scizor's speed carried him away from the flurry of attacks. He retaliated with rapid jabs, Bullet Punches flung into Sandile's face; judging by the bite marks on his arms, he'd paid dearly for a couple mistimed ones, but it still was clear that Sandile was the more damaged of the two.

And beyond them…

"Why do I need to fight Tympole?" Hisuian Growlithe asked as he dodged a Bubble from the aforementioned Tympole. "I don't begrudge the challenge, mind you, but I would prefer to practice my new move against someone I'm not four-times weak to."

"You do realize you're four-times weak to all of us, right?" Drilbur asked; Sandile nodded, grinning toothily, and was promptly decked by a 'Pay attention!'-yelling Scizor.

"Right," Hisuian Growlithe muttered. "Four-times weak against both Ground and Water…"

It was at that moment that Hisuian Growlithe realized that Tympole hadn't fired any more attacks at him. As Hisuian Growlithe turned back towards Tympole, he was surprised to see the Water-type standing still, looking fairly morosely at nothing in particular. "Hey, you all right?" he asked.

Tympole sighed. "It's just…stuff like that," he admitted. "Reminds me that I'm a non-Ground-type on the team of a Ground-type Trainer."

Drilbur glanced over at Tympole. "We've been over this. That doesn't make you a fifth wheel. And besides, you'll become a Ground-type eventually, once you evolve."

"And until then, I'm out of place," Tympole murmured.

Hisian Growlithe smiled. "Come on, cheer up! I don't want to be practicing Bite on someone who's too sad to fight back."

"Drilbur?" Sandile's voice cut in again. Everyone else's attention was once more drawn to Sandile; the Ground/Dark-type was staring in the opposite direction of Scizor, and Hisuian Growlithe followed his gaze to see Clay standing near a faraway tree. The Ground-type Trainer raised his hand and made a beckoning gesture; it was immediately obvious who he was beckoning to.

"Looks like our Trainer needs us," said Drilbur. "Sorry to cut the training short."

Hisuian Growlithe stared after Tympole as the Water-type turned and followed his two Ground-type teammates away. The Fire/Rock-type's smile dipped. It really feels like I said the wrong thing to him just now…

"Oh, hey, guys!" Hisuian Growlithe glanced up at Ash. "Clay just left…not sure where he's going. So it looks like we're gonna be training with Cyrus's team for the rest of the day. And then, tomorrow, we'll go to the Cerulean Gym! How does that sound?"

That sounded good. But as Hisuian Growlithe joined Scizor and Kubfu in following Ash over to Cyrus, he couldn't quite manage to get Tympole's expression out of his head.

The Cerulean Gym was beautiful on both the outside and the inside. On the outside, it was a lovely building with a colorful dome and a beautifully-carved statue of a Seel perched on top. On the inside, it was just as pretty, with the watery battle arena/performance area in the center of the Gym surrounded by shiny tiled floors on all sides. Upon walking in, Ash and Cyrus were swiftly treated to a synchronized swimming show, followed by a backstage meetup with the Gym Leaders, Daisy, Lily, and Violet, otherwise known as the Sensational Sisters. The entire thing felt like a dream come true.

And then the Seel showed up, and things went downhill from there.

"So you are giving out Gym Badges for free," Cyrus growled, fixing all three Sensational Sisters with a glare.

"Yeah," said Daisy, still holding out the Cascade Badge towards Ash, who was unsure about whether he should take it or not. "And?"

"And that's against the rules," Clay growled, stepping out from the shadows; Ash momentarily found himself wondering just how none of the five occupants of the room had seen a very large man spying on them, before deciding he had more important things to worry about, such as the fact that everyone in the room seemed to be glaring at everyone else.

"Well, well, well," said Daisy. "Look who it is. Finally decided to see reason and start using the proper type?"

Drilbur stepped forwards, letting out a low growl.

"Hey, quit tracking dirt all over our floor!" Lily cried. "We just polished it this morning!"

"Ugh," Violet groaned. "Ground-types. Yuck."

"Hey, what's so wrong with Ground-types?" Ash asked, puzzled and a little indignant.

"They're gross and disgusting and get dirt and mud everywhere," Lily explained. "And they're not even good in battle or performance! No one wants to see an ugly Ground-type rather than a beautiful Water-type, and Water-types can wash Ground-types away with a single move!"

"We thought giving our dear brother a proper Water-type would make him see reason," said Daisy. "But he still insists on using his lame Ground-types."

"Wait, you gave him Tympole?" Ash asked.

"Of course!" Daisy smiled. "We wanted to show him how much better Water-types are than his Ground-types. After all, we are a Water-type Gym, with a lovely pool and polished surfaces and sweet, shiny Pokemon, and we have no space for dirty old Ground-types."

"I ain't here to conform to your ideals," said Clay. "I figured that if you wanted to be a Water-type Gym, then you could be a Water-type Gym without me. Yet I've just heard from Cyrus here that you've been giving out badges for free…and while I was hoping that wasn't true, I just saw you try to do the same to Ash with my own two eyes."

Violet glared at Cyrus. "Tattletale."

"What does it matter?" Lily asked. "This is our Gym, and we can do what we want with it." She pointed to Clay. "You lost all right to try and manage this Gym when you ran off to go mining with your Ground-types." Her finger shifted to Cyrus. "And you should stay in your Gym, and not go poking your nose where it doesn't belong."

"You do realize," Cyrus retorted, "that if the Pokemon League finds your Gym to be in violation of regulations, you can have your Gym seized and your Gym Leader licenses revoked."

All three of the so-called 'Sensational Sisters' suddenly looked a lot less sensational. "Pffft," said Daisy, trying to sound a lot more confident than she looked. "It's not our fault! Our Pokemon just get tired from our daily performances! We just don't want to push them too hard, that's all!"

"Managing Gyms is your job," Cyrus pointed out. "Your daily performances are extracurricular activities. The former should always be prioritized over the latter."

"W-well, if he hadn't run off and left us to do everything by ourselves, we wouldn't be so overworked!" Violet protested.

"What happened to 'we have no space for dirty old Ground-types'?" Clay asked pointedly. "You know perfectly well I didn't run off. You're the ones who all but threw me out because you didn't feel like Ground-types fit this Gym's atmosphere."

Lily let out a huff. "That is not - okay, look. Do you really think we can give this kid a Gym Battle with…" She glanced down at the various Pokeballs on her and her sisters' belts. "…a Goldeen and a tired Seel? No matter how much you yell at us, that won't change. So it's either he gets the Gym Badge for free, or he doesn't get it at all."

"I don't think so," said Clay; as he spoke, he turned away from the Sensational Sisters and towards Ash. "Ash, as Gym Leader of Cerulean City, I challenge you to a battle for the Cascade Badge. Do you accept?"

"Now, wait a minute-" Daisy started.

Clay held up a hand. "Do you accept?"

"Of course!" said Ash, grinning ear to ear. "Let's do this!"

Normally, battles in the Cerulean Gym took place in and around the water. Since Clay wasn't a Water-type Trainer and Ash didn't have any Water-type Pokemon, the two of them were instead set up on the tiled poolside floor, with Daisy refereeing and Lily, Violet, and Cyrus watching from close by.

"This will be a two-on-two battle, no substitutions!" Daisy announced. "Clay, you will release first!"

"Fine by me," said Clay. "Sandile, get out there."

"Sandile, huh?" Ash asked. "Then I know who I'm using first! Go, Scizor!"

Scizor appeared on the field, clacking his pincers in preparation. Sandile fixed him with narrowed eyes, baring his teeth. Ash and Clay prepared themselves, fixing their eyes on their Pokemon.

The tension was so high that Daisy's cry of "Begin!" was almost a relief.

"Sandstorm!" Clay ordered. "Then hit him with a Sand-Attack!"

"Take him down with Fury Cutter!" Ash cried.

Both Sandile and Scizor lunged for each other; a Sandstorm exploded out from Sandile's body as he did so, much to the consternation of the Sensational Sisters, who stumbled backwards, shrieking, as a large part of their Gym filled up with swirling sand. As Scizor closed, his claws glowing with energy, Sandile unleashed a wave of sand in his direction. Scizor bulldozed through it, seeming to shrug off any damage it might have dealt, and slammed a Fury Cutter into Sandile. The Ground/Dark-type was sent flying backwards, skidding to a halt back where he had started.

"Again!" Ash cried. But this time, Scizor didn't obey immediately; instead, he paused and began rubbing his eyes. "Hey, what's going on?" Ash asked.

"Sand-Attack is a move that doesn't do damage, but instead blinds any Pokemon it hits," Clay explained. "Between it and the Sandstorm, Scizor won't be able to see Sandile coming at all. I prepared for this match, Ash - just because your Pokemon have sparred with mine before doesn't mean they know all my tricks. Now, Sandile, get in there and attack with Bite!"

"Counter with Fury Cutter!" Ash cried. Accordingly, Scizor lashed out with the Bug-type attack, but his claws whiffed as Sandile easily slid around the wild blow. The Ground/Dark-type sank his teeth into Scizor's leg, then swiftly drew back as Scizor kicked out. Scizor lunged with another Fury Cutter; again Sandile dodged, and again he retaliated with a swift Bite to Scizor's other leg. Scizor stumbled backwards, groaning in pain.

"Scizor!" Ash shouted. "Follow my instructions - attack where I tell you!" He squinted, trying to see into the thick of the Sandstorm. "Fury Cutter, left, now!"

Scizor lashed out swiftly, and this time his blow struck true; the Fury Cutter met Sandile's Bite, and though both Pokemon stumbled backwards, Sandile clearly came off a fair bit worse than Scizor from that exchange. "Scizor may be blind, but I'm not!" Ash cried. "That tactic won't work on me!"

"Then let's see what happens when you can't see Sandile coming!" Clay retorted. "Dig!"

"No!" Lily cried as Sandile burrowed into the ground. "Our tiled floor!"

Indeed, several of the well-polished tiles were shattered as Sandile ripped through them and into whatever lay below. Scizor was left on the floor, still standing in the midst of the Sandstorm; swiftly, he crouched, readying another Fury Cutter for Sandile to come back up.

"Scizor, get ready!" Ash cried. "He could come from anywhere!"

"Zor!" Scizor replied, which probably meant something along the lines of 'No, really? I never would have guessed that by myself!'

Both Ash and Scizor, however, were caught completely off-guard when Sandile erupted from the floor directly under Scizor. The Steel/Bug-type was thrown off his feet; he landed hard on his back, and Clay was quick to order another Bite from Sandile. "Quick Attack, back!" Ash cried, remembering Cryus doing something similar with his Sneasel. Scizor managed to roll to his feet and dart backwards just in time to get clear of Sandile's snapping jaws, but Clay simply called out "Dig!" again, and once more Sandile disappeared beneath the tiled floor, much to the continued consternation of the Sensational Sisters.

Ash racked his brain for a solution to this new problem - Scizor had no way to counter Dig, at least not half-blinded as he was. Sandile could just keep using the move until Scizor fainted; Ash knew he had to work out a solution fast before the situation became untenable. If only Scizor could get out of the Sandstorm somehow, this would be so much easier…

Wait a minute.

"Scizor, get down into his tunnel!" Ash cried. "It'll be easier to see in there!"

"Sci?" Scizor queried.

"I know it's risky," said Ash, "but it's the best plan we've got!"

Scizor muttered something doubtful-sounding under his breath, but swiftly dove into Sandile's newly-created Dig tunnel.

Clay frowned. "That is risky, Ash. You can't give Scizor orders if you can't see him."

"Sure," said Ash, "but you've got the same problem. And, even half-blind, Scizor's priority moves give him much better reaction time than Sandile!"

"True," Clay replied, "but underground is Sandile's natural element. He has an inherent advantage over Scizor down there."

"This is boring!" Violet cried. "We can't see anything!"

Clay and Ash both shot glares at the Sensational Sisters, but before either could say anything their attention was returned to the battlefield by a vicious snarl coming from underground.

"That's Sandile," Clay murmured. "Sounds like he's caught Scizor."

"Scizor's a tougher catch than most," Ash retorted. "We'll see-"

Before he could finish speaking, a large section of tile exploded upwards. All three of the Sensational Sisters let out loud shrieks as Scizor burst through the floor, clutching Sandile in one upraised claw. Ash and Clay both watched with wide eyes as Scizor slammed Sandile bodily to the ground, cracking more tile with the force of the attack. "Bite, now!" Clay ordered, his voice tinged with alarm. Sandile twisted and clamped his jaws down on Scizor's arm, but Scizor simply drew back his other arm, glistening with a Fury Cutter, and drove that into Sandile's body.

Scizor lashed out three more times with Fury Cutter, each hit growing in power, before Clay finally recalled Sandile, wordlessly announcing his forfeit of the Ground-type.

"Yes!" Ash cried. "Nice work, Scizor!"

"Indeed," said Clay. "It appears your belief in Scizor's reaction time was well-founded. But that was only my first Pokemon. Drilbur, get out there!"

Scizor rose to his full height as Drilbur materialized in the midst of the Sandstorm. "You good to keep going, Scizor?" Ash asked.

Scizor nodded.

"Then let's start things off with Bullet Punch!" Ash cried.

"Metal Claw!" Clay retorted.

Both Scizor and Drilbur blurred forwards; to Ash's shock, Drilbur was moving just as fast as Scizor. Both Pokemon met in the center of the arena, claw clashing with claw. "Mud-Slap!" Clay ordered; Drilbur swiftly lashed out with a burst of mud, his claw moving so fast Ash could barely make it out. Scizor had no time to counter; the attack sent him stumbling backwards, and Drilbur wasted no time in lunging forwards with another Metal Claw. This one struck Scizor in the chest, forcing him backwards further.

"I didn't know Drilbur was that fast!" Ash cried.

"He isn't normally," said Clay. "But thanks to Sandile's Sandstorm, Drilbur's able to use his Sand Rush Ability, doubling his speed. So while he's usually much slower than Scizor, in this Sandstorm he can easily match and even exceed Scizor's speed."

"But that means he can't do that outside the Sandstorm!" Ash realized out loud. "Scizor, back into Sandile's Dig tunnels!"

Clay smirked slightly as Scizor twisted and dove into one of the multiple tunnels Sandile had created. "Not a bad plan, Ash, but Drilbur's just as good underground as he is aboveground. Dig, Drilbur! Flush that Scizor out!"

Drilbur quickly tore another hole in the tile floor and disappeared underground. Once more, the battlefield fell into near-silence; thankfully, this did not draw any more comments from the Sensational Sisters. Several seconds passed before Ash spoke. "You do remember Scizor beat Sandile underground, right?"

"Sandile, yes," said Clay. "But Scizor had a type advantage, Sandile was weakened from battling, and Sandile going underground first meant he couldn't really surprise Scizor from an unexpected angle. Drilbur, on the other hand, has none of those disadvantages. I hate to break it to you, Ash…"

He paused, a pause that lasted for a good few seconds. "What?" Ash began, but only got the single word out before yet another section of the tile floor exploded upwards as Scizor was hurled through it. A Rock Tomb followed, driving into the Bug/Steel-type's midsection; as Scizor landed on the ground, Drilbur leaped out of the newly-created hole in the ground and tossed a Mud-Slap into his prone form. Scizor was sent flying, his body rolling across the ground until he came to rest at Ash's feet, clearly unconscious.

"…but Scizor lost the moment he went underground," Clay finished.

"Seriously?" Ash asked, recalling Scizor. "You know Drilbur well enough to anticipate that?"

"Yeah," said Clay. "I'll admit, I missed my mark by a few seconds. That Scizor of yours is extremely resilient. Let's see if your next Pokemon is the same way."

Ash frowned, glancing down at Hisuian Growlithe, who was (as usual) standing beside him. "I'd love to use you," he said, "but you're really weak against Ground…so that leaves Kubfu! You're up!"

The Fighting-type Legendary materialized on the floor, and instantly grunted in discomfort as the swirling Sandstorm began to dig into his skin. Hisuian Growlithe was quick to bark his support; the call of his teammate seemed to energize Kubfu, for he swiftly clenched his fists, fighting back the pain. Drilbur crouched, readying his claws; Kubfu readied himself as well, clearly having seen Drilbur's speed and preparing for a rapid onslaught.

Both Ash and Clay called out at the same time. "Metal Claw!" "Rock Smash!"

Kubfu and Drilbur leaped forwards, Drilbur moving faster than Kubfu. The two met nearer to Ash's end of the arena, claw and fist slamming together in an explosion of energy; Kubfu's strength won out, and Drilbur stumbled backwards from the clash whereas Kubfu stood strong. "Mud-Slap!" Clay ordered.

"Dodge with Aerial Ace!" Ash cried. Kubfu leaped to the side, energy swirling around his body, and Drilbur's Mud-Slap flew past him uselessly. "Now Rock Smash again!" Ash cried as Kubfu landed, his feet narrowly missing one of the many craters in the ground. Kubfu whirled and lunged once more, fist drawn back.

"Block with Rock Tomb!" Clay yelled. Drilbur swiftly fired a barrage of rocks in Kubfu's direction. Ash grinned. "Rocks against an attack literally called 'Rock Smash'?" he asked. "Kubfu, Focus Energy! Shatter those stones!"

"Dig, now!" Clay ordered.

Ash's eyes widened as Drilbur dove underground once more, watching as Kubfu ceased moving in favor of focusing up and swatting away the Rock Tomb, rendering himself an easy target for Dig. Just as Clay had clearly planned. "Kubfu, get back!"

But Kubfu was caught between the twin threats of Rock Tomb and Dig, and couldn't break away in time. Drilbur burst out of the ground, slamming into Kubfu and sending him flying. Kubfu landed back on the ground, still on his feet but clearly in pain.

"Press with Metal Claw!" Clay called.

Drilbur lunged; Kubfu backpedaled, barely evading swipe after swipe from Drilbur's swinging claws. As the two battled across the field, Ash racked his brain for an idea. Another hit like that Dig would put Kubfu in a corner it would be all but impossible to get out of, and with Drilbur's speed Kubfu couldn't find an opening to retaliate. He could try ordering Kubfu to go into the Dig tunnels, but that hadn't worked for Scizor, and it was clear Clay wasn't planning on making the same mistake of going underground first that he'd done with Sandile. Ash had no way of being certain it would work for Kubfu, and if it failed he'd almost certainly lose from there.

No matter what, Ash was forced to admit, Kubfu couldn't fight Drilbur head-on. But if I can maneuver the fight into something that's a lot less head-on…Ash thought back to the one moment of respite Kubfu had gained all fight, the brief moment when he'd been able to stand his ground and punch away that Rock Tomb before Drilbur came in with a Dig, and an idea began to form in his mind.

"Kubfu, dodge left with Aerial Ace!" Ash ordered. His order reached Kubfu's ears; the Fighting-type immediately broke off from Drilbur and hurled himself away. Clay's voice rose up near-instantly. "Drilbur, use Rock Tomb!"

"Punch that Rock Tomb away!" Ash cried as Kubfu landed. The Fighting-type spun, Focus Energy flaring around him, and began to obey Ash's command, swatting rock after rock out of the air.

"Didn't think you'd fall for the same trick twice, Ash!" Clay called. "Dig, Drilbur!"

As Drilbur used Dig, Ash hid a grin as he watched Kubfu punch the rocks out of the air. One…two…three…

"Kubfu, Rock Smash, directly under you!" Ash yelled.

Clay's eyes widened in sudden horror. "Break away, Drilbur!" he shouted, but it was too late. Kubfu raised a fist and slammed it straight into the tile floor beneath him; the floor crumbled, and Kubfu's fist collided with the face of the right-under-him Drilbur, shortly followed by the rest of his body as he tumbled into Drilbur's Dig tunnel.

In one stroke, Kubfu had countered both of Drilbur's moves, finally gotten a solid hit in, and lured Drilbur underground so that his Sand Rush was no longer active. From that moment, the outcome of the battle was no longer in doubt.

Drilbur tried to break away, but Kubfu was relentless, grabbing onto the Ground-type with one hand while the other slammed Rock Smash after Rock Smash into anywhere it could reach. Drilbur tried to fight back, swinging Metal Claws and throwing Mud-Slaps and tossing Rock Tombs, but the blasts flew wide and the claws were ignored and Drilbur could barely get off attacks anyway when he was dazed by Kubfu's fist colliding with his body over and over again. Clay's orders were met with deaf ears as Drilbur struggled blindly and fruitlessly to throw Kubfu off. And eventually, Kubfu let go of the staggering Drilbur, reared back, and landed a final uppercut that sent Drilbur flying straight out of the crater. Drilbur landed on his back as Scizor had done earlier, and just like Scizor, the Ground-type was very much unconscious. And as he fell, so did the Sandstorm, the sand ceasing to blow and simply falling to the ground.

As Kubfu stepped out of the hole, it sunk in to Ash that he'd just won. He swiftly raced into the center of the arena, ignoring the sand crunching under his feet. "Great job, Kubfu!" he cried; Hisuian Growlithe, running alongside him, let out a loud, victorious bark.

Clay sighed, recalling Drilbur. "Well fought, Ash. I daresay-"

"Look at this!" Daisy's interrupting shriek brought Cyrus, Clay, and Ash's attention back to the Sensational Sisters. "Look at what's happened to our Gym!"

Ash and Clay looked around at what had once been a beautiful tiled floor, but was now an ugly expanse of shattered ceramics and gray stone pockmarked with freshly-dug holes. "This is exactly why we kicked you out!" said Daisy furiously. "Because every single time you battled, this happened, and we had to foot the bill! Do you realize how expensive ceramic tiles are?"

"Well," said Ash, quick to defend his friend, "maybe you should reconstruct your gym so that it can better adapt to that kind of battle!"

Clay stepped between Ash and the Sensational Sisters, holding up a hand. "I ain't here to take up my old position," he said. "This was a one-time thing. I'm here to make sure you start running the Gym properly. This time around, I'll foot the bill for the repairs…as long as you stop trying to give challengers free Gym Badges."

"But…" Lily whimpered. "Our show…"

"Hey," said Ash, "I've been thinking. Since there are three of you, why don't you just have two of you do performances with their Pokemon, and have the other one do Gym Battles with their Pokemon? And then switch off every day? That way you'll be able to do both, and your Pokemon won't get too tired in the process!"

The Sensational Sisters collectively blinked. Daisy cleared her throat. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"They seriously never thought of that?" Ash asked.

"It appears that they did not," said Cyrus. "Then again, it has been made clear over the past hour that they are not the sharpest tools in the shed."

"Well," said Clay, "with this new schedule of theirs, the Cerulean Gym shouldn't be giving out free Gym Badges anytime soon. So, Ash. Now that you've got two Gym Badges, where to The next?"

"You mentioned Vermillion City, right?" Ash asked. "If that's where the next Gym is, then that's where I'm going!"

"Well, then," said Clay, giving Ash a smile, "we'll be happy to follow your lead. Ain't that right, Cyrus?"

"I suppose this arrangement could continue," Cyrus murmured.

Ash grinned broadly. "Awesome! Let's go, then!"

And so the three set off in the direction of Vermillion City, ready for whatever awaited them between here and there.

"I know what they told me…"

The Pokeball jiggled around him, seeming to mock his misery.

"But he didn't even use me…"

He heaved a shaky sigh.

"Just because I'm not a Ground-type…I really am the fifth wheel…"

No one heard Tympole as he began to weep.

The Cerulean City Gym Badge is still the Cascade Badge. When Clay was the Gym Leader, though, he used his canonical badge name, the Quake Badge. Just figured I'd clear that up. Also, in canon, the Sensational Sisters never really got a reality check and continued prioritizing their shows over running the actual freaking Gym until Misty showed up. Here, they do, thanks to the presence of responsible adults and a slightly smarter Ash.

Speaking of Ash...let's be honest, we all love Misty, but she wasn't that good of an influence on him (at least early on). Clay, being an experienced adult, would, in my opinion, ensure that Ash sheds his bad habits far earlier on. This has already resulted (and will continue to result) in Ash being smarter than in canon.

And finally, Tympole. This subplot for him wasn't in my original plans, but once I realized (a) he didn't actually gain the Ground typing until evolving and (b) his status as a Water-type on a team of Ground-types corresponded really well with Clay being a Ground-type Trainer in a family of Water-type Trainers, it really started writing itself.

Sorry this chapter took so long - with any luck, I'll be able to get the next chapter out a little faster.