Hi peeps! Here is part 4 of the true beginning! What happens when Ash and A.J. get to Cerulean City? Will they meet with Misty again? Will Ash get the Cascade badge? Read this fic to find out!

 

** Indicates thoughts, <> indicates telepathy, () indicates translated poke speech.

 

Part 4: And so we meet again…

 

 

“Where is the Cascade Gym?” Ash asked A.J. “Do you know?”

 

A.J. shrugged. “I would guess it’s that hideous pink/orange tent-like building over that-away.”

 

“Eww…” Ash said. “Oh well. I’m going to go get a badge!” He took off for the Cascade Gym, A.J. following close behind. They were almost there when Ash suddenly screeched to a halt.

 

“What now?” A.J. asked.

 

“I forgot to heal my pokémon at the center.” Ash said, looking down. A.J. laughed. Even though Ash was only a year younger, he could be terribly absentminded at times.

           

            “Well, the center is that-away.” A.J. said. “It’s lucky it’s close to the gym.”

 

            “Yeah.” Ash replied. He waited for a few minutes, before Nurse Joy returned with his poke balls.

           

            “Here you go.” Nurse Joy said. Ash accepted the poke balls. Then, he and A.J. headed for the gym.

 

            “Hey, A.J. do you have the Cascade badge?” Ash asked.

 

            “Yeah.” A.J. said. He showed Ash the badge.

 

            “So, what type of pokemon did the gym leader use?” Ash asked.

 

            “Well, this gym uses water type pokemon. I think I fought Dewgong.” A.J. said, trying to recall his battle.

 

            “Cool! Then I can use Pikachu!” Ash said, petting his pikachu. She chirped.

 

            “Oh yeah, one more thing.” A.J. said. “Watch out for Bubblebeam!”

 

            Ash blinked, but he nodded. “Okay.”

 

            The two of them walked into the gym. They saw tanks with tropical fish in them and a couple of swimming pools. The walls were covered with posters of water ballet shows.

 

            “Hello? Is anyone here?” Ash asked. “HELLO?”

 

            “Anyone here?” A.J. asked. Nobody replied.

 

            Ash and A.J. continued to walk around, looking for the gym leader. “Where is he?”

 

            “She, you mean?” A voice interrupted. Ash and A.J. turned around.

 

            “What’cha doing here, Misty?” A.J. asked, trying to be polite.

 

            “I’m the gym leader.” Misty said.

 

            “WHAT?!” Ash shouted. “That’s impossible!”

 

            Misty smirked at him. “Want to bet? Anyways, if you want the Cascade badge you have to fight me.”

 

            Ash thought fast. Misty did have an advantage, she already knew his main pokemon team, while he had no clue which pokemon she possessed. On the other hand, she didn’t know about Clefairy. But could Clefairy alone beat misty? It seemed highly unlikely. But Ash wanted that badge!

            “Fine.” Ash said.

 

            “Okay. A.J., you have to sit aside. And no fair helping Ash!” Misty said.

 

            A.J. shrugged.

 

            “Just a sec. You have to change.” Misty said, handing Ash a pair of swimming trunks. “We’ll be fighting in the pool.”

 

            Ash gaped.

 

            Misty tossed him a pair of swim trunks and a towel. Then, she stripped off her t-shirt and shorts, revealing a pink swimsuit. “Are you ready yet?”

 

            Ash ran inside wearing his black swim trunks. “All right!” he replied.

 

            Misty and Ash both jumped into the water. Ash still had his poke belt on. So did Misty. When they both surfaced, Misty pointed at a nearby float. Ash climbed on while Misty climbed onto a float across from him.

 

            “Pikachu, go!” Ash said, figuring that it would be a quick battle. However, pikachu flailed around in the water for a few seconds before sinking. Ash quickly dived in to rescue pikachu.

 

            “Argh! I didn’t know Pikachu couldn’t swim!” Ash moaned. Misty frowned at him.

 

            “You don’t understand your pokemon well enough.” She scoffed. “That’s one win for me.”

 

            Ash scowled. “Bulbasaur, go!” Bulbasaur came out, jumped into the water, and began treading water valiantly. Ash sighed in relief.

 

            “Bulbasaur, Razor Leaf!” Ash said, assuming that it would be a quick battle. However, Misty’s Staryu’ Spin Tackle attack destroyed all of the razor leaves before they could hit it.

 

            “You’re too cocky, Ash!” Misty said. “Staryu, Ice Beam!”

 

            “Bulbasaur, counter with Ice Spore!” Ash shouted, as silvery blue spores flew out of Bulbasaur’ bulb and took the brunt of the Ice beam attack. “Now use Thunder Vine!”

 

            Bulbasaur raised its vine whips as the air in the gym suddenly turned hot and humid. Sparks flew and the vine became a lightning rod, conducting electricity from the air into the water, frying Staryu. However, Bulbasaur blacked out immediately afterwards.

 

            “Some trainer.” Misty sneered. “I win.”

 

            Ash could only stare in shock at her retreating figure. “I …lost?”

 

            A.J. came over sympathetically. “Well, ya can’t win all the time.”

 

            Ash was still stunned. A.J. dragged him off to the pokemon center.

 

            “It wasn’t fair!” Ash protested later.

 

            “Ash, ya don’t blame your failure on the unfairness of ta situation.” A.J. told him sternly. “Otherwise, ya won’t be getting any better.”

 

            Ash looked down. “Maybe I really am a rotten trainer.”

 

            “Don’t say that. Ya can’t win every time, ya know. Even I lose ta other people.”

 

            Ash sighed. “I need to train harder.”

 

            “That’s the spirit!” A.J. said. “Let’s go!”

 

            Feeling a little bit better, Ash and A.J. headed into the fields around Cerulean to train.

 

            (Note: I lost to misty twice in Yellow, so… not too unlikely.)

 

            Ash returned to Misty’s gym a week later.

 

            “About time.” Misty said. “I hope you got better. Misty chooses Staryu!”

 

            Ash growled. “Clefairy, go!”

 

            “Eh?” Misty asked.

 

            “Clefairy, sing!” Ash commanded as Clefairy started to sing Staryu to sleep.

 

            Staryu fell asleep.

 

            “Good! Now use Pound and Double Slap!”

 

            Staryu finally fainted, six attacks later.

 

            Misty frowned. “Very well. Misty chooses Starmie! Hydro Pump!”

 

            Clefairy was hit head on with Hydro Pump and fainted.

           

            “Clefairy, return!” Ash said. He selected another poke ball.

           

            “Bulbasaur, go! Use Razor Leaf!” Starmie fainted too.

 

            Ash breathed a sigh of relief.

 

            Misty scowled. “Fine. You can have this badge.” She tossed it to him contemptuously.

 

            “YAY!” Ash said, jumping up and down and up and down. “I Got The Cascade Badge!”

 

            A.J. applauded. “See? All that training paid off!”

 

            “Yeah.” Ash said. He continued to jump up and down.

 

            Their success was interrupted by the sound of sobbing.

 

            Ash turned around to face a crying Misty. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

 

            “It’s not fair! I’m older than you and I still lost!” Misty said, continuing to blubber.

           

            “Sheesh.” Ash said, annoyed. “Just how old are you anyways?”

 

            “Fifteen.” Misty said.

 

            “What?! But you look twelve years old!” Ash said.

 

            Misty malleted him... (From the verb to mallet.)

 

            “You don’t need to rub it in! How old are you?” Misty asked.

 

            “I’m thirteen.” Ash said.

 

            “Well, I guess we can get going.” A.J. said. He and Ash left the gym.

           

            Misty looked at their retreating figures and sighed. “I still can’t believe I lost…”

 

           

            “Are you ready to leave yet?” A.J. asked as Ash left the pokemon center.

 

            “Almost. I have to stop at the Poke Mart.” Ash said.

 

            “Oh yeah! Me too! I’m running out of poke balls and potions.” A.J. said.

 

            “Exactly. We’re also running out of food.” Ash said.

 

            The two went shopping and soon returned.

 

            “Well, let’s go!” A.J. said.

 

            “Yeah!” Ash said, agreeing with him.

 

            “WAIT!” A voice called.

 

            “Eh?” They both looked up.

           

            “Prepare for Trouble!”

 

            “And make it Double!”

 

“To protect the world from devastation!”

 

“To unite all people within our nation!”

 

“To denounce the evils of truth and love!”

 

“To extend our reach to the stars above!”

 

“Jessie!”

 

“James!”

 

“Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!”

 

“Surrender now or prepare to fight!”

 

“Meowth, that’s right!”

 

            “Now give us Pikachu!” Jessie shouted.

 

            “No way!” Ash said.

 

            “Ekans! Koffing!”

 

            “Sandshrew, go! Fury swipes!” A.J. shouted.

 

            “Koffing, Smog!”

 

            “Pidgeot, go! Razor Wind!” Ash said.

 

            “Ekans, Bite!”

 

            Pidgeot hit Ekans with Razor Wind, knocking it into Jessie. Sandshrew Fury Swiped Koffing into fainting, and TR began to look worried.

 

            “Maybe we should leave now, Meowth!”

 

            “Useless cat!” Jessie said, grabbing him.

 

            “Pidgeot, Thunderstorm!” Ash shouted.

 

            Pidgeot created a thunderstorm, blasting TR into space once again.

 

            “Looks like Team Rockets blasting off again!” They shouted as they disappeared.

           

            “Well, that’s done.” Ash said.

 

            “Yep. Let’s go!” A.J. said. The two of them recalled their pokemon and headed towards the next town.

 

           

 

End of Chapter 4! Please review, or else I won’t post the next chapter…

Completed 1/4/02