The road into Cerulean City was buzzing with the usual pre-summer chaos: trainers prepping for badge challenges, kids chasing Growlithe puppies down the street, and the scent of blooming cherry trees hanging heavy in the air.
Ash adjusted his cap and strode into town with Misty at his side—and now, an entire line of Squirtle waddling behind him like a parade.
They were maybe getting a few looks.
Pikachu rode on his shoulder, looking both proud and slightly embarrassed.
Cerulean's skyline was dominated by the famous Cerulean Gym, a graceful building shaped like a seashell and surrounded by pools of glimmering water. As they approached Misty's three older sisters were there awaiting her return.
Misty slowed as they approached the wide stone steps leading into the Cerulean Gym.
Waiting at the entrance, arms casually crossed, were her three older sisters: Daisy, Violet, and Lily.
They looked up as Misty approached, each of them wearing matching mildly-annoyed expressions.
"Finally," Daisy said, flicking her hair back. "You said you'd be back days ago."
"Yeah, like, we had to cover your Gym Leader duties!" Violet huffed, hands on her hips.
"Do you even know how much paperwork you owe us?" Lily added dramatically.
Misty rolled her eyes. "I was gone for one week. And technically, you're the ones who dumped the Gym on me to begin with."
The sisters exchanged quick guilty glances, but Daisy recovered fastest, flashing a sunny smile. "Details, details. Anyway, you're back now! And you brought friends?"
She nodded toward Ash—and the parade of Squirtle trailing behind him.
Ash tipped his cap. "Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town."
"And Pikachu!" Pikachu chirped proudly from his shoulder.
The sisters eyed the line of Squirtle, clearly suppressing giggles.
Misty groaned under her breath. "Long story. Just—please don't start."
Before anything else could happen, a cheerful voice rang across the plaza.
As Ash finished introducing himself, another trainer stepped onto the field — a girl about his age with short-cropped brown hair, a sporty headband, and a confident stride. She wore a blue-and-white training jacket and had a Pokéball already spinning in her fingers.
Misty muttered under her breath, recognizing her immediately. "Oh great. Maylene."
Ash tilted his head. "Maylene?"
Misty nodded. "One of the traveling trainers from Sinnoh. She's been visiting Kanto for extra battles before taking over her family's gym."
Ash blinked. Cobble Badge... Fighting types... Oh right! She's the future Veilstone Gym Leader! He remembered seeing her once or twice during his research runs—fast, aggressive, and tough as nails in battle.
Maylene gave a small bow, then grinned widely. "I heard there were strong trainers here. Thought I'd see for myself!"
Ash grinned right back. "Sounds like you're looking for a match."
Maylene tossed her Pokéball up, catching it with ease. "You're fast. Yeah. One-on-one? Unless you wanna make it two-on-two?"
Misty, already moving toward the Gym doors with her sisters, called over her shoulder, "Use the outside field! Less chance of, y'know, flooding everything."
Ash shrugged his bag off and handed it to Misty. "Hold that for me?"
Misty caught it with a huff. "You owe me."
Ash cracked his knuckles and stepped into the rough dirt ring outside the Gym entrance, facing Maylene. The late afternoon sun threw long shadows behind them. Pikachu perched on his shoulder, tail flicking with excitement.
Maylene's grin widened. "Hope you're ready."
"Always," Ash said.
Battle Start!
Maylene threw her Pokéball high. With a flash, Meditite landed lightly on its toes, eyes closed in meditation, energy already sparking around it.
Ash glanced at Pikachu, who was eager, but he tapped Pikachu's head. "Not yet, buddy. Let's warm up."
He reached to his belt and picked a new ball — Boss Squirtle's.
"Let's make a splash!"
With a burst of light, Squirtle appeared, snapping his sunglasses down in place with a sharp click.
The sisters, watching from the entrance, all oooh'd at once.
"Stylish," Daisy commented.
"So stylish," Violet agreed.
Squirtle struck a pose.
Maylene called out immediately: "Meditite, Calm Mind!"
Ash's eyes sharpened. Calm Mind would boost its special defense and psychic attacks if he let it sit too long.
"Squirtle- Hydro Pump!"
Squirtle huffed, planted his little feet firmly into the dirt, and then unleashed a torrent of water that blasted across the field like a fire hose gone wild.
Meditite barely had time to brace. The Hydro Pump slammed into it with a roar, forcing the Fighting-type Pokémon to skid backward across the dirt, struggling to keep its footing.
"Endure it, Meditite!" Maylene shouted.
Meditite grit its teeth, body glowing faintly as it forced itself to withstand the onslaught. It dug its toes into the ground and managed to stay upright—but just barely. The Calm Mind boost helped it resist some of the force, but Squirtle's raw water power was overwhelming.
Ash wasn't letting up. "Close the gap! Rapid Spin!"
Squirtle snapped into his shell and spun into a blurring missile, cutting straight through the mist kicked up by his own Hydro Pump.
Meditite tried to react, hands glowing for a Counter attack—but Squirtle struck first, slamming into Meditite's chest and sending it flying backward in a wide arc.
"Recover!" Maylene yelled desperately.
Meditite tried—the healing glow starting to form—but Ash was faster.
"Finish it—Ice Beam!"
Squirtle popped out of his spin mid-air, his mouth already glowing a cold, fierce blue. He fired a sharp Ice Beam, freezing the still airborne Meditite mid-recovery in a block of glimmering, mist-shrouded ice.
The frozen statue slammed into the dirt with a heavy thud.
The Gym aide nearby raised a flag. "Meditite is unable to battle! Victory goes to Ash Ketchum!"
"ASH! WHEN IN THE HELL DID YOU HAVE TIME TO TEACH SQUIRTLE TO DO THAT!" Misty shouts in pure shock
Ash scratched the back of his head sheepishly, laughing as he jogged over to Squirtle, who was striking another cool pose with his sunglasses glinting in the afternoon sun.
"I... kinda didn't?" Ash admitted. "I just sorta... asked really hard and believed in him?"
Pikachu slapped a paw over his face in secondhand embarrassment.
Misty stormed across the field, hands waving wildly. "That's not how training works, Ash! You can't just—wish—a super move into existence!"
Boss Squirtle crossed his arms smugly, clearly very pleased with himself.
Ash chuckled to himself allowing everyone to hear him, in truth he had cheated with all of his HM's I mean the fact that squirttle knew a blastoise move was weird but everything else was HMs.
"So, Misty when are we fighting? I do want the Cascade Badge afterall? Can I do a star badge challenge?" Ash asks with a smirk
Misty froze mid-rant, her mouth hanging open for a second. "Wait—what did you just say?"
Daisy, Violet, and Lily all gasped dramatically in unison from the Gym steps.
"You wanna do the Star Badge Challenge?" Violet squeaked, practically bouncing in excitement.
"Like, are you sure sure?" Lily asked, wide-eyed.
Ash shrugged casually, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Why not? Sounds fun."
Misty dragged a hand down her face. "Of course you would ask for that..." she muttered.
Daisy clapped her hands together. "Okay, so, like, in super special cases, trainers can request the Star Badge Challenge instead of a normal Gym battle!"
"It's a mega hard test!" Violet added.
"Yeah, like, totally! You have to beat not one, not two, but three of us!" Lily chimed in, grinning.
Misty crossed her arms and glared at Ash. "It's supposed to be for trainers aiming for the Elite Four, not rookies on their first badge run."
Ash just kept smirking. "Guess I'll get a head start then."
Boss Squirtle snapped his sunglasses into place with a click, clearly pumped.
Pikachu, still on Ash's shoulder, gave a tiny groan of resignation.
Daisy leaned forward, practically sparkling with excitement. "Alright! We'll set up a super fabulous triple battle relay! One-on-one fights, back-to-back. You win all three, you get to fight Misty's full team for the Star Cascade Badge."
"I cant believe youve done this." Misty states