The sun was shining in the clear blue sky, white clouds lightly scattered overhead, a gentle morning breeze carried over from the seaside of Cerulean City.
It was a comfortable feeling, but it didn't do much to ease Ash and Misty's nerves. After all, this would only be the second time either trainer ever challenged a Gym. And both friends had additional concerns hanging over their heads as they strolled through the city that morning.
In Ash's case, he was fighting in a disadvantageous arena. A giant pool of water. With no Pokemon equipped for such terrain. At least against Brock, he could train Pikachu to get around the issue, but water type Pokemon would always have the advantage on an aquatic battlefield, as very few Pokemon other than water types were equipped for such a thing, Dragonair being the only species that Ash could think of from the top of his head.
In Misty's case, she was challenging her own sisters. The gym was being run by her family, who she certainly didn't seem to be on positive terms with.
Both had risen bright and early in mutual anticipation for their upcoming battles, and out of a mutual desire to get it over with. After a healthy breakfast and a quick pep talk to their respective teams, they were out of the Pokemon Center by 10:00 AM.
Unsurprisingly, Misty knew the way to the gym, her face rather unreadable as she led Ash down the sidewalk. Tyrunt was the only Pokemon either trainer currently had out, smiling absentmindedly in Ash's arms as the two trainers made their way to the gym.
Ash frowned at the view of Misty's back. His orange-haired friend had been a lot more subdued than usual throughout the morning so far. He certainly knew why, but it was jarring to say the least.
He knew next to nothing of Misty's relationship with her sisters. The most that he currently knew was that they didn't get along, and that her sisters seemed to have an arrogant streak that they (based on the encounter with Lily) subjected Misty to constantly. Misty certainly seemed to resent them just as much as they seemed to enjoy antagonizing her.
He wished he knew more about the situation, but he also didn't want to pry. Nevertheless, it had obviously been eating at her throughout the morning, and he felt obligated to speak up.
Best give her the chance to get things off her chest now rather than dwell on it in the middle of the battle.
"Misty…" she didn't turn her head as he sped up to walk side by side with her, instead opting to simply glance her eyes towards him in acknowledgment.
She wasn't ignoring him, but she wasn't prioritizing her focus on him either. He was okay with that, however.
"I… know you're nervous…" Ash began hesitantly. Damn it, how was he even supposed to word this?! "Is there… Anything you want to talk about?" He hesitated before forming the question in his mind, but felt satisfied with it. It was a simple question with a yes or no answer. In his arms, Tyrunt turned his head towards the hotheaded girl, still smiling his usual, innocent grin.
He wasn't asking her anything specifically, so she hopefully wouldn't be offended. She didn't NEED to tell him about her situation if she didn't want to, but maybe there was something else she could talk about to ease her nerves?
Misty's face shifted into a light glare as her head just barely turned towards the boy. Although Ash almost flinched at first, it wasn't a hostile look. But she also didn't keep her gaze on him and Tyrunt for long, quickly redirecting her focus to the path ahead.
Ash bit his lip cautiously. He was worried that he had offended her after all. Maybe he should have just kept to himself and not bothered trying to help her at all? Perhaps she thought he was coddling her.
Based on how Ash knew her, "hothead" and "competitive" were already the most apt words to describe Misty, but "independent" would be the next best thing for sure. The boy worried that he had overstepped that boundary.
His concerns continued for what felt like the next moment or so, as Misty's unreadable gaze remained on the path ahead of her as she stayed silent. However, just when it felt as though she was not willing to speak, and Ash had been prepared to forget about the subject, her voice interrupted his inner thoughts.
"You saw a pretty ugly side of me the other day." she admitted uneasily, as the two walked by a couple of older boys headed in the opposite direction. One of them slowed down a moment to gaze at Tyrunt, who didn't seem to notice. "It goes without saying… but my family and I never really saw eye to eye."
For fear of saying the wrong thing, Ash kept his mouth closed, but offered a nod of acknowledgment, to assure her that he was listening.
As if in another world, Misty's head curved slightly upwards, just enough to get a clearer view of the bright, blue sky as she continued to speak. "My sisters are all Gym Leaders. Water type specialists who are in high standings with the League. It's easy to forget their position in the empire, however, because they're main focus has always been performing. Swimming, to be exact."
"Are they more known for that?" Ash carefully inquired as Tyrunt waved a tiny arm at a woman sitting on a porch that they passed by. She seemed to be amused by this site, and waved back quickly before returning to whatever she was reading on her laptop.
Misty giggled, although it sounded somewhat irritable and forced. "Hell yeah they are, Ash. They're prodigies. Practically knew how to move around in the water before they knew how to write their names down. All three of them reached professional level in their preteen years."
Ash gaped at that. He'd heard some details of the talent that the Sensational Sisters were revered for, but he didn't realize that it dated that far back.
Misty continued. "And of course, there's the… other reason why they're so beloved." she scoffed. "The amount of love letters among their excessive fan mail is absurd. I'm pretty sure Violet has even mentioned getting a couple of marriage proposals."
Ash tried to keep Lily out of his mind, knowing how Misty would react if the girl saw his face reddening. All of that talent with the gorgeous looks to go along with it. It was no mystery why they were so famous.
Misty's eyes found their way to the ground, her expression unreadable as she went on. "It started out as a small thing, when they were younger. They would perform at local events, put on a minor show. Nothing excessive. But then they got noticed. Pretty soon, their performances reached a far larger scale. I'm not even sure how it happened, but next thing you know, they're the most high-profile swimmers in the entirety of Indigo. Cerulean Gym isn't just a place to earn badges, it's also the stage of their shows. Ever since they became the Gym Leaders here, they've been using it as their base for both occupations." she sighed, looking straight ahead again. "And there comes the other point. Somehow, they also managed to become expert water type trainers, thanks to their main mentor who ran the city's Gym before them. Good enough to succeed him after his retirement. Their predecessor was always a showboat from what I've known of him; less interested in politics and more in glory or something, so of course he'd choose them." her face darkened. "So not only do they have a bunch of horny imbeciles gushing over how sexy they are when they're doing their flips and kicks in the water, but they have a nice, fancy position in our government now. They have it all. Isn't that nice?" her voice was progressively turning into a growl, and Tyrunt let out a nervous chatter as Ash gave his orange-haired friend a concerned frown.
"So… did it all go to their head?" he asked carefully. Gary popped into his mind.
A dark chuckle escaped Misty's throat. "You know, Ash… I was born a lot later than the rest of them. Lily is eight years my senior, and apart from myself, she's the youngest. I didn't have the luxury of growing up alongside them, for one thing…" she kicked at the ground for a brief second, but didn't stop walking. "I'm good at swimming too, you know. I can swim faster than anyone at my school. I can hold my breath underwater for longer than most people my age, too. I can even do a couple of tricks, here and there. Modestly, sure, but I can still do it." an unpleasant grin formed on her face. "And you know what the kicker is?"
"...Hmmm…? Ash responded carefully.
Misty's voice was hollow. "I'm nothing compared to them. Not a damn thing. And it doesn't even have anything to do with me being the young one in the family. They were already swimming better than me when they were my age, too. And you know how my teachers and peers see me?"
"...How?" A thought was suddenly creeping into Ash's mind. Tyrunt, however, cluelessly tilted his head at the girl as Ash's frown deepened.
He knew where this was going.
Misty's angry grin came into Ash's view as she turned her head to face him in full. "I'm just the product of my sisters. My swimming skills? It's not natural talent, or a sort of skill that I developed on my own accord. It's just flowing through my bloodstream. I've always had it, because I'm related to the amazing, talented, Sensational Sisters. I'm sure people would be singing a different tune about how I swim, acknowledging me by my own merits, if my sisters were a bunch of nobodies. But no, since my sisters are SOOOO amazing, that must be the only reason why I'm even capable of anything! It's all just credited to them!" she faced ahead, snarling through her teeth. Thankfully there were currently no passerby to notice her. "And my looks? Oh, I've been complimented before. You know how it's worded? 'Oh, Misty, you're so beautiful! You're super pretty, just like you're sisters!' I've had a few admirers before, but even the love letters say something along those lines. Not 'Dear Misty, I think you're really beautiful and talented.' More like 'Dear Misty, you're so pretty and skilled! Just like you're sisters!' I've heard the teachers talking about it, too! That my very genes have been blessed by the incredible, sexy, Sensational Sisters! Almost like I'd be some random, plain looking girl if it weren't for them! My beauty isn't my own, my skill isn't something for me to be proud of. It's all just a reminder of how incredible those three bimbos are!"
Ash stopped as Misty ceased walking, turning to face him fully while raising a foot and stomping it into the ground, her shoe grinding against the pavement on impact as her gaze was turned to him. He could have sworn he saw her eyes watering as she glowered at him. He shrunk under her gaze, and Tyrunt whimpered a little bit, prompting him to rub the little dinosaur's head soothingly, but her anger wasn't directed at either of them.
"They say it all the time." Misty's voice was softer now. The anger wasn't gone, just taking a more tranquil form as the girl locked eyes with Ash. "My sisters do. They love to rub it in that I'm not as good as they are. Or even as good as they were when they were my age. I'm just an inferior version of those three. That's how they view me. So what if I scored high on the Qualification Exam? It didn't take them long to become expert trainers, and what really counts in our family is how well you can swim." her voice was trembling, although she was doing a fairly good job at holding back the tears. "To them? I'm just a sidekick at best. They love to ask me what my best time is whenever I swim laps, just so they can shoot it down with whatever theirs were when they were kids. We have the same blood, but it's almost like they're trying to imply that I'm making inferior use of it or something. Compared to them, I couldn't even hope to do something that they couldn't, or even match them. And apparently, all that fame and adoration isn't enough for them. They have to remind their runt little sister, too. Might as well pull me aside, look at everyone in the mirror at once, just to compare and contrast how superior they are, if they really wanna go that far with it. They can't say anything about me or talk about my own achievements without bringing up their own. It all just revolves around them. Even when I do something right, they make it about themselves."
By now, the tears were starting to make their way down. Misty must have realized this, because she stopped talking and raised a hand to wipe her face.
Ash stood there with a pained stare. Tyrunt didn't seem to understand, as though everything had flown over the baby's head. But Ash did.
How couldn't he? Obviously it was a radically different circumstance, but…
His mind flashed back to Pallet Town. All of those lower grades on the tests. All of those times he came up short of somebody like Gary during races. Being behind almost everybody…
Misty was born into a family of superstars. And since the rest of her folks were so great, she was never viewed as such. Not on her own, anyway. People just saw what was great about her, and just… assumed she only had those qualities because of who she shared blood with. She never got credit for anything in her life, did she?
And the harder she worked, the better she got. But all of those improvements wouldn't earn her any praise. It would just increase the praise her sisters got. Praise that they got for having such talent and beauty that allegedly ran in the family. After all, any improvements that Misty made was just a reminder of how awesome her family was. It didn't speak well for her as an individual, because everything good that she did, her peers and teachers just labeled as something that she had gotten from her sisters' blood.
That was basically the message of her rant. And for her sisters to make everything about themselves…
How many times had Gary called out how much better he and his most skilled peers did on a test? The amount of points scored in a soccer game? It was always either to advertise their own greatness, or… belittle Ash's own shortcomings. Remind him of how far behind he was.
Gary loved to knock down those he and his peers considered to be "worthless". People like Ash himself who would allegedly never amount to anything in life because they didn't have the potential. And comparing Ash's achievements to his own was the perfect opportunity for Gary to boast about his own superiority. Remind everyone that he was the best. As if the reminder was ever even needed.
And Misty's sisters were...
Dark thoughts entered Ash's mind. The look on his face as he observed Misty (who was still holding in her emotions) was one of sympathy. But the stuff going through his mind was more akin to anger.
Misty's sisters weren't like Gary. They might have been worse. As much as Ash hated Gary's treatment and overall behavior towards him, the grandson of Professor Oak didn't actually owe him anything. He had no moral obligation to be supportive of Ash. If he was nothing to Gary, then so be it. Technically, Gary was nothing to him, too. Just the leader of a group of kids that Ash used to be a part of. They only ever knew each other through said group, so their old friendship was only second hand. And they obviously weren't family. Their own, respective lives were perfectly functional without one another to support each other.
But the Sensational Sisters were Misty's family. Ash's mother never boasted to him about how good she was at cooking. When he screwed up the apple pie recipe, she had him watch her make the dish herself. Not to gloat to him about how much better that she was, but to help him and guide him on his next attempt later on.
Misty's sisters were obligated to support her. They must have known about their baby sister's issues. But instead of putting a stop to it… instead of reassuring Misty that she was worth something on her own, all they ever did was feed into it further. Probably for the same reasons as Gary, too: They enjoyed the praise so much that they wanted to brag about it whenever they could. Even if it was at Misty's expense. How much did they actually care about her? mthey had the attention of the pbulic, and yet it sounded like they wouldn't let Misty have anything, even in private.
Ash's hold on Tyrunt was tightening, but he quickly stopped himself before he could hurt the infant by accident. The frown on his face no longer reached his eyes. He was furious. To think, he actually found Lily attractive… She was gorgeous. Enough to give Karen a run for her money. But that beauty was only skin deep. Really, she was just the same narcissist that Gary was. And it sounded like Misty's other two sisters were the same. It was so foreign from what he was accustomed to, when thinking of family.
He was broken out of his thoughts by Misty's voice. Moving the hand away from her face, she sighed with closed eyes, before redirecting her attention back to Ash and Tyrunt.
"Listen to me… Venting all this stuff to you like that." she crossed her arms. "I got carried away, I'm sorry. You didn't need to hear that."
Ash shook his head. "Anything else? You already started." he hoped this would make her feel better in the long run. Otherwise he was just invading her privacy for nothing.
Despite the difference in circumstances, Misty's story hit fairly close to home. But did that really give him a right to pry?
Misty didn't object, however, a light grin appearing on her face. "Heh. Listen to you, all concerned about me." her arrogant tone was coming back. That was a good sign. Her face steeled, or at least her eyes did. Her grin disappeared. Ash couldn't tell if the look on her face qualified as a frown, but it looked a bit somber. "I'm going to become the greatest water specialist the world has ever known. Once I surpass the likes of Wallace of Ever Grande in terms of aquatic battling, no one can ever say my achievements aren't my own. I'd have earned that prowess. So what if my sisters are the best swimmers? They can have that title. I don't even care if they place more stock in it than battling. I'll still have them beat at something. And the world will see that it never had anything to do with my blood." as her arms crossed, she took a couple of steps towards Ash and Tyrunt, although she still kept some distance. "Maria understood. And so did Laura. Those two airheads were the only ones who didn't just see me as 'Sensational Sister Junior'." her lips curved upwards, all of her confident fire back. "Once I'm the greatest, people will forget all about where I came from. They'll just see 'Misty'."
Ash was smiling. Misty's mood hadn't completely gone back to normal, but that energetic pride of hers was back in full swing.
Carefully, he placed Tyrunt lightly on the sidewalk, and gestured for him to stand by a nearby bench as he approached Misty.
'Maybe I should tell her my full story?' he thought to himself. Maybe if he told Misty about how his own situation was similar, she could identify with… he shook away the thought. 'No. I can't make this about myself.'
Taking a leap of faith, he placed a hand on Misty's shoulder. The sudden contact caused her eyes to narrow, but they quickly turned apologetic when she noticed his light flinch.
"Maybe we should sit for a bit?" Ash asked, pointing a thumb to the bench. "It's still pretty early. Just to cool off for a little while. This battle is going to be difficult so…" he trailed off, not sure what else to add on.
After a few moments of silence, Misty offered him a light grin and a nod.
"Yeah." was all that she said.
/
They must have spent a half hour on that bench. No conversations, just comfortable silence as Ash occasionally patted Tyrunt's head, the little dinosaur sitting in between the two rooke trainers.
Occasionally, Ash and Misty would steal a glance at one another, as if to check on each other's mood. Ash did it a bit more often.
As Misty gathered her thoughts, Ash also did his best to calm his nerves. He had been to a Gym before. He had beaten Brock. And on his first try, too. But a Gym was a Gym. He wasn't sure he would ever get used to this. That this nervous feeling would ever go away.
At the very least, it prevented arrogance on his part. That was the one silver lining to being this stressed out. He didn't want to turn into Gary.
Once they proceeded on their way once again, the silence continued, only stopping when they finally reached the Gym.
It was very different from the Pewter Gym, as Ash had expected it to be. It was dome shaped, a beautiful sea blue with pink outlines towards the top. A giant sign of a Dewgong was also attached to the roof.
It was quite the beautiful building to look at. The kind of appeal that would attract passersby to check it out for themselves. Perfect for selling tickets to the shows, Ash imagined to himself.
But since it was also a Gym, that same grand scope just fed into Ash's nerves all the more.
As they slowed to a stop in front of the Gym, their heads turned skyward, Tyrunt gaping in awe in Ash's arms at the building.
Misty let out a groan. "Welp, no more prolonging it, I guess." She turned her head towards Ash and Tyrunt. "Let's just be in and out, okay? We'll have much better places to be once we're each holding a Cascade Badge."
Ash nodded back at her. He couldn't argue with that.
Misty's face was a lot more relaxed than before, but the tension seemed to be returning. Not as bad or hostile as before their cooldown on the bench, but still certainly noticeable.
She wasn't looking forward to this at all, was she? Or maybe she was just looking forward to beating them…
In any case, Ash chose not to dwell on it. Misty wanted to get this over with, so they would.
'Second badge, here we come.' the boy thought to himself as he advanced to the large, automatic doors.. After everything that had happened back at Mt. Moon, this was exactly what they needed. Although Ash was progressively getting better at putting that incident behind him now, it wasn't the kind of thing that he could just forget about.
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Holding a second badge in his hand wouldn't let that kind of thing just go away, but a moment of triumph would give him and his team something to celebrate.
More than anything else, however, they simply needed this win. One badge wouldn't get them to the Indigo Plateau. Neither would two, either, but it was the next step.
Just as the doors opened, however, Ash stopped as he felt a hand on his shoulder. He briefly felt the air from inside the Gym as he turned to see Misty, giving him a friendly smile.
No arrogance. No pride. Not a hint of smugness. Not overjoyed, either. Just a smile.
"Thanks." her voice was even and clear as she kept her eyes on him.
Ash grinned back at her. The friendly exchange lasted for a brief moment before they returned their attention to the task at hand.
Those gym badges would be theirs.
/
The Gym's lobby had a mildly similar layout to that of Pewter's Gym, but also an entirely different feel. It boasted marble walls and floors, and a comfortable air conditioner provided the room with just enough cool air that was needed, so things were somewhat similar in that sense, but there was just something different that Ash just could not quite place. Perhaps it was the fountain in the middle of the room?
A teenage boy who looked to be about sixteen or seventeen sat at the counter. He looked like he was reading a magazine of sorts. Misty scoffed in his direction as she and Ash entered the lobby.
"Look at him." she whispered somewhat unpleasantly in Ash's ear. "I'm here all the time. Most of the desk people are just horny teenagers who want to get a nice glance at the goods, if you know what I mean."
Ash's cheeks flushed a bit at the implications of Misty's words. He supposed a Gym run by three beautiful women who spent most of their time in bathing suits could attract that kind of company, but… did that really mean that everyone working here had that intention?
Misty didn't give him time to ponder it, however, as she made her way to the desk, an even glare plastered on her face as she sped-walked through the lobby, eyes lit with a fire of insistence.
She wasted no time looking around to take in her surroundings. This place must have been second nature to her.
The older boy jolted upwards as he noticed Misty approaching the counter, dropping his magazine as he straightened himself out to look at her.
"Oh! Misty! I think I overheard your sisters saying that you were back." He had a nervous grin on his face, his tone of voice a bit shaky and stuttery, as though he was surprised to see her. Caught off guard. Almost like he wasn't paying attention to them coming in.
Misty rolled her eyes. "Save it, bub. I see you've gotten your hands on Daisy's latest magazine entry." Her eyes briefly directed themselves to the magazine, which was still open and now on the desk, showcasing a photo of a beautiful, tall blonde woman with green eyes, wearing a provocative swimsuit and striking a pose for the camera. A second photo showcased her in the water, wearing the same outfit.
The teenager's face paled as his arms shot up defensively, waving around a bit as Ash made his way to the desk, and Misty crossed her arms, eying the desk boy judgmentally.
"I-It's… Not what you think!" the older boy stuttered out pathetically, not sure what else to add on.
"I should certainly hope not," Misty scoffed at the teen's frantic behavior as Ash stopped by her side, Tyrunt gazing at the older boy with blissful ignorance of the current topic. "That's what bathrooms are for. Now then…" the teen flinched as the hothead's hands slammed down onto the desk, her eyes locking with his with an even glare. "Two challengers. Back to back. No rain checks. No waiting time. Inform. Now." Her tone of voice made it seem like she was the one in charge.
The older boy gulped. "Uh… they said they needed to practice for a show-"
"And I need a badge for the Conference, dimwit!" Misty snarled as the teenager pathetically backed away in fear.
'I guess she has that effect on older people, too.' Ash thought to himself with a sense of fearful respect. He pitied the teenage boy, but it was good to know that he wasn't the only one who found Misty to be scary.
Misty's finger shot forward, stopping just short of the older boy's face, focused steadily in between his eyes. "Inform them that Misty and her friend are the challengers. And that I'll just bust through the doors to the pool myself if I'm kept waiting too long." she tapped her finger against the top of the counter, near the yellow button that activated the communications. "Go on, don't make me do it for you, buster."
Apparently the desire to please his drop-dead-gorgeous bosses paled in comparison to the terror conveyed from the look in Misty's eyes, combined with the disturbingly even and calm tone of voice that she used, because his hand practically slapped the button.
As a female voice responded on the other end, Misty crossed her arms patiently as Ash tried to look neither party in the eye.
"What is it?" the voice practically moaned. "We're busy!" The voice was whining now.
Ash blinked. This was a Gym Leader? Brock certainly wasn't like this. Elacia had claimed that his tough guy act was just nothing but an act, but this woman wasn't even trying. There wasn't a hint of professionalism in her tone of voice, whereas Brock had practically been radiating with it.
The teenaged boy flinched nervously. "Hey Violet, sorry, but, you've got two challengers. Your sister and her friend…and they really don't want to wait?" His gaze returned to Misty, who was tapping her foot patiently against the floor, arms still crossed, gaze never leaving the teenager.
"Misty, you say?"
"Yes." the desk boy responded nervously.
A moment of silence on the other end, although Ash could have sworn he heard some light chattering, as though the sisters were discussing something. He couldn't make out if it was all three of them or not, however.
After a few moments, Violet sighed on the other end. "UGGGH… Okay fine, let them in."
Ash and Misty were on their way after a quick scan of each trainer's Pokedex.
/
If there was one thing that set Cerulean Gym apart from Pewter Gym, it was the battlefield room, and although it was the main event, the difference went beyond just the battlefield itself.
Ash, despite expecting it, gawked at the massive pool of water, which equaled that of Brock's own battlefield in size. A tall diving board was overhead, and multiple square shaped and aqua blue colored platforms floated in the water, including a significantly larger platform in the center.
The platforms themselves actually seemed to be bigger than the rocks in the pond that they had used to train, so that was fairly good news, as it would hopefully ensure that the battlefield was easier to traverse. Nevertheless, the vast majority of the battlefield was still water, and the pool was fairly deep.
On the other end of the room was a massive set of bleachers, almost like a miniature stadium. Most likely for the audience at the Sensational Sisters' shows. Given their fame, Ash had a feeling that the bleachers were packed for every single event.
"Well, what do you know?" a female voice.
Just as Ash set Tyrunt down on the floor, the little dinosaur continuing to stand beside him at his legs afterwards, the boy and Misty turned their attention to the pool, in the direction that the voice had come from.
A tall, blonde woman with green eyes climbed up the ladder, drenched in water as she exited the pool and made her way towards the pair of trainers. Misty's face tightened at the sight of her.
"Daisy." she said evenly, suppressing most of her growl with considerable effort.
Ash's mind was panicking as Daisy approached them. Much like Lily, she had beauty to spare, and as the water dripped from her perfect skin, which her drenched swimsuit clung to, and her soaked hair (which still appeared flawless despite that) fell down behind her, the boy suddenly couldn't blame the many teenagers who apparently signed up to work at the Gym with more interest in getting a close-up, in-person look at their three employers than whatever their salary was going to be.
Ash briefly squeezed his eyes shut as he desperately fought off the heat rushing to his face.
'Stop it, Ash!' He scolded himself. 'I don't care how pretty she is, stop gawking over the women that are giving your friend such a hard time!' The self-reminder was enough to do wonders for his self control, as he opened his eyes back up with a more modest blush on his face.
It was better than nothing.
Thankfully, Misty didn't seem to have witnessed the brief crisis that Daisy had triggered in her friend literally just by being present in front of them, her focus instead entirely on the blonde woman as she crossed her arms and eyed her older sister seriously, much to the woman's amusement.
Daisy's lips were curved upwards as she casually leaned against a sign, water still dripping from her skin (Ash angrily reminded himself to stop paying attention to her skin). "Surprised to see you back so soon, little sister. And I see you've brought the boy Lily told us about." her eyes made their way towards Ash, who kept his gaze on her, but did not make eye contact, for fear that his cheeks would explode in heat again.
Her voice was incredibly casual. Not uncaring, but far from serious. The laid back nature caught Ash off guard. None of these three were anything like Brock, it seemed. Even on the job…
Her voice remained even as she spoke to Ash. "Nice to meet you, Ash. I'm Daisy." Casual and friendly, with the slightest hint of soothingness to it. Easy to miss, but impossible to ignore if you noticed it by accident.
Something about it just made him feel extra nervous, however, as though his guard would completely leave him. It was almost alluring...
More fearful than ever about falling under Daisy's spell, Ash redoubled his efforts to not look her in the eye.
"H-Hi, Daisy." Although he stuttered at first, he evened out his voice just in time.
Tyrunt was a different story, on the other hand, and one look at the baby dinosaur was all that Ash needed to know to see how enraptured that the Royal Heir Pokemon was at the blonde. The infant had the widest grin Ash had ever seen on the dinosaur's face before, the infatuation in his eyes skyrocketing even further as Daisy briefly looked down to flash him a grin, too.
The shine that Pikachu had taken to Laura was nothing compared to this.
Misty must have noticed the effort that Ash was putting in to suppress his blush (and it was working for the most part) because she didn't react scoldingly the way she had with Lily, instead opting to silently place herself in between Ash and the blond woman (much to Ash's relief).
"We didn't come here to talk, Daisy. Where are the other two bimbos? We have a schedule to keep. Much more important than yours." Despite the seemingly even tone, it was hard not to detect the spite in her voice.
Daisy raised her hands in front of her defensively. "Easy there, girl. I wasn't in the office when we got the call, but Lily told me they were just reviewing your information. Besides…" her hands fell to her knees as she leaned forward a bit. "Don't you wanna pass the time? You always loved listening to me talking about the shows-"
"You forced that talk on me like a Steelix trying to fit its tail into a crack." Misty growled in interruption.
Daisy's face was blank. "Pretty sure the crack would just break-"
"I don't want to hear about your damn shows!" Misty slammed her foot down onto the floor, glaring a bit more explicitly at her sister as the two locked eyes, Daisy not flinching from her gaze. The orange-haired girl gestured slightly towards Ash, but kept most of her attention on her older sister. "Ash and I are here to kick your butts, get our badges, leave, and not have to talk to you anymore than we need too, and no, I don't care about whatever love letters you've gotten from your drooling, hormone-filled fanbase, how great the ratings of your last show was, how beautiful you were reminded that you were last time you found yourself in front of a mirror, or literally anything else that you love to hear yourself talk about! So save it."
Ash was feeling increasingly uncomfortable again, but Daisy's facial expression barely even responded to Misty's words. Tyrunt was… too busy desperately staring at the woman to take notice of anything that was currently being said.
'She didn't even need to put in the effort to brainwash him.' Ash thought to himself with an inward grumble. 'At least Laura tickled Pikachu's chin.'
And unlike the older humans that the Sensational Sisters most certainly attracted, Tyrunt had no knowledge of the… intent that many of the admirers most likely had. He was just an innocent kid latching onto something pretty. Not that much different from Pikachu's childish enamourment with Laura, Ash supposed, but even more blatantly helpless. And Pikachu, despite still being a young child, wasn't a literal baby like Tyrunt was.
"It's a shame…" Daisy said evenly. "It's just that, I figured you'd appreciate knowing what it's like, given you're-"
"Inferior?" Misty cut her off. "Never going to experience that kind of fame? An afterthought?" Although her voice remained fairly even, the look in her eyes was now a lot more hostile. "Quit using your little facade of pity to justify showing off to me! Now-"
"There she is!"
Everyone's attention turned to the door on the other side of the room near the bleachers (except for Tyrunt, who's infatuated gaze remained solely on Daisy) as it opened. Out of the door emerged an indigo-haired woman with brown eyes (this must have been Violet), flanked by Lily. Both were in their own bathing suits, in comparison to the more casual clothes that Lily had been wearing during her encounter with Ash and Misty the other day.
It was Violet who had spoken, and a startled Ashs stepped back in surprise as the attractive woman rushed forward and placed her hands on his shoulders.
Hey, there!" her voice was a lot more hyperactive than Daisy or Lily. "Nice to meet you, Ash! So, you're the little runt's bodyguard, right?"
Uh oh.
Misty's reaction was about what Ash expected, the orange-haired girl's facial expression turning demonic as she jabbed a finger into Violet's side.
"EXCUSE ME?!" her voice was enough to even break a now extremely startled Tyrunt out of his trance.
Violet flinched back, shooting her youngest sister an entitled pout. "Ow! Hey, Misty, easy on the suit! These are our most expensive ones yet!"
Misty didn't even respond to that, her now blood-red eyes shooting a glare into Violet's own eyes as she snarled at the woman. "What was that about a bodyguard?!" she demanded threateningly, as if daring Violet to give her the wrong answer.
Apparently Violet was barely even worried, if her shameless response was anything to go by.
"Well, you know." the woman responded with a blatant grin, as though what she was about to say was completely inoffensive. "A delicate flower like you, always getting yourself into trouble, going out into the cruel, cruel world of Pokemon training…" she clasped her hands together, her energetic joy laced with just the tiniest hint of mockery. "It's only natural that you'd find a strong, dependable trainer to shield you from the dangers of-"
"Fuck. Off." Misty's interruption was simple and blunt, the only thing she could think of saying to Violet's declaration. Pointing her finger forward, she met the now smirking indigo-haired woman's gaze with sharp eyes. "I'm not a baby anymore. I already have a badge, as you probably saw back at the office. Now then-"
"Oh, come on!" Misty's ire-filled gaze found its way to Lily as the pink-haired woman snorted, hands behind her head. "A girl who loves water types beating a rock type Gym? Not saying it doesn't mean anything, but you're really not expecting anyone to frame that achievement, are you?"
Even in the midst of being flustered, Ash felt the anger welling up inside of him again.
As a Gym Leader, Lily would know full well that a Gym Leader would always find a way to get past type matchups, even outsider of high-level battles, in order to ensure that no gym battle would end up being a freebie. It was a huge achievement regardless. Not to mention how much more quickly Misty had pulled it off than most rookies ever would have, type matchups or not.
Perhaps Misty wasn't making it any better, but it was becoming easier to see the thrill that these three seemed to get from the hotheaded girl's outbursts. Even Daisy was lightly smirking now, as Misty's snarl targeted Lily.
Before she could continue her aggression, however, Ash quickly placed a hand on her shoulder. Although she initially jolted from the contact, she quickly eased up and turned her head to face him.
Ash wasn't very good with these situations, but he did his best to maintain an even gaze as he lightly nodded towards his friend, who nodded back with some consideration.
Her sisters must have noticed the more relaxed expression on Misty's face as she turned her attention back to them, however, as Violet's smirk suddenly grew a bit more dangerous.
"Oooh." she fawned as she clasped her hands together in delight. Her voice was half joyously innocent, half blatantly condescending. "An emotional anchor, too? Ash is, like, the best bodyguard ever!"
As Misty's temper flared back up, it was Ash this time who placed himself between her and her sisters, much to the orange-haired girl's (and, to an extent, her three sisters') surprise.
"Knock it off." Ash was quite surprised at how authoritative he managed to make himself sound, and almost proud. The sister's blinked for a brief moment as he did his best to glare at them. Not angrily, just seriously. To get the point across. This had gone on long enough, as far as he was concerned.
The boy could have sworn he saw a frown form on Daisy's face, but it was gone as soon as it had shown up, her face becoming neutral as she stared at the boy with crossed arms.
To his surprise, she didn't put up any resistance, instead allowing her hands to fall to her sides. "Okay, that's enough fun." she stated simply and evenly. "So, you two are both planning on battling today? Who's going first?" She eyed the two trainer's as Tyrunt returned to gazing at her, albeit not as hopelessly this time.
Ash blinked at that, suddenly realizing that he and Misty had not talked that over. Shooting his friend a questioning glance, he was greeted with a shrug.
"Eh." said the orange-haired girl. "Doesn't really matter to me, I suppose. Either way we're both winning…" another shrug. "Do you want to go first?"
Ash was afraid he'd sound selfish if he said yes, but Misty was giving him the choice, so it seemed she didn't mind.
"Okay." he replied with a nod. "Thanks." With a thumbs up from Misty, the boy turned back to the hotheaded girl's sisters with an even gaze. "I'll be your first opponent."
Daisy nodded, lips quirking upwards. "Alright then, will do." she turned to her sisters with a thumbs up. "Alright girls, you know this goes."
Violet and Lily nodded, the three women suddenly forming a circle.
Ash blinked. What were they doing?
Lily nodded with a smile. "Okay. So the winner battles Misty's bodyguard-"
"I will physically murder you." Misty's red eyes were back.
The sisters ignored her, Violet speaking up next. "And second place acts as referee. That means the loser watches from the bleachers." she gestured towards the massive set of bleachers at the end of the room.
Daisy nodded. "Alright then…" she raised her arm. "So, on three." the other two women raised theirs.
Ash and Misty blinked curiously, not sure what was going on-
"Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!"
The two kids nearly face-planted.
/
By some miracle, the three women tied for three minutes straight in their game. Misty was about to step in and yell at them to knock it off when they finally reached a proper ending, Daisy pumping an arm up in victory.
"Alright, way to go, me!" Ash was a bit caught off by the energy in her voice as she turned to face him with enthusiasm. "Alright Ash, I'll be battling you." The blonde woman gave him a thumbs up.
Lily groaned, hands folded behind her head as Violet lightly smirked at her. "Dammit…" she whined. "Didn't even get to be the referee."
Violet winked at her pink-haired sister. "Don't worry Lily, I'll be sure to do extra good just for you!" Her comment prompted a pout from her sister.
As Lily made her way to the bleachers, Ash turned to Misty carefully. "You mind watching over Tyrunt during the battle, Misty?" he asked as politely as possible. Tyrunt wouldn't be in any danger from the battle because of the barriers, but the bleachers would be a better place for him to sit down and rest.
Misty just nodded. "Sure. I'll take him to the bleachers." she glanced down at the dinosaur a bit nervously. "He wouldn't mind me picking him up, would he? I remember what your Pokedex said about those jaws."
Ash did his best to grin casually. "I doubt he'd do that to you, but he can walk if you're nervous about it." As Misty offered the young boy a grateful nod, Ash knelt down and patted Tyrunt's head, prompting an adorably pleased grin from the baby. "Be on your best behavior for Misty, okay? I'll buy you that special meat that you like if you're good."
During their outing with Maria and Laura, Ash had discovered that Tyrunt had a particular taste for a specific red meat that was served as Pokemon food. Upon Ash bringing it up, Tyrunt jumped up as excited ramblings escaped his throat.
Ash giggled a bit at the infant's antics. "Pay good attention to the battle, okay? It'll be good to follow your friends' example if you decide you want to start."
As Tyrunt nodded happily, the sound of footsteps turned the trio's attention to Daisy as she approached them, a lax grin on her face as she observed the three.
Misty crossed her arms irritably. "Yes?"
Daisy eyed them for a moment. "We're just about ready." placing a hand on Ash's shoulder, she gestured towards a nearby monitor on the wall. "Just register your team over there, and take your place in the challenger's spot." At Ash's nod, she smiled at him again before turning to Misty. "You'll be at the bleachers, of course."
Misty rolled her eyes. "Duh, tell me something I don't know." moving a bit closer to Ash, she slapped the boy on the back as she turned away, almost causing her friend to flinch. "Alright, Ash. Either you kick her ass, or I'm kicking yours."
Ash's lips twitched upwards into an anxious grin as he nodded nervously. "Uh huh, I'll take it under advisement."
Misty allowed an amused smirk to make its way across her face for a brief moment before she turned her attention to Tyrunt, who was looking up at her expectantly. "Alright, rascal. You and I are headed to our seats." She led the baby dinosaur away from the area as Daisy prepared to take her position on the other side.
Left alone now, Ash turned and made his way to the monitor. It was a large touch screen, with the instructions already mapped out, and his team listed in pictures.
Select Four Pokemon
Ash quickly tapped the pictures of Pikachu, Nebula, Valiant, and Eevee before turning away from the screen and making his way to his spot on the battlefield.
Now at the edge of the pool, he locked eyes with Daisy on the other end. The beautiful blonde woman suddenly had a much more confident, authoritative aura to her as her fists pressed against her hips, a light smirk on her face as the bleachers towered behind her. About halfway up, Ash could see Lily seated cross legged on the far left of the bleachers (although he supposed it would be the far right from her perspective). On the bottom row, in about the middle of the bleachers, Misty sat next to Tyrunt, her hands on her knees as she leaned forward expectantly. No doubt she had distanced herself from Lily on purpose.
Daisy spoke up first, raising her voice loudly as it echoed across the room and into Ash's ears. "Going for your second badge not even a month and a half into the Season? You're quite the bold rookie, Mr. Ketchum." Was she teasing him? Ash couldn't tell, but he responded anyway.
This was it. His second Gym battle. It was terrifying, and yet… exciting.
He had proved himself already, against Brock. But today, he would prove that that was no fluke.
He was going to reach the Indigo Plateau. And he would continue his journey to the Conference by winning this upcoming battle.
Running his hand along the Poke Balls on his belt, Ash eyed Daisy as seriously as he could muster. He couldn't repress his nerves, but he could focus more on his eagerness, instead.
"It's not about overachieving, or doing things quickly." He raised his own voice as much as he could to ensure that he was heard. He felt just as much nerves as when he had challenged Brock, but in comparison to that moment, a fire was also burning inside of him. And he would use that fire to distract from his nerves. "That doesn't mean I'm not going to do it if I get the chance!"
A light amount of adrenaline was already building up inside of him. A small drop of sweat had formed on his face, but Ash paid it no mind.
He was going to win this battle. He was going to leave with the Cascade Badge.
Daisy's smirk was wide now, although it was more of an enthusiastic one, rather than an intimidating one like Brock's, though Ash was too far to make that out. "Ooh, like the attitude, kid. I suppose Misty wouldn't waste her time hanging around someone who lacked spunk."
The boy once again wasn't sure what to make of that, whether or not Daisy was teasing him. Nevertheless, he paid it no mind as he faced down his upcoming opponent. He took a deep breath to gather his bearings as he waited for the match to start. It felt like an eternity.
Violet spoke up. She stood on the far right end of the pool (far left end from Daisy's perspective) as she raised her arms up giddily.
"Alrighty everyone! The Barrier Gears are activated, and this Gym battle is ready to get down to business!"
Ash blinked. Pewter's Gym really had been a lot more professional than this.
Over on the bleachers, Tyrunt gazed at Misty curiously as the hotheaded girl buried her face in her hands in shame.
"I lived with these people for ten years of my life." she moaned pathetically.
Violet continued to speak, her chipper (and not remotely authoritative) tone of voice carrying across the pool as Ash and Daisy's eyes remained locked to one another.
"Each side will use four Pokemon, with substitutions allowed from both of you! The battle will be over once every Pokemon on either side is eliminated, or if you give up! Oh, but please don't give up, that's no fun! Any questions?" she finished in a sing-song tone of voice.
Ash couldn't tell if her casual demeanor was distracting from the stress of the situation, or just making it worse. Nevertheless, he and Daisy both simultaneously shook their heads.
"Alllllllllllllllllrighty then!" Violet thrust her arms downward. "This Gym battle is officially OOOOOOOOOON!"