Strength revealed through battle is the clearest proof of growth.
Since they had already arrived at the Pokemon Center, Ash decided there was no rush to challenge the Gym.
First came a hearty meal with his Pokémon.
Then a long, satisfying nap.
Only after recovering fully did Ash—now bursting with energy—set off toward the Cerulean Gym with Froakie at his side.
Serena and Brock followed along as well.
Serena came because she wanted to watch Ash's battle.
Brock, on the other hand…
Was mostly there to watch the water show.
After all, the Cerulean Gym wasn't just the Gym of Cerulean City.
It was also the largest aquarium in the city.
That wasn't unusual. Gyms often doubled as local landmarks. The Cerulean Gym served as an aquarium, while the Pewter Gym doubled as a fossil museum.
After all, Gym Leaders weren't battling challengers every single day. During quiet periods, they usually pursued hobbies or interests.
Over time, many Gyms naturally developed two roles:
One for Trainers, and another for the general public.
Although the Pokemon League technically discouraged Gym Leaders from having side jobs, as long as their Gym duties weren't affected, nobody really enforced the rule.
Soon, the group arrived at the entrance of the Cerulean Gym.
Ash inhaled deeply.
Then pushed the doors open without hesitation.
"Hello! I'm Ash from Pallet Town! I'm here to challenge the—"
WHOOSH!
Before he could finish speaking, a golden-brown object shot past him at incredible speed.
Ash's brain hadn't even processed it yet.
But his body had already moved.
His arms blurred like afterimages.
In an instant—
He caught the object.
The impact forced him to slide one step backward before his muscles absorbed the momentum.
Only then did Ash look down.
"…Isn't this a Staryu?"
But the Pokemonlooked exhausted. The red gem at its center flickered weakly.
It had clearly fainted.
Ash quickly pulled a spray bottle from his backpack and gently treated it.
After Serena told him about healing sprays, he had bought several from the Pokemon Center.
Training often resulted in injuries, after all.
Berries worked most of the time, but sometimes you needed something faster.
The red gem on Staryu slowly stopped flashing.
The spray seemed to be helping.
At that moment—
A voice echoed from inside.
"Staryu is unable to battle! The winner is Goh from Pallet Town!"
Then a smug voice followed.
"How about that, Misty? I told you that you couldn't beat me."
"That's only because I wasn't going all out," Misty shot back. "Gym Leaders adjust their Pokemonbased on a challenger's level."
"Ooooh, really?" Goh said sarcastically. "Even if that's true, my Pikachu would still win in the end."
"Right, Pikachu?"
"Pika!"
"…Ugh. I'm done arguing with you."
Footsteps approached quickly.
Misty rushed out—looking worried.
Then she saw Ash.
"…You?"
She blinked.
"What are you doing at the Cerulean Gym?"
"I came to challenge the Gym," Ash said.
Then he handed her Staryu.
"Is this yours? I treated it a little."
"Thank you!"
Misty accepted Staryu, relief washing over her face when she saw it breathing steadily again.
Then she looked up.
Before she could speak—
She noticed Brock behind him.
"Brock? What are you doing with Ash?"
"We ran into each other on the road," Brock said casually.
Then he looked at her in surprise.
"Wait—you're the Cerulean Gym Leader?"
"You're pretty young for that."
"I didn't exactly volunteer," Misty sighed.
"My older sisters don't care about Gym battles at all."
"So the youngest sister had to take the job."
"Who are you talking to, Misty?"
A tan-skinned boy walked out with his hands behind his head.
"Hey, Brock. You finally showed up."
"Yeah," Brock nodded. "I came to meet up with you guys."
Goh looked toward Ash.
"…You look familiar."
"I'm Ash," he replied calmly. "We battled earlier."
"Oh, right!" Goh snapped his fingers.
"You're the Trainer with the bootleg Pikachu."
Ash's expression darkened slightly.
"Mimikyu isn't a bootleg Pikachu."
"Mimikyu is Mimikyu."
"It isn't anyone's imitation."
"Please don't say things like that again."
He looked directly into Goh's eyes.
His tone was calm—but firm.
"…Fine," Goh muttered, glancing away.
"Whatever."
The atmosphere instantly grew awkward.
But Ash ignored it completely.
He turned to Misty.
"So you're the Gym Leader?"
"Can we battle now?"
Misty looked troubled.
"We can battle… but my Gym battle Pokemonare exhausted from earlier."
"Could you come back tomorrow?"
"I don't want to wait," Ash replied.
"You said your Gym Pokemonare tired."
"But you still have your personal Pokémon, right?"
"Could you use those instead?"
"My personal Pokémon?" Misty blinked.
"They're much stronger."
"They might be too much for a beginner Trainer."
Ash grinned.
"No problem."
"I've been a Trainer for two months now."
He puffed his chest proudly.
"Battling strong Pokemonis way more exciting!"
"…Alright," Misty said after a moment.
Then she glared at Goh.
"Stay and watch."
"I'll show you what a real Gym Leader can do."
Misty's second battle of the day began.
The referee stepped forward.
"This will be a Cerulean Gym battle. Each side may use two Pokémon. The Gym Leader may not switch Pokémon, but the challenger may switch freely. The match ends when one side has no remaining Pokemonable to battle."
Both Trainers took their positions beside the massive pool.
"Battle… begin!"
Misty moved first.
"My first Pokemonis this one!"
She threw a Poké Ball.
Flash.
"Hi!"
A purple star-shaped Pokemonappeared.
Starmie.
Ash raised his Poké Ball.
"My turn."
"Go—Mimikyu!"
"Mimi!"
Misty narrowed her eyes.
"That Pokemonagain."
She had researched it after their previous encounter.
"Ghost and Fairy-type… perfect against Starmie."
"But if I remember correctly…"
"Mimikyu can't take hits."
"That means if I land just one attack, the battle ends!"
She raised her arm sharply.
"Starmie—Water Gun!"
A powerful stream of water shot toward Mimikyu.
"Just don't get hit!" Ash shouted.
"Mimikyu—show them our training!"
"Jump!"
"Mimi!"
In an instant—
Mimikyu launched itself high into the air.
"So fast!" Misty gasped.
But she recovered immediately.
"You can't change direction midair!"
"Starmie—Thunderbolt!"
Electricity crackled toward the airborne Mimikyu.
Ash's hand sliced downward.
"Now! Shadow Sneak!"
Mimikyu's shadow stretched across the floor—
Reaching Starmie's shadow.
The two merged.
Then—
Mimikyu vanished.
The shadow beneath Starmie began boiling like dark water.
Suddenly—
Mimikyu burst upward from the shadow.
Black claws slashed upward.
CRASH!
Starmie was knocked straight into the pool.
Super effective.
Ghost-types possessed a natural affinity with shadows.
While Mimikyu wasn't as fast as Froakie, mastering shadow movement made it incredibly unpredictable.
After weeks of training, Mimikyu had learned to use shadows to compensate for its inability to take damage.
"Starmie!"
Misty gritted her teeth.
"Then we'll use Surf from the water!"
"Don't give it the chance!" Ash shouted.
"Mimikyu—Wood Hammer!"
"Mimi!"
Mimikyu's tail transformed into a massive hammer.
At point-blank range—
It spun once and smashed directly into Starmie's central gem.
BOOM!
Starmie flew out of the water—
And slammed into the wall behind Misty.
It collapsed instantly.
"Starmie is unable to battle! The winner is Ash from Pallet Town!"
"…Return, Starmie."
Misty recalled it slowly.
Then she looked at Ash with surprise.
"You've improved a lot since the last time we met."
Ash laughed.
"We've been training hard!"
"Alright!"
"Show me your second Pokémon!"
Misty smiled slightly.
"You're pretty confident."
Her expression turned serious.
"Then I'll show you what I'm really capable of."
She threw another Poké Ball.
"Go—Gyarados!"
A massive serpent burst from the water.
"ROOOAR!"
The pressure alone filled the arena.
Both Ash and Mimikyu felt it instantly.
Their bodies stiffened.
Mimikyu's Attack fell.
Ash's Attack… somehow also felt like it dropped.
Misty blinked.
"…Why did your Attack drop?"
Ash checked his Pokédex.
"Gyarados. The Atrocious Pokémon. Ability: Intimidate. Lowers the opponent's Attack when it enters battle."
"Interesting…"
But Ash's excitement only grew.
"We're not losing!"
"Mimikyu—Double Team!"
Dozens of illusions spread across the field.
"Gyarados—Dragon Dance!" Misty ordered immediately.
But Ash's eyes lit up.
"Perfect!"
"Mimikyu—Burning Jealousy!"
Dark flames erupted around Mimikyu.
Two shadow claws struck Gyarados—
And eerie flames spread across its body.
Moments later—
The flames vanished.
But scorch marks remained.
Gyarados had been burned.
"Burning Jealousy guarantees a burn if the opponent boosts its stats," Ash explained.
Misty clenched her teeth.
"So that's the trick…"
"Even with reduced attack power, our speed is still boosted!"
"Gyarados—Hurricane!"
A violent storm blasted across the arena.
All Mimikyu illusions vanished—
Except one.
"There!" Misty shouted.
"Iron Tail!"
The massive steel-coated tail came crashing down.
"Shadow Sneak!" Ash ordered instantly.
Mimikyu vanished into Gyarados' shadow—
Reappearing behind it.
Then Ash shouted,
"Jump onto its tail!"
"Use Bounce!"
Mimikyu landed on the swinging tail—
And used the momentum like a launching pad.
It shot upward—
Landing directly on Gyarados' head.
Ash clenched his fist.
"This decides it!"
"Mimikyu—Maximum power Shadow Claw!"
"MIMI!"
Gigantic shadow claws erupted downward—
CRASH!
A direct hit.
Critical strike.
Gyarados screamed as it crashed into the pool.
"Gyarados is unable to battle!"
"With all of the Gym Leader's Pokemondefeated…"
"The winner is Ash from Pallet Town!"
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