Even though Ash Ketchum had only been on his journey for less than two weeks and still had a lot to learn, there was one thing he did understand: Gym Badges weren't supposed to be easy to get.
When he faced Brock, it might've looked effortless on the surface—Ash crushed him, barely giving him a chance to fight back. But in reality, Brock had just used his lowest challenge difficulty.
And honestly, it was only thanks to Tactics Master Ash's influence that Ash managed to come up with such a smart strategy in the first place. Tactics Master Ash was known as a tactical master—even Champion Tier Trainers dreaded facing him. Crushing a Gym Leader with pure tactics? That was normal for someone like him.
So really, a Gym Badge wasn't something handed out casually. It was a token that proved a challenger's worth after the Gym Leader deemed them qualified and tested them thoroughly.
If every Gym was as easygoing as Cerulean Gym—just handing out Badges whenever they felt like it—the entire Kanto League, heck, the whole Pokémon League, would fall into chaos.
That's why Ash couldn't understand what Violet and Lily were thinking.
"A Gym Badge is just the result. Isn't the important part the challenge itself? If you just give me the Badge without a real battle, I won't grow at all. What's the difference between that and not earning it at all?" Ash frowned, clearly unhappy.
Challenging Gyms and growing stronger—that was the simplest, most direct path the group chat veterans had drawn out for him. As he collected more Badges, the challenges would only get harder.
It was a step-by-step process, each Gym battle testing him at the right moment, forcing him to improve by overcoming each hurdle.
After defeating Brock, Butterfree had leveled up instantly, and Pikachu had advanced to mid-Advanced Tier, stabilizing in just a single day.
That was the beauty of facing Gyms that matched his current level—it wasn't too easy to gain nothing, nor too hard to get crushed.
But what was this Cerulean Gym nonsense? They'd just handed him a Badge! That made him a two-Badge Trainer already. When he faced the third Gym, the difficulty curve would be completely out of whack.
He needed experience—battle experience! But as he looked at the three beautiful sisters' innocent faces after raising his voice, he realized… even if he fought them, would he really gain anything?
They weren't strong enough. Winning wouldn't push him to grow.
For a moment, Ash felt drained. Maybe he should've listened to Misty and skipped Cerulean Gym altogether. There might not have been the "terrifying woman" she'd described, but as a Gym for honing skills, this place was seriously underwhelming.
"Since you feel that way, I'll accept your challenge," Daisy sighed. "The rule will be one-on-one. I only have—"
Before she could finish, the tightly shut back doors swung open with a loud bang. A sharp, confident voice rang out behind Ash.
"Your challenge to Cerulean Gym will be accepted by me—the true Gym Leader of Cerulean Gym!"
Ash turned, and there she was—Misty, the very girl who'd left his group earlier.
His expression twisted into something between disbelief and confusion. He looked from the Sensational Sisters to Misty and back again, pointing helplessly between them like his brain had short-circuited.
The veterans in the chat had mentioned once that Misty was the Gym Leader of Cerulean Gym, but Ash hadn't taken it seriously. She was about his age—how could she already be a Gym Leader? It didn't seem possible.
But remembering her knowledge, her strong Pokémon… maybe it wasn't so far-fetched after all.
Still, after hearing her constantly badmouth Cerulean Gym and call its Gym Leader some scary tyrant, Ash had written the idea off completely.
Different Parallel Worlds developed differently. Maybe in another world she was a Gym Leader, but not here.
Then he met the three sisters, which only confirmed what he thought—until Misty suddenly popped up claiming she was the true Gym Leader. His mind spun.
Wait, hold up. If you're the Gym Leader, why were you badmouthing your own Gym? Who does that?!
Misty saw the confusion all over Ash's face and gave a small, apologetic smile before explaining. She was the official successor of Cerulean Gym—the youngest of the four Cerulean sisters.
"You… so that's why you didn't want me coming to Cerulean Gym! You didn't want me on your turf!"
"My turf? Ugh, that sounds awful," Misty groaned, rolling her eyes. "I didn't want you to come because I told my sisters I wouldn't return until I became a strong Trainer. But you, you stubborn mule, just had to come here anyway, so what choice did I have but to come back too?"
If she hadn't been so stubborn with her sisters earlier, she wouldn't have been so reluctant to return.
And now look—after vowing not to come back until she'd become a Water-type Pokémon Master, here she was, back in less than a month. That was beyond embarrassing.
Still, better to embarrass herself than to let Cerulean Gym lose face in front of Ash.
Anyone could look down on Cerulean Gym—but not Ash. She didn't even know why, but that's just how she felt. She couldn't stand the idea of him thinking less of her Gym. So even knowing she'd eat humble pie, she stepped forward.
"Misty, so you finally decided to come back!"
"Didn't you say you wouldn't return until you became a Water-type Pokémon Master? That was fast!"
Just as Misty expected, her sisters jumped on her the moment they saw her.
But before they could pile on, Daisy raised a hand, gently stopping Violet and Lily.
"Enough. Misty's here to help us. Let's be honest—we're nowhere near her level when it comes to battling. You both felt it too, right? How hard it's been running the Gym while she was gone?" Daisy said calmly.
Her words made both sisters fall silent.
Since Misty's departure, the three of them had been taking turns as acting Gym Leader—and getting absolutely demolished by challengers.
They'd realized then just how much they'd underestimated Misty. Sure, their water ballets made money, but Misty had been the one defending the Gym, fighting tough battles every day. Her job was just as hard, maybe even harder.
Their earlier scolding had just been habit—they'd been teasing her for so long, it was automatic.
"Misty, Cerulean Gym is in your hands again," Daisy said softly, stepping up and placing the Cascade Badge in Misty's palm.
"Daisy…" Misty nodded firmly. "Don't worry. I'll protect Cerulean Gym's honor. Ash—let's battle!"
"Wouldn't miss it for the world!" Ash grinned. "I've been waiting to fight you, Misty!"
…
A few minutes later, the two of them faced off in the Cerulean Gym's water arena. As a Water-type Gym, the field was covered in shimmering pools, reflecting the lights above. Misty and Ash stood on opposite platforms.
"This battle's going to be a little special," Misty announced. "You can use three Pokémon, Ash. I'll only use one—but it'll be my strongest one. Do you accept these rules?"
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A/n: sorry for the delay! i'll try to get up to chapter 100 by today ♡