As a rookie Trainer who had been on the road for less than two weeks, Ash might not have known everything about the world of Pokémon, but he understood one important truth: a Gym Badge was never meant to be handed out so easily.
Take his match with Brock, for example. On the surface, he had looked unstoppable, overwhelming the Pewter Gym Leader with hardly any effort. But the truth was, Brock had only used his weakest lineup, the "lowest-difficulty" challenge.
On top of that, Ash had leaned on strategies he'd learned from "Tactician Ash" in the group chat. If even Champion-level Trainers got headaches battling that guy, then of course Brock had been crushed.
The point was clear: a Gym Badge wasn't just some trinket, it was proof that a Trainer had been tested and judged worthy through battle.
If Gyms like Cerulean just tossed out Badges without a fight, the whole Kanto League, no, the entire Pokémon League, would fall into chaos!
Ash honestly couldn't understand Violet and Lily's attitude at all.
"A Gym Badge is just the result," he frowned, his voice edged with frustration. "Isn't the battle the most important part? If you hand me a Badge like this, I don't improve at all. What's the difference between that and not having one?"
The veterans in the chat had told him: Gym battles were the most direct, most brutal path to self-growth. Each Badge you earned made the next Gym tougher, the trials harder, and the growth greater.
That was why, after defeating Brock, Butterfree had leveled up immediately, and Pikachu had advanced to Intermediate rank and stabilized in just one day.
That was the benefit of fighting at your level: not too weak to waste the experience, not too strong to get crushed.
But Cerulean Gym? They wanted to hand him a Badge like a souvenir. That would just mark him as a two-Badge Trainer, and the next Gym Leader would throw him into the wrong tier of difficulty.
He didn't want shortcuts. He wanted battle experience.
Yet, when he looked at the three innocent, pretty faces across from him, Ash realized even if he did fight them, he wouldn't gain much.
What was the point of defeating Trainers at this level? Could that really push him forward? Definitely not.
For a moment, he felt weary. Maybe Misty had been right, maybe coming here was a mistake. Even if there weren't the scary "older sisters" she'd warned about, this Gym wasn't qualified to give him a real trial.
"Since you insist," Daisy finally said with a reluctant sigh, "then I'll accept your challenge. The rules are one-on-one, and I only have—"
But before she could finish, the tightly shut back door burst open.
"Your challenge to the Cerulean Gym will be accepted by me, the true Gym Leader of Cerulean City!"
Ash turned at the sound of the voice.
Standing proudly in the doorway, her words ringing with conviction, was none other than Misty, the same Misty who had slipped away earlier.
Ash's face twisted into the strangest expression. He looked from the three Sensational Sisters to Misty, then back again, his finger pointing at each in turn, his mouth opening and closing like a Magikarp out of water.
The veterans in the group chat had once told him that Misty was the Gym Leader of Cerulean City. At the time, Ash hadn't thought much of it. Sure, it seemed a little weird that someone his age could already be a Gym Leader, but with Misty's knowledge and her strong Water-type Pokémon, it wasn't impossible.
But later, Misty had constantly badmouthed the Cerulean Gym, even saying the Gym Leader here was a scary, fierce-looking woman. So Ash had dismissed the idea completely.
"Parallel worlds develop differently," he'd thought back then. "Maybe in other worlds, Misty is the Gym Leader, but not in mine."
Then he'd come here, seen the three glamorous sisters, and his suspicions were confirmed.
But now Misty was suddenly announcing herself as the Gym Leader, and Ash was completely lost.
'Wait. If you are the Gym Leader, why were you trash-talking your own Gym the whole time? Isn't that just insulting yourself?! What kind of reverse psychology is that?!'
Seeing Ash's face contort in confusion, Misty flushed slightly with embarrassment. Then she straightened up and introduced herself properly, Cerulean Gym's rightful successor, the youngest of the Four Sisters.
"You… No wonder you didn't want me to come here!" Ash finally blurted out. "You just didn't want me stepping into your territory!"
"What do you mean my territory? That sounds awful!" Misty shot back, rolling her eyes. "I didn't want you coming here because I swore I wouldn't return until I'd grown strong enough to be a true Water Pokémon Master! But you just had to drag me back, so here I am!"
If not for that argument with her sisters, Misty wouldn't have dreaded coming home. But now, after her big dramatic vow, returning in under a month was… well, humiliating.
Still, humiliation was better than letting Ash look down on the Cerulean Gym. For some reason she couldn't explain, she had to protect the Gym's pride in front of him.
"Misty, you're back!"
"Didn't you swear you wouldn't return until you became a Water Pokémon Master? Why are you back so soon?" Lily and Violet immediately scolded her.
But Daisy, sitting between them, raised a pale hand to stop them.
"Enough. Misty's back to help us. And honestly, when it comes to battling, she's way ahead of us. You two have felt how hard it's been trying to hold the Gym without her."
Her words silenced her sisters. Since Misty's departure, they'd taken turns acting as Gym Leader, and had been thrashed by challengers over and over again. Only now did they realize just how unfair they'd been to Misty.
They worked hard on their water ballets, sure, but Misty had been working just as hard protecting the Gym, maybe harder. Their scolding had been more habit than malice.
"Misty," Daisy said softly, walking over. "I'm entrusting the Cerulean Gym to you again." She placed the Cascade Badge in her sister's hand.
"Big Sis Daisy… Don't worry. I'll protect the honor of the Cerulean Gym! Ash, let's battle!" Misty's voice rang with determination.
Ash's eyes lit up. "Gladly! I've been waiting for this, Misty!"
Moments later, the two stood at opposite ends of the Cerulean Gym's water arena. The pool reflected the bright overhead lights as Misty explained the rules.
"This match will be a little different. Ash, you may use three Pokémon. I'll only use one, but it'll be my strongest. Do you accept?"