Hayato had just stepped out of the Cerulean Gym when he accidentally bumped into a boy rushing in from the other direction.
"Ash?"
Ash's eyes lit up with surprise. "Hayato! What are you doing here? Wait—don't tell me! You've already become a Pokémon Trainer? That's awesome! Congrats!"
Hayato gave a smug grin. "I've already earned the Blue Badge, hehe! Are you here to challenge the Cerulean Gym too? Oh—wait! Isn't that Brock? Are you two traveling together now?"
Ash looked a little lost, but Brock behind him looked even more bewildered.
"What a shame—I didn't get to see your match! But I'll earn the Blue Badge too, just you watch!"
Hayato smirked. "You sound pretty confident, Ash. Let's see what you've got!"
Brock stayed silent the entire time, unsure what to say.
Inside the gym, the three Cerulean sisters exchanged uneasy glances as Hayato returned with two more challengers in tow.
"What's this? He brought two more people? Don't tell me they're here to challenge us too?"
Ash tugged his cap down, eyes blazing with determination. "I'm Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town! Please accept my challenge!"
Daisy twitched at the corner of her mouth. "Another one from Pallet Town? Oh, Arceus, spare us! Our confidence is already shattered!"
Lily sighed dramatically. "Yeah, sis… I'm so done…"
Seeing no response, Ash raised his voice again. "Who's the Gym Leader here? Come out and battle me!"
Daisy frowned. "Little boy, don't get ahead of yourself! That kid next to you just beat me, and our Pokémon need time to recover. Come back in two days! I don't have any Pokémon to battle you right now."
Ash rubbed the back of his head, crestfallen. "Really? Then what about the others? I heard there are three Gym Trainers here!"
Violet and Lily both broke out in a cold sweat, exchanging helpless looks.
"We—we were just defeated too! What's with you Pallet Town people, one after another? What are you even trying to do?!"
Hayato sighed in relief that he had arrived earlier—otherwise he'd have to wait two days for his turn.
"Ash, looks like your timing's bad! But hey, it's only two days. See? I already caught up to you! Hehe. I'll be waiting for you in the next city."
"Hey, Hayato—aren't you coming with me?"
Hayato waved as he walked away. "Did you forget our promise? If we get too familiar, it'll just make things complicated later!"
Ash laughed. "When you put it like that… I guess you're right. Okay then!"
Just then, someone burst into the room after a long inner struggle.
"Ash! I'll battle you!"
Ash pointed in disbelief. "Misty? What's going on? You're not a Gym Trainer—I'm not fighting you!"
"Hmph! Who said I'm not a Gym Trainer? Haven't you heard of the Four Cerulean Sisters? I'm the youngest one—Misty!"
Daisy immediately cut in. "Correction! Three Beautiful Sisters and one little ugly duckling!"
Lily chimed in, teasingly. "Misty, didn't you say you wouldn't come back until you became a Water-type Master? What changed your mind?"
Violet crossed her arms. "We all know, Misty—you've always been running away. Can't blame you though. With three gorgeous sisters like us, I guess anyone would feel insecure."
"Hey! What are you saying? Stop spilling my secrets! What kind of sisters are you?!" Misty shouted, face red with anger.
Hayato sighed. "So they're not on the best terms, huh? Well, this should be an interesting battle—Ash vs. Misty!"
The match began.
"Go! Staryu!"
"Go! Butterfree!"
Misty didn't hold back. "Staryu, use Water Gun!"
"Butterfree, use Stun Spore!"
Staryu was paralyzed, but Misty cleverly ordered it to dive underwater to recover. When it resurfaced, the paralysis was gone, leaving Butterfree helpless. The three sisters cheered.
"Didn't think Misty had it in her! This might be fun!"
"Guess losing some beauty gains you some brains, huh?"
The battle was fierce, both Trainers showing real skill. Misty's second Pokémon was Starmie, though she didn't fully use its advantage.
"Well, TMs aren't easy to come by," Hayato muttered. "But imagine—Surf, Thunderbolt, Ice Beam, and Psychic. That'd be totally overpowered!"
Just as the battle reached its climax, an explosion rocked the gym. The doors blew open, and uninvited guests stormed in.
Jessie: "Prepare for trouble…"James: "…and make it double!"
.....
Jessie: Team Rocket, blasting off at the speed of light!
James: Surrender now or prepare to fight!Meowth: "That's right, meow!"
Their machine roared to life, draining the water from the pool and blasting it out the other side, creating a violent whirlpool while they snatched at the Pokémon inside.
Ash shouted, "So it was you stealing the pipes and engines! I won't let you get away with it!"
Jessie sneered. "You? Ekans, wrap him up and throw him out!"
But Hayato wasn't about to let them run wild, and with Brock and Misty here, Team Rocket had clearly picked the wrong gym to mess with!
"Haunter, use Haze!"
"Onix, ram that machine!"
"Starmie, use Hydro Pump!"
Brock panicked. "Misty! Don't hit the good guys! My Onix is weak to water!"
Hayato winked at Meowth. "Hey Meowth, think it over—miss this chance and you might regret it forever~."
Meowth's eyes sparkled. He dropped everything and dashed toward Hayato, leaving the machine unmanned.
James yelled, "Meowth! What are you doing?!"
BOOM! Team Rocket was once again blasted off.
"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!"
"Meowth! Why's my life so miserable? Forget godlike enemies—it's my idiot teammates that ruin me every time!"
Jessie snapped, furious. "Say that again, I dare you! Who was it that ran off and abandoned the machine?!"
After that fiasco, Ash successfully earned the Cascade Badge. Hayato waved as they parted ways.
"Ash, see you in the next city! I'm heading out first!"
Ash waved back. "You got it, Hayato! Let's both do our best!"
At the Pokémon Center, the pink-haired Nurse Joy was finishing up healing Hayato's Pokémon.
"All your Pokémon are fully recovered. We hope to see you again!"
Hayato couldn't resist teasing. "Nurse Joy, why is it that you're everywhere I go? Remember our meeting in Viridian City? I saved your life, didn't I?"
Joy smiled politely. "Oh, you mean the Viridian City Nurse Joy? She's my cousin!"
"Huh? But you look exactly the same! And you're both super cute!"
Joy blushed. "Hehe, yeah… we do look alike. But anyway, little boy, the next trainer's waiting, so…"
"Oh—right! Sorry, I'll be going then!"
As Hayato stepped outside, he almost laughed at himself. In this world, he was only ten years old—what was he even thinking? Still, identical Nurse Joys and Officer Jennys were part of this world's charm. Though he did wonder… how did their husbands tell them apart?
(End of Chapter)