Last Time On Pokemon!
Misty tossed her Pokéball first. "Go, Starmie!"
The familiar whirl of light and spin filled the air as Starmie landed gracefully on the remaining ice floes, rotating with an eerie hum.
Ash grinned. "Alright then… Let's dance." He threw his Pokéball. "Bulbasaur, take the lead!"
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The green Seed Pokémon appeared in a burst of light, landing low with vines twitching eagerly.
Misty raised an eyebrow. "Going grass, huh? Bold."
Ash smirked. "I like my odds."
Misty snapped her fingers. "Starmie, Rapid Spin!"
Starmie whirled forward at high speed, skimming across the ice.
Ash jabbed forward. "Vine Whip! Anchor and flip!"
You see Ash was cheating a bit here. Although he caught the reserve bulbsaur and planned on using it. He hadn't had the opportunity to do much when it came to training it, however the bulbasaur in front of him at this moment was a 3 star IV from Pokemon Go which had, had its CP maxed inorder to prepare it for evolution. The thing was a tank, not to mention it could Giagantamax although Pikachu would probably go back in long before that point.
Bulbasaur's vines snapped out with precise timing—one slamming into the ice and anchoring him down, the other catching Starmie mid-spin. The spinning star Pokémon yelped in surprise as the whip coiled around its core and jerked, redirecting all that momentum upward in a wild arc. Starmie went soaring into the air, spiraling like a tossed discus before landing with a splash in the freezing water.
Daisy gave a low whistle. "Okay, that was cool."
Misty grit her teeth. "Starmie, recover and counter with Psybeam!"
Ash folded his arms smugly. You see, he was cheating a bit here.
Although he'd technically caught this Bulbasaur on reserve weeks ago, he hadn't had the time to do proper training with it. But that didn't matter.
Because this Bulbasaur? It wasn't just any Bulbasaur.
No, this was a maxed-out 3-star IV Bulbasaur pulled straight from Pokémon GO—CP boosted to the limit, perfectly optimized. It could tank hits like a mini-boss and, if push came to shove, Ash could even Dynamax it. Or Gigantamax. He wasn't even sure anymore. All he knew was: he hadn't lost a GO Battle League match since.
"Bulbasaur, dodge and Razor Leaf!"
As Starmie fired a twisting bolt of psychic energy across the ice, Bulbasaur leapt nimbly to the side and released a flurry of glowing green leaves in an arc, slicing through the air.
Starmie spun again to avoid them—only for the leaves to curve, chasing it in mid-air like heat-seeking shurikens.
"Starmie, Harden and tank it!" Misty called.
But the leaves hit with surprising force—one, two, three impacts—and the last one struck a gem just right.
Crack.
Starmie staggered mid-hover, limbs twitching, before crashing down onto a floating chunk of ice.
Misty's eyes widened. "Starmie is unable to battle!"
Violet muttered, "Okay, what is that Bulbasaur made of?!"
Ash shrugged innocently. "Just a little grassroots power."
Bulbasaur smirked. Misty narrowed her eyes. "Alright, Ash. That's one."
She tossed her next Pokéball. "But let's see how your walking salad does against this—GO, Gyarados!"
The ball burst open—and the massive serpentine dragon exploded into the pool with a thunderous roar, causing waves to rise and ice to shatter around it.
Ash grinned, full of adrenaline. "Now this… this is a Gym Battle!"
The moment Gyarados hit the water, the atmosphere in the Cerulean Gym shifted.
The air vibrated with power. Even Pikachu, watching from the sidelines, took a cautious step back.
"Hope your super-powered Bulbasaur can handle this," Misty called across the arena, one hand on her hip. "Hydro Pump!"
Ash's eyes narrowed. "Counter with Vine Whip—twist and redirect it!"
Gyarados's mouth lit up with a deep blue glow before unleashing a torrent of water, wide as a car and roaring like a waterfall.
Bulbasaur didn't flinch.
Twin vines lashed out and slammed into the floor on either side, anchoring him as the wave hit. His small form slid backward, scraping across the ice—but then his vines snapped out again, grabbing the stream itself. The water twisted unnaturally, redirected in a wide arc that splashed over the far wall with a thunderous slap instead of hitting Ash directly.
"Okay, seriously?" Violet muttered.
"That's not even physics anymore," Daisy whispered.
"Bulbasaur, Leech Seed—aim for the crest!"
A glowing seed launched from Bulbasaur's bulb, arcing high and fast—before slamming into Gyarados's forehead and immediately sprouting thick vines that began draining energy.
Gyarados roared in anger, thrashing in the water.
"Shake it off and use Ice Fang!" Misty snapped.
The sea serpent lunged forward in a blur, icy fangs glowing blue and bared wide.
Ash didn't flinch. "Take the hit—and Sleep Powder."
Bulbasaur didn't dodge.
The Ice Fang landed hard—ice crystals spreading across Bulbasaur's flank—but he twisted his head at the last second and blasted a cloud of glittering blue dust straight into Gyarados's open jaws.
There was a gagging choke, then a loud splash as Gyarados pulled back… blinked… and began wobbling.
"OKAY ASH WHAT THE FUCK!!!! THERE IS NO WAY IN HELL THAT IS THE BULBSAUR YOU CAUGHT IN THE FOREST!!!" Misty shouts
"I DONT KNOW WHAT TO SAY MISTY YOU WERE THERE WHEN I CAUGHT HIM!" Ash shouts back
Then the massive dragon slumped sideways, crashing down into the water like a felled log—out cold.
"Gyarados is asleep!" Misty called in shock. "Stuck in status!"
Violet leaned over to Daisy. "Okay, now I think he's cheating."
"I've changed my vote," Lily whispered. "That Bulbasaur isn't just hacked—it's blessed."
Ash grinned, looking utterly unbothered.
"Let's not waste the opportunity. Bulbasaur—Solar Beam!"
Misty's eyes widened. "Wait—what?! I CALL BULLSHIT ASH!"
A massive glow built at the center of Bulbasaur's bulb, radiant and pulsing like a sunburst.
He didn't even need to charge.
The light launched like a cannon, striking the sleeping Gyarados square in the center with an explosion of heat and force that blasted apart the surrounding ice.
The water turned to steam.
Gyarados floated to the surface… belly up, dazed and unconscious.
Misty took a deep breath, hand lifting slowly. "Gyarados is unable to battle."
Ash grinned. "Two down."
Misty returned her Pokémon silently, her expression turning serious now.
Misty returned her Pokéball silently, steam still rising off the pool. Her expression had shifted—no longer playful, no longer exasperated. It was calm. Focused.
Ash's grin faltered slightly.
"This next one…" Misty began, unclipping her final Pokéball, "…isn't just a partner. She's the pride of Cerulean. The soul of the sea."
She raised her arm.
"Let's go, Milotic!"
A swirl of light exploded into the center of the arena. The mist on the water parted like curtains as the elegant, serpentine shape of Milotic rose up, her scales glistening like liquid opals in the fractured sunlight. Her body undulated with unnatural grace, her deep eyes calm—yet unreadable.
The Gym was silent.
Violet, Daisy, and Lily all leaned forward at once.
"…Oh damn," Violet whispered.
"She's using Milotic?" Daisy said, stunned.
Lily slowly fanned herself. "Okay. Now it's serious."
Ash blinked, caught off guard by the change in mood. "She's that strong?"
Violet nodded slowly. "Misty doesn't just use her in battle. That Milotic is her starter."
Daisy added, "That's her Feebas. The one she raised from scratch."
Lily whispered, almost reverently, "Only one in a thousand Feebas evolve naturally… and Misty raised one by hand."
Ash's eyes widened slightly. "Wait… that's not just any Milotic?"
Misty met his gaze across the battlefield. There was no boast in her expression—only quiet pride.
"Her name's Sereia," Misty said softly. "I found her in a broken tank at a pet shop when I was ten. The guy said she was a waste of space."
Milotic let out a low, musical hum—soothing and sad.
"I thought she was the ugliest thing I'd ever seen," Misty admitted, a fond smile tugging at her lips. "And I've never loved a Pokémon more."
She reached up and gently tapped her badge case.
"Not many people know this but Milotic is the second evolution of Feebas, Just time, and care, and a whole lot of singing on nights she cried. An one day she evolved into the most beautiful cerature in the sea."
Ash's cocky grin had long since faded. He wasn't just facing Misty's last Pokémon. He was facing a partner — the kind of bond that was forged over years, not battles. The kind of Pokémon that didn't need flash or theatrics because her very presence made the battlefield go quiet.
Sereia, Misty's Milotic, glided across the water like living poetry. The surface barely rippled beneath her as that haunting hum resonated again — soft, melancholic, powerful. She didn't posture. She didn't threaten. She was the threat.
Ash's eyes narrowed. "I might have to keep Bulbasaur in after all…"
Pikachu, still buzzing faintly with leftover static, glanced at Ash from the sidelines — a silent question. You sure?
Ash gave him a subtle nod. "Yeah… I need you at full power for later. Let's see if the tank can hold up."
Same rules," Misty said softly. "One-on-one. Final match."
Ash nodded once. "Understood."
Misty took a breath and snapped her fingers. "Milotic, Aqua Ring."
A halo of shimmering water surrounded Sereia's body like a veil, droplets dancing around her scales. She was already regenerating, slowly but steadily — building for the long haul.
Ash reacted immediately. "Razor Leaf — make her move!"
Bulbasaur growled and unleashed a flurry of glowing green leaves, whistling through the mist toward Milotic.
"Sereia," Misty said, "Coil and Dance."
Milotic spun. Not fast — elegantly. Her body curved and shimmered, weaving through the Razor Leaf like a ribbon through the wind. Some leaves grazed her sides, but none landed clean.
Yet at the same time its almost like she had gotten stronger.
Ash gritted his teeth. "Okay. That's new, using swords dance to dodge!"
Misty's voice was calm, unwavering. "Good job spotting it that is true grace. And you'll need more than spammed grass moves to bring her down."
"Bulbasaur—Vine Whip. Latch the Aqua Ring!"
The vines snapped outward—not at Milotic, but toward the swirling veil of water itself. Bulbasaur snagged it like lassoing a stream—and pulled.
The ring broke.
Sereia flinched as her natural healing sputtered out, leaving the field wet but vulnerable.
Misty's eyes widened just slightly. "Clever."
Ash grinned. "You're not the only one who trained through pain."
But Misty didn't miss a beat. "Sereia. Blizzard."
A howl of wind and snow burst from her body like a tidal wave of winter. The pool became a frozen battlefield, water instantly crusting over in jagged, shimmering plates. Ice spiraled through the air in a spiraling storm, flensing across the arena with razor-edged precision.
Ash ducked an errant shard, shielding his face. "Bulbasaur, anchor down!"
Bulbasaur slammed his vines into the ice and held on, roots digging through cracks, body lowered. His bulb flared slightly, burning warmth from within—just enough to keep him from being flash-frozen.
But even he couldn't dodge the whole thing. Frost crusted along his back, and he winced visibly.
"Now Aqua Tail!" Misty called.
Milotic shot forward like a missile—her tail glowing with power, trailing a wave of icy mist behind her. She spun midair, bringing it down toward Bulbasaur with the grace of a falling guillotine.
Ash's voice rang out: "Vine Whip—Counterspin!"
At the last second, Bulbasaur twisted his vines, catching the icy tail and using its momentum to whip Milotic over his shoulder like a judo throw.
CRASH!
Milotic hit the ice—hard—but rolled elegantly and slid back to her side of the arena, body slick and gleaming. Steam hissed from the impact.
Misty blinked. "…You trained that Bulbasaur in grappling?"
"Uh sure?" Ash states knowing he is going to have to train the shit out of his main bulbasaur before hell his next gym match.
Misty gave him a flat look. "'Uh sure'? That wasn't a 'sure' kind of move, Ash."
Ash rubbed the back of his head, still grinning. "Look, I caught a tank, alright? I'm just letting it do its thing."
On the sidelines, Violet whispered to Daisy, "I definitely think it's hacked."
"No," Daisy whispered back. "That Bulbasaur is just built different."
Back on the field, Milotic slithered in a slow circle, her movements almost hypnotic. Her scales shimmered with an eerie inner light, as if channeling something deeper now—something more ancient.
Misty's tone dropped low. "No more playing around. Sereia… Dragon Pulse."
The word echoed.
Ash's smirk vanished.
From Milotic's mouth, a spiraling sphere of draconic energy surged into life—deep violet, pulsing with resonant power. With a cry, she fired it across the arena.
Ash shouted, "Dodge and Seed Bomb—NOW!"
Bulbasaur tried—but the frozen terrain made movement clumsy. He leapt, but the Dragon Pulse clipped his side mid-air with a thunderous impact.
Bulbasaur tumbled, skidding across the ice in a daze. He groaned, but somehow—miraculously—righted himself, dragging his vines under him for support.
Ash clenched his fists. "Hang in there, buddy…"
The bulb on Bulbasaur's back began glowing—not Solar Beam-bright, but enough to flicker with energy. The Seed Bomb was still building.
Milotic advanced, eyes narrowed. Another Dragon Pulse was forming.
Ash's eyes flicked up to the skylight above the gym—still fractured from Pikachu's earlier Volt Tackle. And the sun was out.
"Now's the time!" Ash roared. "Bulbasaur—Solar Beam—max output!"
No charge time. No delay. The sunlight poured through the skylight like divine judgment, feeding into Bulbasaur's bulb until it blazed like a miniature star.
He opened his mouth—and fired.
The Solar Beam split the mist like a sword, a golden-white lance of searing light that slammed into Milotic head-on. She cried out, her song faltering, her coiled body recoiling from the force.
Steam and energy exploded outward in all directions, rattling the windows.
Then silence.
Milotic swayed… then slowly crumpled onto the cracked ice, eyes swirling.
Misty stared, lips parting slightly.
Then she smiled.
"Milotic is unable to battle. Ash… you win."
Ash blinked. "Wait, really?"
"Don't make me regret this."
Ash took it, eyes gleaming. "You won't."
Behind him, Bulbasaur collapsed with a groan, steam rising off his back.
"…After I get him some snacks. And maybe a nap." Ash says picking bulbsuar up and walking out of the Gym with the crazy grass type in his arms.