Cerulean Arc Part 2: Power

**"Cerulean Arc Part 2: Power"** is the ninth chapter of *Pokémon Reset Bloodlines.* Ash is forced to take Misty to Cerulean City to save her life, and while waiting for news, the doctor sends him to the Gym so he can vent his anxiety elsewhere to avoid disturbances in the hospital. Little does he know, earning his Cascade Badge in this timeline won't be anywhere as easy or pleasant as it was it was in the previous timeline...

## Plot

Before Squirtle has the chance to attack them, Bulbasaur grabs him with his vines and has him smack his tail against the back of Ash's head, restoring his memories. Confused when he sees Ash and Misty looking older and not being with the Squirtle Squad, he notices Charmander and thinks he's Charizard's offspring, much to the latter chagrin. Pikachu quickly explains what happened, and once everything is clear, Ash tries to ask for his help on carrying Misty across the water so she can be taken to the hospital. Squirtle however says that he's too small to carry her on her own and they'd need a larger Pokémon, like a Gyarados.

Seeing no other choice and determined to save Misty, Ash approaches the edge of the water and starts kicking it, hoping to attract a Gyarados and willing to fight it himself if needed, despite the Pokédex's warnings about how dangerous such Pokémon are. His Pokémon, including Squirtle, quickly join him on it, ready to back him up. They finally succeed and a Gyarados appears roaring at them. Before they start fighting, though, the Gyarados stops upon seeing Misty. Ash needs his Pokémon to translate what Gyarados says, realizing that he can only understand Pokémon he has a close connection with. Squirtle says that Gyarados is freaking out that his friend is hurt, referring to Misty, making them suspect that this could be Misty's Gyarados from the previous timeline. Ash then explains what happened to Misty and asks Gyarados to help them save her. Gyarados complies, and they all quickly ride on his back, leaving Ash and Misty's belongings behind, hoping that nobody will steal them until they can come back for them.

In another town, the Team Rocket trio is robbing a store, after having to skip two different ones (the first because the owner had two children going through college and a wife pregnant with two more, and the second for donating to an orphanage). The trio has realized during their watching of Ash that he's a Bloodliner and wonder if that has something to do with Giovanni's interest in him, possibly to recruit him as a hitman of sorts.

Back with Ash, as they sail across the river on Gyarados, Charmander blasts the water with Ember while also taunting it, much to Bulbasaur's chagrin, but Ash isn't paying attention, being more focused on the task of saving Misty, while his Pokémon stay on guard to keep attackers at bay. A Krabby manages to get past and tries to engage Charmander, who quickly recognizes him as Ash's old Kingler. Ash promptly captures, and they continue heading for the other side.

Somewhere else, Red is having nightmares about his house burning and people tormenting him for it when he was younger, until Yellow wakes him up. When asked what happened, he tries to shrug it off as nothing, but she can tell he's lying, though he still refuses to talk about it despite her concerns.

Back in Cerulean, Ash finally gets Misty to the hospital, which fortunately was very close to the water front (and the guards didn't attack him upon seeing the injured girl, and once Ash explained they willingly let them in). While Misty is taken to the ER, Ash uses one of her Poké Ball to catch Gyarados and one of his own for Squirtle, noticing how the latter teleports back to Oak's lab while Misty's shrinks and seals itself, similar to what happened in Unova. Ash tries using his Pokédex to surf through internet and listen to music while pacing around the waiting room, trying to keep himself busy as he waits for news about Misty, until the doctor in charge informs him that she'll be alright, but he can't have Ash pacing around and disturbing other visitors, so he recommends that he goes to the Cerulean Gym to vent his energy in Pokémon battles, as the local Battle Club is closed for repairs at the time. Ash tries to protest, but at the doctor's insistence, he reluctantly complies.

As they walk towards the gym, Ash wonders what could be happening that Misty didn't want to come here, and Pikachu suggests she might have issues with her sisters again, and warns him that he shouldn't carry Misty's bag with him on sight. Ash replies that they'll have no way to know that's Misty's bag as it doesn't have any marks or her name anywhere, and he tried to stuff it in his backpack and it didn't fit anyway.

Inside the Cerulean Gym, the Sensational Sisters are not happy to know they've got a Pokémon League notice with a warning the gym will be shut down if their loss streak continues. They are complaining about how their challengers are too tough for them, and that they regret having kicked their younger sister out when she could have dealt with that issue for them. The entrance sensor then informs them of a challenger incoming, revealing Ash's full data so far to them, including the Pokémon he's caught and his earned Boulder Badge, with the team they're authorized to use against him. While Daisy grabs the rule book, Violet suggests they probably could sleep with him to make him go away, but Lily shuts it down as tabloid fuel and illegal. Daisy finally finds something they can use, and they immediately go to greet Ash.

Ash awaits by the challengers' end in the gym arena, and when the Sensational Sisters approach him, he gets a sense of uneasiness, in no small part because now they look as if they've undergone a lot of cosmetic surgery (even with a faint smell of Botox). Daisy starts ranting about how much of a bother is to travel around to earn gym badges and the dangers of traveling, which Ash himself actually doesn't find that troublesome. She offers him the chance to qualify directly for the Pokémon League with a battle, which Ash finds too good to be true. He tries to refuse, but the sisters drag him to it by force (even interrupting the Pokédex's attempt to explain the rules behind such challenge), and despite his protests, he has no choice but to fight a full battle against a Pokémon team that's clearly for an eighth badge, which Daisy opens up with a Kingdra.

Having no other choice in the matter, Ash sends out Charmander, hoping to take advantage of his recently re-learned Dragon Tail. Daisy mocks him for his choice, and after ordering a Bubble attack, Ash counters with an Ember, which quickly overpowers the Water-type attack and makes it clear that Kingdra is out of shape, with Pikachu suggesting that they might stand a chance if the rest of their team is the same way. Ash calls out for a Dragon Tail, sending Kingdra across the pool. Kingdra counters with a Water Gun that grazes Charmander on the shoulder, and they continue pressing on. Ash is about to recall Charmander, but the Pokédex informs him that in a battle like this, switching Pokémon is only allowed after defeating an opponent, much to Ash's annoyance for not telling him the full rules. With no other choice, Ash orders Charmander to block the Water Gun with Ember. Trying to support Charmander and not wishing to see him die, he triggers a power that makes his eyes glow, and also Charmander's, greatly strengthening his Ember and helping him overpower Kingdra, knocking him out, much to the shock of the Sensational Sisters (and his own).

Back at the hospital, Misty wakes up and the doctor informs him of everything that happened, making her confused and a mix of emotions, wondering if she should be annoyed or moved that he risked his life for her, and if she should throttle him for bringing her to Cerulean against her wishes. The doctor then informs her that he sent Ash to the gym and assures him he'll be fine, since there's no way that he can lose against the leaders. That is, until Don George and a Pokémon League agent Nurse Joy appear, with the latter pulling out a smartphone showing an app displaying a scoreboard, with Ash and Daisy's battle currently ongoing and the words *"**Non-Traveling Trainer League Entrance Protocols Activated"*** flashing in big red letters.

## Continuity

* First appearance of the Sensational Sisters.
* Ash captures Krabby and Squirtle, and captures Gyarados on behalf of Misty.
* The first meeting between Misty and her Gyarados is explained in the *Misty Gaiden* side story, along with more of the circumstances of why and how Misty was kicked out of the gym in the first place.
* First mention of the Non-Traveling Trainer League Entrance Protocol, a challenge where a single badge is enough to qualify for the Pokémon League, and its restrictions.
* Ash's battle for the Cascade Badge begins, to be concluded in the next chapter.

## Characters

### Humans

* Ash Ketchum
* Misty Waterflower
* Jessie
* James
* Store Clerks
* Store Owner
* Red Tajiri
* Yellow
* Dr. Tenzo Yamato
* Daisy Waterflower
* Violet Waterflower
* Lily Waterflower
* Don George
* Nurse Joy

### Pokémon

* Squirtle (Ash's)
* Bulbasaur (Ash's)
* Charmander (Ash's)
* Pikachu (Ash's)
* Butterfree (Ash's)
* Pidgeotto (Ash's)
* Aipom (Ash's)
* Gyarados (Misty's)
* Ekans (Jessie's)
* Koffing (James')
* Meowth (Team Rocket)
* Krabby (Ash's)
* Pichu (Red's; dream)
* Voltorb (Hospital Security's)
* Magnemite (Hospital Security's)
* Kingdra (Daisy's)