Indigo League 4.5: Misty and the Whirl Cup

**"Indigo League 4.5: Misty and the Whirl Cup"** is the is the forty-ninth (fifty-first in Archive of Our Own and Royal Road) chapter of *Pokémon Reset Bloodlines.* On the day of the Indigo League's Top 16, Ash receives a notification via email of a Whirl Cup Qualification Tournament to take place that same day, and he offer Misty to compete there. While the Water-type specialist feels a little unsure, she ultimately agrees, and ends up making a few new rivals and friends while also meeting a few past ones on the way out. Meanwhile, the Bloodliner Prince seems to be keeping a close eye on Ash, still intrigued by his seemingly abnormal skills.

## Plot

Ash receives an email notification sent to the competitors of the Indigo League, that a Whirl Cup Qualification Tournament will be held during the Top 16 day of the conference, and any competitor or companion is able to take part as long as they have Water-type Pokémon. Ash suggests that Misty should enter, but the redhead is unsure about it, since doing so means she will miss Ash's upcoming match. Ash however insists that she should compete, and she shouldn't be worried since he's sure he will win his match, and this tournament could be a huge step for her to achieve her own dream. Moved by his words, she accepts, and Ash hugs her as he offers to sign her up for it.

While heading for the Water battlefield, where the Qualifier will be held, Misty thinks about how she felt flustered when Ash hugged her, remembering that it's usually the other way around. Psyduck remarks that it's natural that Ash picks up a trick or two from her like she does. Misty then gets into the waiting line, looking around for familiar faces and spots Fergus, lamenting that she can't greet him due to his memory erasure. She's then approached by another girl, whose name is Marina, who reveals that she's already competed before in the Whirl Cup, and the two become fast friends, before they're called into the stadium to start the competition.

The Qualifier tournament begins, and Misty's first opponent is Tad, one of the eliminated competitors in the Indigo Conference. Tad offers to take her out for a meal after winning, but Misty declines, and the battle goes underway. Tad sends out a Poliwrath wearing a gold champion belt, while Misty sends out Wingull, who starts out firing out a barrage of Air Cutter. Poliwrath uses Double Team to dodge, before diving underwater to escape and wait for the chance to fire an Ice Beam. Wingull dodges and Misty weighs her options, considering an Aerial Ace. As Poliwrath prepares to charge with a Focus Punch, Misty orders Wingull to use Shock Wave, which nullifies the attack and leaves Tad stunned. She then orders another Shock Wave, which electrifies the water, and Wingull knocks Poliwrath into it with Aerial Ace. The electricity does its job and leaves Poliwrath unconscious, winning the match for them.

Misty briefly watches on TV Solidad's match against Pete Peebleman, and then heads for the battlefield for her second match. Much to her surprise, her opponent is none other than Locke, the trainer who faced Ash in the fourth round. Locke brings out a turtle-like Pokémon, which the Monodex she's carrying identifies as a Drednaw, a Water and Rock-type from Galar. Misty decides to send out her own Poliwrath. Drednaw begins with Rock Tomb, while Poliwrath counters with Bubblebeam. Both attacks are evenly matched, so Poliwrath suggests he could just punch Drednaw, but Misty decides to play smarter and suggests they shove him into the water. However, Drednaw just waits and activates a Counter, which Misty fortunately catches on and orders Poliwrath to stop his attack. The two engage in another Rock Tomb/Bubblebeam duel, and Misty overhears thanks to her Bloodliner powers that Drednaw itches for a direct attack and seems impatient, but Locke tells him to wait and keep their advantage. Misty decides to capitalize on this and Poliwrath begins making taunting comments at Drednaw to provoke him. Drednaw finally loses it and tries to bite Poliwrath when he gets close, but ends up getting a Bubblebeam at point-blank range, which he tries to block with a Rock Tomb, resulting in an explosion that knocks him into the water sinking like a rock. Poliwrath dives underwater to pursue and finish him, only for Drednaw to hit him with Megahorn. Poliwrath uses Mud Shot to get the water dirty and reduce visibility, and when Drednaw tries to use Razor Shell to clear it, Poliwrath hits him with a Dynamic Punch before he can use Counter, knocking him out and winning the second match for Misty.

While waiting for the next round, Misty briefly watches Ash's match against Otoshi, somewhat frustrated of not being able to watch it in full while she's on the battlefield. Another girl who is watching the match seems interested in Ash, and introduces herself as Burgundy, a Connoiseusse, who Misty recognizes from having seen her in passing back in the S.S. Anne a few months ago. The two chat a bit about how impressive Ash's battling skills and compatibility with his Pokémon are, until they're called to face each other in the next match for the qualifier, and they head for the battlefield.

The match begins and Burgundy sends out a Panpour, while Misty decides to send Psyduck, who doesn't seem particularly thrilled to be called for battling. Both start firing off a Water Gun, and Burgundy takes notice that Psyduck reacted faster than Panpour. Panpour prepares a Rock Tomb, but Psyduck manages to fire another Water Gun to the chest before he can launch his own attack, which Psyduck shatters with Secret Power. Panpour seemingly gets an idea and Burgundy catches on, so she allows it. Panpour starts jumping from one island to another until he gets up close to Psyduck to use Bite on his head. Psyduck then uses Psychic to shake him off, boosted by the headache from being bitten. However, Panpour then prepares another Rock Tomb attack, so Psyduck releases the Psychic hold, letting him drop on the cement island to interrupt it. Panpour tries to summon a Grass Knot, but Psyduck interrupts it with another Psychic, sending him slamming into a wall to win the bout. Burgundy recalls Panpour and commends Misty and Psyduck's battle synchronization, before sending out her second Pokémon, a Dewott. Seeing that their opponent specializes in close combat, Misty decides they have to keep him at bay using Psychic. Still trapped in the hold, Dewott manages to fire an Ice Beam, freezing his feet against the ground, getting the opening to attack and threaten Psyduck with his scalchops. Misty wisely chooses to withdraw Psyduck so he doesn't get hurt, and sends out one of her Wartortle, who seems rather eager to be in a tournament. The bout starts with an Ice Beam clash, but this time Dewott's is much faster than Wartortle's, which Burgundy quickly takes notice of. Dewott charges in using Aqua Jet, and Wartortle uses Iron Defense to tank the hit at the last second, before countering with Aqua Tail. Dewott for his part dodges and dives underwater to escape. Misty realizes they have to anticipate their opponent's actions to make up for the lack of synch, and she waits for Dewott to strike from behind before ordering Wartortle to use Aqua Tail without turning around, right on time to stop Dewott's Razor Shell and land a good hit. Burgundy then orders another Ice Beam, while Misty orders Wartortle to dive underwater to escape. Misty takes notice that Burgundy is trying to relay coded instructions to Dewott, which she suspects may be an attempt to lure them into a Counter. Instead, Misty orders Wartortle to grab Dewott from behind, trapping him into a hold while causing him to drop his scalchops, and finishing with a Seismic Toss and one last Aqua Tail. Dewott attempts to escape using Aqua Jet, but gets sent off-course by the Aqua Tail, rocketting upwards. Dewott attempts to dive back underwater, only to get hit in midair by an Ice Beam from Wartortle and crashing, ending the match in another victory for Misty.

After the match, during the interlude of Ash's match, a report about former League competitors is broadcast, showing their whereabouts including a few who were reported to have died or disappeared. Burgundy gives Misty a dish of her own making to congratulate her on her victory, which Misty finds quite delicious despite its weird combination of curry and chocolate. Burgundy inquires about her choice of using new Pokémon today, wondering if she and her "boyfriend" (referring to Ash) planned it so. Misty denies that they planned it, as she just went with her gut like he does, as well as clearing up that Ash isn't her boyfriend while admitting that she wishes he were. Burgundy asks more about it, and when Misty admits she finds it hard to confess her feelings, Burgundy advises her to take her chances and have no regrets, adding that, as she spotted during their battle, Misty has a clear goal in mind but struggles with her finer details, so she needs to find her niche like she does with her Pokémon, some of which will always have flaws she can adapt to but never will fully overcome, and the ones she has the best sync with are the ones who'll give her victories in the end.

Still having plenty of time before her next round, Misty decides to go out for a walk to clear her mind and relax. She spots a couple of younger teenagers, a boy and a girl, by a nearby river, seemingly trying to fish some Pokémon for themselves, right when a Magikarp slips away downstream. Seeing them up close she notices their clothes seem rather worn out, and then they spot her and recognize her, apparently having seen her previous battles during the qualifier. They introduce themselves as Casem and Katty, and explain they're trying to fish some Water Pokémon as they'll turn fifteen soon. Misty offers to help them, adding that there's more than Magikarp around, and takes them to a different spot. She sends out her Tentacool to go looking for any Poliwag nearby, and after one gets knocked up to the surface, she uses a Quick Ball to catch it, much to Katty and Casem's surprise. Suddenly, a Bellsprout emerges from the bushes and grabs Tentacool with its vines, and she brings out Wimpod to attack it, while one of her empty Balls comes out too. During the struggle, a Psychic-type attack slams the Bellsprout against the ground, and Katty grabs the ball, which turns out to be a Luxury Ball to catch the Bellsprout, and apologizes for using it without permission. Misty however is fine with it, and allows them to keep the Pokémon. The kids seemingly wonder if they can achieve their own dreams, somehow having doubts, and from their words Misty deduces they're trying to reveal they're Bloodliners, so seeing that nobody is looking, she reveals herself as one too to cheer them up, assuring them that nothing should stop them from achieving whatever they want to do. She even offers to use her remaining time to show them that their Pokémon can do, which they gladly accept.

One hour later, after the battle between Mandi and Fergus ends (with the latter winning), Misty heads back to the stadium to take her turn. This time, her opponent is Marina, the girl she met at the entrance before, and the two get ready. Marina sends out a Tentacruel, while Misty sends out her Wooper, for whom Marina starts gushing over how cute he is, wishing she could get one. The battle starts with Tentacruel firing a Sludge Bomb, while Wooper deflects it using Ice Punch with his tail, before firing a Mud Shot. Tentacruel deflects it using Brutal Swing, Wooper summons a Sandstorm, reducing Tentacruel's visibility and taking the chance to dive underwater. Tentacruel tries to wash it away using Surf, with the additional effect of filling the water with dirt, hiding Wooper from sight. Misty orders Wooper to use Waterfall, and he hits Tentacruel with a quick blow and catching them off-guard, following up with another Mud Shot, shooting Tentacruel up in the air to fall into the pool with a loud splash. Wooper checks for his foe, only for several tentacles to wrap around him and then fall to a Giga Drain attack, losing the bout. Misty then decides to bring out Gyarados, surprising Marina that she was nervous despite having such a strong Pokémon in her arsenal. The battle resumes, and Tentacruel shoots another Sludge Bomb, which Gyarados swats away using Iron Tail, sending it back at Tentacruel, who tries to defend with another Brutal Swing, but fails, getting hit before being able to deflect the attack. While Marina is in shock at Gyarados' raw power, Misty orders him to get on Tentacruel's island and attack using Bulldoze, albeit using it to slam it on Tentacruel himself, just like Ash had done in his own battle on the water battlefield a few rounds back, defeating Tentacruel and evening the scores. Marina recalls her Tentacruel and sends out a Starmie, who immediately uses a Thunderbolt, forcing Gyarados to get out of the water. When electricity quickly fills out the entire battlefield, Misty orders Gyarados to use Iron Tail before attacking with Dragon Breath, and Marina realizes too late that Misty is using the same strategy as Ash did in the previous round to avoid electric damage with Charizard, which Marina suggests it's a "technique shared between lovers" briefly flustering Misty. Safe from the electricity, the Dragon Breath hits Starmie and pushes it into the water, stopping the Thunderbolt; however, Starmie seemingly lets out more electricity while underwater, and Gyarados can't use his Iron Tail trick again without breaking the islands and risking himself to get electrocuted. Misty orders Gyarados to use Surf without touching the water, but Marina says it won't protect them from their attack, as another Thunderbolt seemingly pierces through the wave. Gyarados then fires another Dragon Breath right on the spot the Thunderbolt breaks through, hitting Starmie as well. Marina tries to order a Hydro Pump, only to stop as she realizes Starmie got paralyzed from the last attack. She then calls for a Light Screen and then orders a Hydro Pump, which Starmie complies, reducing the impact damage but getting pushed to the edge. Gyarados suggests they could fire a Water Pulse to finish the job, but the paralysis does it for them and Starmie falls into the electrified water, ending the battle with a victory for them. However, repairs will need to be done on the battlefield before the finals.

Marina feels upset at losing due to her own strategy, while Misty tries to cheer her up assuring her that everyone makes mistakes, and that she and Tentacruel put up a great fight against them. Marina then begins asking questions about Ash, referring to him and Misty as "lovers", much to her embarrassment, and right then Delia appears greeting her. Marina says goodbye and leaves Misty alone with Delia, who seemingly was listening to their previous conversation. Delia offers her a sandwich and begins talking about how happy she is for Ash growing up and meeting them, before offering Misty something that makes her so flustered as she talks about the possibility of Misty and the others getting intimate with Ash, that she can only wish they hurry with the battlefield repairs.

Once they're done, Misty heads for the battlefield for the finals, with her last opponent being Fergus, who acknowledges her as the youngest of the Cerulean sisters and hopes they can have a good match, making her smile. The battle goes underway as a three-on-three, Misty sends out Staryu while Fergus begins with Azumarill. Staryu starts with a Tri-Attack, which Azumarill counters by summoning a huge wave. Staryu uses Rapid Spin to pierce through the wave, which was aimed to blind them, and Azumarill fires out a Hydro Pump that Staryu counters with Bubblebeam, with both attacks clashing on equal power. Staryu fires another Tri-Attack that Azumarill dodges by diving underwater. Staryu freezes the water around the island with Ice Beam to try and intercept Azumarill, but the latter uses Iron Tail taking advantage of her extensible tail to break through the ice and tie Staryu with it, disabling the star from spinning. Misty orders Staryu to fire Bubblebeam from the bottom limbs to rocket upwards, pulling Azumarill to bump into the ice. Still in the air, Staryu fires another Tri-Attack after getting free from Azumarill's tail, getting a solid hit, but the bunny stays underwater out of the starfish's sight, and once again uses the tail to trap Staryu before reeling in for a Focus Punch. Staryu attempts another Tri-Attack, and Azumarill almost lands the punch, until a paralysis effect kicks in, giving Misty and Staryu the chance to fire another, allowing them to win the first bout.

Fergus recalls Azumarill and commends Misty's battling skills, before sending out a Kingdra. Staryu opens up with a Tri-Attack, which Kingdra dodges going underwater. Staryu attempts to freeze the water behind to at least slow down Kingdra's incoming attack, but Fergus orders a Hurricane, which creates a huge funnel that sucks out everything, water, ice and Staryu, who gets struck by the ice shards for further damage, and falls defeated once the Hurricane dies down, evening the score. Misty decides that she needs a Dragon-type attack, so she brings out Gyarados. Kingdra, for his part, seems unamused and compares Misty's Gyarados to Fergus', confident that he won't be able to beat them. Gyarados uses Dragon Breath, which Kingdra ducks under and tries to dive again, only to get scooped back out by an Iron Tail and right into the Dragon Breath's path. Kingdra then replies with a Dragon Pulse, which Gyarados counters with a double Water Pulse to cancel it out. Both then attack with Surf and use the waves' clash to hide underwater. A Dragon Breath suddenly blasts out of the water on Fergus' side, which Misty celebrates until suddenly Gyarados is forced out by Kingdra with Iron Head. Misty orders Gyarados to use Bulldoze while still in midair striking Kingdra before the two start falling down. Kingdra uses Ice Beam to damage Gyarados and increase his falling speed and both end up crashing hard into the water. Both emerge, injured but not out of the fight just yet. Kingdra launches a Hurricane that Gyarados counters with a Dragon Breath, while Kingdra uses the clash as a distraction to dive underwater once more. Misty orders Gyarados to use Surf to rise out of the water, dodging Kingdra's Iron Head attack as he passes through the wave. Without turning, Kingdra uses Hurricane to propel back at Gyarados, hitting him in the back and knocking him out of the fight. Misty is dismayed at the loss, but she still has one more Pokémon left, and sends out Blastoise. The bout begins with a Hydro Pump/Dragon Pulse clash, which once more Kingdra uses to escape underwater. Fergus once more compliments Misty's battling skills, but takes notice that she still has to work on battling underwater, which she accepts before ordering Blastoise to use Protect, just in time as Kingdra launches a Hurricane from under the water. The attack launches him up in the air, but he suffers little to no damage, and aims down to fire Flash Cannon upon spotting Kingdra, knocking him out of the battle.

As Fergus returns Kingdra, he brings out his own Gyarados for the final bout against Misty's Blastoise. Both Pokémon start out with a Hydro Pump attack, neutralizing one another with a huge splash of water, which Blastoise uses to prepare a Skull Bash to lunge at Gyarados. The attack topples the marine serpent, who counters with a Stone Edge that Blastoise destroys using Flash Cannon. Gyarados attempts an Iron Head while Blastoise defends with Protect, giving Misty an opening to order another Hydro Pump. Upon noticing Gyarados' fluke, Misty realizes they're probably planning on using a tail attack. However, Misty's guesses of Aqua or Iron Tail turn out to be wrong, as Gyarados uses Power Whip, a Grass-type attack that knocks Blastoise into the air. Thankfully, Blastoise retreats back into Protect before taking further damage, and uses Hydro Pump to hit Gyarados and propel out of the way of the Power Whip, but Gyarados takes the chance to fire a Hyper Beam at full power, knocking Blastoise into the stadium wall before dropping into the water. Misty immediately dives underwater to pull him out, returning him to his Ball before he hits the bottom. Upon returning to the surface, Fergus congratulates her for a good match, and even offers to invite her for training and maybe dinner, which she turns down since she already has someone waiting for her on both accounts. As the crowd cheers for both, the Whirl Cup Qualifier tournament ends.

At sunset, Misty is busy admiring the crystal trophy she won for his participation in the tournament, and she runs into Fergus once more. Fergus asks if she plans to retake the Cerulean Gym, which she confirms. Fergus then expresses that he would like to take it over and restore it to its former glory, so that would make them rivals in the future, and that he hopes that she passes through the Whirl Cup preliminaries so they can have a rematch. As they go each their own way, Psyduck asks her why she seems to happy, Misty doesn't answer, but thinks to herself that, while she didn't win the tournament, she had a good time and made a few new friends and rivals along the way. Plus, by not skipping the Whirl Cup's preliminaries, it means she'll have to go through a harder challenge, which makes it even more exciting. She then concludes that Ash's competitive streak is rubbing off on her, and she likes it, before heading off to celebrate Ash's own victory.

A few hours earlier, a girl named Ren Daemon stops her singing as she listens to music in her room and looks at herself in the mirror, wondering how she got there since she'd been at the Indigo Stadium in the aftermath of a battle she'd been sent to oversee, as she recalls how she never saw herself as attractive until her newfound brother, the Bloodliner Prince, told her otherwise, which she dismisses as him just being kind to her. Her phone then rings and after scrambling for a while trying to find the right pocket in her jacket, her Ralts brings it up for her, so she can answer the call. It's her brother, who seemed to have noticed that she was having fun and causes her to become embarrassed at looking so stupid. The Prince dismisses it and assures her there's nothing wrong with enjoying herself. Ren tries to argue that she was supposed to carry out her duties and not "have fun", but the Prince interrupts her again, assuring her that he wants her to enjoy life and the world the way her "focused community" didn't allow her, which brings her bad memories. After some minor arguments about her appearance, Ren speaks of a pattern she's been noticing on the trainer whose match she'd been sent to oversee, Ash Ketchum, as the Prince was interested in seeing if the Rookie Crusher's claims were not actually that misplaced. From her knowledge as to how Pokémon grow in combat and in general, she has noticed that some of Ash's Pokémon seem to have more mental training, evidenced by an increased responsiveness that's more common among more experienced trainers than rookie ones. However, she noticed that some Pokémon seem to have it while others lack it, and they can't spot a specific pattern as to why. This brings up the Prince's attention, who is interested in facing Ash in person and unravel the mystery that surrounds him, much to Ren's confusion. She also adds that another of their siblings, Ritchie, has a Dream Ball, and brings up her notes on the Dream World, having started to see the world after discovering it by mere chance, as her bloodline facilitates her to enter the Dream World. The Prince instructs her to observe both of them as they're in opposite brackets of the tournament and continue her task, while also having fun in-between. While Ren is left wondering what's she's supposed to do, Katty and Casem appear to tell them of a Bloodliner girl they met who helped them and would probably like to be friends with her. Ren pretends to be surprised, although she knows exactly who they're talking about as the Prince had already told her about Misty. She then ponders about the task she was assigned to, researching the Dream World while also looking out for the two orphans, making sure the Bloodliner King's Executioner won't come after them, since he apparently has a low opinion on Bloodliners who aren't born with their powers and instead gained them, unlike the Prince who believes this is a mistake and is trying to find the way to replicate the process.

In an extra segment, Ren recalls her life before meeting her Ralts, always having trouble sleeping due to fretting over exams, being bullied by people and in general not feeling like she could fit in, trying everything but sleeping pills due to not having access to them. Whenever she slept, though, she would always have dreams like something out of a storybook, colorful but faded, an escape from her harsh reality. For some reason, she could also conjure a flavor of ice cream that she would never taste in life, recalling also how her mother used to take her out for ice cream, but now she's happy to be able to share her ice cream with someone else, her Ralts. She then recalls the first time she and her Ralts meet, how Ralts used its psychic powers to save her ice cream from falling and splatting over the floor, much to her gratitude. At the time she didn't even know about Pokémon, but the two quickly bonded with each other and she offered to share some as thanks for saving it, much to the creature's joy, and thus, Ren Daemon's story began.

## Continuity

* First appearances of Tad, Marina, Katty, Casem and Ren Daemon.
* Burgundy returns, after being last seen aboard the S.S. Anne.
* A few glimpses of Ash's Top 16 match are seen throughout the chapter.
* It is revealed that some Bloodliners can obtain their powers by an external source, as opposed to be born with them.

## Trivia

* The chapter is labeled as **"Indigo League 5: Misty and the Whirl Cup"** on Fanfiction.net due to the inability to have periods in chapter titles on the platform.
* Crossoverpairinglover mentions at the end of the chapter that Mandi and the Rookie Crusher were considered as opponents but were replaced with Burgundy during development. Mandi was mentioned to have participated, while no mention of the Rookie Crusher was made in the final product.