Chapter Nineteen: Officially "Forming a Team"

Am had “tamed” the Ancient Mischief Electrode—or rather, he had temporarily ensured that the Ancient Mischief Electrode, which Professor Oakwood had transferred to him, did not rebel on the spot. Afterward, Am received some guidance from Professor Oakwood, mainly study materials that the professor passed to him through the Pokédex. If Am encountered anything confusing later, he could contact Professor Oakwood again in town—after all, there was no network in the wilderness of this world.

When Am was leaving Professor Oakwood’s place, he noticed Misty was still fuming. Remembering what she’d said earlier…

“Your father is the Cerulean Gym Leader?” Am asked curiously.

“Not for much longer!” Misty replied, clearly displeased. After a pause, she added, “He turns fifty in July, and the gym will lose its official status…”

“But he’s still the Gym Leader, isn’t he?” Am said as he searched the Pokédex, only to discover that the current Cerulean Gym Leader was indeed a middle-aged man, forty-nine years old—and to his surprise, it was actually a Fire-type gym!

Delving further into the links, Am quickly uncovered the reason for Misty’s resentment toward Professor Oakwood—or rather, “Elder Askleaf.” Misty’s father, Blaze, was the current Gym Leader of Cerulean Gym—a master of Fire-type Pokémon.

Meanwhile, among the city’s unofficial gyms, the most prominent was a Grass-type gym run by three sisters: Sakura, Iris, and Peony—their names left no doubt as to their type specialty. Though still young, the eldest sister, Sakura, was already Champion-level and had been vying for the official gym title against Blaze for the past two years.

Searching “Cerulean Gym,” the second result featured a swimsuit photo of the three sisters, who had clearly become a hotter topic than Blaze himself. Evidently, Misty had heard somewhere that the sisters’ mentor was Elder Askleaf—Professor Oakwood’s well-known alias.

For the past two years, the eldest sister, Sakura, had repeatedly challenged Blaze’s gym in a type-disadvantage match and failed. However… this year, it seemed she would win by default. Once Blaze’s gym lost its official status, the sisters’ gym was all but certain to become Cerulean City’s new official gym.

“Well… since Uncle Blaze is reaching the age limit, the official status going to Sakura and her sisters isn’t really their fault, is it?” Am, seeing Misty’s indignation, clumsily tried to offer comfort.

Misty shot him a glare. “Is that what I’m angry about?!”

Am blinked at her as if to ask—then what?

“It’s all because of those three! My dad’s been pushing me to become a Fire-type trainer because of them… but I refuse!” Misty declared, full of righteous indignation.

Am: …

Now Am understood why Misty didn’t have a starter Pokémon. She had a Pokédex, but she had most likely run away from home! He also realized why Misty sometimes seemed particularly sensitive about her own type preferences.

Earlier, when Professor Oakwood mentioned Cerulean Gym, he had clearly accepted that, after July, the official gym status would pass to his three students’ gym, which had understandably upset Misty.

Misty’s frustration wasn’t just about someone else “stealing” her father’s gym—it was also her own way of protesting against Blaze. Even so, she couldn’t help but feel annoyed when Professor Oakwood spoke so matter-of-factly.

At this moment, Misty eyed Am suspiciously. “If you think about it… those three are technically your ‘senior sisters,’ right? That’s why Professor Oakwood wants you to challenge Cerulean Gym for your eighth badge!”

It was easy to guess that, by then, Professor Oakwood would certainly inform Sakura and her sisters, asking them to personally assess their “junior brother.” It was even possible that one of the sisters would take the field themselves to test Am—the awarding of official gym badges was ultimately at the discretion of the gym leader. Usually, it was a standard procedure, but if the leader wanted to test someone personally, that was perfectly acceptable.

“Maybe he’s also worried I’m not good enough and might embarrass Professor Oakwood,” Am thought. It was much like how Granny Lexi insisted on personally testing him before he could register for the apothecary exam.

Misty continued glaring at Am, who seemed entirely unaware of the real reason for her anger and simply explained things matter-of-factly, leaving her exasperated.

“They’re older than me, so I can’t compare for now. But… I choose you! Let’s see who gets the better result in the Rookie Tournament!” Misty announced, all fired up.

“Huh? They’re not that old, are they?” Am checked the Pokédex again. Though the page was already closed, he still had a lingering impression of the Cerulean Grass Gym sisters’ “bikini photo” he’d just glimpsed.

Seeing Misty’s glare grow ever sharper, Am quickly changed tack. “Alright… but my goal is definitely the championship!”

“Heh, what a coincidence.” Misty shot him a sidelong glance.

In terms of pure Pokémon strength, and not counting Am’s still-disobedient Mischief Electrode, he was actually no match for Misty.

Though Misty hadn’t received one of the traditional starters, her Starmie and Staryu had grown up with her. In this regard, someone like Am, from an “ordinary family,” would have a hard time standing out in the rookie tournaments.

Officially, everyone had been traveling for less than a year, but many had Pokémon that had grown up alongside them. Even if they hadn’t trained from childhood, their starting point was still a cut above the rest!

Of course, Am didn’t have much room to complain—his Exeggcute was in much the same situation.

“Let’s rest for a couple of days, then head for Viridian City, shall we?” Misty asked directly.

“Huh? Us?” Am was caught off guard.

He didn’t remember ever agreeing to travel with Misty—they had only come to Maple Town together by chance…

“Of course! You’re not thinking of ditching me, are you? I don’t have any gyms to challenge right now. Once we each have four or five badges, we can compete again.” Misty was full of competitive spirit.

Challenging gyms on the road was also a form of rivalry, though Misty didn’t think the first three badges were worth the challenge.

Besides, traveling together meant they could spar at any time. More importantly, since Misty’s goal was mainly Water-type Pokémon, there was no overlap with Am’s interests.

“But my plans might…” Am hesitated. He had his own ideas and would also follow Professor Oakwood’s instructions, which might not match Misty’s destinations.

“No problem, I’m not picky. Everywhere in Kanto is rich in water veins,” Misty replied indifferently. Water was abundant in Kanto, and so were Water-type Pokémon.

Back when she was in Cerulean, the Sakura sisters were always the “model children” her elders used to compare her to, much to Misty’s annoyance. She consoled herself that it was just because they were older.

Now, seeing Am—a fellow student of Professor Oakwood, and someone who had been traveling about as long as she had—Misty immediately regarded him as a rival.