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"Here, these are Oran Berries!"
After stopping the battle between the two Pokemon, Ash reached into his backpack and pulled out two blue Oran Berries, tossing one each to Charizard and Scizor.
These minor injuries didn't require a special trip to the Pokemon Center. After eating the Oran Berries and resting for a while, they would be almost completely recovered.
Once Scizor had healed, it immediately began training on its own. Ash didn't intervene, recognizing that the Pokemon was still determined not to accept defeat.
The other Pokemon watched Scizor's dedication and were all inspired by its condition, beginning to practice with renewed intensity.
Ash led them through rigorous training that continued until evening, when Togepi emerged to remind everyone that dinner was ready.
Since he was staying at the Cerulean Gym today, Brock wanted to showcase his culinary skills in front of the three sisters, so he prepared an elaborate feast.
It was unfortunate that Brock didn't seem to be as appealing as the food he cooked. Otherwise, his romantic endeavors might not have been quite so challenging.
After dinner, they settled into the gym for the night. There were plenty of rooms available in the large facility, so there was no concern about accommodation.
Following a full day of training, Ash returned to his room, took a refreshing shower, and collapsed onto the bed. Pikachu and Jigglypuff curled up together near Ash's pillow.
The Next Day
Early the following morning, while Ash was still asleep, the three Sensational Sisters had already roused the slumbering Misty. Unfortunately for Misty, she couldn't enjoy sleeping in naturally when she was back home.
She was dragged directly to the dressing room by her three sisters for makeup and costume preparation. While still half-asleep and confused, she was fitted into a mermaid outfit complete with a scaled tail.
"There are so many people!" Ash and Brock had gotten up somewhat late.
However, despite their tardiness, the Cerulean Gym was already packed with visitors by this time.
Ash and Brock munched on sandwiches while observing the lengthy queue stretching out in front of them. Everyone held tickets in their hands. At that moment, Daisy was already seated at the front desk, beginning the check-in process.
"Oh... I should have known to start collecting admission fees at Pewter Gym too!" Brock couldn't help but comment when he witnessed this scene. The more he thought about it, the more depressing it became. Their Pewter Gym was genuinely struggling financially.
"Uh... I don't think anyone would pay to watch rocks, would they?" It wasn't that Ash wanted to be discouraging, but if that actually happened, Pewter Gym might end up closing permanently.
"You're probably right..." Brock sighed deeply, thinking about the dire financial state of Pewter Gym.
There was now another person with tears streaming down her face: Misty's eldest sister, Daisy.
"This is wonderful! Our Cerulean Gym hasn't been this full in such a long time!" It was clear that the Cerulean Gym had indeed been poorly managed during recent months.
"Let's go inside too!" With more and more people arriving, the lobby was beginning to feel crowded. Seeing this, Ash suggested to Brock beside him.
"Sounds good!"
Brock carefully held Togepi, which Misty had entrusted to his care, and followed Ash into the venue. The auditorium was already filled with many spectators. Fortunately, since the Cerulean Gym was designed for performances, there were abundant seating arrangements.
They found excellent seats and settled in. Soon the entire auditorium was completely full, and the lights slowly began to dim.
Then, in the center of the venue, glass panels suddenly rose from four sides around the swimming pool, enclosing the rectangular pool completely. The entire pool structure then elevated to the central stage area.
Water began filling from the bottom, and soon a transparent aquatic cube had formed. The pool floor was decorated with beautiful coral reefs and pristine white sand. It was obvious that the three sisters had invested considerable effort into this performance.
SPLASH!
As the main lights dimmed, a spotlight illuminated the bottom of the pool, revealing several groups of Pokemon.
Goldeen and Seaking, Seel, Starmie, and Horsea appeared—some belonged to Misty, while others were owned by the three Cerulean sisters.
The performance began amid enthusiastic applause. Misty stood on an elevated platform wearing her mermaid costume. The outfit was genuinely well-crafted and stunning.
As soon as she appeared on stage, thunderous applause erupted. It was clear that Misty was becoming increasingly popular. In reality, her natural charm was certainly equal to that of her three sisters.
Soon Misty began performing interactive routines with the Pokemon in the water. In the past, the three sisters had performed solo acts, but now Misty's collaborative performances with Pokemon had become the main attraction.
"Even though she only had one day to rehearse, her performance is excellent!" Ash rarely watched any shows except for Pokemon battles. Perhaps it was because Pokemon were involved, but he felt that Misty performed wonderfully.
"After all, she's a trainer from Cerulean Gym—every one of them is an expert swimmer," Brock noted with approval. To achieve the realistic movement of a mermaid underwater, Misty wasn't even using supplemental oxygen.
She relied on air pockets hidden in coral reef caves, secretly getting fresh air in spots where the audience couldn't see. Of course, she also carried a portable oxygen mask as a safety precaution.
"The mermaid princess dances and plays with the Pokemon during the day, and rests among the shells at night."
At this moment, Misty was lying on a specially prepared shell bed beneath the water's surface. As the recorded narration concluded, the shell bed closed simultaneously, and the Pokemon settled down to sleep beside it.
"At this moment, evil hunters appeared, and they wanted to capture the mermaid princess!"
The spotlights hit the platform again, and three figures materialized, but a mocking voice rang out instead.
"We're not interested in little girls! Our target is those Pokemon, meow!"
"What a bold and brazen plan—to steal Pokemon from a gym in full view of everyone!"
"Come on! Now it's time for our performance!" The three took turns speaking, and when Ash and Brock saw them in the stands, their expressions immediately changed.
"That's... Team Rocket?! These guys are so annoying!" Brock couldn't help grinding his teeth as he glared at them.
"Where are Violet and Lily?" Ash frowned when he noticed this. Team Rocket had appeared, which meant something must have happened to Violet and Lily, who were supposed to play the villains in this scene.
"They must have encountered those troublemakers," Brock said with concern.
"Let's go check it out!" Ash stood up, holding Pikachu and Jigglypuff, who was still contentedly eating popcorn. Brock quickly rose and followed, and the two rushed toward the backstage area.