When Ash and the others arrived at the Cerulean Gym,
Misty finally couldn't hold herself back and ran away.
The main reason was that she didn't want her sisters to call her an ugly duckling in front of Ash.
So, Misty found an excuse and temporarily left Ash's team.
But in reality, she was secretly following Ash.
Ash and Serena bought two tickets and entered the Cerulean Gym.
At this time, the Cerulean Gym was holding a water ballet performance.
This show was the main source of income for the Cerulean Gym.
The three Cerulean sisters, though not strong as Trainers, were all famous beauties.
As Ash entered, he immediately saw three pairs of white legs swaying on the stage.
Three stunning women with different charms danced gracefully on the pool.
Their one-piece swimsuits outlined their soft arms and long legs.
Under the lighting, their pale skin seemed to glow with a soft halo, exuding gentle warmth.
"Ash, you're staring~"
Serena, standing beside Ash, whispered softly, a trace of irritation in her tone.
Because Ash's eyes were slightly dazed, fixed on the three Cerulean sisters performing on the water.
He couldn't take his eyes off them!
Ash snapped back to reality, scratching his head awkwardly with an embarrassed smile.
It was a man's nature to look at beautiful women.
Although he was only ten years old, his mental maturity and physical growth were already far beyond his age.
Being stunned for a moment by such a sight was normal.
After all, who wouldn't be distracted by three graceful women performing water ballet in front of them?
Ninety-five percent of the audience around them were men.
That alone proved the point.
"Ahem, I was looking at Serena's reflection in the water, not them."
"I'm not mad," Serena smiled faintly. "Anyone would glance at those white legs. But Ash, don't forget why we came here."
Serena knew she had no right to control Ash's thoughts.
After all, they were just travel companions right now.
But she felt that no matter how eye-catching the performance was, they couldn't forget their true goal.
They had come here to challenge the Cerulean Gym.
Ash nodded to show he hadn't forgotten, then led Serena backstage and spoke to the staff.
When the staff heard that Ash wanted to challenge the Gym,
They led them to a waiting lounge.
The Gym's battle arena was the same pool being used for the water ballet performance.
So, challengers had to wait until the sisters finished their act.
Luckily, the ballet was already halfway through,
So Ash and Serena didn't have to wait long.
Soon, three fair-skinned women entered, drying their wet hair and chatting cheerfully.
When they noticed Ash and Serena, they paused in surprise.
Then, the saffron-haired woman at the front stepped forward.
"Are you here to challenge the Gym?" she asked.
"Yes," Ash replied confidently. "I'm Ash from Pallet Town, and I'm here to challenge the Cerulean Gym."
"My name is Sakura," said the blonde woman. "I'm the current owner of the Gym… but, to be honest, if you want to challenge us right now, it might be a little inconvenient."
Sakura explained that after their parents disappeared,
Most of the Gym's strong Pokémon were taken away with them.
Only their own Pokémon remained, and recently, they'd faced challenges from other Trainers from Pallet Town.
Their Pokémon were left exhausted and badly hurt, now recovering at the Pokémon Center.
Even though the Pokémon Center had advanced healing technology,
Severe injuries and mental fatigue still took more than a day to recover.
Therefore, the Cerulean Gym was currently in a situation where they had no Pokémon available to battle.
"…How about this," said Violet, the sister with sky-blue hair. "We'll just give you the Badge. Everyone from Pallet Town is strong anyway."
The past few days of defeats had left her spirit crushed.
"Yeah, that's right. The result's the same anyway, so just take it," added Lily, the third sister, nodding repeatedly.
Ash: …
Serena: …
The words of the three sisters left both of them speechless.
They had heard rumors about the Cerulean Gym's weakness,
But seeing it firsthand was still shocking.
Ash stayed silent for a few seconds before speaking with a firm expression.
"I can't accept this. The Pokémon League created Gyms to test Trainers—to improve their skills, determination, and strategy."
"Just handing out Badges like this defeats the purpose entirely."
"If every Gym did that, there'd be no point in holding the Indigo Plateau Conference at all."
Now, it was the three sisters' turn to fall silent.
Of course, they knew he was right.
But their ambition had never been to become Trainers.
They were only managing the Gym because they had no other choice.
If given the option, they'd rather continue their easy, carefree life,
Performing water ballets instead of Pokémon battles.
At that moment, the door to the lounge suddenly swung open!
Misty, who had left earlier, appeared in front of them!
"Ash is right! Sisters, the Gym you're running is an embarrassment!"
"Do you know the rumor going around Kanto now? That 'anyone who walks into Cerulean Gym walks out with a Badge'!"
"Can't you at least take some pride in being Gym Leaders?!"
Her sudden outburst stunned the three Cerulean sisters.
Then, after a brief pause, they retaliated verbally.
First, they scolded Misty harshly,
Then began complaining about how difficult managing the Gym had been.
In the end, Misty, who had stormed in full of spirit,
Ended up shrinking under their words, completely speechless.
"…Ash, did you already know Misty was one of the Cerulean Gym's leaders?"
Serena noticed Ash didn't seem surprised at all.
She leaned close and whispered softly in his ear.
Ash felt her breath brush against his ear, but calmly replied,
"Yeah, I guessed it from the way she acted before."
Then Ash walked up to Misty and the sisters, looked at Misty seriously, and said,
"Let's battle, Misty."
(End of the chapter)
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