"Let's fight, Misty!"
This sentence successfully pulled Misty out of her awkward situation!
Misty instantly revived and rushed in front of Ash.
"That's why I appeared before you, Ash!"
"Others are fine, but I won't let you get the Cerulean Gym Badge so easily!"
"It's time to show you the absolute strength of the Mega Invincible Beautiful Girl! Otherwise, you'll think I'm just a vase!"
Sakura and her sisters on the side couldn't help but mock her.
"Mega Invincible Beautiful Girl?"
"Absolute strength?"
"Vase?"
"Do any of those words have anything to do with you, Misty?"
The three of them teased her one after another, making Misty turn red with anger.
What they said clearly implied she was both rough and unattractive!
Just as Misty was about to explode, Ash spoke up calmly.
"I think Misty is pretty."
"She might not be as mature as her sisters now, but when she grows up, she'll definitely be just as beautiful as them."
"And her Pokémon and battle skills are really good too. You should learn from her, sisters."
After all, she was his travel companion.
How could Ash just stand by and watch her get insulted like that?
Even though Misty hadn't fully matured yet,
She already had clear traces of beauty.
Calling her an ugly duckling was simply unfair.
If her personality weren't so fiery,
Most people would already see her as a future beauty scoring at least ninety-five points.
And while Misty's temper was famous,
She had never once shown that side of herself in front of Ash.
After all, it was Ash who had looked after her all along.
If she still acted unruly in front of him, that would truly reflect poorly on her.
Ash's words made Misty's face turn pink like a steamed shrimp.
It almost looked like steam was coming out of her head!
Serena frowned slightly, unsure of what to think.
But she quickly relaxed again.
Pikachu, sitting on Ash's shoulder, gave him a surprised look.
This boy's emotional intelligence was way too high!
Ash noticed Pikachu's gaze and blinked in confusion.
What's with that look? I didn't say anything wrong, did I?
"Ahem, well, if Ash says so, then maybe we've underestimated Misty."
"So, little sister, why don't you show us just how powerful you really are?"
Sakura, the eldest, immediately stepped in to smooth the awkward atmosphere.
She had noticed the subtle tension between Ash, Misty, and Serena.
Unlike her other two sisters who liked teasing Misty,
Sakura had always acknowledged her youngest sister's potential.
Even though Misty wasn't completely mature yet,
Sakura had always believed that Misty was the one destined to inherit the Gym in the future.
Besides, Misty was her little sister after all.
In matters of love, she would naturally stand on her sister's side first.
If this boy named Ash really turned out to be Misty's fate,
Then that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
Of course, that depended on his character and strength.
But since both Serena and Misty liked him,
That alone showed he must have something special.
...
After Sakura's words, the two stepped onto the Cerulean Gym battlefield.
Misty and Ash stood opposite each other,
Her expression more serious than ever before.
This time, her opponent was Ash!
After traveling together for some time, she knew exactly how powerful he was.
When Ash had complimented her skills earlier,
She had been happy to hear it,
But she also knew clearly that compared to Ash,
Her strength still had a long way to go.
Her chances of losing this battle were at least eighty percent.
But even so, she had to fight!
She wanted to show Ash her strongest side!
"The battle rules are two-on-two! The Gym Leader cannot switch Pokémon once the match begins! Battle start!"
Sakura, acting as referee, explained the rules and then raised her arm to begin the match.
"Go, my darling!"
Misty threw out her Poké Ball. A bright flash revealed her Staryu!
"Staryu, huh... then it's decided! I choose you, Froakie!"
The Poké Ball flew, and Froakie appeared on a floating platform above the pool.
"Huh? Why didn't he use Pikachu? Electric-type attacks restrain Water-types, right?"
Violet, sitting in the audience with Serena, looked puzzled.
Even though she wasn't a battle expert,
She'd still been a Gym Leader once and knew the basics of type matchups.
Pikachu's Electric type countered Misty's Water type perfectly,
So why use Froakie instead?
Was this boy just showing off?
Serena, sitting beside her, parted her lips slightly.
"Because Pikachu is too strong," she explained softly.
"Since our journey began, Pikachu has only battled a handful of times."
"And almost every time, he wins with a single move."
"Pikachu is Ash's ultimate trump card. He only uses him when facing extremely powerful opponents."
The implication was clear.
Misty wasn't even worthy of Pikachu's effort.
But even if Ash sent Pikachu into the battle,
Pikachu might hesitate to attack Misty after their time traveling together.
"That strong, huh...? It's just a Pikachu..." Lily muttered quietly.
Pikachu, the Electric Mouse so popular in Kanto—
Even with type advantage, Lily doubted he could really be that powerful.
But hearing Serena's confident words made her curious to see for herself.
As the audience whispered among themselves,
The battle between Ash and Misty was about to begin!
(End of the chapter)
***
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