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"This brat actually looks down on us, saying Misty is more suitable to be a Gym Leader than us." The three of them, hidden in the dark, naturally heard their entire conversation.
The second and third sisters were infuriated upon hearing this. Although they genuinely didn't pay much attention to Pokémon matters, and their Gym operations were more about performances, being called out directly still made them uncomfortable.
No one had ever said such a thing before, because people who came to the Gym previously were mostly there for the performances, or they were their admirers. Even those who came to challenge the Gym wouldn't say such things.
That was because ordinary Trainers wouldn't be so blunt. They might think the sisters were weak in their hearts, but they wouldn't say it aloud. However, Ash, because he knew Misty, said a few extra words, which essentially ripped off their "shameful cloth."
"But that brat's aura just now was really intimidating. I didn't even dare to speak." Daisy responded, still a bit shaken.
"..." Lily remained silent, but she also agreed. She hadn't dared to speak either.
"Compared to us, who just handed out badges, Misty really did better." As the eldest sister, Violet was somewhat more rational.
No Gym Leader would ever hand out a badge without a battle. In this regard, Misty had indeed done much better than them.
From Ash's demeanor, it wasn't hard to see his disdain for the three of them. This feeling was quite uncomfortable. Regardless, they couldn't lose face in front of their younger sister, which was why Violet agreed to Ash's challenge.
Hearing Violet's words, Daisy and Lily both fell silent. They actually knew that outside Cerulean City, their Cerulean Gym was always referred to as the weakest Gym in the Kanto region.
Firstly, their ambition wasn't here, so when Misty said she wanted to go out and train to become a strong Trainer, they were quite happy.
Secondly, the citizens of Cerulean City mostly preferred their performances, so they subconsciously ignored the issue of the Gym's strength.
Ash's performance had undoubtedly revealed the fact that they were very weak, and now they couldn't even forget it if they wanted to.
"Alright, let's go! We need to prepare. No matter what, we must take this seriously. You don't want to lose face in front of your sister, do you?"
Under Violet's urging, the three sisters left together. Approximately an hour later...
The Cerulean Sisters finally brought their Pokémon back. The three of them returned to the Gym. Misty had given Ash and Brock a tour, and with nothing else to do, they also returned to the battle arena.
The "battle arena" was actually the swimming pool where they used to perform. Staff quickly set up the venue. The pool, nearly two basketball courts in size, had several rectangular floating platforms.
This meant that both sides of the battle would fight in the pool. The Gym's terrain itself was advantageous to the Gym Leader, which was one of the difficulties of a Gym battle.
Ash and the Cerulean Sisters quickly took their positions, each standing on the furthest floating platform. Trainers also had to stay on the floating platforms. The platforms were unstable on the water, so it tested not only the Pokémon but also the Trainer.
For the Cerulean Sisters, this was easy. Ash, with Pikachu, jumped onto the platform and quickly got used to it without any problems.
"The battle will be a three-on-three match. We sisters will take turns using one Pokémon each. The first to have all their Pokémon unable to battle loses. Challengers can switch Pokémon during the battle. Any questions?"
Violet and Lily stood on the shore, explaining the rules to Ash. The first to appear was the third sister, Daisy.
"No problem!"
Daisy stood opposite, looking at Ash. She glanced warily at Ash's feet. Ash also subconsciously looked down.
"Don't be afraid! I won't use Pikachu!"
Ash looked at Pikachu, then looked up at Daisy. It wasn't that he was being reckless, but seeing Daisy's frightened expression, she probably wouldn't be able to perform well. So he decided to put her at ease.
"Cough... who... who's afraid! Use him if you want! Even if you use Pikachu, I won't lose." Daisy, having her thoughts seen through by Ash, retorted stubbornly, her face a bit red.
She secretly breathed a sigh of relief, while also praying that Ash wouldn't take her words seriously.
"Go, Horsea!"
Daisy sent out Horsea first. A blue, seahorse-like Pokémon appeared before them, with cute big eyes and fins like wings on its back, and a cylindrical mouth.
"This is your first battle. Make me proud!" Ash took out a Poké Ball and glanced at it, then threw it into the pool.
Bang!
With a bang, the Poké Ball opened, and a figure, bathed in blue light, descended into the water. As the light gradually faded, a Pokémon with red scales and crown-like fins floated in the water.
"This is... isn't this Magikarp? You're using Magikarp to battle? How dare you look down on me?"
Looking at the Pokémon before her, as a Water-type Gym Leader, she naturally recognized it. Ash had sent out a very ordinary Magikarp.
Gyarados was infamous as a water tyrant, but Magikarp was the weakest Pokémon. Ash sending out Magikarp made her feel insulted.
"Don't speak too soon. You can talk after you defeat it!"
Ash responded calmly. He knew that Magikarp would be underestimated when it appeared, but he didn't care. Magikarp had been training with him for a while; it was time to test its progress.
"Ash sent out Magikarp, is that okay?"
Misty and Brock watched from the sidelines. For some reason, even though it was their own Gym and she was responsible for this battle, Misty was more worried about Ash.
"If it's Ash, he probably has his own considerations. Just watch carefully." Brock was more composed. Having battled Ash before, he was very clear about Ash's strength.
"Damn it, how dare you look down on me! Horsea, use Bubble Beam!"
Hearing Ash's words, Daisy's temper flared, and she momentarily forgot her anger. With a command, she forgot that she was a Gym Leader; normally, she would let the opponent attack first.
Puff puff puff puff!
Horsea, hearing Daisy's command, immediately launched its attack. Its cylindrical, cannon-like mouth instantly spat out crystal-like blue bubbles. A series of Bubble Beams skimmed the water surface towards Magikarp.
"Here it comes! Magikarp, use Splash!" Ash commanded, watching Horsea initiate its attack.
"Hmph! What good is a move like Splash?" Daisy retorted defiantly, hearing Ash's words.
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