Chapter 17: Louder! Haven't You Eaten?!
2024-05-15 Author: Samsung Charmander (Author Name)
The group arrived in front of a massive swimming pool.
The water was about five or six meters deep. On either side of the pool were platforms for the Trainers, and several floating platforms for Pokémon to stand on bobbed on the water's surface.
"This is the battle arena for the Cerulean Gym~!"
The eldest sister, Daisy, placed her hands on her hips with an air of dominance. The powerhouse aura that washed over him made Ash break out in a single drop of sweat, and he told himself he couldn't afford to be careless.
"Violet, I choose you to go!"
Daisy said, as if she were tossing out her most prized Pokemon.
Violet: "?"
"Big Sister is tired, and my Pokémon were completely defeated by the last challenger. They're still recuperating now."
Daisy stated as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"But Big Sister, my Pokémon were also wiped out by another challenger," Violet replied with an innocent look.
The two looked at each other, and then their gazes fell upon the third, pink-haired woman.
"Third Sister, we'll leave it to you."
"The glory of the Cerulean Gym is your solemn duty!"
Lily: "???"
The problem was, her Pokémon had also been wiped out!
The three of them, who focused on their Water Ballet performances every day, had long since thrown the daily training of a Trainer to the back of their minds.
The rumor now faintly circulating in the Kanto Region about the weakest Gym...
...wasn't just a rumor, but a fact.
This time, it was Ash's turn to be dumbfounded.
So, what was the deal? Were they going to battle or not?
"Aiya~ The performance is more important, after all. A Gym battle is just a formality~"
The three of them reached a unanimous conclusion.
These lax words, however, enraged Ash.
This was the Gym Challenge Match he had always looked forward to! How could he allow someone to treat it with such disrespect?
He pulled Brock over, intending for this powerful man to teach these three ignorant women a lesson.
"He's a Trainer from the Pewter Gym, a man who possesses the Rock-Solid Will, Brock! Quickly, show them your Rock-Solid Will and conquer them!"
Brock's brow furrowed. Looking at the three great beauties before him, he leaned his shoulders back, and his tone couldn't help but weaken.
"Actually, I think..."
"Louder! Haven't you eaten!?"
Ash roared.
Brock: "..."
After a moment of internal conflict, Brock finally twisted his neck, snapped his eyes open, and said in a deep voice:
"This is wrong! You can't be half-hearted in what you do!"
Ash nodded in satisfaction. As expected of the man I acknowledge.
"We still have a large plot of undeveloped land in Pewter City. If you three sisters don't mind, you could move the venue there and focus solely on Water Ballet from now on. You could just give up the whole Gym thing. I imagine that would be excellent..."
Ash: "?"
"And I'm a man with Pewter City residency. If you three sisters want to become citizens of Pewter City, you just need to add your names to my household register. As for me, I really don't mind at all..."
The three sisters: "..."
After some discussion.
The Sensational Sisters, looking helpless, sent out a Pokémon, stating that this was their final combatant.
"Flop... Flop..."
It was a pinkish-white fish Pokémon with a sharp horn on its head and thick lips that looked as if they were wearing makeup. It was on the shore, using Splash.
"Pokedex Beep. Goldeen, a dime-a-dozen fish-type Pokemon. Best served steamed."
The Pokédex never missed an opportunity to make its presence known.
"Is this it...?"
Ash's brow furrowed deeply.
In this situation, even if Pikachu didn't make a move, the Goldeen would eventually lose its combat capability from exhaustion just by using Splash.
For this rare Gym Challenge Match, he had wanted to follow the Type Advantage Tactics he had just memorized yesterday and send out his Electric-type Pikachu for a proper battle.
But was fate really not going to let him use Type Effectiveness?
Damn it!
Daisy was also a bit helpless and could only clap her hands.
Instantly, from the adjacent pool, an adorable Seel popped out.
This was the mascot; it didn't battle.
Its mouth opened, revealing a delicate, teardrop-shaped badge resting on its tongue.
"I can see your Pikachu is a prodigy. We would surely be no match for you. That being the case, please accept this proof of our defeat, the Blue Badge."
Ash: "..."
He hesitated. Obtaining a Badge so easily made him feel a little uncomfortable.
To be honest, if this was how it was, he'd rather not have this Blue Badge.
After all, as a veteran region, the Kanto Region had plenty of Gyms, if nothing else.
Worst case, he could just challenge a different Gym...
Just as Ash was about to refuse, a sharp cry came from the other side of the pool.
"Sister Daisy, let me take your place for the Gym battle!"
Everyone followed the voice and saw that Misty, at some point, had already taken a stand over there.
"Haven't you eaten? Louder! We can't hear you over here!"
Ash quickly shouted back.
He really couldn't hear her.
Misty: "..."
She practically teleported, sprinting over to the group. She snatched the Blue Badge from Daisy's hand and held it high in front of Ash.
"The Cerulean Gym has no precedent for handing over a Badge without a battle! Let me complete the Gym challenge in their place!"
"That's not right. I gave one away for free just yesterday," Daisy interrupted.
Misty: "..."
Whose side are you on?
After some explanation, Ash finally understood that Misty was actually the fourth of four sisters, the youngest of the Cerulean Gym. Because she hadn't fully developed yet, she was often selectively forgotten.
"Speaking of which, Misty, didn't you say you wouldn't come back to the Gym until you became a powerful Trainer? How have you returned in less than two weeks?" Daisy asked.
"Even so, we won't let you join the Water Ballet~"
"You're too green~"
Her sisters teased her relentlessly.
"Who wants to do Water Ballet anyway! It's a frivolous pursuit!"
Misty's face flushed red, and she shot a hateful glare at her three older sisters.
I, Misty, would rather starve to death or jump from this spot than ever perform Water Ballet!
"Her chest isn't big, but her temper sure is," Lily added, twisting the knife.
Misty: "!!!"
Just as the classic scene of fake friends tearing each other apart was about to unfold, Ash and Brock hurriedly pulled them apart.
"I don't care, as long as someone battles me!"
This was Ash's thought.
Everyone finally came back to their senses.
In no time, Ash and Misty were standing at opposite ends of the arena.
Brock stood on the side, continuing to try and win them over:
"Three sisters, won't you reconsider? Our Pewter City has great development potential. Last year, it was one of the top ten cities in the Kanto Region..."
"There's an eleventh city in our Kanto...?"
Brock: "?"
At the two ends of the pool.
"Pikachu, I choose you!" Ash commanded, taking the lead.
As a Trainer who had studied Type Advantage Tactics for a whole day, he had this in the bag again today!
"Pika..."
This time, however, Pikachu's expression faltered, and it seemed to be hesitating about something.
Finally, it simply ran behind his pant leg, indicating that it was here to observe the battle.
It wouldn't electrocute its own people—Ash excluded.
That was loving Electrotherapy.
"As expected of my Pikachu! You didn't forget all the Rare Candy I fed you!"
Seeing this, Misty put her hands on her hips and laughed smugly.
She was very familiar with all of Ash's Pokémon, but he had never seen her battle before. Without Pikachu, his key general...
Today, she was the one with victory in the bag!
"Damn it!"
Ash ruffled his hair. Pikachu always drops the ball at the most crucial times.
Ash was already used to Pikachu's routine underperformance, so he directly sent out another Pokémon.
A red light flashed. A green Pokémon appeared on the floating platform, motionless and as steady as a mountain.
Metapod, nickname Rayquaza. It currently had a perfect battle record, having saved Ash from perilous situations multiple times. Its power was undeniable.
"Then I'll send you out!" Misty shouted.
A Poké Ball flew out. A red light flashed, and another Pokémon appeared on the floating platform.
It had a bizarre shape, a brown five-pointed star with a red jewel embedded in its center.
"Pokedex Beep. Staryu, a so-so Pokemon. A hermaphrodite, possessing both male and female traits, it can create an entire nation by itself."
Misty: "..."
Damn it!
I forgot about this damn Pokedex's disgusting methods