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On the way, Xiao Hua also explained the situation of Cerulean Gym to Ash and the others. She didn't reveal anything about Cerulean Gym's Pokémon, but rather explained why Cerulean Gym was called the weakest Gym.
Generally speaking, a city's Gym must undergo numerous evaluations by the League to obtain the qualification to be a city Gym.
Even the lowest-ranked Gyms have top combat power at the Professional Level; this is the basic standard for becoming a Gym.
However, Gyms are hereditary and also undergo generational changes. Some Rookie Gym Leaders who have taken over from their parents or grandparents are actually quite average in strength, and their Pokémon might only be at the Superior or even Advanced Peak level.
But in such cases, the parents usually act as Gym Leaders for a while, waiting for their children to grow up before fully entrusting the Gym to them.
That is to say, if the children's generation takes over as Gym Leader, the parents' generation acts as a stabilizing force. If it's just a Trainer of average strength, the children's generation practices; if they encounter a powerful Trainer, the parents' generation steps in.
In this way, the parents gradually transition the responsibilities of the Gym to their children's generation.
Gyms have regular assessments, and if they fail, their Gym qualification can be revoked. Although such situations rarely occur, they are not unheard of.
Therefore, a Gym Leader is not someone who can do nothing once appointed, just giving out badges every day and living off public funds in the Gym. If they don't put in effort, their Gym qualification might even be revoked.
Like Brock's Pewter Gym, if Brock himself hadn't been talented enough to support his family in the short time his parents were away, the Pewter Gym's qualification might have been revoked.
Brock is twenty years old this year, and he has already cultivated Pokémon at the Professional Level peak, even stronger than his parents' generation. However, those more powerful Pokémon are currently kept in the Gym for Flint to use as a stabilizing force. He only brought out Geodude and Onix, the two Pokémon he battled Ash with.
Additionally, he has a Zubat caught on Mt. Moon, for a total of three Pokémon.
Compared to the Pewter Gym managed by Brock, Cerulean Gym was not so lucky.
Cerulean Gym has four people inheriting the Gym, and they are four sisters. Logically speaking, at least one of the four should have Trainer talent and be able to hold the Gym Leader position, right?
Actually, there was one, but she was too young, only fifteen years old this year. The original Gym Leader secretly gave the youngest sister Pokémon early, taught her Pokémon battle methods, various aspects of Pokémon training, and imparted all kinds of knowledge related to Pokémon.
The youngest sister also showed astonishing Trainer talent. In terms of being a Trainer, she completely surpassed her three older sisters. Unfortunately, before the youngest sister could grow up, the parents of the four sisters passed away unexpectedly.
Without the parental generation to stabilize the situation and with the children's generation of Trainers not yet grown, Cerulean Gym plummeted to become the weakest Gym in Kanto, without a doubt.
Even though the youngest sister tried her best and struggled to support it, she repeatedly lost, only able to win relatively easily against some Rookie Trainers. However, whenever she encountered experienced Trainers who had been traveling for more than half a year, she was basically no match for them.
This was not only due to the strength of the Pokémon but also because the youngest sister had always been training in isolation, basically never leaving Cerulean City.
Without seeing the wider world, how could she know the vastness of the world, and how could she cope with challengers coming from various regions and cities?
As a Gym Leader, her knowledge and experience were inferior to those challengers. Other than giving out badges, she offered no help to challengers. Such a Gym Leader was highly likely to have her Gym qualification revoked when the next assessment came.
The youngest sister also argued with her sisters over this matter, believing that she shouldn't be the only one bearing the responsibilities of the Gym and that her sisters should also help.
In response, the youngest sister's older sisters said that they perform water ballet every day, and all the money they earn is used to train the youngest sister's Pokémon. How could they have extra resources to train other Pokémon? And they had no time for Pokémon training or battles.
After hearing this, the youngest sister angrily left Cerulean Gym, declaring that she didn't need her sisters' financial support, that she could train her Pokémon by herself, and that when she returned, she would become a Trainer even stronger than their parents!
"...With the youngest miss gone, Cerulean Gym has become weaker than ever. Before, the youngest miss's Pokémon could support the Gym and handle some challengers, but now that the youngest sister has left, the strongest Pokémon in the Gym is only at the Advanced Level."
"And Big Sister Daisy and the others are not familiar with Gym battles; basically, even some beginner challengers can come to Cerulean Gym and beat them soundly... Alas, I don't know when the youngest miss will return," Xiao Hua sighed.
Ash and Brock exchanged glances. They hadn't expected Cerulean Gym to have such a past. Ash had no idea about the 'weakest Gym' title if Xiao Hua hadn't mentioned it.
And although Brock knew Cerulean Gym was the weakest Gym in Kanto, he hadn't realized there was such a secret behind it.
At the same time, Brock also understood why Misty was unwilling to return to Cerulean City and why she left it: she was upset with her sisters.
However, Misty's decision to leave Cerulean City was correct. If she kept training in isolation without seeing the outside world, no matter how much Trainer talent she had, she would only stagnate.
Even he, at fifteen, had traveled before returning home. That's why he was able to support his family, raising nine children alone, even after his parents left.
At this moment, the three had reached the door of the backstage. Xiao Hua knocked, and after a 'Please come in' from inside, the three entered the backstage.
At this time, the Cerulean Three Sisters had already changed their clothes and were all wiping their wet hair with towels.
The blonde woman sitting in the middle of the dressing table was startled when she saw Ash and Brock, then quickly realized: "You're here to challenge the Gym, right?"
Anyone brought here by Xiao Hua at this time, other than Gym challengers, should be no one else.
"That's right, I'm Ash from Pallet Town, and I'm here to challenge Cerulean Gym."
"My name is Daisy, and I'm the Gym Leader of this Gym... However, challenging the Gym right now might not be very convenient."
"Not very convenient?"
"Hmm, actually..." Daisy slowly explained the current situation of Cerulean Gym.
Originally, the Gym Leader of Cerulean Gym was their youngest sister, but she left the Gym to become a powerful Trainer, so the three sisters could only temporarily manage the Gym.
However, none of them had much Trainer talent since childhood, and their long-term water ballet performances had caused their battle skills as Trainers to become rusty. As a result, they were quite average in both their Pokémon's strength and their ability to command Pokémon, even inferior to some newly debuted Trainers.
Just yesterday, a Trainer from Pallet Town came and soundly defeated their Pokémon. They are still at the Pokemon Center and can only be picked up tonight, which means if they want to battle, they'll have to wait until tomorrow at least.
"A Trainer from Pallet Town... was he a spiky-haired person who looked very annoying?" Ash described Gary's appearance, and Daisy confirmed it.
"That guy, he's faster than me again!!" Ash gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. His rival was always one step ahead of him; how could he not feel resentful?
"Anyway, that's the situation. Uh... since you're also from Pallet Town, and although you look a bit like a greenhorn, you should be pretty strong, right? If you agree, it's fine if I just give you this badge directly."
Violet, with light blue hair, suggested this from the side, taking out Cerulean Gym's water drop badge.
Lily, next to Violet, also nodded, indicating no objection.
Ash: ... Brock: ... Is... is this also a Gym Leader? Giving away badges for free? Since when did Gym badges become such cheap items?
And what does 'greenhorn' mean? Is he worse than Gary?!
Many things in the Pokémon TV show are incomplete, so I can only add many settings myself, otherwise, the story would lack a lot of completeness.