Lily playfully stuck out her tongue when Daisy scolded her, saying nothing in response.
Daisy turned to the crowd. "Everyone here… are you all challenging the Gym?"
Besides Nozomi, there was Yuuji, and three others in the hall.
However, it was clear that not everyone was here for a Gym challenge.
A bespectacled boy timidly raised his hand and said in a barely audible voice, "I'm a fan of Lily… I'm here just to get her autograph…"
Hearing this, not only Nozomi and the others but even Daisy was momentarily stunned.
Someone actually waited until now just to get an autograph?
Nozomi, who wasn't interested in synchronized swimming, couldn't understand such behavior. Yuuji, however, seemed rather intrigued by the idea of getting an autograph.
Meanwhile, Daisy and Violet were silently stewing over the fact that even Lily had fans, yet they didn't.
Lily, under the scrutinizing gaze of her sisters, forced herself to stay composed as she signed an autograph for the shy, glasses-wearing boy.
Daisy then turned back to the group. "Then it seems the rest of you are here to challenge the Gym. The arena can only accommodate one challenger at a time, and the battle order will be decided by a draw. Is that acceptable?"
No one objected.
After all, Gym challenges must proceed one by one. If anyone went first by personal preference, the others would inevitably feel unfairly treated. Letting luck decide the order was the fairest method.
As a result… Nozomi ended up drawing the last position, even behind Yuuji.
"?"
Nozomi felt his blood pressure spike instantly.
He had always considered himself a reincarnated lucky emperor. From past system lotteries to other events, luck had always been on his side. So why did it feel like his fortune had taken a nosedive lately?
Even if I couldn't go first, couldn't I be somewhere in the middle? Last place… really?
"Boss, it's not necessarily bad. There are advantages to going later. You can observe the battles of the Cerulean sisters and analyze strategies," Yuuji tried to console him.
"..."
Nozomi blinked. If this were another Gym, maybe that would make sense. But doesn't Yuuji have any idea how strong the Cerulean sisters are? Observing them? Please—Nozomi could crush them casually even without strategy!
"Ahem ahem…"
Yuuji seemed to realize he'd misspoken, coughing awkwardly to cover it up.
"Whatever, let's just watch for now."
Nozomi let it slide, reasoning that his bad luck wasn't worth fretting over.
Looking at the few challengers ahead of him, even if the Cerulean sisters were weak individually, they were still three trainers in total. Surely three trainers wouldn't topple the whole Gym, right?
With that thought, Nozomi turned his attention to the challenger already prepared to battle and to Daisy, ready to defend the Gym.
The battle arena was a central water pool, with two large floating platforms for Pokémon to stand on.
In such a water-based arena, while challengers weren't required to use Water-type Pokémon, heavyweights like Onix or Nidoking would clearly struggle here.
The challenger was a young man with slicked-back hair and a confident expression, clearly experienced in Gym battles.
"He's probably challenged Gyms before," Nozomi muttered. "Most rookie trainers get a little nervous their first time."
Daisy, on the other hand, wore formal attire and appeared far more capable than her reputation suggested—radiating a poised and heroic aura.
Seeing Daisy like this sparked a faint glimmer of anticipation in Nozomi. Perhaps she might surprise him after all.
"Cerulean Gym follows the standard League rules. Each side may use three Pokémon. Challengers may switch Pokémon during battle, but Gym Trainers may not. Any objections?" Lily, acting as referee, asked.
"No problem!" said the slick-haired boy, drawing a Poké Ball from his belt. "Kawada, from Vermilion City!"
Daisy sent out her own Poké Ball. "Cerulean Gym, Daisy!"
Lily raised her flag high and slammed it down. "Battle start!"
"Go, Poliwag!"
"Hit 'em Voltorb!"
Both Pokémon were sent out almost simultaneously.
Nozomi, originally curious to see which Pokémon Daisy would choose, buried his face in his hands, unable to watch any longer.
He really shouldn't have expected much.
As the Gym Trainer representing Cerulean's trainer-level Pokémon, she sent out a Poliwag—Nozomi could only shake his head.
As for the opponent's Voltorb… it looked weak too, but compared to a Poliwag, it was certainly stronger.
The ensuing battle proved this instantly.
"Poliwag, attack first! Use Bubble Beam!"
"Voltorb, dodge it!"
"Poliwag, Water Gun!"
"Voltorb, dodge again!"
"Voltorb, Thunder Shock!"
"Poliwag, get out of the way!"
"Ah, Poliwag!"
"Your Voltorb is tough! I lost the first match."
"Hmph, your Poliwag isn't bad either!"
"Watch out, next time I'll send out an even stronger Pokémon!"
Covering his face, Nozomi didn't need to see the battle to imagine just how painfully awkward it was.
This wasn't just rookie-level scuffles—it was rookie Pokémon clashing in the most embarrassing way possible.
And to make matters worse, the two kept complimenting each other shamelessly.
"You keep an eye on things here. I'm going out for a bit. Call me if you find me," Nozomi told the excitedly watching Yuuji before leaving the Cerulean Gym.
He bought an ice cream from a nearby shop, hoping the cold treat would cool down his frazzled nerves. Just as the chill soothed his embarrassment, he noticed through the glass a red sports car turning the corner.
"That's…"