The youngest Champion in the world right now is Cynthia, who is only about twenty-two or twenty-three years old, and she became a Champion Trainer at the age of eighteen.
This record is unprecedented, even Leon can't compare.
Professor Bill, however, believes that Ash has a chance to break this record. His ability to become a powerful trainer is inevitable!
It's just a matter of whether he can beat Cynthia in terms of timing.
"We'll come back if we have the chance!" Ash waved his hand to formally bid farewell to Professor Bill, then continued on his journey to the last Gym.
This time at Bill's Lighthouse, he caught a Krabby with a good appearance, and also made some agreements with a giant Dragonite. Overall, the gains were not bad.
He just needs to come back and restore the giant Dragonite to its normal size, then defeat it, and he will gain a prehistoric quasi-god at the Elite Peak level!
By that time, he might be on a completely different level than he is now, and the Elite Peak will no longer be an unattainable rank for him!
...
On the third day after leaving Bill's Lighthouse, Ash and the others arrived at Misty's place, Cerulean City.
Compared to when they left Cerulean City, nothing much has changed, but the Cerulean Gym seemed somewhat desolate, a stark contrast to the bustling scene when Ash first visited, where people came in droves to watch performances.
"Strange, why isn't anyone coming to watch the water ballet? Isn't there a performance today?" Ash looked at the sign hanging in front of the Gym and said curiously.
The main door of Cerulean Gym was open, and from there, one could see that there was almost no one in the audience, which was not in keeping with the habits of those old fans!
Misty shook her head and said, "I don't know either. When I called Sister Sayo yesterday, she didn't seem to be in high spirits. Anyway, let's go in first."
With Misty leading the way, everyone entered the Cerulean Gym. On stage, the Sakura Sisters were still performing as they did initially, only the movements had somewhat changed compared to a few months ago, but overall, it wasn't much different.
When Brock saw the sexy sisters in swimsuits, his eyes turned into two heart shapes: "Long time no see, sisters. They are still so beautiful and enchanting!"
"Hehe, they haven't changed much, but you've changed a lot. Before, when you met my sisters, you'd at least show some restraint. What made you turn into such a lecher in just a few months?" Misty rolled her eyes and mercilessly mocked.
"Phooey! What do you mean by lecher? I'm just openly appreciating beauty; what do you know!" Brock retorted discontentedly and then looked at the performing sisters with a pig-like grin.
Ash, meanwhile, moved next to a spectator and poked the person's shoulder, quietly asking, "Hi, may I ask why there are so few people today? Is it because there's another event that no one came to watch the water ballet?"
The spectator, who was watching intently, was slightly displeased at the sudden interruption, but he still truthfully told Ash, "It's because it's so repetitive. The Three Sisters of Cerulean are well-known beauties in Cerulean City, and people previously came to watch the performances for their looks. They have quite a few admirers, too."
"However, many people hit a wall repeatedly in front of them, and due to their positions as Gym leaders, there's no way to use underhanded means. Over time, those who realized they couldn't win them over just gave up. Plus, their water ballet is quite repetitive, so even if you watch it a couple of times, you get bored. Now, the people here are mostly just here for a quick look."
In short, the look fans have mostly left, and there were never that many water ballet fans to begin with.
Even though the sisters' water ballet skills are quite exquisite, since they're always performing in Cerulean City, most of the locals have already seen it.
The influx of outsiders is quite limited, so over time, their repetitive performances have lost their audience.
Even if the sisters seek changes in movement, there's not much more you can do with water ballet.
Unless they switch to less conservative costumes, maybe something more risqué, to perhaps rekindle interest in their water ballet.
But... they're the acting Gym leaders of Cerulean Gym; there's no way they'd do that just for money.
So gradually, no one comes to watch the water ballet anymore.
"I see, thank you."
"Hey! Wait a second, haven't I seen you somewhere before?" Just as Ash was about to leave, the spectator suddenly stopped him, looked closely at Ash's face, and finally showed a look of surprise.
"Aren't you that alleged faker, Ash, who's been all over the internet lately?"
Ash: ???
Hey man, I just haven't checked the news for a few days, and now I'm a faker? Do those netizens even use their brains!
When I first defeated Koga, everyone praised me as a superstar, the future hope of Kanto.
And now, I've just been laying low for a bit, and I've turned into an alleged faker? Is this reasonable?!
"What do you mean faker! Ash legitimately defeated Koga, okay! That was a live broadcast, how can you fake that?!" Misty, who had been listening on the side, stormed over and rudely retorted at that random spectator.
The bystander was so intimidated by Misty's aura that his shoulders shrank: "W-Well... that's what they're saying online, it's not my word."
"What are they saying online now?" Brock stepped up, his expression serious as he asked.
It concerned his buddy, so he directly left the ballet-performing sisters aside.
"Uh... they're saying that the reason Ash was able to defeat Koga back then is because all his Pokemon were given special enhancements. In truth, he wasn't a match for Koga, and those methods actually severely injured the Pokemon's bodies. Now Ash's Pokemon might all be crippled..."
Ash and the others: ...
This nonsense is way out of line! Just because Ash hasn't participated in public battles for a while, they go as far as to spread such rumors. This is ridiculous!
"Didn't the Kanto League issue a clarification?" Brock frowned, asking coldly.
"They did, but everyone believes that the Kanto League and Ash are in cahoots. They finally crafted such a genius trainer; it's their best opportunity to attract a large number of excellent trainers. Now with the scandal, even if they have to lie, they can't let the situation unravel completely!"
"Otherwise, the Kanto League will have no excellent trainers joining, which is a huge blow to the future of the Kanto League. They're counting on Ash as a gimmick to attract trainers to join the Kanto League."
The bystander shrugged, speaking nonchalantly.
He wasn't a trainer, and the rise and fall of Kanto had nothing to do with him, but he liked watching the buzz! Such a wavering story is the most interesting, and he even encountered the main character of the buzz now, which only fueled his curiosity—is it true what's said online?
Is Ash really faking it, or is it the other way around, with those people spreading false rumors and slander?
"It seems your situation isn't great, huh? How about proving it with a battle?" Just as Ash and the others were looking gloomy, a gentle and cool voice came from behind them.
The three turned to see a mature woman with an indescribable air of elegance.
The woman was slender, her curves graceful, wearing a black sleeveless top paired with a purple slit skirt, revealing long legs. The overall outfit was both neat and sexy. Her wine-red long hair naturally cascaded down, and half-frame glasses adorned her graceful face, giving off an intellectual and elegant vibe.
The moment Ash saw her, he felt an inexplicable familiarity. Where had he seen her before?