"After the awards ceremony, I asked the photographer for copies of the photos. Tomorrow I'm going to the photo studio to have them developed. The picture of the three of us standing together on the winners' podium is just too precious not to keep forever! (^^)" Misty said happily.
"Exactly. Who would have thought that all of the prizes prepared for the winners of this Water-Type Pokémon Beauty Competition would end up in the hands of our own group? Talk about keeping the good fortune within the family!" Misty's second sister, Violet, said with a bright smile.
"Although I expected Ash and the others to achieve excellent results, I honestly never imagined they would completely sweep the top three places," Daisy added.
"That's right! No matter how you look at it, this Water-Type Pokémon Beauty Competition was an enormous success. It boosted the popularity of the Cerulean Gym and greatly increased our reputation."
"Exactly. And the reason this competition attracted so many participants from all over the region was largely thanks to Ash helping us promote it."
"Come on, everyone! Raise your glasses!"
"Let's celebrate Ash winning the championship, Clarissa earning runner-up, Misty taking third place, and also celebrate the complete success of the Cerulean Water-Type Pokémon Beauty Competition!"
"Cheers~!"
"Cheers~!"
"Cheers~!"
"Cheers~!"
Laughter and joyful voices filled the night.
By the time the competition officially ended, it was already around eight-thirty in the evening.
After the awards ceremony, everyone stayed to watch Daisy, Violet, and Lily perform a stunning synchronized water ballet. The three sisters leaped gracefully from the diving platform into the Water Cube pool, drawing waves of applause from the remaining audience.
Then the stadium roof opened.
Brilliant fireworks exploded across the night sky above Cerulean City.
For several minutes, everyone stood beneath the colorful display, watching the dazzling lights bloom and fade against the stars.
Only after the fireworks show ended did the Water-Type Pokémon Beauty Competition officially come to a close.
The audience left in an orderly fashion.
The remaining contestants collected their commemorative badges and gifts before departing as well.
Misty and her sisters did not remain at the venue for long.
The Cerulean Swimming Complex would be closed for three days while staff handled cleanup and post-event arrangements.
As organizers, the Cerulean Gym only needed to cover labor and cleaning costs before conducting a final inspection.
The competition had been an overwhelming success.
Ash, Clarissa, and Misty had completely dominated the podium, taking first, second, and third place.
At the moment, everyone was gathered on the beach, holding a celebration party.
The atmosphere was lively and cheerful.
Compared to when Ash and his friends had first arrived in Cerulean City a few days ago, everyone had become far closer after spending two days together during the competition.
The bond between Ash's group and Misty's three sisters had grown considerably.
"Now that the Water-Type Pokémon Beauty Competition is over, the four of us finally have some free time," Daisy said with a smile.
"You all have to stay in Cerulean City a little longer. Let us show you around properly."
"That's right, that's right!" Violet agreed enthusiastically.
"This competition succeeded because everyone helped out so much. As the hosts, we need to do our part and treat you properly."
"Exactly!"
Faced with their warm invitations, Ash laughed.
"Sounds great. Even though Pallet Town is also by the sea, this is still my first time visiting Cerulean City."
"I've heard there are lots of fun places and delicious food here."
"If I don't eat everything worth eating and explore everything worth exploring, I definitely won't be satisfied going home yet. Hahaha!"
Naturally, Ash had no intention of refusing.
It was rare for him to travel somewhere.
Since he was already here, he wanted to enjoy himself properly.
Both the Move Mastery Room and the Online Clinic were currently on break anyway.
There was no need to rush back immediately.
Because once he returned home, his schedule would become packed again.
Every day he needed to train his Pokémon.
Now that Lumina had evolved into Milotic, and Valor had already shown multiple signs of evolution, it was only a matter of time before he evolved into Gyarados.
The future training workload would be much heavier than before.
In addition, the Move Mastery Room still needed management.
Every afternoon he spent two hours studying at Viridian Gym under Giovanni, his rather unexpected mentor.
After that came the online clinic consultations.
Then there were the evening battles at the City Arena.
Milotic had only just evolved and urgently needed practical combat experience.
Beyond that, there were several major projects waiting for him.
He needed to contact publishers regarding Lumina's beauty and makeup photobook.
There was also the promotional campaign for the commercial licensing of his Remote Capture patent.
And then there was another major undertaking.
The dedicated breeding ranch for the Move Mastery Room.
That project would also need to begin as soon as he returned.
After all, there were more and more matters demanding his attention.
The number of responsibilities he carried would only continue increasing.
The Move Mastery Room was where his dreams had started.
Given its massive demand and influence, there was no way he would abandon it.
However, he also didn't want to spend all his time personally handling routine Pokémon care.
The smartest solution was to outsource part of the workload.
Building a private breeding ranch and hiring staff to care for Pokémon would free up his time considerably.
It was the most efficient path forward.
"Oh, right, Green."
After taking a sip of pineapple juice, Ash suddenly remembered something.
"Tomorrow I'm going to contact the publisher about Lumina's photobook."
"You should start preparing the written material for the makeup guide as soon as possible."
Green nodded.
"The physical album is still back at home, so I'll give it to you after we return."
"But I have backups of all the photos stored in cloud storage on my phone."
"Later tonight I'll have Rotom organize everything and send it to you."
"Perfect."
Ash nodded in satisfaction.
Once he decided to do something, no matter how large or small the project was, and no matter how much profit it might generate, he always approached it seriously.
The publication of Lumina's beauty and makeup photobook was actually a relatively minor project for him now.
His personal wealth had already surpassed ten million Pokédollars.
His fame throughout Kanto had reached household-name levels.
Whether it was royalties from the book or the additional popularity generated by a bestseller, the benefits were merely bonuses.
For Green, however, it meant far more.
As someone hoping to pursue a professional career in Pokémon beauty and cosmetics, the photobook could become an important stepping stone.
That was precisely why Ash intended to give it his full attention.
On the surface, it might seem like little more than icing on the cake.
In reality, it was much more important than that.
At the moment, he was famous.
People admired him.
They cheered for him.
But popularity was fleeting.
When the excitement faded and the spotlight moved elsewhere, the applause would fade as well.
A Move Mastery Room and an Online Clinic would ensure people remembered his name.
Yet once those businesses became ordinary parts of daily life, people would gradually stop paying special attention.
When the tide receded, only then would people discover who had truly built something valuable.
Ash had no intention of being exposed as someone relying solely on temporary popularity.
That was why he wanted to use his current momentum to continuously create high-quality work.
To strengthen himself.
To build a deeper foundation.
To turn fleeting fame into lasting influence.
Just like back at Professor Oak's Pokémon Summer Camp, when he had gone out of his way to suppress Goh and protect his own protagonist's momentum and destiny.
The principle remained the same.
Focus on doing every important task in front of him properly.
Keep moving forward one step at a time.
And over the long run, the rewards would never disappoint him.