Mystic Water(Held Item: boosts the power of the holder's Water-type moves by 20%.)
This was basically tailor-made for Gyarados, wasn't it?
There were also 5 Junior Rare Candies, the standard reward for challenging a Gym.
(A Pokémon below the Elite Tier will gain one level after using it.)
Ash decided to raise Pikachu to the Elite Tier first. The remaining five Junior Rare Candies could be saved for Pidgeotto and Gyarados.
As for Butterfree, it was still only Lv. 13. Using Junior Rare Candies now would be inefficient. It would be better to raise it to the Standard Tier first before using them.
"Pikachu, here—have some candy."
Ash took five Junior Rare Candies from his system backpack and tossed them to Pikachu.
"Pika?"
(You're giving me this many candies? What about the others?)
Pikachu was initially delighted, but then looked at Ash with confusion.
Ash placed the candies into Pikachu's little paws and rubbed its head with a smile.
"Don't worry. I still have more."
Only after hearing that did Pikachu happily start eating.
The next day, Ash finished preparing and set out for the Cerulean Gym.
His main goal was to challenge the Gym.
Definitely not to watch the water ballet performance of the three sisters.
Brock looked unusually excited. He had already heard about the beautiful sisters performing synchronized water ballet the day before.
Following the bustling crowd, they arrived at the Cerulean Gym.
The Gym was extremely recognizable—there was a large Seel statue mounted above the building.
When Ash and Brock entered, the synchronized underwater ballet performance of the three beautiful sisters was just about to begin.
They found seats and sat down like ordinary audience members.
As soon as the sisters appeared on stage, the male audience erupted into excited cheers.
With a graceful dive—
Only the slightest splash appeared on the water's surface.
The move was incredibly elegant.
Such white water…
Such long legs…
Ash watched in a daze.
Beside him, Pikachu was also staring blankly.
Brock didn't move at all—his eyes never left the three sisters.
The "very boring" performance eventually ended.
Ash rubbed his eyes.
Time to challenge them to a Gym battle.
Ash wandered around the backstage area of the Gym for quite a while, yet didn't see anyone.
Could there still be some special performance happening?
"Pika pika!"
Pikachu pointed toward the left.
"Pikachu, you're saying the three sisters are over there?"
Ash looked at it suspiciously. Since when did Pikachu gain a people-finding ability?
"Pika pika!"
(Trust me, they're really there!)
Pikachu nodded confidently, as if to say the nickname "yellow electric mouse" wasn't for nothing.
Ash followed the direction Pikachu pointed.
Sure enough, he soon saw the three sisters with their graceful figures—still wearing their performance outfits.
"Excuse me, could you wait a moment?"
Ash stopped them and explained his purpose.
When the three sisters heard his identity, they immediately looked distressed.
"Another Trainer from Pallet Town…"
"We've been mentally scarred by Trainers from Pallet Town already."
After saying that, they led Ash back to the performance arena.
But the audience had already dispersed.
The eldest sister, Daisy, took out the Cascade Badge from Seel's display stand.
"If you want this… we can just give it to you."
"Hey brat! Trying to take a Badge without battling?!"
Suddenly, a huge hole burst open in the wall on the left.
A drill machine appeared before everyone.
The Team Rocket trio had arrived—acting as "champions of justice" to stop Ash from freeloading a Badge.
"…Wait, why are you involved again?" Ash said helplessly.
Why weren't they following the script? They were supposed to show up during his battle with Misty.
"We are the messengers of justice!" ×3
"Pikachu, go ahead."
Ash let Pikachu handle it freely. After all, he had plenty of experience fighting Team Rocket.
"Meowth, you go!"
Jessie gestured for Meowth to fight Pikachu in a one-on-one duel.
You want me to fight that yellow electric mouse alone…? Are you joking?
Meowth stared at Jessie, then at the expectant James.
Did a door hit your heads or something?
We can't even beat that thing when we gang up on it—and you expect me to solo it?!
"Pika—CHUUU!"
Pikachu didn't care about their argument.
It immediately fired off a Thunderbolt.
Maybe it felt the enemy could handle it, so it increased the power.
The lightning instantly blew up Team Rocket's drill machine, sending the trio blasting off once again.
The three sisters looked at the now-destroyed performance arena and frowned.
"How are we supposed to perform tomorrow?"
"You only focus on performances?" Ash asked.
"Pretty much," said the second sister, Violet. "We haven't really been putting effort into raising Pokémon."
"I could already tell from earlier," Daisy added. "With the strength of your Pikachu, defeating us would be easy."
Daisy had sharp eyes—she immediately recognized Pikachu's unusual strength.
"Alright then," Ash said.
But just as he received the Cascade Badge, someone rushed in.
Brock.
"Wait!"
A moment later, Misty ran in, panting.
"I'll fight this battle for them."
The Badge Ash had just received was immediately snatched away by the surprisingly strong Misty.
But that worked out perfectly.
Ash still needed to complete the System quest.
Gyarados, this battle is for you…
Otherwise, there wouldn't even be a need to fight this Gym battle.
"We are the Four Beauties of Cerulean Gym!" Misty declared seriously.
Brock looked back and forth between Misty and the three sisters, opening his eyes as wide as possible.
But no matter how he looked at it…
He couldn't see the resemblance.
"Not quite," Daisy replied calmly. "It's the Three Beauties and the Ugly Duckling."
Misty responded with a furious glare.
"Alright then," Ash said with a smile. "Let's battle."
He was actually happy about it.
After all, defeating Misty meant completing the quest and getting rewards.
Just like in the Pewter Gym, the battlefield automatically transformed.
For a Water-type battlefield, it was quite simple—the performance pool was fitted with several floating battle platforms.
"Ash," Misty said seriously, "to defend the reputation of the Cerulean Gym, I must battle you."
"The rules are the same. Two Pokémon each."
Misty sighed helplessly.
Her three sisters were completely unreliable, forcing her to step in.
Although she would probably lose, she still wanted to rekindle her sisters' enthusiasm for Pokémon battles.
"Go! Staryu!"
Misty sent out her first Pokémon.
Pokémon: Staryu — Lv. 21
"In that case, I choose this one."
Ash threw his Poké Ball.
"Go, Pidgeotto!"
Ash already had a strategy in mind.
Pidgeotto… the EXP delivery has arrived.
Water-type versus Flying-type—neither side had a type advantage.
Perfect for letting the lower-level Pidgeotto gain some experience.
Besides—
Pidgeotto had a move that was perfect for dealing with Pokémon on a water battlefield.
And as a Flying-type, its speed far surpassed Staryu's.
Staryu probably wouldn't even be able to hit it.
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