Cerulean City was beautiful in a way that felt artificial, like a high-end aquarium. The air was perpetually damp and smelled of chlorine and expensive perfume. I rolled up to the Cerulean Gym—a building shaped like a massive Dewgong—with my skateboard tucked under my arm and my jaw set in a hard line.
"I would like to challenge the Gym Leader," I told the receptionist, my voice echoing in the cavernous, blue-tinted lobby.
The woman didn't even look up from her magazine. "The Sisters are currently in the middle of their matinee performance. You can wait in the bleachers. They'll be free for... well, whatever it is you want, after the final encore."
I let out a long, weary sigh. "Whatever it is I want? You mean the literal purpose of this building?"
I pushed through the double doors and was immediately hit by a wall of upbeat, bubbly pop music and the smell of artificial tropical flowers. The "Gym" was essentially a giant pool with a theater stage attached. I sat in the back row, arms crossed, watching the Sensational Sisters—Daisy, Violet, and Lily—dive through hoops and perform synchronized swimming routines with their Dewgong and Seel.
Now, look, I'm not a hater. I appreciate a good side-hustle. In the G-Pro manuals, they teach us about the multifaceted nature of League officials. Elesa is a world-class supermodel and a terrifyingly efficient Electric-type specialist in Unova. Drayden manages an entire city as Mayor of Opelucid while maintaining a Dragon-type team that can level a mountain. Even Roark in Sinnoh balances coal mining and archaeology with his Gym duties.
The difference? Those people are *strong*. They don't let their second job turn their primary responsibility into a joke.
According to the grumbled whispers of the trainers sitting near me, the Sisters rarely actually battled. "They just hand out the Cascade Badge to anyone who asks nicely," one kid whispered, clutching a badge that he clearly hadn't earned. "They say it ruins the 'aesthetic' of the pool to have a high-intensity battle."
My blood began to simmer. Handing out badges for free isn't just lazy; it's dangerous. You send a trainer into the world with a badge they didn't earn, and you're basically signing their death warrant when they stumble into a Team Rocket ambush or a high-level wild Pokémon.
After the performance ended with a splashy finale and a round of polite applause, the sisters climbed out of the water, wrapped in fluffy robes. I didn't wait. I hopped the railing and landed on the poolside tiles with a sharp *clack* of my boots.
"I'm here for a challenge," I said, my voice cutting through the lingering music. "An actual battle. Not a swim meet."
The three sisters turned. Daisy, the eldest with the blonde hair, blinked at me with faux-sympathy. "Oh, look, another one. You're quite intense, aren't you? We were just about to go for smoothies."
"Challenge us?" Lily, the pink-haired sister, asked. Her voice was softer, less grating than the others, and she stayed back a bit, observing me with a curious, quiet gaze.
I nodded curtly. "Regina from Viridian. One-on-one, or whatever format you prefer. I want the badge, but I want to earn it."
**[Training Mission: Defeat the Cerulean Gym Leaders]**
**[Reward: Soothing Bell, 2,000 Points]**
I stared at the system notification. *Wow.* Even the System was being stingy. 2,000 points for a Gym battle? Usually, it was 5,000 or more. Nelly's voice echoed in my mind, dripping with digital sarcasm.
**"The Reward is calibrated to the projected difficulty, Host. The System does not consider 'Theater Kids' a significant threat to your current power level."**
"Fine," I muttered. "Let's just get this over with."
### Round 1: The Seaking and the Shock
"Well, if you're going to be a total drag about it," Daisy sighed, dropping her robe to reveal a sequined swimsuit. She stepped onto a floating platform. "I'll go first. Go, Seaking!"
The fish Pokémon hit the water, its horn gleaming.
**[Data Scan: Daisy's Seaking]**
* **Class:** Pseudo-Gym
* **Level:** 18
I almost laughed. My Pichu, Sparky, was Level 19 and I had caught him *last week*. The power scaling in this Gym was a disaster.
"Sparky, center stage," I said.
The tiny yellow mouse appeared on the poolside, his ears twitching. He looked at the water, then at the Seaking, and let out a long, bored yawn. He was still wearing the "don't-touch-me" scowl, but he was ready to vent some of that stored-up spite.
"Wow, what a cutie!" Daisy cooed, clapping her hands. "I feel so sorry for having to defeat it. It's just so tiny! But what can I do? It's really your trainer's fault for putting you in this position, little guy."
Violet and Lily nodded from the sidelines, though Lily seemed more focused on the way Sparky was grounding his feet into the tile.
Sparky's eyes narrowed. If there was one thing he hated more than humans, it was being called "cute" by someone who didn't respect his voltage. He looked at me, and for the first time, we were in perfect sync.
"One-Punch him, Sparky," I commanded. "**Thunderbolt**."
Daisy didn't even have time to call for a **Water Pulse**. Sparky didn't just release a shock; he unleashed a localized lightning strike. The entire pool illuminated in a blinding, blue-white flash. The Seaking didn't even have time to flop. It was belly-up and fainted before the sound of the crack reached our ears.
Daisy gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "My... my Seaking! You meanie! You didn't even give us a chance to show off its graceful swimming!"
### Round 2: The Cloyster's Collapse
"My turn!" Violet stepped up, looking genuinely annoyed that her smoothie time was being delayed. "You're lucky that Electric-types have an advantage, but let's see you handle a real defense. Go, Cloyster!"
The massive bivalve emerged, its shell clamped shut like a vault.
**[Data Scan: Violet's Cloyster]**
* **Class:** Pseudo-Gym
* **Level:** 20
"Sparky, stay out there," I said. "Same deal."
"Cloyster, use **Clamp**! Trap that little monster!"
The Cloyster lunged through the water, its shell opening slightly to reveal its dark, grinning core.
"**Volt Tackle**," I whispered.
Sparky didn't just run; he became a golden comet. He covered the distance between the tiles and the floating platform in a heartbeat, his body shrouded in a crackling, high-voltage aura that hissed as it passed over the water.
*BOOM.*
He slammed into the Cloyster's shell with the force of a wrecking ball. The 'Pseudo-Gym' class defense was stripped away like wet paper. The Cloyster flew backward, skipping across the surface of the pool like a flat stone before slamming into the far wall. Fainted.
Violet was speechless. She looked at her sister, then at the smoking pile of shell at the edge of the pool. "That... that wasn't very sensational at all."
### Round 3: The Quiet Storm
I looked at the third sister. Lily hadn't been cooing or complaining. She had been watching. She stepped forward now, her expression calm, her movements deliberate. Like her sisters, she also have a sequined swimsuit on; but there was just something about her gaze, that had me stop for a moment.
"You aren't a normal trainer," Lily said, her voice steady. "And that isn't a normal Pichu. You've been training in the wild, haven't you? Real survival training."
"I don't have time for ballets, Lily," I said, my voice softening just a fraction out of respect for her demeanor. "I have a Queen to raise and a world to win. Give me a real fight."
Lily nodded. She reached for a Pokéball that was tucked into a specialized holster, not just floating in a bag. "I apologize for my sisters. They've forgotten what it means to be a Gym. I haven't."
She tossed the ball. "Go, Kingler!"
The crab materialized on a large, central rock formation in the middle of the pool. It was massive, its left pincer so large it looked like it could crush a car. But it wasn't the size that caught my attention—it was the aura.
**[Data Scan: Lily's Kingler]**
* **Class:** Elite
* **Nature:** Calm
* **Level:** 26
My HUD didn't glitch, but it flashed a warning. *Elite Class.* This wasn't a theater prop. This Kingler had battle scars on its shell and eyes that tracked Sparky's every twitch. It didn't lunge; it settled its weight, its massive claw clicking once in a rhythmic, menacing beat.
"Sparky," I said, my voice dropping into a serious register. "No more one-punches. This one is going to bite back."
Sparky let out a low growl, his cheeks sparking, but he didn't charge. He felt it too. The air in the Gym had finally changed. The smell of perfume was gone, replaced by the sharp, metallic tang of an impending storm.
Lily stood perfectly still, her hand raised, waiting for the referee to signal the start. The Kingler mirrored her, its giant claw hovering inches above the water, ready to strike or defend with a split-second's notice.
The referee, a teenager who looked like he'd rather be anywhere else, slowly raised his flags.
"Final round..." he stammered. "Begin!"
Sparky crouched. Kingler tightened its grip on the stone.
And for a heartbeat, the Cerulean Gym was a Gym once more.