After crossing Mount Moon, Red finally arrived in Cerulean City. Upon entering the city, Red immediately headed to the Pokémon Center to register a room, then handed his Poké Balls to Nurse Joy for treatment. After that, he went to the phone and called home to let Delia know he was safe.
"Red from Pallet Town, you have a package!"
Hearing the announcement, Red guessed it was the recovery potion sent by Professor Oak. After picking it up, Red called Professor Oak's Laboratory. The screen soon displayed Professor Oak's image—just as always, he was eating instant noodles. Red had long since grown used to that sight.
"You must have received the package. This recovery potion will allow Gyarados to perfectly control the evil factor inside its body without losing its sanity. It essentially balances the power within," Professor Oak explained.
According to Professor Oak's judgment, most of the evil factor inside the red Gyarados lingered around its abdomen and sides. Otherwise, the originally pale-yellow abdomen and sides would not have turned pitch black. If Professor Oak's theory was correct, perhaps the red Gyarados could simultaneously master both Water + Flying and Water + Dark forms.
"Thank you, Professor Oak!" Red said gratefully. When he noticed the dark circles under Professor Oak's eyes, Red understood that this recovery potion had not been easy to create. It was clearly the result of Professor Oak working tirelessly day and night.
"If you really want to thank me, hurry up and catch more powerful Pokémon so I can study them. I have great faith in your judgment!" Professor Oak joked, telling Red not to take it too seriously. In Professor Oak's eyes, every rookie trainer who set out from Pallet Town was like his own child—the pride of Pallet Town.
After injecting the recovery potion into the red Gyarados, it turned out exactly as Professor Oak had said. From then on, the red Gyarados could freely switch its attributes. The most obvious sign of the transformation was the color of its abdomen and sides: pale yellow for the Water + Flying form, and pitch black for the Water + Dark form.
Arriving outside the Cerulean Gym, the first impression was that of an aquarium. It was hard to associate it with an official League Gym. After all, even its public promotion focused mainly on water ballet, with posters of the Sensational Sisters' aquatic performances plastered everywhere. These features could only attract one type of audience—and that was…
Upon entering the Cerulean Gym, what greeted the eye was the Sensational Sisters' water ballet performance. The audience seats were packed, and over ninety percent were men, mostly middle-aged. Anyone with a discerning eye could tell exactly why they had come to the Cerulean Gym.
Since there were no seats available, Red had no choice but to lean against the wall, quietly urging the performance to end sooner. His murmurs annoyed an uncle in the back row who had been indulging in pleasant fantasies. The uncle suddenly stood up and turned toward Red—only to be met with Red's deathly glare. A faint psychic aura radiated from Red, and the terrifying presence froze the uncle in place.
"Ah~ seriously, sitting for so long makes my legs sore. Better stand up and stretch a bit!"
After glancing at the uncle putting on an act, Red lowered his cap and silently waited for the show to finish.
The long wait was finally rewarded. After half an hour, the announcement signaled the end of the performance and asked the audience to leave in an orderly manner. Impatient, Red immediately set off downstairs to find the Sensational Sisters.
The Sensational Sisters were still basking in pride over their recent performance, praising each other's beauty. Red quietly walked up to them. Before he could speak, the third sister, Daisy, spoke first.
"You're too young to be chasing idols! You should think about your health and not be like those bad uncles!"
"..."
Red fell silent for a moment, then took out a Poké Ball from his waist, signaling that he was here to challenge the Gym.
"Why are you so cold? Aren't you afraid no girls will like you?" the second sister, Violet, teased, even reaching out to pinch Red's cheek—only for Red to dodge indifferently.
Finding him unamusing, the Sensational Sisters led Red to the battlefield. The Cerulean Gym's battle arena was a massive pool with several floating platforms designed for standing on water.
"Now, challenger Red from Pallet Town will face the Cerulean Gym Leader. The battle format is 3 vs 3. Only the challenger may switch Pokémon during the match. There is no time limit. The official match begins!" the referee announced.
Red and Lily threw their Poké Balls at the same time. Lily sent out Goldeen, while Red sent out the fierce and savage red Gyarados. Now that it could truly control its own power, the red Gyarados was eager for battle, so Red decided to let it take the first match.
The sheer size of the red Gyarados caused the water's surface to surge, nearly knocking Lily off her floating platform. Goldeen trembled in fear upon seeing its opponent. Suddenly, the red Gyarados let out a roar, unleashing Intimidate. Already frightened, Goldeen showed signs of retreat, and its attack power was reduced.
"Are all rookie trainers from Pallet Town this terrifying nowadays?!" Lily cried in despair. Just days ago, the Sensational Sisters had been thoroughly defeated by Gary. And now they were facing Red's challenge. It was utterly hopeless.
"If you don't make a move, don't blame me for not holding back. Gyarados, use Aqua Tail!" Red commanded.
The red Gyarados roared, whipping up torrents of water as it swung its tail. Amid the raging current, it sent Goldeen flying out of the field with a single blow—an instant knockout.
With the boost from its Moxie Ability, the red Gyarados' muscles swelled another notch, and its attack power rose once again.
"We surrender!" ×3
The Sensational Sisters cried out in despair. Witnessing Goldeen's instant defeat completely shattered their confidence and fighting spirit. With no opponent left, the red Gyarados wore a displeased expression.
"It seems your Gyarados really loves battling~" Lily said with a smile.
"How about you guard the Cerulean Gym for a day in our place?" Violet suggested.
"That's a great idea! Your Gyarados can have plenty of battles, and it might even help restore our Gym's reputation!" Daisy chimed in.
"So you do realize your Gym's reputation needs saving…" Red muttered. The three sisters only cared about practicing their water ballet. They had neglected their training so badly that they could barely defeat even third-rate trainers. Compared to the younger sister Misty, they were far inferior.
The red Gyarados approached Red at that moment, pleading for him to accept the Sensational Sisters' request. After finally getting the chance to battle, it wanted to make the most of it.
"Yay! This is your Blue Badge. It's the limited edition!"
Seeing Red nod in agreement, the Sensational Sisters beamed with joy. Under Red's bewildered gaze, Lily pulled a Blue Badge from her chest and placed the faintly fragrant badge into Red's hand.
"Wow! You're so bold!" Violet blushed.
"He is quite handsome—just a bit cold."
With that, Daisy leaned forward and planted a kiss on Red's cheek as payment for guarding the Cerulean Gym for a day.
The other two sisters, unwilling to lose, also leaned in to kiss Red, but he nimbly dodged them. Daisy had only succeeded because Red had been caught off guard. He hadn't expected these three sisters to be so 'thirsty' that they wouldn't even spare a ten-year-old boy.
"Alright, alright, we'll stop teasing you. We'll leave the Gorgeous Gym in your care!"
After Red took over this mess, the Sensational Sisters finally had time to go shopping properly.
To preserve their beauty, they spent half of their earnings on skincare products.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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