Misty's imposing aura genuinely startled her three older sisters.
The fighting spirit blazing in her eyes, her straight-backed posture, and that unyielding drive made Sakura pause for a moment. It was as if she were seeing her stubborn, troublesome little sister from childhood all over again.
But Sakura quickly regained her composure and shook her head gently.
"Misty, I already agreed with Yuuto—one match decides the winner and the badge…"
As she spoke, her gaze drifted to the Cascade Badge box in Yuuto's hand, making her meaning clear: the rules had already been set.
"The badge is fine. Yuuto can take it," Misty interrupted, her voice decisive. "But what comes next is the dignity of our Cerulean Gym, and *that* cannot be taken away."
She took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling slightly.
"As a Trainer of the Cerulean Gym, I have an obligation to uphold the Gym's honor!"
The words were stirring. Combined with her serious expression, she truly had the bearing of a Trainer.
"But~"
Ayame sauntered over from the side, her tone languid.
The strap of her white swimsuit hung loosely off one shoulder, and the deep cleavage at her chest was faintly visible with every step.
"We've already lost six consecutive matches, you know~"
"Our dignity has long been pressed to the bottom of the pool~"
"Last week we couldn't even beat that rookie Trainer's Rattata~"
Ayame shrugged theatrically.
The motion pulled the upper part of her swimsuit, causing the neckline to slide down a few more centimeters.
"And the week before that, that rock-singer-looking girl with her Zubat…"
"Stop!"
Misty suddenly raised her hand, cutting Ayame off mid-sentence.
Her fair cheeks flushed bright red.
"Six… six consecutive losses?"
Misty's voice trembled slightly.
She had known her Gym wasn't very strong, but she had never imagined… it was *this* bad!
"You all…"
She turned to her three older sisters, eyes wide with disbelief.
"You're Gym Leaders! How can you lose to rookie Trainers?!"
"Hey, you can't say that~"
Peony stepped closer too. Her rose-red deep-V swimsuit was especially eye-catching in the morning light.
She crossed her arms, an action that made her already impressive bust even more prominent.
"We lose very seriously, you know~"
"Every challenger leaves happily with a badge~"
"Our reputation is excellent~"
She said it with such righteous indignation, as if the Gym's sole purpose was to hand out badges to rookies.
Misty: "…"
She suddenly felt that her passionate declaration a moment ago had been a little foolish.
Her three sisters didn't even care about six straight losses, so why was she bothering?
But Misty bit her lower lip.
Her gaze turned back to Yuuto.
That guy was standing calmly by the pool, watching their sisters argue with a faint smile at the corner of his mouth.
As if he were enjoying an interesting performance.
The unyielding spirit inside her surged again.
"Then… then let's end this losing streak right here!"
Misty looked up and glared at Yuuto.
"Yuuto, do you dare battle me again!"
As she spoke, she took a step forward.
Her bare feet slapped against the slippery tiles by the pool, making crisp pattering sounds.
The hem of her swimsuit lifted slightly with the movement, revealing her slender waist and a small stretch of her flat stomach.
This was exactly the development Yuuto had been waiting for.
Now that Misty was actively challenging him, everything felt perfectly natural.
"Alright."
Yuuto nodded, his tone casual.
"Let's see how strong your Water-type Pokémon are."
"Good! I'll definitely open your eyes!" Misty walked to the battle platform with high spirits.
Her bare feet stomped on the ground with determined little patters.
Her waist swayed gently with each step, and her hips jiggled slightly beneath the swimsuit.
Watching their sister's confident appearance, the three older sisters collectively expressed pessimism.
"Hey, you think Misty won't cry later?" Ayame whispered in Peony's ear.
"Probably~" Peony lowered her voice too. "Her Pokémon weren't even as good as Seel before she left~"
"I remember before she set off on her journey, Staryu could only spray a little water, and Goldeen couldn't even use Water Gun steadily~"
"With that level, how can she fight Yuuto~"
"It's hard to comfort Misty when she cries—she's so stubborn~"
Ayame sighed, her gaze shifting from the battle platform to Yuuto.
"Hey, Sister Sakura~"
Ayame suddenly remembered something and turned to her eldest sister.
"How about we let Misty have a little dessert today to cheer her up?"
She knew Misty loved the strawberry cake from the dessert shop in the city center more than anything.
Normally Sakura strictly controlled their dessert intake to maintain their figures.
But today… Sakura sighed softly.
Her fair face was filled with helplessness.
"That's the only way to comfort her."
As she spoke, her gaze returned to the battle platform.
Misty had already taken her position and pulled a red-and-white Poké Ball from the pouch at her waist.
Her serious demeanor softened Sakura's heart a little.
"After the battle, I'll buy the cake."
"You two take her to the changing room afterward. Don't let her sulk by the pool."
The three older sisters were already preparing to console Misty.
It was as if the outcome of this battle had already been decided…
"Come out, Staryu!"
Misty confidently threw out her Poké Ball.
Her movements were clean and crisp, showing none of the awkwardness of a rookie Trainer.
White light flashed into the pool.
Staryu appeared.
Its five-pointed star-shaped body gleamed, the central ruby sparkling in the morning light.
Yuuto quickly estimated Misty's Staryu to be at the peak of the rookie level—probably close to Lv20.
"Return, Pikachu."
"Eh?"
Misty was surprised.
She thought Yuuto was going easy on her when he called Pikachu back.
"Yuuto, why did you call Pikachu back?"
Yuuto shook his head, putting on a perfectly feigned "tired" expression.
"Pikachu didn't go to the Pokémon Center to recover yesterday, and it already fought another battle today. It's completely exhausted."
As he spoke, he glanced down and exchanged a look with Pikachu.
"Pika~chu~~~"
Pikachu instantly understood.
Its whole body sagged. Its ears drooped, its tail hung listlessly, and it let out a long, drawn-out cry before leaning weakly against Yuuto's pant leg.
Its little head rubbed against his calf.
It looked utterly drained.
Truly worthy of its Movie Star-level acting skills.
Misty looked at Pikachu's appearance and the dissatisfaction in her heart immediately faded by more than half.
It was replaced by a hint of smugness.
So Yuuto wasn't going easy—his Pikachu really *was* exhausted!
"What's wrong?"
Yuuto looked up at Misty, his tone carrying just a hint of provocation.
"Isn't it allowed for challengers to rotate Pokémon in a Gym challenge?"
"Does your Cerulean Gym… not allow that?"
He deliberately emphasized the words "not allow that."
"Of course we do!"
Misty immediately took the bait.
She puffed out her chest with a proud expression that said, *We are a legitimate Gym.*
"Our Cerulean Gym is also a proper city Gym, so we definitely follow the rules!"
She spoke with righteous indignation.
Completely unaware that she had been led straight into Yuuto's rhythm.
Yuuto chuckled inwardly, but his face remained calm.
He took out another Poké Ball and gently tossed it.
"Then I choose you, Butterfree."
--------------Author---------------
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