"You're surprisingly calm after seeing us, the three Cerulean Beauties. Looks like you're not just any ordinary trainer!"
Lily, the youngest of the three sisters, remarked as she observed Maki.
"It's actually the four Cerulean Beauties!" Misty interjected from the side.
"No, no, it's just the three Cerulean Beauties and an ugly duckling." Daisy, the eldest sister, playfully wagged her finger, making Misty grit her teeth in frustration.
"Since you're here to challenge the Gym, let's get started quickly. We have a lot of performances scheduled this afternoon."
Daisy, taking charge, led Maki into the Gym, temporarily taking over Misty's position.
"Wow, big sis, you're actually handling a challenger yourself today!" Misty said in surprise. Normally, Daisy would use her status as the eldest to push these responsibilities onto her younger sisters.
If a challenger seemed inexperienced, she would even let Misty handle them as practice.
Despite their teasing, the three sisters doted on Misty. Of course, a part of them also hoped she would grow strong enough to take over the Gym, freeing them to pursue their own interests.
After all, even though they had inherited the Cerulean Gym, none of the three sisters had ambitions of becoming powerful trainers. Instead, the title of Gym Leader tied them down.
So, with a perfectly capable little sister available, why not let her take over? It was a win-win in their eyes.
Upon arriving at the Cerulean Gym's battle arena, Maki noticed a key difference from the Rainbow Gym in Celadon City. The field wasn't a full water surface, despite the Gym's Water-type theme. That would be too unfair for challengers.
However, since some Pokémon struggle outside of water, the battlefield was designed with a shallow water layer. This allowed Water-type Pokémon to move comfortably without putting challengers at too great a disadvantage.
After all, a fish out of water wouldn't last long. While Pokémon were far stronger than ordinary creatures, their battle capabilities would still be hindered without proper terrain.
It was a necessary compromise—otherwise, what would happen if someone sent out a Magikarp, only for it to flop around and dry out before the battle even started?
"Hmm… You already have a Gym Badge? Then you should know the rules of Gym challenges. Make your choice, but hurry it up!"
Daisy, standing across from Maki, smiled as she reminded him.
While the anime depicted the Cerulean Sisters as weak, reality was different. As the official Gym Leader, Daisy was more than capable.
The other two sisters, Lily and Violet, simply sat on the sidelines, watching. Since challengers weren't frequent, they treated this as post-performance entertainment.
Misty, in particular, was eager to see Maki defeat Daisy.
"Double battle."
Maki retrieved two Poké Balls from his belt and pressed their center buttons, releasing Charmeleon and Cottonee.
"Charmeleon?"
Daisy raised an eyebrow at Maki. His Charmeleon looked well-trained, but the type disadvantage was obvious. On a water-covered battlefield, Charmeleon was at an even greater disadvantage.
Even though Cottonee appeared weaker, Daisy felt that it had a better chance of victory than Charmeleon.
And he chose a format that most new trainers struggled with—double battles. That left Daisy wondering just what this handsome young trainer was thinking.
"Alright then."
Daisy nodded. The challenger had the right to choose the battle format, and as a Gym Leader, she had no reason to interfere.
After releasing Charmeleon and Cottonee, Maki took out another Poké Ball and looked at Daisy.
"Would it be okay if I let another Pokémon watch the battle from the sidelines?"
Although he had just recently obtained Mawile and hadn't trained her much, this was a good opportunity for her to gain experience.
Daisy nodded—it wasn't a problem.
"Come out, Mawile."
A red flash erupted from the Poké Ball, and Mawile appeared beside Maki. The moment she landed, she let out a cry and immediately pounced on him.
"Mawile!"
Despite her small stature, her strength was nothing to scoff at. She leaped up and wrapped her arms around Maki's neck, rubbing her face against his cheek affectionately.
"Easy, easy! You're choking me!"
Maki patted Mawile's arms, signaling her to loosen her grip. Otherwise, there wouldn't be a Gym battle—he'd be heading straight to the Pokémon Center for emergency treatment.
"Cottonee!!"
Cottonee fluttered back furiously upon seeing Mawile take advantage of its brief absence to launch a sneak attack on its fourteen-year-old trainer. That was simply dishonorable! Without hesitation, it returned to scold Mawile for such unsportsmanlike behavior.
After setting Mawile down from his arms, Maki cast a quick glance at Cottonee.
"It's fine now. Focus on the battle."
"Coootton~"
[Hmph, you've changed, you heartless man.]
Muttering in a low tone, Cottonee reluctantly floated back to the battlefield.
"You have a great relationship with your Pokémon," Daisy noted approvingly, nodding slightly.
From a certain perspective, evaluating the bond between trainers and their Pokémon was also part of a Gym Leader's duty.
However, such assessments were highly subjective, making it difficult to establish concrete standards. As a result, most Gyms simply awarded badges based on battle victories.
Cerulean Gym was no exception. With all the performances they had to handle, who had time to worry about things like that?
Still, since Daisy had witnessed it firsthand, she mentally gave Maki a bonus point.
"These will be my two Pokémon."
After a brief moment of thought, Daisy released her chosen Pokémon.
One of them was a Lombre—a Jolly Pokémon with a green body, red fingers and toes, short round ears, and a beak-like red mouth.
Atop its head rested a broad lilypad with slotted edges, resembling a wide-brimmed hat. Its height and build were similar to that of a small child.
Maki recalled that Lombre had a fair share of urban legends associated with it. Its final evolved form, Ludicolo, was widely believed to be inspired by kappa, mythical water creatures from island folklore.
Ludicolo, of course, was also known among players as the infamous "Duck God," one of the renowned Rain Team duo.
Seeing Lombre immediately made Maki think of Pelipper—after all, they made a formidable combination.
But wasn't it a bit excessive to use this pairing against a so-called "rookie" like him?
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