Chapter 6: The Three Beautiful Sisters of Cerulean City

"Bulbasaur, use Vine Whip!"

From the bud on Bulbasaur’s back, two vines suddenly lashed out, whipping fiercely toward Eevee.

But this Eevee was clearly built for speed. Its four paws moved swiftly, and it easily evaded the attack.

Casting a glance at Bulbasaur, Eevee let out a mocking cry.

"Bula!"

At the sound, Bulbasaur seemed to flare with anger, but just as it was about to move, Xia You stopped it in time.

"Bulbasaur, don’t let its howling throw you off. Keep using Vine Whip!"

Following Xia You’s command, Bulbasaur’s two vines launched a relentless barrage, as though tireless.

"Good. Keep up the pressure and wear it down!"

At first, Eevee still had the upper hand, using its speed to slip past the vines. But as its stamina was heavily drained, Bulbasaur finally seized an opening and struck it hard with a vine.

Eevee yelped in pain, then suddenly threw its body forward, ramming into Bulbasaur.

"Love head-on clashes, do you?" Xia You ordered. "Bulbasaur, don’t lose to it. Use Tackle!"

Bulbasaur moved its limbs and sprinted forward just as quickly, slamming into Eevee as well. The next instant, the two Pokemon collided with a thunderous crash, then were hurled apart to either side.

That impact seemed to leave both of them badly hurt. They lay where they fell, struggling for a moment before forcing themselves back to their feet.

Yet, thanks to its better stamina, Bulbasaur recovered its composure first. It extended its vines and lashed directly at Eevee.

Unable to evade, Eevee took several solid hits. After those vine strikes landed, it completely lost the ability to battle.

Seeing this, Xia You decisively threw a Poke Ball and easily captured it.

The third Pokemon was his!

...

Cerulean City Pokemon Center.

After eating the free breakfast provided, and thanking Nurse Joy, Xia You set out with his three Pokemon.

After a night of rest, all of them had fully recovered to peak condition.

And through play and training, their bonds with one another had grown even closer.

But just before he left, Xia You noticed a notice posted at the entrance. Looking more closely, he saw that it was a wanted poster.

And from the blurry photo on it, the wanted criminals were clearly Team Rocket’s Jessie and James!

At the front desk, Nurse Joy warned him, "Trainer, there are Pokemon thieves in this area, so please do be careful."

Xia You nodded. "Thank you for the warning, Nurse Joy. I’ll be careful."

Following the main road, he arrived at Cerulean Gym.

Its design resembled a giant circus more than a gym, and beneath its round, colorful canopy hung a huge sign bearing the image of a Dewgong, extremely eye-catching.

According to Nurse Joy, the gym leader here was not yet Misty, but her three older sisters—known as the Water Flowers, the three beautiful sisters of Cerulean: Daisy, Violet, and Lily.

But at the moment, a large crowd had gathered before the gym. After asking around, Xia You learned that today was the day of the three sisters’ water ballet performance, and all these people had come to admire the show.

Men really are boys at heart, even to the end.

It seemed that if he wanted to challenge the gym, he would at least have to wait until the performance ended.

Xia You looked around. This was only a medium-sized coastal city, and its scenery was much the same as anywhere else. There was nothing much to see, and since he had free time, he simply bought a ticket and went inside with the others to watch the performance.

The show took place in the pool on the first floor, and as soon as Xia You sat down, the entire hall suddenly darkened.

A female host’s voice, carried through the loudspeakers, reached everyone’s ears.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for waiting. The synchronized aquatic ballet performance by our city’s three beautiful sisters is about to begin!"

As the host finished speaking, spotlights around the hall switched on at once and converged on the diving platform by the pool.

There, three beautiful women in swimsuits were waving to the audience.

At the sight of them, the stands erupted in thunderous applause and cheers. It seemed these three beauties were indeed very popular.

It had to be said, all three of them were truly lovely, especially their long, pale legs, which drew most of the gazes in the hall.

As the music began, the atmosphere changed at once. The three of them leapt into the water together and began a dazzling aquatic dance.

The performance was beautiful to behold, so captivating that one could easily lose oneself in it. And when the music shifted, and they finally returned to the poolside to wave farewell to the audience once more, Xia You suddenly realized how swiftly time had passed. In the blink of an eye, more than an hour had already gone by.

Truly unbelievable.

Even after the show ended, the surrounding spectators still seemed reluctant to leave, and they continued praising the performance without end.

"Water Lily is just so beautiful and so gentle—she’s practically the perfect woman!"

"Nonsense! Obviously Violet is the prettiest! Ah, her blue hair and dark red eyes completely captured my heart!"

"Hmph, you really have no taste. If you ask me, Daisy is the cutest of the three!"

Listening to the argument beside him, Xia You could not help but smile.

Since the performance was over, it was now his turn.

Taking the stairs at the side, he descended underground, and soon found the three sisters in the aquarium.

They were walking and laughing together, clearly very satisfied with today’s performance.

"Did you see the audience’s reaction? Today’s show was a tremendous success."

"Exactly. It looks like all that special training really wasn’t wasted."

Just as the three of them were about to disappear into the depths of the aquarium, Xia You hurried over and called out to them.

"Excuse me, Miss Daisy, could you please wait a moment?"

Hearing Xia You’s voice, the three sisters stopped and turned back. Seeing him, they all looked surprised.

"Sir, the performance is over. If you want to see it again, you’ll have to wait until tomorrow."

Xia You shook his head. "Ah, no, I’m..."

But before he could finish, Violet cut him off.

"Are you a reporter? Then I’m sorry, but if you want to interview us, you’ll need to make an appointment through our manager."

"A reporter?" Xia You shook his head again. "I’m not a reporter. I only came here because I wanted to..."

"Not a reporter?" Water Lily said with her arms folded and a smile. "Then you must want our autographs?"

Troublesome. These three were giving him no chance to get a word in at all.

Seeing Xia You’s helpless expression, only Daisy noticed something amiss. She asked, "Sir, could it be that you’re here to challenge the gym?"