The three beauties of Cerulean City

"Bulbasaur, use Vine Whip!"

At Xia You's command, two vines suddenly shot out of the bulb on Bulbasaur's back and lashed viciously at Eevee.

But this Eevee clearly excelled at speed. Its paws moved rapidly, and it dodged the vines with ease.

Once it was safely out of reach, it even glanced at Bulbasaur and gave a taunting cry!

That sent Bulbasaur into a fury!

"Bulba! Bulba!"

Bulbasaur's gaze sharpened, and it almost instinctively charged forward!

But just as it started moving, Xia You stopped it in time.

"Bulbasaur, don't let its cries get to you. Keep attacking with Vine Whip!"

This was the biggest difference between a Pokémon and one under a Trainer's command!

Before being caught, it would have charged straight at an opponent that taunted it like that. Now, though, everything seemed a little different...

Following Xia You's orders, Bulbasaur launched an unrelenting assault with its two vines, seemingly tireless.

Xia You nodded in satisfaction, then said calmly, "Good. Keep attacking at that pace and wear it down!"

At first, Eevee still seemed to be handling things comfortably, apparently hoping to keep using its speed to dodge the vines.

But as its stamina dwindled, Bulbasaur finally seized an opening and landed a vicious lash!

Smack!

Eevee cried out in pain, then suddenly surged forward, hurling its body at Bulbasaur.

"Switching to a head-on fight?" Xia You smiled faintly, then ordered, "Bulbasaur, don't be afraid. Use Tackle!"

At Xia You's instruction, Bulbasaur also broke into a sprint on all fours, charging straight at Eevee.

A moment later, the two Pokémon collided with a loud crash, then tumbled away in opposite directions.

Both seemed badly hurt by the collision. They staggered back several steps and collapsed.

Fortunately, neither had lost the ability to battle. After struggling for a moment, both got back to their feet.

Thanks to its greater remaining stamina, however, Bulbasaur regained its senses first, shaking off the dizziness.

Seeing Eevee still standing there, it extended its vines and lashed out again without waiting for Xia You's command.

Eevee had no strength left to dodge. After taking several solid lashes, it finally fainted.

Xia You promptly threw a Poké Ball and caught it without difficulty.

Excellent.

Looking at the Poké Ball lying quietly in the grass, he felt thoroughly satisfied with the battle.

It also meant that Bulbasaur had truly begun its transition from a wild Pokémon to a Pokémon Trainer's Pokémon!

Of course, the most important thing was that he had successfully caught his third Pokémon!

The Pokémon Center in Cerulean City.

After two days of trekking, Xia You finally arrived.

After resting overnight and eating the free breakfast provided in the dining area, Xia You took his three Pokémon and headed straight for the Cerulean Gym!

Over the course of their journey, both Bulbasaur and Eevee had adjusted to their new roles.

Playing and training together had also brought Xia You closer to them.

At the very least, they now fully accepted Xia You as their Pokémon Trainer and followed all his instructions!

He had only just stepped onto the street after leaving the Pokémon Center when he noticed something posted on a nearby noticeboard.

When he moved closer to look, he discovered that it was a wanted poster!

Judging by the blurry photograph on it, the wanted criminals were none other than Jessie and James of Team Rocket!

His gaze moved down to a line of large print: "Pokémon thieves have been spotted in the area. Stay alert!"

Reading that, Xia You shook his head with a chuckle.

Whatever Team Rocket had done in the anime, and whatever their backgrounds were, the police still saw them as nothing more than Pokémon thieves.

Still...

Xia You actually felt a faint sense of anticipation. He wanted to meet them sooner rather than later!

The Cerulean Gym looked more like an enormous circus tent. Beneath its round, colorful roof hung a huge Dewgong sign, making it unmistakable even from a distance!

According to Nurse Joy at the Pokémon Center, Misty was not the Gym Leader yet. Instead, the position belonged to her three older siblings, Sakura, Ayame, and Penny, who were hailed as flowers of the water and known as the three beauties of Cerulean City.

How should he put it about those three...

Their strength was rather hard to describe.

Following the street, Xia You reached the official Gym without even needing to ask for directions.

A large crowd had gathered outside, however. After asking around, he learned that the three beauties were performing their water ballet today. Everyone had come to enjoy the show and feast their eyes.

They claimed to like ballet, but they were obviously here for those long legs!

Men really did stay boys until the day they died!

But that meant...

He would have to wait until the performance ended before challenging the Gym.

Xia You looked around.

Cerulean City was only a medium-sized coastal city, and its scenery was much like anywhere else. There was little worth exploring.

Since he had nothing else to do anyway, he simply bought a ticket and joined the others inside to watch the show.

Ahem. Of course, he wasn't going in to look at their legs. He was purely killing time!

Waiting, then lining up.

Following the crowd through a long passage, Xia You entered the Gym.

The first thing he saw was an enormous swimming pool!

It served as both the stage for today's performance and the Gym's battlefield.

Perhaps his timing was perfect. Just as Xia You found his seat and was about to sit down, all the lights in the hall suddenly went dark.

At the same time, a female host's voice rang clearly through the speakers, reaching everyone in attendance.

"Ladies and gentlemen, sorry for the wait! Our city's three beauties are about to begin their Synchronize Water Ballet Show!"

As the host spoke, the spotlights around the hall switched on together and converged on the diving platform beside the pool.

Three beauties in swimsuits stood there, waving to the audience around them!

The three beauties of Cerulean City made their dazzling entrance!

The audience erupted in thunderous applause and cheers at the sight of them. Those three beauties certainly were popular.

Xia You applauded along with the crowd, fully settling into his role as a spectator.

He had to admit that all three really were beautiful.

Their long, pale legs in particular drew most people's eyes.

They were far too eye-catching!

As the music began, the atmosphere abruptly shifted, signaling the official start of the performance!

A moment later, all three jumped into the water together and began an elegant water dance.

The dance was a delight to watch, drawing him completely in. The music shifted from one piece to another, and when they finally climbed out beside the pool and waved goodbye to the audience, Xia You suddenly realized how quickly time had flown. Before he knew it, more than an hour had passed!

That was incredible...

Beautiful things really did make people reluctant to leave!

Even after the show ended, the audience around him seemed eager for more, continuing to shower the performers with praise.

"Sakura is so beautiful and gentle. She's the perfect woman!"

"Nonsense! Ayame is obviously the prettiest! Ah, her blue hair and dark red eyes have completely captured my heart!"

"Hmph, you people have no taste. If you ask me, Penny is the cutest woman among them!"

Xia You chuckled at the argument around him.

Now that the performance was over, it was his turn!

He took a staircase off to the side and headed underground, soon finding Sakura and the other two in the aquarium.

The three walked along, laughing and talking, clearly pleased with today's performance.

"Did you see the audience's reactions? Today's show was a huge success."

"Exactly! All that special training we've been doing lately really paid off."

Seeing that the three were about to disappear at the far end of the aquarium, Xia You hurried over and called out to stop them.

"Excuse me, Miss Sakura! Please wait a moment!"

At Xia You's voice, Sakura and the other two stopped and turned around, looking surprised to see him.

"Sir, the performance is already over. If you'd like to watch again, you'll have to wait until tomorrow."

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

Before he could finish, however, Ayame interrupted him. "Are you a reporter, then? I'm very sorry, but if you'd like 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 to..."

"Not a reporter?" Penny folded his arms and smiled. "Then you must want our autographs?"

What a headache...

These people weren't giving him a chance to speak at all!

Seeing Xia You's speechless expression, only Sakura caught on. She raised an eyebrow and asked, "Sir, could you be here to challenge the Gym?"

"Of course." Xia You nodded as though it were obvious, then asked in return, "Isn't that supposed to be your main job?"