Chapter 16: So This Is Rock-Solid Will?
2024-05-15 Author: Samsung Charmander (Author Name)
Early morning.
The four of them woke up in the Clefairy Shop, acting as if nothing had happened.
The Meteorite on the Sacrificial Altar had also been cleared away.
Blue yawned and stretched, subconsciously rubbing her shoulder.
"Huh? Why does my shoulder feel a little sore?"
"Haha, it's because you're out of shape! Me? I was the Champion of the night watch yesterday!"
Ash, on the other hand, was incredibly energetic first thing in the morning.
Raising both arms high, he declared himself a man who never wilts.
In the end, Blue still hadn't noticed the cute little Clefairy that had been added to her Poké Balls.
After shaking off her drowsiness, she began cursing Gary alongside Ash.
There really was no Clefairy.
She had entered a Frenzied State.
The four of them packed up and set out. This time, they quickly passed through Mt. Moon and arrived at a fork in the road on the outskirts.
A Road Sign was stuck in the ground there.
One direction pointed to Cerulean City, the other back towards Mt. Moon, from where they had come.
Below the main sign was a line of small text. Blue, still in her Frenzied State, subconsciously leaned in to read it.
"A message from the handsome Gary:"
"!GIP A ERA UOY WON SDRAWKCAB ECENTNES SIHT DAER"
What did that mean?
She read it out word by word, "Read... this... sentence... backwards... now... you... pig...!"
Suddenly, Blue's eyes widened as she registered the first word she had said. She quickly slapped a hand over her mouth, thinking to herself that this guy was truly a menace.
But she was still sharp as a tack! How could she fall for such a childish Trap!
Heh!
Blue smirked triumphantly, dismissing Gary as a mere Idiot.
Just then, she noticed another line of even smaller text beneath the first one.
"There's no way some fool actually stopped reading backwards halfway through, right? And they probably think they're so clever, too. Oh, don't make me laugh, hehe."
Blue: "!!!"
The ultimate humiliation!
Humiliation from beginning to end!
A faint Dark Aura rose from the Ground and coiled around her.
Blue suddenly turned and patted Ash's shoulder. Her fair, pretty face was now somewhat twisted.
Her large eyes trembled, and she bit her lower lip so hard, trying to keep the tears from falling.
"Compatriot, I have to go on ahead," she said, one word at a time.
Though he didn't quite get it, Ash was intrigued and asked with confusion, "Huh? Compatriot, you're not traveling with us?"
"No. There's a flea disco-dancing on a Grave, and I need to go stuff him back in."
Then she patted the Bulbasaur beside her.
"Get your Vine Whip ready, Little Garlic!"
"Bulba-saur!" Bulbasaur responded.
With that, trainer and Pokemon sprinted a thousand meters towards Cerulean City, quickly vanishing from the others' Line of Sight.
The three of them: "..."
What a girl, full of Vitality…
Unlike Blue's deep-seated grudge, Ash's feelings toward Gary were less malicious, aside from wanting to pin him down and give him a sound thrashing.
And so, the remaining three leisurely made their way to Cerulean City.
Hearing that this was Misty's hometown, Ash wanted to take the opportunity to scout out the Cerulean Gym ahead of time.
Know your enemy and know yourself, and you'll always win.
But when he turned his head, there was no one behind him except a squinty-eyed muscle man.
"Huh? Where'd Misty go?" Ash wondered, scratching his head.
Brock patted his shoulder and urged him on.
"It's probably that time of the month. Let's not worry about her. C'mon, let's go challenge the Gym!"
"As expected of a man with Rock-Solid Will. You really get it."
With that, the two of them, full of excitement, ran off in a certain direction.
After running around aimlessly for a bit, Ash and his companion arrived at a place that looked like an Aquarium on the outside.
On the sign above the roof hung a large Dewgong icon, balancing a Water Balloon on its head, surrounded by Streamers.
"This is the Cerulean Gym? Why's it so gaudy?"
In Ash's mind, a Gym should have a hardcore style, just like the Pewter Gym.
"Let's go, let's go!"
Licking his lips, Brock pushed Ash into the Cerulean Gym without another word, unable to wait.
Pushing open the main doors, they found a long, narrow corridor. On both sides were massive pool walls, housing a variety of strange-looking fish Pokemon.
"Pokedex Beep. Feebas, the Beauty Pokemon. Can be found everywhere, has no value. Releasing it is recommended."
"Pokedex Beep. Magikarp, the Ferocious Pokemon. Has a bad temper, is covered in scales, and doesn't taste good."
Ash shook his Pokedex.
It was official, this thing was completely broken.
One was clearly the weakest Pokemon, and the other didn't look pretty at all. Was it just spouting nonsense?
Without further hesitation, the two pushed open the large doors ahead and walked inside.
Unexpectedly, beyond the doors was a space resembling an Audience Stand, packed with a dense crowd of spectators, mostly men.
The focal point of their gazes was the center of the stage.
It was a Large Pool where three women were performing a Water Ballet, their bodies covered only by thin strips of cloth. Whether it was their elegant movements or the occasional splash of water, everything elicited cheers from the pack of wolves in the audience.
"Ooh-ooh~~!!"
Brock, standing beside him, began to shout along with the audience.
His eyes were now open wider than ever before, like a pair of barbells.
"What's so good about this?" Ash asked, completely baffled.
In terms of Muscle, those three women were so scrawny that one punch would probably make them cry.
In terms of Strength, they swam so slowly. If he got in there, the three of them combined probably couldn't match his speed.
"You don't have Rock-Solid Will. You wouldn't understand."
Brock patted his shoulder and said in a profound tone, "The Rock-Solid Will is tenacious. At the same time, only when you observe the World from the perspective of a Rock can you discover its mysteries."
Ash nodded, impressed despite his confusion, feeling he had gained a deeper understanding of Brock.
"So this is Rock-Solid Will…"
He looked at the cheering crowd around him and couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath.
"Cerulean City, huh? What a terrifying place. To think that everyone here has Rock-Solid Will…"
The two found an empty spot, and Ash watched, trying to learn the powerful Rock-Solid Will from Brock.
Afterward.
He was utterly unimpressed.
The noisy audience began to leave the Cerulean Gym.
Ash and Brock took the opportunity to slip into the Gym's Backstage area, just as the three "Sisters" were finishing their performance, still clad in their Swimsuits.
Even their hair was still dripping wet as they walked toward them.
"Today's performance was a huge success~" they celebrated as they walked.
The three quickly noticed the two uninvited guests and couldn't help but ask, "Oh, are you here for our autographs? Sorry, but you'll have to talk to our Manager first."
Ash quickly adopted a serious expression.
"No, my name is Ash, and I'm here to challenge the Gym."
Brock, having procured a bouquet of flowers from who-knows-where, flashed a smile so bright it glinted with a White Light.
"My name is Brock, and I am a man who possesses…"
But before he could finish, one of the women, a blonde, interrupted him.
"Oh, so you're here to challenge the Gym! Well then, let me introduce myself. I'm the eldest of The Sensational Sisters, Daisy."
"…Rock-Solid Will…"
The second woman, the one with blue hair, cut him off again.
"I'm Violet, the middle sister of The Sensational Sisters."
"I can invite you to dinner…"
The third woman, with pink hair, interrupted him once more.
"And I'm Lily, the youngest of the three sisters. If you're here for a Gym challenge, then follow us."
Then she turned her head and asked curiously, "Is your dark-skinned friend here looking for a restaurant? It's 300 meters to the right after you exit. That's the Cerulean Gym's Theme Restaurant~"
Brock: "…"
Never mind.
My apologies…
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(To all my dear brothers and sisters with Rock-Solid Will, please vote.)