After several days of traveling, Eiichi gradually relaxed from his initial tension and fear.
When he first encountered Team Rocket, his only thought had been to protect Clefairy; he hadn't considered anything else.
After leaving Mt. Moon, he realized that his fear of the organization came from the influence of the anime. The so-called "dark forces" still unsettled him a little.
When he first crossed into this world, he had expected that he would run into Team Rocket eventually, but he hadn't thought it would happen so soon.
To prevent those three from bringing reinforcements and coming after him again, Eiichi had quickly left Mt. Moon behind.
After a few days on the road, the more he thought about it, the more he realized there was no reason to be afraid.
They should be afraid of him, not the other way around. Those few grunts were about the same age as he was, and Team Rocket probably didn't value them much anyway.
Besides, they likely had no idea that Eiichi knew who they really were. Team Rocket's infiltration of the League shouldn't be too extensive at this point in time.
Using Brock as a parameter, he could see that he had appeared a few years before the timeline he was familiar with.
In the anime, Brock was about fourteen or fifteen, but right now, he should only be ten or so.
That meant the plot probably shouldn't start for another four years.
Ash was likely only six years old now. Team Rocket was still quietly developing, and the criminal groups in each region were all still operating in the shadows.
…
After several days of walking, Eiichi finally approached Cerulean City.
Sure enough, before long, the city's outline appeared in the distance.
Cerulean City resembled Venice, with its streets built along a busy waterway.
To the north was the river's mouth opening into the sea, to the south lay Saffron City, and to the west stood Mt. Moon. This was the hometown of Misty, the Cerulean Gym Leader.
Cerulean City was one of only two cities in Kanto connected by roads in all four directions—the other being Saffron City.
The Cerulean Gym specialized in Water-type Pokémon, though its current reputation was somewhat undeserved.
The Gym's strength was laughable. Most of the time, it was practically giving away badges. The three Cerulean Sisters were so obsessed with water ballets and traveling that they could hardly be called proper Gym Leaders.
Only after Misty returned from her journey would the Gym regain the strength worthy of its title.
Still, weak or not, Eiichi couldn't resist challenging them.
Ever since earning the Boulder Badge, he had realized he enjoyed collecting Gym Badges; the process itself gave him a strange satisfaction.
So, even if the Gym was weak, he would challenge it anyway, and while he was at it, he could see the famous water ballet performance.
Thinking about that, he entered the city.
As expected, it looked just like Venice from his previous life, water was everywhere.
The city thrived on industries connected to water. When he arrived at the Pokémon Center, even its design matched the city's aquatic style.
After handing his Pokémon to Nurse Joy, he rented a single room.
Once they were checked and healed, he returned to his room for a bath, then went downstairs to have dinner with his two Pokémon.
He ordered a Cerulean City specialty meal and found a quiet corner to enjoy it.
After eating, Eiichi decided to stroll around the city.
Built around a river, Cerulean City was home to many Water-type Pokémon.
It was also quite lively. Eiichi asked someone for directions to the Cerulean Gym.
The Gym was well-known, but when people spoke of it, they didn't think of battles. Instead, it was famous as a water ballet venue.
Some even said that badges were given out for free at times.
Eiichi didn't know what to say about that, so he decided not to overthink it.
When he arrived at the Cerulean Gym, he found it much larger than the one in Pewter.
Outside, there was even a ticket booth with a long line of people.
At first, he thought he was mistaken, but after checking carefully, it was indeed the Cerulean Gym.
He queued up and waited half an hour before reaching the counter.
The ticket clerk was a pretty young woman who asked, "Are you here to challenge the Gym or to watch the water ballet?"
Eiichi replied, "Both."
The clerk nodded. "Alright, then please fill out this form. If you have a communication number, leave it here. We'll contact you this afternoon. The water ballet starts in half an hour, and the ticket price is 1200 per person."
"Trust me, it's worth it."
Twelve hundred… That was expensive. Eiichi wasn't sure if the price would be justified.
It felt like buying concert tickets in his previous life; whether it was worth it or not depended entirely on the experience.
This was the first time he had ever spent so much money purely for his own enjoyment.
After filling out the form and paying, the girl handed him a ticket.
Eiichi entered through the nearby door, stepping into an aquarium-like corridor.
Through the glass walls, he could see countless Water-type Pokémon swimming gracefully.
Apparently, the Gym also sold tickets for people from other cities to visit and observe, making this one of their sources of income.
The Cerulean family was clearly wealthy. Rumor had it that their business dealt in Water-type Pokémon and related goods.
No wonder they didn't take Gym battles too seriously.
Being Gym Leaders was probably just their side job.
As for why the League had assigned them the Gym in the first place, Eiichi had no idea.
When he reached the performance hall, it was already packed. He found his seat and sat down.
The audience stands flanked a large pool filled with clear water, with diving platforms at both ends.
He remembered seeing a brief scene of the Cerulean Sisters' performance in the anime from his past life, but it had been short and didn't show much.
Now he could watch it up close.
After a short wait, the performance began, greeted by loud cheers from the mostly male audience.
The atmosphere was lively, and Eiichi found himself getting excited as well.
Under the crowd's anticipation, the three sisters, Daisy, Violet, and Lily, made their entrance.
Daisy, the eldest, had orange hair; Violet, the second sister, had deep blue hair; and Lily, the youngest, had pink hair.
The three of them wore sleek swimsuits that accentuated their slender, graceful figures.
In perfect synchronization, they leapt off the diving platforms.
Three small splashes, then three pairs of long, white legs rose elegantly from the water, moving with stunning rhythm and beauty.
Their dazzling water ballet drew thunderous applause.
Of course, most of the cheers came from men, the sisters were undeniably beautiful.
…
After the performance, Eiichi had to admit it was impressive. The ticket price had been worth it.
It was his first time watching something like that, and as a man, his appreciation was only natural.
Back at the Pokémon Center, he took a nap. He still had his Gym challenge later that afternoon.
…
In the afternoon, Eiichi was awakened by the sound of a message notification.
It was from the Cerulean Gym, informing him that it was his turn to challenge.
After getting ready, he headed back to the Gym.
By now, there weren't many people around; most were, like him, there for Gym battles.
Looking at them, none of them were very old. The stronger trainers had already gone off to compete in the Indigo League.
Those who were still challenging the Gyms were all rookies.
About seven or eight challengers were waiting outside.
Once everyone had gathered, the same young woman led them inside.
They walked through a long corridor before arriving at a smaller room, slightly smaller than the one used for the water ballet.