The Cerulean Gym didn't feel like a Gym.
Music drifted out through the open doors, light and careless. The sound of splashing water followed it, mixed with laughter that echoed far too freely for a place meant for battles. Ash slowed as they approached, taking it all in.
"This is the Gym?" he asked.
Misty pushed the door open with her shoulder. "Unfortunately."
Inside, the air smelled clean and damp. A massive pool dominated the room, clear water rippling under bright lights. Platforms jutted out at odd angles, some barely wide enough to stand on.
Three girls stood near the pool's edge, arguing loudly about routines and timing. One of them laughed when she missed a jump and splashed into the water.
"Careful!" another called. "You'll mess up the routine!"
Misty's jaw tightened.
Ash watched quietly. He didn't step forward. He didn't announce himself.
"These are the Gym Leaders?" he asked softly.
Misty crossed her arms. "My sisters. Daisy, Violet, Lily." She shook her head. "They treat this place like a stage."
One of the sisters noticed them and waved cheerfully. "Hey, Misty! Back already?"
"Just passing through," Misty replied flatly.
Ash studied the battlefield. The platforms. The water depth. The angles. He imagined Pokémon slipping, losing footing, attacks behaving differently here.
Maya leaned closer to him. "Water conducts momentum," she said quietly. "Fast Pokémon have an advantage. Ground types struggle. Don't rush a challenge here."
Ash nodded. "I wasn't planning to."
Charizard remained outside the Gym, visible through the open doors. It sat on the stone steps, uninterested in the spectacle. A few trainers glanced at it, whispered, then returned their attention to the pool.
One of the sisters clapped her hands. "We've got a challenger later today! Might do a double performance battle."
Ash flinched slightly at the word performance.
Misty noticed. "You see why I don't like battling here," she said.
Ash smiled faintly. "Yeah. Feels… different."
They didn't stay long. Ash thanked the sisters politely and stepped back out into the sunlight. The sounds of music and splashing faded behind them.
They sat near the canal afterward, watching Water Pokémon surface and disappear again. Ash skipped a pebble across the water, lost in thought.
"I'm not ready yet," he said finally.
Misty glanced at him. "Smart."
Maya closed her notebook. "You don't fight a Gym to prove you're strong," she said. "You fight to show you understand the field."
Ash looked back toward the Gym, then down at his Poké Balls. "Then I've got work to do."
Charizard shifted beside him, tail flame steady, as if agreeing without words.
The challenge was waiting.
Ash wasn't rushing it.
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T/N:
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