"That counts as flying, right?"
Early in the morning, Yang Tao sat on a wooden bench by the fountain at the entrance of the Cerulean City Gym, watching Caterpie fly through the air using Psychic.
'This counts as a Flying-type, right?'
[World Exploration Value increased by 13.55%]
Looking towards the entrance of the Cerulean City Gym, three beautiful figures opened the Gym door and stretched, energetically saying:
"It's a new day, let's go!"
The three sisters chatted excitedly.
The three beautiful girls weren't really focused on the Gym; instead, they were more interested in showcasing their beauty, which is why the Cerulean City Gym had become a theater for water ballet performances.
Of course, for the sake of their Gym qualification, the three sisters would still accept challenges from Trainers.
Yang Tao stood up and said to Caterpie, "Come down quickly, it's time for us to challenge the Gym."
Hearing him, Caterpie immediately transformed into purple particles, vanishing into the air and landing on his shoulder.
Seeing Yang Tao leave, Growlithe, who had been resting on the nearby lawn, also followed with cheerful steps.
He pushed open the door of the Cerulean City Gym and walked in.
Compared to Brock's humble Pewter Gym, Misty's family Gym was much grander, with a massive swimming pool immediately visible upon entry.
The Cerulean City Gym Leaders were currently playing with some Water-type Pokémon in the swimming pool. It had to be said that the sight of the three beautiful girls playing in the water in their sexy swimsuits was indeed a delight to the eyes.
"It's not showtime yet. Is there something you need?"
Daisy, the eldest of the three sisters, noticed him and swam to the shore holding a pure white Seel, sizing up Yang Tao.
"I'm here to challenge the Gym."
The three sisters were really neglecting their duties… or rather, they didn't seem to take their roles as Gym Leaders seriously at all.
Hearing that Yang Tao was there to challenge the Gym, the three sisters swam out of the pool onto the shore. Lily, the youngest, complained, "Ah, I don't want to battle. Sisters, you two go this time."
"Alright then."
Daisy, the eldest sister, was more sensible. After all, a Gym that didn't accept Trainer challenges would lose its qualification, and their subsidy income would drop significantly.
"Since you want to challenge, I'll explain the rules. Each of us will use two Pokémon…"
Hearing Daisy explain the rules, Yang Tao nodded slightly to show he understood.
"Since you know the rules, let's begin."
Both sides took their positions.
Lily, the only sister not participating in the battle, happily served as the referee.
Daisy, the eldest sister, softly called out, "It's decided, Staryu!"
Staryu's body is a golden-brown star shape. Between its five tentacles is an exposed red core. A golden ring surrounds its legs, securing its core.
Facing other types of Pokémon was fine, but against Water-type Pokémon, besides Slowking, who has Water and Psychic abilities, Caterpie and Growlithe weren't as suitable.
Despite not being suitable, Yang Tao felt that Caterpie should be able to handle this Staryu.
"Caterpie, it's up to you."
Yang Tao's main focus was trust.
However, he still took out a Poké Ball and released Slowking to avoid any unexpected situations.
As soon as Slowking was released, it drew gasps of admiration from the three sisters:
"It's Slowking!"
"How amazing, I've never seen a Slowking before… It's so cute and pink."
"I wonder if Slowking's tail is edible too…"
Slowking, initially flattered by the attention, puffed out its chest looking very pleased, but upon hearing about its tail, it immediately tucked its tail into its arms.
After evolving into Slowking, its tail still had no sensation of pain, but it still didn't want people to just eat its tail.
"Haha, it's really cute, Big Sister, why don't we get a Slowpoke too?"
"When we have time, we'll ask the League to help us find one. For now, let's focus on the battle."
Daisy, the eldest sister, was more composed and didn't forget the main task.
Lily raised her hand and said in a cute voice, "Battle start!"
The words had barely left her lips.
"Staryu, use Water Gun!"
Water Gun was one of Staryu's signature moves. A stream of water shot out from the top of Staryu's head. If Caterpie was hit and fell from the floating platform into the pool, the battle would essentially be over.
However, the Water Gun only struck the purple particles left behind by Caterpie.
Bang.
Caterpie appeared above Staryu's head, and a single Tackle interrupted Staryu's Water Gun move.
String Shot!
It stuck Staryu to the floating platform, then Caterpie climbed onto Staryu's body and began to gnaw at it.
Bug Bite!
Caterpie utilized its only three moves to their fullest potential.
Daisy, the eldest sister, was completely stunned. She had seen Caterpie before, but never such a ferocious one. And what was that ability at the beginning? Teleport?
A Caterpie that could Teleport—no one would believe it if you told them.
By the time Daisy came to her senses, the five-pointed Staryu had already had one of its points gnawed off by Caterpie.
This was also Staryu's characteristic: as long as the glowing core in the center of its body remained, it could regenerate even if its body was shattered.
This injury, a missing point, would recover in about half a day even without treatment.
"Return, Staryu!"
Daisy directly pulled out a Poké Ball and recalled Staryu, then asked curiously, "Why can your Caterpie Teleport, and I've never seen this kind of Teleport before…"
Seeing Daisy's curious expression, Yang Tao smiled, "My Caterpie is a shiny Caterpie. It's normal for it to mutate some abilities of other types."
"Is that so?"
Looking at the golden Caterpie, Daisy felt there was some truth to it. After all, shiny Pokémon were extremely rare, and who knew what they might mutate into.
"That's not important, let's hurry up and finish the battle."
Daisy really wanted to concede, as Staryu was already her strongest Pokémon, but her younger sister Violet directly threw out a Seel.
The white Seel poked its head out of the water, with upturned teeth on both sides of its mouth and its tongue sticking out, looking very cute.
"Seel, use Icy Wind!"
Seel aimed at Caterpie and exhaled a white frosty wind. In an instant, the Gym's temperature dropped extremely low, and some ice floes appeared on the water's surface.
Caterpie even had some frost on its body, and its speed was affected, but Caterpie didn't mind at all. It let out a cry, and a faint light immediately appeared on its body.
The Speed Boost ability canceled out the slowing effect of Icy Wind.
"Ice Shard…"
Seel spat out ice chunks that rapidly smashed towards Caterpie. Caterpie, bestowed with Ender power by Jean, instantly vanished from its spot.
Seeing this, Violet immediately shouted, "Seel, Dive!"
Seeing Seel sink to the bottom, Caterpie, who had teleported to another floating platform, activated Psychic. A mysterious force drilled into the water, directly pulling the diving Seel up.
"W-what's going on?"
Caterpie didn't care about any of that. It teleported over and sent Seel flying with a Tackle, then reappeared at Seel's landing spot, delivering another Tackle.
"How is this possible? How could Caterpie learn Psychic?!"
Violet saw Seel being abused by Caterpie and her heart clenched. She immediately pulled out a Poké Ball and pointed it at Seel: "Return, Seel."
Daisy, the eldest sister, also said, "We surrender. Congratulations."
"Thank you for the match."
The Cerulean City Gym's strength was simply too weak. An idea of opening a Gym popped into Yang Tao's mind.
He wouldn't need League certification; any Trainer who wanted to challenge him could come. Over time, powerful Trainers would naturally come to challenge him, and his Pokémon would also grow.
However, he only had 3 Pokémon in his possession right now. He would need to accumulate at least 5 or more before doing so.