"And what I'm most worried about… is that even the citizens of Cerulean City will lose faith in the Cerulean Gym. If that happens, even if the gym isn't shut down, the Gym Leader might be replaced…"
On the other end of the call, Misty's voice carried a trace of anxiety.
"Even though I'm the successor of the Cerulean Gym, and I've been working hard to train my Pokémon and improve my strength… this isn't something that can be achieved overnight."
"Earlier today, I happened to see a news report. In the Orange Islands, on Yambera Island in the garden city of Yambera City, they held a Grass-type Pokémon Beauty Contest."
"So I talked it over with my sisters, and we decided… to host a Water-type Pokémon Beauty Contest in Cerulean City as well."
"Ash… what do you think of this idea?"
"…Hmm."
Ash thought for a moment, then nodded—even though she couldn't see him.
"I think it's a really good idea."
Right now, the reputation of the Cerulean Gym hadn't yet fallen to the disastrous level seen at the beginning of the original storyline—
But it was already hanging by a thread.
As the rightful heir to the Cerulean Gym, Misty choosing to boost its visibility and reputation through such an event—given her current strength—was actually a very smart move.
Of course, it only treated the symptoms, not the root cause.
At best, it would slow down the decline of the gym's reputation within the trainer community.
But even buying time… was valuable.
After all, under Ash's guidance, Misty's strength had been improving rapidly.
Give her a few more years—
By the time she officially set out as a trainer, Ash was confident she would reach Gym-level strength and be fully capable of carrying the Cerulean Gym forward.
"Then… Ash, will you come participate?"
Hearing his approval, Misty's voice brightened with excitement as she quickly asked.
"Of course."
Ash chuckled softly.
"If this is a competition you're hosting as the heir of the Cerulean Gym to restore its reputation, then I definitely have to show up and support you."
"Besides… my shiny Magikarp and shiny Feebas have both grown a lot. They're close to evolving."
"This is the perfect opportunity to give them some exposure—and build their confidence in their appearance."
"And also…"
Ash's tone turned teasing.
"We've known each other for quite a while now, but we've never actually met in person."
"I'd like to take this chance to finally meet you—and see just how cute the 'world's most beautiful mermaid girl' really is."
"Eeh—!"
From the other end came a soft, flustered squeak.
Even without seeing her face, Ash could easily imagine Misty blushing bright red.
And thinking about it—
He felt a slight itch in his heart too.
A growing anticipation.
He suddenly wanted to go to Cerulean City as soon as possible.
Suppressing that excitement, Ash asked again,
"Misty, have you finalized the timing for the contest yet?"
"And what about the format and rules? Organizing an event like this will take a lot of time and effort. You should consider requesting support staff from the League's Event Committee."
Since he had already decided to support her, Ash immediately began offering suggestions.
After all—
Misty was his girlfriend.
And the Cerulean Gym… was, in a way, part of his future as well.
Naturally, he took this matter seriously.
"Mm-hmm!"
Misty nodded on the other end.
"My three sisters might not have much talent as trainers, but they're amazing when it comes to business and management."
"They've organized a lot of water ballet tours before, so they're very experienced in event planning."
"After I brought up the idea, they immediately reported it to the League's Event Committee and even arranged for professional staff to assist us."
"The competition format has already been decided too. To allow enough time for promotion and preparation, we've scheduled the contest for next week."
"Mm, that's efficient."
Ash nodded in satisfaction.
"Alright. I'll be there when the contest starts next week."
"And send me a promotional poster once it's ready—I'll help you advertise."
"My social media and Skill Shop communities have a pretty large following. Most of them are trainers, so the promotion should be effective."
But before Misty could respond—
Another voice suddenly burst through the phone, full of excitement.
"Ash, you're being way too modest! 'Pretty large'? That's an understatement—it's huge!"
"We three sisters travel around performing water ballet all the time, and we've only just hit one million followers on social media."
"But you? You've had your account for less than two months and already passed ten million followers! I'm so jealous!"
"…Uh…"
Caught off guard, Ash didn't know how to respond. He could only ask politely,
"May I ask… are you Daisy, Violet, or Lily?"
"I'm the third sister, Lily~ Ash, my dear misty's crush, when are you coming? We'll drive to the station to pick you up!"
"Ah!! Third Sister—!"
Misty's embarrassed cry rang out immediately.
"Haha Ash, you'd better help us promote the event properly! When you come to Cerulean City, we sisters will definitely treat you well"
Another lively voice chimed in—this time unmistakably Violet.
"Ahhh!! Second Sister—!"
Misty sounded like she wanted to disappear on the spot.
"Oh come on, Misty You call him 'Ash' so sweetly all the time, and now you're suddenly shy?"
"And Ash," a more composed voice joined in—Daisy this time, "we sisters don't have much talent as trainers. The Cerulean Gym is relying entirely on Misty."
"You'll have to help her—help us revive the gym."
"And in the future… when you two are older and Misty marries you, the Cerulean Gym will be yours~"
"AHHH!! Big Sister—!!"
Misty's flustered scream echoed again.
On the other side of the call, Ash didn't feel embarrassed at all.
He wasn't the oblivious, dense version of himself from the original timeline.
He was a normal young man.
And when it came to love—he embraced it openly.
In fact…
His impression of Misty's three sisters had completely changed.
Gone was the shallow image from before.
Now, they felt warm, lively… like a real family.
And that—
Touched something deep inside him.
In his previous life, he had grown up as an orphan.
More than anything, he longed for family.
For siblings.
Hearing the cheerful bickering between Misty and her sisters, Ash couldn't help but feel a quiet sense of envy.
If only… I had brothers or sisters too…
....
PokePals's Note:
From the latest comments, I understand that many readers feel the pacing of this fanfic has been somewhat slow. Thank you all for your patience and support. I'll do my best to begin Ash's journey as soon as possible and pick up the pace moving forward.
In the meantime, feel free to check out my latest Pokémon fanfic release and read it alongside this story!
✦ Pokémon: Endless Genesis of the Chosen One ✦
It's published under my secondary Webnovel account: MPHFics.
Feel free to read both stories in parallel, and I hope you enjoy it.