Misty's momentum actually managed to intimidate her three older sisters.
The fighting spirit burning in those eyes, her straight posture, and that refusal to lose made Daisy feel a bit dazed for a moment.
It was as if she saw the stubborn little sister who used to give everyone a headache when she was a child.
However, Daisy quickly snapped out of it and shook her head gently.
"Misty, but I already agreed with Roy that it would be a single match to decide the winner. The badge..."
As she spoke, her gaze turned to the blue badge case in Roy's hand. Her meaning was clear—the rules had been set beforehand.
"The badge is fine; Roy can take it."
Misty interrupted her, her voice firm and decisive.
"But what comes next is the dignity of our Cerulean Gym, and that cannot be taken away."
She took a deep breath as she spoke, her chest rising and falling slightly with the motion.
"As a Trainer of the Cerulean Gym, I have the duty to uphold the Gym's glory!"
These words were spoken with boiling passion.
Combined with her serious expression, she really did have the air of a Trainer.
"But~"
Violet drawled in a lazy tone as she walked over from the side.
The straps of her white swimsuit hung loosely on her shoulders, and the deep cleavage of her chest flickered in and out of view with her steps.
"We've already lost six times in a row~"
"Our dignity was pressed into the bottom of the pool a long time ago~"
"We couldn't even beat that rookie Trainer's Rattata last week~"
As Violet spoke, she made an exaggerated shrugging gesture.
The upper part of her swimsuit was pulled by the movement, and the neckline slid down a few more centimeters.
"And the week before that, there was that girl who dressed like a rock singer, her Zubat..."
"Stop!"
Misty abruptly raised her hand, cutting off Violet's 'battle report.'
Her fair cheeks had already turned bright red.
"Six... six losses in a row?"
Misty's voice trembled slightly.
Although she knew her family's Gym wasn't performing well, she didn't expect it to be... this bad!
"You guys..."
She turned to look at her three sisters, her eyes filled with disbelief.
"You are Gym Leaders after all! How could you lose to rookie Trainers!"
"Hey, you can't put it like that~"
Lily also leaned in, her deep-V magenta swimsuit particularly dazzling in the morning light.
She crossed her arms, a posture that made her already full bust even more prominent.
"We are very serious about losing~"
"Every challenger leaves happy with a badge in hand~"
"Our reputation is actually quite good~"
She spoke with such confidence, as if the purpose of the Gym's existence was to give badges to rookies.
Misty: "..."
She suddenly felt that her passionate declaration just now was a bit stupid.
Her three sisters didn't care about losing six matches in a row, so why was she getting worked up?
But Misty bit her lower lip.
Her gaze turned back to Roy.
That guy was standing by the pool, watching the sisters argue with a calm face.
A faint, indiscernible smile even hung at the corners of his mouth.
As if he were watching some interesting performance.
That refusal to lose flared up inside her again.
"Then... then the losing streak ends now!"
Misty suddenly looked up and glared at Roy.
"Roy, do you dare to have another match with me!"
As she spoke, she took a step forward.
Her bare feet stepped on the slippery pool tiles, making a crisp splashing sound.
The hem of her swimsuit rose slightly with her movement, revealing her slender waist and a small section of her flat stomach.
This was exactly the plot progression Roy wanted.
Now that Misty had taken the initiative to challenge him, it was perfectly logical.
"Sure."
Roy nodded, his tone casual.
"I'll take the chance to see just how powerful your Water-type Pokemon are."
"Good! I'll definitely open your eyes!" Misty walked toward the battle platform with high spirits.
Her bare feet stepped firmly on the ground, making pitter-patter sounds.
Her waist swayed gently with her pace, and her hips jiggled slightly under the wrap of her swimsuit.
Seeing their sister's confident look, the three older sisters collectively expressed their doubts.
"Hey, in a moment, Misty won't be beaten to tears, will she?"
Violet leaned into Lily's ear and whispered.
"Probably~"
Lily also lowered her voice and joined the discussion.
"Her few Pokemon were even worse than Seel before~"
"I remember before she left for her journey, Staryu could only spray some water, and Goldeen couldn't even use Water Gun steadily~"
"With that level, how can she fight Roy~"
"It's not easy to comfort Misty if she cries; she's stubborn as a mule~"
Violet sighed, her gaze moving from the battle platform to rest on Roy.
"Hey, Daisy~"
Violet suddenly remembered something and turned to Daisy.
"How about we let Misty have a little dessert today to cheer her up?"
She knew Misty loved the strawberry cake from that dessert shop in the city center.
Usually, to maintain their figures, Daisy strictly controlled her sisters' intake of sweets.
But today... Daisy let out a soft sigh.
Her fair face was written with helplessness.
"That's the only way to comfort her."
As she spoke, her gaze fell on the battle platform.
Misty had already taken her position and was pulling a red and white ball from the poké ball holster at her waist.
That serious look made Daisy's heart soften slightly.
"After the fight is over, I'll go buy the cake."
"You two are responsible for pulling her to the locker room; don't let her sulk by the pool."
The three sisters had already begun making preparations to comfort Misty.
As if the outcome of this battle were already decided... "Come out, Staryu!"
Misty confidently threw out the poké ball.
The movement was clean and sharp, completely lacking the clumsiness of a rookie Trainer.
A white light fell into the pool.
Staryu's figure emerged.
Its star-shaped body had a red jewel in the center that shimmered in the morning light.
Roy roughly estimated Misty's Staryu; it was at the peak of the Novice Level, likely close to Level 20.
"Come back, Pikachu."
"Eh?"
Misty was stunned.
Seeing Roy call Pikachu back to his side, she thought he was going to go easy on her.
"Roy, why did you call Pikachu back?"
Roy shook his head, a perfectly timed expression of 'exhaustion' appearing on his face.
"Pikachu came yesterday and didn't go to the Pokémon Center to recover, and it fought another battle today; it's already beyond exhausted."
As he spoke, he looked down and exchanged a glance with Pikachu.
Pika chu~~
Pikachu understood instantly.
Its whole body began to wobble, its ears drooped, and its tail hung listlessly.
It let out a long, drawn-out cry and then leaned weakly against Roy's pant leg.
Its little head even rubbed against Roy's calf.
It looked exactly like it was saying, 'I'm really, really tired.'
Truly worthy of the Movie Star trait.
This acting was top-tier.
Looking at Pikachu's state, most of the displeasure in Misty's heart instantly vanished.
In its place was a hint of smugness.
So it wasn't that Roy wanted to go easy on her, it was that his Pikachu really couldn't go on!
"What?"
Roy looked up at Misty, his tone carrying a bit of 'provocation.'
"In a Gym challenge, isn't the challenger allowed to rotate tactics?"
"Is your Cerulean Gym... not capable?"
He deliberately emphasized the words 'not capable.'
"Of course you can!"
Misty immediately fell for it.
She puffed out her chest, her face full of the pride of 'we are an official Gym.'
"Our Cerulean Gym is also an official city Gym; we definitely follow the rules!"
She spoke with total conviction.
She didn't realize at all that she had been led into Roy's rhythm.
Roy laughed inwardly but kept a straight face.
He took out another poké ball and tossed it gently.
"Then, I choose you, Butterfree."
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