Caster had expected human performers, so he was caught off guard when the geisha who entered turned out to be Pokémon in traditional dress.
It wasn't that he had anything against Pokémon performers. He just hadn't expected Hitmonlee and Elekid.
Caster stared at the pair for a moment, then raised an eyebrow.
"Okay. That's not what I was expecting."
He leaned back in his seat. "Fine. Let's see what you can do."
In the open space in front of the dining table, the two geisha, Hitmonlee and Elekid, shuffled forward in tiny, remarkably humanlike steps before bowing deeply. Their etiquette was impeccable.
Judging by their movements alone, they looked exactly like proper geisha.
Then they sat cross-legged and began playing their shamisen.
Twang, plink, strum!
The shamisen rang out with a light, flowing melody that was surprisingly pleasant to the ear.
"Huh. They're actually pretty good!"
Caster's expression relaxed. He had to admit, the music was starting to win him over.
And it wasn't just him. All of his Pokémon had closed their eyes and were listening intently.
By the time the piece ended, Caster still wanted more.
So he turned to the housekeeper beside him and asked, "Music without dancing? Surely you have geisha who can dance too?"
"We do, we do! If that's what you'd like, I can arrange it right away."
"Then arrange it!"
The housekeeper nodded, rose, and left the room.
Before long, Hitmonchan walked in, also dressed as a geisha and wearing a short skirt.
Twang, plink, strum!
The graceful music began again, and the Hitmonchan geisha rose to dance. Its short skirt swayed from side to side as it moved with surprising elegance and grace.
"Bravo!"
When the piece ended, Caster applauded enthusiastically, then said, still unsatisfied, "Got any more songs? We haven't seen enough yet!"
---
"Hello. Your Gyarados has made a full recovery."
At the Pokémon Center on Cinnabar Island, Nurse Joy slid Gyarados's Poké Ball across the counter with a sweet smile.
"Thank you, Nurse Joy!"
Caster thanked her sincerely, took the Poké Ball, and left the Pokémon Center.
For three straight days, aside from taking Gyarados to the Pokémon Center, Caster had spent nearly all his time at the villa.
During those three days, he had completely switched off and relaxed. All the exhaustion that had built up over the past several weeks had vanished.
Now fully refreshed, Caster looked toward the building in the distance with the enormous clock mounted on it and thought, Next up, it's finally time to challenge the Cinnabar Gym!
"CASTER!!!"
Just then, an excited shout suddenly came from nearby.
Caster turned his head and immediately spotted the familiar trio. Ash stood in the middle, with Misty and Brock flanking him like a pair of personal guardians.
"Ash! Misty! Brock!"
Caster froze for a moment, then hurried over to greet them. "I didn't expect to run into you guys on Cinnabar Island."
"Did you just arrive? Have you found somewhere to stay yet?"
Caster remembered how, in the anime, Ash and the others had nearly ended up sleeping on the street, only to run into Gary and be humiliated while Pikachu was made to spin around. He immediately invited them to stay with him.
The villa he had rented had plenty of spare rooms. There was more than enough space for the three of them.
After saying that, Caster craned his neck and peered behind the group a few times, checking to see whether a certain pink singer was following them.
After all, he had no desire to wake up with his face covered in scribbles.
"Pika, pika!"
The two Pikachu noticed each other as well. They immediately hopped down and greeted one another by tapping their tails together. Tiny arcs of electricity flickered between them with a constant crackle.
"We got here two days ago!"
At that, Ash puffed out his chest proudly. "And I already got the Cinnabar Gym Badge! If you don't know where the Cinnabar Gym is, I can show you."
Caster smiled and pointed toward the building in the distance. "Isn't the Cinnabar Gym right underneath that big clock building?"
"You knew?!"
Ash stared at him in astonishment.
If they hadn't stumbled across it by pure chance, they probably wouldn't have found the Cinnabar Gym either. Yet Caster apparently knew exactly where it was.
"Oh, right. Caster, how many Badges do you have now? Still five?"
Ash asked casually. When Caster nodded, Ash immediately opened his jacket as though it were no big deal, revealing the seven gleaming Badges inside.
"Haha! You're falling a little behind!"
Ash grinned. "Look at me. I already have seven Badges. I only need one more before I can enter the Indigo League."
As he spoke, Ash even patted Caster on the shoulder encouragingly.
"Caster, you'd better pick up the pace!"
Ash was a simple creature. His thoughts were about as straightforward as they came.
He had more Badges than Caster, so obviously that meant he was stronger!
There was no question about it!
"Honestly, Ash..."
Brock and Misty both covered their faces, unable to watch any longer.
Caster might have fewer Badges, but there was absolutely no doubt that he was extremely strong. Anyone who had seen the videos of his Pokémon battles could tell that much.
Clearing the Trainer Tower was far more difficult than an ordinary Gym challenge.
Even Trainers who had placed highly in regional League Conferences might not be able to clear it.
"Sure. I'll try to speed things up so you don't get too far ahead of me."
Caster smiled. Ash really was adorably clueless sometimes.
Hearing that only made Ash even more pleased with himself. Suddenly, Caster seemed a lot more likable, unlike that annoying Gary, who was always one step ahead of him and never missed a chance to rub it in.
"Wait a second! Gary lost to Caster twice before, which means Caster is stronger than Gary."
A thought suddenly popped into Ash's head, and he excitedly continued, "Then if I beat Caster, wouldn't that mean I'm stronger than him, and since he's stronger than Gary, I'm stronger than Gary too?"
The moment he imagined finally surpassing Gary, Ash's eyes lit up.
He had just defeated Blaine's Magmar yesterday, and even Charizard had been relatively cooperative. Ash was riding high on his confidence.
So he immediately issued a challenge.
"Caster, how about a Pokémon battle? My Charizard is really strong!"
"Does your Charizard actually listen to you now?"
Caster asked with a smile.
Ash's face instantly flushed red.
During the battle with Magmar, Charizard had refused to obey him at first. The second time, only Team Rocket's interference had gotten Charizard fired up enough to cooperate.
But right now, even Ash couldn't guarantee that Charizard would listen to him.
"Quit nagging!"
Ash snapped, glaring at him. "Are you going to accept the challenge or not?"
"Ash!"
Misty finally couldn't take it anymore. She stepped forward, grabbed Ash by the ear, and yanked him backward.
Caster simply smiled at the sight.
Charizard's battle record was certainly impressive.
It defeated Blaine's Magmar at the Cinnabar Gym, defeated Drake's Dragonite in the Orange Islands, defeated Gary's Blastoise at the Silver Conference, and defeated Noland's Articuno at the Battle Factory...
But there was one moment that remained a sore spot for almost every Pokémon fan. During Ash's battle against Ritchie's Pikachu at the Indigo League, Charizard lost the will to fight, bringing Ash's League run to an abrupt end.
Caster still remembered seeing that scene for the first time. He had been so angry that he barely slept that entire night.
So if he had the chance now, he really wanted to prevent that tragedy from happening.
"Sure. Let's have a Pokémon battle!"
With that thought, Caster broke into a grin and readily agreed.
"Actually, I've been wanting to see just how strong your Charizard really is."