"Conquer Cerulean Gym?"
Gu Qiu frowned slightly.
Conquering Cerulean Gym wasn't easy — especially with Misty absent.
He didn't know why the system had issued such a mission.
"Very well. I'll challenge the Cerulean Sisters."
"Please follow us. The Cerulean Sisters are about to begin their Water Ballet performance. If you're lucky, you'll catch it just in time."
"Water Ballet?"
Gu Qiu nodded.
Cerulean's Water Ballet was famous throughout Kanto — the Gym's signature spectacle.
Originally, the Cerulean Sisters had been the official Gym Leaders. But because they were obsessed with perfecting aquatic ballet, they passed the position to Misty.
Fortunately, Misty had proven worthy of the title, securing her seat firmly with her terrifying Mega Gyarados.
Gu Qiu stepped into Cerulean Gym.
The interior resembled a grand aquatic theater. Spectator stands surrounded the massive central pool — and nearly every seat was filled.
Many even stood along the sides just to watch.
His timing was perfect.
The Water Ballet was about to begin.
"Today marks another annual Water Festival! The Cerulean Sisters will now present their newly choreographed aquatic ballet!"
"Please welcome them with thunderous applause!"
The cheers exploded like a tidal wave.
Even Gu Qiu felt momentarily stunned.
"That's… a lot of fans."
He had never seen such an overwhelming scene.
"Brother, you're here for the Water Ballet too, right?"
A plump man squeezed beside him, grinning with a slightly lecherous expression.
Gu Qiu blinked, then nodded.
"Haha! You've got taste! Let me tell you — Cerulean's Water Ballet is one of Kanto's Nine Wonders!"
The lights suddenly dimmed.
A single spotlight illuminated the diving platform.
Three elegant figures stood atop it.
Music began.
Then—
They leapt.
From over thirty meters high.
Like three mermaids descending from the heavens.
In the real world, a ten-story plunge like that would be unthinkable.
But this was the Pokémon world.
Graceful arcs through the air.
Fluid movements upon contact with water.
Music that felt like it washed the soul clean.
The combination created a visual masterpiece.
The audience was entranced.
Gu Qiu noticed the fat man beside him had literally slid onto the floor in awe.
It truly was beautiful.
Even he felt something akin to spiritual elevation.
When the performance ended, Gu Qiu applauded sincerely.
This time, prepared for the roaring response, he wasn't startled.
"Did you see that? Too… too beautiful! I can die satisfied now!"
The plump man crawled back over, face flushed with bliss.
"You can die satisfied all you want. But why are you rubbing against me?"
Gu Qiu pushed him away in disgust.
For a brief second, the fat man's eyes flashed.
Because when Gu Qiu shoved him, he felt a force he couldn't resist.
The man was a trained martial artist.
He specialized in hand-to-hand combat and rarely met anyone physically stronger.
Yet Gu Qiu's casual push had been overwhelming.
He had sensed earlier that Gu Qiu wasn't ordinary.
Now he was certain.
"Haha… nothing, nothing."
"Fatty here was just too immersed."
He laughed it off smoothly.
"Now that the Water Ballet has concluded, originally Leader Misty would select one lucky audience member for a battle."
"However, due to urgent matters, the Cerulean Sisters will instead jointly invite lucky spectators for a match."
"Three lucky audience members will be randomly selected."
"Additionally, trainers with Pokémon below Level 30 will automatically forfeit eligibility."
"Pick me!"
"Choose Fatty!"
The Gym plunged into darkness again.
Three beams of light began sweeping randomly across the audience.
The plump man's body trembled with excitement.
Shockingly nimble for his size, he began sprinting after the beams across the stands.
The lights stopped.
Coincidentally, one beam landed directly on Gu Qiu.
He touched his nose lightly.
His luck really wasn't bad.
"Haha! They picked Fatty!"
Across the arena, Gu Qiu saw the beam illuminating the plump man.
Under him — quite literally — was a thin, pale-faced young man he had pinned to the ground.
Gu Qiu's forehead twitched.
This guy…
"Seems there's been a small accident — the middle beam selected two people."
"My Pokémon is over Level 30! Come out, Machoke!"
A Level 37 Machoke appeared.
Gu Qiu's eyes flickered with surprise.
So the fatty wasn't simple after all.
"I… I don't have a Level 30 Pokémon. Could you please get off me? I'm about to… die…"
The thin man underneath struggled weakly.
He hadn't even had time to celebrate being chosen before being crushed.
"Haha! See? He's disqualified!"
The fatty showed zero embarrassment.
It was as if the concept didn't exist for him.
"And the other two lucky spectators?"
"I qualify."
They spoke almost simultaneously.
Gu Qiu glanced at the other selected trainer.
A black-haired girl.
Expression cold.
Like ice.
"Excellent. All three selected audience members meet the eligibility requirements."
"Please come to the stage. We will now explain the battle rules."
The three stepped forward.
"Haha, brother! Looks like fate wants us together again!"
Fatty reached out to slap Gu Qiu's shoulder familiarly.
Gu Qiu sidestepped smoothly.
He didn't like strangers touching him.
And something told him—
This "Fatty" was far from ordinary.
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