Walking past the billboard, the two arrived at the entrance of the stadium.
It was called a stadium, but it was actually just a square grandstand built on the sea that could accommodate four to five hundred people. In the center of the grandstand was a very deep swimming pool.
The entire grandstand, apart from the stone steps and a few large spotlights, was empty. However, from the height of the stadium and the location of the main entrance, there should also be an underwater structure.
A boy of about seventeen or eighteen, wearing a red and white T-shirt and a straw hat, was sitting behind a table, looking bored.
Seeing Natsui and Sabrina approach, he quickly changed his expression, shaking off his drowsiness and giving them a slight smile.
"From your clothes, you must be trainers, right? Are you here to watch the synchronized swimming performance? Or to challenge the gym?"
Natsui raised his eyebrows and looked him and the so-called 'gym' behind him over carefully. "We were just passing by and saw a building here, so we came to take a look out of curiosity. But… is this place also a Pokémon Gym?"
"Of course!" the boy nodded. "This is both a ballet stage and a battle gym. And I am the Gym Leader of this Cerulean Gym—Ryuji!"
Ryuji? Cerulean Gym?
Natsui and Sabrina exchanged a look, both seeing a hint of confusion in each other's eyes. It was clear that neither of them had ever heard of such a gym in the Johto region.
And seeing their expressions, Ryuji had already guessed what the two were thinking and quickly explained, "It's normal that you haven't heard of it. This is just my private gym."
Natsui let out a soft "oh."
The so-called private gym was just a nice-sounding name. In fact, just like the private gym set up by the beast tamer Akira that Natsui had encountered in the Kanto region, it was not known or recognized by the League at all.
Before Natsui could say anything else, Ryuji had already stood up and made a welcoming gesture.
"You've come at the right time! The ballet performance is about to start. Please take your seats."
With that, without waiting for Natsui to speak, he hurried into the building, leaving Natsui and Sabrina standing there, looking baffled.
He hadn't charged for tickets, so it seemed to be a free show.
But…
To leave in such a hurry, not even giving people a chance to refuse. It's as if he was afraid Natsui would turn and leave.
Could this really be some kind of scam?
Natsui scratched his head.
Maybe after the performance, this boy named Ryuji will immediately change his tune, and seven or eight strong men will jump out from the side, demanding tens of thousands for tickets.
Well, forget it…
He was idle anyway, so he might as well treat it as an after-dinner show. And with their strength, they weren't afraid of any danger, nor did they have to worry about this being some kind of trap.
If it really was, then his Pokémon would show them the beautiful side of this world.
Walking into the stadium, Natsui and Sabrina went up to the spectator stands and sat down on a stone step.
The cool breeze blew through Sabrina's beautiful hair, and a few strands brushed against Natsui's face, making it a bit itchy.
Before long, upbeat music suddenly blared from the stadium's speakers. At the same time, the calm swimming pool began to churn, and the next second, three Johto region Pokémon—a Qwilfish, a Mantine, and a Lanturn—first leaped out of the sea. Then, a pair of rather thick legs also emerged from the pool.
This was a very standard opening move.
But compared to the slender, fair, long legs of female dancers, these thick legs were clearly a bit out of place.
Sure enough, after a few leg movements were completed, the ballet dancer turned in the water, and as a head wearing swimming goggles emerged from the surface, it was Ryuji.
Natsui: …
So it's a man's water ballet show…
How to put it? Natsui had limited experience and hadn't seen many synchronized swimming performances. Although he knew there were male synchronized swimmers, he still preferred to watch girls perform this kind of event. After all, a beautiful face, a graceful figure, and elegant dance moves—all were pleasing to the eye.
But now, with a boy performing, he felt it was a bit strange.
At this moment, the performance was still going on. Ryuji's graceful dance, from time to time weaving in and out of the water, frequently interacted with his three Pokémon.
It had to be said that his performance was very lively, and he was very dedicated. His coordination with his Pokémon was also excellent. It was clear that it had been carefully choreographed and had taken a lot of effort.
Both Ryuji and his Pokémon were working very hard, and this attitude was worthy of recognition.
Even so, Natsui still preferred the synchronized swimming of the three Cerulean sisters.
If he were to encounter any more male ballet performances in the future, Natsui would definitely stay far away and would never watch again.
It wasn't out of disrespect for male synchronized swimmers, but purely because he couldn't appreciate a man twisting and turning in the water.
A dozen or so minutes later, when the performance ended, Ryuji and his three Pokémon floated on the water's surface and bowed to Natsui and Sabrina. Natsui also clapped lightly in response.
Ryuji and his Pokémon spoke in the water, then submerged again. A moment later, he also appeared in the spectator stands, drying his wet hair with a towel as he walked up to Natsui.
He asked with some expectation, "How was the performance just now?"
"It was wonderful. I can tell you put a lot of effort into it."
Hearing the audience's approval, a genuine smile appeared on Ryuji's face. From this, one could also see that he really loved synchronized swimming.
Natsui looked around again and asked in surprise, "Is it just you in such a big venue? Don't you have other people to help you with these things?"
"I don't need them," Ryuji laughed. "Me and my Pokémon are enough."
"I feel like you could totally move to the city to perform. There are more audiences there, and you would definitely be very popular."
"I don't have any plans for that at the moment," Ryuji shook his head. "It's better to accumulate some stage experience here first before performing in a big city. By the way, since the performance is over, do you want to challenge my gym next?"
Natsui naturally had no reason to refuse. "Sure. Since it's a gym, I can't just miss it."
Following Ryuji, Natsui and Sabrina entered the stadium's main entrance, went down the stairs, and arrived at the underwater part of the stadium.
Compared to the simple upper level, the ground here was covered with a soft red carpet, the ceiling was brightly lit, and there were many green plants in the corners. The place was magnificently decorated. And through the huge glass, you could also see the world under the sea, just like an aquarium.
And from this, it could be seen that Ryuji's family must be very rich. After all, a facility like this, which didn't even charge for tickets, was not something a young boy could afford on his own.
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