After a few steps, Natsui saw several photos posted in a conspicuous position on the side wall.
He glanced at them and found that they were group photos of Ryuji and Misty's three sisters: Daisy, Violet, and Lily.
In the photo, Ryuji was wearing a synchronized swimming costume, and along with the similarly dressed three sisters, was standing by a swimming pool, soaking wet, clearly having just finished a performance.
Perhaps because they got along very well, each of them had a faint smile on their faces.
And from their age in the photo, their appearance was almost the same as now, so it must have happened recently.
"You know Daisy and the others too?"
"Of course," Ryuji said, also turning his head to look at the photo with a nostalgic expression. "I admire Ms. Daisy, Ms. Violet, and Ms. Lily very much. In fact, it was because of their influence that I decided to become a synchronized swimmer. And this photo was taken when I went to Cerulean City to practice with them after I became a swimmer."
At this point, Ryuji suddenly realized something. "Huh? Speaking of which, you just said 'too.' Do you also know the three sisters of the Cerulean Gym?"
Glancing at Sabrina, Natsui said vaguely, "Mhm, you could say we're acquainted. The first gym I challenged when I became a trainer was their Cerulean Gym."
For both of them to know the sisters was truly a wonderful coincidence.
But in fact, Natsui's relationship with the three sisters was more than that; it wasn't just a simple nodding acquaintance.
Of course, to avoid making Sabrina unhappy, he didn't dare to mention that he had once participated in the Cerulean Gym's synchronized swimming performance, helped them complete their show, and had even kissed Violet at the curtain call.
In fact, he also had a few group photos with them on his phone. Those were taken at their initiative to thank him for his help. And compared to Ryuji's photos, the content of his photos was undoubtedly more explosive and… enviable.
"The first gym you challenged was the Cerulean Gym? So that means you're from Kanto?"
"Not really," Natsui shook his head. "It just happened to be that the first region I traveled to was Kanto."
"I see. No wonder you don't have a Kanto accent when you speak."
As they spoke, the group continued to walk forward, passing through a long corridor and a large hall, and arrived in front of a wall made of huge glass.
And the scenery of the seabed was clearly displayed before their eyes through the transparent glass.
One could see the sunlight passing through the seawater, casting a faint light on the seabed. And many wild Water-type Pokémon were freely swimming among the corals and seaweed.
Sigh, no matter how many times he saw it, the underwater world was as mysterious and serene as ever, truly fascinating.
Ryuji walked up to the glass, pointed to the seabed, and said to Natsui, "Alright, we're here. This is the battlefield of the Cerulean Gym!"
This is the battlefield?
Natsui followed the direction of his finger and saw that a patch of the seabed outside the gym had been cleaned up, and a rectangular field frame had been drawn with white lines.
He said in surprise, "So, the battle format of the Cerulean Gym, as its name suggests, is to battle in the water?"
"That's right!" Ryuji first smiled, clearly pleased with Natsui's reaction, then explained, "Actually, not just the Pokémon. During the battle, the trainers also have to enter the sea."
Oh? A battle in the sea is really quite rare.
This was the first time Natsui had seen an underwater battlefield. Needless to say, besides those Pokémon that could breathe and move freely in the sea, other types of Pokémon would definitely not be able to participate in this battle.
Just then, Ryuji took out two underwater breathers from the side and handed one to Natsui.
"This small breather, as long as you hold it in your mouth, you can breathe underwater for over twenty minutes, which is enough for a battle. By the way, do you know how to dive?"
"Mhm… I once encountered a shipwreck and have some experience with diving. Although I'm not an expert, at least I won't lose my head in the sea."
Taking the breather, Natsui asked again, "What are the rules for this match?"
"The rules are simple. It's a conventional three-on-three battle. As long as you defeat all the Pokémon, you win."
Natsui pondered for a moment. The rules were fine, but he was a bit troubled by the choice of Pokémon to participate.
Blastoise was far away at Sakuragi Park, and there was no transfer machine here to get it. Therefore, the only Water-type Pokémon he currently had was Gyarados.
But if he were to battle with Gyarados, not only would the strength be extremely mismatched, but Natsui was also afraid that it would incidentally demolish this gym.
Fortunately, he still had another Pokémon that could fight underwater.
Since he hadn't brought swimming trunks, Ryuji also gave Natsui a new set for free. After changing in the locker room, Natsui and Ryuji went up the stairs, put the breathers in their mouths, and jumped into the sea from an entrance.
SPLASH!
The moment Natsui entered the sea, the stimulation of the seawater gave him goosebumps. But because the sun was strong, the water wasn't cold. After a dozen or so seconds, he had already slowly adapted to the temperature and pressure of the water.
After moving his arms and legs a bit, Natsui swam to the trainer's box on one side. When he looked back, he saw that Ryuji was already ready. And the three Pokémon he had just performed with—Qwilfish, Mantine, and Lanturn—had also appeared by his side at some point.
It seemed that these three Pokémon were both his ballet partners and his battle Pokémon.
Seeing that Natsui was ready, Ryuji waved his hand, and the Qwilfish was the first to swim towards the battlefield.
Qwilfish is a Water/Poison-type Pokémon. Its belly and back were of different colors, and its appearance was like that of a constantly puffed-up pufferfish, with a dozen or so sharp spines all over its body.
It was said that because of its round body, Qwilfish was not very good at swimming. To fire the poisonous needles all over its body, it would inflate itself by swallowing water. And the larger the opponent, the more water it would drink, causing its body to continuously expand.
Natsui took out a Poké Ball, and with a flash of blue light, Dragonair appeared before Qwilfish.
In terms of typing, a Dragon-type Dragonair against a Water-type Pokémon, although it didn't have a double super-effective advantage, Water-type moves would have their damage halved when hitting a Dragon-type Pokémon.
And this directly nullified most of Qwilfish's fighting ability.
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