Chapter 236: Making a Debut
Although they had agreed to a battle, it didn't happen immediately.
Sunflower first led Lorelei and Will into her home and fed them breakfast.
At the breakfast table:
"Auntie, when do we get to battle?"
"Popo~" (Daisy chimed in)
"Don't be in such a hurry, Lorelei. Do you want a private battle, or a public one?" Sunflower grinned, asking mysteriously.
"Is there a difference?"
"Popo~"
"A private battle is just us. A public battle means I'll open the Art Museum, and we might have some customers from the museum watching."
"A public battle!" Lorelei decided instantly, slapping the table.
"Heh, alright."
Sunflower smiled, seeing right through Lorelei's ambition. Kids were all like this—hot-blooded and eager for success. She remembered being the same way, publicly challenging the head of the League's logistics department when she was young. Although there was no shame in losing to him, Sunflower couldn't help but find it amusing in hindsight.
But she had to admit, that public battle had made her famous in Kanto, earning her the title of "little genius."
Today, she planned to let little Lorelei have her moment, too.
She had heard from Lorelei's mother that Piplup and Lapras had been with her for two years. Sunflower figured that even if they'd been lazy, they should still be able to put on a good show. Of course, that didn't mean she would go easy on her.
"Popo~"
"...I'm serious, can you two control your kid?"
Will sat in a corner of the table, his will to live fading. Daisy, her lips covered in bread crumbs and milk, was planting one "kiss" after another on his forehead.
The agonizing breakfast finally ended.
Sunflower went to open the main doors of the Cerulean Art Museum.
Will had assumed no one would be there this early, but he was wrong. As soon as the doors opened, many parents came in leading their children.
Sunflower, meanwhile, had taken Lorelei somewhere, leaving Will, a tiny penguin, to babysit the pipsqueak, Daisy.
"She's got some nerve..." Will sighed.
She was really trusting a 30-centimeter-tall Piplup to watch a child.
Will stood in the backstage area, peeking his head out.
In just ten minutes, the audience seats were already half-full.
"No, wait. This must have been advertised in advance. There was probably a water ballet performance scheduled for this morning."
Will watched for a moment and realized his mistake.
Cerulean City was famous in Kanto, and its central location made it easy to get to from other cities. But that still didn't explain this many people showing up in a few minutes. There were at least a hundred people, and more were still coming in. They had clearly been waiting outside before the doors even opened.
I'll have to be serious in this battle, then.
Will smacked his beak. With this many people watching, Lorelei was bound to be nervous. If she lost badly, the little girl would probably be crying in secret later.
Just then, Sunflower returned with Lorelei.
Will turned his head and finally understood where they had been.
Both of them had changed into swimsuits.
Lorelei's was just a standard, plain elementary school swimsuit, nothing to see.
Sunflower, on the other hand...
She wore a black bikini that perfectly accentuated her already full and graceful figure, making her look even more alluring. As expected of a professional underwater ballet performer. Her looks and figure were both top-notch; even after having a child, she was still a world-class beauty.
"What's with the swimsuits?"
"Piplup! Auntie said we're going to battle underwater! Even the trainer's platform will be submerged from the waist down!"
Lorelei ran over excitedly, scooped Will up, and said, "This is my first time battling like this!"
"You're not the only one. It's my first time seeing it, too," Will thought, shaking his head.
He had assumed only the Pokémon would be in the water. He didn't think the trainers would have to be half-submerged, too. If humans could speak underwater, they'd probably have to be fully submerged.
"Alright, little ones, it's time to go on. The audience will definitely be happy to see a battle before the performance."
Sunflower patted Lorelei's shoulder and led her out to the battle stage.
The moment they stepped out from backstage, the crowd erupted.
Say what you will, Sunflower was incredibly popular in Cerulean City.
By now, almost no one else was coming in.
Sunflower briefly announced the public battle. The museum audience was very supportive, giving them a warm round of applause.
"Huu..."
Lorelei was already so excited her breathing was uneven, her chest visibly rising and falling. It was her first time battling in front of so many people. Especially with so many younger kids watching. If she won, she would surely gain a lot of admirers.
"The battle will be a 3v3. You can switch Pokémon mid-battle. Any problems?"
"No problem! Bring it on!" Lorelei pumped her fist, replying excitedly.
The center of the art museum was a massive, protruding pool. Or perhaps, "giant fish tank" was a better description, as the pool was surrounded by transparent glass walls so the audience could see what was happening inside.
On either side of the pool, a glass cylinder extended down into the water.
These were the trainers' command platforms.
Once Lorelei and Sunflower were inside, the two cylinders began to fill with water. The water stopped rising once it reached their waists.
Then, Lorelei's gaze fell on Will. It looked like she was planning to send him out first.
'Don't send me in first. Send Shellder,' Will quickly said, telepathically, to stop her.
Going in first was the most unpredictable. He didn't know the strength of Sunflower's three Pokémon, so he didn't know if he should "play-act" or go all-out.
Let Shellder scout the situation. He would go in last. If he was lucky, Lapras might just sweep all three, and he could take a break.
"Okay! I choose you, Shellder!"
"Mii!"
Shellder appeared and fell into the water.
If it were a normal scallop, it might have just sunk to the bottom. But Shellder was a Pokémon; it was smarter than that. It knew it had to evolve or die. Its movement speed was very slow, but not zero. On land, it could only hop, which was almost useless. But in the water, it was different. Shellder had two small holes on its shell to jet water, propelling itself forward. It was slow, but it was better than nothing.
"Shellder, hmm? A very good Pokémon," Sunflower said. "How about this, Lorelei: if you can win, how about Auntie adds a Water Stone as a prize?"
"A Water Stone?!"
Lorelei's eyes instantly lit up. A Water Stone wasn't incredibly rare, but it was hard for a kid like her to buy one. And... Shellder needed a Water Stone to evolve into Cloyster. Only by evolving into Cloyster could Shellder stop being the "invisible" one on the team and have its own moment to shine.
"Ah... looks like I have to take this seriously."
Will raised an eyebrow and started doing warm-up stretches.
"Dad, look at that Piplup."
"Hahaha, what a cute little guy. But can it handle Sunflower?"
"Sunflower is really strong. That Piplup is so tiny, it probably just came from a lab. That little girl is in for a rough time."
"Remember to clap when it's over. The kid will need the encouragement."
The people in the audience started chattering when they saw Will. If Will had been listening closely, his Aura sense could have easily picked up their conversations. But he was focused on the battlefield.
On the field, Sunflower sent out her Pokémon: a Staryu. It was one of Misty's signature Pokémon, too. Will wondered why Sunflower hadn't used a Water Stone to evolve her own Staryu. It should be easy for her to get one.
'Shellder is only Lv. 28, and its move pool is shallow. Sunflower's Staryu is already around Lv. 35...'
Will frowned, analyzing the situation. To raise a Pokémon to level 30+ in just six months... and it looked like it had a deep move pool. Most importantly... Sunflower was training three Pokémon at the same time, not just one.
As expected of a League Battle Department instructor. Her talent and the resources she got from the League were beyond what a normal trainer could hope for.
In that same amount of time, if Lorelei had trained only Shellder, she might have just gotten it to Lv. 35, and that's without spending much time learning new moves.
'Sunflower's other two Pokémon probably aren't any weaker than this Staryu, but they're probably not over Lv. 40,' Will thought, focusing.
It wasn't just the level gap; the gap in the trainers' experience was huge. Shellder was probably going to be a sacrificial pawn.
But even so, Will wasn't going to provide "ringside assistance," like using his Aura to give commands. If he did that, Lorelei would never improve.
Shellder was defeated quickly.
But Lorelei wasn't discouraged. She just grimly pulled out Lapras's Poké Ball.
That kid is a blockhead sometimes, but that personality also means she doesn't get depressed or give up easily. She's just like Ash in that regard.
"Although Lorelei has no experience, Lapras is Lv. 46. With her stats... she should be able to take out the next two, no problem."
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