Chapter 12: Cerulean City (2)

As the public assessment of Cerulean Gym officially began, a large number of League staff were deployed to maintain order. Because Sandstorm Elite Klein had chosen to conduct the evaluation publicly, the League had posted its three core requirements for all to see.

Cerulean Gym has four permanent Gym Leaders, which is an abnormality. The Gym must submit an official designation of a single Gym Leader to the League within six months.

The Gym's extremely high pass rate raises concerns about the actual skill level of trainers receiving badges. Therefore, all Pokémon registered under Cerulean Gym will be transferred to Indigo Plateau's Pokémon Center for thorough evaluation of their strength and potential.

The battle command and judgment skills of Cerulean Gym's trainers must be re-evaluated. To that end, today's official Gym Leader assessment battle will be conducted by Sandstorm Elite Klein himself.

The moment these rules were made public, the internet erupted in controversy.

Local Cerulean trainers were furious. Only one person could be the official Gym Leader? Did that mean the Cerulean Sisters would become history?

Despite the outcry, Cerulean Gym's official response was vague—they simply announced that Misty would be representing them in the battle.

This inaction only fueled public sympathy for the Cerulean Sisters, and online attacks against Klein intensified.

However, while Cerulean locals were outraged, trainers from other regions were far more rational. Many even supported Klein's stance, arguing that Cerulean Gym had been receiving special treatment for far too long.

After all, the Kanto Regional Championship required eight Gym Badges to qualify. Yet, because so many Gyms were poorly regulated, many trainers could qualify for major tournaments with minimal real experience.

This lowered the overall competitive level of Kanto trainers—and that was the real issue.

In the Gym's resting area, Misty carefully organized her Poké Balls, preparing for the upcoming battle. The Indigo Plateau was only a few hours away by airship, meaning Klein could arrive at any moment.

"Man, I'm so excited to see this Sandstorm Elite guy!"

Ash's carefree comment was met with an icy glare from Misty. Meanwhile, her three older sisters were relaxing, casually snacking as if nothing was wrong.

"The League official has arrived, Misty. Please prepare yourself. Here's the list of Pokémon he'll be using: first, Sandslash; second—"

Before the official could finish, Misty raised her hand.

"I don't want to know. I'll fight at full strength, no matter what he sends out."

Hearing her response, some of the Cerulean City officials exchanged worried glances.

The Cerulean Sisters were notoriously weak in battle. But could they really pass an Elite-level assessment just by sending in this young girl?

Rumor had it that Klein was exceptionally harsh on female trainers…

"Ahh! Klein's here! Let's go see him!"

The Cerulean Sisters suddenly turned into giddy fangirls, rushing toward the arena entrance.

Misty's face twitched.

Did her own sisters not understand what was happening? Did they not realize that this was a life-or-death moment for the Gym?!

"Are we really just leaving this all to Misty?"

As they walked to the spectator stands, Lily asked softly.

Violet, however, just smiled. "It's fine. I believe Misty can become an amazing Gym Leader in our place."

On the main stage, Klein made his entrance. He wore a light blue coat and a red scarf, standing out against the chilly winter air. Despite the cold, he looked full of energy.

Since arriving in Cerulean City, the local officials had been begging him to go easy on the Gym. Though strict, Klein understood the situation and agreed to provide some advance information—including the list of Pokémon he would be using.

Moments later, Misty stepped onto the battlefield in her formal battle attire.

The crowd murmured.

"Wait, that's her? I thought the fourth sister would be an older, elegant type!"

"She looks so young! Can she really handle this?"

Ignoring the whispers, Misty locked eyes with Klein, her expression ice-cold as she spun her Poké Ball in her fingers.

"Go! Starmie!"

With a burst of light, Starmie landed gracefully on the water battlefield.

Klein responded just as swiftly.

"I'll be using Sandslash."

Misty scoffed.

Of course, he picks a Ground-type.

Did Klein really think being an Elite made him strong enough to ignore type disadvantages?

Cerulean Gym's battlefield was mostly water, with only a few floating platforms for non-water Pokémon to stand on. In terms of arena control, Klein was at a massive disadvantage.

The moment the Poké Ball's glow faded, Misty immediately called out her attack.

"Starmie, use Bubble Beam!"

"Sandslash, Ice Ball."

A rapid stream of bubbles shot toward Sandslash's position. However, Sandslash quickly retreated, forming a small sphere of ice in its claws before hurling it into the water.

As the Ice Ball splashed into the pool, it released a chilling aura, creating an instant ice barrier that completely blocked Bubble Beam's attack.

What?!

Sandslash can use Ice Ball?

The live-stream chat exploded with speculation. Some fans even called Professor Oak, demanding an explanation.

Brock's eyes narrowed.

"Wait… something's wrong with that Sandslash's color."

Unlike a normal Sandslash, this one had a faint blue frost covering its entire body—as if it had been frozen solid.

The unusual appearance immediately caught the attention of the crowd.

Klein, noticing the growing confusion, decided to clarify.

"This is an Alolan Sandslash—an Ice/Steel-type."

"That sneaky bastard!"

The Cerulean officials gritted their teeth.

He had told them he would be using Sandslash—but never mentioned it was the Alolan variant!

Misty was momentarily distracted, and in that split second, the Ice Ball from earlier resurfaced, surging toward Starmie.

Seeing the incoming threat, Misty ordered, "Use Water Gun to push back!"

Starmie fired a jet of water, but the moment it made contact with the Ice Ball, something unexpected happened.

The water froze instantly.

Starmie's attack had completely backfired—instead of knocking the Ice Ball away, the water only amplified its chilling effect.

The Ice Ball collided with Starmie, sending it skidding backward.

Almost immediately, frost began spreading across the battlefield. The temperature dropped, and patches of ice started forming over the water surface.

With each successful Ice Ball, the attack's power doubled, quickly accelerating the freezing process.

Alolan Sandslash now had a solid ice platform to stand on—turning what was once a disadvantageous battlefield into a frozen wasteland under its control.

"Use Hyper Beam!"

Seeing the ice spreading, Misty made a desperate move, commanding Starmie to fire a powerful beam straight at Sandslash's position.

Klein smirked.

Just as Hyper Beam fired, the Ice Ball re-emerged, this time detonating in midair, sending a massive burst of icy mist across the battlefield.

The frozen energy spread rapidly, covering nearly the entire water arena in ice.

Within seconds, Misty's battlefield was gone.

Alolan Sandslash had taken over.

Then, with one final devastating Ice Ball, Starmie was hit directly—and with a flash of red light, it collapsed.

"Starmie is unable to battle!"