Chapter Sixteen: Is This the Will of the Rock...?

Morning.

The four of them woke up in the Pippi’s little shop, as if nothing had happened.

The meteorite on the sacrificial altar had already been cleared away.

Xiaolan yawned and stretched, instinctively rubbing her shoulder.

“Hmm, why does my shoulder feel a bit sore…”

“Haha, that’s just your weak constitution. Me? I was the champion of the night watch yesterday!” Xiao Zhi, full of energy early in the morning, raised his arms triumphantly. He was a man who never wilted.

In the end, Xiaolan didn’t notice that a cute little Pippi had somehow ended up in her Poké Ball.

Once she snapped out of her drowsy state, she began to curse at Xiaomao along with Xiao Zhi.

She really had no Pippi.

She was utterly obsessed.

...

Having packed everything, the four set off again. This time, they quickly crossed Moon Viewing Mountain and arrived at a fork on an outer road.

There stood a signpost, one arrow pointing toward Cerulean City, the other back to Moon Viewing Mountain where they had come from.

Beneath the signpost was a line of small writing. In her trance-like state, Xiaolan subconsciously leaned in to read.

“To Big Handsome Xiaomao:”

“Pig, is, the, thought, come, over, reverse!”

What did it mean?

She read it out loud, word by word: “Read backwards it’s... wu...!”

Suddenly, Xiaolan’s sharp eyes caught the very first character, and she quickly covered her mouth, secretly thinking this guy was definitely no good.

She was smart enough not to fall for such a childish trap!

Heh!

Xiaolan smiled smugly, thinking Xiaomao was an idiot.

At that moment, she noticed another line of small text beneath the first.

“Surely no fool would stop halfway reading backwards, right? Don’t tell me you still think you’re clever. Don’t make me laugh, teehee.”

Xiaolan: “!!!”

Utter humiliation!

A shame that lasted from start to finish!

A faint dark mist rose from the ground and wrapped around her.

Suddenly, Xiaolan turned and tapped Xiao Zhi’s shoulder, her fair and delicate face twisted.

Her large eyes trembled as she bit her lower lip hard, trying not to let tears fall.

“Buddy, I have to go ahead…” she said, each word deliberate.

Xiao Zhi, puzzled, asked, “Hey, buddy, aren’t you coming with us?”

“No, there’s a flea dancing on a grave, and I’m going to put it back…”

She then patted the Bulbasaur beside her.

“Get your vines ready, Xiao Suan!”

“Seed, seed!” Bulbasaur responded.

One Pokémon sprinted a kilometer toward Cerulean City, quickly disappearing from the others’ sight.

The three of them: “...”

What a lively girl...

Not at all like Xiaolan with her deep-seated grudges.

Actually, aside from wanting to pin Xiaomao down and give him a serious beating, Xiao Zhi bore no real ill will.

So the three leisurely made their way to Cerulean City.

Heard it was also Misty’s hometown; Xiao Zhi wanted to take the opportunity to scout out the Cerulean Gym’s strengths and weaknesses.

Know thyself, know thy enemy, invincible in battle.

But when he turned, behind him was only a squinty-eyed tough guy—no one else.

“Hey, where’s Misty?” Xiao Zhi rubbed his head in confusion.

Brock patted his shoulder, urging, “Probably visiting relatives. Let’s not bother her. Let’s go, hurry up and challenge the gym.”

“Truly a man of Rock Will—understands perfectly,” Xiao Zhi said with enthusiasm as they ran off in a direction.

...

After some aimless running, they arrived at a place that looked like an aquarium.

Above the door hung a large icon of a white sea lion holding a water balloon, with colorful ribbons decorating the entrance.

“So this is Cerulean Gym? Why is it so flashy?” Xiao Zhi wondered.

In his mind, a gym should be as tough and straightforward as the Pewter Gym.

“Let’s go, let’s go!” Brock licked his lips and pushed Xiao Zhi inside without hesitation.

Opening the door revealed a long corridor lined with huge aquariums on both sides, housing strange and rare water-type Pokémon.

“Beep beep. Feebas, an ugly Pokémon, commonly found, no value, recommended for release.”

“Beep beep. Magikarp, a ferocious Pokémon, bad temper, covered in scales, not tasty.”

Xiao Zhi shook his Pokédex.

Oh no, it really was broken.

One was the weakest Pokémon, and the other didn’t look pretty either—what nonsense!

...

Without hesitation, they pushed open the big door ahead and stepped inside.

Surprisingly, beyond the door was an arena-like area filled with tightly packed spectators, mostly men.

Their gaze all converged on the center stage.

There was a large pool where three women performed water ballet, clad only in sheer cloth. Their graceful movements and occasional splashes provoked cheers from the crowd.

“Ooh ooh~~!!” Brock shouted along with the audience.

His eyes were wider than ever, like dumbbells.

“What’s so interesting about this?” Xiao Zhi looked utterly baffled.

Muscle-wise, those three women were skinny; a punch would probably make them whimper.

Strength-wise, their swimming was slow. If he swam up, the three combined wouldn’t be faster than him.

“You don’t have Rock Will; you wouldn’t understand,” Brock patted his shoulder earnestly.

“Rock Will is resilience. Only when you see the world as a rock can you uncover its mysteries.”

Xiao Zhi nodded in newfound understanding.

“So this is Rock Will…”

He glanced at the cheering crowd and drew a sharp breath.

“Cerulean City is really a formidable place, everyone has Rock Will…”

The two found a seat, and Xiao Zhi tried to learn the powerful Rock Will from Brock while watching.

...

Afterwards.

Bland and uneventful.

The audience noisily left Cerulean Gym.

Xiao Zhi and Brock slipped backstage just as the three ladies finished their performance, still in swimsuits with wet hair, walking toward them.

“Today’s show was a huge success~” they celebrated as they moved.

Noticing two unexpected visitors, they asked, “Oh, are you here for autographs? Sorry, you’ll have to find our manager first.”

Xiao Zhi quickly straightened up and said, “No, I’m Xiao Zhi, here to challenge the gym.”

Brock, suddenly pulling out a bouquet of flowers from somewhere, flashed a dazzling smile and said, “My name is Brock, and I possess…”

Before he could finish, a golden-haired woman interrupted.

“Oh, so you’re here to challenge the gym! Let me introduce myself—I’m Sakura, the eldest of the Cerulean Sisters.”

“A man of Rock Will…” the second woman with blue hair spoke up.

“I’m Iris, the second of the Cerulean Sisters.”

“I can invite you to dinner…” the third woman with pink hair interrupted again.

“I’m Peony, the youngest sister. Since you want to challenge the gym, come with us.”

She then turned curiously to Brock.

“Is this dark-skinned guy next to you looking for a restaurant? Turn right out the door, 300 meters away is the Cerulean Gym’s themed restaurant~”

Brock: “...”

All right, never mind.

Sorry to bother you...

------

(To all those Rock Will pigeons, PIAO.)