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"Yo~ Future Champion!"
Before Red could admire the beautiful legs and feet emerging from the water for too long, a man in overalls suddenly approached him and started speaking on his own initiative:
"This is the Cerulean Gym, located in Cerulean City. The Gym Leader, Misty, is a Water-type Pokémon expert."
"If you want to challenge the Gym and earn a badge, it's best to bring an Electric- or Grass-type Pokémon."
After saying that, the man in overalls turned back into a silent, robotic presence, resuming his post like nothing had happened.
"You're really a model employee of the Gym Leader," Red said sincerely, amused by how quickly the man had spilled all the information.
But after the interruption, his attention had shifted away from the long legs.
No choice—time was limited!
Otherwise, Red would've loved to just sit in the audience and enjoy a water ballet performance.
He loved appreciating art the most!
If he could just gather more electricity every day, he wouldn't have to worry so much…
'The desire to become stronger has never been this intense before!'
Red sighed internally but still stepped forward, walking onto the crystal platform leading to the Gym Leader's position.
All of a sudden—
The entire atmosphere of the Gym changed.
The graceful performance came to an abrupt stop, the dancers scattered, and the soothing music switched to an intense battle BGM.
"It's starting, Luffy!"
"Remember what I told you—don't give their Pokémon a chance to dive into deep water!"
Seeing a bikini-clad trainer swimming toward them, Red reminded Luffy once again.
A confident grin spread across Luffy's face. "Just leave it to me!"
As they spoke, the bikini-clad trainer arrived in front of them.
"Are you the one challenging Gym Leader Misty? Let me test your skills first!"
With a graceful spin, she suddenly released a Pokémon—a goldfish with a sharp horn.
It was none other than the Water-type Pokémon, Goldeen.
"A level 16 Goldeen, huh? Should give decent experience points."
Red grinned and immediately shouted, "Luffy, attack directly!"
Before he could even finish his command, a powerful punch had already flown forward, aiming straight for the goldfish floating in the water.
"Goldeen, dodge!"
The bikini trainer panicked, clearly not expecting Red and Luffy to attack so decisively without hesitation.
But…
Luffy's punches were that easy to dodge!?
Even powerful Marine Vice Admirals had to stand their ground and use Iron Body to withstand Luffy's attacks!
BOOM!
A massive splash erupted, sending water raining down across the battlefield.
"Goldeen!"
The bikini trainer gasped, her chest bouncing with the sudden shock.
But the moment two prompt messages appeared and the battle interface faded, her expression quickly reset to a neutral state.
[Monkey D. Luffy defeated the Beauty's Goldeen and gained: Experience Points +103.]
[Command execution rating: Average.]
[Bonus reward: Additional Experience +21.]
"It's almost like time just stops for a moment."
Looking at the bikini trainer now floating in the water, a not-so-moral thought flashed through Red's mind.
Unfortunately…
Back when he first entered this game world, he had already tested something similar on an NPC girl by the roadside…
Maybe the system was afraid of breaking the rules, but whether in normal conditions or during battles, neither Red nor Luffy could physically touch NPCs.
They could look all they wanted—but no touching.
But…
"At least the experience point rewards are generous!"
Shaking off any lingering bad thoughts, Red focused his attention on Luffy's experience gain.
At that moment, Luffy's experience bar displayed: [3553/6000].
Just 2,500 more experience points to level up!
"If a trainer can provide more than 120 experience points..."
Red glanced briefly at the bikini-clad trainers in the water, then regretfully realized there were only about 20 trainers in the gym.
"Looks like my best bet for leveling up is still the Gym Leader."
After a brief moment of thought, Red stepped forward toward the next bikini trainer.
"Hmph! I won't let you pass so easily!"
"Ah~! My Seal!"
"See how strong I am!"
"Ah~! Staryu~!"
"Hmph~ You've got some skill, huh!?"
"Hmm~ I lost..."
"..."
"..."
As Red and Luffy steamrolled their way through the trainers, the girls' gasping sounds echoed throughout the entire water gym.
In less than an hour, the once vibrant and lively atmosphere had transformed into something resembling a showroom for life-sized mannequins.
The curvy, defeated trainers stood frozen in place within the pool, leaving a clear path straight to Misty, the Gym Leader.
Seeing Luffy's experience points nearing the threshold for leveling up, excitement surged in Red's chest!
This was his first time witnessing an upgrade—he had no idea just how much stronger Luffy would become.
With a decisive wave of his hand, Red commanded, "Let's go, Luffy!"
Stepping forward, he finally came face-to-face with Gym Leader Misty.
She had short orange hair similar to Nami's and wore a sleek, pure-white swimsuit. But compared to the well-endowed trainers in the pool, her figure was noticeably... modest.
At that moment, Misty's eyes lit up with energy.
"You! Are you the challenger here to face me!?"
She quickly grabbed a Poké Ball from her waist, flashing a sweet smile, though her gaze burned with determination.
As soon as Misty sprang into action, the entire gym shifted.
The suspended crystal platforms above the pool began to move, gathering toward the center where Red and Misty stood.
In moments, a massive battle stage emerged, floating atop the water's surface.
When the colorful spotlights illuminated the scene, the gym transformed into a grand battle arena, worthy of a legendary showdown!
"Challenger! Now that you've made it this far, prepare to be crushed by my Water-type Pokémon!"
"Bring it on!"
"Let me, Misty—the most beautiful girl in the world—be your opponent!"
She struck a cute and playful pose, highlighting her petite frame and smooth, glistening skin.
Too bad for her—after getting used to watching the well-endowed trainers jiggle around, Red found her... underwhelming.
Right now, his only focus was Luffy's level-up!
"You built a land-based platform instead of using the advantage of underwater combat?!"
"I respect you!"
Red sneered at Misty's NPC logic, then confidently stepped onto the challenger's spot.
All at once—
The bright spotlights zeroed in on him, and cheers erupted from all around the gym.
The atmosphere reached its peak—this was the true essence of a Gym Challenge!
"Then, my first Pokémon will be you!"
Misty wasted no time and threw a red-and-white Poké Ball into the field, summoning a slightly dazed-looking duck with its head tilted.
As the battle interface activated, data filled the screen.
"A level 18 Psyduck?"
"You're sending out a Pokémon with no mobility? For someone so full of energy, you're surprisingly generous!"
Red muttered under his breath, then immediately gave the order:
"Luffy! Use a headbutt and finish this in one hit!"
"Got it!"
Luffy grinned and leaped onto the battlefield.
Following Red's instructions, the mysterious energy within his body surged, concentrating on his forehead.
"Rubber-Rubber... HEADBUTT!!!"
Whoosh!
With a powerful flick of his neck, Luffy's head shot forward like a cannonball, aiming straight for Psyduck's head.
But instead of panicking, Misty actually smirked.
"Heh, you actually dared to attack Psyduck's head!?"
"Don't you know? The more pain Psyduck feels, the stronger it becomes in battle!"
"Psyduck, use— ah!?"
Her confident smile vanished in an instant.
A bright yellow blur shot past Misty, slamming into the gym's far wall with a thunderous crash.
When the dust settled, the 'blur' turned out to be none other than Misty's prized Pokémon—Psyduck!!!