Natsui and the other two waited in the lounge for more than an hour.
During this time, Tucker and the staff members did not appear. It felt as if they were forgotten. Misty was starting to lose her patience. Finally, the lounge door opened. The staff member who helped them register earlier walked to Natsui. He held a golden, shining symbol and looked very sorry.
"I am sorry, Mr. Natsui. I kept you waiting for a long time. This is the Tactics Symbol of our Battle Dome. I am handing it over to you now."
Natsui was not surprised that a staff member brought the symbol instead of Tucker.
If Natsui had been beaten that badly, he would not want to show his face either. Also, Tucker had a big public relations problem to fix.
Natsui said nothing and took the symbol. But Misty wanted to mock Tucker. She said,
"We have been traveling for so long, but this is the first time we received a symbol that was not handed over by the Frontier Brain. It looks like Mr. Tucker must be very busy right now."
Misty's sharp comment would only make Tucker feel even worse.
Luckily, Tucker was not there. The staff member felt very awkward. He did not want to repeat the comment to Tucker and cause more trouble.
"You are joking, miss," the staff member said with a stiff smile. "This is not a Pokémon Gym, so the rules are a bit different. It is getting late, so I will go now."
After saying that, he did not wait for Misty to answer. He closed the door and left the room quickly.
The moment the door closed, Misty laughed out loud.
"He deserves it!" she said. "He tried to use Natsui? This is what he gets! Let's see how he can continue being a Frontier Brain after this!"
Hearing her words, May scratched her cheek with her finger.
She also felt that Tucker was wrong, but her personality was not as fiery as Misty's. She felt that the matter could end here. There was no need to keep complaining.
Natsui looked down at the Tactics Symbol.
He had worked hard to get it. It was proof that he beat Tucker, so he looked at it closely.
But honestly, the symbol did not look very special, except for an "H" shape on it. However, it seemed to be made of solid gold. The Battle Dome clearly had money to spare, just like the building itself.
They finished their goal, so the three of them packed their bags and left.
To them, this was just a simple story during their journey. It was not worth remembering.
After leaving the area, the three of them traveled west along the main road. That evening, they arrived at Cerulean City.
Even if she did not want to face it, Misty did not say much once they entered the city.
She was back home, so there was no reason to stay at a Pokémon Center. Misty led the three of them straight to the Cerulean Gym.
The Cerulean Gym looked the same as when Natsui visited last time. The huge photo of a Dewgong was very familiar. However, the walls and roof had some damage because the building was old. The Gym looked a bit run-down.
Also, the Cerulean Gym was a bit small and old compared to other Gyms Natsui had seen.
It seemed that Misty would need to fix the entire Gym when she took over.
For May, everything here was very new. She looked around and said to Misty excitedly,
"Is this your home? Wow, what a nice Gym! It looks just like an aquarium! Are there any shows inside?"
Misty did not know what to say and felt a bit hurt.
She did not blame May for saying the wrong thing. She only blamed her three older sisters. They had ruined the Gym. Now, people who came here for the first time thought it was an amusement park.
And she hated one common saying in Kanto. People said the Cerulean Gym was the weakest official Gym.
She wanted to argue against it, but she knew her sisters were not strong. She could only sigh.
"Don't say anything else. Just come inside with me..."
Following Misty, Natsui and May walked into the Cerulean Gym.
Since it was almost night, there were no challengers. There were no people watching the underwater ballet shows. The large Gym felt empty and cold.
"Sisters! I'm back!"
As soon as they entered, Misty shouted loudly. When no one answered, she led Natsui and May deeper into the Gym.
For Natsui, visiting this place again reminded him of his first challenge. He also remembered the second time he came to help with a performance.
Time goes fast. It feels like it happened just a few days ago.
Thinking about the performance, Natsui remembered the kiss with Misty's second sister, Violet, during the show.
They kept walking until they reached the pool area. Then the three of them heard voices. At the edge of the pool, they saw the three sisters—Daisy, Violet, and Lily—practicing with many Pokémon.
Regardless of their strength, the Sensational Sisters were famous for a reason. They were very popular. They were all attractive and carried themselves well. Most people who came to the shows liked watching them perform.
Even though they did not care much about Gym matters, they truly loved underwater ballet. Every day after the shows ended, they would practice until late at night.
"They are still the same as ever."
Misty saw her three sisters focused on practice. She spread her hands and sighed. Then she cleared her throat.
"Ahem."
Hearing her voice, Daisy, Violet, and Lily all turned around. When they saw Misty, they all shouted in surprise.
"Misty!"
"Misty!"
"You brat, you finally decided to come back!"
They sounded annoyed, but they were sisters. They missed each other after being apart for a long time.
However, that feeling did not last long. Soon, Violet and Lily started complaining to Misty.
"You brat! You were out for so long! We had to run the Gym and do the shows at the same time. Do you know how tired we are?"
"Exactly! You cannot leave again this time!"
The smile on Misty's face stopped. She did not expect her sisters to change their attitude so quickly.
Only the eldest sister, Daisy, noticed the guests. She smiled at Natsui and said,
"I am sorry, Mr. Natsui. We have really troubled you this time."
Violet and Lily noticed Natsui then. They jumped out of the water like mermaids and came onto the land. They stood around Natsui.
Lily was very curious and asked, "Did anything happen between you two on the road?"
Violet poked Natsui with her elbow and teased, "Did she do anything to you?"
"Enough!" Misty shouted. She felt shy and embarrassed. "What are you talking about? I would never do that!"
May had heard about Misty's sisters before, but seeing them in person made her realize how energetic they were.
Are these really Misty's sisters?
May felt that she was much too gentle with Max compared to them.
Misty did not want her sisters to say anything embarrassing in front of Natsui and May. She quickly pulled May over and introduced them.
"This is May, a friend I brought back from Hoenn. May, these three are my sisters. First, this one with the long blonde hair is my eldest sister, Daisy."
Daisy smiled at May. "Welcome to Kanto. Thank you for looking after Misty during the journey."
"Oh, no. You are too kind."
May bowed quickly. Daisy was more elegant and kind than the other sisters. She felt like a reliable older sister who took care of others.
Misty pointed at Violet. "This is my second sister, Violet. She looks nice, but she often bullies me and is very stubborn. You should be careful around her."
"Really now," Violet said with her hands on her hips. "Is that how you talk about your own sister?"
Then she smiled at May. "Welcome to the Cerulean Gym~"
"Ah... thank you." May did not know what to say.
Finally, Misty pointed at the last one, Lily. "This is my third sister, Lily. She looks sweet, but she loves to steal my things!"
"Don't listen to her," Lily said with a smile. "She is not careful with her things, so I keep them safe for her."
After they greeted each other, Misty said she was hungry. Daisy asked Violet and Lily to talk to Natsui and May. Daisy went to cook dinner.
Misty was very relaxed at home. Natsui could hear a spoiled tone in her voice.
As expected, she loved her family very much, even if she complained.
Dinner was ready soon. As they ate, Misty talked about everything she saw and heard during the trip.
Everyone could feel that she was truly excited. She wanted to share her joy with her family.
Hearing about her experiences, Daisy looked at Natsui and thanked him.
"During this journey, you have really worked hard to look after her."
"Not at all," Natsui waved his hand. "Actually, I should say thank you. Misty took care of me in Hoenn. Without her, my journey would not have gone so smoothly."
Misty knew Natsui was being polite, but her eyes grew wet. She felt very touched.
Natsui...
...
At night, Natsui took a hot bath. He was about to go to sleep when someone knocked on his door.
Natsui thought only one person would come at this time. He fixed his clothes and opened the door.
Misty was standing outside. But May was also there with her.
Why did they come together?
Natsui understood why Misty came. She was back at her Gym, and they would part ways tomorrow. It was normal to want a private talk.
But what about May?
Did they meet outside the door by chance?
Or did they plan to come together?
Misty and May walked in. May's face was a bit red.
"Why are you two here?"
Misty sat on the bed. She looked at May first.
May's face turned even redder. She wanted to say something, but she could not speak.
Misty sighed and looked at Natsui.
"Forget it, I'll say it. Natsui, May wants to travel with you in the next region!"
"What?"
Natsui was surprised.
Misty and May had kept this a secret. Natsui thought May was just visiting Kanto for fun. Why did she want to travel with him?
He looked at May. She did not look at him and just nodded silently.
"Well..." Natsui asked, "Why the sudden decision?"
Natsui remembered that May should go to Johto for Pokémon Contests. Now she was in Kanto and wanted to travel with him. It was very surprising.
"What is so strange about it?" Misty smiled. "May is a Pokémon Coordinator. She needs to travel to get stronger and challenge Contests. It is good for her to travel with a Champion."
That logic made sense.
But there was no hint before. They came to his room and asked to travel together very suddenly.
He was not prepared for this.
But Natsui had no reason to say no.
Misty was leaving the group. He would have been alone and a bit lonely. May joining him was perfect.
He looked at May again. She looked at him, and their eyes met. Natsui saw that she was serious.
"Alright," he smiled and nodded. "Then, welcome to the team, May!"