Team Rocket's Second-in-Command!

"I'm here to challenge the Gym," Luo Yuan announced.

The words hung in the air, and an awkward silence fell over the group.

The oldest sister, Daisy, looked at Lily; Lily looked at Violet; Violet turned to Misty.

"No, absolutely not."

Misty crossed her arms in front of her, firmly rejecting her sisters' unspoken plea for her to be the Gym Trainer for Luo Yuan's challenge.

No way. They'd been teasing her moments before, and now they wanted her to bail them out?

Seeing Misty's resolute stance, Daisy, Lily, and Violet realized they had no chance of convincing her.

Still, no one knew their own weaknesses better than they did.

When it came to water ballet, the Cerulean Sisters were confident they could rank among the top ten even across regions.

But as Trainers? Pull in some random Trainer off the street, and he'd probably beat them easily.

"Well, there's no way we can always rely on Misty..."

In the end, Daisy stepped forward.

"I'll be your opponent!"

Her face took on a look of somber determination, as if she were bidding her old self farewell and turning over a new leaf. It was hard to tell if she was actually serious.

At least, Misty was fooled.

She watched her eldest sister with a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

"Could it be? Maybe Daisy's finally decided to take her role as a Gym Trainer seriously?"

If her eldest sister truly had a change of heart, sharing the responsibility of Cerulean Gym would be far easier than handling it alone.

However...

Ten Minutes Later

Daisy slumped to the ground, muttering, "How is he this strong?" "I didn't even last five moves." "Am I really this weak?" "Guess I'm just not cut out to be a Trainer..."

Smack

Misty covered her face, unable to watch.

"I should've known it was just wishful thinking... I really shouldn't expect too much from you guys."

Daisy was just as weak as ever, and her mental fortitude was even more fragile than Misty had thought.

Luo Yuan sighed beside her.

He had wanted to go easy on her and spare Misty from embarrassment, so he'd already factored in the sisters' low skill level.

He'd used his weakest Pokémon—his pudgy, overfed Dratini.

But even with Dratini, Daisy hadn't lasted three minutes before she lost.

"Misty, your sister really isn't suited to be a Gym Trainer."

Luo Yuan shook his head.

This level of skill wouldn't even make the cut for Rocket grunts, let alone fulfill a Gym Trainer's duties.

How Cerulean City had managed with these three as its Gym Leaders all these years was a mystery. Officer Jenny of Cerulean must have had her hands full.

Misty sighed deeply, nodding in agreement. She was all too aware of her sisters' lack of talent as Trainers.

Either from forgetfulness or from getting used to losing, Daisy quickly bounced back and looked at Misty with a fresh resolve.

"Misty, we've made a decision."

"Uh?"

Misty blinked, surprised to be addressed so suddenly and unsure what her sisters were plotting this time.

Then Daisy spoke.

"Since you have a boyfriend now, you're basically an adult. As the sister with the most talent as a Trainer, we've decided to hand Cerulean Gym over to you! You'll be our official Gym Trainer!"

"What? No, I'm not!"

Misty shook her head instinctively.

"Not? Are you saying Luo Yuan isn't your boyfriend?" Daisy asked slyly.

"Well..."

Misty wanted to clarify that they weren't official, but she found herself unable to get the words out.

Seeing the mischievous glint in Daisy's eyes, she pressed her advantage.

"Don't worry, Misty—we're family, after all. We wouldn't put the whole burden on you."

"From now on, we'll handle the income and budget, providing the funds for the Gym. You'll just need to take care of the battles. Sounds like a great plan, doesn't it?"

Daisy smiled sweetly.

"You're clearly just trying to shirk your responsibilities!" Misty exclaimed.

"We really don't have a choice. We weren't blessed with the talent of a Trainer," the sisters replied helplessly.

"..."

Misty was at a loss for words.

"Plus, I heard the League's planning to send inspectors to the Gyms soon..." Lily chimed in.

"Fine, fine, I'll do it!"

Misty interrupted.

As much as her sisters could be exasperating, she couldn't bear the thought of Cerulean Gym losing its status.

—

"Luo Yuan..."

Misty turned to him, memories of their travels from Viridian Forest to Cerulean flashing through her mind. She felt reluctant.

She wanted to keep traveling with him.

"It doesn't have to be a problem." Luo Yuan offered her a solution. "The Gym's evaluation shouldn't be too hard. If you train a few strong Pokémon that can battle independently, you can leave them with your sisters. That way, you won't have to stay at the Gym full-time."

In the original series, Brock had done something similar, leaving Onix with his father so he could continue traveling with Ash.

If Brock could do it, Misty certainly could, too.

"But that means..." we'll be apart for a while.

The thought trailed in her mind.

She didn't currently have any Pokémon she felt she could entrust to her sisters.

Still, she knew that if she wanted to save the Cerulean Gym, she couldn't leave right away.

"Then I'll come find you later."

With no choice for now, Misty agreed to stay behind.

"Of course, I'll look forward to it. Here—take this," Luo Yuan said, pulling a phone from his bag.

"What's this?"

"Seeing Team Flare reminded me to get this—the new holographic communicator. Makes it easier to keep in touch."

A warm feeling spread in Misty's chest. She nodded, smiling. "I'll call you whenever I have a free moment!"

—

[Ding! Congratulations, host! You've unlocked the 'Defeat a Water-type Gym!' milestone. Reward: +1 Draw]

Taking the Cascade Badge from Daisy, Luo Yuan heard the system prompt in his ear.

With one last look at Misty, who watched him with a wistful gaze, Luo Yuan left the Cerulean Gym.

Two had arrived, but only one was leaving—a little bittersweet.

But soon, the buzzing of his communicator broke the mood.

"Hello, this is Luo Yuan."

"Truebird here."

"Truebird? What's up?"

Why was Truebird calling at this time?

"Something interesting came up during the Flare member's interrogation," she said.

"Oh? You can handle it. I'm busy taking on Gyms right now."

Luo Yuan was focused on clearing Gym challenges as quickly as possible. Team Flare's Kalos affairs were far away from Hoenn and didn't concern him.

"There's one more thing," Truebird's tone turned slightly mischievous. "Sabrina's waiting for you at headquarters."

"..."

---

T/N: I'm a big fan of Sabrina! But Cynthia is my number one in pokemanz! Also bye Misty! I used to dislike you a lot!