Chapter 15 – The Sensational Ceruleans
After deciding to stay the night at the farm, the morning sun shone brightly as April and I strolled passed the border to Cerulean city; a rushing river that spans the outskirts and, although not many visitors know, runs underneath.
"So pokemon have abilities as well as attacks?" I asked as we walked under a tree where a Pidgeotto was feeding some newly hatched Pidgeys.
"Yeah, although they can't be used in the same ways as attacks; they're passive and are always active."
"Is that what Ivy meant when she said that Mankey's 'Fighting Spirit' kept him awake?"
"Yeah, now you've got it." April said as she smiled and asked to see my pokedex from my pocket.
"See look, 'Fighting Spirit' as well as an ability called 'Insomnia' prevent the user from being put to sleep in mid-battle." April read off of the rectangular device's screen.
"Ooooh…" I said, taking the pokedex back and scrolling through all of our respective pokemon to see how these newfound abilities could add a whole new layer to battling.
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After strolling along the blue cobbles for a while, a voice bellowed through the air from the various microphones dotted on the edges of the buildings throughout the city, breaking the silence; "Come one, come all to the opening night of the Sensational Sisters' Brand new aqua ballet! And best of all, tonight's show is completely free to watch! Just come on down to the gym and get your ticket right now!"
"Aqua ballet?" I asked as i looked towards April to see her gasping and clasping her hands together, her eyes lit up like streetlights.
"Oh Alex, pleeeeease can we go? Please please, I love the aqua ballet! It's only two streets away I think!"
"Erm… sure?" I said, barely finishing speaking before she grabbed my arm and began running up the cobbled road.
As our shoes clapped against the pathway, I noticed several fountains dotted along the streets; showing the city's appreciation of water.
We arrived at a clearing dotted with various trees and bushes, with a large dome-shaped building settled in the middle. The building itself looked to have a ground floor with striped pillars of blue and white, similar to barbers' poles holding up a blue and yellow domed roof. Waves were painted along the edge of the dome, each exactly the same size as the next apart from one twice the size with a breathtaking picture of a Dewgong proudly perched on top.
As April and I took our places in the already forming queue, everyone was abuzz talking about how excited they were and I kept catching the words'water flowers'and 'Sensational Sisters.'
"So April, who are the Sensational Sisters anyway?"
"They're four amazing sisters that perform together. They were really popular and sold out every performance but split up a while ago because they used to argue all the time."
"So, why do they use the gym?"
"Because they're the gym leaders, silly." April said as we moved forwards with the queue.
"Allof them?!" I replied in shock.
"Well it used to be all of the sisters, then it was just Misty after the sisters stopped performing, but now they're back together I don't know who it is."
April said as we reached the front of the queue.
After getting our tickets we were directed through the front doors into a long hallway that led around the circumference of the building. It felt as if we were in an aquarium as every few steps there were windows peering deep into the building's middle that was full of water where many water pokemon were frolicking and coming right up to the glass, enjoying the attention without a care in the world.
Upon reaching the end of the corridor we were met with what seemed like a million steps to climb before we reached the top where I was overwhelmed at the size of the stadium we were now in. The stadium itself was a very dark shade of blue with a small arena painted on the sandy floor at the bottom. Stretching up from the sand were rows upon rows of seats for spectators to sit in, it was easily the biggest arena I'd ever seen.
"So we're on 48 F and G.." April said as we counted the rows looking for our seats.
"Wait, we have to go up? We'll never see anything!" I said, eager to look for any hints about the Sisters' battling styles from their performance.
After we found our seats, I released my pokemon from their Pokeballs to watch the show, telling them to look out for anything that could be useful in our gym battle.
As the stadium filled up the lights lowered and a loud whirring of machinery came from below us. Ditto began to cower on my lap at the noise so I pulled him nearer to comfort him.
Lights began to shine from the show floor upwards as four giant sheets of glass were ascending out of the floor to about two rows above us. The glass sheets sealed together to create a rectangular shape as two cylindrical tubes extended out from the walls and connected to the glass, one on each of the smaller sides. Immediately after connecting, water began gushing forth from the cylinders into what was now clearly a tank.
Suddenly a voice boomed through the stadium; "Ladies and gentlemen, Today, we, the Sensational Sisters would like to welcome you to Aqualandia, the most totally gorgeous underwater paradise there ever was, and therein, in the castle that sat high upon a dune…" The announcer began as a portion of the domed roof slid across to reveal a stained-glass window. As the midday sunlight shone through it, the light reflected in the tank to create a backdrop that could be seen from all angles of an underwater castle. "…Misty the mermaid, swam aimlessly, knowing not the fate of her lost love, prince Trigong."
Just as her name was mentioned, what seemed like a ginger mermaid swam through the tubes elegantly as the crowd began to cheer at the first sight of one of the sisters.
I had never seen Misty in person before; she swam as if she was meant to live in the water, her alban locks flowing freely behind her, adorned with ornaments shaped like starfish and shells.
The ballet went on to tell the story of how two lovers were separated, as the prince is transformed into a Dewgong and cast away by three plotting sea witches played by Misty's three older, but just as beautiful sisters; Daisy, Violet and Lily.
During a dramatic fight scene where the background had been changed by another stained-glass window, 'Prince Trigong' fought with oldest sister using just its tail as the other Sisters lept high into the air above the tank spewing glistening water over the audience who just simply cried out for more. Sandshrew retreated to the space under my jacket, afraid of the water. I guessed I wouldn't be using him for the gym battle.
I turned to April to see her eyes glued to the show in front of us, captivated and glistening with awe. I was more interested in how trained the Dewgong must be to perform acrobatics like that, and wondered if it had the same skill in battle.
As the witches were defeated in a flurry of underwater twists and turns, it seemed Prince Trigong would stay a Dewgong forever until a wandering pokemon shaped like a heart deemed their love pure enough and with its magical powers, transformed the prince into his true, mirmidian form.
"And so, the lost lovers were reunited one more, and they totally lived happily ever after!" The slightly bimbo-esque sounding narrator called out."On behalf of all of us, Sensational sisters…" Began the blonde sister Daisy, as she stepped out onto a raised diving board. "…We'd like to thank you for coming and we hope you enjoyed the show!" She continued as Misty, Violet and Lily swam upwards out of the water and all executed perfect synchronized 180 spins to land on the board next to Daisy while confetti rained down on the crowd who roared with endless applause and cheers.
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"Wow, that was actually… pretty good!" I said as we walked down the stairs, the hallway now crowded with people discussing the show on their way to the exit.
"Haha, I'm so glad you liked it!" April replied.
"And I think I got some really good insight into how their pokemon will battle too."
"Oh yeah, you need to challenge them to a gym battle –gasp- this means we'll get to meet them!" April cried, excited at the prospect of meeting who seemed like her idols.
"Well yeah, but I don't know how we're ever gonna get up and close enough to them to ask, what with all these people around…"
"Hmm… Okay I have an idea – come with me." April said, grabbing my arm yet again with that look in her eyes as she pulled me through a door labeled 'staff only'.
The corridor now in front of us was a stark contrast to the one we had just been in. It was narrow and empty, but as the corridor was essentially the gap between the water tanks, it gave the illusion of a much wider space. Soon after we arrived in a dark, but open space and I felt the floor change density as I walked. I looked down to see my shoe covered in wet sand and an outline in luminous paint of what was clearly a battle court.
"Erm… April? I don't think we should be in here…"
"Oh relax, we'll be fine as long as we don't get cau-"
"-Hey you!"
"-sigh- too late…"