Pokemon: My Pokemon Has a Tailed Beast Template

Chapter 289 289: Pressure Before the Tournament

After spending an entire day together, the distance between Sabrina and Sam had noticeably shortened as well.

After returning to the hotel, Sam handed Munchlax over to Yellow.

Naturally, Yellow had absolutely no resistance against the chubby little glutton and happily accepted it immediately.

"Munchlax, you have to get along well with everyone from now on."

Yellow had always loved cute Pokémon, and she instantly fell for Munchlax's round and fluffy appearance.

With food, a warm place to stay, and an adorable Trainer taking care of it, life couldn't have been more perfect for Munchlax.

After swallowing the last bite of rainbow-colored ice cream in its hand, the little glutton suddenly felt sleepy.

Without any warning—

Thud.

Munchlax collapsed onto the floor and instantly fell asleep.

"Eh?!"

This was also Yellow's first time seeing a Pokémon that could eat and sleep this quickly.

She had originally wanted to play with Munchlax for a while longer, but now she could only wait until next time.

Before the Gym Exchange Tournament officially began, Ash, Misty, and Brock finally arrived at Indigo Plateau.

The moment they saw their youngest sister arrive, the three Cerulean sisters finally felt a massive burden lifted from their shoulders.

The three older sisters could finally relax—

But Misty herself was under enormous pressure.

The survival of the Cerulean Gym now depended entirely on her alone.

That crushing burden almost made it hard for her to breathe.

To be honest, Misty did hold some resentment toward her three older sisters.

If Sakura, Violet, and Lily hadn't neglected the Gym for years—

If they hadn't casually handed out Gym Badges while focusing entirely on water ballet performances—

Then the Cerulean Gym would never have fallen into such a miserable situation.

The three sisters naturally understood what Misty was thinking.

For once, all three of them lowered their heads awkwardly in shame.

"Misty… do you want to ask Brother Sam for help?"

"If Leader Sam is willing to speak for us—"

Before Ash could finish speaking, Misty immediately interrupted him.

"No!"

"I'll protect the Cerulean Gym with my own strength!"

Misty had her own pride.

She knew very well that if she asked Sam for help, he would definitely agree.

With Sam's current status within the Kanto League, even Lance would give him some respect.

But if that happened—

The reputation of the Cerulean Gym would be completely ruined.

Misty couldn't accept everyone looking down on the Cerulean Gym with disdain.

She wanted to use her own power to restore the Gym's honor.

"Ash, Brock, if you really want to help me…"

"Then train with me."

"There isn't much time left. I need to adapt to the Pokémon my parents left behind as quickly as possible."

"Don't worry, leave it to us!" Ash immediately replied.

Misty wasn't stubborn.

She clearly understood that, with her current strength alone, she wasn't a match for any of the Johto Gym Leaders.

Using the Pokémon left behind by her parents was realistically her best option.

After all, Gym Exchange Battles were completely different from ordinary Gym challenges.

During normal Gym battles, Gym Leaders would intentionally hold back against challengers.

But in this tournament—

Everyone would fight seriously.

Late that night, Erika quietly slipped into Sam's room once again.

The moment she entered, however, she suddenly frowned.

"You went shopping with another woman today, didn't you?"

Sam's heart skipped a beat.

Erika's instincts were terrifying.

He had already taken a bath earlier, yet she still noticed.

Seeing the surprised expression on his face, Erika smiled faintly.

"Let me guess who it was."

"I'm pretty sure it was Sabrina… who's probably using her Psychic powers to eavesdrop on us right now."

The moment those words were spoken—

Not only was Sam startled—

Even Sabrina, who truly had been secretly listening in with her Psychic powers, panicked.

She immediately withdrew her Psychic and didn't dare continue spying.

At this point, Sam genuinely felt a headache coming on.

Neither of these girls was easy to deal with.

Erika had absurdly sharp intuition.

Meanwhile, Sabrina had apparently been secretly using Psychic powers to eavesdrop on their conversations every day.

This situation was becoming more dramatic by the minute.

Originally, Sam had already prepared himself to get scolded by Erika.

Unexpectedly, she didn't get angry at all and simply lay down on his bed.

Completely confused, Sam asked carefully,

"Aren't you going to yell at me?"

Erika glanced at him helplessly.

"I'm not that petty."

"Besides… I already guessed that something would eventually happen between you and Sabrina."

Sam immediately looked awkward.

"Don't phrase it so harshly…"

"Let's not talk about that for now," Erika said seriously as her expression became solemn.

"What do you think about this Gym Exchange Tournament?"

"This competition is extremely important for Kanto."

"Even if we can't win… we absolutely can't lose badly."

As the eldest daughter of a major family from Celadon City, Erika naturally wouldn't accept the League shifting its focus toward the Johto region.

That would directly harm the interests of many old Kanto families.

Hearing this, Sam also felt a headache coming on.

Honestly, with both the Cerulean Gym and the Fuchsia Gym practically giving away free points, it really wouldn't be easy for Kanto to win this exchange tournament.

More importantly—

This wasn't something Sam could solve alone.

No matter how strong he was, he could only earn one point for Kanto by himself.

If his teammates failed to perform, then even he wouldn't be able to carry the entire region alone.