Pokémon: Simultaneous time travel, this Ash is too versatile!

Chapter 49 Life is tough, the curator sighs, and the side businesses of various curator owners.

"Why is Misty going shopping at this time? I'm on my way to challenge the Gym!" Ash complained somewhat unhappily on the way to the Cerulean Gym.

At such a crucial moment when he was challenging the dojo, Xia not only didn't cheer him on or offer advice, but she also ran away!
If he wants to buy something, wouldn't it be the same if he waits until after his gym challenge is over?

"Hehe, you'll probably find out the reason later," Xiao Gang said with a chuckle, but his words were like a riddle, and Xiao Zhi couldn't understand them at all.

Before long, Ash and Brock arrived at the Cerulean Gym. Unlike the Pewter Gym, the Cerulean Gym's exterior was already quite magnificent and grand. From the outside, the two gyms were not even in the same league.

One resembles a thatched cottage in the countryside, while the other is a fully furnished mansion in the city.

Ash glanced at Brock, his eyes seeming to say—Why is your Pewter Gym so shabby?
Xiao Gang's lips twitched, and he said helplessly, "What can I do? I use all the rations from Pewter Gym to support my younger siblings, plus the gym's regular expenses and the cost of training Pokémon. If I didn't have a side business, Pewter Gym would probably have gone bankrupt."

"Is it really that bad? The Cerulean Gym looks so luxurious and well-funded. They must also be raising Pokémon, so their expenses shouldn't be much less than yours," Ash said, scratching his head.

In the world of elves, consumption is divided into two types: one is related to elves, and the other is other.

The former's spending is extremely extravagant. Evolution items like Moonstones can easily cost tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars, and the daily food for Pokémon can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars a day.

However, expenses other than the Pokémon are actually quite cheap. Even the daily food expenses for a family of three only cost around one to two hundred yuan, which is less than the daily food expenses for a single Pokémon.

Therefore, raising elves is the biggest expense. Even though Xiao Gang has nine younger siblings to raise, the actual cost is less than raising two more elves.

Therefore, the difference between Cerulean Gym and Pewter Gym should not be that great.

"Because Cerulean Dojo has extra income, look over there." Xiao Gang pointed to a poster at the entrance of Cerulean Dojo with the words 'Cerulean Water Ballet' written in big letters.

When Ash and Brock arrived at the Cerulean Gym and asked the staff if they could go in, the staff told them that a synchronized swimming performance was still going on and they would need to buy tickets to enter.

A ticket costs 150, which isn't expensive compared to the cost of playing as an elf, but if it's just the ticket itself, then it's outrageously expensive.

This is the extra income that Xiaogang mentioned for Hualan Dojo.

"This is too expensive... I've never heard of having to pay for a ticket to challenge a gym before." Ash reluctantly took out 150 yen to buy a ticket, muttering under his breath.

"Come on, you've only challenged one gym so far. Cerulean Gym is the second one you've challenged. Isn't it normal that you've never heard of it before? Actually, besides Cerulean Gym, there are quite a few gyms in the entire Kanto region that have their own side businesses."

"Besides, strictly speaking, the ticket you bought wasn't for challenging the gym, but for watching synchronized swimming. If you're challenging the gym, there's no such thing as buying a ticket," Brock explained to Ash as he handed over the money. "Is that even possible?" Ash was genuinely surprised by Brock's words. So gym leaders' salaries are that low? Why do they all have to do side jobs?
After purchasing their tickets, the two entered the Cerulean Dojo, where the synchronized swimming performance was reaching its climax.

As soon as they arrived, they saw three pairs of white, bare legs swaying on the stage.

Three beautiful women with distinct appearances gracefully swam in the pool, their one-piece swimsuits revealing their fair and delicate arms and long, slender legs.

Under the light, her fair skin seemed to be draped in a soft halo, exuding a faint warmth.

"La la la la~~" Ralts on Ash's shoulder cheered, its big eyes under its light blue hair shining with a gentle light, as if it was very interested in the water ballet performance.

Xiao Gang was completely stunned. In a backwater city like Nibi, where could you find a beauty of this caliber, let alone one performing such a graceful and glamorous show as synchronized swimming in a swimsuit?

For a moment, Xiao Gang felt that the 150 yuan ticket was absolutely worth it!! If he had known what the performance was about, he would have been willing to pay 1500 yuan!
Ash felt that the three beautiful women on stage performed quite well, but he didn't forget that his purpose was to challenge the Cerulean City Gym. So he asked someone sitting next to him, "How much longer until this ends?"

Upon hearing this, the man sitting in the seat looked at Xiaozhi with a strange expression. Ninety-five percent of the people who came to watch the synchronized swimming performance were men. They wished the performance would never end. Why would someone ask when it would end?

However, the person still answered Xiaozhi's question: "It will probably be over in about twenty minutes."

Upon hearing this, Ash and Brock found a seat at random. Since they arrived late, most of the good seats were already taken. However, Ash hadn't come to watch the performance in the first place, but Brock was watching intently, thoroughly enjoying himself—even though you couldn't see his eyes.

Ralts, held in Ash's arms, stared intently at the three beautiful women performing water ballet. Her eyes, hidden by her hair, were full of curiosity and longing. Would she be able to dance gracefully like those people on the field in the future?
Twenty minutes later, the performance ended, and the audience began to leave in an orderly manner under the guidance of the staff. Some people wanted to ask the Hua Lan sisters for autographs, but they were turned away.

Ash was spotted by staff as he walked against the flow of people toward the Cerulean sisters. Just as the staff tried to stop Ash and explain that the Cerulean sisters were not currently accepting autographs or photos, Ash pulled out his Pokédex, proving his identity as a trainer, and declared that he wanted to challenge the gym.

Seeing this, the staff finally allowed Xiao Zhi and Xiao Gang to enter. This action caught the attention of many viewers, who all wondered why Xiao Zhi and Xiao Gang could go in but they couldn't.

The staff remained silent, simply pushing them out of the venue.

Led by one of the staff members, Blossom, the two headed to the backstage area of ​​the gym. Along the way, Blossom explained to Ash and the others about the Cerulean Gym...

　Regarding whether releasing Ralts will attract unwanted attention, it's safe to say that very few people in Kanto even know who Ralts is.
　　Even if someone really has their eye on Ralts, they'd have to ask Ash's fist first.jpg

　　
　
(End of this chapter)