During our journey by ship, everything went smoothly without any incidents. We sat quietly in our seats, enjoying the stunning view of the ocean while occasionally spotting some marine Pokémon swimming alongside the ship, a truly incredible sight that made the entire trip even more enjoyable.
The trip took around four hours to reach Cinnabar Island. From Vermilion City, the route was several times longer than if we had departed from Fuchsia City. We had considered that option as well—taking a taxi straight to Fuchsia City and boarding the ship from there—but even though it would have saved us a significant amount of time, it would have been a heavy blow to our already limited budget. In the end, we decided that taking the longer route was the better option.
By the way, since Koharu and her mother were busy that day, we had to pass by without even greeting them. Apparently, Koharu had gone on a trip to the neighboring region of Johto, specifically to Goldenrod City, to attend some kind of lecture, although I didn't fully catch what it was about. As for Talia, she was currently at the Seafoam Islands, investigating a supposed sighting of the Legendary Pokémon Articuno.
It was interesting that Articuno could also be found in the Seafoam Islands in this world, although not in the same way as in the games. Here, the Seafoam Islands weren't isolated caves or abandoned locations, but rather a massive luxury tourist complex, one of the most famous in the world. People from all over Kanto—and even other regions—traveled there just to stay. Because of that, if Articuno truly was there, it would most likely be hiding somewhere far away from human eyes.
To be honest, I wouldn't mind going there myself to see it… maybe even capture it. But my current team was already quite powerful: Pikachu, Lopunny, Charizard, Pink Butterfree, Crystal Onix, Mew, Ivysaur, Wartortle, and the Eternal Flower Floette. And in the future, Ivysaur and Wartortle would evolve into Venusaur and Blastoise, making my team even stronger. Because of that, I doubted I needed more Pokémon for now.
During the trip, I also completed another system mission.
[Congratulations to the host for completing the hidden mission: Achieve a One Hit K.O. in your first battle with Eternal Flower Floette!
Objective: Defeat an opponent with a single attack in Floette's first battle.
Reward: Eternal Light Crystal]
This item, completely unknown to the world, had the following effects.
It increases Fairy-type move power by 20%.
If equipped by Eternal Flower Floette, Fairy-type moves gain an additional 15% boost.
If equipped by Eternal Flower Floette, Fairy-type moves ignore protective barriers such as Protect, Light Screen, Reflect, and similar defenses.
If equipped by Eternal Flower Floette, any status condition such as poison or paralysis is cured within five seconds.
And the most broken effect of all.
It can be equipped together with the Floettite.
When I saw it, I froze for an entire minute, unable to process what I was reading. What kind of item is this?
After thinking about it, if this were a game, Eternal Flower Floette's base stats would reach around 619 with this item, surpassing Legendary Pokémon like Suicune, Raikou, and Entei. And if we considered its Mega Evolution, it would reach approximately 735 base stats, placing it above most Legendary Pokémon, only below monsters like Mega Rayquaza.
What kind of absurd item is this?
Of course, I equipped it immediately, turning Floette into an absolute monster.
"I think I'll save Floette for important battles…" I sighed.
I had talked about base stats, but they didn't exist in this world as numbers. Even so, the concept still applied. Legendary Pokémon here were far stronger than their game counterparts, so based on rough estimations, Floette could already match the Legendary beasts in power, and with Mega Evolution, she could potentially rival even stronger Legendary Pokémon. Of course, this was only speculation for now, but one thing was certain—Floette was incredibly powerful.
{Note: This Floette is unique in this fic, so there is only one. That's why I decided to give it this item. Even so, it doesn't make Ash invincible—it just makes Floette much stronger than normal.}
Even with such a powerful Pokémon, I couldn't allow myself to become overconfident. I wasn't invincible, and I wouldn't neglect any of my Pokémon. We would all train together, grow stronger together, and one day, we would even be able to defeat high-level Legendary Pokémon on our own.
Becoming the strongest was my goal, but that goal was still far away. For now, I just needed to keep improving step by step.
Eventually, we arrived at Cinnabar Island, a massive island inhabited by thousands of people. It was a popular vacation destination, especially for those who loved warm climates year-round. It was the perfect place for anyone who enjoyed spending time at the beach, no matter the season.
But we weren't here for a vacation.
We were here for the Gym.
Blaine, the Fire-type specialist and the seventh Gym Leader.
It wasn't that I was in a hurry, but the Pokémon League was only two months away, and I wanted to obtain all eight badges as soon as possible so I could focus on training. Even though the League started in two months, all badges had to be obtained at least three weeks in advance. Why? Probably for organizational reasons. A large number of trainers would participate, so they needed time to prepare everything.
In other words, I only had about a month and a week left to earn two more badges.
Because of that, we decided to move quickly and enjoy a proper vacation after the Pokémon League was over.
{Note: I will speed things up a bit, so don't expect too many filler chapters. I want Ash to obtain all eight badges as soon as possible. Also, if I previously mentioned a different timeline for the League, ignore it. This is the correct one. My mistake for not keeping better track.}
As soon as we got off the ship, we immediately felt the difference in climate. The heat was intense, the kind that made you want to jump into the ocean without thinking twice.
"What if we go to the beach for a bit?" Roxanne suggested.
"You know there are only two months left before the Pokémon League, and even less time before Ash has to register with all his badges. We can relax after that," Celeste said.
"I know, it was just a suggestion," Roxanne replied, puffing her cheeks.
When she makes that face, she's actually kind of cute…
"Anyway, we could take a short vacation after I get the eighth badge. All of us together, including my mom, Spencer, Alice, and Molly. What do you think? A small family vacation and a good break before the League," I suggested.
"That sounds like a wonderful idea! Our Pokémon could enjoy a well-deserved rest too!" Roxanne nodded.
"Pika pi!" Pikachu agreed.
"I think it's a great idea too. It'll be more fun if we all go together," Celeste said.
"You could invite your grandmother and your uncles too," I added.
"That's a good idea. I don't know if they'll come, but I'll try," Celeste nodded.
I wanted to say something to Roxanne, but… I knew her situation was complicated, so I held back.
"We could even invite Giselle, Koharu, Professor Talia… even Professor Oak!" Roxanne said.
"That's a great idea!" I agreed.
For a moment, I had forgotten… but I wasn't going to admit that.
After that brief conversation, and now fully decided on taking a vacation after getting all eight badges, we headed toward the Pokémon Gym.
The Gym was a bit far from our current position, and hunger was starting to hit all of us, so we made a stop at the Pokémon Center to eat. We all ate together—except for Onix, who would eat later due to its size—and once we finished, we resumed our journey.
From the Pokémon Center, the Gym wasn't too far away. It was curious how most Gyms were located close to Pokémon Centers. Was it just coincidence?
The Gym itself looked like any other. So far, the only one that truly stood out had been Erika's, filled with plants that gave it a wild yet peaceful atmosphere, something you couldn't find in the middle of a city.
We entered, and just like in the other Gyms, a receptionist was behind a desk, typing something on a computer.
When he saw us, he smiled.
"Excuse me. Can I help you?" he asked politely.
"My name is Ash, and I'm here to challenge the Gym Leader, Blaine, to a Pokémon battle," I said.
"You must be a Pokémon League challenger, am I correct?" he asked.
"That's right. Is there a problem?" I replied.
"Not at all. Our leader is most likely training. He enjoys training while waiting for challengers. But he is available, and it's been a while since the last challenger came, so I'm sure Mr. Blaine will be excited," the receptionist said.
He stepped out from behind the desk.
"I'll inform Mr. Blaine of your arrival. It won't take long," he added.
Then he left.
"Well, this is the first normal Gym we've seen," Roxanne said.
"And the leader actually sounds… professional," Celeste added.
"Well, after everything we've been through, it was bound to happen eventually. Probability," I said.
"Yeah… I guess you're right," Celeste nodded.
So far, something unusual had always happened whenever we visited a Gym. But today… everything seemed normal.
A few minutes later, the receptionist returned, accompanied by another person.
An older man, bald, wearing a white lab coat, a red tie, blue jeans, and sunglasses—even indoors.
Blaine.
"Who's the challenger?" Blaine asked.
"That would be me," I said.
Blaine looked at me carefully for a few seconds… then smiled.
"You look strong! I hope this will be a good battle. Follow me!" he said.
Without another word, he led us to the battlefield. It was a standard field, nothing particularly special.
"Well then, shall we begin? Or do you need time to prepare?" Blaine asked.
"We're ready. Right, Pikachu?" I said.
"Pika pi!" Pikachu nodded.
"Good luck, Ash," Celeste said.
"We'll be cheering from the stands, as always," Roxanne added.
"Thanks," I replied.
The two of them headed to the stands, while Blaine and I took our positions. Pikachu stood by my side, ready for battle, and the receptionist—who would act as the referee—took his place as well.