After leaving the snow-covered Navel Island, the climate gradually warmed. Following the map's directions, Ash and his group arrived at the Seven Grapefruit Islands, famous for producing delicious Grapefruits.
A faint citrus fragrance lingered in the air above the island, refreshing and pleasant.
As soon as they landed, they saw vast Grapefruit orchards, with golden fruits hanging heavily from the branches, looking incredibly tempting.
However, they also noticed a girl wearing a headscarf and work overalls standing by a damaged orchard fence, sighing in frustration.
"What's wrong? Did something happen?" Misty stepped forward and asked with concern.
The girl looked up, her face troubled. "You're trainers from outside, right? I'm Ruby, the one in charge of this orchard. Recently, a huge Pokémon appeared out of nowhere. It keeps breaking the fences and stealing our Grapefruits. No matter what we do, we can't drive it away!"
Just then, the ground began to tremble slightly, accompanied by heavy breathing sounds.
Everyone turned toward the source of the noise. Deep within the orchard, a massive figure sat among a pile of Grapefruits with its back to them, grabbing fruit with both hands and stuffing them into its mouth like crazy.
It was Snorlax!
"That's it! That's the Snorlax!" Ruby pointed at it, both angry and helpless.
Ash's eyes immediately lit up when he saw it.
He knew this Pokémon all too well.
In the original story, although Snorlax looked bulky and slow, it actually possessed agility and strength that completely defied its appearance. It was especially skilled in various combat techniques, making it a "surprisingly nimble giant" with immense potential. It had played a crucial role in many of Ash's important battles!
Such a powerful partner was something he absolutely couldn't miss!
"We have to stop it!" Ruby said anxiously. "If it keeps eating like this, this year's harvest will be completely gone!"
They tried to drive it away. Pikachu even used a mild electric shock as a warning, since Ash didn't want to hurt it, but Snorlax completely ignored them, as if the entire world consisted only of the Grapefruits in front of it.
With a single sweep of its massive hand, it could knock down a large number of fruits, stuffing them into its mouth and swallowing them without even chewing. Its appetite was terrifying.
Before long, the entire orchard was nearly stripped clean.
Snorlax rubbed its still-not-full belly, an unsatisfied expression on its face, and slowly stood up. It looked around, then fixed its gaze on another island across the sea, the second island of the Seven Grapefruit Islands.
Then, to everyone's astonishment, the enormous Snorlax suddenly leapt into the sea with a splash, adopting an incredibly standard and efficient butterfly stroke that completely contradicted its size. Its limbs moved in perfect coordination, creating massive waves as it swam toward the second island at an impressive speed.
"It… it can do butterfly stroke?!" Misty rubbed her eyes in disbelief.
"And it swims so well!" Tracey added, equally shocked.
Watching Snorlax's smooth and powerful swimming, Ash's determination to capture it grew even stronger. This wasn't just a powerhouse, it was a treasure with limitless potential!
"It's heading to the second island! The orchards there are even bigger!" Ruby said even more anxiously.
"Don't worry, Ruby," Ash said calmly. A plan quickly formed in his mind. "I have an idea. It might stop it, and solve the problem once and for all."
He turned to Misty and Tracey with a mysterious smile. "We'll need the help of a singer, and everyone's cooperation."
Misty and Tracey exchanged confused glances, not understanding what he meant. Ash didn't explain further. Instead, he closed his eyes, letting his Aura spread outward like invisible ripples across the surroundings.
After a moment, he opened his eyes and looked toward a large rock nearby.
"Come out, Jigglypuff. I know you've been following us," Ash called out toward the rock.
After a brief silence, a round, pink Jigglypuff holding its signature microphone shyly stepped out from behind the rock.
"Puff~"
It had been secretly following the group all this time, hoping to find an audience that would truly appreciate its singing without falling asleep.
Ash crouched down and gave Jigglypuff a "sincere" smile. "Jigglypuff, would you like to perform your song in front of a special audience? I know a big guy who will definitely be completely captivated by your singing and fall into a deep, peaceful sleep."
Jigglypuff's eyes instantly lit up!
"Puff! Puff!" It nodded vigorously, looking extremely excited. Finally, another chance to showcase its perfect singing voice!
"Alright! Then let's set up a special stage!" Ash stood up and began assigning tasks. "Ruby, please take us to the second island and find an open area along Snorlax's path."
"Misty, Tracey, we need to gather some flowers and nice leaves to decorate the stage for Jigglypuff."
"Pikachu, Togepi, you help too!"
Although they didn't fully understand Ash's plan, seeing his confident expression, everyone got to work.
Ruby quickly brought a small boat and ferried them to the second island. After landing, they found an open space at the entrance of the Grapefruit orchard.
Soon, a simple circular "stage" was set up, with Jigglypuff standing at the center, holding its microphone and eager to begin.
Then Ash turned to the others and said, "When Snorlax arrives and Jigglypuff starts singing, everyone must stay close to me. No matter what you hear, don't move away."
Though confused, they all nodded in agreement.
After everything was prepared, they hid in nearby bushes and waited quietly.
Before long, the familiar tremors returned. As expected, Snorlax followed the scent of Grapefruits, swam ashore using its butterfly stroke, and waddled toward the orchard.
Just as it was about to step into the open area and notice the decorated stage, Ash gave Jigglypuff a nod.
Jigglypuff took a deep breath, raised its microphone, and a soft, melodious song instantly echoed across the clearing.
🎵 "Jiggly-puff, Jiggly-puff, Jiggaly-puff, Jiggly-puff...~" 🎵
The song seemed to carry a magical power, drifting through the air.
Snorlax, which had been about to charge into the orchard, suddenly froze. Its massive head swayed, and its eyelids began to droop uncontrollably.
It tried to lift its foot, but its body started to wobble from side to side, like it was drunk.
Jigglypuff's lullaby was incredibly effective against the already drowsy Snorlax!
At the same moment the singing began, Ash let out a low command. "Aura Barrier!"
A soft blue-green light spread out once again, forming a protective barrier that enveloped him, Misty, Tracey, Ruby, Pikachu, and Togepi.
The drowsy, hypnotic waves of the song struck the barrier but were completely blocked.
Inside the barrier, everyone found the song pleasant to listen to, without feeling sleepy at all.
They clearly saw Snorlax in the center of the clearing. Under Jigglypuff's repetitive and monotonous melody, its movements slowed more and more, until finally its massive body swayed once before collapsing backward like a small mountain with a thunderous crash, letting out deafening snores as it fell into a deep sleep.
"It worked!" Ruby covered her mouth in surprise and joy.
"Jigglypuff's song is amazing!" Misty praised.
Seeing its only "audience" fall so deeply "captivated" into sleep, and with no one else falling asleep midway this time, Jigglypuff was extremely satisfied. It gave a polite bow to the sleeping Snorlax, then happily hugged its microphone and left, once again setting off on its journey to find new listeners.
Ash dispelled the barrier and walked up to the snoring Snorlax, taking out an empty Poké Ball.
"Good work, everyone," he said with a smile to his companions. Then he gently tapped the Poké Ball against Snorlax's round body.
The Poké Ball opened, turning the sleeping Snorlax into a beam of red light and drawing it inside.
The ball didn't even shake once. The capture was an instant success!
"Alright! I caught Snorlax!" Ash held up the Poké Ball, filled with excitement.
He knew his team had gained another powerful trump card.
Ruby looked at the captured Snorlax and finally let out a sigh of relief. She gratefully said to Ash, "Thank you so much, Ash! You saved our orchard!"
"No need to thank me, Ruby," Ash replied with a smile. "This is also the partner I wanted."
With the crisis of the Seven Grapefruit Islands resolved and the powerful Snorlax successfully captured, Ash's journey gained another memorable chapter.
The Orange League ahead felt one step closer.
Snorlax had officially joined the team.
..
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