The Sinnoh Region is a vast island surrounded by sea.
For traveling to Kanto, aside from flying, ships are the best option.
Natsume mentioned in the chat group whether anyone was heading to Kanto and could accompany him.
Ash said regretfully, "Pikachu and I are training for the Lily of the Valley Conference, so we can't go back to Kanto right now…"
Maylene, with a band-aid on her nose, sighed softly. "I'm free, but I can't go either…"
Trips cost too much money. Maylene preferred staying at the gym to challenge trainers—it affected her performance ratings and the league's stipend.
Compared to other Gym Leaders who often "ran away from home" or neglected their duties, Maylene was exceptionally responsible.
Jasmine, currently traveling in Sinnoh, said quietly, "I… plan to watch the Grand Festival…"
Fantina smiled. "Perfect, Miss Jasmine. Why don't we go together?"
Jasmine replied shyly, "Ah, of course! That sounds great!"
After asking around, Flint was training with Volkner, while "Cabbage" was guarding the Eterna City Museum.
Lucian… Lucian was working overtime.
"Guess I'll have to go alone."
Natsume scratched his head, muttering in confusion, "The Eterna City Leader joined the group? When did that happen…"
In the chat group, Lt. Surge mentioned he could swing by Sinnoh and then head back to Vermilion Port with Natsume-sensei.
Natsume: "Using official ships for personal trips?"
Lt. Surge crossed his burly arms. "Isn't that completely normal?"
Natsume paused, then nodded. "Well… I suppose it is."
The Sinnoh Region is a vast island surrounded by sea.
At full speed, the S.S. Aqua could travel between Sinnoh and Kanto in just one day.
At the Canalave City docks, Lt. Surge proudly introduced his gleaming white ship, the S.S. Aqua, to Natsume.
"A ship is a captain's wife, and the ocean is a man's home!" Lt. Surge declared proudly.
Natsume nodded solemnly. "Then I'll board your wife now!"
Lt. Surge: "?"
As he climbed the gangway, Natsume asked curiously, "What happened to your ex-wife?"
"I've never been married."
"Oh, I meant the S.S. Anne."
That infamous "cursed ship," modeled after the Titanic, which appeared in both the anime and manga.
"She sank…" Lt. Surge's face darkened, as if he needed a cigar to complete the look. "…into the freezing waters of Vermilion Bay."
So the storyline mostly matched the original setting.
Natsume patted Lt. Surge's shoulder sympathetically. "Sorry, I didn't mean to bring it up."
Lt. Surge sighed, then grinned.
"Let's head back to Vermilion City first. We can chat while fishing!"
...
The sea rippled gently as a Wailmer lazily swam by, its blue back breaching the surface.
Lt. Surge emerged from the captain's cabin with two ice-cold beers, prying the caps open with his military knife.
"Whoa, already got a haul?" Lt. Surge's eyes widened as he looked at Natsume-sensei fishing off the deck.
"Magikarp, Magikarp, and… more Magikarp." Natsume rested his chin on his hand and sighed deeply.
Lt. Surge blinked, staring at the flopping Magikarp on the deck.
Was this a testament to his incredible fishing skills… or just horrendous luck?
On the deck, Togepi lounged on a beach chair far too large for it, sipping an iced cola through a tiny straw while wearing frilly sunglasses:
"Togepi doo-ee~~"
Sylveon sat regally on another beach chair, shades on, nose slightly upturned. "Sylveon!"
Larvitar stared at the deck, sucking on its finger. "Larvitar… (ˉ﹃ˉ)"
Thankfully, Sirfetch'd—on babysitting duty today—intervened just in time:
"Sirfetch'd! (′︿‵?)" ("You can't eat that, kid!")
Thus preventing Lt. Surge's "wife" from suffering another shipwreck…
Meanwhile, Gengar was playing poker with Lt. Surge's Electivire and Raichu.
A floating Rotom Pokédex hovered beside Gengar, shamelessly cheating:
"Probability of Raichu holding a bomb card: 99%. Rotom!"
Electivire and Raichu gaped: _( ﾟДﾟ)ﾉ
"Gengar! ヽ(￣▽￣)?" Gengar flashed a sharp-toothed grin as it played its last card.
Sorry, but I win! Hand over your held items!
The two Pokémon, being broke, could only cough up a Sitrus Berry and an Electric Gem.
Gengar stuffed them into its pocket dimension: "Gengar!( ╯▽╰) " ("Next round!")
Electivire and Raichu exchanged glances, on the verge of tears.
Who does this Gengar even take after?!
And worst of all… we can't even beat it in a fight!
In silent agreement, the two bolted: ┏(＾0＾)┛
Vanishing into their Poké Balls in twin streaks of red light.
Gengar: Σ(っ°Д°;)っ
You two run away way too smoothly!
The sea breeze carried the scent of salt as Natsume accepted the ice-cold beer from Lt. Surge.
"Weren't you on Cinnabar Island drinking sake with Old Man Blaine?"
"Bunch of grandpas and grandmas hogging the hot springs," Lt. Surge grumbled. "So I left early."
"Come to think of it, Blaine hasn't been around much lately."
Lt. Surge scratched his head. "Probably thinks he's… awkward at keeping conversations alive?"
Can't blame him—generational gaps make small talk rough.
Natsume sighed wistfully. As they chatted, the silhouette of Vermilion City emerged on the horizon, bathed in twilight.
The setting sun painted the sea and city in gold, its shimmering reflection broken only by the occasional Pidgey soaring overhead.
"Gengar, you can go play with Sabrina at Saffron Gym tonight," Natsume remarked offhandedly.
"Gengar! (/≧▽≦)/"
...
"Boys are made of seas, ships, and sunsets."
"Girls are crafted from sugar, spices, and swan's down."
Shauntal scribbled these words at the beginning of her manuscript, adjusting her thick glasses with a soft murmur:
"Then Cynthia must be made of amber champagne, rainbow strawberry ice cream, and spices like bay leaves..."
Just then, Cynthia pushed the door open, hanging her elegant black coat on the rack and revealing a thin blue blouse beneath.
"What were you saying, Shauntal?"
"N-Nothing!"
Shauntal hurriedly hid her notebook behind her back, her cheeks flushing crimson.
"I heard something about ice cream—"
Cynthia's eyes curved into crescents as she cheered:
"Where's the ice cream?"
Shauntal blinked, then chuckled helplessly. "Never mind. Let's go out for some later."
Caitlin, dressed in pink loungewear, sat curled up like a kitten on her princess bed, her golden hair spilling loosely around her.
"No."
Her expression was cool as she stated flatly:
"I don't want to go out."
"B-But Cynthia's here for a rare visit! We should go out together!" Shauntal flustered.
"No." Caitlin burrowed deeper into her blankets, indifferent. "Stay home. Let the ice cream come to us."
Diantha sat gracefully on the sofa, her posture impeccable, a white accessory draped over her shoulders as she flipped through a hardcover book.
"I'm fine with either. You decide."
The lavishly decorated room carried a faint, sweet fragrance, further convincing Shauntal of her opening passage.
"Well…" Cynthia tilted her head, pondering before suggesting:
"How about staying at the villa and playing games?"
Caitlin peeked out from the covers, her dull gray eyes glinting.
"I won't play."
Games always reminded her of unpleasant memories…
"There's a new one coming out soon!"
Cynthia smiled brightly. "Play with me, won't you?"
Caitlin let out a small, animal-like whimper, locked in an internal struggle.
"Then it's settled!" Cynthia clapped her hands, her golden hair swaying as her eyes crinkled with delight.
"Speaking of which."
Diantha closed her book and lifted her gaze to Cynthia.
"The Sinnoh region seems restless lately."
A faint gleam flickered in Cynthia's eyes before she sighed softly.
"Yes… So once this break is over, I'll be heading back to Sinnoh soon."
"Also, the reason I came to see you all is… there's something important I need to tell you."
Caitlin and the others looked up, meeting Cynthia's unusually serious expression.
"Ugh…" Caitlin, as if remembering something, irritably burrowed deeper into her blankets.
Diantha's eyes shimmered with restrained curiosity.
Shauntal's cheeks flushed, her breath growing uneven.
Could it be… about that?!
Cynthia took a deep breath, her delicate pendant rising and falling with her chest, a faint blush dusting her fair cheeks.
"I,"
She announced with a smile:
"have someone I like."
The air in the room froze for a second, as if all the oxygen had been sucked out.
In that vacuum, Shauntal was the first to react, pressing her notebook to her burning face.
"Eek!"
"Mm…" Caitlin pulled the covers over her head, letting out a muffled grumble.
Diantha, seemingly having anticipated this, rested a hand on her elegantly crossed legs, her smooth knees peeking out.
"Natsume from Tokyo City?"
Cynthia's smile deepened as she nodded. "Mhm."
Shauntal clutched her notebook tighter, her breathing ragged.
Is this the sour sting of love…?! Eek!
Caitlin bit down on her pillow inside the blankets. "Grr!"
Diantha gave a graceful nod, a faint smile playing on her lips.
"I must admit, even in Pokémon Hollywood, there are no male stars with a more striking appearance than his."
"That's not what matters to me," Cynthia said softly, shaking her head.
"Then what does?" Diantha asked, a trace of curiosity in her voice.
Cynthia crossed her arms, resting a finger against her chin as she pondered deeply.
It's the fireworks at summer's end, the rippling wheat fields in the Wilderness Zone, the beautiful moonlight, and that cool, fleeting kiss in Alamos Town.
These memories are so vivid. If people are made of their past, then mine is already intertwined with his.
"It's…"
After a long pause, Cynthia's face brightened, her long lashes lowering as her eyes curved into crescents.
"The precious things born when one life meets another."
...
Natsume stood before the Silph Co. headquarters, gazing up at the towering skyscraper.
Lt. Surge had disembarked at Vermilion Port, heading back to his gym to tinker with his rap music.
Meanwhile, Natsume had ridden Arcanine, arriving in Saffron City in just an hour.
"I'll come back later."
Natsume turned away.
The official launch was tomorrow, and the employees were pulling overtime. He'd treat them to late-night snacks afterward.
"Gengar~ (￣～￣)" Gengar licked at an ice cream cone, nodding in agreement.
Natsume held an identical cone, slurping as he walked toward his villa in Saffron City.
One of the perks of having Moe-Moe! around—
No matter where you went, housing was never an issue!
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