Chapter 46: Titanic
By the time Ash handed the Team Rockets over to Jenny, it was already close to dawn.
There was nothing they could do; the abandoned power plant was a bit far from the Vermilion City police station, and the car Team Rockets were driving wasn't as sturdy as the Team Rocket Trio's vehicle. It broke down just by hitting a door, the kind that couldn't even be repaired.
As for why no one from the police came despite such a big commotion, Ash wasn't very clear. Perhaps it was similar to the 'boy who cried wolf' story, after all, rumors about this abandoned power plant had been circulating for over three months.
.....
Pallet Town, Professor Oak's Laboratory.
Dr. Oak, who had just woken up and hadn't had breakfast yet, saw a purple Poké Ball with an 'M' on it, lying quietly on the empty Poké Ball transfer machine.
"This is... a Master Ball? And it's Ash's. Could it be...?"
Dr. Oak, with an excited heart, extended his trembling hand.
Ash, with his Dr. status, had no restrictions on the number of Pokémon he could carry, so Dr. Oak was most anticipating the Poké Balls Ash sent back, but they were also the fewest. So far, there had only been one Shinny Fearow, and now this was truly the second one.
Actually, what Dr. Oak was most looking forward to was the Ancient Dragonite that Bill had told him Ash had captured.
After picking up the Master Ball, Dr. Oak thought for three seconds, then decisively turned and walked towards the backyard.
Upon arriving in the backyard, he didn't overthink it and directly released the Pokémon inside the Master Ball.
"Zzzzt~"
"Numb... Numb!"
...
At this moment, Ash also returned to the Pokémon Center.
"I knew it, Ash must have just gone out to train." Brock gave Misty a somewhat resentful look.
"Misty, Brock, you guys are up so early?"
Ash had planned to go back to sleep, but it seemed impossible now.
"Ash, where did you go just now? We almost searched the entire Pokémon Center and couldn't find you." Misty asked.
"Nowhere special, just went to catch a special Pokémon. Oh, by the way, are you two ready to depart at any time?"
Ash, seeing that both of them had packed their belongings, asked with some confusion.
"Gary called us. He got a few cruise tickets from somewhere and sent them over early this morning. Who knew you weren't here, and then we..." Misty held up three tickets and waved them.
"Tickets?! Misty, the one in your hand isn't that ship called St. Anne's, is it?"
Ash recalled the "Titanic" of Team Rockets, which the idiot and his group were tricked onto by the Team Rocket Trio in the original story. This ship produced many famous scenes, the most famous being James's evolution kick.
"Eh, Ash, you've heard of this cruise ship?" Misty's eyes lit up, and she grabbed Ash's hand, curiously asking, "How is this cruise ship? Is it super luxurious?"
"It is luxurious, but this ship has a small problem. However, if you two want to go play on the ship, then let's go together."
How could Ash miss the opportunity to earn extra money?
"Yay!"
Misty was extremely happy; she had been a bit afraid that Ash wouldn't want to go.
"Oh, by the way, Ash, you just said you went out to catch a special Pokémon. What is it?" Brock asked.
Something that Ash would consider special, Brock could conclude, must be a very special Pokémon. This was his intuition as a future Pokémon breeder.
Ash said with a bit of a humblebrag, "A wounded Zapdos, nothing much."
"Oh, Zapdos... what?" Brock's facial expression stiffened, and he looked at Ash with some uncertainty, "Ash... Ash, did you just say Zapdos?"
"Yeah. Is there anything strange about Zapdos?"
"Speaking of which, I seem to have forgotten to leave a message for Dr. Oak. I hope he's alright!"
Ash quickly walked to a nearby public phone.
He skillfully dialed Dr. Oak's Laboratory number. Zzzzt~, after the connection was made, Dr. Oak appeared on the communication screen.
Hmm, an image of someone completely charred with an afro.
"Um, Doctor, are you alright?" Ash asked weakly.
Based on his observation, what could cause this appearance must be a powerful Electric-type move, Thunderbolt, and its power was not small.
"I'm fine, just a little numb!"
Dr. Oak's lips curled slightly, revealing a row of bright white teeth.
He felt it was worth being electrocuted to get data on Zapdos.
Brock and Misty also saw Dr. Oak's miserable state.
"This is called 'fine'? It seems a Pokémon Dr. is not someone an ordinary person can be..." Misty muttered softly.
"Indeed." Brock also whispered in agreement.
"Doctor, how is Zapdos? Its old injuries shouldn't be a big problem, right?" Ash asked.
"Its condition is very good, Ash. Your Potion concoction skills have improved again. I saw the medicine you applied; it should fully recover after about two months of rest. I do not recommend you take it on a journey during this time."
Saying this, Dr. Oak also pulled up Zapdos's medical examination information and showed it to Ash.
Ash quickly glanced at it and said, "Doctor, I understand. I'll leave Zapdos in your care for the next period!"
"It's no big deal, but Ash, could you send back more Pokémon? Since you left, the Laboratory hasn't had a new research direction for a long time."
Dr. Oak said this while frantically winking and hinting at Ash, almost directly telling Ash to send him the Ancient Dragonite.
"Doctor, I'll try my best."
How could Ash not know what Dr. Oak meant? But Ancient Dragonite was his current trump card for survival, the last resort when even Gardevoir's Mega Evolution couldn't defeat an enemy.
The two chatted for a while longer. After learning that Dr. Oak and his mother, Delia, would be traveling to Lampur City with others from Pallet Town in a few days, Ash and Dr. Oak agreed to meet again in Lampur City.
After leaving the Pokémon Center, the group, at Ash's persuasion, first replenished their travel necessities before heading to the port.
Vermilion City, as one of the top cities in the Kanto region and also a coastal City, has a large port. Not only is its commerce prosperous, but its tourism industry is also very thriving, especially with sightseeing cruises. Because of this, Vermilion City's port is like a small bustling market.
Ash saw many good quality Evolution Stones at the port, and also saw James's debut in women's clothing.
Indeed, he was more feminine than many women. One could only say he was worthy of being a cross-dressing master from a wealthy family, with extraordinary insight, acting more real than real.
And the Team Rocket Trio also saw Ash's group. They had originally planned to give out a few tickets to trick Ash and his friends onto their organization's ship, but seeing that the three of them already had tickets, they had no choice but to give up.
Only the Team Rockets in charge of St. Anne's panicked.
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