Taking advantage of this trip, Delia came to see Ash along the way. She also met Ash's traveling companions and learned about his daily life from Misty.
After hearing about the Ancient Dragonite from Ash, Professor Oak gave a few additional instructions before heading off to conduct research with his colleagues.
After wandering around for half a day, Delia and Misty—who now looked almost like sisters—ended up buying a huge pile of things.
Delia also bought gifts for Misty and Brock to thank them for taking care of Ash during the journey.
Usually carefree and loud, Misty became noticeably more gentle and reserved in front of Delia.
Knowing that his mom would be leaving the next day, Ash specially bought her a few gifts as well. He had quite a lot of Pokémon League money on him now, so he didn't really need to worry about prices anymore.
To thank Misty for accompanying his mom on the shopping trip, Ash planned to take her to catch a Horsea the next day.
Horsea was adorable and perfectly suited to Misty's tastes—and it was also a Water-type Pokémon.
After all, Misty was a beautiful girl determined to become the world's greatest Water-type Pokémon Trainer.
For a cute Water-type like Horsea, it was practically the Pokémon of her dreams.
Since meeting Misty, Ash had noticed she had only trained three Pokémon: Goldeen, Staryu, and Starmie.
They were fairly common Pokémon, and along the journey she hadn't gone out of her way to capture many others.
In the original storyline, Misty also caught Horsea—so now seemed like the right time.
Earlier, when Ash had gone out to buy gifts, he had deliberately stopped by Pidgeon Harbor in Blue Lagoon City to check things out. There, he happened to encounter an injured Horsea.
It seemed Horsea and Misty were truly destined to meet. The system had even issued Ash a task to guide Misty into catching Horsea.
Guide her?
Misty would probably rush to catch it herself.
Following Horsea's directions, Ash also saw a large structure under construction out at sea.
The building belonged to Granny Jin, the cousin of the elderly woman from Blue Lagoon City. She planned to build a luxury seaside resort that could rival Blue Lagoon—called Paradise Resort, a super-luxurious offshore hotel.
However, during construction, the project kept being obstructed by groups of Tentacool.
Granny Jin wanted to reclaim the tourists who had been driven away to Blue Lagoon due to the Tentacool disturbances.
So she issued a bounty:
Anyone who dealt with the Tentacool swarm would receive 1,000,000 PokéDollars.
Short on funds, Team Rocket accepted the job. They planned to use a barrel of their "special chemical mixture" to capture the Tentacool—and then sell them on the market.
That way, they could both complete the bounty for one million PokéDollars and make another fortune selling the captured Tentacool.
Two profits in one move.
Team Rocket's plan sounded pretty perfect.
But it was precisely because of that barrel of chemicals that the Tentacool mutated and evolved into Tentacruel—including a giant leader Tentacruel.
Because Granny Jin's hotel construction had destroyed the Tentacool's habitat, the jellyfish Pokémon retaliated by attacking the town.
It was their way of making humans experience what it felt like to have their home destroyed.
In the end, thanks to Pikachu and Misty's efforts to persuade them, the Tentacool forgave humanity and returned to the sea.
Ash couldn't help wondering how the Pokémon League authorities would solve the problem of coexistence between humans and Pokémon.
Ash thought about it carefully.
If he stopped Team Rocket from accepting the job, some other professional team would probably take it anyway. The result might end up the same—or even worse.
Reporting it to the authorities might not work either.
The best he could do was inform Officer Jenny about the situation and see if there was any way to avoid harm on both sides.
Convincing that stubborn Granny Jin was basically impossible…
If it really came to it, he might have to negotiate like he did with Ancient Dragonite.
But the giant Tentacruel back then had been filled with hostility toward humans. With Ash's current level of Pokémon affinity, it probably wouldn't be enough to calmly talk things out with them.
And besides, this whole disaster was caused by Granny Jin herself.
So many people shouldn't have to pay the price for her mistakes.
She deserved to learn a lesson.
Ash watched his mom leave before heading to Pidgeon Harbor in Blue Lagoon City with Misty and Brock.
"Ash, there aren't any ships arriving at Pidgeon Harbor right now," Misty said. "The next ferry isn't for another three hours. Are we really here this early just to wait?"
"I'm bringing you to catch Horsea!"
Misty's bright eyes widened in surprise.
"Is it here at Pidgeon Harbor?"
Her face lit up with excitement. She grabbed Ash and rushed toward the destination, constantly urging Brock to hurry up.
The moment she heard "Water-type Pokémon," Misty seemed to get a burst of adrenaline, sprinting toward the place where Ash had seen Horsea.
"Where is it? Where is it?"
Misty looked out over the endless ocean. Aside from a few cargo ships and some offshore structures, she saw nothing.
Ash gave Pikachu a quick glance.
Pikachu understood immediately and began calling out loudly.
Before long, Horsea popped up from the ocean's surface and swam toward them.
"So cute!"
Misty looked at Horsea with delight and gently stroked its head.
Horsea didn't sense any hostility from Ash and the others. Not only did it not resist Misty's touch—it even seemed to enjoy it.
"Horsea, would you like to travel with me?" Misty asked softly.
"Cut it out."
"Brats."
"And you want to catch such a weak Pokémon?"
An untimely voice suddenly came from the side.
Turning around, they saw Team Rocket's trio—Jessie, James, and Meowth.
"It's you guys again, Team Rocket," Brock said, stepping forward to block them from approaching Horsea.
"You're here to catch Horsea too?" Misty asked suspiciously.
"Don't misunderstand us," Jessie said with a sneer. "We wouldn't bother catching such a weak Pokémon to drag us down."
Team Rocket had no interest in Horsea. In fact, they weren't even thinking about stealing Pikachu anymore.
Hearing this, Misty frowned. Ninety percent of what Team Rocket said couldn't be trusted.
"Relax. We're focused on making big money right now. We don't have time to deal with you brats, meow," Meowth said.
His mind was completely focused on Granny Jin's one-million PokéDollar bounty.
"Hurry up and catch it already," James said impatiently. The kids were getting in their way. He wanted them gone before they ruined their plans again.
Had Team Rocket changed their ways?
Brock looked at them suspiciously. They seemed different from usual.
But Misty didn't care about them at all—her entire focus was on catching Horsea.
Was Team Rocket planning to act against the Tentacool already?
Ash glanced around. There were no idle yachts nearby, and Team Rocket didn't seem to have brought their chemical barrel yet.
They were probably just scouting the area.
"Alright! I caught Horsea!"
Misty beamed with joy as she looked at the Poké Ball in her hand, which had finally stopped shaking.
Her heart was instantly filled with happiness.
She had caught Horsea.
"Kids will be kids," Jessie scoffed. "So immature."
After making a quick sarcastic remark, Team Rocket prepared to drive Ash and the others away.
They were ready to begin their operation.
"Alright," James said.
"Time for us to do something big."
PS: I've been releasing chapters daily . Honestly, it hurts seeing almost no support on Patreon after all that work.If you're enjoying the fic, even a little, supporting me would mean a lot. It helps a student stay independent .
complete fic (all chapters ) are already up on Patreon → patreon.com/Chakraflow789
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