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Chapter 38: Tourist Commotion and Riddles Galore
Another day's travel on her bike, Angelina saw on her Poké-Gear map that she should head on to Cinnabar Island by means of sailing on a cruise ship porting off in Bayview Town. Of course the trip would take no more than five hours, so Angelina thought she'd relax and get back to her training once she arrived on Cinnabar Island.
"Ahh, this is the life." Angelina sighed, she was on the front deck of the ship with a huge swimming pool and many people lounging around or doing whatever. She was laying on a lounging chair in her dark blue bikini, she wanted to get a suntan but otherwise enjoying her relaxing time. Cocoa was also sleeping on an empty lounge chair beside Angelina; not missing out also on the mini break.
"Hey Miss, is that your Pokemon?" said a voice that woke up Angelina from dosing off for a nap.
Angelina sat up and turned to where she heard the voice come from and lowered her sunglasses. She saw a young boy close to her age but he was in a wheelchair and wore average clothes, jeans and a t-shirt. He had brown hair, and was grasping a Pokéball.
"Oh," Angelina started and turned to where her Pichu was sleeping but stirred from his napping, "Yes that's mine, I've been training this little one since it hatch a month ago. Do you happen to know if there's a Pokemon Gym located on Cinnabar Island? I'm looking forward to battling the gym leader for my next badge."
"Yeah, I know," the trainer said. "I'd tell you where the gym is located if you'd battle me, but ship rules say no battles around tourists. I'm Jason, glad to meet you."
"Oh, that's okay. I'm Angelina Murakami, I'd accept anyway if we were aloud to battle." Angelina smiled as she got up and reached for her short-sleeved coat that reached to her knees. "I have to beat Cinnabar's gym to get my seventh badge; but then I-"
"Hey look! Who let this loser on the boat!" said a snide nasal and familiar voice to Angelina's left.
"Gary! You're going to Cinnabar Island?" followed another familiar but less-annoying voice.
Angelina turned and saw Gary and his cheerleaders standing not too far from Ash and his friends, she sighed, 'Great, just what I need….'
"Gees, there sure are a lot of people on this boat." Ash observes nervously. "And I bet they're all Pokemon trainers."
"Trainers?" Gary laughed, now lounging on a chair while his cheerleaders watch on. "You don't have a clue, as usual."
"Huh?" Ash turned to him as Angelina glares.
"Pokemon trainers haven't gone to Cinnabar Island since my grandfather's days as a trainer. These people are all tourist, Cinnabar Island's a resort!" Gary explained.
"Waaah! It's a resort?" Ash cried.
"I earned so many badges, I'm taking a break to work on my tan," Gary stretched more comfortably.
"He's so cool!" the cheerleaders swooned.
"A real trainer never takes a break," Ash scolds. "So while you're tanning, I'll be at the gym winning a badge!"
"Cinnabar Island doesn't even have a gym!" Gary informs.
"Gary knows it all!" the cheerleaders agree.
"What do you mean?" Ash frowns. "It's gotta have a gym."
Angelina gasped, "No gym? Then what am I coming out here for?"
"Well you can believe what you want to, but you'll see for yourself, you're wasting time." Gary shrugged uncaringly and resumed tanning.
"We'll see who's wasting time." Ash growled.
"Hey, you don't have to believe Gary because I know where the gym is." Jason assures.
"Really?" Angelina asks hopefully.
"Sure," Jason smiled. "The Cinnabar Gym.… does not exist. It was abandoned many years back from the tourists."
"What! But then…." Angelina was interrupted.
"But, Angelina. Blaine, the gym leader, is still very much battling." Jason informs. "I think he's still located somewhere on the island, I dunno if you'll have luck finding him though."
"I might need it, thank you. Thank you very much, Jason." Angelina says gratefully. "I suppose this is goodbye, for now."
"Yes, and next time maybe we can battle."
"Of course, and I will accept, too."
Jason and Angelina parted ways, and Angelina was well on her way to earn her seventh badge.
The ship finally pulled into the harbor and many people unloaded. Angelina looked around at her surroundings while consisted many booths selling souvenirs, fast food joints, restaurants, and a lot of tourists walking through the streets. She knew her first stop on this island was to find the gym leader and his gym. Although within a few hours, she did not have the best of luck finding anything as she sat down on a bench in disappointment.
"Why so upset, little lady?" asked an unrecognizable voice.
Angelina looked up and saw a man with long orange hair and a matching colored mustache. He wore sunglasses, a long sleeved red top with a blue design on the bottom and red pants, and a green beaded necklace. She thought this man looked like a hippie, but she kept her mouth shut from criticizing his fashion sense.
"I was looking for Blaine's gym so I can earn my seventh badge." Angelina replied. "But I've heard the gym doesn't exist and was shut down because of the tourists."
"Hmm, I understand," The man nodded in thought. "However, he does have a gym here. It's right where you put your glasses."
"Huh?" Angelina asked, she blinked in confusion. "Oh, a riddle! In front of your eyes?"
"You're exactly right!" the hippie shouted. "Blaine's gym is right in front of your eyes." He points to Angelina's right and she gasped at seeing a destroyed and broken down gym.
"Oh no, what happened?" Angelina asked in shock.
"Blaine got tired of battling tourists who cared more about souvenirs than Pokemon." the hippie explained. "That's when he abandoned the gym."
"But sir, I've been a Pokemon trainer for three years!" Angelina exclaimed, taking out a medium sized purple-colored box that held eighteen badges. "I came all the way out to this island so I can battle Blaine for the Volcano badge!"
"That's very impressive, lil missy, but Cinnabar Island is the wrong place for battling." the hippie sighed. "Here's my card, in case you don't have anywhere to stay tonight."
Angelina took the car and looked it over, showing a pink tower and a brown volcano with words written at the bottom. "The Big Riddle Inn? It doesn't make sense with how popular this island is."
"I'm sure it would with my next riddle. What do tourists think is hot and cool?"
Angelina closed her eyes to think for a moment. "Does it deal with the hot springs?" she guessed and the man nodded.
"Because of the volcano there are lots of hot springs on Cinnabar Island. And every year more and more tourist come to visit. Now they've even taken over Cinnabar Island and trainers don't come anymore!"
"That's really sad," Angelina sympathized. "Well I'm going to the Pokemon Center." she made her way into the building to heal her Pokemon and get a peaceful nights' sleep, but she wasn't expecting the lobby to be full of people.
"I'm very sorry," Nurse Joy said. "We've got so many visitors, they're sleeping in the lobby. It's the busy season, we simply just don't have any room."
Angelina sighed and left the Pokemon Center. She walked to the other hotels around the island and found out that all of them were booked for the year; and there was no way she was camping out on the beach either.
"Might as well give up hope," Angelina said, then she remembered the card she was given from the hippie guy and pulled it out of her skirt pocket. "Hmm, are these directions? ….no, it's another riddle! If you look near the swing you will see my hand, or at least my face." She hiked up a big hill and through the tropical forest where she found a little park and towards the swings, she saw a building with a clock tower. "Oh, that must be it!"
Angelina made her way up to the small hotel and walked inside. It opened up into a greeting room. The walls were beige and the front counter was dark burgundy. Touristy nick-knacks covered the walls and shelves and a red love seat sat in the corner of the room.
"I see you came up with the correct solution." the hippie greeted. "Your reward is a free room at the hotel."
"Thanks, it wasn't that hard!" Angelina smiled, then pleaded, "But do you know anything about Blaine and the disappearance of his gym?"
"I suppose I could let you know that Blaine built a gym where tourists never see. Its in a place where firefighters never win."
"Well that's easy, a volcano." Angelina said, smirking.
"You're right again." the hippy guy said. "Now the last riddle maybe a little tricky. It's not a hat, but it keeps your head dry. If you wear it, its only because you've already lost it."
Angelina blinked, a little confused. "What does a wig have to do with a volcano?"
"That wig, my dear, happens to be my disguise." the hippy guy's voice turned raspier as he took off his fake mustache, sunglasses, and the wig on his head, revealing his true identity. Around his head, he had long gray hair, with a large bald spot on the top. "I am Blaine, the Gym Master of Cinnabar Island."
"Oh wow, it's nice to finally meet you. I understand why you're hiding the gym that only real challengers to find. My names' Angelina Murakami, and I challenge you for the Volcano badge."
Blaine chuckled. "Yes, I accept your challenge. Now if you would follow me, our battle will be underway." he led her behind the hotel and down the steps inside a tunnel lite by candles stuck into the walls. Angelina began to feel very warm as she entered through two huge steel doors that revealed a rock floor going all the way around the large room with a gym stadium connected to the wall by four chains and boiling lava underneath.
Angelina made her way over to the trainer side of the stadium, eager to start her battle for her seventh Kanto badge.
§To Be Continued§
*Chapter based from the anime episode "Riddle Me This".
*The episode title is a reference to the Batman villain The Riddler's catchphrase; "Riddle me this"
*Angelina, Ash and Co. reach Cinnabar Island.
*Gary is taking a break from badge-collecting.
*Angelina meets a handicap trainer named Jason.
*Angelina discovers Blaine hidden his gym from tourists through a hippy disguise and riddles.
*Angelina prepares her battle with Blaine for the Volcano Badge.
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