Day 9 — May 11th
Seafoam Islands
Instinct was the immediate motivation Ash had had for jumping after Misty. After all, logically, there was no good reason to do so; it wasn't like he could magically transport them back to where Brock and Pikachu were, even if he did somehow manage to reach her in time. Physics sucks.
Thankfully, one of the more useful skills he'd finally managed to master was his reaction time to falling. Almost a decade of stumbling into Team Rocket's pitfalls had taught him that he needed to react fast.
Instinctively, the Frontier Brain reached to his belt and unclipped one of the Pokéballs there, expanding and opening it in one fluid motion. "Wartortle!" cried the Water-type Pokémon, materializing right in front of Ash. Then he seemed to notice the pull of gravity. "War!"
"I know!" shouted Ash, latching on to the turtle's shell and angling them headfirst towards the water. He spied Misty – holding tightly to her Staryu – splash into the water and disappear beneath the surface. The raven-haired trainer took one last deep breath before he, too, plunged into the icy depths, succumbing for a moment to the shock of the temperature change. He shook it off as best he could, kicking hard to help Wartortle swim them to the surface.
The two broke the water and gulped air, Ash spotting Misty not far from their position. She and Staryu appeared to be struggling with the current, and Ash noticed that Wartortle was also paddling vigorously in order to stay in the same spot.
"Ash!" he heard Brock yell, vaguely registering that his older friend must have been shouting himself hoarse to be heard over the rushing water.
"Don't worry about us!" Ash hollered back, hoping the breeder could hear him. "We'll just ride the current to wherever it takes us and meet you later! Take care of Pikachu for me!" He thought he heard Brock say something in response, but his attention was forced to the task at hand, tapping Wartortle on the shell in silent communication.
The Turtle Pokémon got the message; he immediately stopped fighting the current, allowing himself and his trainer to shoot straight past Misty, who realized Ash's plan after a moment. She signaled Staryu, letting her Pokémon know to follow Wartortle's example, and was promptly chasing after Ash amidst a rush of water.
Neither trainer was sure how long they were stuck in their position, clutching for dear life to their Water-type Pokémon as the flow surged onward, but both knew that, between the freezing temperature and compounding exhaustion, neither they nor their Pokémon would last much longer. Suddenly, Wartortle's feathered ears perked forward, catching Ash's attention and forcing him to focus on whatever the turtle's more sensitive ears had picked up on. "Hey," he called back after a moment, "is it just me, or is it getting louder?"
Misty strained her ears as well, noticing it after a few seconds. "Yeah," she stated slowly, loud enough for him to hear. "You don't think…"
"Knowing our luck? Probably," he groaned.
The surrounding area began to lighten up, the narrow path the water followed opening into a wide internal cavern that stretched beyond their line of sight. Small pockets of frozen land were attached to walls made entirely of ice, the majority of this part of the Seafoam Islands covered by water.
The only problem was that the entire area was a solid two stories below them.
Crap, thought both trainers, tightening their holds on Wartortle and Staryu as they approached the waterfall that separated the underground river from the water below. All four went over the waterfall, the two Pokémon angling themselves into a dive to limit the damage the fall would cause.
It took several minutes to recover, the group surfacing and swimming to the nearest shore, dragging themselves upon it with the last vestiges of their strength. Wartortle collapsed on his stomach and moaned as Staryu slumped to the icy floor not far from him. "Well," huffed Ash, his breath visible in the air, "that was…more adventure…than I…bargained for."
"You're…telling me," moaned Misty, attempting to find the energy to sit up. "Thanks for the help, Staryu," she told the Pokémon, returning it in a stream of light. Ash followed her example, complimenting Wartortle for a job well done and returning him to his ball for a long rest. "N-now wh-what?" she asked, hugging herself and trying to prevent her teeth from chattering.
"Shelter," Ash managed, unclipping another Pokéball after putting back Wartortle's. "Charizard, help us out here." The fire dragon appeared with a roar, wings outstretched and prepared for a fight. When no opponent seemed forthcoming, he shot a look at his trainer that seemed to say 'where's my battle?', but Ash merely shrugged and asked the Pokémon to use Flamethrower on the wall.
Charizard gave a disdainful snort before complying, unleashing a stream of flame at the icy wall in front of him. As the ice melted away, Misty felt something wet touch her arms. She held out a hand and caught a stray snowflake, nudging Ash and pointing to the sky. He looked up and saw that a slight flurry had begun to fall, growing progressively harder as the seconds ticked. "Wh-where did this c-come from?" he asked. "And how?"
"D-dunno," shrugged the redhead, no longer attempting to disguise her chattering, "b-but we n-need to g-get out of the c-cold." A surprised roar from Charizard caught their attention, and the pair turned to see the cause of the outburst.
Apparently the wall of ice Charizard had been burning through was really just a thin sheet that had frozen over one of Seafoam's natural caves. Both trainers blinked. "…D-didn't s-see that c-coming," Misty stammered. Ash bobbed his head in agreement before remembering that a frozen, sheltered cave was much better than the unprotected basement of Seafoam. He led Misty inside, Charizard ambling in behind them.
The cave was rather spacious, deep but lit too dimly for either human to see the end. The walls were all smooth ice, and stalactites of varying height hung from the ceiling. The faint trickling of water could be heard from deeper within, beyond their sight.
"Roomy," Misty commented, turning to get the full view. "S-so what's ne—Ash!"
Said trainer – hands grasping the bottom of his partially-stripped shirt, lab coat already discarded on the floor – turned his head towards Misty, tossing her a confused expression. "What?"
"What are you doing?" she shrieked, the red in her cheeks now a unknown mixture of cold and embarrassment.
"Well, I think it's been established that hypothermia is bad for you," he began wryly, releasing his hold on his shirt to tick off points on his fingers. "Considering that we've been in the freezing water of a notoriously icy island for who-knows how long, are sopping wet, and are currently in the middle of the most random blizzard ever, I believe that not wearing water-logged clothes is a good idea. Complaints?"
"No, I…I get it, but…you're…stripping?" Misty voiced nervously.
"Not exactly ideal, I know," Ash told her, bending down and digging through his backpack. After several seconds, he surfaced with two bundles, tossing one of them to the redhead. She caught it with only a slight fumble of frozen fingers, turning over the wrapping and eyeing the contents. "Plastic-wrapped blanket," Ash answered her unspoken question. "Good ol' Brock wanted to be prepared, 'just in case'," he explained, adding air quotes. "I guess making fun of him doesn't work so well when his planning saved us, huh? Anyway, they're itchy, but probably the only dry thing we have."
Misty continued to eye the blanket suspiciously, turning away as Ash went back to removing his wet shirt with no regard for his company. Don't look, don't look, don't look, she chanted to herself, a mantra she hoped would counteract the continued blush of her cheeks. She caught sight of Shellder hidden in a corner of the cave, its shell open to watch the current spectacle with interest. The Bivalve Pokémon stuck its tongue out and cried its name in a tone that Misty felt was pure mockery. "Wise guy," she muttered, turning away from the Water-type but keeping her back to Ash.
She reached down to remove her own shirt, but stopped suddenly when she felt eyes on her. Suspecting Ash, she turned around to see the broad expanse of his back, hands dealing with his second shoe. Misty averted her eyes again, but managed to find Charizard staring at her, the Flame Pokémon standing halfway between his trainer and the redhead. "Do you mind?" she demanded, and Charizard immediately faced the other way, rumbling in slight embarrassment. "Perv," she muttered, catching sight of the Shellder sticking its tongue out at her again. "You shut up," she told it.
Misty proceeded to remove her wet clothing, fighting the urge to turn around and check on Ash (and to make sure Charizard wasn't watching her again). Even though the two had kept in touch over the years, the last time she had seen Ash in such a state of undress was as a teenager, and she was mildly curious to know how much he'd grown physically.
Not that she was willing to admit that out loud.
That would mean putting it out to the world that she'd grown up to care about Ash in a romantic way, and that was just untenable. It wasn't that she didn't care about him – after all, returning to the Cerulean Gym after the conclusion of the Silver Conference, after following him around for years with the excuse that it was all about the bike he'd fried on their first meeting, had been one of the hardest decisions she'd ever made – but that the idea of him reciprocating seemed too farfetched at this point in their lives.
Granted, she'd known when she left their journey after Johto that it was about more than the bike. It hadn't necessarily been love, not yet, but the admiration and attraction had certainly been there. Ash's never-give-up attitude, his selflessness, and his outgoing personality had held a sway over her that Misty couldn't quite explain. Even his unorthodox battling strategies – Pikachu and Onix, Charizard and Blastoise, Kingler and ZAPDOS, she mentally recounted – had been, and continued to be, an inspiration, even influencing her to teach Gyarados Flamethrower.
She and Ash had spoken with a semblance of frequency, travel schedule permitting, during his journeys through Hoenn and Sinnoh, and she had often bit down the rising spike of jealously whenever he'd mention May or Dawn. Brock's assurances that both May and Dawn held interest in other people and that Ash had never expressed interest in either girl had helped a little (even if the breeder's romantic inclinations had always been a bit suspect), but it hadn't prevented some semblance of envy from rearing its head of its own accord.
And it was entirely possible that the biggest problem wasn't even with her, Misty thought as she tugged off her shoes. Despite numerous girls showing interest in him, Ash had always remained steadfastly interested in training, battling, and befriending Pokémon over people. Brock had stated as much in Saffron with his claim that Ash had never dated, and it gave the redhead pause if the thought of settling down and having a family had ever even crossed his mind. She'd gone out on numerous occasions as opportunities arose between running the gym and managing her Indigo League responsibilities, but none of them had ultimately worked out, even as she'd hoped to find someone who was her equal.
Someone like Ash, she'd realized a couple years prior, the concept of being in love with her best friend striking like a thunderbolt.
So when he'd come by the gym, asking her to join him on a journey of epic proportions, she'd had to shove down the side that wanted to jump up and say 'yes!' with the responsible part of her that knew the gym took priority over the feelings she'd been putting on the back burner for too long.
"Hey, you done yet?" came Ash's voice. "I'm just kinda standing over here…waiting."
"Just a sec. Keep your pants on."
Misty heard Ash snort, "A little too late for that." Another flush heated her cheeks at the image his comment conjured, and to distract herself, she bent down to pick up the plastic bundle and withdraw the blanket. She slung it over her shoulders, double-checking to make sure she was decent before calling out, "Okay, you can look."
Both turned around simultaneously, Ash also huddled deep within the itchy fabric of his own blanket. "It's like being back in prehistoric times," he joked.
"Ash, just…don't talk," Misty mumbled, trying to crawl even deeper within the blanket's folds.
The Frontier Brain shot her a look halfway between confusion and hurt, staying silent for a moment before quietly asking Charizard to lie down. His Pokémon seemed to resent the command even as he obeyed, laying belly down on the floor of the cavern. "Sorry," he told the Pokémon, "but we need as much space as possible." Charizard snort in mild disdain, but remained still as Ash began to lay his wet clothes on the dragon's skin, steam rising at the contact. "You're welcome to do the same thing," Ash offered.
Misty gave a brief nod of muted appreciation, dragging her clothes over and placing them along Charizard's flank, her shoes set to dry by the giant flame on his tail. She saw that Ash had purposefully positioned his clothes on Charizard so that she could put her own things on a different area without him seeing them, and immediately felt bad for telling him to be quiet. "Sorry Ash," she apologized quietly, "I'm just…really uncomfortable with this situation."
There was a brief moment of silence as Ash seemed to register what she said before comprehension dawned on his face. "Oh…no, it's okay, I get it. Hey, what's that?" he asked, walking over to an object lying on the ground next to Misty's changing spot.
Misty checked over the clothes she had placed on Charizard's body before her eyes widened in horror. "No Ash, don't—!" she started, turning to face him and finding him .
Ash reached the spot and almost immediately recoiled, back-pedaling quickly to his side of the cavern. A strip of red crossed the bridge of his nose as Misty walked over and picked up the object: her bra, left behind in her haste to dry the rest of her clothes. Face as red as her hair, Misty trudged over to Charizard and laid the object by one strap on the Pokémon's wing-tip, out of Ash's sight.
Silence reigned in the cavern for a long moment, only to be broken by the high-pitched wailing of the Shellder in the corner, the sound echoing around the space in what Misty assumed was the creature's laughter. Her face grew redder, this time in anger, and she pointed accusingly at the Bivalve Pokémon. "That's it!" she shouted, outstretched finger trembling in rage. "You have mocked me since we got in here, and now you've crossed the line!" The Gym Leader reached into her backpack and pulled out a Pokéball, enlarging it and then throwing it out in front of her. "Misty chooses Politoed!"
The amphibian appeared in a flash, clapping his hands together merrily. "Politoed, use Water Gun!"
The Frog Pokémon stopped cheering and adopted a serious expression. "Poli!" he croaked, shooting a torrent of water from his mouth at Shellder. Shellder seemed to realize that it was being attached and quickly formed an Ice Beam using the spikes atop its shell. The ice attack hit the water one, freezing it in midair.
Misty growled in frustration. "Use Growl," she told her Pokémon, and Politoed began a throaty croaking that caused Shellder to wince and close its shell. "Now, Water Gun again!" Politoed blasted another stream of water that hit Shellder, the power behind it cracking the ice Shellder was resting on. "Let's finish this up with a Headbutt!"
"Toad!" agreed her Pokémon, rushing forward and slamming his head into Shellder. The force of the impact created a small fracture in the Bivalve Pokémon's shell, prompting Misty to throw a Pokéball at it as Politoed leaped out of the way. The red and white ball shook twice before settling down, and Politoed clapped his hands together joyously while Misty went and picked up her new capture.
"Well," she began, suddenly more upbeat, "looks like I've got a new Pokémon. Thanks, Politoed, you did great." The amphibian croaked once before being recalled.
"Nice job," Ash congratulated from his seat by Charizard's tail, not looking in her direction at all. He poked his shirt, muttering, "Still a little damp," before turning to Misty and saying, "Why don't you come over here and warm up? The clothes are almost done drying."
"Okay," she chirped, walking over and settling in a spot across from him. Silence reigned as both trainers sat as close as they could to the fire at the end of Charizard's tail. Unprompted, the redhead asked, "Have you ever thought about starting a family?"
The raven-haired trainer directed his gaze to the ceiling, gathering his thoughts. "Sometimes," he admitted slowly, "but not often. I know it would make Mom happy, but I like my life as it is, you know? Among other reasons," he muttered.
"What do you mean?"
Ash sighed. "I think most girls only want to go out with me because I beat the Elite Four, or because I'm a Frontier Brain, or, or even because I'm a Pokémon researcher who's really well-known. I've never felt like anybody's interested in me for the right reasons."
"Is that why you've never dated before?" Ash shot her a puzzled expression, and Misty admitted, "Brock told me while you were visiting Sabrina."
"Yeah," he nodded. "You know, sometimes I wish I could find a girl like you, Mist."
The redhead almost swallowed her tongue. "…Sorry?" she managed.
"You know…someone who's smart and funny, loves Pokémon, is easy to be around. A lot like you! Don't you think it would be funny if we tried dating?" he joked.
His comment, delivered so carelessly, was like a stab to her heart. Misty tried not to let the hurt shine in her blue-green eyes. "Oh…yeah, funny…"
Charizard interrupted the lull in conversation with a low growl, propelling Ash into laying a hand upon his clothing. "They're all dry." He looked outside and noticed that the blizzard had stopped. "Let's change and get out of here," he suggested. "I'm getting antsy just sitting here." Charizard roared his own approval as the two trainers collected their clothes and returned to their respective parts of the cave.
It took ten minutes to dress, pack up the blankets, return Charizard to his Pokéball, and step outside. Misty remained in a rather somber mood the whole time, Ash's previous statement echoing in her head like a mountaineer's call.
It could be amazing, she thought dourly. Damn it, Ash, sometimes you can be a real idiot.
"Misty?"
The redhead jerked at the mention of her name. "Huh?"
Ash was looking at her with a puzzled expression plastered across his face. "I asked where we should go next. You are the leader, after all."
Misty's confusion dissolved into unsure timidity. "Oh, uh, maybe it's better if you lead from here. If Articuno really is somewhere in Seafoam, then you have a better idea of where it would be hiding down here than I do." Smooth, she sarcastically drawled to herself. When Ash's look morphed into concern, the redhead felt the need to reassure her friend that she was fine. She opened her mouth to say something, but found herself shocked silent when something jolted her, lifting her off the ground.
Misty heard Ash yelp beside her. "What the—Articuno?" she heard him ask. She tilted her head as far back as she could, spying scaly grey legs and a chest of white feathers.
Is it really Articuno? she wondered. Both trainers were quiet as they were flown across the basement of the island, descending slowly after ten minutes of continuous flight. The bird released its grip on the trainers, allowing them to drop a couple of feet onto a piece of land surrounded on three sides by water and the last side by a sheer wall of ice.
Ash and Misty clambered to their feet, gazing with open-mouthed awe at Articuno. In contrast to Zapdos – whose angular body clearly depicted it as the bird of thunder – Articuno was the very picture of icy elegance. Beautiful, powder blue plumage covered its body from head to wingtips, with the exception of its white chest and crest of three dark blue feathers atop its head, arranged almost like a crown. "It's still pretty young," Ash observed.
"What?"
"Well," he pointed out, "an Articuno's age is determined by the length of its tail." Misty focused on the ribbon-like tail, blue as its crown, that seemed to ripple with the slightest breeze, noticing that the appendage was almost as long as its five-foot frame. "A fully-mature Articuno has a tail that's twice the length of its body," he continued, "meaning that this one is still relatively young. Though it's still strong, if it can carry both of us."
Misty could only stare at Ash, impressed by his knowledge. She knew that he was working as a Pokémon Researcher, and was even aware that he dabble in Legendary Pokémon lore, but to hear him regurgitate actual knowledge in such a clinical fashion – especially compared to the less book-smart version she'd traveled with in their youth – was impressive. After a moment, she returned her attention to Articuno, taking in its majesty as it leveled an intense stare at the two humans.
"I guess you just couldn't wait anymore, huh, Articuno?" called Ash, startling his companion. "And I'm betting that you started that blizzard earlier?"
"Whoo-oo," trilled Articuno, flapping its wings in anticipation. Ash reached for his belt to grab Charizard's Pokéball, but a burst of light from his right side distracted him. Primeape formed in front of him, punching his gloved hands together and screeching excitedly.
"Primeape?" blinked Ash. "You want to battle?" When Primeape stomped his feet with rapidity, Ash's trademark grin appeared. "Alright buddy, let's give it a shot. Let's start this up with a Mega Kick!"
So it begins, thought Misty, following Primeape's movements as the Fighting-type charged towards the Ice/Flying hybrid. The Legendary bird used its wings to lift off the ground, hovering just above Primeape as Ash's Pokémon went past the spot Articuno had just vacated in a flying kick. The Pig Monkey Pokémon looked up at his adversary, shaking his fists and hopping up and down in anger.
"Whoooo-hoo," cried the bird, flapping its wings and releasing a fine powder of snow. Primeape was hit with the full blast of the Icy Wind attack, crossing his arms to better protect himself. Ash gritted his teeth in frustration. As long as Articuno is in the air, Primeape won't really be able to attack it. Gotta find a way to get Articuno down…or Primeape up, he realized, the grin slowly returning to his face.
"Primeape, head for the wall!" Ash called. The Pig Monkey Pokémon saluted smartly, running straight for the icy wall opposite him. Articuno immediately formed a frigid ball of ice in its beak, shooting a jagged beam out in an attempt to hit Primeape. "Dodge," ordered Ash, though Primeape was already zigzagging across the small landmass in an attempt to avoid Articuno's Ice Beam.
The Fighting-type closed in on the wall, dodging right as another Ice Beam tore over the ground and wall, forming jagged, crystalline spires wherever the attack hit. Primeape hopped onto the newly-formed icicle, jumping even higher to evade each new attack from the Legendary bird and using the resulting ice to leap further up. Fifty feet in the air, Primeape bounded away from wall as Ash shouted, "Fire Punch!"
Flames roared to life around both gloved fists as Primeape came within 10 feet of the hovering Articuno. "Prime-ape!" he cried, thrusting one hand into Articuno's chest, the second swinging at its head. The blue bird screeched in pain, flapping its wings in an attempt to throw off the Pig Monkey Pokémon. Despite the super effective attack, Articuno willed through the pain, its eyes glowing slightly. It flapped its wings in a Gust attack, dislodging Primeape from its body and sending the Pokémon into free fall.
Primeape righted himself in midair, but Articuno was already ready for him. It flapped its wings, eyes aglow, and sent a powerful Blizzard right at the Fighting-type. "Fire Punch again!" Ash commanded. Primeape began to punch the snow with fiery fists, melting the flurries that came close to him. The Freeze Pokémon flapped again, pelting its opponent with a harsher blizzard that blew the Fighting-type into the ice wall, a spider-web of cracks forming at the point of impact. Primeape groaned in pain as Articuno prepared another Ice Beam, firing it quickly and freezing Ash's Pokémon to the wall.
Articuno crowed in victory as Ash was forced to recall Primeape. "You did well," he told the Pokéball, clipping it back to his belt. There's no way Articuno could've been that accurate, even if Primeape had nowhere to dodge. The glowing eyes, he realized after a moment, must've been Mind Reader. No wonder it hit every time. Well, time for my original strategy. "Charizard, I choose you!" he cried, summoning the fiery dragon with a flick of the wrist. Charizard appeared in a burst of light, roaring proudly.
The Freeze Pokémon screeched in response, firing a quick Ice Beam at its opponent that was countered with a Flamethrower. Heh, smirked Ash. One of the good things about using one of my oldest Pokémon is that I don't even need to tell him what to do half the time.
The collision of the opposing elements caused a cloud of steam to shroud the field. From the outskirts of the steam, Ash thought he saw two pinpoints of glowing blue light before the vapor appeared to thicken and swirl, as if being controlled. Articuno's Mist attack, Ash scowled. "Charizard, fly up and blow away that mist with your wings," he ordered. His Pokémon roared in understanding, flapping his leathery wings and ascending above the mist.
Charizard beat his wings, removing Articuno's cover from the field and revealing the Ice/Flying hybrid standing on the ground. Amidst the blue bird's surprised squawk, Ash shouted, "Now Charizard, Dragon Rage!"
A crackling white-yellow sphere of energy built within the Fire- and Flying-type's maw before it was launched at the Legendary bird, expanding on impact and engulfing Articuno in its mass. Charizard beat his wings proudly at this accomplishment, shooting a jet of fire into the sky. Ash smiled at his Pokémon and pumped his fist excitedly.
It took several seconds for the smoke from the attack to clear, but when it did, Articuno was revealed to still be standing, albeit badly injured. Despite its wounds, Articuno managed to spread its wings – flinching in the process – and flap them cautiously, sending out a light Powder Snow. Charizard shielded himself with own wings, the appendages glowing white as he utilized Steel Wing. "Okay, Charizard, you know what to do!" Ash shouted, relying on his Pokémon's trainer-less training in the Charicific Valley to pull through.
The Flame Pokémon rushed through Articuno's fading attack, arms extended in an attempt at a grab. The Legendary bird hopped to the side in an ungraceful evasion, but Charizard swung his tail at his foe, nailing the Ice/Flying hybrid across one of its wings. Articuno shrieked in pain, and Charizard took the opportunity to turn around and grab it, performing another half-turn and throwing it against the icy wall.
Articuno screeched again as its body collided with the hard surface, and Ash knew it was time to finish up the battle. "Flamethrower!" he shouted. His Pokémon roared, releasing a white-hot stream of fire that pinned the bird to the wall and began to melt the ice surrounding it. Charizard cut off the attack after several seconds, allowing the Freeze Pokémon to slump to the ground in a dead faint. Ash threw a Pokéball at it, a little unnerved when it didn't even shake once.
"We should probably get Articuno to a Pokémon Center as quickly as possible," he said, walking over and picking up the ball as Charizard roared his victory to the sky. "Great job, Charizard," he praised as the Fire/Flying hybrid was recalled to his Pokéball, "though you may have gone a little overboard."
"Hey! Ash, Misty!" Both trainers turned to find Brock and Pikachu waving from across the water.
Ash laughed as he waved back. "Brock, Pikachu, you're both okay!"
Misty released Gyarados into the water, climbing on his back with Ash not far behind. The echo of Brock's laughter drifted over them as they sailed closer to their older friend. "Yeah, well, unlike you, I know how to not get lost!"
Ash rolled his eyes as Misty snorted. "Haha, very funny," he retorted.
It only took a minute to make land where Brock and Pikachu were waiting. The electric mouse immediately jumped into Ash's arms with a cry. "We saw the last bit of your battle with Articuno," Brock said. "That was a pretty nice combo that Charizard pulled off."
The raven-haired trainer rubbed the back of his head with one hand. "Yeah, it worked pretty well, didn't it? Of course, it helped that Primeape did some damage beforehand, and also that Articuno is pretty young and inexperienced, but Charizard did an amazing job."
Brock nodded as Ash scratched Pikachu behind the ear. "So, Cinnabar next, right?"
"Yep," confirmed Ash, beginning to walk towards the exit. "We'll catch the boat to Knot Island from there to find Moltres." He paused in his stride away from his friends, tilting his head back with an embarrassed expression on his face. "Uh, maybe you should lead the way Brock. You did get down here after all."