The gang had been traveling for a few hours across the waters of Route 108, but there was a problem. Sure, Ash was confident in Lapras's speed, she could definitely get them to the next town in less than a day, that was, if she could see.
The problem was that as they traveled, a fog kicked up, making visibility worse, so they ended up having to slow down.
"Well, this sucks," Max said, looking out and barely being able to see in front of them. He was sitting with Vee curled up on his lap, because he insisted on holding Vee, totally not because he was soft.
Brock was looking through a map of Hoenn as he rubbed Vulpix's fur. "I heard that Route 108 sometimes gets thick fog, but I didn't think it could happen that fast."
May looked around and frowned. "Hey, Ash, can't you get Dragonite to, I dunno, flap her wings and blow the fog away?"
"Normally, yeah, but I can't right now," Ash said. Pikachu was sleeping on Lapras's head, and she was used to it. He did that a lot when they were in the Orange Islands.
When he noticed them looking at him, expecting a reason why he couldn't, he sighed. "This fog isn't just sitting on top of the water. It's layered, keeps regenerating as long as the temperature difference stays like this. If Dragonite tried to clear it, she'd just stir it up and make things worse."
Then he raised his hand, sensing a question from Max coming. "And before you ask, flying blind over open-ocean fog is how Pokémon lose their sense of direction. Even Dragonite."
Max's eyes widened. "So… air currents are unstable and visibility's bad?"
"Exactly," Ash said. "Lapras, at least, can feel the currents in the water. She's basically got built-in navigation."
Lapras let out a low, confident hum, her eyes glowing faintly as she adjusted her course, fins cutting through the water with practiced ease. Then she noticed something and narrowed her eyes, letting out a small sound.
That got everyone's attention.
They followed her gaze and saw it, something in the fog. A ship. Or at least, what looked like one.
It was old, rusted, and overgrown with vegetation, half of it already sunk.
The Abandoned Ship.
It was something everyone in Hoenn had heard about, one of those stories parents told their kids before bed.
The legend said it was nothing more than an old ship, docked for decades, rusting, rotting, and forgotten. An ocean graveyard nobody went near. Known only as the Abandoned Ship.
May's eyes widened in recognition. "It's the Abandoned Ship!"
Max leaned forward, squinting. "Whoa… it's real." He adjusted his glasses, excitement creeping in despite himself. "I thought it was just a story Dad used to tell us to go to sleep."
Lapras slowed even more, gliding cautiously as the silhouette of the ship loomed larger through the mist. Up close, it looked even worse, rusted steel ribs exposed, paint long since peeled away, seaweed and barnacles clinging to its sides. One half of the hull dipped permanently into the water, the other listing at an uneasy angle.
Ash frowned as he looked at it and thought about something. If he was right, then he might need to go there. Even Pikachu and Vee perked up, looking up from their nap spots.
Brock rubbed his chin. "Still… it could be a decent place to wait this fog out. Ships like that break up the currents. Less chop, more cover."
May stared at him. "You want to dock at the haunted ship."
"I didn't say haunted," Brock replied smoothly.
"That doesn't make things better."
Ash raised a hand, cutting in before May could spiral. "Relax. If no one's done anything about it in all these years, it's harmless." He glanced at the fog, then back at the ship. "But Brock's not wrong. Lapras, how are the currents?"
Lapras let out a low, thoughtful call, circling slightly as if testing the water. The surface near the ship was calmer, still foggy, but steadier. She hummed once.
Ash nodded. "Okay, Lapras wants to stop here. It's getting pretty late anyway." He looked up, the sun was getting kind of low.
"Just how long did we get lost in that fog? Didn't you say Lapras had a radar," Max started, but then Lapras looked at him, and he quickly clarified, "I-I'm not saying Lapras is bad or anything, I-I just mean, well" He started backtracking quickly.
Lapras let out a soft, amused hum at Max's frantic backtracking, her fins giving a gentle swish beneath the surface.
Ash chuckled. "Relax, Max. Lapras didn't take it personally."
Lapras tilted her head slightly anyway, eyeing Max just long enough to make him gulp.
"I…uh…sorry," Max said quickly. "You're doing great. Amazing navigation. Top-tier. Ten out of ten."
Lapras's hum deepened, satisfied.
Ash glanced back at the ship again, its silhouette looming like a shadow frozen in time. The fog curled around its broken mast and jagged railings, giving it an eerie, half-swallowed-by-the-sea look. Still, the water around it really was calmer.
"We didn't get lost," Ash said casually, answering Max's earlier question. "We just slowed down a lot. Fog like this messes with distance perception. Feels shorter than it is."
May hugged her arms, eyes still fixed on the wreck. "So… we're really stopping here for the night."
"Looks like it," Brock said, folding his map and slipping it into his bag. "Lapras won't mind resting, and it's safer than pushing on blind."
May sighed. "I knew I should've stayed in that beach house."
"You literally have done nothing but complain about leaving the beach house," Max pointed out.
"And my point is valid, because now we're on a ghost ship."
Ash hopped lightly off Lapras's shell, followed by Pikachu and Vee, and held out a hand to help May stand. "It's not a ghost ship. Just old. And abandoned."
"That's… not comforting," May muttered, but she took his hand anyway.
Brock put Vulpix back in her Ball and hopped down onto a relatively stable section of metal, testing it with his foot. It creaked, but held. "Solid enough. At least for tonight."
Ash followed, then helped Max and May across. Lapras stayed close, partially submerged, watching them with calm, glowing eyes.
"All right," Ash said, stretching his arms. "We'll set up a small camp and wait for the fog to clear. No wandering off."
May shot him a look. "You say that like it's directed at me."
"It absolutely is."
She huffed. "I'm not gonna explore the haunted ship."
Brock blinked. "You're the only one calling it haunted."
"I'm setting expectations!"
"Still, I'm watching you. I'm not convinced you won't try to wander off at the smallest thing," Ash said, as Pikachu and Vee nodded in agreement.
"Hey, I'm not that ba-" May started, when she suddenly noticed something. Her eyes lit up and she ran over to what looked like a small forest growing through the metal of the ship, full of berries. "Wow!! Razz Berries! Bluk Berries too! This place even has Wepear Berries!"
Max sighed, as Ash was proven right again. "These berries must have been growing undisturbed for years."
May then saw something else and got excited again. "The Spelon Berries over there are very rare!" She pulled out Torchic's Poké Ball. "Torchic, go ahead and try one!" She threw it out.
Torchic jumped out of her Poké Ball and looked around. When she spotted the Spelon Berries, her mouth started to water as she hopped over to grab one, only for a half-eaten berry to suddenly fly out and smack her in the face, making her stagger back.
"Wha—?!" May said in shock.
Brock, who had been watching with mild amusement as May ran around, immediately grew serious. He stood and hurried over, throwing a Poké Ball and releasing Bonsly, his strongest non–super-heavy Pokémon, since anything heavier risked damaging the ship.
"Is there something there?" Max asked, hiding behind Ash and Brock. "Was it a wild Pokémon?"
"Torchic, are you okay?" May said, kneeling beside her and checking to make sure she wasn't hurt.
Ash ran over and scanned the area, focusing faintly on the trees. He sensed two auras. Reaching to his belt, he threw out two Poké Balls. "Torchic, Treecko, hit the tree right there!"
From the balls, Torchic and Treecko burst out, flying toward the spot Ash indicated. The moment they noticed each other, it became a competition. Torchic delivered a sharp kick while Treecko slammed the trunk with his tail. The impact sent berries raining down, and two small figures tumbling out of the branches.
May saw this and immediately stood up, crossing her arms like she was about to scold a pair of children. "Okay, come on out of there! Let me get a good look at you!"
But when she leaned in, she froze, mouth wide open, not in shock or fear, but because she was barely holding back a delighted squeal.
The two Pokémon were a small Plusle and Minun. They uncurled and shivered slightly, clearly scared, and May was immediately struck by how cute they were.
Adorable… they're so cute, May thought, a goofy smile spreading across her face.
Torchic stared at her flatly, as if asking whether she was being serious.
May shook her head and coughed into her hand. "Oh, all right, I'll forgive you two. It was just a little mischief, after all."
"Sure it is, it's totally not cute privilege…" Max muttered under his breath.
Brock cleared his throat. "I'm more curious about why wild Pokémon are living on this ship."
Ash was about to say something when he noticed movement in the bushes. He walked closer and reached in, pulling out what looked like a diary. "Huh, a diary…" he muttered as he flipped it open and started skimming through the pages. "It's dated two years ago."
"Maybe it belonged to someone who came out here?" Max suggested as he tried to peek over and see some of the pages while Ash flipped through them.
"Did you lose your master? Or maybe you were abandoned…" May looked down at the Plusle and Minun, who had their hands behind their backs and ears drooping. "I see. So you two were just lonely. That explains it. Well, don't worry, we're here now!"
As she said that, her Torchic and Bonsly walked closer and gently booped them, making the Plusle and Minun laugh as they started confirming playfully.
Plusle and Minun then looked around at the berries on the ground and quickly grabbed an Aguav Berry for Torchic and an Iapapa Berry for Bonsly, handing them over respectively.
"Oh, it looks like they want to give them these berries as a token of friendship!" Max said excitedly, and Brock nodded happily too.
Ash was too busy reading the diary, but when he heard the word berries, he looked over and saw what was happening. His eyes widened. "Wait, don't eat those!" But he was too late.
Torchic and Bonsly ate their berries, and when the gang heard Ash shout, they were about to ask what he meant, after all, they were just berries, when suddenly Torchic looked like she had eaten extremely dark chocolate from how bitter the Aguav Berry was, and Bonsly looked like he had bitten into a lemon from how sour the Iapapa Berry was, leaving both of them confused.
"What the—?! They're confused! What kind of berries are these?!" May exclaimed, as Plusle and Minun laughed hard, slapping their knees.
"It's not the berries, it's just the flavors. These two knew exactly what they were doing," Ash clarified. "How do you guys not know this? It's basic berry knowledge."
Max and Brock scratched their cheeks, looking slightly sheepish, but May cut in. "Forget that, let's get those pranksters!"
"You guys can do that. I'm gonna keep reading this diary, see if I can find anything else," Ash said as he walked over and sat down, leaving Brock, May, and Max to chase after the pranksters.
—
{Meanwhile, on the other side of the ship}
Two figures flew onto the deck holding onto Swellow, well, more accurately, one of them had a single Swellow, while the other was being carried by three.
When they landed, the one supported by three Swellow climbed off first. "Ugh, hate having to ride these things," he muttered.
The second, a girl, jumped down. "Then… lose weight… Tabitha," she said.
Tabitha was a short, heavier man whose red eyes were usually closed. He had short black hair with a fringe, styled in a side part. He wore a dark red ribbed jersey with yellow cuffs under a paler red-and-black zigzag vest with a large V-neck, red shorts over dark red ribbed long socks, and large red ankle boots.
The girl's face was covered, it couldn't be seen clearly since her hood was up. She wore a red hoodie with yellow horns, a red jacket over a short red dress bearing the Team Magma emblem. She also wore heeled red boots with black kneecaps, along with black gloves with red fingers, supported by red bracers with yellow lines. Her hood remained up, concealing her face.
Tabitha grumbled but didn't argue further. Instead, he glanced around, eyes narrowing slightly as he took in the ship's condition, the rusted railings, the warped deck, the faint glow of berries growing where no berries should be growing.
"…So," he said slowly. "This is it. The Abandoned Ship."
The girl nodded once. "Energy readings match… residual activity too."
Tabitha raised a brow. "Residual?"
"Pokémon," she said. "Living here… adapting."
"Huh." He scratched his cheek. "Guess even ghost ships can't stay empty forever."
The girl didn't respond to that. Tabitha shrugged, he was used to her acting like some emotionless, wannabe robot, or something. Honestly, he didn't even know what she was at this point. "So… this ship is where it's kept, right? We need to find the scanner, and wherever the passcodes are."
"Yes…" the girl said simply.
Tabitha sighed, not sure whether to be annoyed or not. "Whatever. Let's split up. I'll look for passcodes or whatever, and you look for the scanner. Or do you actually have something to say?"
Tabitha waited a moment.
No response.
He sighed. "I'll take that as a no."
The girl didn't even look at him as she stepped past, boots clanking softly against the warped metal deck. The fog curled around her legs as if reluctant to let go.
"Try not to fall through the floor…" she said flatly.
Tabitha snorted, "Hey, I resent that."
The Swellow overhead dispersed, vanishing into the mist, leaving the Abandoned Ship eerily quiet again, save for the distant creak of metal and the faint echo of water sloshing inside the half-sunken hull.
Tabitha stretched his arms, rolling his shoulders. "All right then. Let's see what secrets you're hiding."
He headed deeper into the ship, footsteps heavy, while the girl moved in the opposite direction.
—
A while later, back with Ash, he was reading through the diary. Pikachu and Vee sat beside him, happily eating some of the berries on the ground, while Torchic and Treecko argued with each other, each insisting they'd knocked down the most berries, an argument that quickly escalated into a scuffle.
Ash sighed softly, closing the diary halfway and resting it against his knee, "…So it wasn't just rumors," he murmured.
Pikachu looked up from his berries. "Pika?"
Ash flipped a few pages back, skimming more carefully now. "This ship wasn't abandoned because of an accident. It was intentionally sealed off." He tapped the page. "The crew mentions 'equipment removal,' 'restricted access,' and… yeah." He exhaled. "Someone was using this place. Not that long ago, either."
Vee's ears twitched, and he scooted a little closer to Ash, tail flicking uneasily.
Ash glanced down at them, then smiled faintly. "Don't worry. Whatever it was, it's been quiet for a while."
Pikachu didn't look convinced, but he went back to eating anyway.
He turned to the last page. There were some codes scribbled randomly that would need to be deciphered, and one final note:
"I don't have much time left. My only concern is the scanner and my Plusle and Minun."
After that, nothing. That was the last entry in the diary.
Ash sighed and finally stood up. When he looked around, the rest of the group was nowhere to be seen, they had probably been drawn to the other side of the ship.
Ash was finally understanding what was going on. Since he couldn't be expected to remember every single small thing that happened in Pokémon, he'd forgotten about it, but reading that last line confirmed what he suspected. This was the manga timeline. He was just hoping it followed the exact one and that it was Ruby and Sapphire, not ORAS.
As he was about to call for Torchic and Treecko to stop fighting so they could go look for the others, he sensed something and ducked just in time as a [Flamethrower] blasted past his head.
When Ash looked over, he saw a large man he recognized as Tabitha, with two Pokémon beside him, a Camerupt and a Darmanitan. Tabitha smirked as he walked forward.
"Heh. Not bad reflexes, kid. But I overheard you talking about that diary, so I'm afraid I'm gonna have to ask for that."
Ash straightened slowly, one hand still braced on the deck where he'd ducked, the diary tucked securely under his arm. His expression was calm, but his eyes had sharpened.
"Overhearing is rude," Ash said evenly. "And attacking from behind is worse."
Tabitha laughed, low and amused, rolling his neck once. Camerupt snorted, heat shimmering faintly around its humps, while Darmanitan cracked its knuckles, grinning wide.
"Kid's got a mouth on him," Tabitha said. "Figures. You don't read old, sealed-off journals on a ghost ship unless you're either stupid… or already involved."
Ash glanced past him briefly, fog, twisted metal corridors, no sign of the others. Good. No one was with him. That was a relief, not because he was scared, but for other reasons.
"And you don't bring heavy hitters like that unless you're planning trouble," Ash replied. "So let's skip the pretending. You're Team Magma."
Tabitha's smirk widened. "What, you want a gold star?"
Ash sighed. "Figures it wouldn't stay peaceful."
Pikachu hopped off the crate beside him, cheeks sparking faintly. Vee stepped forward too, ears low, eyes locked on Darmanitan. Torchic and Treecko finally stopped bickering, immediately picking up on the tension, and moved to Ash's side.
Tabitha raised an eyebrow, seeing Ash's not-fully-evolved Pokémon and immediately assuming he was weak. "Cute lineup. Real cute. But don't get cocky. Hand over the diary, nice and easy, and I won't have to knock you through three decks."
Ash rolled his arm. "Can't do that, but not a bad idea. I'll be sure to use it on you."
"Shame," Tabitha said, shrugging. "Darmanitan."
Darmanitan lunged forward to punch him.
Ash snapped his fingers. "Treecko! Torchic!"
Treecko vanished in a blur, slamming into Darmanitan's incoming fist, the impact clashing hard, while Torchic leapt in immediately after, striking its side mid-charge and knocking it off balance.
These two might be weaker than either of Tabitha's Pokémon, but working together they could make up for it. The problem was that they hated each other. And with Pikachu and Vee, the issue was the opposite, they were too strong. That meant they'd be forced into support again.
Still, Ash wasn't worried about him. What concerned him was ending this fight quickly so he could get back to May and the others. Not because of what might be happening, but WHO might be involved, if anyone was.
If things went well, Tabitha's partner would just be some random grunt.
But life had a funny way of screwing him over in particular, and if it was her…
Then the worst-case scenario had already happened. And unfortunately, the chance wasn't zero. But for now, he'd deal with this.
–
{Over with the gang}
"COME BACK HERE—!" May's voice rang out as Plusle and Minun zipped across the deck, crackling faintly with static.
May's shouting echoed through the fog, followed by frantic footsteps and Brock's calmer, but still urgent calls, "May, don't run, this deck isn't stable!"
Max skidded to a stop near Brock, panting. "They, ugh, they went that way!" He pointed wildly. "The Plusle and Minun are way faster than they look!"
Brock sighed. "Figures."
Plusle and Minun high-fived as they perched on a pipe, Minun holding up a small case.
"Those little—!" May straightened. "They stole my ribbon case!"
Minun waved the case teasingly.
"Why are you mad? It's not like there was anything in there—" Max started, but May smacked him on the head.
"Shut up, Max," May huffed, crossing her arms as she stood up. "Besides, I, the Great May, have finally figured it out."
"Figured what out exactly, that you need to do more cardio?" Max asked, earning another hit to the head.
"No! I noticed the way those two are moving. They're pretending to run around randomly, but they're actually trying to keep us away from something, and that something is none other than…"
May dramatically pointed to the side, where a rusted door was hidden beneath leaves. "That!"
Plusle and Minun flinched and gulped, quickly scrambling to block the hidden door with their bodies. They whistled innocently, pretending there was nothing to see.
Max blinked in surprise. "Wow… I didn't think you had it in you, sis."
May's eye twitched as she heard that. She smacked him again. "What's that supposed to mean?! You know I'm not stupid!"
"Still," Brock said thoughtfully, "what do you think is in there?"
"Maybe it's treasure!" May and Max said in unison.
"Only one way to find out," May finished, wiggling her fingers as she walked toward Plusle and Minun. "Come on let me have it"
"No… thank you… for finding the secret for me…" another voice called out.
They turned to see a hooded figure with a Camerupt by her side. From her uniform alone, May immediately recognized her as a member of Team Magma as she walked slowly forward.
"Please… move aside…" the woman said quietly.
May froze mid-step.
Max's excitement drained instantly, replaced by a tight swallow.
Brock stepped forward without thinking, positioning himself just slightly in front of the siblings.
The hooded woman stopped a few meters away. Fog curled around her boots, Camerupt looming behind her, its nostrils releasing a slow, heated breath that made the metal beneath them creak.
Plusle and Minun looked between May and the woman, panic flashing across their faces. They shuffled closer together, electricity crackling faintly.
"Team… Magma?" May said slowly, recognition dawning as her eyes locked onto the emblem stitched onto the woman's dress. Her voice hardened. "What do you want with them?"
The woman didn't answer immediately. Her head tilted slightly, as if assessing them. "They are… in the way," she said at last, flat and emotionless. "Just move them…"
Max clenched his fists. "In the way of what?"
Silence.
Brock narrowed his eyes. "That door," he said calmly. "You're after whatever's behind it."
The woman finally nodded. "…Correct."
A chill ran through May that had nothing to do with the fog. She glanced down at Plusle and Minun, who were now visibly trembling. They weren't playing anymore.
They were scared.
"No," May said firmly, stepping forward before she could second-guess herself. "You're not going past them."
The woman stopped.
Camerupt shifted its weight, heat shimmering more intensely now. "…You do not understand," the woman said. "Please… move… I don't like fighting…"
Brock's hand slipped to his belt. "I don't think we will."
For a long moment, nothing happened. The fog swirled. The ship groaned softly, like it was holding its breath.
Then the woman reached up and pulled her hood back slightly, revealing lilac hair and eyes.
If Ash had been there, he would have recognized her immediately. Team Magma's Courtney.
Courtney raised her hand and pointed forward with an almost bored expression. "Camerupt…" she said softly, "[Eruption]"