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"Is it the Volcano Badge?" Ash responded, having momentarily forgotten that in addition to being a Gym Leader, Blaine had once served as a chief scientist for Team Rocket. The former researcher still enjoyed creating riddles and puzzles for challengers.
"Ha ha ha! Excellent, Ash! You're exactly the type of trainer I admire. You guessed correctly - this Cinnabar Badge belongs to you."
Blaine laughed heartily as he produced a red badge shaped like a flickering flame from his pocket.
Green felt somewhat helpless watching this exchange. After all, she hadn't managed to guess the riddle correctly when she had challenged Uncle Blaine, even though he had still awarded her the badge in the end.
"Thank you very much!" Ash expressed his gratitude as he accepted the badge. Charizard and Pikachu, who were standing nearby, both celebrated joyfully at this achievement.
"Today's battle was absolutely invigorating. I may never encounter such an entertaining match again in my lifetime. Keep working hard, Ash!"
Back at the gym entrance, Blaine looked directly at Ash and extended his hand in farewell.
"Thank you for everything! Until we meet again!" Ash nodded respectfully and reached out to shake the Gym Leader's hand.
"Work hard in the Pokemon League competition! If you truly want to challenge us Elite Four members, today's victory is just the beginning," Agatha added, speaking for the first time since the battle had concluded.
"Thank you for your guidance. Farewell!" Ash replied with a smile.
When they had first met, Ash had spoken boldly not only because of his own inner confidence, but also in response to Agatha's somewhat dismissive attitude. However, there was no point in arguing with an elderly person over such trivial matters. Regardless of her personality quirks, Agatha remained a legendary trainer who had made significant contributions to the Kanto Region, and her temperament was something he could certainly accept.
After these parting words, Ash departed with Green while the two senior trainers watched them leave.
"Do you think he can actually defeat you?" Blaine asked after a moment of contemplative silence.
"Who knows? But I won't easily allow anyone to dominate me. They'll need to demonstrate real ability," Agatha replied firmly. She had maintained her strength and pride throughout her entire life, and no matter who wanted to challenge the Elite Four, she would give her absolute best effort. So far, only Lance had managed to accomplish such a feat.
"I have great confidence in him!" Blaine responded with a warm smile. Although Agatha might become irritated if he expressed this opinion too openly, this was genuinely what he believed in his heart.
"Hmph! You'd better focus on figuring out how to resolve the Team Rocket situation. This matter isn't unrelated to you, and you can't always let young people take these risks! I'm heading back now."
Rather than arguing with his assessment, Agatha simply snorted dismissively, glanced sideways at Blaine, and then turned to leave.
Blaine paused slightly after hearing Agatha's pointed words. He stood there for a long time in thought before finally turning around and walking back into his gym.
Instead of going to rest, he made his way to the door of another room. Looking at the thick dust covering the door handle, it was obvious that this space hadn't been accessed for quite some time.
"Click!"
Slowly reaching out to open the door, Blaine was immediately greeted by air filled with the musty smell of neglect. He walked into the room and turned on the lights, revealing various pieces of old furniture and research equipment in the dim illumination.
Walking over to the research table, Blaine retrieved a pair of gloves and put on his reading glasses before looking at the photographs positioned on the table beside him.
"I once promised that I would never conduct research again, but for Ash and the others, I have to prevent this disaster from occurring. Please forgive your grandfather!"
Blaine spoke softly to the photograph on the table, which showed a young girl with a bright, sunny smile.
She was Blaine's granddaughter. It was because of his obsession with scientific research that he had ultimately caused his own granddaughter's death. Since that tragedy, he had quit Team Rocket and sworn never to conduct research again.
But now, because of his past research projects, a terrible disaster might be about to unfold, and the young people he had just met were all connected to this dangerous situation.
He could no longer allow his previous research to cause harm to these children, so he had to find a solution. Since he had been the one to create these problems in the first place, he would be the one capable of finding a way to fix them.
Unaware of Agatha's final conversation with Blaine, Ash returned to the Pokemon Center and handed Squirtle and his other Pokemon over to Nurse Joy for healing and care.
It was rare to visit Cinnabar Island, which was a town built around an active volcano and featured many natural hot springs throughout the area. After his Pokemon had recovered, Ash took the opportunity to bring Pikachu and experience these therapeutic waters.
The hot springs proved incredibly effective at relieving fatigue and treating minor injuries. Both Ash and his Pokemon felt completely relaxed in both body and mind after their soothing soak.
The Next Day
"Ash, what are your plans from here?" Green asked while eating breakfast.
When Ash woke up early the next morning, he felt tremendously energetic, and his Pokemon had also made full recoveries. Green was curious about his next destination.
"I've made arrangements to meet up with everyone at Grampa Canyon. We'll be setting off today. What about you?"
After being separated from Misty and Brock for such an extended period, they must be quite worried about him. Now that he had earned his badge, he wanted to rejoin them as quickly as possible.
"Me? I've already completed collecting all my badges. I want to return to Pallet Town first," Green responded after considering the question.
"That was so fast!" Ash expressed genuine surprise. He was only learning now that Green had finished gathering all eight gym badges.
"Ha ha! It's much more convenient to travel alone. Naturally, it's significantly faster that way. You can take a boat directly back to Pallet Town from here. If you're going to Grampa Canyon, you'll also need to travel by boat!"
"Right! Let's head there together then!" Ash nodded in agreement. Cinnabar Island was located on an island, so boat travel was necessary regardless of which direction they chose to go.
"Sounds good!" After finishing breakfast, the two friends made their way to the harbor.
Because Cinnabar Island wasn't a major city, there weren't many ships that regularly serviced the location. Unlike Vermilion City, which offered boats traveling to various destinations, the vessels here basically all followed the same route.
After the two understood the transportation situation, they decided to take a boat to Grampa Canyon before parting ways.
Before boarding the vessel, Ash also contacted Brock and the others, explained his current situation, and asked them to begin their journey. The boat trip from Cinnabar Island would take approximately three hours.
If his friends departed from Neon Town, their travel time would probably be just over two hours. In terms of timing, neither group should have to wait very long for the other.
As for Brock and the others, after hearing that Ash had already begun traveling, they also set off happily on their own journey. Gary was traveling with them as well. Under the surprised gazes of Brock and Misty, he proudly announced that he was also planning to visit Cinnabar Island, since it was relatively small and nearby.