Chapter 59: Tomb of the Hometown Flea
Three hours later, on the shore.
This was a stretch of coast in the northeastern Kanto Region. Currently, only the members of Team Rocket and the wealthy individuals who had arrived via lifeboats had made landfall.
As for the other, poorer Trainers...
They would probably take who knows how many more hours to arrive.
Fortunately, they didn't encounter any storms along the way, so there probably wouldn't be any major problems.
"Well then, Mr. Ash, Blue, until we meet again?"
Archer bid them farewell, leaving with his crew of villains, who had just robbed a ship full of rich people.
The trio of Jessie, James, and Meowth also hid within the main group, stealing glances at the Pikachu on his shoulder as they left.
Next, it was their time...
Their future was boundless!
Ash and Blue nodded at Archer, signaling him to leave quickly.
Damn it, the entire group of rich people now thought the two of them were the secret illegitimate children of some Team Rocket master, and their expressions were far from friendly.
Were they even planning to report the two of them as soon as they reached a town?
No one would feel good after being robbed of 300 million.
"Hehe, we're just innocent bystanders. We really don't know any Team Rocket. We support Team Heat~"
Blue laughed it off, waving a small hand to send off Team Rocket and the crowd of wealthy people.
Just as the group was about to happily set off on a new journey...
"!" "!"
As if by telepathy, Ash and Blue suddenly whipped their heads around, their eyes wide as they stared at each other.
"Oh, Farfetch'd, it seems we really forgot a flea!?"
They had looked around at the time; Gary was neither among the poor nor had he snuck onto the rich people's boat.
That guy Gary, it seemed he really hadn't made it out!?
They hurriedly turned back to look at the sea surface.
The sea was calm and peaceful. A few Magikarp leaped from the water, simple and carefree.
"..."
Beads of profuse sweat rolled down their faces as they frantically smacked their own heads in a panic.
"Brother Red, 999."
"Big Sis Blue, 999."
After some fuss, the two drunkards groggily sat up in the Soul Space and asked innocently:
"What's up?"
"That guy Gary is trapped on the S.S. Anne, he didn't get out," Ash said anxiously.
"Good riddance."
"We'll open champagne to celebrate another day~"
The two drunkards fell back into a deep sleep, probably destined for a sweet dream this time.
The two of them: "..."
Is this what you call friendship? How laughable.
According to the memory fragments in their minds, it was likely that these three powerful figures had gone drinking while the three of them were asleep.
And because he and Blue had bodies as sturdy as a Tauros, they woke up the next day fully refreshed.
But Gary had been a libertine for years and his body had always been weak, so even now, he was still sleeping like the dead.
Three hours had passed. He had probably already sunk to the bottom of the sea, maybe the seaweed was already ten feet tall...?
The two of them: "..."
"Waaaaah!!"
Finally, Blue couldn't hold it in any longer and burst out crying with a "wah," squatting on the ground.
Although she truly wanted to crush Gary to death and scatter his ashes, now that he had really kicked the bucket and was feeding the sharks, a powerful sense of grief welled up in her heart.
Was it a case of "when the rabbit dies, the fox mourns"? In any case, it wasn't a feeling of love, but one of extreme grief.
"Mmm..."
Although Ash beside her didn't cry out, tears had long since flowed into his stomach, and his whole body was trembling.
Gary was his closest friend since childhood and his rival for life. While he constantly wanted to put Gary in his place, he only ever wanted to put him in his place, never to kill him.
He stepped forward and patted Blue's trembling shoulder, as if comforting her, and also comforting himself.
The two of them stared at the sea surface for a long time before finally letting out a long sigh.
Perhaps a place where the waves surged ever higher was the most fitting final resting place for a wanderer like Gary?
Blue slowly took out the folding iron shovel from her bag and began to dig a hole on the spot.
There was nothing she could do for him, but a tombstone was something she could provide...
Ash also began to act, overcome with grief.
Though the other two people in their group didn't know Gary well, they were infected by the sorrow and helped pull up some weeds for the grave.
Afterward, Blue adjusted her hat and gazed out at the ocean.
After this incident, she seemed to have matured quite a bit.
"I'm going to go clear my head alone. What about you, compatriot?"
Ash clenched his fists, a blazing flame of determination burning in his eyes.
"I'm going to carry Gary's dream and keep moving forward! I will become a Pokémon Master!"
Both he and Gary had wanted to become the strongest Trainer. Now that the former was feeding the fish, he would have to become twice as strong!
At a fork in the road, the four of them parted ways.
Blue planned to go to a small town to the west to clear her head, while Ash and his two companions intended to head south towards Saffron City.
He had heard there was a place called Lavender Town on the way, so he could stop by and offer some incense for Gary.
Calculating the time, it should be before the seventh day after his death. That would be the first offering of incense.
Along the way, feeling Ash's grief and battle intent, Red finally rose again.
"?"
Did something happen?
He didn't really understand what Ash and the others were getting so worked up about.
With Green protecting him, he probably wouldn't die even if he sank to the Earth's crust, right?
Then, as if sensing something nearby, he promptly forgot about his own embarrassing past from when he was drunk and suddenly spoke:
"Ash, you really want to find an enemy to vent on right now, don't you?"
"Yes!"
"There's a Pokémon that looks like a hedgehog all over. Want to go challenge it?"
"A hedgehog... Is it strong?"
"Eh, it's alright, I guess."
Hearing this, Ash felt assured. He urged impatiently:
"Alright, we'll make this a battle to commemorate Gary! Brother Red, hurry and tell me where it is!?"
"Thirty li south, at the Power Plant," Red said slowly.
***
Three hours earlier, in the great whirlpool of the S.S. Anne.
The bone-chilling cold and intense water pressure jolted Green's soul awake.
*Bang! Whoosh!*
The next second, a Poké Ball at his waist suddenly burst open.
A brown giant hawk with a gorgeous and cool appearance spread its broad wings, appearing out of thin air in the seawater.
The moment it appeared, a green barrier formed around its body, completely blocking out the immense weight of the seawater.
Protect!
Green took control of Gary's body. Although his head was still spinning, he forced himself to focus, tightly gripping the Pidgeot's feathers.
"Good job, Pidgeot."
This Pidgeot was the one he had gotten back from Red last night. It was his signature Pokémon. Red had borrowed it when he said he was going on a journey and had never returned it.
He wondered how it had been raised in the meantime...
But there was no time to dwell on it. The massive waves of the whirlpool closed in again from all directions.
He knew you couldn't use Protect twice in a row, so he couldn't use it to block the seawater again.
Just as Green was struggling with what to do, he saw the Pidgeot had already taken the initiative. Though its two broad wings were submerged in the sea, they weren't the least bit wet. A layer of blue water energy even faintly wrapped around them.
"Pidgeo-geot!!"
As the Pidgeot powerfully flapped its wings, it created a counter-rotating tidal vortex out of thin air within the vast seawater. The display was incredibly powerful, rivaling the might of nature itself.
*Whoosh...!!*
The two whirlpools, with their opposing rotations, crashed into each other. Amidst the collision, the vortex created by the ten-thousand-ton S.S. Anne was simply nullified.
The seawater was now frighteningly calm.
"Whirlpool...?!"
Green's eyes widened in disbelief.
What the hell, since when did his Pidgeot know this move?!
Wait a minute, can Pidgeot even learn this move?!
Damn it!
That bastard Red, what the hell did he do to my bird!?
But this was no time to hesitate. Seizing the moment of calm, Green shouted again:
"Now, Pidgeot, use Protect and break out!"
You can't use Protect twice in a row, but now enough time had passed to use it again.
A strange green light once again lit up around Pidgeot, blocking the seawater that sought to engulf them. Then, with a beat of its wings, it shot up towards the sky.
"Pidgeot!"
In just a few seconds, Pidgeot burst out from nearly a hundred meters below the sea surface, once again soaring in the sky.
After that whole maneuver, not a single feather was wet. It was incredibly stylish.
With the crisis averted, Green's first action was to pull out his Pokédex and scan his prized Pidgeot.
He was starting to panic a little.
"Pidgeot, Nickname: Tool Pidgeot, is the Pokémon of Green."
Green: "???"
He remembered the nickname was clearly "The Handsome and Cool Pidgeot"!?
The Pokédex continued its report:
"Moves: Protect, Defog, Fly, Whirlpool, Tailwind, Quick Draw Slash, Thunder Wave."
Green: "???"
He subconsciously clutched his chest, feeling a sharp pain.
Damn it!
What the hell is this moveset? His Pidgeot was supposed to be a pure-blooded powerhouse with Aerial Ace, Steel Wing, Brave Bird, and Giga Impact!
"Elder Brother Green... I've been enlightened. Is this the standard learning path for the Pidgeot line?"
At that moment, a weak voice sounded.
Gary had finally woken up completely from his stupor, just in time to witness his regional bird's Grand Secret Art.
This made Green so angry that he returned control of the body to Gary and said no more.
Gary, now back in control of his body: "?"
Did I say something wrong?
Elder Brother Green is especially grumpy today.
But he was saved, at last. Not overthinking it, he gently patted the Pidgeot, and they flew towards the shore.
"Pidgey-geot~"
The Pidgeot was a veteran tool bird and was genuinely happy to serve as a transportation vehicle. It sang a little song as it used Fly, having a grand old time.
***
Two hours later, Gary arrived at the shore and recalled his Tool Pidgeot.
On the beach, an erected stone monument was particularly conspicuous, immediately capturing his attention.
The soil around it was freshly turned, and there were no weeds, as if it had just been put up. This made Gary unable to resist stepping forward for a closer look.
"Tomb of the Hometown Flea."
"In memory of Gary, grandson of Professor Oak, who was buried at sea."
"May he ride upon the waves, each one higher than the last."
"From a compatriot from Pallet Town."
"Erected."
Gary: "?"
For some reason, he was also starting to feel a sharp pain in his chest...
(end of chapter)