Natsui's Pokémon slowly gathered around him, cautiously surrounding him.
Picking up the Ultra Ball containing Articuno, Natsui looked again at the Ice Shrine. Because of the fierce battle just now, its beauty was gone, leaving only a scene of devastation.
He said with emotion, "Although it's a pity it has become like this, perhaps after some time, other Articuno will come to live here. I believe that in a few years, it will return to its former appearance."
Composing himself, now that his goal was achieved, Natsui did not linger and turned to leave.
After Kirlia used Teleport to take him outside the lake island, Natsui did not return the way he came. Instead, after Haunter scouted out a path, he climbed up a steep rock wall for a distance, then flew for a long time. Finally, the view before him grew brighter, and he left the underground world through another narrow crevice.
The refreshing sea breeze blew against his body. When the dust-covered Natsui once again saw the blue sky and the sea, he was already standing halfway up the mountain of the smaller Seafoam Island!
The Seafoam Islands, although they appear to be two islands surrounded by the sea, are actually connected by a passage beneath the water's surface. Just as their name implies, they are twins, difficult to tell apart.
...
Leaving the Seafoam Islands, Natsui followed the waterway west. After a journey of several hours, he crossed the sea and arrived at Cinnabar Island.
Cinnabar, a fiery, passionate, bright red color.
It is located at the southernmost tip of the Kanto region and is the largest island in the southern seas. The island is covered in forests and has a huge active volcano. However, in recent years, due to tectonic activity, no one knows when this volcano might erupt.
And the reason Natsui had come here was, naturally, to challenge the Cinnabar Gym and obtain the Volcano Badge!
Beside a golden, fine-sanded beach, a seaside resort town also famous for its tourism—Cinnabar Town—was situated.
As night fell, the first thing Natsui did upon entering the town was head straight for the Pokémon Center to restore the stamina of his several injured Pokémon.
In the Pokémon Center, after taking the Poké Balls and seeing the two legendary Pokémon inside, the slightly tanned Nurse Joy covered her mouth in slight surprise.
"This is..."
But her perfect professional ethics made her stop after only a brief moment of distraction. She smiled at Natsui and turned to walk into the treatment room.
Not long after, once the brief treatment was over, Natsui requested a room. He took a comfortable hot bath in the bathroom to drive out the chill from his body, and only then did he have time to deal with Zapdos and Articuno.
After thinking for a moment, he first released Zapdos.
A flash of blue light, and Zapdos appeared in the room. But now, because it had lost the battle, its pride was gone, and its expression was somewhat listless.
Seeing this, Natsui patted its shoulder and comforted it with kind words.
"Actually, winning and losing are both common occurrences. In my opinion, you are still very powerful. It's just that Articuno was stronger. Don't take a temporary failure to heart."
"And let's think about it from another angle. It's precisely because you have such a powerful opponent that you now have a goal to strive for, forcing yourself to become stronger. When the day comes that you are strong enough, you can challenge it again, give it your all, and stomp it under your feet!"
After a few bowls of chicken soup for the soul, Zapdos's mood finally improved.
Seeing that this one was more or less fine, Natsui recalled Zapdos and then released Articuno.
When the blue, beautifully feathered Articuno appeared, it just gently stretched its feathers, and the temperature in the room dropped several degrees!
This cool and refreshing feeling was just like turning on the air conditioner on a hot summer day!
"Articuno, welcome to the big family! My name is Natsui, let's get along well from now on!"
Articuno had no complaints about Natsui catching it.
Although it was a many-against-one fight, it had been a hearty battle. First defeating Zapdos, and then losing to a powerful Haunter, it had accepted its defeat.
After introducing his other Pokémon to Articuno, Natsui changed into clean clothes, left the room, and went to the lobby.
And just as he was about to go eat, a clear girl's voice suddenly sounded behind him.
"Brother Natsui!"
He turned his head and saw that it was Misty, Ash, and Brock.
It's just that...
The long-unheard title of "Brother Natsui" sent his mind into a daze, reminding him of the beautiful girl from Vaniville Town in Kalos who always liked to stick close to him.
Shaking his head, Natsui smiled, "What a coincidence, I didn't expect to see you guys here too."
"Yeah," Misty's face bloomed into a smile. "We just arrived on this island too. We were planning to get a good night's rest and then accompany Ash to challenge the Cinnabar Gym tomorrow!"
At this time, Ash and Brock both greeted Natsui, and even Pikachu gave a happy cry.
"Then it seems our purpose is the same again."
Natsui nodded at them, and then his gaze fell on a Pokémon in Misty's arms.
The Pokémon was small, its lower body encased in a patterned eggshell, with only its upper, starfish-like yellow body exposed.
"Huh? You got a Togepi?"
"That's right, that's right," Misty held Togepi up high and spun around happily. "It hatched from an egg we found when we were passing through the Grand Canyon!"
Seeing Misty so happy, Natsui was genuinely happy for her, "That's a very rare Pokémon too. You should raise it well!"
While talking, the four of them went to the restaurant and had dinner together.
Amidst laughter and cheerful conversation, they recounted their travel experiences, sharing some interesting stories with Natsui.
"Hmph, hmph," Ash opened his jacket, revealing the six badges inside. "Brother Natsui, we have the same number of badges now. How about it? Want to have a competition to see who gets the next badge first!"
Looking at his proud expression, Natsui couldn't help but smile, "What's the point of competing over that? Besides, the Cinnabar Gym Leader, Blaine, is an extremely tough opponent. You shouldn't underestimate him."
When it came to competition, Ash seemed to become a different person, "My Pokémon are all very strong. It doesn't matter who the opponent is!"
"Oh? Is that so?" Misty gave him a meaningful look, then counted on her fingers, exposing his true record. "Since you're so confident, let me summarize your badges for you now."
"First, the Boulder Badge and the Cascade Badge. My sisters and Brock gave you those two out of pity, you know."
"Next is Sabrina's Saffron Gym. You got beaten pretty badly back then. It was thanks to the Haunter you brought from the Pokémon Tower that you managed to make her laugh, so you won without a fight and got the Marsh Badge."
Ash's face stiffened, and he could only give an awkward smile. Before he could say anything, he heard Misty continue, "And as for the battle with Erika, if Team Rocket hadn't set the gym on fire and you hadn't saved her Gloom from the blaze, it's really not certain if you would have gotten the badge!"
"So, if you count it all up, only the Vermilion Gym and the Fuchsia Gym, despite many twists and turns, were the ones you truly won with your own strength!"
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