[Denji: One of my friends only knows how to cause trouble everywhere… meanwhile, Ash's friends are all god-tier Legendary Pokémon.]
[Aaron: Wait a sec, that friend of yours isn't me, is it?]
[Bertha: Relax, it's not you. But really, who else could it be?]
[Lance: …I've got a friend like that too.]
[Lorelei: Don't tell me that friend of yours is also my friend.]
[Bruno: If it's both of your friends, then it should be mine too. Who exactly are we talking about here?]
[Caitlin: Ever considered the possibility that this "friend" is actually you yourself?]
[Bruno: No way. Absolutely impossible! I don't go around causing chaos, and I'm definitely not friends with Legendary Pokémon. That can't be me!]
[Sabrina: …Hiss. I'm starting to question our League's Elite Four selection process.]
Goldenrod City.
Inside the Goldenrod Gym, Sabrina twirled her hair listlessly.
Beside her, a mischievous Haunter popped in and out, pulling little pranks.
Seeing Haunter, her expression softened. Her gaze seemed to drift back to the days when she first met Ash.
"Ash… in the future, will you and I still be friends?"
On screen—
"So all it takes is liking friendship, and suddenly you can be friends with a Legendary god like Ho-Oh?"
Professor Sakuragi muttered under his breath, his eyes sparkling as though he'd discovered a new continent.
The sun had already set.
Traveling to Galar would have to wait.
After a good night's rest, Ash woke up the next morning ready to set off.
But when he entered the research lab, he found Professor Sakuragi already awake.
On the monitor in front of him was a report—
a report about a Dragonite rescuing a group of sailors.
The professor turned, meeting Ash's eyes.
Ash's heart sank. Here we go again. Another mission for me, huh…
Sure enough, Sakuragi asked Ash to investigate Dragonite Island and gather information.
After all, Dragonite was an extremely mysterious Pokémon, and the so-called "Dragonite's Island" had never been officially discovered.
Thanks to recent technological advancements, researchers had narrowed down its possible location.
The professor sent the estimated coordinates to Ash's phone, even giving him a cheerful thumbs-up.
Ash skimmed through the documents… then decisively gave up.
Too complicated—charts, sea maps, all stuff he couldn't read.
Luckily, with Koharu's help, he barely managed to figure it out.
But then came a problem.
Among Ash's Pokémon, none were large enough to carry two people across the sea.
That was the dilemma they faced after arriving at the port.
After all, there were no ships headed toward that sea zone.
Koharu tugged at Ash's sleeve.
"Ash… what should we do?"
At the dock, staring at the endless ocean, Koharu looked a little lost.
They couldn't just ask Lugia to ferry them again, could they?
[Ash: Who said I don't have a seafaring Pokémon? Back in the Orange Islands, I caught a Lapras!]
[Brock: Ah, that reminds me—the Nurse Joys of the Orange Islands were really something. So charming… ah, my love story ended before it even began.]
[Misty: Brock! Can you please be serious for once!]
[Misty: And that Lapras—you released it, didn't you? You never left it at Professor Oak's place.]
[Ash: That Lapras had something important to do, so I let it go.]
[Gary: Which means you released it. What's there to brag about?]
[Lorelei: Maybe if Ash just calls out, it'll come back to him.]
[Bruno: Lorelei, don't be ridiculous. Do you really think something like that is possible? The Orange Islands are extremely far from Vermilion City!]
[Aaron: …Why do I feel like what Lorelei said might actually happen?]
On screen—
The ocean stretched endlessly, shimmering under the sunlight.
Wingull circled overhead, swooping down occasionally to snatch fries near the harbor snack stalls.
And then—
Ash moved.
To Koharu's astonishment, he cupped his hands around his mouth, faced the sea, and shouted with all his might.
"Laaapraaaas!"
His voice carried out, long and resonant.
The dock fell silent. Fishermen and sailors alike froze in place.
Even the livestream viewers were dumbstruck.
Ash, this is too much!
This is Vermilion City, not the Orange Islands!
Koharu blinked. "Ash… your Lapras is here? In Vermilion?"
"Nope. I left it back in the Orange Islands."
"…Are you sure this is okay?" Koharu tilted her head. She didn't get it—but she chose to trust him.
"Of course it's okay! This was our promise."
Ash's eyes blazed with conviction. He turned to the sea, giving a big thumbs-up.
For a moment, Koharu worried about his sanity.
After all, the ocean was endless. Sound couldn't possibly carry that far.
Unless… every Pokémon in the sea acted as his messenger, passing his voice along.
As time ticked by, even Koharu began to lose faith.
But seeing Ash's unwavering gaze fixed firmly on the horizon, she felt her confidence returning.
And then—
The sound of waves breaking grew louder.
Koharu looked up.
A Lapras was riding the waves, cutting across the sea straight toward them.
"Laaaapras~!"
"Lasi~!"
[Diantha: …It actually worked! Ash, are all the ocean's Pokémon your friends?]
[Ash: It's not that exaggerated. It's just the promise Lapras and I made—that no matter where we are, if I call its name, it'll always come to me.]
[Lusamine: That's so touching… If Lapras were human, this would be the most beautiful fairy tale ever.]
[Lillie: Mom! You're too old for romance stories…]
[Lorelei: …I need a moment. This is beyond everything I know.]
On a beach in the Orange Islands, Lorelei lay sunbathing, her orange hair shining under the sun.
In hopes of finding a boyfriend, she'd even put on a daring swimsuit.
But not a single man on the beach noticed her—
all eyes were fixed on the sky and the livestream.
Her plan to find love? A total failure.
Frustrated, she turned to the sea.
Her own Lapras was chatting with another Lapras in the water.
And that Lapras looked exactly like the one on screen.
Lorelei froze.
It really had swum all the way from the Orange Islands!
Why?!
Why could Lapras hear Ash's call across such a vast ocean?
Here she was, dressed to impress, and not one guy spared her a glance.
So unfair!
On screen—
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Ash stepped forward and pressed his cheek affectionately against Lapras's head.
"Pikachu!!"
Seeing Ash, Pikachu leapt up to nuzzle Lapras as well.
"Lasi~!"
"I missed you too, Lapras."
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