Chapter 137. Cinnabar Island
The center-parted tugged its blanket into a net with its little hands, but Celebi vanished in an instant.
"Pika—"
After a while, it threw the little blanket onto the ground, sat to the side, and started sulking.
Trainers really ruin more than they help!
"You're always thinking about sleeping on others, and you're still a child."
Hearing the slander in center-parted's heart, a righteous fist descended from above.
The center-parted clutched the top of its head, eyes brimming with tears, and burrowed into Honora's arms.
"To witness the Mythical Pokémon Celebi in person—this trip was truly worth it!"
Misty held her cheeks, delighted.
"Everyone, let's keep moving.
Cinnabar Island seems to have recently developed some hot-spring tourism."
Brock spoke.
"Okay, let's hurry to Cinnabar Island and soak in the hot springs!"
Except for Natsume, who felt something was off, everyone else was very happy and charged straight ahead.
On Cinnabar Island, Ash hit his breaking point.
"Along the way, we helped a Ditto strengthen its Transform."
"Mm."
The blond old man nodded.
"And we passed a forest full of Pikachu, where center-parted even got beaten up by the Pikachu there."
As Ash spoke, he pointed to the Pikachu with the center part perched on his shoulder.
"Pika—"
The center-parted nodded in deep agreement.
Those Pikachu were too savage.
All it did was eat one season's worth of their Berries.
In the end, Pikachu and Natsume found out, and it got beaten a second and a third time.
"Uh-huh, you already said that once."
The blond old man didn't mind, but Ash kept on talking.
"We also put a stop to a rampaging Exeggutor horde and an Aerodactyl.
And my Charmander evolved all the way into Charizard!"
"That's the third time you've said that, little guy."
The blond old man was helpless.
"We went through so much, and after braving the sea to reach Cinnabar Island, you're telling me the Gym is closed?!"
Ash pounded his chest in frustration, looking like he couldn't breathe.
"But there's nothing I can do about it."
The blond old man waved his hand.
"This here is the ruins of the Cinnabar Gym.
Go rummage around inside—maybe you'll dig up a Volcano Badge."
As he spoke, the old man pointed at a collapsed ruin by the roadside.
"But I checked the League's records, and the Cinnabar Gym is still listed."
Brock walked over with the Pokédex in hand, doubt in his voice.
The moment they set foot on the island, Natsume disappeared.
Led by Ash, they rushed excitedly to the Cinnabar Gym.
But when they arrived, there was nothing here—just a pile of rubble.
"So much for the so-called paradise for Trainers to grow stronger—"
Ash drooped in dejection.
Not only was the Cinnabar Gym gone, but along the way hardly any Trainers were willing to accept Ash's challenges.
They were all here on vacation.
They didn't even see a proper battle arena anywhere.
Everything was hot-spring inns!
"This place is so strange.
Even the Pokémon Center is running hot-spring services."
Misty sidled over.
"It's all because of that damned researcher from three years ago!"
The blond old man suddenly clutched his chest, his face full of fury.
"Researcher?
What about him?"
The three exchanged glances and couldn't help thinking of Natsume, who had suddenly gone missing.
"Three years ago, some damned researcher came to borrow our Cinnabar Island's volcano to conduct a Pokémon mimicry experiment."
"He said he wanted to see whether Onix could, in this environment, become a Crystal Onix."
Here the blond old man paused, then ground his teeth and said:
"The experiment didn't succeed, but it blew open the volcano's crater and spawned a bunch of hot springs."
"Three years later, things turned into what you're seeing now.
Every household opened hot-spring inns.
Because of that, hardly any challengers came to the Cinnabar Gym, and it slowly couldn't keep operating."
"Ah, so that's how it is."
Ash sighed with regret.
"But, Grandpa, tourism is lucrative.
Shouldn't that make you happy?
Why do you look so unhappy?"
Honora looked curiously at the blond grandpa.
Judging from his tone, he didn't seem to want Cinnabar Island to turn out like this.
"Ahem… well, of course I'm happy.
If the other hot-spring inns are fully booked, you can come to my place."
The blond grandpa said this as he handed everyone several business cards and vouchers.
On the card were four large characters—Cinnabar Hot Springs.
"All right, but Grandpa, do you know where Blaine, the Gym Leader of the Cinnabar Gym, is?"
As Ash spoke, he held out the Pokédex entry on Blaine for the blond grandpa to see.
"I think Grandpa Blaine should still be on Cinnabar Island.
If I defeat him, I can earn the Volcano Badge!"
Ash's voice rose with excitement.
"Oh?"
The blond grandpa took off his sunglasses and gave Ash an intrigued look.
"You really want to challenge Blaine?
He's a very strong Trainer."
"Ugh, as a Gym Leader, if he couldn't adapt and instead just followed the hot-spring craze until the Gym went under, then his brain must be about the same as Ash's."
Misty's voice rang out.
"Wha—what do you mean can't adapt?"
The blond grandpa stammered, his face flushed.
After a while, realizing he'd lost his composure, he hurriedly put his sunglasses back on.
"Grandpa, are you a friend of Blaine's?"
Ash looked at the blond grandpa in puzzlement.
"Ahem, since you're so eager to challenge Blaine, then you should all the more come to my hot-spring inn."
The blond grandpa didn't say more.
He left only that sentence, then turned and walked away.
"What a strange grandpa.
But the other lodgings really are fully booked."
Everyone lowered their heads to look at the business cards in their hands.
Elsewhere, Natsume stared blankly at the hot-spring inn in front of him.
"Hello, wasn't this the League's scientific base on Cinnabar Island before?"
Natsume stopped a tourist going in and out of the inn.
"Oh, this used to be the research base.
Now it's a hot-spring inn," the tourist replied.
Natsume was speechless.
He had come to borrow an earthmover.
Along the way, he had basically tried fusing Rotom No. 2 with many of the bikes on the market.
Although he hadn't had time to set up any transformation procedure, he could at least expand the lineup of bike types, run simple fusions with Rotom, inspect each stat for the Motorbike Rotom, and make a chart.
For now, every bike fused with Rotom was coming out with Electric/Fighting typing.
Cinnabar Hot Springs.
"Natsume and dogs not allowed."
At the entrance, everyone looked at the sign and their mouths twitched.
For a moment, several gazes fell on Natsume.
"Natsume, that researcher who blew up the volcano three years ago—don't tell me that was you?"
Ash's voice came from behind.
"It was me.
To commemorate my contribution, there's even a statue of me at the center of Cinnabar Island."
Cinnabar Hot Springs sat on the mountainside, with an excellent view over most of Cinnabar Island.
Everyone followed his gaze.
Sure enough, behind the Pokémon Center stood something like a statue.
Quite a few tourists were lined up to set off fireworks and firecrackers in front of it, as if in celebration.
"Don't listen to his nonsense."
Behind them, the blond grandpa reappeared and tossed a few volumes of the Cinnabar Island Folk Customs Compendium to the group.
Item 6, Activities—Driving Away the Volcano Fiend:
Legend says that every three years, the Volcano Fiend appears on Cinnabar Island and lures the volcano into erupting.
The Volcano Fiend fears loud noises and vanishes without a trace when the volcano erupts.
The diligent and brave residents of Cinnabar Island set up a statue of the Volcano Fiend, and the custom is to set off fireworks and firecrackers to drive it away.
After reading the description, they looked back at the "Volcano Fiend" statue in the book.
It was unmistakably Natsume!
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