Pokémon: Who let him leave Pallet Town?

Chapter 158 Crossing Service
"I never expected to come back to Kureha City for something like this."

At the Pokémon Center in Vermilion City, Misty hung her head, not wanting to use an umbrella, and huddled next to Soraka.

"Don't say that, Xiaoxia. It means that even though I lost that day, I still gained recognition!"

Ash remained optimistic, still basking in the joy of being invited by Mewtwo.

Although everyone knows that the other party is not the world's number one Pokémon trainer, their strength is undeniable.

If we could take this opportunity to have a Pokémon battle with the other party, that would be great.

“I don’t think so.”

Xiaoxia shuddered as she spoke.

"There's been heavy rain these past few days, so remember to wear more clothes," Jiaozi reminded him.

"No, that's not it." Xia shook her head.

She had a real psychological aversion to that strange purple Pokémon.

The other person gives off a very strong "inanimate" feeling.

Upon entering the Pokémon Center in Vermilion City, the group arrived at the front desk, only to find that Nurse Joy was not among them.

"Miss Joey from Coral City, I never imagined you had a hobby of cosplaying Officer Jenny. I am truly honored to witness this!"

Xiao Gang felt as if he had arrived in heaven and discovered a new continent.

"What are you talking about? I am Officer Jenny from Coral City!"

Miss Officer Jenny looked at Xiao Gang with a puzzled expression.

"Oh? Where is Miss Joey here?"

Ash curiously came closer.

"Sigh, we want to know too," Officer Jenny sighed, looking quite troubled.

She pointed to a notice on the side, which was a missing person notice for Joey.

"Damn it, someone actually dared to kidnap Miss Joey!" Xiao Gang was furious when he saw it.

"Wait, Miss Joey is missing. Such an important matter, shouldn't you be going to look for her right away?"

"I'm puzzled," Jiao Zi asked.

"I know, but recently a lot of trainers have suddenly come."

Officer Jenny looked tired as she led the group to the waiting area, which was packed with people.

"These trainers all claim to have received invitations from the world's number one Pokémon trainer to cross the sea to Vermilion City."

"The Pokémon Center is really short-staffed, so we can only have Officer Jenny fill in."

Miss Officer Jenny waved her hand, her tone filled with deep helplessness.

"Ah, so many people received invitations," Ash muttered to himself.

After saying goodbye to Officer Jenny, the group finally found an empty seat and were able to sit down and rest.

"My goodness, I asked around at these trainers, and they all have collected eight badges!"

Xiao Gang walked over carrying a plate of sandwiches.

"There are still two and a half months until the Indigo League begins, and there are already nearly a hundred trainers here who are qualified to participate."

"Xiao Zhi, you might be under a lot of pressure," Xiao Gang reminded him.

"Yes, yes, there's a heavy rain today, so the boats might not be able to sail. How about we go back now and continue our special training?"

Xiaoxia spoke up.

As soon as she finished speaking, images of Vermilion City's sailing company employees appeared on the Pokémon Center's large screen.

"I'm sorry, Trainers waiting at the Pokémon Center, but due to thunderstorms, ships in Vermilion City will not be sailing for the next two days."

"Excuse me, Trainers waiting at the Pokémon Center."

The broadcast played on a loop, and many people began to lament.

"Hmph, I told you so! Let's go back!" Xiaoxia said smugly, hands on her hips.

"No, so many skilled trainers have been invited. If I can get to that island, there will definitely be very strong opponents waiting for my challenge!"

"Pickup!"

Ash is full of fighting spirit, and Pikachu also raises its little hand to show its support.

"Hmph, I still have a way even without a boat. Go, Blastoise!"

A trainer went out, and a Blastoise appeared in the surging sea. He stepped on the turtle's back and moved forward like riding the waves.

"Go, Big-billed Sparrow!"

"Go, Gyarados!" Although most people gave up because of this, a few trainers chose to stick with it to the end.

"That's fantastic! That's the spirit of never giving up!"

Ash was thrilled, but then he discovered that it seemed only Misty possessed a Water-type Pokémon capable of carrying many people.

"Everyone, it's dangerous!"

Officer Jenny chased after them, but still couldn't stop the trainers who were determined to go to the island.

"Xiaoxia—" Xiaozhi looked at her pleadingly.

"What are you fantasizing about? Our Water-type Pokémon can't handle such a long journey with people on board!"

Xiaoxia rolled her eyes.

"I think we should go back as Miss Officer Jenny suggests."

Ash lowered his head. Was it really the only option to go back?

"Natsume-nii, what are you doing?"

Xiaozhi suddenly noticed that Natsume had been silently staring at his phone since earlier.

Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that the other party was on an app similar to a ticket-grabbing app.

"Seriously? Does anyone actually want to sail through a thunderstorm?" The crowd gathered around, speechless.

“Human ships won’t work, but I didn’t say Pokémon won’t.” Natsume waved his hand.

Only then did everyone notice the full name of the software he had opened:
Orange Ocean Shipping - Kanto Division.

"What is this?" Ash asked, full of curiosity.

"A shipping company established by a Gym Leader in the Hoenn region."

Natsume explained simply:
"When faced with extreme weather or environments that prevent ships from traveling or passing through, the only option is to rely on the power of Pokémon."

"If you don't have a suitable Pokémon and can only watch helplessly, you can rent one on this app."

"Oh, I see. Some Pokémon at sea are indeed better suited for sailing in stormy weather than ships."

Jiaozi nodded.

"Let me guess, it must be the Hoenn Water-type Gym, right?"

As Xiaoxia spoke, an idea sprouted in her mind.

This seems to make more money than doing synchronized swimming.

"I'm not sure either. This is a joint production between the Hoenn and Sinnoh regions that has been around for the last ten years or so."

Natsume didn't know exactly who those people were.

All he knew was that this Pokémon rental app had been a great help when he traveled all the way from Sinnoh to the Kanto region.

After a short wait, the ferry service that Natsume had ordered arrived quickly.

A Pokémon with a completely blue body and rounded protrusions on its back came to the group.

"This is."

Ash took out his Pokédex.

Lapras, the Pokémon carrier, enjoys carrying people on its journeys across the sea.

"Wow, it's Laplace!"

Xiaoxia's eyes lit up. Laplace is specifically cultivated in certain regions and used as a sea express.

However, it is not currently available in the Kanto region, which makes its distribution in the Kanto region relatively sparse.

She dreams of having one.

Xiaoxia, who was the least willing to do so, was the first to jump onto Laplace's back.

"what!"

Xiaoxia jumped onto Lapras's back and was startled to find that there were several other Pokémon on it.

“Bidaru—”

In an instant, four furry heads popped out.

They have a pair of huge incisors, are fat and sturdy, stand on two legs, have a similar body shape, and their bodies are covered with short hair.

The most striking feature is its broad, flat tail.

[Bulbasaur, a beaver Pokémon, the evolved form of Bibarel, known for its diligence.]

(End of this chapter)