After departing from Navel Island, Natsui and Sabrina continued their journey to the next island on the back of Charizard.
High in the sky, Sabrina, who was sitting behind and holding onto Natsui's waist, was chatting casually with him when she suddenly felt something.
"Look down there."
At her reminder, Natsui glanced down and saw an ordinary speedboat sailing westward on the sea.
"Hm? What about that boat?"
"I sense two familiar auras. There should be some people we've met before on that boat."
"Really?" Natsui raised an eyebrow and patted Charizard's neck. "Charizard, take us down for a look!"
As Charizard lowered its altitude and got closer, he saw several figures moving on the speedboat. A closer look revealed that it was Ash and Misty!
So they've made it here too!
But thinking about the timing, he had been delayed on Sunburst Island for quite a while. Even if Ash had relaxed for a few days in Pallet Town, it was indeed time for him to start his Orange League challenge.
On the speedboat, Ash, Misty, and Pikachu were at the stern, enjoying the sea view. Besides them, a woman in a hat and orange clothes was steering, while another man in a green T-shirt was leaning against the bow, sketching something on a notepad.
As Charizard's shadow passed over them, they noticed something and looked up, also spotting Natsui.
"Natsui!"
Misty, who had been looking listless, instantly perked up. She rushed to the railing and began waving her arms enthusiastically at Natsui.
Smiling at them, Natsui had Charizard fly closer. When they were flying alongside the bow of the boat, he did a flip and jumped directly from Charizard's back onto the deck.
"Misty, Ash, so you've arrived in the Orange Islands too! I can't believe that in an archipelago this big, and out on the vast sea, we'd run into each other like this!"
"See, this is what you call fate!" Misty said, holding Togepi, her smile as bright as a flower. At the same time, her bright eyes were sizing Natsui up.
Although they had kept in touch via messaging apps since parting ways at the Indigo Conference, it had been a long time since she had seen him. Seeing him as handsome as ever now, she realized she had missed him a great deal.
Just then, Sabrina also used her psychic powers to fly onto the speedboat.
Seeing her appear, Ash was extremely surprised and couldn't help but ask, "Miss Sabrina, what are you doing here too?"
Seeing that Sabrina had no intention of speaking, Natsui answered for her. "She's taking a break from her Gym duties and is traveling with me for a while."
Misty and Ash looked at each other. They never would have thought that the unapproachable Sabrina would be traveling with Natsui!
But then they remembered she had made a special trip to the Indigo Stadium to watch his matches. It was clear their relationship was out of the ordinary, which made it less surprising.
However…
Misty felt a pang of envy. She had also wanted to accompany Natsui, but as Ash's companion, she and Brock couldn't just abandon the dunce before they officially parted ways.
Nearby, seeing strangers land on the boat, the man in green also walked over from the bow.
He was about the same age as Natsui, with center-parted hair held back by a light orange headband. He looked gentle and easygoing.
Although this was their first time meeting, from his memories, Natsui recognized him with a single glance.
It really is him!
Seeing how familiar the group was with each other, the man looked at Natsui and Sabrina for a few moments, then turned to ask Misty, "Who are these two?"
"Let me introduce you!" Misty said excitedly. "This is Natsui, he's a companion of ours, and also Ash's biggest rival! And this is Miss Sabrina, she's the Gym Leader of the Saffron Gym in the Kanto region, a master of the Psychic type!"
"Hello," the boy said, politely extending his hand. "My name is Tracey Sketchit, I'm a Pokémon Watcher. I met Ash and the others not long ago and am currently traveling with them."
Hearing his self-introduction, unlike Natsui who remained impassive, Sabrina actually gave Tracey a rare second look.
A Pokémon Watcher?
What a rare profession.
"Hello, my name is Natsui. Like Ash, I'm also a trainer."
Unexpectedly, after hearing this name, Tracey was taken aback at first, then frowned.
"Natsui? Huh, strange, why does that name sound so familiar?"
"Hmph, hmph." Seeing Tracey's thoughtful expression, Misty puffed out her chest and said proudly, "Of course it sounds familiar! You should know, Natsui is the champion of this year's Indigo Conference! In the Kanto region, his name is known by everyone!"
"Ah! I remember now!" Hearing Misty mention it, Tracey had a moment of realization. "I saw a report about you! You're the champion who won with a perfect streak and set a new record, aren't you!?"
"That's me," Natsui said, waving his hand with a smile. "But it's not as amazing as Misty makes it sound. I just got a little famous thanks to the platform of the Pokémon Conference."
This single sentence instantly made Tracey's impression of him soar!
Listen to that! He's so famous, yet he's so humble, not at all arrogant or complacent. That's truly remarkable!
Seeing Natsui's gaze turn to the woman steering the boat, Misty introduced her. "That's Miss Mei. We met her on the last island. Since we were heading to the same destination, she was kind enough to take us out to sea with her."
Because it was inconvenient for her to come over, Mei just gave him and Sabrina a polite nod.
"Hi, nice to meet you."
"Hello."
Natsui returned the greeting, then looked around and asked, feigning ignorance, "Strange, I don't see Brock. Isn't he traveling with you?"
"Oh, him..." Misty shrugged helplessly. "He stayed behind at a lab belonging to a Professor Ivy on Valencia Island when we got there."
"Knowing Brock's personality, for him to voluntarily stay there, that Professor Ivy must be a beautiful woman," Natsui laughed teasingly, then asked, "By the way, where are you guys headed?"
At the mention of this, before Misty could speak, Ash excitedly cut in. "We're on our way to the next island to challenge the second Gym! By the way, Natsui, how many badges have you gotten?"
"I've only gotten two myself. I'm also on my way to Trovita Island to challenge the third Gym."
"Trovita Island?" Mei thought for a moment and said, "Our destinations are pretty much in the same direction. Since you're friends of Ash, why don't you ride with us? I can give you a lift for part of the way."
"That would be great," Natsui said, not being polite at all. He immediately sat down. "We were just getting tired of flying. Now, we can finally ride a boat, enjoy the sea breeze, and travel with ease."
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