Natsui walked closer and, after looking it over, saw that the statue was holding a red orb in its beak!
In the darkness, the orb shone with a warm light, bringing a bit of brightness to the surroundings.
"This should be the treasure that Melody was talking about. Ash, go ahead and take it down."
"Eh?" Ash was taken aback, looking at Natsui in surprise. "Aren't you going to do it, Natsui?"
Natsui shook his head, looking as if it were too much trouble. "I have no desire to be some chosen one. Besides, you were the first one to get here, so this task is all yours."
"Well..."
In truth, Ash was completely won over by Natsui's strength and charisma. In his heart, he had long believed that if there really was a so-called "chosen one" between the two of them, it had to be Natsui.
But seeing that he had no intention of making a move, Ash had no choice but to step forward and reach for the orb. It was lodged in there tightly, and it took him a great deal of effort to finally pull it out.
Only then did Natsui come closer for a look. He saw that the orb itself wasn't actually red. It was like a glass sphere the size of a fist, and inside, a fire-like gas was continuously burning, which is what made it glow red.
Putting aside the sudden storm, the journey here had indeed been very easy, just as Melody and the others had said, almost like sightseeing.
"Alright, put the orb away. It's time for us to leave."
The two were just about to head back the way they came, but as soon as they turned around, they saw several people standing on the stone staircase!
It was the Team Rocket trio, who had followed them here and had been spying for a long time. Seeing that they were about to leave, they could no longer hold back and finally revealed themselves!
However, because it was too dark, Ash couldn't make out their faces at first and asked subconsciously, "Who are you!?"
Jessie sneered, "To protect the world from devastation!"
James crossed his arms. "To unite all peoples within our nation!"
"To denounce the evils of..."
"Alright, alright," Natsui interrupted their chant midway through. "I'm sick of hearing your lines. Since we all know each other so well, let's just skip the formalities. If you have something to do, just get on with it!"
"That's right!" Ash also frowned. "The weather is terrible, and we're very busy. Let's not waste any more time here!"
The Team Rocket Trio: ...
Being interrupted felt like having a breath stuck in their chests, and it was very uncomfortable.
"Ahem," to cover up the awkwardness, Jessie quickly coughed twice and said with feigned nonchalance, "You have a point. Before the weather gets any worse, just hand over that Pikachu and the thing you just got!"
It had to be said, the Team Rocket trio's desire to get Pikachu was a running theme throughout the entire anime series. Although their motives were impure, their perseverance still earned Natsui's admiration.
They had failed countless times, yet with every setback, they came back stronger.
It was just a pity that this ultimate goal of theirs was destined to fail.
Ash, of course, would not let them have their way. He said decisively, "In your dreams! I'm not giving you Pikachu or the treasure!"
"Oho~" Hearing Ash let it slip, Jessie smiled. "How wonderful. So that thing from before really is a treasure. Then you can't blame us for taking it by force!"
With that, she and James took out their Poké Balls, preparing to release their Pokémon.
However, just at that moment, a dull scraping sound suddenly came from the bottom of the stone staircase. They turned to look and saw a huge dark shadow suddenly rush up the steps!
"What is that!?"
The Team Rocket trio had just enough time to let out a cry of alarm before the dark shadow had already leaped high into the air and was coming down on them. To avoid being squashed into pancakes, they had no choice but to quickly dodge to the side.
Thud!
The heavy object landed and continued to slide towards Natsui and Ash. Only then did they see clearly that it was a small sailboat!
A boat?
But how did a boat get here!?
The sailboat slid all the way to Natsui before finally coming to a complete stop. However, before they could figure out what was going on, several heads had already popped out of the sailboat's cockpit.
"Natsui! Ash! We're here to get you!"
The voice was Misty's. When Natsui shone his flashlight over, he also saw the figures of Melody, Tracey, and Sabrina!
"What are you guys doing here!?"
"Of course we were worried about you, so we all came," Misty smiled.
"Honestly!" Melody complained. "In weather like this, you should have returned to Shamouti Island right away! I really don't understand why you still had to go out to sea in such a heavy rain!"
Knowing that his impulsiveness had caused them to worry, Ash could only scratch his head and offer an apologetic smile.
"Alright, since we're already here, there's no point in talking about that now," Natsui said, waving his hand. He then looked at the sailboat and asked in surprise, "But by the way, how did you guys get up here?"
This was the highest peak on Fire Island, at least several hundred meters in a straight line from the coast! To be able to sail a boat up to a volcano's crater without any water was simply incredible!
Hearing Natsui mention this, Misty said with a look of admiration, "It's all thanks to Melody! She's an expert sailor. Just by using the strong wind and controlling the sails a bit, she managed to sail the boat all the way up the stone staircase!"
And hearing Misty praise her, Melody puffed out her chest and said proudly, "For people who grew up on Shamouti Island, a boat is like our cradle. This is nothing!"
It was clear that the tension between Misty and Melody had lessened considerably. It was hard to say what had happened between them after he had left the banquet hall or on their way here.
Looking now, Melody had changed into a set of islander clothing, which gave her a wilder look.
Just then, the Team Rocket trio, seeing that the situation was not in their favor, was about to sneak away.
But before they could make a move, a Pokémon, glowing with a dazzling light, streaked past them in the dark night sky!
With just one glance, everyone recognized its identity!
"Za... Zapdos!?"
"It's the god of thunder!"
Melody also let out a cry of alarm, but her brow immediately furrowed.
This is Fire Island, the territory of the god of fire. Why would the god of thunder suddenly appear here!?
And at the same time, the three Ultra Balls on Natsui's left hip were also shaking slightly.
As if sensing the presence of their own kind, they could no longer hold back and were eager to come out for a fight!
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