Chapter 23: The Krabby by the Seaside
Walking out of the Cerulean Gym, Ash couldn't help turning back for another longing glance.
In the end, he still didn't get to see the Three Swimwear Sisters… cough cough…
Misty crossed her arms,"Is my swimsuit not enough for you? You actually want to mooch a free performance ticket too?"
Off to the side, Sorrel weakly reminded, "Well… we could pay money to see it…"
Misty & Verity: "Quiet, you!"
"(:3」∠) Oh… Let me give you one piece of advice—"
"Cough, forget it."
Sorrel looked like a wronged puppy.
Bro… I tried my best…
Ash patted Sorrel's shoulder: "It's okay, brother~"
Then the two of them were dragged away by Verity—one by each ear—leaving the Cerulean Gym.
Ash looked at the Cascade Badge in his palm and slowly exhaled.
This time, I earned it with real skill!
Since it was still early in the day, after shopping with Sorrel for travel supplies, the trio decided to take a shortcut toward the next city.
"Let's see… the closest city from here is Vermilion City!"
Outside Cerulean City, Sorrel studied the map carefully.
"Mm, I know that~" Ash replied calmly, lazily scratching Pikachu's chin.
"If we cross the forest and use the coastal highway, it'll take us about five days."
Sorrel was confident. "Trust me—no one reads maps better than I do!"
Ash's mouth twitched.
Buddy, in my previous life I only got lost for three whole days…
"No need. I know a faster route."
Ash pointed at the lighthouse on the map.
"If we go through Bill's Lighthouse, we can cut through Diglett's Cave and reach the outskirts of Vermilion City directly.
We can save about three days."
"So that's the wisdom of a local, huh?"
Zongci nodded in admiration.
"Alright! Since that's settled—let's go! Ash, I'm racing you!"
Verity suddenly took off running like a wild child.
"Oh? You're kidding, right?"
Ash smirked—and burst into a high-speed sprint.
Whoosh!
A gust of wind swept past, leaving Sorrel dumbfounded.
"W-wait! I'm not ready yet!"
He quickly mounted his Luxray and rushed after them.
---
Sha-sha—
After pushing through the dense forest, the sound of waves washing over the beach reached their ears.
Ash stopped, breathing steady, checking the time on the Pokédex.
Mmh~ a two-hour jog. Feels refreshing.
"Huuh… huuuh…"
Luxray was huffing like it was about to explode.
"Sorry, Luxray. I didn't expect Ash to be this athletic…"
Sorrel stroked Luxray's mane apologetically.
Luxray collapsed flat on the ground, looking up at him as if saying:
"Why don't you just delete me... I think Arcanine would suit you better..."
Honestly, if it were just Sorrel, Luxray wouldn't be this exhausted.
But halfway through the run, Verity's stamina bottomed out, so Sorrel had to take her along too.
Veritt, lying limply on Luxray's back, pointed accusingly at Ash:
"Ash… your stamina is monstrous."
"Huh? Really? Thank you for the compliment."
Ash smiled and turned toward the sea.
"Since we're here, let's enjoy some fishing."
Sorrel nodded in satisfaction. "As long as it's not extreme sports, I approve."
Verity spotted a few fishermen nearby, and her eyes sparkled.
"Heheh, rare chance! I'm gonna go challenge some of them!"
Ash pointed to the distant lighthouse perched on a cliff.
"You see? That's Bill's Lighthouse. Let's fish for a while, then head there to stay the night.
Tomorrow morning we'll go straight into Diglett's Cave."
"No problem. See you later!"
Verity hurried off with Piplup to challenge the fishermen.
Ash and Sorrel found a spot by the shore, sat down, and Ash took out the fishing rod gifted by that fisherman uncle before, starting their sea-fishing session.
Sorrel sat down beside him and immediately began talking non-stop.
He was extremely passionate about legendary Pokémon—stories, myths, lore, he knew them all.
"I really wish I could see them with my own eyes someday—the legendary Pokémon…"
He sighed emotionally.
"Well, then you'd better stick with me."
Ash puffed up proudly.
"I'm not bragging, but I'm a guy blessed by Ho-Oh."
The rainbow feather in Ash's pocket glimmered faintly, and Sorrel's scalp tingled.
"Nani?! The Rainbow Hero… right beside me?!"
"So yeah~"
Ash looked far across the waves.
"One day, I'm going to challenge Ho-Oh. If you follow me, you'll see it too."
"Deal!! I'll follow you to the ends of the earth!"
Sorrel nearly burst into tears.
He never imagined Ash was such an incredible man!
"Pika!"
Suddenly Pikachu's ears perked up. It leapt up sharply.
"Pikachu, you'll scare the fish away like that."
Ash turned around curiously—
SNAP!
A huge pincer shot toward Ash's butt.
Ash reacted instantly—backflipping away and saving his poor backside.
"Whoa! Little buddy, that's not very honorable!"
Ash looked at the tiny creature that had ambushed him.
Beep—
Ash's Pokédex activated automatically:
Krabby, the Pincer Pokémon. Its hard pincers are its main weapons. Adults are usually around 60cm.
"Sixty centimeters…"
Sorrel rubbed his chin while observing the "tiny crab" in front of him.
"Then this one's probably not an adult yet?"
SNAP!
Krabby instantly clamped onto Sorrel's shoe.
"OW! I was wrong, I was wrong!!"
Sorrel jumped back in frustration.
"Why is it angry?!"
Ash grinned.
"That comment of yours basically meant calling it a kid."
"Kra-aab!"
Krabby nodded harshly.
Who are you calling a child?! I'm a real adult!
"But honestly~"
Ash sized Krabby up with his hands.
"You are kinda… mini-sized."
GURGLE—!!
Krabby began foaming at the mouth, glaring fiercely at Ash.
"Hehe, truth hurts, huh?"
Ash winked at Pikachu.
"This little guy must have a tough time surviving out here. Let's bring him along."
"Pika pika~"
Pikachu nodded happily and walked forward.
"Kraa…"
Krabby glared at Pikachu instead.
"Pika~"
Pikachu kindly extended its tail toward Krabby.
"I bet you—"
SNIP!!
Krabby clamped down without hesitation.
Bet on what? Fight me!
Pikachu jumped three feet high, tail still stuck in the pincer.
Ash burst out laughing.
No mistake—this stubborn, aggressive attitude…
Yep. It's you, Krabby.
Pikachu, now really pissed, unleashed a surge of electricity.
BZZZT—!!
Sparks exploded everywhere.
Ash swore he could almost see Kingler's skeletal X-ray…
"Go! Poké Ball!"
Thump!
The charred Krabby was absorbed instantly.
Great! Zero resistance.
"Pika~"
Pikachu huffed proudly.
That's what you get for pinching my tail!
Ash picked up the Poké Ball—
The Pokédex flashed white.
Then the Poké Ball vanished.
"That's the retrieval system! Ash, you hit your limit!"
Sorrel exclaimed.
"Yeah, Krabby's my seventh."
Ash nodded.
"I'll swap Gyarados back later and let Professor Oak take care of this little one for now. It's clearly under-developed, so Prof. Oak can raise it for a bit."
Sorrel nodded in agreement.
"With Professor Oak, it'll definitely grow big. After all, he is the strongest professor!"
"Mhm. But I should still warn him…"
Ash frowned in concern.
"Just in case he doesn't… cook it in a hotpot."
"Eh?! Σ(?д?|||)??!"
Sorrel was horrified.
"Prof. Oak—eats Pokémon?!"
"Well… I was just joking."
Ash waved a hand.
But after thinking for a moment—
"…Actually… maybe I should remind him."
After all, Oak had once said that Gary's Kingler "looked like it had a lot of meat…"
For the sake of this little crab's life…
Ash decided he'd better bring it up.
To be continued…
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〔TL〕
Every 100 powerstones = 2 bonus ch.
Every 2 review after 100 ps = 1 bonus ch.