After bidding farewell to Viridian Forest and the Pidgey flock, Ash and his companions arrived at an important port city that served as a gateway to the Orange Archipelago. Before heading to the docks to purchase tickets, they decided to stop by a large convenience store to stock up on supplies.
"We need to prepare enough water and food. I've heard the sea routes to the Orange Archipelago can get pretty rough sometimes," Brock said as he carefully checked items off their shopping list.
"And we should get some snacks that Pokémon like too!" Misty added, looking at the wide variety of Pokémon food on the shelves.
Ash focused on gathering essential travel supplies, but his attention was suddenly drawn to a lottery promotion near the checkout counter.
"Spend over 3000 and get a chance to enter the lucky draw. Grand prize: round trip airship tickets to Valencia Island for two!"
"Airship tickets?" Ash's interest was instantly piqued. It would be much faster than traveling by sea and would save them from the rough waves.
He glanced at the items they had already picked up. The total had far exceeded the minimum requirement.
"Let's try our luck!" Ash suggested.
Encouraged by the cashier, Ash spun the lottery wheel. The pointer spun rapidly before slowing down, and under the tense gaze of the three, it stopped precisely on the smallest golden slot.
"Congratulations! You've won the grand prize, two round trip airship tickets to Valencia Island!" the cashier announced excitedly.
"That's amazing!" Misty and Brock cheered.
"But… these are for two people, and there are three of us…" they quickly realized the issue.
Fortunately, after some discussion with the organizers, and considering their status as champions and their special circumstances, the organizers generously upgraded the prize to three one way airship tickets directly to Valencia Island.
"What incredible luck!" Misty said happily.
Following the instructions, they arrived at a private airship landing field on the outskirts of the city.
However, when they saw the so called "airship," all three of them froze.
The airship in front of them looked quite old. Paint was peeling off in several places, and the rivets at the joints were rusted. It was nothing like the luxurious and comfortable airship they had imagined.
"This… looks like it's been around for quite a while," Brock said, stroking his chin with concern.
"It doesn't seem very reliable…" Misty added skeptically.
Ash quietly activated his Aura and instantly detected three extremely familiar energy signatures inside the airship. Jessie, James, and Meowth.
Just as he thought. He immediately recalled the original plot. This was clearly a trap airship disguised by Team Rocket.
He calmly pulled Misty and Brock closer and whispered, "This airship belongs to Team Rocket."
"What?!" Misty and Brock were shocked.
"No wonder it looks so run down!" Brock suddenly understood.
"Then let's leave right away and take a ship instead!" Misty suggested immediately.
"No," Ash's eyes gleamed with a hint of mischief. "Since they've gone through the trouble of inviting us so 'warmly' and even sponsored our tickets, wouldn't it be a shame not to take a look?"
Misty and Brock instantly understood what he meant. They would play along and turn the tables.
"Welcome, dear… uh, I mean, honored guests!" A "staff member" wearing an ill fitting uniform and a poorly worn wig, Jessie in disguise, greeted them enthusiastically, though her smile looked rather stiff.
"Wel… welcome aboard!" another awkwardly dressed "co pilot," James in disguise, added nervously.
"Pl… please follow me, meow!" Even Meowth wore a ridiculous bow tie, attempting to act as a waiter.
Suppressing their laughter, Ash and the others pretended not to notice anything unusual and followed them onto the airship.
The interior was even more shabby. The seats were worn out, and random clutter was scattered around.
The airship wobbled as it slowly took off.
At first, Team Rocket barely managed to keep up their act, serving suspicious looking drinks and food. Ash and his friends politely "accepted" them, only to secretly dispose of them afterward.
After flying for about half an hour and moving far away from the port city, the airship's broadcast suddenly came alive with Jessie's smug laughter:
"Wahahahaha! Since you've so sincerely fallen into our trap!"
"We shall kindly let you know!"
"To protect the world from devastation!"
"To unite all peoples within our nation!"
"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"
"To extend our reach to the stars above!"
"Jessie!" "James!"
"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light!"
"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"
"Meowth, in flight!"
As soon as the announcement ended, the cabin door slammed shut from the outside with a loud bang.
Immediately afterward, the airship began to shake violently and started descending rapidly.
"Hahaha! Bet you didn't expect this, brat! This airship was carefully prepared by us! Now hand over Pikachu!" Jessie's voice rang out through the speakers, filled with pride.
"Oh? Is that so?" Ash remained completely calm. Through his Aura, he had already sensed the position and structure of the lock. He signaled to Pikachu. "Pikachu, aim at the lock and use Iron Tail with minimal power."
"Pika!" Pikachu understood instantly. Its tail gleamed with a metallic sheen as it struck precisely at the weak point of the lock. With a sharp click, the door popped open.
The three quickly rushed toward the cockpit, where Team Rocket was frantically pressing buttons while alarms blared loudly throughout the airship.
"Since you like playing with airships so much," Ash said casually, "then you can experience what it feels like to crash one yourselves. Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"
"Pika—chu!"
Brilliant electricity filled the cramped cockpit instantly, leaving the trio charred and smoking, their hair standing on end.
With miserable screams, Team Rocket was thrown out of the cockpit by Ash and Brock, turning into shooting stars in the distance.
But the airship had already completely lost control and was now spiraling downward!
"This is bad! The airship is going to crash!" Misty shouted in panic as the ocean rapidly approached outside the window.
"We have to stabilize it!" Brock tried operating the controls, but nothing responded.
Ash took a deep breath, knowing he could not hold back any longer. He focused his mind and connected with the system.
"System, exchange for Max Level Aircraft Piloting, including airships!"
[Ding! 1500 World points consumed. Successfully acquired Max Level Aircraft Piloting. Current World Points: 33200.]
In an instant, a massive flood of knowledge about airship structure, aerodynamics, emergency handling, and instrument readings poured into Ash's mind, quickly transforming into instinct and muscle memory. His eyes sharpened as the once complex control panel became crystal clear to him.
"Brock, Misty, hold tight! Leave it to me!"
Ash leaped into the pilot's seat. His hands moved swiftly and precisely across the controls as he pulled the lever hard.
With a harsh metallic screech, the uncontrolled descent abruptly slowed!
Ash skillfully adjusted the airbag pressure and rudder, making full use of the airflow and the little remaining power. Against all odds, he pulled the old airship back from the brink of destruction.
The airship skimmed dangerously close to the ocean surface, tracing a thrilling arc before slowly climbing upward again. Though still unstable, it was no longer in immediate danger.
"W-we did it?!" Misty and Brock stared at Ash in disbelief, watching him expertly control the airship as if he were a completely different person.
"Ash… when did you learn how to pilot an airship?!" Brock asked, stunned.
"Just… picked it up a bit," Ash replied vaguely, fully focused on piloting.
Relying on his maxed out piloting skills, he pushed the old airship to its limits, skillfully avoiding unstable air currents as they steadily headed toward Valencia Island.
After a tense but ultimately safe flight, the outline of Valencia Island finally appeared on the horizon.
Ash guided the airship down, executing a landing that, while not perfect, was absolutely safe as it slowly touched down at the designated landing area.
Once the airship came to a complete stop, Misty and Brock let out long sighs of relief, looking at Ash with a mix of amazement, admiration, and confusion.
Ash unbuckled his seatbelt and smiled. "Alright, we've arrived."
A new island, a new adventure, and that mysterious GS Ball were right ahead.
The journey through the Orange Archipelago was about to begin.
...
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