Ash, Misty, and Brock walked along the harbor pier as sunlight reflected off the sea.
A massive luxury liner was docked in the distance.
Its white hull shone in the sun.
It was the S.S.
Anne.
Ash recognized it immediately and felt conflicted.
He remembered that in the original story, the luxurious ship was a Team Rocket trap meant to steal the Pokémon of every Trainer aboard.
The ship later sank during a storm, leaving Ash, Misty, and Brock stranded on an island filled with giant mechanical Pokémon.
“Ash, isn’t that the S.S. Anne?” Misty pointed at the cruise ship.
“I heard it’s incredibly luxurious. I’ve wanted to see the inside for ages!”
Ash thought for a moment.
He remembered the Slowpoke on the island of giant Pokémon and wanted to catch it more than ever.
But if they did not board the ship, reaching the island would be difficult.
Ash clenched his fist.
“We’re boarding!”
As a certain wise man once said, “The rougher the sea, the more valuable the catch.”
The risk was worth it.
Besides, with so many Trainers aboard, they were basically free experience for him and his Pokémon.
Just then, Jessie, James, and Meowth approached in disguise and handed them tickets.
Ash saw through their disguises immediately, but said nothing and accepted the tickets.
“Thank you.”
With that, Ash, Misty, and Brock boarded the S.S.
Anne.
…
The afternoon sun shone over the deck of the S.S.
Anne.
As soon as Ash, Misty, and Brock stepped onto the deck, they were amazed by what they saw.
The spotless white hull, polished railings, and well-dressed passengers walking past showed how luxurious the ship was.
“This ship is so luxurious,” Misty said in amazement.
“It really is,” Brock agreed, impressed by the surroundings.
A commotion nearby caught Ash’s attention.
He looked over and saw several Trainers holding a Pokémon battle.
The surrounding crowd gasped and cheered as the battle continued.
Ash immediately saw a chance to train.
“Free experience, here I come!”
He ran toward the battlefield, with Pikachu calling “Pika, Pika!” from his shoulder.
Misty and Brock exchanged resigned smiles, then followed him.
When they caught up, Ash was already beside the battlefield.
The current battle was between a Raticate and a Starmie.
“Raticate, use Super Fang!” Raticate’s Trainer shouted.
Raticate bared its sharp teeth, lunged forward, and bit down on Starmie’s gem.
A crack spread across Starmie’s gem.
Starmie trembled, and the light from its body dimmed.
Thud!
Starmie swayed, then fell to the ground, unable to battle.
The crowd gasped, then burst into applause.
The middle-aged man, dressed like a gentleman, smiled proudly as everyone watched.
Raticate held its head and tail high, looking down on its defeated opponent.
The man raised his chin and called to the crowd, “Anyone else? Who wants to challenge my Raticate?”
“I will.” Ash stepped forward.
He took out a Poké Ball.
“Squirtle, you’re up!”
White light flashed, and Squirtle appeared on the battlefield.
Squirtle landed, patted its shell, and cried, “Squirtle! Squirtle!” It kept its eyes on Raticate and prepared to battle.
“Squirtle, use Water Gun!” Ash ordered.
Squirtle opened its mouth and fired a powerful jet of water at Raticate.
Raticate’s Trainer reacted quickly.
“Raticate, dodge, then use Tackle!”
Raticate sidestepped the Water Gun, then kicked off with its hind legs and charged at Squirtle.
“Squirtle, use Rapid Spin,” Ash ordered as Raticate approached.
Squirtle pulled its head and limbs into its shell and spun toward Raticate, stirring a small whirlwind around itself.
The collision sent Raticate crashing to the ground, badly hurt.
Squirtle adjusted itself in midair and landed safely.
It stuck out its head and limbs, shook itself, and cried, “Squirtle! Squirtle!” to show Ash it was fine.
Its shell had protected it from any serious damage.
“Great job, Squirtle!” Ash said with a pleased smile.
Raticate’s Trainer scowled.
He had not expected Ash’s Squirtle to be so strong.
“Raticate, pull yourself together! Use Super Fang!” he shouted.
Raticate got back up, its eyes bloodshot.
Baring its sharp teeth, it rushed at Squirtle.
Ash immediately countered.
“Squirtle, use Ice Beam!”
Squirtle took a breath and fired a blue-white Ice Beam at the charging Raticate.
Frost spread through the air in its path.
Raticate’s eyes widened.
It tried to dodge, but the attack was already too close.
Ice Beam struck Raticate head-on.
Frost spread over its body, stopping it in place as it began to shiver.
“Raticate, hang in there!” its Trainer shouted as sweat formed on his forehead.
The ice thickened until Raticate was trapped inside a solid block.
Its limbs were frozen in place, its cries stopped, and fear showed in its eyes.
“Now that it’s frozen, keep attacking! Squirtle, finish it with Water Pulse!” Ash ordered.
Squirtle formed a blue sphere of water surrounded by pale ripples.
It launched the sphere at the frozen Raticate.
The Water Pulse slammed into the block of ice.
Boom!
The ice shattered into pieces.
The impact blasted Raticate across the battlefield, and it hit the ground motionless, unable to battle.
[Congratulations, host, on your victory.
You received 10,000 points.]
The man recalled Raticate and walked away without a word.
Ash ran over, picked up Squirtle, and smiled.
“You were amazing, Squirtle!”
“Squirtle! Squirtle!” Squirtle rubbed affectionately against Ash’s face.
Suddenly, Squirtle’s body began to glow.
Ash stared in surprise, then broke into a joyful smile.
“Squirtle, you’re evolving!”
Within the light, Squirtle’s body began to grow.
Its small body lengthened, and its limbs became thicker and stronger.
When the light faded, a newly evolved Wartortle stood before everyone.
Wartortle had a round head and a pair of wing-like ears.
Its brown eyes and the two sharp fangs visible in its mouth gave it a tougher appearance.
Its shell resembled Squirtle’s, but the pattern was more defined.
Three sharp claws had grown on each of Wartortle’s forelimbs.
Its large, fluffy tail curled behind it like a rolling wave.
“Wartortle!”
Wartortle cried out, its voice deeper and stronger than it had been as a Squirtle.
It turned toward Ash.
Ash crouched and stroked Wartortle’s head.
“Wartortle, congratulations on evolving! We’ll keep getting stronger together!”
Wartortle rubbed its head against Ash’s hand and cried, “Wartortle! Wartortle!”
[Pokémon: Wartortle]
[Gender: Male]
[Type: Water]
[Introduction: The Turtle Pokémon and the evolved form of Squirtle.
It is popular as a pet, and its furry tail is said to symbolize longevity.]
[Base Stat Total: 405]
[Ability: Torrent.
[Hidden Ability: Rain Dish.
During rainy weather, Wartortle slowly recovers stamina.]
[Current Strength: Gym Level]
[Potential: Champion Level]
[Moves: Tackle; Tail Whip; Water Gun; Withdraw; Rapid Spin; Bite; Water Pulse; Rain Dance; Aqua Jet; Aqua Tail; Shell Smash; Iron Defense; Hydro Pump; Ice Beam; Blizzard; Body Slam; Protect; Skull Bash; Aqua Ring]
[Status: Healthy]
Ash looked proudly at Wartortle.
All three of his original Kanto starter Pokémon had now evolved once, and each had become much stronger.
The battles aboard the S.S.
Anne made Ash even more eager to keep fighting.
Soon, more Trainers began challenging him.
Ash eagerly accepted every challenge.
To him, the Trainers were free experience for his Pokémon, and he had no reason to turn them away.
…
One battle after another took place on the deck of the S.S.
Anne.
Ash and his Pokémon became more confident with each victory.
With Ash’s commands and his Pokémon’s strength, they defeated every opponent without slowing down.
Battling Pokémon of many different types and species forced Ash to keep adjusting his tactics.
His Pokémon also improved with every battle.
As time passed, Ash’s winning streak kept growing.
When Pidgeotto defeated a Bulbasaur with Air Slash, the referee announced, “Bulbasaur is unable to battle! Pidgeotto wins! That marks Ash’s fiftieth consecutive victory!”
The crowd erupted in applause and cheers, impressed by Ash and his Pokémon.
“That’s incredible! Fifty wins in a row!”
“Ash is an incredible Trainer!”
“I’ve never seen battles this exciting!”
Praise came from every part of the crowd.
Then the deck fell silent.
No one else dared to challenge Ash.
The remaining Trainers lost their nerve after seeing his winning streak and gave up on challenging him.
“Thank you, everyone!” Ash shouted to the crowd.
Nearby, Jessie, James, and Meowth watched in disguise, angry and frustrated.
Jessie said, “That twerp is way too strong. He really won all those battles!”
James frowned as he considered their plan.
“Don’t worry. Our operation is about to begin, and we’ll steal all his Pokémon too!”
Meowth rubbed his paws together beside them.
A light breeze swept over the deck as the S.S.
Anne sailed steadily across the sea.
As Ash enjoyed his victories, his stomach began to growl.
He realized how much energy the long series of battles had taken out of him.
He headed to the dining hall.
As soon as he entered, Ash saw Misty and Brock.
Misty sat at a table, enjoying her meal.
Brock was eating nearby while studying the menu for ideas for a new recipe.
As expected of Brock, the group’s resident mom.
“Misty! Brock!” Ash called as he ran toward them.
Misty smiled and stood to greet him.
“Ash, you finally made it.”
Brock smiled.
“Ash, we heard about your fifty straight wins. That was impressive.”
Ash chuckled and scratched his head.
“It was all thanks to my Pokémon.”
Then he dropped into a chair and stared at the feast spread across the table, his mouth watering.
“I’m starving. Time to recharge.” Ash picked up his knife and fork and dug into the meal.
Pikachu and Eevee jumped onto the table and happily ate the food Misty had prepared for them.
At the same time, in the shopping area, a shady salesman tricked James into paying far too much for a Magikarp.