Cinnabar Island was a coastal island town.
In the past, it had been famous for the Cinnabar Gym, a place many Pokémon Trainers dreamed of challenging. But nowadays it had become a seaside resort known for its hot springs, attracting countless tourists and Trainers who came here for vacations.
Shops lined both sides of the streets, displaying all kinds of goods. The crowds flowed constantly through the lively marketplace, and the island's thriving tourism economy brought in visitors who greatly contributed to its prosperity.
The island's hotels were almost always fully booked. Some of the better inns even required reservations months in advance.
The Cinnabar Gym Leader, Blaine, couldn't really do much about it. Most Trainers who came to Cinnabar Island were here for the hot springs and relaxation.
He himself had gradually lost interest in managing the Gym.
Still, he occasionally accepted challenges from Trainers.
He had even converted a volcano into his Gym.
The intense heat inside the volcano made it a perfect training environment for Fire-type Pokémon.
Unlike the Ash from the original storyline, this Ash had made preparations ahead of time.
He had already reserved a hotel room on Cinnabar Island.
Otherwise, the Pokémon Center lobby would have been packed with travelers.
In the original story, if Misty hadn't solved Blaine's riddle, the trio might have ended up wandering the island without a place to stay. They had even accidentally discovered the Cinnabar Gym while staying at Blaine's place.
Ash and his friends traveled to Cinnabar Island by ferry.
There were plenty of leisure activities on board, making it the perfect chance to relax after their recent intense training.
Ash didn't see Gary Oak anywhere on the ship.
Instead, the group sat down together at a table and enjoyed a large meal.
Pikachu still loved its ketchup, and Ash even fed some food to Togepi.
Ash suddenly grinned mischievously toward Misty, who had been secretly watching him.
If she wanted to look at him, she could just do it openly—why sneak glances?
Ever since they had confirmed their relationship, Ash and Misty had mostly just held hands or occasionally touched each other's cheeks.
They hadn't had many chances to get closer.
Seeing the playful smile on Ash's face, Misty's cheeks flushed red.
This guy is definitely thinking about something mischievous again…
"Misty, drink some milk." Ash twisted open the bottle and handed it to her.
"Pika! Pika!"
(Hey! Don't only take care of Misty—I want some too!)
Pikachu looked at Ash resentfully.
Recently, Ash had been paying a lot more attention to Misty.
After several hours of relaxing on the ship, the group finally disembarked at the harbor.
Their first stop was the Pokémon Center to restore their Pokémon's condition.
Once everything was prepared, they checked into the hotel Ash had reserved.
There was still some time before nightfall, and the streets were full of activities.
Brock felt a little tired, so he stayed behind with Pikachu and Togepi.
When night fell, neon lights illuminated the island.
Ash spent the evening accompanying Misty as they explored the sights and culture of Cinnabar Island.
They strolled through street stalls together.
Whenever Misty saw a new or interesting snack, she wanted to try it.
Of course, she usually took only a small bite—leaving Ash to finish the rest.
After satisfying her cravings, Misty became interested in the ring toss game prizes.
Luckily, Ash had psychic powers.
Ring toss, shooting games, dart games—those carnival challenges were practically child's play.
They ended up winning a large number of stuffed toys from a stall owner whose face showed increasing despair.
Eventually, the owner even gave them a pair of couple plushies for free, begging Ash not to play at his stall anymore.
Ash knew when to stop.
He couldn't keep exploiting the same stall forever.
After about half an hour, Misty had already won plenty of plush toys.
Since she didn't want too many, the two of them decided to simply enjoy the night scenery instead.
"Mmm…"
"Ash, this milk tea is really good. Want a sip?"
Misty leaned against Ash's shoulder and held the cup up to his lips.
Seeing the slightly flattened straw she had just used, Ash decided it was safer to just take a sip.
It was sweet.
After spending a long time wandering around, they finally returned to the hotel to enjoy the hot springs.
To avoid interruptions, Ash entrusted all the Pokémon to Brock so he could take them to the hot spring area.
Ash had specifically booked a room that connected directly to a private hot spring bath.
The hot spring area was quite spacious—big enough for about ten people.
Ash relaxed comfortably in the steaming water.
Misty, however, felt a bit shy.
Isn't our relationship progressing a little too quickly…?
Wrapped in a bath towel, her cheeks were red as she avoided looking directly at Ash.
Seeing how shy she was, Ash didn't plan to do anything inappropriate.
He simply wanted to enjoy the hot spring.
After all, rushing things wouldn't help.
It was better to let their relationship grow naturally.
Ever since they had confessed their feelings, Ash had been paying even more attention to her—occasionally teasing her and taking small opportunities to get closer.
When Misty saw Ash approaching, her face turned even redder.
The next morning, Misty woke Ash up again.
Fortunately, there wasn't the same awkward situation as when they had slept in the tent earlier in their journey.
After washing up, Ash prepared to challenge the Cinnabar Gym.
He also brought along the thousand-year-old Gastly, whose strength had already reached near–Elite Four level.
According to Professor Oak, the ancient Gastly spent its time performing comedic skits with the Gastly trio, but it also frequently trained with Pokémon like Gyarados and Tauros.
Interestingly, the Gastly itself had once told Ash that it mostly preferred playing pranks rather than battling.
Regardless of whether the battle format would be 1-on-1 or 3-on-3, Ash had already prepared his lineup.
His plan was to use Aerodactyl and Charizard first.
If Blaine's Pokémon turned out to be too strong, he would let the thousand-year Gastly take the stage.
After confirming everything was ready, Ash and his friends headed toward the Cinnabar Gym.
"Ash," Misty said seriously, "Blaine's strength is unfathomable. You need to be careful."
As his girlfriend, she had already researched Blaine beforehand and explained everything she had learned.
Ash listened carefully while forming a plan.
Brock walked half a step behind them.
For some reason, he felt like a third wheel.
(Maybe Brock should leave the group later…? Suzie, the Pokémon Breeder who gives him Vulpix, would be a good opportunity. Keeping Brock here suddenly feels a bit awkward.)
After asking several people for directions, they finally found Blaine's Gym.
It was located at a higher elevation, requiring visitors to climb a long set of stairs.
Along the way, they passed several tourists coming down the path.
Blaine apparently ran two businesses at once—a hot spring inn and the Cinnabar Gym.
"Hello, we're here to challenge the Cinnabar Gym," Ash said.
Behind the counter sat a bald man with a shiny "Mediterranean hairstyle"—exactly the same as Blaine in the original storyline.
After a moment, Blaine carefully examined Ash and asked about his Gym Badges.
Six badges?
Blaine's eyes flickered in surprise.
He now had a rough idea of Ash's strength.
Then Blaine casually handed him a riddle.
Solve it, and he would accept the challenge.
"Cold head, warm body."
Ash's mind immediately produced a strange interpretation.
Put your head in the refrigerator and wrap your body in an electric blanket…
That describes someone taking a nap!
Technically the logic made sense…
But Ash didn't dare say that answer.
Blaine might think he was trolling him and respond with a full team of powerful Pokémon.
"The answer is… an open-air hot spring," Ash said.
Blaine nodded in satisfaction.
He then led Ash and the others toward the open-air bath area.
After twisting a hidden mechanism, a deep rumbling sound echoed.
The stone wall beside the Gyarados-shaped water outlet slowly slid open, revealing a dark passageway.
A wave of intense heat rushed out from inside.
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