Chapter 58: Hometown Flea Tomb

Three hours later, along the shoreline.

This was a stretch of coast located in the northeastern region of the Kanto area, but for now, only Team Rocket members and the wealthy who had boarded the lifeboats had made landfall.

As for the other impoverished trainers...

They probably still had no idea how many hours it would take for them to arrive.

Fortunately, they hadn't encountered any rough weather along the way, so there shouldn't be any major problems.

"Well then, Mr. Ash, Miss Blue, shall we meet again next time?"

Apollo offered a polite farewell and departed with his entire crew of villains, having successfully plundered a ship full of the wealthy.

The trio of Jessie, James, and Meowth also lurked within the main group, stealing glances at the Pikachu on Ash's shoulder as they left.

Next up was their time to shine...

The future was full of promise!

Ash and Blue nodded at Apollo, signaling for them to make a quick exit.

Squirtle's ghost, right now the entire faction of wealthy elites was convinced that the two of them were the secret illegitimate children of some high-ranking Team Rocket bigwig, and their expressions were truly unfriendly.

They might even be plotting to report the pair as soon as they reached the nearest town.

After all, nobody would feel good about having three hundred million stolen from them.

"Hehe, we're just innocent bystanders, we really don't know any Team Rocket, we're die-hard supporters of the Heat~"

Blue laughed awkwardly, waving her little hand as she sent off Team Rocket and the wealthy crowd...

...

Just as the group intended to set off happily on a new journey:

"!" "!"

Ash and Blue suddenly reacted as if struck by telepathy, violently whipping their heads around with wide eyes to stare at each other.

"Farfetch'd, it really seems we forgot about a certain flea!?"

Looking around earlier, Gary had neither been among the poor nor managed to get onto the rich people's boat.

That guy Gary really hadn't come out yet!?

They hurriedly turned their heads back to look out over the ocean.

The sea was calm and tranquil, with a few Magikarp leaping out of the water, simple and leisurely.

"..."

Sweat beads the size of soybeans poured down both of their faces frantically, and in a state of panic, they began hammering on their own heads.

"Brother Red, 999."

"Sister Blue, 999."

After a flurry of commotion, the two drunks finally stirred heavily within the realm of the soul, asking innocently:

"What's wrong?"

"That guy Gary is trapped on the S.S. Anne, he didn't make it out," Ash said anxiously.

"Good riddance..."

"We'll pop a bottle of champagne to celebrate another day~"

The two drunks plunged back into a deep sleep, probably capable of having a sweet dream this time around.

The duo: "..."

Is this what you call friendship? Absolutely hilarious.

According to the fragmented memories in their minds, those three bigwigs must have gone off drinking while the other three were asleep.

And because he and Blue possessed physical constitutions as robust as a Tauros, they had woken up fully recovered by the next day.

But Gary had spent his life indulging in dissipation, and his physical health had always been subpar, so he was still dead to the world, sleeping soundly right up to now.

Three hours had passed; by now he had probably sunk to the ocean floor, and seaweeds were likely already growing over him... right?

The duo: "..."

"Wah-wah...!!"

Finally, Blue couldn't help but burst into a cry, squatting down on the ground.

Though she truly wanted to strangle Gary until he was dead and scatter his ashes to the winds, now that the fellow had genuinely kicked the bucket and become shark food, a powerful wave of sorrow welled up in her heart.

A fox mourning the death of a rabbit? Whatever the case, it was an utterly wretched feeling.

"Sigh..."

Ash didn't cry out, but tears had long since flowed inward into his stomach, his entire body trembling.

Gary was a dearest friend he had grown up with and his lifelong rival; while he wanted nothing more than to surpass Gary and keep him under his thumb at all times, he had only ever wanted to beat him fair and square, never wishing for his death.

He stepped forward and patted Blue's trembling shoulder, as much to comfort her as to comfort himself.

Both of them stared out at the sea in silence for a long time, before finally letting out a long, heavy sigh.

Perhaps a place where waves rose ever higher was the destination best suited for a wanderer like Gary?

Blue slowly drew the folding iron shovel from her side bag and began digging a hole right where she stood.

She couldn't do much for him, but a gravestone was the least she could manage...

Ash, too, began his sorrowful task...

Though the other two souls weren't close to Gary, they were infected by this grief and chipped in by pulling up some weeds for the grave...

...

Afterwards, Blue adjusted her cap and gazed out at the vast ocean.

Having been through this ordeal, she seemed to have matured quite a bit.

"I plan to go wander around the western town by myself. What about you, hometown buddy?"

Ash clenched his fists, a fierce fire burning in his gaze.

"I plan to carry Gary's dream forward on my back! I will definitely become a Pokémon Master!"

Both he and Gary had aspired to become the strongest trainers; now that the former was feeding the fishes, he would simply become twice as strong to make up for it!

At the fork in the road, the four parted ways.

Blue intended to head to the small town in the west to clear her head, while Ash and his two passengers planned to travel south toward Saffron City.

He heard there was a place called Lavender Town along the way, where he could stop by and burn some incense for Gary.

Calculating the time, it should be right before the seventh day since his passing, just in time for the first memorial rites...

Along the journey, feeling the grief and fighting spirit burning in Ash's heart, Red finally stirred lazily.

"?"

Did something happen?

He actually had no idea what Ash and the others were making such a big fuss about...

With Green protecting him down there, the fellow probably wouldn't die even if he sank all the way to the earth's crust, right?

Right after that, sensing something in the surroundings and momentarily forgetting the dark history of his drunken blackout, Red spoke up abruptly:

"Ash, you're itching to find an enemy to vent on right now, aren't you?"

"Yes!"

"There's a Pokémon covered entirely in spikes. Want to go challenge it?"

"Spikes... is it strong?"

"Uh, pretty decent, I suppose."

Hearing this, Ash felt reassured and urged impatiently:

"Great, I'll take it as a battle to commemorate Gary! Quick, Brother Red, tell me where it is?!"

"Thirty miles south, at the abandoned Power Plant."

Red said simply and calmly.

...

Three hours ago, within the swirling vortex of the S.S. Anne.

The bone-chilling cold and immense water pressure caused Green to snap awake within the realm of the soul.

Bang-splash!

The very next second, a Poké Ball at his waist violently burst open.

A magnificent, cool-looking giant brown eagle spread its massive wings, materializing out of nowhere within the seawater.

The moment it appeared, a cyan barrier surged around its body, blocking out the crushing weight of the ten thousand tons of seawater completely.

Protect!

Green seized control of Gary's body; though his mind was still swimming from intoxication, he forced his focus together and gripped the feathers of the Pidgeot tightly.

"Well done, Pidgeot."

This Pidgeot was the one he had retrieved from Red just yesterday. It was his signature Pokémon, which Red had borrowed when he set out on his journey and never returned.

He wondered how well it had been raised in the meantime...

There was no time to dwell on it, however, as surging vortexes closed in from all directions.

Protect could only protect against attacks, not sustain them indefinitely; he couldn't rely on Protect to hold back the ocean forever.

Just as Green was hesitating, he saw the Pidgeot take the initiative. Though its broad wings were submerged in the sea, they weren't dampened in the slightest, and a faint layer of blue aquatic energy rippled over them.

"Pidge-pidge-ot!!"

As the Pidgeot whipped its wings fiercely, it actually generated a counter-rotating tidal vortex out of thin air amidst the surrounding ocean, with a momentum so vast it rivaled natural wrath.

Swish-swoosh-zoom...!!

Two whirlpools of completely opposite rotational trajectories collided head-on. Amidst the violent impact, the massive vortex generated by the ten-thousand-ton S.S. Anne was forcibly and completely neutralized.

The ocean grew frighteningly calm.

Details of a whirlpool...?!

Green stared in wide-eyed disbelief.

What the hell, since when did his Pidgeot learn this move?!

Wait a minute, can Pidgeot even learn this move?!

Damn it!

What on earth did that bastard Red do to his bird?!

This wasn't the time for hesitation. Taking advantage of the lull, Green shouted once more:

"Now, Pidgeot, use Protect and blast out of here!"

Protect to the rescue once more.

Another strange cyan glow flared over the Pidgeot's body, shielding them from the water trying to swallow them whole, and then its wings beat hard, launching it straight up into the sky.

"Pidgeot!"

In mere seconds, the Pidgeot broke through the hundred-meter-deep water column, soaring back into the open sky.

With that smooth maneuver, not a single feather was wet, looking utterly dashing.

Crisis averted, Green immediately whipped out his Pokédex and scanned his proud Pidgeot.

He was feeling a little nervous now.

"Pidgeot, nickname: Utility Bird, is Green's Pokémon."

Green: "???"

He distinctly remembered the nickname was supposed to be "Handsome and Cool Pidgeot"!?

The Pokédex continued its broadcast:

"Moves: Protect, Defog, Fly, Whirlpool, Tailwind, Cut, Thunder Wave..."

Green: "???"

He instinctively clutched his chest, feeling a sharp pang of heartache.

Damn it!

What kind of cursed moveset was this? His Pidgeot was clearly a pure-blooded, violence-fueled bird built for Quick Attack, Steel Wing, Brave Bird, and Giga Impact!

"Big Brother Green... I understand now. Is this the training path of the Pidgeot lineage?"

At that moment, a weak voice sounded out.

Gary had finally sobered up completely, waking up just in time to witness his family's starter bird performing its grand ultimate technique.

The sight prompted Green to angrily hand control of the body back to Gary and fall silent.

Gary, newly in control of his own body: "?"

Did he say something wrong?

Why was Big Brother Green throwing such an extraordinary temper today?

Regardless, he was finally saved. Without overthinking it, he gave the Pidgeot a gentle pat and flew toward the shore.

"Pidge-pidge-ot~"

The Pidgeot was a seasoned utility bird, genuinely happy from the bottom of its heart to serve as a mode of transportation. All the way back, it hummed a little tune while using Fly, looking thoroughly pleased with itself...

...

Two hours later, Gary arrived at the shore and recalled his utility bird.

On the sandy beach, an upright stone monument stood out prominently, instantly catching his eye.

The soil around it had been freshly turned, and there were no weeds in sight, making it look as though it had just been erected. This prompted Gary to step forward and take a closer look.

"Grave of the Hometown Flea."

"In memory of Oak's grandson, Gary, who perished in the sea."

"May he ride upon the crest of the waves, rising ever higher."

"Fellow Pallet Town Native."

"Erected."

Gary: "?"

For some reason, his chest started hurting too...