Pokemon: A different Ash

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Leaving Lampluge, they still had a long way to go by the sea before reaching their next destination.

Their target was Saffron City, but first, they had to cross the sea by boat, disembark at Maiden Gorge, and then walk a certain distance to finally reach Saffron.

"Hurry up—the boat is leaving!" 

The three hurried to the pier, where the sounds of ship sirens echoed. Ash, Misty, and Brock located the boat bound for Maiden Gorge, bought tickets at the dock, and prepared to board.

"I got the tickets; is there any need to be so anxious?" Misty huffed as she followed Ash.

"It's not my fault you're slow! If we miss it, you'll be the first to complain," Ash shot back.

"Excuse me? I'm not unreasonable!" Misty replied, clearly unconvinced.

"Well, Ash is kind of right," Brock chimed in with a laugh. He, too, had endured Misty's complaints in the past. If they were ever late, she'd blame him, saying he was distracted by beautiful women—even though Misty herself often dawdled.

"Why is everyone ganging up on me?" Misty protested. Despite the quarrel, they managed to buy their tickets and board the boat. With about half an hour until departure, the three decided to wait on the deck, taking in the sea views.

Just then, they heard a faint sound. Looking over the railing, they spotted a small figure drifting in the water.

"Ah! That's... Horsea!" Misty, as a Water-type Gym Leader, instantly recognized the Pokémon. But this Horsea seemed weak, its energy clearly drained.

"It looks seriously hurt," Brock noted, his experienced eyes noticing the signs of injury.

"What a poor thing. I wonder what happened. There isn't a Pokémon Center nearby… maybe we should catch it and get it treated!" Misty said, her heart going out to the tiny Horsea. She took out a Poké Ball, charmed by Horsea's cuteness and worried for its safety.

Just then, Horsea released a burst of ink onto the water's surface, creating a distinct pattern.

"Huh? What's it doing? It seems like it's trying to tell us something," Misty observed, studying the pattern with curiosity.

"It's… Tentacool!" Ash exclaimed.

"Tentacool? Does that mean it was attacked by Tentacool?" Misty wondered aloud, noticing the resemblance in the pattern. The poor Horsea might have been hurt by a Tentacool.

"Let's heal it first," Brock suggested, gesturing to Misty. Nodding, Misty prepared to take out her Poké Ball, ready to help Horsea.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Suddenly, a loud explosion echoed across the water, startling Ash, Misty, and Brock. They whipped around to see a yacht not far away engulfed in flames, and several people on board leaping into the sea to escape.

The explosion caused a commotion along the coast, with people on nearby boats and along the shore panicking at the sight. In the water, Horsea looked terrified, its small body trembling with fear at the loud noise.

"What's happening over there?" Brock asked, concerned as he watched the scene unfold.

"There's no time for that now!" Misty responded, quickly pulling out her Poké Balls. She released her Starmie, Staryu, and Goldeen to help rescue those who had fallen into the water. The Pokémon swiftly swam over, guiding the stranded people toward the boat, where the crew helped them onboard. But once rescued, the people continued to tremble uncontrollably, as though something more serious was affecting them.

"They don't look okay," Brock noted. "They weren't in the water for long, so why are they this shaken?"

"There's something in the water—it's attacking them!" Ash exclaimed, pointing as he saw shadowy figures slipping into the depths, disappearing from view.

"What? What could it be?" Misty looked in the direction Ash was pointing, but saw nothing, her face clouded with confusion.

"Maybe... Tentacool," Ash murmured. He suspected Tentacool was behind the attack, but he didn't want to jump to conclusions too quickly.

"Tentacool? So Horsea was trying to warn us!" Misty gasped, realizing that Horsea's ink pattern might have been a message about the Tentacool threat they'd just encountered.

"That's probably it," Ash replied, glancing around cautiously.

At that moment, an announcement came from the ship: due to the incident, all sailings would be delayed for at least three hours. Ash, Misty, and Brock wouldn't be able to leave right away.

Misty ran off the boat without hesitation, and Ash and Brock followed her to the pier. Facing the open water, Misty called out loudly.

"Horsea!" she called, her voice carrying over the waves. A moment later, Horsea emerged from the water, still looking weak and injured.

Despite its exhaustion, Horsea seemed unafraid, likely recognizing Misty from when she'd sent her Pokémon to help with the rescue. It approached slowly, drawn by her voice.

Misty knelt down, carefully lifting Horsea into her arms and looking at its weary face. She spoke softly, full of concern. "Poor thing… Horsea, were you trying to warn us about what happened out there?"

"Horsea!" Horsea chirped, nodding with a small bob of its head. Misty's heart sank as she held the small Water-type close. She was a Water-type Pokémon Trainer, and if she'd understood Horsea's message sooner, perhaps they could have prevented the incident.