Pokemon: Ash's Yellow Rodent 10

Sorry for taking over a year before posting another chapter. It's all because of writer's block. For some reason, it took me longer than expected to write it. Anyway, here's the next chapter.

Chapter 10: Aboard the S.S. Anne

Ash, Pikachu, Brock, and Misty arrived inside the Pokémon Center in Vermilion City. There, they came near the counter, coming across Nurse Joy.

"Welcome to the Pokémon Center. How may I help you?" she asked them, smiling.

"Well..." Ash began to say. "I was wondering if... Whoa!"

The young trainer yelped in alarm as Brock pushed him out of the way, grabbed Joy's hands, and tenderly looked at her eyes.

"I need your help, Nurse Joy. I have a broken heart and only you can heal it." The breeder said.

"Hum..." the nurse said, confused by that.

"Ow!" Brock yelled as Misty was pulling him away by his left ear, forcing him to let go of Joy's hands.

"Keep doing that and your heart won't be the only thing that's broken." The red-haired girl said, frowning at him.

Ash laughed sheepishly at that before turning his attention towards the nurse.

"Is there a room left where we can stay in for the night?" the boy from Pallet Town asked her.

"Let me check." Joy said before checking on a nearby computer. "Yes, there is a room available right now." She then turned her attention towards a nearby Chansey. "Chansey, could you please show them where Room 7 is?"

"Chansey!" the pink Pokémon nodded before motioning Ash and the others to follow her. "Chansey, Chansey, Chansey..." she said as she headed towards Room 7, with the humans and the electric-type following her.

Soon after, Chansey opened the room's door and motioned them to go inside. The room had two bunk beds, one on each side of it.

"Thanks a lot, Chansey." Brock said.

"Chansey!" she nodded happily before walking away.

The breeder closed the door while Ash lay on one bed, with Misty sitting on the opposite bed.

"Finally, we can get some rest." Misty said, sighing in relief.

"I'm looking forward to win my next badge." Ash thought out loud.

"Pika, Pika." Pikachu said, smiling as he sat on Ash's bed.

Suddenly, the boy from Pallet Town thought about something, causing him to immediately sit up on the bed.

"Wait a minute..."

"What is it?" Misty asked.

"I need to call Professor Oak." He said, thinking about something important he had to do in particular.

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Several minutes later, the young trainer was using one of the phones available to use in the Pokémon Center. Pikachu, Brock and Misty were standing up next to him. Soon enough, Professor Oak appeared on the screen.

"Oh! Hello, Ash! How are you doing?" the old man asked.

"I'm fine, Professor. Since the last time I called you, I managed to earn my first two badges!" the boy proudly exclaimed as he showed his badges.

"Hmm... Only TWO badges?" Oak asked while scratching his neck.

Instantly, Ash fell on his back after what he just heard. He slowly went back on the chair.

"What do you mean, 'only TWO badges'?" Ash asked in disbelief.

"Oh, it's just that Gary called me a few days ago to tell me he managed to earn four badges."

The young trainer's jaw literally dropped after what he just heard.

"FOUR badges!?"

"You heard right. Although, I keep forgetting that my grandson has a car, so obviously he's going faster than someone who travels on foot like you." The old man said while stroking his chin. "Forget what I just said then." Oak then noticed Brock and Misty's presence behind Ash. "Oh, I see that you're not alone. Who are these two behind you?"

"Guys, it's time to introduce yourselves." Ash told the other two.

"I'm Brock, the Gym Leader of Pewter City." The breeder said after grabbing the phone from the young trainer's hands. "I'm traveling with Ash while my father takes care of the gym. I hope to be a great Pokémon Breeder."
"Ah, yes. I've heard about you, Brock. From what I've heard, you seem to be a good Gym Leader. Good luck with your dream of becoming a great Pokémon Breeder." Oak said, smiling.

"Thanks. It's an honor to hear that from someone like you, Professor Oak."

"I'm glad to hear that. Now, who's this young lady?"

"I'm Misty, Gym Leader of Cerulean City." the girl said after snatching the phone from Brock's hands. "I'm traveling with Ash because he owes me a bike."

"Of course, she HAD to bring THAT up." The boy from Pallet Town thought, rolling his eyes in annoyance.

"And one day, I hope to become the greatest Water-Type Pokémon Trainer ever!" she exclaimed enthusiastically.

"That's a nice goal you have there, Misty. Good luck with that as well." Oak said, smiling again.

"Thanks, sir!" she said, pleased to hear that from the professor.

"By the way, Professor, there's one reason in particular I called you." Ash said after taking the phone back. "Could I get my Charmander back?"

"Your Charmander? Oh! Right. I remember getting it several days ago. I was glad to see you managed to catch at least seven Pokémon. However, you must choose one of your current Pokémon to switch with your Charmander."

"I made my decision. It's going to be Rattata." The boy said as he grabbed Rattata's Poké Ball from his pocket and looked at it for a few seconds. "Don't worry, Rattata. I promise I'll switch you back whenever I can." He said, determined to keep his promise.

Ash put the Poké Ball inside some green device. A few seconds later, the Poké Ball disappeared. Right after that, another Poké Ball reappeared in its place. The boy grabbed it and opened it. Charmander appeared in front of the young trainer.

"Charmander!" the fire-type exclaimed.

"Alright! Welcome back, Charmander!" Ash exclaimed with joy before turning back to the phone screen. "Okay, Professor. Please take good care of Rattata."

"Don't worry about it, my boy. Also, good luck with catching other Pokémon and winning badges." The old man said.

"Thanks. Goodbye, Professor."

"Goodbye, Ash." Oak said, smiling while hanging up the phone.

Ash hung up the phone as well before turning back to face Charmander.

"I hope you didn't miss me too much." He said as he knelt down and petted the fire-type's head.

"Char, Charmander." The latter said before licking Ash's hand.

"I'm glad to see you as well."

"Pikachu!" the electric-type nodded.

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The next morning, Ash slowly opened his eyes as he woke up. He sat up on his bed, rubbing his eyes. He was still wearing his black shirt and blue jeans, as he felt they were more comfortable than regular pajamas. The boy noticed that the others were still sleeping. Carefully, he put his bare feet on the ground, grabbed his socks and shoes, and put them on his feet. He then grabbed his vest, gloves, hat, and backpack. Ash slowly walked towards the door, making sure not to wake the others.

"Pika?"

The young trainer turned around and noticed Pikachu awake and next to him.

"Hey, good morning, Pikachu." He whispered to his Pokémon as he knelt down. "I'm just going to visit this town while Brock and Misty are sleeping. Wanna join me?"

"Pikachu." The electric-type nodded with a smile before climbing on Ash's arm and arriving on his shoulder.

The young trainer smiled before opening the door and carefully closing it.

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A few minutes later, Ash was walking around Vermilion City, looking for interesting places he could take a look at. Suddenly, he noticed a building with a green roof. In front of the building, there was a sign that said "Pokémon Fan Club". Curious to see what this place was about, the boy entered the building. Inside of it, there were a few couches around a table, a few bookshelves, and a few potted plants. A bunch of people were sitting on the couches.

"My favorite Pokémon is Oddish! I just caught one last week. He is so cute!" a young woman said in excitement.

"I personally love Goldeen. I love the way it swims around in the water." Some guy said.

"Hello, young man." Ash turned around and noticed a middle-aged man wearing a nice-looking black outfit, along with a black hat. "How may I help you?"

"Well, I was wondering what this Pokémon Fan Club is all about." The boy replied.

"In that case, let me explain to you. First of all, I'm the Chairman of this Pokémon Fan Club. It is a place where anyone can come and talk about their favorite Pokémon." He explained.

"Oh, I see. That sounds like a good thing to do." Ash replied.

"Would you like to spend a few minutes chatting about your favorite Pokémon with these people?" the chairman asked.

"Hum..." the boy said, hesitating for a bit. "Well... Okay then. It's not like I was in a hurry to do something more important."

"Good to hear that."

Ash sat on the nearest couch. Pikachu then noticed a young woman, with another Pokémon next to her. It was a pink-skinned one with pointy ears. Its ears had brown tips. Its black eyes had wrinkles next to them. Its hands had two small claws and one thumb each. It had a large curly tail, two small wings on its back, and a curly tuft of fur on its forehead. Oval markings with a darker shade of pink were on its cheeks. Also, both of its feet had a single toenail. Pikachu was curious about that Pokémon. He jumped from Ash's shoulder, landed on the floor, and walked right next to the pink-furred one. The latter noticed the electric-type looking at it.

"Clefairy!" the pink Pokémon said while winking at him.

Seeing that, Pikachu couldn't help but blush.

"Pika, Pikachu!" he said while rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Looks like Pikachu already made a new friend." Ash thought as he smirked at the sight of that.

"So, what's your name?" the young woman asked the boy.

"I'm Ash Ketchum, and I come from Pallet Town."

"Alright, Ash. What's your favorite Pokémon?"

"Hum..." the boy hesitated, never having thought about that before. "Hard to say. There's so many Pokémon I like. Not to mention I haven't met them all." He said before thinking more about it. "But... If I were to choose... I'd say... Pikachu is my favorite." He proudly said.

"Pika." The electric-type's ears twitched as he heard what his trainer just said.

"For what reason?" some other guy asked.

"Well... Pikachu is a very loyal Pokémon. If you gain his trust, then he will always help you as much as he can. He's also pretty strong for a Pokémon of his size, which shows that size doesn't matter. But most of all... he's a great friend. Someone you can always count on. My friendship with Pikachu is something I would never exchange with anybody else. That's why he's my favorite Pokémon." Ash said.

Soon after, Pikachu climbed up the couch his trainer was sitting on and sat on his lap, hugging his chest.

"Pika, Pika!" the electric-type exclaimed in joy, causing Ash to smile at his Pokémon's reaction.

"Interesting thing you just said, young man." The chairman said as he sat on a nearby couch. "Now, let me tell you about my two favorite Pokémon. I am, of course, talking about Rapidash and Zapdos."

5 minutes later...

"And this is why these two are my favorite Pokémon." The chairman finished.

"I enjoyed listening to what you just said, sir. But now, I think it's time for me to leave." The young trainer said as he stood up while Pikachu climbed back on his shoulder.

"Before you leave, here's a gift for listening to me talking about Rapidash and Zapdos."

The chairman took something from a nearby box and showed it to the boy from Pallet Town. The latter's eyes widened at the sight of the gift. It was a voucher. However, the most interesting thing about it was the fact the word 'bike' was printed on it.

"Is that...?"

"Yes, it's a bike voucher. You can use it to get yourself a brand new bike." The man said.

"And I was able to get it just for listening to you?"

"Exactly. I like to be generous with any fan of Pokémon, no matter who they are."

Ash then realized what this meant and smiled widely as he looked back at the bike voucher.

"Woo-ooh! Thank you so much, sir!" the young trainer exclaimed as he shook the chairman's hand.

"My pleasure, young man." The latter nodded.

After putting the voucher inside his backpack, Ash exited the Pokémon Fan Club along with Pikachu and ran as fast as he could towards the Pokémon Center.

"Misty is going to appreciate what we'll bring to her, Pikachu!" the boy exclaimed in excitement.

"Pika, Pika, Pika-Pi!" the electric-type nodded in agreement.

A few minutes later, Ash was back in the room. At this moment, Brock and Misty were readying their backpacks.

"There you are. Where have you been?" the girl asked.

"I was walking around this town, looking for anything interesting." Ash replied. "And speaking of anything interesting..." he said, smirking. "I was able to find a..."

"You'll tell us about that, later. We have to hurry if we want to visit the S.S. Anne!" Misty exclaimed in excitement.

Before Ash could say anything else, the water-type trainer grabbed him by the hand and dragged him away from the room, causing the boy to yelp in alarm. Brock then closed the door behind him before catching up with his traveling companions.

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The S.S. Anne was a large cruise liner. So large that it could have so many people onboard and it wouldn't sink at all. Said cruise liner was next to a large dock known as Vermilion Harbor. Several people went on the S.S. Anne, including our heroes. While this was going on, a certain trio of criminals was hiding behind a nearby truck, spying on Ash and the others.

"Looks like the twerps are going on that boat." James said.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious. We never would have noticed it without you commenting about it." Jessie sarcastically said.

"I hate it when you're being so sarcastic." James said in annoyance.

"Enough, you two!" Meowth exclaimed. "Don't forget we're here to capture Pikachu. Let's not waste any time."

"Right." The other two nodded.

Several minutes later, Team Rocket was able to sneak onboard the S.S Anne. They hid themselves behind a potted plant.

"So, what's the next step?" James asked.

"We should put on some disguises." Jessie suggested.

"But we don't have any disguise." The blue-haired man said.

"That's not going to stop us." She said. "Here's what we're gonna do. This ship must have some waiters to serve food to the various guests. I'm going to seduce a waiter and then you're going to seduce a waitress. We'll then take their uniforms. After that, we sneak on the twerps and we take their Pikachu!"

"Sounds like a good plan to me." James said.

"To me as well." Meowth agreed.

"Alright then." Jessie said before looking around.

She smirked when she noticed a waiter walking around.

"Bingo!" she said.

The waiter was walking with a plate on his hand, about to get some food to fill it.

"Hey, pretty boy!"

He stopped walking as he turned around to see who just talked to him. He noticed Jessie, leaning on the wall seductively.

"I bet you would like to have a girlfriend as gorgeous as I am." She said while winking at him. "A girlfriend who is pretty, cute, filled with talents, and having a heart of pure gold. Am I right?"

"Huh... sure." The waiter said, smiling nervously.

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

"No."

"Good!" she cheered while clasping her hands together briefly before grabbing his hands. "I suggest we go to a more quiet room, so we can get to know each other without any annoyance. What do you think?"

"Hum... Okay." The waiter said, blushing.

"Then come here, you lucky guy!" Jessie exclaimed before bringing to the nearest empty room.

As soon as they entered it, the long-haired woman closed the door.

BAM!

Soon after, James and Meowth entered the room. The waiter was lying down unconscious on the floor, with a bump on his head. They turned their eyes to Jessie, who was holding the plate in her hands. It's not hard to guess what she used to cause the bump on the male waiter's head.

"There you go. Now, go seduce some waitress." She said to James.

"No problem!" the blue-haired man said.

He looked around and noticed a waitress, also carrying a plate. James smirked as he readied himself.

"Ahem."

The waitress turned around and noticed James leaning his back against a nearby wall, holding a rose next to his face.

"Hey there, lady." He said while looking at her in a seductive way. "I bet you would like to spend some time with a smart, talented and handsome-looking guy such as myself. Isn't that the truth?"

"Pfft! You wish." She said while rolling her eyes and leaving.

James' eyes widened in shock at her reaction. He just couldn't believe what he just saw. The fact he failed to get her attention any longer was something he didn't expect to see happening. At this moment, Jessie and Meowth peeked their heads from the nearby room, both of them unimpressed.

"That's the best you could come up with?" the long-haired woman asked.

"That was embarrassing." The feline said

"Don't worry!" James exclaimed before looking sheepish. "There's more than one way to seduce a woman, after all."

The blue-haired man ran after the waitress and arrived right in front of her. The latter sighed at his sight.

"You again." She said, looking annoyed.

"I'm sorry for the way I acted earlier, my dear lady." He said while holding his fists up to his face. "The truth is, I'm pretty shy when it comes to talking with beautiful women such as yourself, so I try to hide my shyness by acting like some macho. However, I realize only now that acting like this is not the right way to go." He said while melodramatically turning his head away for a brief moment before looking back at the female waiter and putting his right hand on his heart. "I should always be myself. I deeply apologize for my unacceptable behavior. Will you accept my apology?" he asked while looking deeply into her eyes.

The waitress hesitated for a moment before sighing.

"Fine. You're forgiven." She replied.

"Great!" James exclaimed enthusiastically. "Now, can I show you something wonderful? It's only gonna take 10 seconds."

Again, she hesitated. This time, she rolled her eyes before groaning a bit.

"Alright. It better be this short, 'cause I've got work to do."

"Come with me." He said before taking her hand and leading the way.

James and the waitress arrived in the same room where Jessie managed to knock the male waiter out.

"So, what do you want to show me?" the waitress asked, unaware that, at this moment, a certain long-haired woman arrived from behind the door while holding a plate in her hands.

BAM!

She looked dazed before falling on the floor, unconscious.

"Good work, James. And now, time for the second part of our plan!" Jessie exclaimed while holding her fist in the air.

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Meanwhile, Ash and his traveling companions were having a good time as they walked around the S.S. Anne. They managed to eat a certain amount of food with an all-you-can-eat buffet. They also witnessed a few Pokémon fights aboard. All the passengers were having fun while doing several activities.

Many hours after arriving on board, the heroes heard someone groaning in pain while walking in some corridor.

"Oh, man! I'm so sick!" that someone said.

Ash, Pikachu, Brock, and Misty all looked at each other. They nodded before running towards the room where that voice came from. Brock opened the door and they realized they arrived in the Captain's cabin. Said Captain was looking sick while holding his stomach.

"What's going on, Captain?" Ash asked.

"I'm seasick." The Captain replied, looking like he's about to throw up.

"Sorry to hear that, sir." The young trainer said.

"I need a glass of water." The captain said.

"Well..." All of sudden, the young trainer got an idea. "Misty, you could use one of your water-type Pokémon to give him water."

"Good idea." she nodded. "Staryu, go!" she exclaimed as she summoned the starfish.

Brock picked a plastic glass from his backpack and kneeled down to face Staryu.

"Staryu, fill this glass with your water." The red-haired girl said.

The starfish immediately filled it with water. The breeder gave the glass of water to the Captain, who drank it at once. The latter sighed in relief.

"Ah, I'm starting to feel better now." He said before turning to look at the young trainers. "Thank you so much for your help! I think I know how to reward you."

The Captain handed to Ash a CD with "HM01" written on it.

"What's that?" the trainer from Pallet Town asked.

"That's a move you can teach to your Pokémon. Most specifically, you can teach a Pokémon to cut certain things." The Captain replied.

"Cool! Thanks for giving us that!" Ash enthusiastically said.

"Don't thank me. It's just my way of thanking you for helping me with my problem." He said.

"Okay, then." The young trainer said as he put the CD inside his backpack. "Thanks anyway, Captain."

Soon enough, they waved to the Captain before leaving the cabin.

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Several minutes later, the heroes were walking in some corridor, on their way to the exit. At this moment, Team Rocket was busy pretending to be waiters.

"Would you like another sandwich, sir?" Jessie asked politely some guy sitting at a table.

"Is this cake delicious enough for your tastes, madam?" James politely asked some woman.

"Guys..." The fake waiters noticed Meowth sticking his head from under a nearby table. "Twerps at 3 o'clock." He said while pointing in one direction.

They looked to where he was pointing and noticed Ash and his companions walking away. Jessie and James then nodded at each other.

"Well, I gotta say I had a lot of fun on this boat." Misty said to the others.

"Me too." Ash said. "I especially loved the food here." He said while sighing in delight.

"Pika..." Pikachu said, sighing in delight as well. "Pika!" the rodent yelped in alarm as some mechanical hand grabbed him and snatched him away from Ash's shoulder.

Instantly, Ash, Brock, and Misty turned around in shock. They saw Team Rocket putting Pikachu inside a glass container with a light bulb on top of it.

"Not you again!" Misty exclaimed in annoyance.

"Yes, us again." Jessie said, smirking. "Prepare for trouble!"

"Make it double!" James exclaimed.

The two of them then removed their waiter outfits, back in their Team Rocket uniforms, all while striking a pose.

"To protect the world from devastation..."

"To unite all people within our nation..."

"To denounce the evils of truth and love..." she said while grabbing James' hand and shaking it.

"To extend our reach to the stars above..." he said while shaking Jessie's hand back.

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light!" she exclaimed while her back was against James' back.

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth! That's right!" Meowth exclaimed as he stood on top of Pikachu's glass container.

"Do you REALLY have to do this whole entrance every time we meet?" Brock asked, sighing in annoyance.

"Well, of course, we have to! After all, it's our motto!" Jessie proudly exclaimed.

"No spectacular entrance from Team Rocket is complete without the motto!" James added.

"I don't care about your motto!" Ash yelled at them. "Pikachu! Use Thundershock!"

"Pika-CHUUUUUUUUUUUU!"

Unfortunately, the rodent's electricity couldn't destroy his little prison. All it could do was lighting the lightbulb. Team Rocket started to laugh at that.

"Nice try, twerp!" Meowth exclaimed. "For your information, this glass container is indestructible against electricity. And there's nothing you can do about it!"

"We'll see about that..." Ash said as he thought it was time for him to use one of his Pokémon.

He put his hand inside his pocket and tried to grab a Poké Ball. However, much to his surprise, Ash grabbed something else. The young trainer removed that something from his pocket and looked at it.

"Oh, yeah. That bottle cap..." he said, referring to the bottle cap he found during the day he arrived in Cerulean City.

All of sudden, James stopped laughing as he noticed what was in Ash's hand. His eyes widened as he realized it's the exact same bottle cap he lost the other day.

"My bottle cap!" the blue-haired man exclaimed in panic, causing the heroes, Jessie, and Meowth to look at him in confusion. "My precious bottle cap! Where did you find it?" he asked Ash.

"Hum... I found it on my way to Cerulean City and..."

Suddenly, Brock got an idea as he whispered something in Ash's ear. The young trainer smirked and nodded to the breeder before looking back at James.

"Okay, James. How about we make a deal? I give you the bottle cap and you give me back Pikachu. How does that sound?"

"Deal!" James quickly said.

"Are you crazy?!" Jessie exclaimed in disbelief. "We managed to capture Pikachu and you want to exchange that rodent for a meaningless bottle cap? You're insane!" she exclaimed, looking angry at her colleague.

"It's not a meaningless bottle cap! It's a pretty rare one! From a brand of soda that no longer exists since eight years ago!" the blue-haired man exclaimed, defending his decision.

"Listen, even if it would have belonged to a celebrity that I'm a fan of, I still wouldn't care about it!" she snapped at him.

"You don't seem to understand, Jessie. I MUST have this bottle cap at all cost, or else my collection will be forever incomplete!" James exclaimed, frowning at her.

"Can't you have a simpler hobby? Like reading a book, for instance? Because, right now, your current hobby is an obstacle to our job!"

"Guys!" Meowth exclaimed as he jumped high enough to land on both Jessie's right shoulder and James' left shoulder. "I think this is an argument that can easily be solved by simply talking like civilized people. That way, I'm sure we'll be able to reach an agreement about what can be done for this situation."

"And what do you suggest we should do, Meowth?" the long-haired woman asked.

"Well, first of all, let's take a look at the pros and cons for both sides. On one hand, this rare bottle cap is important for Jimmy Boy. On the other hand, Pikachu will allow us to get a promotion from the Boss. However, there's also the fact that this bottle cap is pretty rare, and James more than likely won't shut up about it until he finally gets it for his collection. Which brings us to the ultimate argument that..."

"Are you done talking?" Misty asked.

"Give us a minute here!" Jessie snapped as they looked back at the heroes.

However, Team Rocket's eyes widened in alarm as they noticed Pikachu in Ash's arms. They then looked down and noticed the glass container, which was now empty.

"I... probably should have kept my eyes on that thing." Meowth sheepishly said.

"You imbecile!" Jessie yelled, causing the feline to fall on the ground.

"Oh, by the way, James..." Ash said before throwing the bottle cap at the blue-haired man. "A deal is a deal."

"Oh! Thanks a lot!" James joyfully said as he caught the bottle cap in the air.

"Don't forget they're our enemies!" the long-haired woman snapped at him.

"Oh, right." He said, embarrassed.

"Ekans, attack!" Jessie yelled, summoning her Pokémon.

"Koffing, go!" he yelled, summoning his.

"Ekans!" the reptile replied.

"Koffing!" the rounded one said.

"Charmander, I choose you!" Ash exclaimed, summoning his newly-caught Pokémon.

"Charmander!" the latter said.

"Ekans, use Tackle!" the long-haired woman exclaimed.

"Ekans!"

The poison-type tackled the fire-type, causing the latter to fall on his back.

"Stand up, Charmander! And use Ember!" the trainer from Pallet Town ordered.

Charmander stood up, inhaled deeply and breathed fire at the reptile. The latter panicked as it ran around with the fire on his tail.

"Ekans, come back!" Jessie exclaimed, returning her Pokémon to his Poké Ball.

"Koffing, use Sludge!" the blue-haired man ordered.

"Koffing!"

The poison-type spewed dark brown sludge at Charmander, covering the latter's eyes.

"Use Ember again, Charmander!" Ash exclaimed.

The fire-type couldn't see well because of the sludge on his eyes. Still, he deeply inhaled and breathed fire. However, he missed Koffing and the fire went towards Jessie, James, and Meowth.

"Oh, no!" the feline exclaimed in panic.

All three of them ducked, avoiding the fire. They sighed in relief as they stood up.

"That was close." James said.

Suddenly, Jessie smelled something unusual.

"What smells like that?" she wondered out loud.

The three looked behind them and noticed their butt with fire on it. Immediately, they screamed in pain as they started running away.

"Water! I need water! Someone please give me water!" Meowth yelled.

At this moment, Koffing looked back and forth between Team Rocket and the heroes.

"Koffing..." he said, a bit confused before floating towards where James ran away.

"That'll teach them!" Misty exclaimed.

"You did a good job, Charmander." Ash said, smiling to his Pokémon. "Let me remove that sludge from your eyes." He said as he took a handkerchief from his backpack.

"Char. Charmander." The fire-type said while his trainer removed the sludge entirely.

A few minutes later, Ash and his companions left the S.S. Anne, with the trainer from Pallet Town ready to go to the Vermilion Gym...

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End of chapter.

Finally done. In the next chapter, Ash gets a chance to win the Thunder Badge. And personally, I just hope it won't take me as long to write the next chapter, but I can't make any promise.

In "Pokémon: Yellow Version", it's possible to fight Gary/Blue/Green/Whatever on the S.S. Anne. However, I felt like it would be too soon for Ash to fight Gary again, seeing how he hasn't managed to at least win another badge yet. That's why I decided to not add a fight between these two here.

Read and review!