Charizard seized Aerodactyl, spun it several times high in the air, then hurled it straight down.
"RAAAH!!!"
The moment Aerodactyl struck the ground, a violent tremor rippled outward. The entire underground world shook as if it might collapse.
The other fossil Pokémon, already terrified, finally broke. After exchanging glances, they scattered in all directions and vanished within seconds.
"Go, Poké Ball!"
Sam threw the Poké Ball he had prepared in advance at the unconscious Aerodactyl. A flash of red light absorbed it inside. The ball shook once… twice… three times—
Ding.
Hearing the clear chime, Sam let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding and broke into a satisfied smile.
For a moment, he considered raising the Poké Ball high like Ash and shouting, "I caught Aerodactyl!"
…Yeah, no. Too dramatic.
He clipped Aerodactyl's Poké Ball to his belt, stretched lazily, then turned to Ash and the others.
"Let's go. Time to head out."
As for the Team Rocket trio, they had slipped away at some point. When it came to escaping, they were impressively efficient.
With Aerodactyl successfully captured, Sam's journey to Dasha Valley had come to a perfect end. Now it was time to travel to Cinnabar Island and claim his final Badge.
---
"So comfortable…"
Sam let out a contented sigh as he relaxed in the hot spring. He had been constantly busy lately and hadn't enjoyed a proper soak in ages. The hot springs of Cinnabar Island truly lived up to their reputation—they were exceptional.
After leaving Dasha Valley, Sam headed straight for Cinnabar Island, home of the final Gym: Cinnabar Gym. Unfortunately, his luck wasn't great. He couldn't find any trace of the Gym Leader, Blaine.
Left with no choice, Sam temporarily set aside his long-awaited Gym challenge and decided to enjoy a short vacation instead.
Since he was already on Cinnabar Island, how could he not try its famous hot springs? Naturally, the hot spring hut became the first stop of his break.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
While soaking peacefully, Sam suddenly heard a cry he didn't recognize. Slightly puzzled, he slowly opened his eyes and looked toward the source.
At some point, a Shellos had appeared in the center of the hot spring. It was happily playing with Sam's Lapras and Dratini, excitedly calling out, "Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Sam blinked in confusion. Where had this Shellos come from?
He shot Lapras and Dratini questioning looks.
Both Pokémon shook their heads. They didn't know either. They only knew that this Shellos wasn't afraid of strangers at all.
Sam frowned slightly. Shellos was native to the Sinnoh Region. The waters of Kanto and Johto weren't suitable for it to thrive naturally. That meant this Shellos was very likely not wild—it probably belonged to another tourist staying at the hot spring hut.
He walked slowly toward the center of the pool.
Lapras and Dratini were right. The Shellos showed no fear whatsoever. In fact, it seemed oddly familiar with him.
When Sam approached, it didn't retreat. Instead, it eagerly swam closer, pressing its soft head against him. Looking at the adorable Pokémon, Sam couldn't help but laugh.
This Shellos was primarily pink. If he remembered correctly, that meant it was from the West Sea of Sinnoh.
Shellos was a fascinating species. Depending on its habitat, it had two distinct forms: West Sea and East Sea.
Different geographical environments led to differences in appearance and coloration.
The West Sea form had a pink head and body, while the East Sea form was sky blue. The shapes of the frills on their heads and the fins on their backs also differed, as did the coloring of their undersides.
This all-pink Shellos was undoubtedly a West Sea form.
After playing with it for a while, Sam gently lifted Shellos out of the hot spring.
It had clearly been gone for quite some time. If he was right, its owner had probably already noticed and was searching for it.
---
At the Cinnabar Island Police Station, a blonde beauty was speaking with the officers.
"It's been almost half a day. Where could Shellos have gone?"
Cynthia sighed, her expression filled with worry.
She knew her Shellos was playful and had been keeping a close eye on it—but in a moment of carelessness, it had slipped away.
The Shellos had only hatched not long ago. Cynthia had brought it to Kanto specifically to let it see more of the world. She never expected something like this to happen.
"Please don't worry too much, Miss Cynthia. We've already dispatched search teams. I'm sure we'll have news soon."
The officers were even more anxious than she was.
After all, Cynthia was the Champion of the Sinnoh Region. If her Pokémon were stolen, the matter would escalate immediately. Nearly the entire police department had been sent out to search for Shellos. Even Officer Jenny, the head of the station, was out personally leading the effort.
At the moment, only Cynthia and a single officer remained inside the station. If not for the possibility that someone might return Shellos there, they would have joined the search as well.
---
"Strange…"
Sam looked around after entering the Cinnabar Island Police Station. It felt eerily quiet. There was almost no one inside. If not for the large sign outside, he would have thought he'd walked into the wrong building.
"Hello? Anyone here?"
Unable to find any staff, Sam called out into the lobby.
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Shellos, nestled in his arms, seemed to be imitating him. Unfortunately, its attempt at "human language" wasn't very successful. No matter how hard it tried, all that came out were enthusiastic thumping sounds.
---------------Author---------------
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