Xiao Yan was on his way to the Cinnabar Gym to earn his eighth badge. The gym stood on Cinnabar Island, a large island in the seas south of Kanto. With no roads connecting it to the mainland, it could only be reached by boat.
"We're finally almost at the Cinnabar Gym. But before that..."
(I found an empty deck chair and lay down on it.)
"Time to enjoy myself!"
While Xiao Yan slept, a Pikachu ran over to greet his Pikachu.
"Isn't that Xiao Yan? Why's he sleeping through such beautiful weather?"
"Everyone, give me a hand."
"Ash, where are you pushing Xiao Yan?"
"To wake him up, of course! Misty, Brock, stop standing there watching and help me!"
Together, they pushed the deck chair with the sleeping Xiao Yan over to the cruise ship's pool. His Pikachu even helped direct them along the way.
"Tip Xiao Yan in!"
And just like that, Xiao Yan rolled off the deck chair and into the pool.
"Whoa! How did I end up sleeping in the pool?"
Before long, Xiao Yan clambered out of the pool, looking thoroughly bedraggled.
"Xiao Yan, we meet again!"
(Ash waved at me, and I finally understood why I'd woken up in the water.)
"I think it's been a few weeks since we last met," Xiao Yan said to Ash.
"Well, you two take your time catching up. I'm going to sunbathe."
"And I'm going to check out the pretty ladies in bikinis."
Brock and Misty left first, leaving Xiao Yan and Ash alone.
Just then, Ash pulled a badge case out of nowhere.
"Look, I've got six badges! How many do you have, Xiao Yan?"
(I took out my badge case too and showed it to Ash.)
"I have seven. All I'm missing is Cinnabar Island's Crimson Badge."
"Wow! You're even faster than me! That's my rival for you," Ash exclaimed.
"Waiting around on this cruise ship is pretty boring, right? How about a three-on-three battle?"
"Sure."
(This would be a good chance to train my Pokémon.)
The two stood at opposite ends of the cruise ship's battle arena, while curious passengers gathered around to watch their battle.
"So who's going to referee? Who knows where Brock and Misty ran off to? I don't know anyone else around here."
"Let my Pikachu do it!"
Xiao Yan's Pikachu stood in the middle of the battlefield.
"So you're not going to use your Pikachu..."
Ash looked disappointed.
"All right! Let's send out our first Pokémon."
Ash sent out Snorlax.
Xiao Yan sent out Bulbasaur.
"Let's do this, Bulbasaur!"
"Ash, you can make the first move!"
"Then I won't hold back! Snorlax, use Body Slam!"
Snorlax leaped into the air and came crashing down toward Bulbasaur.
"Dodge it!"
Bulbasaur couldn't get out of the way in time and was crushed beneath Snorlax. By the time Snorlax got up, Bulbasaur was already badly weakened.
"Bulbasaur, use Leech Seed!"
Bulbasaur's Leech Seed successfully took hold on Snorlax, draining HP and transferring it to Bulbasaur.
"Snorlax, hurry and pull those seeds off!"
But no matter how hard Snorlax tugged, the Leech Seed vines remained wrapped around Snorlax's body.
"Let's finish this quickly! Bulbasaur, Razor Leaf!"
Leaves sliced across Snorlax like blades. Leech Seed had been draining Snorlax for so long that there was little HP left, and Bulbasaur finished the battle with a single move.
After Snorlax fell, a white light enveloped Bulbasaur.
"Finally evolving?"
When the white light faded, an Ivysaur stood in Bulbasaur's place.
"Xiao Yan, you really are strong, but this battle isn't over yet! Go, Pidgeot!"
Xiao Yan raised a Pokémon Ball and recalled Ivysaur.
"Get some rest! This time, I'll switch to..."
Xiao Yan picked up another Poké Ball.
"Blastoise!"
The moment Xiao Yan's Blastoise appeared, Blastoise jumped into the pool.
"Pidgeot, use Gust to blow Blastoise out!"
A fierce wind swept across the ship, sending the spectators beside the pool staggering every which way, but Blastoise still didn't come out.
"Hey! You kids can battle, but don't disturb the other passengers!" The captain poked his head out of the bridge and shouted at them.
"Ah... sorry."
Only after seeing Ash apologize did the captain pull his head back inside.
"Now!"
A high-pressure jet of water suddenly shot up from beneath Pidgeot.
"Pidgeot!!!"
The surprise attack knocked Pidgeot into the pool. Ash then recalled Pidgeot, who could no longer battle.
"You're so strong... but... my Pikachu won't lose!"
Ash sent out Pikachu as his final Pokémon.
Xiao Yan recalled Blastoise and sent out another Pokémon.
"I'm counting on you, Shelgon!"
(Bagon had evolved into Shelgon during an earlier battle.)
"Pikachu, use Quick Attack!"
Before Shelgon could react, Pikachu had already charged in and slammed into Shelgon. But Shelgon only slid back a few steps and looked completely unharmed.
"What a tough shell..."
"Dragon Breath!"
Shelgon unleashed a blast of draconic breath from its mouth at Pikachu.
"Dodge!" Pikachu jumped up and avoided the Dragon Breath.
"Dragon Claw!" Shelgon leaped toward Pikachu with sharp claws extended. Dragon Claw struck Pikachu, dealing heavy damage and sending Pikachu crashing onto the deck.
"Pikachu!"
Between Shelgon's attack and the impact of hitting the deck, Ash's Pikachu could no longer battle. Xiao Yan's Pikachu waved the flags to signal Xiao Yan's victory.
"Great job, Shelgon! Get some rest!" After recalling Shelgon, Xiao Yan walked over to Ash.
"That was a great battle."
"Xiao Yan..." Ash stood up with his Pikachu in his arms.
"You really are the strongest trainer I've ever met!"
Ash looked at Xiao Yan with admiration.
"You're too kind. The world is huge, and there are plenty of people stronger than me. That's why we can't stop moving forward. We have to keep working to get stronger."
"Right!!!"
By then, the ship had arrived at Cinnabar Island's harbor...
"Then the next time we meet will be at the Indigo League tournament! I'm looking forward to our next battle. See you, Ash."
After saying goodbye to Ash, Xiao Yan was the first to jump off the ship and strode toward the Cinnabar Gym.
(Eighth badge, here I come!)
Before you continue