บท 235: Chapter 235: Invitation Letter
"Let Dragonite deliver the letter, who is it? Could it be Mr. Lance?" After Dragonite disappeared, Misty and Brock hurried to Ash's side, curious about the envelope.
But Ash had already reacted. He had seen this scene before. In the theatrical version, it was also a Dragonite who handed the envelope to "Ash" and his group, and the item inside was an invitation!
Not only did Misty and Brock approach, but the Pokémon also gathered around, wanting to see what this powerful Dragonite had given Ash.
Ash opened the envelope and found a technologically advanced magnetic disk inside. The rectangular disk had a Poké Ball pattern in the middle, resembling a battlefield.
"This is...?" Misty and Brock frowned slightly, looking at the object taken out of the envelope, unsure of its purpose.
Ash examined the disk, flipping it over and noticing a slightly raised button within the Poké Ball pattern, seemingly pressable.
Remembering what it was, Ash pressed the button. A virtual light curtain shot out, startling Misty and Brock.
Although technology had advanced rapidly in recent years, virtual light curtains were not yet widespread or available for civilian use, so Misty and Brock were seeing this for the first time.
Ash, having seen virtual light curtains in the anime, wasn't overly surprised.
"Please forgive me for writing to you..." A beautiful woman appeared in the light curtain. She looked young but wore nun-like clothing, giving her a somewhat mature appearance.
"What a beautiful lady!" Brock exclaimed upon seeing this lady, but then he frowned slightly, feeling he had seen her before.
"You are considered by the master to be the most promising Pokémon Trainer, so I would like to invite you to the 'Strongest Trainer' party held by my master," Her image explained, and a map appeared in the light curtain.
The map detailed how to reach "New Island >Pokémon City."
New Island was located in the sea south of the Kanto Region, between Kanto and the Orange Islands. Reaching it required sea travel, but the organizer had arranged a boat to transport Trainers from Old Coast Wharf to New Island.
"Old Coast, isn't that the pier in Old Coast City, east of Fuchsia City?" Brock recognized the location but was surprised by the arrangement.
"Is there a problem?" Ash asked, puzzled.
"Not really. It's just that the city is relatively remote and not a popular tourist destination. There used to be many ships docking there, but it has decreased in recent years," Brock explained.
"This is an invitation from the strongest trainer, please be sure to participate..." After displaying the map, the lady reappeared, curtsied slightly, and the light curtain vanished.
"The strongest trainer's invitation... Who is so bold?" Misty wondered aloud, surprised by someone claiming to be the strongest trainer.
"Maybe they really are the strongest Trainer?" Brock pondered, recalling the Dragonite, "They used a Dragonite to deliver the message, so it's possible they have even more powerful Pokémon."
"And I couldn't gauge that Dragonite's strength, so it's at least gym level, maybe even League level," Brock analyzed.
"Elite level, the Dragonite was Elite level," Ash clarified, putting away the disk. Misty and Brock were astonished by the extravagance of using an Elite-level Dragonite for deliveries and wondered if the "strongest Trainer" was truly that powerful.
"So, Ash, are you going?" Misty asked, realizing the invitation's significance. If such a powerful trainer had invited Ash to New Island, it indicated they saw great potential in him.
"What about you? Do you want to come with me?" Ash asked them.
"We can?" Brock looked at Ash in surprise, "Didn't the invitation specify you, not us?"
"But it didn't say we couldn't bring friends," Ash smiled. Without Marshadow's protection, he wouldn't have considered taking them, but with Marshadow around, he wasn't worried about their safety.
"In that case..." Misty and Brock exchanged glances and nodded simultaneously, "Of course we'll go with you!"
"Then let's go back and pack our things. We'll leave for Old Coast Wharf tomorrow!" Ash nodded, recalled his Pokémon, and headed home to prepare.
After returning to the Laboratory, Ash and his group greeted Professor Oak and explained the situation. Professor Oak was intrigued by the New Island mentioned in the disk and asked Ash to show him the map again. He recorded it, planning to study it further.
As for the "strongest Trainer," Professor Oak believed it was merely a gimmick to attract Trainers to the party on New Island and didn't give it much thought.
Back home, Ash, Misty, and Brock started packing. When Delia returned home that night and learned Ash was leaving again so soon, she felt a little sad but didn't want to hold him back. Instead, she cooked a delicious dinner for them.
Early the next morning, after breakfast, the trio headed directly to Viridian City, as Pallet Town didn't have an airport yet.
After a two-day journey, they arrived in Viridian City and immediately went to the airport to purchase tickets for Fuchsia City.
It took half a day to reach Fuchsia City, and since it was already late at night, they decided to stay overnight. The next morning, they took a car directly to Old Coast City, where the wharf was located.
Old Coast City wasn't far from Fuchsia City. After a nearly four-hour drive, Ash and his friends arrived at their destination.
Although Old Coast City wasn't bustling, it had developed well due to the numerous transport ships that used to dock there a few years ago. It didn't appear much different from some larger cities.
Upon reaching Old Coast City, they realized the number of invited trainers was substantial. At least two to three hundred trainers, all invitees, had gathered at the Pokémon Center.
"This is incredible," Misty exclaimed in the Pokémon Center lobby, amazed by the organizer's generosity and the resources required to host such a large gathering.
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