Chapter Twenty-One: Journey to Bomba Island

Early the next morning, five people and a Pikachu were sprinting down the avenue of Waterquiet City, clearly running late. Cheng Cheng had woken up early as usual, but then he realized that, thanks to Ash’s tardiness, this journey had gained an extra chapter. Since he was traveling anyway and wanted to spend more time with Pikachu, Cheng Cheng thought the longer the route, the better. So, after waking up, he didn’t bother to remind the others, letting things take their natural course and resulting in their collective lateness.

After some time, everyone boarded a ship, but upon settling in, they discovered they’d boarded the wrong vessel. This ship wasn’t bound for Verdanturf City, but for an island—Bomba Island.

To pass the time, Cheng Cheng sat on the deck and began fishing. He baited the hook with Pokémon food and cast it into the sea, letting it drift with the ship’s movement. After a while, Cheng Cheng felt something tugging at his rod—a Pokémon must have bitten. With a sharp pull, he hoisted the creature up, unsurprisingly a Magikarp. Cheng Cheng was puzzled; by rights, Magikarp should be a freshwater fish, yet here it was in the ocean.

This Magikarp was of very low grade, and Cheng Cheng didn’t want to waste a Poké Ball on it, so he tossed it back into the water. Afterward, he caught several more Magikarp and Feebas. Although their evolutions were promising, their grades were simply too low, so he released them all.

“Pikachu~”

“Pikachu, you’ve come over too.”

“Pikachu~”

Pikachu watched Cheng Cheng fishing, evidently interested. Seeing Pikachu’s eager expression, Cheng Cheng’s eyes lit up; his luck hadn’t been great, but perhaps the lightning spirit’s help would yield something special.

“Pikachu, could you help me fish?”

“Pika pi!” Pikachu nodded, clearly eager to try it. Cheng Cheng handed over the rod, and Pikachu perched on the railing, fishing intently. Cheng Cheng kept one eye on the rod and one on Pikachu, worried that a slip might send Pikachu tumbling into the sea.

After a few minutes, Cheng Cheng saw Pikachu’s rod start to shake.

“Pika pi~”

Pikachu felt the fish bite, growing excited; his body wobbled dangerously, almost falling. Cheng Cheng tried to grab him, but Pikachu kicked off with his hind legs, leaping into the air and unleashing Thunderbolt.

“Pika-chu~”

Pikachu’s Thunderbolt raced down the rod into the water, hitting the Pokémon below. The damage to water types from Thunderbolt was tremendous; with a single strike, Pikachu knocked the Pokémon out of combat. It was a Finneon.

Pikachu nearly fell into the sea as well.

“Come out, Mr. Mime! Use Psychic to pull Finneon and Pikachu aboard.”

“Mime~”

Luckily, the ship wasn’t moving too fast, so Pikachu and Finneon weren’t far from the deck. Mr. Mime used Psychic to bring them both back aboard.

Cheng Cheng didn’t check Finneon’s condition, simply capturing it with a Poké Ball, then turned to Pikachu. Pikachu was unharmed, but soaked to the skin. He shook himself vigorously, spraying water everywhere. Cheng Cheng hurried over and hugged Pikachu, apologetic.

“Are you all right, Pikachu? Sorry, I let you fall in.”

“Pikachu~” Pikachu shook his head, indicating he was fine.

“Come on, let’s get you dried off.”

Cheng Cheng led Pikachu into the ship, where they encountered Ash eating. Cheng Cheng explained what had happened and apologized; knowing Ash’s character, he wouldn’t hold a grudge. Cheng Cheng took out a towel and dried Pikachu off completely, then found a hair dryer to finish the job.

After Pikachu was dry, Cheng Cheng lost interest in fishing, simply sitting quietly on the ship to wait for their arrival.

Soon, they reached their destination—Bomba Island.

After disembarking, they discussed their route and realized that, due to boarding the wrong ship, they’d have to detour a long way, including two more boat trips.

While they were talking, a person leading three Pokémon walked past them.

“Wow, such a tiny Venusaur!”

“Sis, that’s an Ivysaur!”

“Oh, is that so!”

May looked at another Pokémon.

“This Charmander looks so majestic!”

“Sis, that’s a Charmeleon!”

“And this Squirtle is so adorable!”

“Sis, that’s a Wartortle—no, wait, what was it?”

“That’s a Wartortle,” Brock explained from the side.

Cheng Cheng was pleasantly surprised to see these three Pokémon. He hadn’t expected to encounter the starters from the Kanto region all at once. Though their grades weren’t as high as the usual starters, merely deep yellow, they were still quite rare.

The person in front, carrying a heap of items, failed to see the path ahead and stumbled, falling. Ash rushed over to help, picking up the dropped belongings, and the others followed.

“Are you all right?”

“No problem, I’m used to it.”

“Are these three all your Pokémon?”

“Yes, they’re all adorable, aren’t they?”

Cheng Cheng was surprised to learn the three starters belonged to one person; aside from Ash, few could boast such a collection.

“By the way, my name’s Jimmy. Welcome to the Pokémon Referee School.”

“Pokémon Referee School?”

Ash explained the reason for their visit, and Jimmy realized his mistake.

“So that’s it. There’s only one referee school on this island—I thought you’d come to enroll.”

After a short walk, they reached an area with several houses and a large field in the middle where some people were training.

“Ms. Serena, I’ve brought everything you requested.”

“Good, please put them in the house!”

A young woman strode over from the field, apparently the students’ instructor.

“And you are?” Serena looked at the group.

“Hello, I’m Ash. I was heading to Verdanturf City to challenge the gym, but I boarded the wrong ship and ended up here by accident.”

“Is that so? So you’re a trainer. Would you mind helping me with something?”

“Help?”

Ash was about to reply, but Brock leapt forward.

“Miss, whatever you need, we’re happy to help. Besides assisting, I can also take care of your personal life.”

“All right, enough—come here!” Max dragged Brock away.

Seeing this familiar scene, Cheng Cheng couldn’t help but smile.

“I’d like you to help with a trainer battle. It would help the students learn how to referee.”

“Of course, we can do that.”

They proceeded to the battle field. Ash and Brock would battle, with Jimmy as the referee.

The match was rather dull. After frequent battles with wild Pokémon, Cheng Cheng found fights between trainers somewhat childish. Jimmy’s performance as referee wasn’t ideal either; clearly he still had much to learn.

Cheng Cheng had originally wanted to battle himself, but his interest faded.

Unbeknownst to them, a huge Magikarp was watching from the distant sea.

Night fell swiftly, and through the window, they saw Jimmy outside, communicating with his three Pokémon. Cheng Cheng joined them, engaging in a deep conversation, though he still found their ideas somewhat naïve. Treating Pokémon with sincerity and kindness was certainly right, but the world of Pokémon was not as idyllic as they imagined. The anime had mostly shown the good side, while the truly evil aspects were unknown to trainers like Ash.

Still, they were only eleven or twelve, and their innocence and idealism were admirable. Cheng Cheng hoped for a peaceful world where humans and Pokémon could live together without worries.

Yet things were never so simple, as the events about to unfold would prove.

Suddenly, the ground began to shake. A huge machine rolled toward them, revealing three claws that snatched up Jimmy’s three Pokémon.

“What’s going on?”

“Since you sincerely asked,

We’re delighted to answer...

…”

No need to guess—it was Team Rocket again. Cheng Cheng wondered how they managed to bring such a massive mech to the island, and he couldn’t help admiring their technology. Team Rocket really was impressive; their abilities were strong, and Meowth was a genius. Their machines were always top-tier for the Pokémon world.

“Ha ha ha, from now on, these three Pokémon are ours!”

With that, Team Rocket piloted their machine toward the coast.

Jimmy rushed after them, Ash and the others quickly followed, while Cheng Cheng remained calm. Since they hadn’t caught Pikachu, there was no need to panic. Besides, the upcoming events would be resolved by Ash and his friends’ protagonist aura.

Jimmy and Ash sprinted with all their might, Cheng Cheng followed unhurriedly. The huge machine left deep tracks on the ground, so there was no worry of losing their trail.

By the time Cheng Cheng caught up, Jimmy’s Wartortle had already evolved into Blastoise, ready to fight back.

Team Rocket’s machine, seemingly lacking in funding, could withstand attacks from three Pokémon but not Blastoise’s assault. Soon, Team Rocket uttered their classic line:

What a bothersome feeling!

After everyone exchanged some positive words, they could finally return to bed.

The next morning, the group left Bomba Island and set out for Verdanturf City.