"It says here in the guidebook that Amethyst Beach is one of the best places for spotting wild Seadra and Tentacool," said Brock as the three friends walked along the boardwalk at the edge of the beach.

"Do they have a Pokémon gym?" asked Ash.

"Uh…no."

"No point in staying here then," said the younger boy as he patted the little yellow Pokémon that was perched on his right shoulder. "Especially if there's no place to have a battle, right, Pikachu?"

"Pika," the Pokémon nodded.

"There's more to life than just battling, Ash," Misty said. "You may not like being here at the beach, but I do. The smell of the salt air, the roaring of the surf, and all those incredible water Pokémon." She leaned on the boardwalk railing and scanned the horizon, hoping to spot a wild Seadra or Tentacool.

"Even if we don't spend the night here, why don't we stop and get a bite to eat?" suggested Brock.

"That's a good idea, Brock. I'm starved," said Ash. His stomach growled in assent.

"You're always starving, Ash," said Misty.

"Well, being a Pokémon Master takes a lot of energy and…hey!"

"What is it, Ash?"

The boy pointed in the direction of a boat that was docked at the pier ahead. "Isn't that Professor Oak over there?" The three friends watched as a gray-haired man in a lab coat handed a video camera to a bearded man on board a small fishing trawler.

"It is Professor Oak. I wonder what he's doing here?" asked Misty.

"Well, there's only one way to find out. Hey, Professor Oak!" Ash ran down the boardwalk, waving his hand.

The man in the lab coat turned around at the sound of his name and smiled in recognition at the sight of the three familiar faces making their way towards him.

"Hello, kids," he said cheerfully. "This is a nice surprise. What are the three of you doing here at Amethyst Beach?"

"We were about to ask you the same thing," said Brock.

"Well, I'm getting ready to go on a research expedition to Mangrove Island." He handed a stack of notebooks to the man aboard the boat. "And my friend, Captain Silas -- " The bearded man about the trawler nodded and grunted in greeting. "Is taking me there."

"Mangrove Island? Where's that?" asked Ash.

"It's about four hours southwest of here. A herd of rare palomino Rapidash was recently discovered living in the wild there, so I'm going to go there and check it out," Professor Oak explained.

"Palomino Rapidash? I thought Rapidash were normally white," said Brock.

"True. But living in an isolated environment has somehow caused these Rapidash to have golden coats. Perhaps it's some sort of mutation that favors survival on the island. Anyway, I'm going to go and have a look for myself," said Professor Oak.

"Palomino Rapidash," Misty sighed dreamily. "They sound like they'd be so pretty. I wish I could see one for myself."

"Yeah. And I'd like to learn about how to breed palomino Rapidash," added Brock. "No one I know breeds those."

"Do you think that these Rapidash are better in Pokémon battles than regular Rapidash, Professor?" asked Ash.

"I have an idea. Why don't the three of you come with me and find out for yourselves?" said Professor Oak.

"Really? You mean it?" said Ash.

"Sure. There's plenty of room on the boat. And seeing these rare Pokémon would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for all of you. Most trainers have never laid eyes on a palomino Rapidash. I was planning on spending three days there, but I think I have enough extra food and supplies for four people."

"Are you sure, Professor? You've never seen how much Ash eats," Misty said.

"This is really nice of you, Professor," said Brock.

"It's no trouble at all, Brock. I'd love to have the company, and I think it would be a valuable experience for all of you. Part of being a Pokémon researcher is sharing your knowledge with younger folks like yourselves."

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" said Ash excitedly as he began climbing up the ladder on the side of the boat.

"Hang on, boy. We're not sailing for another hour yet," growled Captain Silas. "I've got some last-minute repairs to do on the boat."

"That's all right, Captain Silas," said Professor Oak. "That'll give us some time to have some lunch and for me to catch up on my young friends' adventures. By the way, Captain Silas, I'd like to introduce you to Brock –" The older boy smiled and waved his hand in greeting. " Misty --"

"Nice to meet you, Captain Silas," the red-haired girl smiled.

"And the boy on the ladder is Ash Ketchum, who, like me, hails from Pallet Town."

Ash, who was halfway up the boat's ladder, smiled up at the gruff-looking man at the top of the ladder. "Hi, Captain Silas. Pikachu and I can't wait until you're ready to go. We're always eager to go meet new Pokémon, right, Pikachu?"

Captain Silas, who was not impressed by Ash's enthusiasm, gave the boy and his Pokémon a stern look.

"Just get down off the ladder, boy. I'm not going to have you falling and breaking your neck."

"Captain Silas might be stern, but he's an excellent sailor," Professor Oak said. "Come on, Ash. Get down from there and I'll take you and your friends to lunch. My treat."

"All right!" Ash jumped off the ladder and nearly missed the pier.

---

"And Snorlax actually bit Tracey where?" Misty was laughing so hard that tears were streaming from her eyes.

"The poor boy couldn't sit down for three days," Professor Oak smiled. "But after that he learned not to keep food in his back pocket."

"Oh man, that's too funny!" Brock wiped the tears of laughter out of his eyes.

"Yeah, that's almost as funny as the time when Ash tried to pick up that Grimer in Terra Blanca," Misty said.

Ash's face suddenly turned bright red. "Wait a minute, guys. I don't think Professor Oak wants to hear about…"

"Ash was trying to capture it and it got him right in the face with a Sludge attack," Brock explained to Professor Oak.

"That was so funny," Misty giggled. "You should have seen him, Professor Oak. Ash was covered with slime from head to toe!"

"And he smelled like a garbage can for nearly a week after that," continued Brock.

"He kept trying to get Totodile to clean him off, but he smelled so bad that none of his Pokémon would get near him," Misty told Professor Oak, who was trying hard not to laugh at Ash's misfortune.

"Hey, it wouldn't have been funny if it happened to you!" Ash replied angrily, his face burning with embarrassment.

"But it didn't, Ash. That's what made it so funny!" Misty collapsed in a fit of giggles once more.

"All right, everyone, it's time to get going." Professor Oak handed his credit card to the waitress, who had just brought him their lunch bill. "Captain Silas is waiting for us."

Ash pried the ketchup bottle out of Pikachu's paws and stood up. "Yeah. Let's get going. We're not going to see any new Pokémon just sitting here."

Misty, eyes dancing with mischief, turned to Professor Oak. "Hey, Professor, there aren't any Grimer on Mangrove Island, are there?"

"Shut up, Misty," Ash grumbled.

To be continued…