Early the next morning, after Rex and his Pokémon finished breakfast, he checked the time and realized it was almost time to set sail. He quickly shouldered his backpack and headed for the dock.
Upon arriving at the dock, Rex saw only one cruise ship anchored there and assumed it was the one.
"Hello, is this ship headed to Bomba Island?" Rex asked the captain, who appeared to be in his forties.
"Yes, it is. Hurry up and get on board; we're about to set sail!" the captain responded.
As Rex boarded the cruise ship, he heard hurried footsteps behind him. Turning around, he saw a group of people running towards the ship, led by a distinctive Pikachu. Instantly, he recognized the group of three boys and one girl.
"Hello, do you know where this ship is headed?" May asked, approaching Rex on the deck.
"This ship is going to Bomba Island. Didn't you know?" Rex asked, pretending to be puzzled.
"We were planning to go to Mossdeep City, but the direct ship had already left, so we had to board this one and figure out the rest later," Ash said, a bit disheartened.
"Oh, you're going to Mossdeep City too? So am I. You can transfer to another ship from Bomba Island to reach Mossdeep City. That's my plan, and you can also explore the nearby islands along the way," Rex explained with a smile.
"Wow, that sounds great!" May said, cheering up at Rex's suggestion.
"I'm Ash from Pallet Town, heading to Mossdeep City to challenge the gym!" Ash introduced himself, extending his hand.
"I'm Rex from Fallarbor Town. I'm also heading to Mossdeep City for the same reason, and I think I know you, Ash." Rex said mysteriously as he shook Ash's hand.
"Huh? Have we met before?" Ash asked, puzzled by Rex's words.
"I heard about you from Winona of the Fortree Gym. She said your battle with her left a deep impression on her." Rex explained.
He mentioned Winona to establish a connection with the group.
"Did Winona mention me? My name is Brock!" Brock perked up and asked eagerly.
"Uh…" Rex was momentarily taken aback by Brock's question, unsure how to respond.
"Alright, alright, that's not important. I'm Max, and this is my sister, May," Max interjected, pulling Brock away and introducing themselves.
"My battle with Winona was really exciting. So, Rex, how many badges have you earned so far?" Ash asked enthusiastically, recalling his battle with Winona.
Instead of answering, Rex took out his badge case from his backpack and showed it to them.
"Hey, Rex, you've got the same number of badges as Ash, and from the same gyms too!" Max noticed after examining Rex's badges.
"Wow, that's quite a coincidence!" Ash said, comparing his badges with Rex's.
"Rex, you managed to earn the Balance Badge. That means you defeated my dad. Impressive!" Max exclaimed, surprised that Rex had defeated his father, Norman.
"So you're Norman's children? He's incredibly strong. I got the Balance Badge with a bit of luck," Rex said humbly, aware that Max was sensitive about anyone beating his father.
Hearing Rex's modesty, Max's expression softened, though the others weren't so easily convinced, knowing Rex must have earned the badge through his own skill.
"No way, Rex. Once we're off the ship, we have to battle. I'm really excited now!" Ash said, his eyes burning with determination.
"Of course. I wouldn't miss it." Rex agreed eagerly. Battling Ash was a dream for many, and he was no exception.
Throughout the journey, Rex naturally integrated with Ash and his friends, sharing stories and experiences from their travels.
Although Rex couldn't recall all the events of the upcoming journey, having been too long ago, he remembered the people and moments that mattered to him.
Soon, the cruise ship arrived at Bomba Island's dock, and the group disembarked together, planning to find a place to rest.
Bomba Island was mainly mountainous, with a central mountain and lush forests covering most of it. The island had few residents, giving it a serene atmosphere.
As the group discussed their next steps, they saw three evolved forms of the Kanto starter Pokémon—Ivysaur, Charmeleon, and Wartortle—approaching, each carrying various items.
"Wait for me!" a young man called out, chasing after the Pokémon while carrying three cardboard boxes.
In his haste, the young man tripped and fell. Rex and his friends rushed over to check on him, while the Pokémon, worried, returned to him.
"Are you alright?" Ash asked the young man.
"I'm fine, just tripped," the young man replied with a wry smile.
Turning to his Pokémon, who looked at him with concern, he reassured them, "I'm okay. I'm used to it."
Through their conversation, Rex learned that the young man was named Jimmy, and the three starter evolutions were his Pokémon.
Rex envied Jimmy for having all three Kanto starters' evolutions, as he had only managed to get a Torchic from Hoenn. But then he looked at Ash, who also had many starter Pokémon, and felt less envious.
Jimmy mistakenly thought Rex and his friends were new students at the Pokémon Judge Training School. With nothing else to do, they helped Jimmy carry his things back to the school and explained that they were heading to Mossdeep City.
They also learned from Jimmy that the next boat to the next island would be available the following day.
At the school, Jimmy introduced them to Serena, a teacher at the judge school. Serena asked them to help with a class by having two of them battle, with Jimmy as the referee, to assess his performance.
"Rex, we were going to battle anyway. How about now?" Ash suggested.
"Sure, no problem." Rex agreed readily, excited at the opportunity.
Serena led them to a battle arena.
"Now, it's a double battle between Ash from Pallet Town and Rex from Fallarbor Town. Both sides cannot substitute Pokémon during the match!" Jimmy announced, somewhat nervously.
Rex sent out Poliwhirl and Haunter, while Ash sent out Swellow and Corphish.
Poliwhirl, seeing Swellow, immediately focused, ready to take on the bird Pokémon it had longed to defeat.
"Corphish, use Bubble Beam! Swellow, get behind Corphish!" Ash commanded, signaling the start of the battle.
"Poliwhirl, use Water Gun! Haunter, use Shadow Ball!" Rex ordered, countering Ash's moves.
Poliwhirl's Water Gun pierced through Corphish's Bubble Beam, knocking Corphish to the ground, followed by Haunter's Shadow Ball, which Swellow intercepted, taking no damage due to its Normal typing.
"Uh, Corphish is unable to battle!" Jimmy declared, though Corphish had only been momentarily stunned.
Ash and Corphish protested, and Serena scolded Jimmy for his premature judgment.
With the match disrupted, Rex recalled his Pokémon, planning to battle Ash another time.
(End of the Chapter)