"Look, it's a Wailmer!" Ash shouted excitedly as he spotted several Wailmer swimming alongside their boat.
"Maybe they're welcoming us!" May said happily.
The Wailmer swam alongside their boat for a while, interacting with them before diving back into the sea and disappearing.
"Charge ahead!" "Don't block my way!"
As they neared A Island, Rex and his friends saw a group of children, carrying backpacks, riding Gorebyss and Huntail, racing towards the island. Soon, they overtook the boat and headed towards the distant island.
After they passed, Ash pulled out his Pokédex to look up information on the two Pokémon.
"Huntail, the Deep Sea Pokémon, and the evolved form of Clamperl. It uses its fish-shaped tail to lure prey close and then swallows the prey whole with its large mouth."
"Gorebyss, the South Sea Pokémon, and the evolved form of Clamperl. Its swimming is graceful and beautiful, but when it finds prey, it pierces the prey's body with its thin mouth to suck out body fluids."
At that moment, they noticed a girl being pushed into the sea by a boy. They quickly moved the boat closer to rescue her, but she just adjusted herself briefly and then rode her Huntail to continue forward.
Seeing the girl was fine, they breathed a sigh of relief and continued towards A Island. As they approached the island, they saw a boy and a girl, even younger than the previous group, pedaling a water bike and racing towards the island.
"What are they all racing for?" Ash asked, confused.
However, since none of the others had been there before, they couldn't provide an answer.
Soon, they arrived at A Island and headed straight for the Pokémon Center to rest.
At the Pokémon Center, Ash's question was answered by Nurse Joy.
As the only Pokémon Center in the Three Island Archipelago, it also housed the archipelago's only school. The children they saw were on their way to school, where Nurse Joy also served as a teacher.
Through Nurse Joy's explanation, they learned that many Clamperl lived in the sea around the Three Island Archipelago. However, Clamperl in B Island evolved only into Huntail, while those in C Island evolved only into Gorebyss.
This unique situation led to frequent debates about which Pokémon was stronger, resulting in escalating conflicts. Eventually, the children from both islands also started quarreling, influenced by the adults.
Although Nurse Joy tried hard to make peace, the children wouldn't listen, arguing again as soon as she left the classroom. This frustrated Nurse Joy greatly.
Later, Nurse Joy took them to an outdoor swimming pool used for classes. The pool was filled with Huntail and Gorebyss swimming around.
Rex noticed a familiar face in the pool, playing with the Pokémon. It was Professor Birch.
"Professor Birch, what brings you to this island?" Ash and his friends rushed over to greet him before Rex could react.
"Hey Ash, long time no see! And Rex, you're here too!" Professor Birch greeted them and then smiled at Rex.
"Professor Birch, what are you doing here?" Rex asked after greeting him.
"Haha, I'm here to study the branch evolution of Clamperl," Professor Birch replied with a smile.
"Were you researching just now? Have you discovered anything new?" May asked curiously.
"No, I was just playing with the Pokémon. But sometimes, you can feel things during play that you can't during research," Professor Birch said, scratching his head.
"Professor, what are the conditions for Clamperl to evolve?"
Keith and Nancy asked simultaneously.
Keith, a child from Island B, preferred Huntail, while Nancy from Island C preferred Gorebyss. However, due to their islands' influence, they couldn't openly express their preferences.
"Clamperl evolves into Huntail with a Deep Sea Tooth and into Gorebyss with a Deep Sea Scale," Professor Birch explained, showing them the items.
"Why do Clamperl on Island C only evolve into Huntail, and those on Island B only evolve into Gorebyss?" Nancy asked, puzzled.
"Haha, I don't know the exact reason, but we can investigate the islands. Maybe we'll discover something," Professor Birch suggested.
Intrigued, Ash and his friends insisted on joining the investigation, and Rex, seeing no danger in it, silently followed.
Professor Birch, a renowned Pokémon researcher, quickly led them to discover secret caves on both islands. Islanders placed Clamperl in the caves' lakes for evolution.
They found many Deep Sea Teeth in Island C's cave lake and many Deep Sea Scales in Island B's cave lake, explaining the evolution mystery.
During the investigation, Rex collected several Deep Sea Teeth and Scales for his collection, despite not planning to train Huntail or Gorebyss.
Back on the shore, Keith and Nancy admitted their preferences. With Professor Birch's help, Keith's Clamperl evolved into Huntail and Nancy's into Gorebyss. This broke the islands' stereotypes and showed that people could choose their preferred evolution.
Team Rocket appeared but was defeated by Keith and Nancy's Pokémon. Rex was convinced to keep a low profile, avoiding trouble with the persistent trio.
After resolving the Island A's issue, they didn't stay overnight but took a boat, while Professor Birch stayed on the island.
(End of Chapter)