After chatting, it was quite late. Blaine wanted to spare two rooms for Ash and his friends to stay, but both Ash and Gary politely declined.
Are you kidding? You can sleep here, but it's nowhere near as comfortable as the hotel they've rented!
Not to mention Gary's choice, the hotel Ash rented was the most top-notch on Cinnabar Island, the kind of place you can't get even if you have the money. He hadn't even properly experienced that hotel yet. Who would want to stay in this old and shabby place!
Besides, not staying at that hotel would just waste Erika's kind intentions, and the one thing Ash doesn't do is waste someone's goodwill!
So, the idea of staying with Blaine was dismissed by both of them, and in the end, a rather discontented Blaine saw the four of them out.
After everyone left, Blaine's expression returned to normal. He sat down on a wooden stool, and it was as if he deflated, his whole body slumped, his eyes staring blankly at the ceiling.
After a long moment, he pulled himself together, walked to a nearby landline phone, and dialed a number.
"Hello, Oak? This is Blaine..."
...
On the way back, Gary seemed he wanted to ask Ash something several times but ultimately didn't speak up. Ash glanced at him, folded his hands behind his head, and casually said, "If you have something to ask, just ask. We've known each other for so many years. No need to be so hesitant."
Hearing this, the conflicted look on Gary's face instantly disappeared, and he breathed a sigh of relief, saying, "You should have said that earlier! It's just that Blaine made me too afraid to ask, um, what exactly happened, what the heck is Mewtwo, and how could that Pokemon be so powerful as to destroy an island?"
Being a fifteen-year-old, curiosity is natural, and it's a supreme display of willpower to hold back questions for so long.
Now that Ash had granted permission, Gary was ready to chat openly.
For Gary, Ash felt there was no need to hide anything. Although Gary was still lacking in strength now, it wasn't like he had to face Mewtwo. Even if he knew, it wouldn't harm him, and it might even serve as a future precaution.
On the road, Ash detailed the situation with Mewtwo, Gardevoir, Blaine, and Team Rocket to Gary.
Gary's expressions ranged from shock to dropping his jaw, to being utterly flabbergasted...
He had never encountered such strange events in his life, and yet Ash stumbled upon one after another!
No wonder Blaine said not to get involved; the impact of this event was too significant. Since Gary wasn't directly involved, knowing too much wouldn't be beneficial.
However, human curiosity is inherent. There's no avoiding the urge to learn about gossip just because of its consequences!
Gossip is one of the things people naturally pursue!
"That's about it. In any case, Gary, if you encounter Mewtwo or Team Rocket, it's best you turn and run. You're no match for them now."
Gary shrugged helplessly and said, "Do you think I'll stumble across such a behemoth? Besides, I don't even know what Mewtwo looks like. It's not like I'm going to run into it out of the blue, right? I'm not its target anyway."
Seeing Gary's nonchalant demeanor, Ash couldn't help but feel as if Gary had unknowingly set up a flag for himself.
...
Back at the hotel, Ash and the others lounged around on the chairs or floor of the room, while Misty wouldn't let Ash and Brock lie on the bed because they were covered in grime and volcanic ash.
If they wanted to lie down, they'd have to take a bath first. Even though this was a hotel room, they couldn't just make the bed dirty, since they'd be sleeping there tonight. If they were that filthy when lying down, bathing afterwards would be pointless.
After sitting down to rest, Ash faced a second round of questioning from Misty and Brock, asking about when he performed MEGA Evolution with Aerodactyl, when he experimented with Gardevoir, and why they were completely unaware.
Ash painstakingly dodged the questions, chalking it all up to luck.
Considering his incredibly good fortune in general, such outrageous reasoning was something Misty and Brock could accept.
Although discovering MEGA Evolution through luck sounded a bit far-fetched, when it came to Ash, it somehow wasn't so unbelievable.
The random teleportation of Ralts' Poke Egg by Blaine ending up in Ash's hands was something luck could certainly explain.
Afterwards, Misty and Brock told Ash to keep an eye out for any MEGA Evolution Stones or Key Stones to see if any of their Pokemon could evolve.
Ash nodded vigorously, expressing his intention to check on Professor Oak's collected results tomorrow.
Then Misty went to shower while Brock and Ash were pushed out of the room, to return only after she finished. The two of them thought about it, then happily decided to hit the hot springs included with the hotel for a soak.
Imagine, after a tiring day, immersing oneself in a warm hot spring, the feeling would be simply divine.
Moreover, the hot springs on Cinnabar Island were natural, with properties to soothe the body and mind and relieve fatigue, so naturally, they had to indulge.
As for Misty… If she didn't find them after her shower, she'd call them, and they could fill her in then.