Pokemon: A different Ash

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"What? You have to think about it—it's a million dollars! You may never see that much money in your life!" Nastina's voice grew sharp with frustration at Ash's refusal.

"Take your filthy money and go as far away as you can!"

Ash's eyes narrowed as he fixed a cold stare on Nastina , whose face shifted unexpectedly. She seemed rattled by his defiance, a reaction she didn't anticipate from a mere child.

"Fine! Don't come crying to me later. I'll find someone else to handle those blasted jellyfish, you ungrateful brat!"

Nastina spun around, storming off with her entourage. Ash watched her leave in silence, while Misty and Brock quietly tended to Horsea by the water.

Boom, boom, boom!

As Nastina was leaving, a thunderous noise suddenly echoed across the coast, drawing everyone's attention. At the sea hotel, explosions erupted, and parts of the structure began to collapse. Nastina's face turned pale as she saw the destruction.

"No! Why is this happening? Who dares to destroy the hotel I worked so hard to build?" she shouted, her face twisting with despair.

Ash, Misty, and Brock all looked over in concern. Ash wondered if Tentacool had finally retaliated, yet no Tentacool could be seen on the water's surface.

"Heh! That's what you get for invading Tentacool's habitat! Looks like payback came sooner than you thought," Misty remarked with a smirk.

Ash and Brock didn't say a word, but they shared Misty's sentiment.

Everyone knew that Tentacool were as common in the sea as Magikarp were in rivers. When their habitats were disturbed, Tentacool would either fight back or move, causing a massive upheaval. If a large Tentacool migration occurred, it could disrupt the entire ecosystem of the shallow seas, affecting other Pokémon like Horsea.

Most Pokémon weren't as gentle as Horsea, who had been willing to warn them about the problem. If it had been another species, they might have harbored a grudge against humans for forcing Tentacool out of their home.

"What did you just say, young lady?" Nastina glared furiously at Misty.

"If you keep standing around, your hotel will be gone," Ash said, smirking as he looked out toward the sea.

Nastina followed his gaze, her expression crumbling as she saw the flames engulfing the sea hotel, spreading rapidly across the structure.

"Blast it! You lot, come with me! I'll teach whoever did this a lesson!" she shouted, finally deciding to prioritize her hotel despite the damage.

With that, Nastina and her crew hurriedly headed out to sea toward the burning hotel.

"But what's really going on here? Was it Tentacool's doing?" Misty asked, curious yet slightly unsure.

Ash shrugged. "I don't think so. But if you're that curious, we could take a closer look."

They moved toward the opposite side of the beach. Without a boat, they couldn't get all the way out to the sea hotel, but they could still observe from the shore. Although the hotel was in the shallow waters, it wasn't built far enough out to reach the deeper seas.

From the nearby beach, Ash, Misty, and Brock could see the commotion around Nastina's sea hotel. Nastina had called in a large group, and now several speedboats and yachts filled with her people were heading rapidly toward the burning structure.

"That's a lot of people," Misty murmured, her eyes widening at the sight. She wasn't worried about the hotel itself, but rather about whoever had destroyed it. With so many of Nastina's people searching, getting away wouldn't be easy.

The sea hotel was now a charred ruin, with fire still blazing in parts. Although it was surrounded by water, the flames persisted, and the staff struggled to control them. Many areas of the hotel were badly damaged, making it treacherous to navigate; some parts had already collapsed into the sea due to the incomplete construction.

"Who dared to destroy my hotel?!" Nastina's voice carried over the water as she stood on her yacht, glaring at the smoking ruins. Her frustration was evident as she ground her teeth in anger.

"Boss, we heard... it was a young trainer with red hair," one of the staff members reported, stepping forward cautiously.

"Then get him for me, now!" Nastina demanded.

The staff member hesitated. "We've searched everywhere, but we can't find him on the hotel grounds."

"Impossible! He couldn't have left without a boat unless he swam away," she snapped, still unwilling to accept the situation.

"We looked everywhere, Boss, but there's no sign of him," her subordinate replied, sounding embarrassed.

Back on the beach, Misty watched the scene unfold. "It looks like they haven't found who did it," she said, squinting toward the hotel.

"Probably not," Ash replied, keeping his eyes on the water.

At that moment, Horsea swam up to them from the sea, chirping urgently and gesturing with its fins. The trio exchanged glances, then followed Horsea as it led them toward a hidden reef not far from the beach. From here, they had a closer view of the hotel, and it wasn't far from shore.

"Huh? What's that?" Ash muttered as he reached the top of the reef. Something was floating on the water's surface nearby.

"Ice?" Misty and Brock noticed it too, their eyes widening in surprise. Scattered pieces of ice floated on the sea, gradually melting into the water.

"How could there be ice out here?" Misty asked, puzzled. It was strange for ice to appear in the ocean without any apparent reason.