Mikan Island and Sunburst Island
After receiving Lapras and gaining a new travelling friend Tracey, Ash and the gang were riding Lapras across the ocean to get to an island called Mikan Island, for Ash's first gym badge. The gang thought that riding on Lapras across the ocean was fun, cheaper and quicker than a ferry. "I find it funny that I'm starting to collect the Orange League badges," said Ash "I mean not long ago I started collecting badges for the Indigo League". His friends smiled at that comment. "Say big brother," said Tomo "what do the Orange Island badges look like?" "I don't know," replied Ash "but I have heard that the gym challenges will be different than the kanto gym challenges". Soon they reached Mikan Island at last. The group got off Lapras and Ash returned him for a rest.
The gang walked along a path lined with palm trees, which led to and from the beach. Suddenly Tomo saw a coconut on the ground by the road. "Hey a coconut!" he yelled in surprise, he liked coconuts. He was just about to pick it up when Ash stopped him. "Hang on a minute Tomo," he said "this is a trap", and pointed to a string attached to the coconut. Ash closed his eyes and focused with his psychic powers. He sensed someone behind a tree and noticed a bucket hanging above them. Then he asked Pikachu to climb the tree and move the bucket above where the prankster was. "Now for our little trick" Ash smiled. Tomo, Pikachu and Growlithe snickered. "Let's eat this coconut Tomo". Tomo picked up the coconut, and when he did that the string pulled the bucket, tipping all the water all over the prankster.
A young boy screamed and jumped from behind the trees. "What happened?" he shrieked I'm sure I placed the bucket in the right place". "You did," chuckle Ash "but I had my Pikachu move the bucket that was in the tree". The boy was in shock from that. "It serves you right for playing pranks like that" said Misty.
Suddenly another laugh was heard. It was from a young woman and the boy rigid from hearing that laugh. "I like how you handled my little brother like that," the woman said "Senta, how many times have I told you not to play pranks on visitors? And you should be finishing your homework". Yes sis" said Senta, and walked away. "I'm so sorry about my little brother's behaviour". "It's no problem," said Ash "anyway I'm Ash and I'm looking for Mikan Island's gym". "Ah a challenger," said the woman "I'm Cissy and I'm the gym leader of this island".
Cissy led the gang to a building on top of a hill. "Welcome to Mikan gym" she said. Mikan gym looked like a combination of a barn and a beach house. Inside, the gym had a water pool battle field, like Cerulean gyms. "I've heard that the gym challenges of the Orange Islands are different from any other gyms, am I right?" said Ash. "That is correct," said Cissy "you see what we like to do is give trainers and their pokemon challenges to see how strong both pokemon and trainers alike are. So the challenges are sort of battle tests". "I've got it" replied Ash.
Cissy brought Ash to the water field. "We both use only water type pokemon for this gym," she explained "and we have to face two challenges. Our first challenge now is a water gun challenge". At the side of the pool was a very long bench with a long line of cans. And Senta, who was also Cissy's assistant, had a machine ready with some plates. "The first pokemon who hits the most cans and plates is the winner of this challenge" said Cissy. Her pokemon was Seadra and Ash chose Wartortle. In the end it turned out to be a tide. "Well Ash, you did very well there," said Cissy "but the challenge is not over yet".
Cissy led the gang back to the beach. "Our second challenge is a surfing race," she said "we each ride, standing up, on a water pokemon, surf up to the markers on top of the ocean and back again, and the first to come back to the beach again wins". The markers on top of the ocean were two white floating flags. Cissy had Blastoise and Ash used Lapras. Ash found it a bit hard to stand up on Lapras; he had never surfed on pokemon before. Senta sent the racers off. It was a close surfing race. Blastoise proved to be a bit faster than Lapras, but Ash had an idea; he had his Lapras use ice beam on the water. Even though the rules said no attacks against each other; there was no rule about using attacks to help with the race. Thanks to an ice slide, Lapras slid all the way towards the finish line on the beach. "Ash Ketchum wins" said Senta. Ash petted his Lapras and thanked it.
Cissy walked up to Ash, after returning her Blastoise. "Well that was a really great race," she said "and using Lapras's ice beam like that was very clever. So as proof of your victory I present to you the Coral-Eye Badge". Ash took a look at the badge; it was coloured pink, in the shape of a clam shell, with a small blue gemstone. "It looks like a sea shell" he said. "That's because we base our gym badges from shells here on the Orange Islands" explained Cissy. "Thank you" said Ash.
With his first Orange gym badge in his hand, Ash and the gang bid goodbye to Cissy and Senta, and left Mikan Island on Lapras to head over for the next island.
Ash and the gang were still crossing the ocean on Lapras, when Ash suddenly noticed a glass bottle in the sea. "Where what's that?" he said. He stopped Lapras to check the bottle; there was a written note in the bottle. The note said; "If you know anything about a Pokémon called the Crystal Onix, let me know right away". "Crystal Onix?" said Ash "that sounds interesting, we should check it out". "Yeah let's" said Tomo. "I would like to see this Crystal Onix myself" said Tracey. Misty was interested as well. "They went to the island, where the message had come from, Sunburst Island. "Sunburst Island is famous for its shops of things all made from glass" Tracey explained. "My mum has a glass figuring of a Pidgey," said Ash "she got that as a gift a long time ago". "I remember seeing that" said Tomo. "My sisters have glass figurines too," said Misty "Violet has a Seel, Daisy has a Staryu and Lily has a Goldeen".
The gang walked down a street where there were a lot of glass shops. You could see glass ornaments everywhere; glass vases, glasses to drink out of, glass plates and bowls and even glass pokemon figures. The gang were enjoying looking at the glass, when suddenly they heard a commotion. A man was sort of picking on a little girl. "You two should just close this shop," said the man "your brother has no talent of making glass figurines". "Yes he does," sobbed the little girl "he's just having trouble". "Trouble or not, being next to your shop is killing my business" said the man. The gang didn't like what was happening. "Hey, what's going on?" asked Ash. The man turned to the gang. "Just because your shop is next to their shop doesn't give you the right to pick on them". The man grunted and went back to his own shop. "Are you okay?" Misty asked the girl. "Yes thank you, my name is Marissa" said the girl. "Hey Marissa," said Ash "are you the one who wrote this note?" He handed her the note he found. "You found my note!" said Marissa excitedly "so do you know about the Crystal Onix?" "I'm afraid none of us do," Ash confessed "that's why we're here. We are anxious to know about this Crystal Onix". Marissa was disappointed. "I was hoping someone would know about the Crystal Onix," she said a little sadly "because it would help my brother with his glass making".
Ash and the gang were curious about this, so Marissa brought the gang to her brother's glass shop. Her brother Mateo greeted them. "I hope my sister Marissa hasn't been bothering you" he said. "Of course not," said Ash "but I must ask, why is your glass shop not full of glass things?" Mateo sighed. "It's because I'm not as great as my grandfather was" he said. Mateo explained that his grandfather was a talented glass artist, and made his glass pokemon figurines look like they were alive. "When he was around this glass shop was a real success, but I'm nothing compared to my grandpa". He showed them a glass figuring his grandpa once made. It was an Onix figuring and it was sparkling like crystals. Then he showed his glass figurines. They were a Geodude, Pidgey and Dugtrio. They were pretty, but they didn't shine like crystals. "They don't look bad for a first attempt" said Ash. "Yeah, but they don't have the sparkle, inner fire or soul" said Mateo. "What gave your grandpa the inspiration for making glass pokemon figures?" asked Misty. "The Crystal Onix," said Mateo "Grandpa told me and Marissa about how he saw and met the Crystal Onix all the time, and that glass Onix he did is a remembrance of it". "Then that's it," said Ash "if we find the Crystal Onix, then you will get the inspiration you need Mateo". Mateo and the others thought that was a great idea.
Mateo, Marissa and the gang started their search of the Crystal Onix in the forest. "So where shall we start?" asked Tomo. Tracey released a pokemon from one of his pokeballs; a Venonat. "My Venonat's radar eyes can help us look for the Crystal Onix" he said. Tomo was surprised that Misty wasn't freaking out from the Venonat, since it was a bug type. "After seeing your Venonat and Ash's Venomoth lots of times, I'm quite used to them now" Misty explained. Venonat used its eyes to locate an Onix. It did find an Onix figure, but what it was really was a pile of rocks shaped like Onix. "I think we need to search another way" said Tracey. He returned Venonat and brought out his other pokemon, a Marill. "Ah that thing is so cute" squealed Misty.
Ash checked out Marill on the pokedex: Marill, the Aqua Mouse pokemon. The tip of its tail floats in water, so it can swim in any current no matter how rough.
"My Marill's ears can hear anything no matter how far the sound" said Tracey. He took out some sort of recording machine from his rucksack and played a sound of an Onix on it. "I use this to record any sounds from a pokemon".
Marill's ears led the gang to a foot path to a small island. "The Crystal Onix might be on that island" said Mateo. The gang walked to the island and found a big cave. Inside the cave the cave walls were covered with crystals. "These crystals must mean that we are getting close to the Crystal Onix" said Tracey. There was also a big lake in the cave. Marill jumped into the lake, and then came out again. "I think Marill has seen something in the lake" said Tracey.
Suddenly a figure burst through the lake; it was the Crystal Onix. "What an amazing thing!" gasped Tracey, drawing it in his sketchpad. "How is it able to live in water and not get affected by it?" asked Misty. "My guess it's because of its body is made of crystal, not rock," said Ash "so my guess is using water type moves won't work". "In that case," said Mateo "I'll use my glass making partner". His glass making partner was a Chameleon. The Crystal Onix began throwing big crystal rocks around; that was the move rock throw. Mateo ordered Chameleon to use flamethrower. That weakened the Crystal Onix at once. Mateo stared at the flames spreading at the Crystal Onix with widened eyes, as if he just saw something he had never seen before.
When the Crystal Onix fell down in defeat, Mateo breathed heavily. "I've found my inspiration," he said "see the flames on the Crystal Onix made me see what I had been missing with my glass figurines". Ash and the gang and Marissa were happy to hear that. The Crystal Onix got up and roared softly at Mateo. "Onix I thank you for letting me battle you and for giving me the inspiration I needed" said Mateo. The Crystal Onix roared softly again. "It says it wants you to capture it Mateo," said Ash "it can sense you have a true heart and wants you as its owner". Everyone was surprised at that. "Is that what you want?" Mateo asked Onix. The Crystal Onix nodded yes. Mateo took out an empty pokeball and captured the Crystal Onix. "Onix I promise that I will always take care of you". "And I will too" smiled Marissa.
In no time at all, the gang were back at Mateo's shop and Mateo was now making glass pokemon figures again, with Chameleon. "Ash, Tomo, Misty and Tracey, I thank you for all the help you have given me" said Mateo. "I'm glad that everything has turned out okay again" smiled Ash. Mateo gave Ash a thank you gift; a small glass Pikachu figure. Then Ash and the gang said goodbye too Mateo and Marissa to continue their journey.