The sunset completely sank below the sea level.
The last sliver of orange-red on the horizon was swallowed by deep blue, and starlight began to shimmer sparsely.
Roy led Misty and Delia toward the direction of that lighthouse.
It looked close, but walking there was exhausting.
"How... how are we not there yet..."
Misty panted, wiping the fine sweat from her forehead.
She felt as if her feet in those sandals no longer belonged to her.
Delia didn't speak, but her breathing was also a bit rapid, her gentle face showing fatigue.
Roy had the best stamina and didn't feel much of anything.
He just looked at the two ladies being so tired and thought to himself that this lighthouse was built in a truly 'well-chosen' spot.
Gazing at a mountain can exhaust a horse to death.
This saying was not false at all.
By the time the three finally reached the foot of the lighthouse, the sky was completely dark.
Only the rotating beam of light at the top of the lighthouse regularly swept across the night sky and the pitch-black sea.
The lighthouse was built of white stone, with a thick base that tapered as it went up.
The main door was made of heavy metal, with a red button next to it that looked like a doorbell.
However, what attracted Misty and Delia's attention most were the patterns carved on the door.
"Eh? These are..."
Misty leaned in closer, looking carefully with the help of the light shining through the lighthouse window.
Many Pokemon reliefs were carved on the door.
But she didn't recognize the vast majority of them.
Some looked like the outlines of giant birds with sharp horns.
Some looked like coiled, serpent-like creatures with multiple pairs of wings.
Others were simply a mass of indescribable, twisted shapes, exuding an ancient and mysterious aura.
"Are these... also Pokemon?" Delia was also somewhat confused, her gentle voice filled with curiosity. "Why have I never seen them before? They don't seem to be recorded in the pokédex?"
Roy glanced at those reliefs and explained:
"Some are Pokemon left over from the ancient era. They are extremely rare and only found in a few ruins."
"Others... are legendary existences. There's even debate in the academic community about whether they ever truly existed."
"Naturally, you wouldn't see them normally."
"Ancient... legends..." Misty murmured, her eyes lighting up.
As a (self-proclaimed) Water-type Pokemon expert, she was also interested in this kind of ancient knowledge.
After all, legend says the ancient Earth was entirely water.
Roy reached out and pressed the red button.
Ding-dong.
The crisp sound of the doorbell was particularly clear in the silent night.
However, before they could even speak to state their purpose.
"Great! Someone's here!"
The excited voice of a young man suddenly burst from the intercom inside the door, speaking very fast:
"Please come in! The door is unlocked! Come in and help me! Quick!"
As the words fell, with a 'click,' the heavy metal door automatically opened a crack inward.
The three looked at each other.
A cry for help?
Help him?
What happened... inside this lighthouse?
Roy was the first to push the door open and enter.
Misty and Delia were a bit apprehensive, but they followed closely behind him.
The interior space of the lighthouse was even more spacious than it looked from the outside.
The first floor was a circular hall, filled with various precision instruments and equipment, with screens flickering with complex data and waveforms.
On the walls hung giant photos of fossils, yellowed rubbings of ancient texts, and hand-drawn, wildly lined conceptual diagrams.
But at this moment, what attracted the trio's gaze most was certainly not these research materials.
It was the Kabutops in the center of the hall, frantically waving its two'scythes'!
"Ah!"
Misty cried out in fear, subconsciously grabbing Roy's arm.
Delia also covered her mouth, her gentle eyes full of panic.
That was a real, living Kabutops!
Its carapace glinted with a cold, hard brown luster, its head covered in a hard helmet, and most terrifying were the pair of huge, cold-glinting scythe-like claws at the ends of its arms.
Right now, those scythes were waving wildly in the air, making 'whooshing' sounds of breaking wind, looking extremely aggressive.
"The... the Pokemon on the door!" Misty's voice changed pitch. "It's real! And it's alive!"
"The person inside just called for help..." Delia's face turned pale, her voice trembling. "Could he... could he have been... by this Pokemon..."
She didn't dare to continue.
Roy, however, frowned slightly.
He stared at that 'Kabutops,' a strange look flashing in his eyes.
Then, under the terrified gazes of the two ladies, he actually walked straight toward that dangerous 'ancient killing machine'!
"Roy! Don't go over there!" Misty shouted anxiously.
"It's dangerous!" Delia also tried to pull him back.
Roy waved his hand.
"It's fine."
He walked up to the 'Kabutops' that was still frantically waving its scythes, ignored the sharp edges that almost brushed his nose, and reached out to feel around the back of the 'Kabutops'.
Then, with a 'zip' sound.
He found a hidden zipper and pulled it down hard!
A crack opened in the back of the 'Kabutops'...
A young man wearing a white lab coat, with messy hair and thick glasses, crawled out from inside the 'Kabutops', sweating profusely and red-faced.
"Saved... I'm saved!"
He slumped on the floor, panting heavily.
"This damn lab suit! The zipper got stuck! And I designed it too realistically, so the arm joints have limited movement; I couldn't reach my own back at all!"
"I almost suffocated inside!"
Misty and Delia were dumbfounded.
So... that terrifying Kabutops just now was a person in disguise?
And it was the lighthouse owner himself?
Roy wasn't surprised at all. He bent down and reached out to pull the disheveled researcher up.
"You're Researcher Bill, right? Professor Oak mentioned you to me, saying you've made great achievements in the study of ancient Pokemon and gigantism."
As soon as Bill heard the name 'Professor Oak,' he was immediately energized. He jumped up and grabbed Roy's hand.
"You know Professor Oak? Who are you?"
"Roy. I'm currently traveling with the Indigo League as my goal. I've been looked after by Professor Oak and received my starter Pokemon from him," Roy introduced briefly.
"Roy... Ah!!" Bill became even more excited.
He warmly shook Roy's hand up and down.
"Nice to meet you! I'm Bill. As you can see, I'm a researcher who's a bit... uh, informal."
He then looked at Misty and Delia and said apologetically:
"I scared you two ladies just now, didn't I? My deepest apologies! This Kabutops ecological simulation suit is my latest work. I wanted to experience the body structure and movement of ancient Pokemon, and as a result... a small accident happened."
Misty finally sighed in relief, patted her chest, and couldn't help but complain:
"More than a small accident... we thought you'd been killed by a Pokemon."
Delia also regained her gentle smile and shook her head slightly to indicate it was okay.
Bill scratched his head awkwardly and quickly changed the subject.
"It's so late. You're passing by and want to stay the night, right? No problem! There happen to be empty rooms upstairs!"
He enthusiastically led the three up the spiral staircase.
The second floor of the lighthouse was the living area. Although it was piled with many books and materials, there were indeed a few guest rooms that were fairly tidy.
Bill arranged a room for each of Roy's group.
"The conditions are simple, please bear with it!" Bill was a bit embarrassed. "Besides observations, I spend most of my time in the first-floor lab or out on the coast. Here... well, I don't have much time to tidy up."
"It's already very good. Thank you, Mr. Bill," Delia thanked him politely.
Misty also nodded. Being able to take a hot bath and have a good night's sleep was enough to satisfy her now.
Once Bill had settled them in, he couldn't wait to head back down to the lab.
"You guys rest first! I still have a set of data to record..."
"Wait," Roy called out to him.
"I'm very interested in that ancient Pokemon you're researching. If it's convenient, could you let me learn about it? Maybe I can help a bit."
Bill paused, turned around abruptly, and his face lit up with incredible brilliance.
He had been at this lighthouse for quite a while. Besides communicating with a few colleagues, he was almost isolated from the world.
Encountering a Trainer who not only knew Professor Oak but was also interested in his research direction was like finding an oasis in the desert.
"Of course it's convenient! Extremely convenient!" He rushed back and almost pulled Roy downstairs. "Come, come! I was just worrying about having no one to discuss this with!"
...First-floor laboratory.
The lights were dimmed to a soft brightness suitable for observation.
Bill pulled up several blurry but massive silhouette photos and projected them onto the main screen.
It was a giant shadow comparable to a mountain, walking through the coastal mist. Only parts of the torso and thick limbs could be seen, carrying an indescribable sense of antiquity and weight.
"That's it!" Bill pointed at the screen, his tone excited. "I started capturing its energy fluctuations and scattered images three months ago. It seems to wander periodically along this coastline."
Roy looked at the familiar silhouette and felt certain.
The ancient Pokemon—Giant Dragonite.
"I've consulted a large number of ancient documents and regional legends," Bill spoke rapidly, with the fervor of a researcher. "Combined with its energy spectrum, movement patterns, and... analysis of the sound frequencies it emits."
He tapped the keyboard a few times, and a segment of noise-reduced and amplified audio played.
It was a low, slow hum that seemed to come from deep within the Earth's crust.
It didn't sound like a threat or a roar.
Instead... it exuded a deep sense of loneliness and searching that seemed to have lasted for tens of millions of years.
"It's looking for a companion," Roy suddenly spoke.
Bill was taken aback and looked at Roy: "You think so too?"
"Yes. There's no aggression in its voice, only confusion and longing. For a life form of this size and age, its own kind are likely extremely rare, or it might even be... the last individual," Roy analyzed calmly.
"Exactly! It matches my analytical conclusions!" Bill nodded vigorously, as if he had found a kindred spirit. "It's too lonely. The core of my paper is to elaborate on the social remnants and emotional patterns of this kind of ancient giant life form... but I lack more direct evidence!"
He suddenly became dejected again, scratching his messy hair.
"Sigh! Last time there was an online auction for a set of photos said to have captured the rainbow shadow of Ho-Oh. I didn't get them and missed a perfect opportunity for data supplementation. This time, with this ancient behemoth, I absolutely cannot miss it! Otherwise, I don't know how many more years I'll have to wait for enough data to support the publication of my paper."
Roy and Bill talked for a long time.
From the possible ecology of ancient Pokemon to several hypotheses on the gigantism phenomenon, and then to Bill's prediction based on fluctuations—that Giant Dragonite would very likely pass by this coast again tomorrow evening!
"Tomorrow, huh..." Roy's fingers lightly tapped the table, his eyes deep.
He calculated quickly in his mind.
"Fighting" an existence of this scale in a conventional way was meaningless.
But its goal was clear—to find a companion and relieve its loneliness.
So, the focus of the strategy shouldn't be "defeat," but "communication" and "resonance."
A good plan was needed.
This wasn't a battle for capture or victory.
It was a rare opportunity to converse with an eternal life... Meanwhile, in the second-floor guest room.
The atmosphere was completely different from the intense discussion in the first-floor lab.
Misty had taken a hot bath, washing away the fatigue and sand. Wearing only a thin, cute nightgown with a Goldeen print, she lay on the soft bed.
She hadn't had time to think much while traveling.
Now that it was quiet and she was alone, those thoughts from the day that she had deliberately suppressed began to bubble up again.
Especially... that bet with Roy.
And that sentence she had blurted out in the heat of the moment during the bet: "Whatever you want to do with me."
"Ugh..."
Misty buried her burning face in the pillow, her slender legs kicking unconsciously in the air.
A bet is a bet... but what exactly was the relationship between her and Roy?
Travel companions?
Partners in adventure?
Or... She thought of the way Roy's gaze occasionally landed on her, of his mischievous smile when he teased her, and of his back always standing in front of her when facing danger.
Her heart began to race uncontrollably.
Should she... be a bit more direct?
Just confirm the relationship?
The moment this bold thought popped up, Misty startled herself, her ears turning completely red.
But deep down, there was a strange sense of anticipation and restlessness.
But... how to confirm it?
Was she supposed to just ask directly: "Roy, do you want us to be..."
"Aaaaah! Too embarrassing! I could never say it!"
Misty rolled back and forth on the bed clutching her pillow, the hem of her nightgown riding up to reveal a section of fair, supple waist.
She rolled to the edge of the bed, her gaze inadvertently catching her open suitcase.
Inside, neatly folded besides a few changes of clothes, was that "underwear box" she had specifically prepared.
The things inside that box weren't the cute, girlish styles she usually wore on the surface.
They were all... sexy lace that her sisters, Daisy and the others, had "arranged" for her before she left for this trip.
Semi-transparent gauze.
Strappy designs.
There were even a few that barely covered anything, made purely for erotic appeal... Now that she thought about it... if... if things really developed to that point with Roy... and he saw her wearing these... or even worse, if he personally... "Eek!"
Misty suddenly smothered her face with the pillow, feeling all the blood in her body rush to her head, her toes curling in embarrassment.
Just imagining that scene made her whole body feel weak, and a strange throb came from a certain place.
I'm going to die, I'm going to die!
Misty, what are you thinking!
No shame!
But... Roy is so amazing... his body is good too... and there... also... Stop! Can't think about it anymore!
She tossed and turned on the bed like a pancake, her inner self in a fierce battle.
On one side was reserve and shyness, on the other was a certain ignited, bold desire.
Just then.
A soft knock sounded at the door.
Misty's body stiffened, and she sat up abruptly like a startled fawn, frantically straightening her messy nightgown and hair.
Who is it?