After saying farewell to Morty, Ash and his friends left the Ecruteak Gym.
The sky had already darkened, and the old cobblestone streets were lined with dimly lit paper lanterns, enveloping Ecruteak City in a tranquil and peaceful atmosphere.
"Today was truly a harvest," Misty said, holding Togepi with a satisfied smile on her face. "Not only did we get the Phantom Badge, but we also passed Raikou's test and acquired the second token. Oh, and we also got the Move Machine for Perish Song."
"Most importantly, Pikachu has gotten stronger," Brock said, arms crossed as his gaze fell on the yellow figure resting quietly in Ash's arms.
"Every battle with a powerful enemy elevates Pikachu's strength to a new level, and this time was no exception."
"Yeah." Ash turned his head slightly, looking at the small, tired yet peaceful figure in his arms, and his mouth curved into a slight smile. "Pikachu is getting stronger."
At this rate, Pikachu will soon return to its peak, and then its god-like ability value can truly come into play!
"But speaking of which, wasn't Pikachu already at Elite Four Peak before? Why did it seem like its level was only Mid-Elite during the battle earlier?" Brock rubbed his chin with a puzzled look on his face.
Pikachu's level had reached Elite Four Peak during the battle with Brandon, and with its hat, it could even reach Champion Junior Level.
But in today's battle, Pikachu's level was only Mid-Elite, and even with the hat, it was only Elite Four Advanced Level.
This level doesn't quite match the level Pikachu displayed before!
"Uh...ah...maybe Pikachu sustained some internal injury during the battle with Regice and hasn't fully recovered yet. It's okay, it'll be fine after some time," Ash stammered in response.
Explaining Pikachu's rebirth ability is really tough, and they might not believe it even if he told them.
After all, this is beyond any bizarre event and defies logic.
If Ash didn't have the chat group and couldn't monitor Pikachu's status in real-time, he probably wouldn't believe it himself.
Upon hearing this, Brock and the others were half-believing, but since Ash said so, they didn't press further.
If there's something going on, Ash will definitely tell them honestly. If he's keeping something from them, it means Ash thinks it's not time to disclose it yet.
They have a lot of trust in Ash.
Chatting as they walked, it wasn't long before they arrived at the Pokemon Center in Ecruteak City. Miss Joy took the Pokeball Ash offered and turned into the treatment room. Ash and his friends found a table in the hall and ordered some dinner.
"Are we heading to the Sunyshore Gym tomorrow?" Misty asked while twirling spaghetti with her fork.
"Yeah." Ash nodded, his eyes sparking with anticipation, "Volkner, the strongest Gym Leader in the Sinnoh Region!"
It's said Volkner has lost interest in Gym challenges because no one has been able to defeat him for a couple of years now.
Now that's the kind of opponent that's exciting!
"Volkner's main Pokemon is Electivire, and its ability is Motor Drive, so it's best not to let Pikachu fight it," Brock advised as he checked information about Volkner on his phone.
Ash nodded in agreement, "Don't worry, I'll plan it carefully."
After discussing the Sunyshore Gym, Ash and Misty continued to chat while eating.
Serena sat across the table, absentmindedly poking at her pasta with her fork, her gaze involuntarily drifting to the orange-haired figure beside Ash.
Misty was tilted her head, laughing and chatting with Ash, her green eyes curved into a charming crescent, while Ash, barely understanding, was stuffing bread into his mouth, occasionally breaking into a grin.
Their natural and intimate atmosphere felt like an invisible wall.
Serena lowered her eyes and put a piece of pasta in her mouth, although it didn't taste as good as Ash's, for a Pokemon Center, it wasn't bad, yet it felt like chewing wax to her now.
She really envied Misty, not jealously, just purely envious. If only she had set out on her journey a bit earlier and met Ash, would things be different...
The thought was quickly crushed by Serena shaking her head. What was she thinking? Misty was her friend, and Ash was her friend too. She should be happy for them.
"Serena? What's wrong, not hungry?" Misty's voice suddenly rang.
Serena snapped her head up to find the three of them looking at her. She quickly forced a smile, "No, no, just a bit tired, zoned out for a bit."
Misty gave her a concerned look, "Today was indeed quite eventful, some rest would be good."
Serena nodded and returned to her meal, making sure not to let her gaze wander.
...
After dinner, Ash went to the front desk to book rooms.
"Miss Joy, please reserve two rooms," he said, glancing back at the three behind him. "Brock and I in one, Misty and Serena in another, just perfect."
The moment he said this, Brock jumped like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
"No way! Absolutely not!" His head shook like a rattle, hands crossed firmly in front of his chest in a decisive "X," "I absolutely won't share a room with Ash!"
"Why?" Ash looked confused.
"You still ask why?" Brock's resentment almost materialized as he counted on his fingers one by one, "Last time in Goldenrod City, you got up at six in the morning to wash up and made such a clatter that it drove me to a nervous breakdown! The time before that in Violet City, you suddenly sat up in the middle of the night shouting 'Pikachu, Thunderbolt,' almost gave me a heart attack! And the time before that—"
"That was a dream..." Ash scratched his head, smiling somewhat sheepishly.
"Dreaming or not, it's unacceptable!" Brock said righteously, "I'd rather sleep on the street than share a room with you. It's a matter of principle."
Misty glanced at Brock, who was resolute, and then at Ash, who looked completely innocent, and couldn't help but burst into laughter. She turned to the front desk, "Miss Joy, are there any extra rooms available? We'd like to change to three rooms."
Miss Joy checked the system and nodded with a smile, "Yes, there are three available rooms despite the festival attracting many tourists lately."
"Then let's get three rooms." Ash took out his phone, ready to pay. Though he's a rookie Trainer now, he only has the allowance for one room, and Serena also has one room's free allowance.
But that's only two rooms, so if they want three rooms, they'll need to pay for the extra one.
Brock immediately sighed with relief, patting Ash's shoulder, "Good brother, I knew you'd understand."
Three room keys were laid out on the counter. Brock quickly took one, and Serena hesitated for a moment before also reaching out for one. The last one lay there all alone as if waiting for something.
Misty looked at that room key and suddenly realized a serious issue. Three rooms, one for Brock, one for Serena, so the remaining one... she and Ash?
"Um... I..." Her voice was a bit strained, wanting to say something, but her mind went blank.
Ash naturally picked up the last room key and turned to her, "Let's go, Misty."
The tone was as usual as if saying, "The weather's nice today." Misty's cheeks suddenly burned red, her ears so hot they felt like they might bleed.
She wanted to say something, her lips moved, but in the end, she only squeezed out a sound as soft as a mosquito's, "...Okay."
Serena watched this scene and felt a little sourness welling up in her heart. Perhaps playing a song right now would suit the mood better... (Unreachable Love.mp3)
She blinked hard, suppressing that touch of sourness, and forced a smile, "Then, I'll head up first. See you tomorrow."
After speaking, she turned and quickly walked toward the stairs, not daring to let anyone see her expression at that moment.
Brock also stretched lazily, picked up his backpack, and headed to the elevator, "I'm off to sleep too, see you tomorrow."
Only Ash and Misty were left in the lobby. Ash looked down at the room key in his hand and then at Misty, "Shall we head up too?"
"...Okay." Misty kept her head down, her voice incredibly light, completely different from her usual bold demeanor.
...
At the end of the second-floor hallway, Ash pushed open the room door and pressed the switch on the wall.
Warm yellow light illuminated the room. Not large, but it was very tidy.
Along the wall was a wooden bunk bed, with pink sheets on the upper bunk and off-white on the lower, and each bed had a small Clefairy doll by the pillow.
The window was half-open, with the night breeze gently swaying the curtains, creating a comfortable atmosphere.
Misty stood at the door holding Togepi, her feet seemingly rooted to the spot.
It wasn't like she hadn't shared a room with Ash during their travels before.
But back then, Brock was there too; it was a four-person room with bunk beds, and there was a whole bed space between her and Ash. Besides, they weren't a couple yet back then.
But now, two people, one room, one bed — though it's a bunk bed, it's still the same bed.
She could clearly hear her own heart pounding.
"Jioji?" Togepi in her arms looked up with curiosity.
"N-nothing." Misty took a deep breath and stepped into the room.
She placed Togepi by the upper bunk's pillow and pretended to be calm as she started organizing her luggage. In reality, she repeatedly folded and unfolded her possessions, not even knowing what she was doing.
Ash, on the other hand, didn't think much of it.
He casually tossed his backpack on the floor, pulling out pajamas and toiletries, and as he walked toward the bathroom, asked without turning back, "Misty, do you want to wash up first?"
"You- you go first." Misty replied, her voice a bit tight, her back to him.
"Okay." Ash entered the bathroom with his pajamas, and soon the sound of running water could be heard.
Only then did Misty let out a long breath. No need to be nervous... yes, no need at all. Ash only has Pokemon on his mind, nothing else!
Since becoming a couple, the most they've done is kiss, and they could count the number of times on one hand since then, so... it's fine, it's fine, Ash surely won't rush into anything!
She patted her cheeks firmly, giving herself some courage.
Before long, Ash came out of the bathroom, drying his hair, wearing a fresh short-sleeved shirt and shorts. Seeing Misty still sitting dazed on the bed, he asked curiously, "What's up? Aren't you going to wash up?"
"I'm going! Right now!" Misty bounced off the bed like a startled cat, grabbed her pajamas, and dashed into the bathroom, slamming the door shut.
Ash scratched his damp hair, clueless.
When Misty emerged from the bathroom, Ash was already lying on the lower bunk, browsing through Sunyshore Gym's information on his phone.
The warm yellow light outlined his focused side profile, highlighting the growing angularity of the young man's face.
Looking at his serious expression, Misty unexpectedly started to relax.
She quietly climbed to the upper bunk and cuddled Togepi. The bed creaked softly with the movement.
"Misty."
Her heart skipped a beat. "...Yes?"
"Which Pokemon do you think I should use tomorrow? Although Pikachu can battle, I think it's better to give other partners some time in the spotlight too. Otherwise, it seems too harsh for them to always train in the backyard with no opportunities."
Misty paused, then couldn't help but smile. What on earth was she worrying about? This guy's mind really is all about Pokemon.
"Then you'd better research how strong Gym Leader Volkner's main Pokemon is. Even if you want to give other Pokemon a shot, you need a winning chance, right? After all, Volkner is Sinnoh's strongest Gym Leader."
"Yeah, that's what I thought too." Ash's voice came from the lower bunk, his words filled with contemplation, "I found online that Volkner's main Electivire is at Elite Four Peak level... but I have a feeling his strength is more than that."
With one on the upper bunk and the other on the lower, they chatted through the thin bed board.
They talked about Volkner's lineup, the features of gyms in the Sinnoh Region, and reminisced about Gym Leaders they had challenged before. Gradually, Misty relaxed, her voice becoming cheerful and natural.
Sometimes she would chime in, sometimes just listen silently to Ash's chatter, her mouth unconsciously forming a smile.
After some time, there was no response from the upper bunk.
"Misty?" Ash called out tentatively.
The only response was the sound of soft, even breathing. She was already asleep, with Pikachu snoring softly next to Ash.
Ash's lips curled into a gentle smile. He placed his phone on the pillow and reached to turn off the bedside lamp.
"Goodnight, Misty," he said softly.
On the upper bunk, Misty continued slumbering, her lips subtly curving into a dreamy smile.
In her arms, Togepi snuggled against her chin, making soft snores.
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