After saying goodbye to Morty, Ash and his group left the Ecruteak Gym. The sky had already grown dark, and dim yellow paper lanterns lit up on both sides of the ancient bluestone streets, enveloping the entire Ecruteak City in a quiet and peaceful atmosphere.
"Today was truly a huge harvest." Misty held Togepi, a satisfied smile on her face. "Not only did we get the Fog Badge, but we also passed Raikou's test and got the second token. Oh right, we also got the TM for Perish Song."
"The most important thing is that Pikachu has become stronger." Brock crossed his arms in front of his chest, his gaze falling upon the resting yellow figure in Ash's arms. "Every time it battles a strong opponent, Pikachu's strength rises to a new level, and this time is no exception."
"Yeah." Ash turned his head, looking at the tired yet peaceful little figure in his arms, the corners of his mouth curving up slightly. "Pikachu is getting stronger and stronger."
"But come to think of it, wasn't Pikachu already at Elite Four Peak before? Why did its level seem to be only at Elite Four Mid during the battle just now?" Brock rubbed his chin, a look of puzzlement on his face.
Pikachu's level had already reached Elite Four Peak during the previous battle against Brandon, and after entering partner form, it could reach Champion Beginner. Yet in today's battle, Pikachu's level was merely at Elite Four Mid, and even in partner form it was only at Elite Four High. This level didn't quite match what Pikachu had displayed before.
"Ugh. Ah. Maybe Pikachu sustained internal injuries when battling Regice previously and hasn't fully recovered yet. It's fine, it'll get better after a while." Ash stammered in reply.
It was really hard to explain things like Pikachu having an evolution reset ability. Even if he told them, they might not believe it. After all, this kind of matter surpassed any bizarre event, and "inconceivable" wasn't enough to describe the weirdness of it.
If Ash didn't have the Chat Group and couldn't monitor Pikachu's status in real time, he probably wouldn't dare believe this actually existed.
Hearing this, Brock and the others were half-skeptical, but since Ash said so, they didn't ask any further. If there was anything, Ash would surely tell them the truth. If he kept something from them, it meant Ash felt it wasn't the time to speak of it yet. They trusted Ash very much.
Walking and chatting, the group soon arrived at the Pokémon Center in Ecruteak City. Nurse Joy took the Poké Balls handed over by Ash and turned into the treatment room. Ash and the others found a table in the lobby to sit down and ordered a few dinners.
"Are we going to challenge the Sunyshore Gym tomorrow?" Misty asked while twirling spaghetti with a fork.
"Yeah." Ash nodded, a spark of anticipation burning in his eyes. "Volkner, the strongest Gym Leader in the Sinnoh region. That guy was so strong in Sinnoh that he lost interest in Gym challenges. It's been said that nobody has been able to defeat Volkner for a year or two. An opponent of that level is exciting."
"Volkner's signature Pokémon is Electivire, and its Ability is Motor Drive. It's best to avoid letting Pikachu go up to battle it." Brock opened his phone, checked information related to Volkner, and warned Ash at the same time.
Ash nodded. "Don't worry, I'll plan it out."
After finishing talking about the Sunyshore Gym, Ash and Misty chatted while eating.
Serena sat across the dining table, poking at the macaroni on her plate with her fork absentmindedly, while her gaze involuntarily drifted toward the orange-haired figure beside Ash. Misty tilted her head, joking and laughing with Ash, her eyes curved into lovely crescents, while Ash stuffed bread into his mouth and responded vaguely, occasionally grinning and laughing out loud when teased.
The natural and intimate atmosphere between the two of them was like an invisible wall.
Serena lowered her eyelids, putting a piece of macaroni into her mouth. Although the taste couldn't compare to Ash's cooking, as far as Pokémon Center food went, it was already considered quite good. Yet at this moment, it tasted like chewing wax to her.
She truly envied Misty a little. Not jealousy, just pure envy. If she had come out on her journey and met Ash earlier, would things have been different?
As soon as this thought popped up, Serena forcefully shook it out of her mind. What was she thinking? Misty was her friend, and Ash was her friend too. Her friends were happy, so she should be glad.
"Serena? What's wrong, no appetite?" Misty's voice suddenly rang out.
Serena suddenly raised her head, finding that the gazes of all three were fixed on her. She quickly forced out a smile. "No, no, just a bit tired and zoned out for a moment."
Misty gave her a concerned look. "We really went through a lot today. Resting early is for the best."
Serena nodded, lowering her head again to focus on the food on her plate, not daring to let her gaze wander around anymore.
After dinner, Ash came to the front desk to check in for rooms.
"Nurse Joy, please give us two rooms." He looked back at the three people behind him. "Brock and I share one, Misty and Serena share one. That works out perfectly."
As soon as those words fell, Brock jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
"No! Absolutely not!" His head shook like a rattle drum, and his hands crossed in front of his chest into a firm X. "I resolutely refuse to room with Ash!"
"Why?" Ash looked bewildered.
"You're asking why?" Brock's grievances almost condensed into substance, counting one by one on his fingers. "Last time in Goldenrod City, you got up at six in the morning to wash up, clanging and banging and driving me to a nervous breakdown!
The time before that in Violet City, you suddenly sat up in the middle of the night and shouted 'Thunderbolt' for Pikachu, nearly scaring me into a heart attack! And the time before that..."
"That was just a dream." Ash scratched his head, smiling somewhat sheepishly.
"Even in a dream, no!" Brock said righteously. "I'd rather sleep on the street than share a room with you."
Misty looked at the determined Brock, then at the innocent-looking Ash, and couldn't help letting out a chuckle. She turned her head toward the front desk. "Nurse Joy, are there any extra rooms available? Let's change it to three."
Nurse Joy checked the system, smiled, and nodded. "Yes, although there are many tourists recently due to the festival, there happen to be three empty rooms."
"Then let's get three rooms."
Ash took out his phone to pay. Although he was a novice Trainer with a room allowance for one, and Serena also had a free room allowance for one, that was only two rooms. If they wanted three, they still had to pay out of pocket.
Brock immediately breathed a sigh of relief, patting Ash's shoulder. "I knew you'd understand me."
Three room cards lay on the counter. Brock took one first, and Serena hesitated before reaching out to take one as well. The last remaining one lay there, as if waiting for something.
Misty looked at that room card, suddenly realizing a problem. Three rooms. Brock had one. Serena had one. Then the remaining one... she and Ash?
"Um, I..." Her voice was a bit tight, wanting to say something, but finding her mind completely blank.
Ash had already naturally picked up the last room card and turned to look at her. "Let's go, Misty."
That tone was as casual as saying "the weather is nice today."
Misty's cheeks instantly burned up, her earlobes turning so red they were almost bleeding. She wanted to say something, her lips moving, and finally only squeezed out a syllable as faint as a mosquito's buzz. "Yeah."
Serena took this scene in, a trace of something sour involuntarily flowing through her heart. She blinked hard, suppressing that feeling, and forced out a smile. "Well, I'm heading up first. See you tomorrow."
After saying that, she turned and walked quickly toward the stairs, not daring to let anyone see her expression at the moment.
Brock also stretched lazily, picked up his backpack, and walked toward the elevator. "I'm going to sleep too. See you tomorrow."
Only Ash and Misty were left in the lobby.
Ash looked down at the room card in his hand, then at Misty. "Then let's head up too."
"Yeah." Misty lowered her head, her voice incomparably light, completely different from her usual carefree style.
At the end of the second-floor hallway, Ash pushed open the room door and pressed the switch on the wall. The warm yellow light lit up, revealing the full view of the room. It wasn't big, but it was kept very clean.
Against the wall was a wooden bunk bed. The upper bunk's bedsheet was pale pink, while the lower bunk's was off-white, and a small Poké Doll was placed at the head of each bed. The window was half open, and the night breeze gently stirred the curtains, giving the room a comfortable atmosphere.
Misty stood at the doorway holding Togepi, her feet feeling as if they had grown roots. It wasn't like she had never shared a room with Ash before during their travels.
But back then Brock was also present, it was a four-person bunk room, and there was a bed space between her and Ash. Plus they weren't a couple back then.
But now, two people, one room, one bed. Though it was bunk beds, it was still the same bed frame. She could clearly hear the sound of her own heartbeat.
"Togepi?" The Togepi in her arms raised its little head, looking at her in puzzlement.
"Nothing." Misty took a deep breath and stepped into the room. She placed Togepi by the pillow of the upper bunk, feigned composure as she opened her backpack to organize her luggage, but in reality, she folded the things inside back and forth several times, not even knowing what she was folding.
Ash didn't think that much. He carelessly threw his backpack onto the ground, rummaged out his pajamas and toiletries, and walked toward the bathroom while asking without looking back. "Misty, are you washing up first or am I?"
"You go first." Misty had her back to him, her voice a bit tight.
"Alrighty." Ash headed into the bathroom, and the sound of splashing water quickly rang out inside.
Misty finally let out a long breath. There was no need to be nervous. Right, absolutely no need to be nervous. That guy Ash only had Pokémon on his mind, nothing else. Since becoming a couple, the most they had done was kiss, and even then the number of times could be counted on one hand. So it was fine. It was fine. Ash definitely wasn't going to do anything wild.
She smacked her cheeks hard to snap herself out of it.
Before long, Ash came out of the bathroom wiping his hair, dressed in a simple short-sleeved shirt and shorts. Seeing Misty still sitting on the edge of the bed zoning out, he asked curiously. "What's wrong? Aren't you going to wash up?"
"Going! Going right now!" Misty sprang up from the bed like a startled cat, snatched up her pajamas, rushed into the bathroom, and slammed the door shut.
Ash scratched his damp hair, completely clueless.
When Misty came out of the bathroom, Ash was already lying on the lower bunk, holding his phone up to check information on the Sunyshore Gym. The warm yellow light fell upon his focused profile, outlining the youth's increasingly sharp and defined features.
Misty looked at his earnest appearance, and her originally tense mood inexplicably relaxed. She climbed lightly onto the upper bunk, pulling Togepi into her arms. The bed swayed slightly, making a faint creaking sound.
"Misty."
Her heartbeat skipped. "Yeah?"
"What Pokémon do you think I should use tomorrow? Although it's not like Pikachu can't battle, I think it's better to give the other partners some spotlight too. Otherwise, it's just too miserable for them to keep training at Oak's lab without any real battles."
Misty was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help curving the corners of her mouth. What on earth was she letting her imagination run wild about? In this guy's head, there really were only Pokémon.
"Then you have to carefully study how strong Gym Leader Volkner's signature Pokémon is. Even if you want to give other Pokémon some time in the spotlight, you still need a winning chance. After all, Volkner is Sinnoh's strongest Gym Leader."
"Yeah, that's what I think too." Ash's voice came from the lower bunk, his words revealing his contemplation. "I checked on my phone. Volkner's signature Pokémon Electivire is as high as Elite Four Peak in level. But I always feel its strength isn't just limited to that."
The two of them chatted just like that, one on the upper bunk and one on the lower bunk, separated by a thin layer of bedboard.
From Volkner's lineup they drifted to the Gym characteristics of the Sinnoh region, and from Gym characteristics they drifted to the various Gym Leaders they had challenged before. Without noticing, Misty's tense body gradually relaxed, and her voice became brisk and natural.
Occasionally she would chime in with a thought, and occasionally she would just quietly listen to Ash's rambling, always wearing a smile she didn't even notice herself.
After a while, there was no response from the upper bunk.
"Misty?" Ash called out tentatively.
Responding to him was only the even, soft sound of breathing. She had already fallen asleep, and Pikachu was also sound asleep beside Ash.
Ash's mouth revealed a gentle smile. He put his phone by the pillow and reached out to turn off the bedside lamp.
"Good night, Misty." He said softly.
Misty on the upper bunk was still fast asleep, but the corners of her mouth unconsciously curved into a shallow arc, as if she were having a very beautiful dream. The Togepi in her arms rubbed against her chin, also letting out a tiny snore.