'Helping you was only to repay you for saving me.'
Mesprit's voice suddenly turned light, so light it felt like a feather drifting out the window. It turned around, its bright yellow eyes calm, as if it were speaking about something trivial.
'As for this stone, it is only to keep as a memory.'
Shiro froze where he stood, his gaze falling on the gray Everstone.
Mesprit turned away again and continued in the same flat, emotionless tone, 'I can already feel the call of Lake Verity.'
One of Sinnoh's three great lakes. Lake Verity. It was also its home.
Recalling that, Shiro was not surprised. Unown A had warned him long ago that Mesprit would eventually fulfill its duty as a legendary Pokémon and return to Lake Verity. Parting had always been only a matter of time.
But for no clear reason, his eyes began to sting and his eyelids itched, while the sadness rising in his chest felt ready to spill over into tears.
Shiro pressed a hand to his forehead and frowned deeply. 'This isn't right. Why would I feel sad over something I already expected? What is this feeling…'
'After Rhyperior recovers, I will leave,' Mesprit said again. 'At most two months. When the time comes, I will still go.'
The moment it finished speaking, Shiro lifted his head sharply, but it had already disappeared.
He looked around instinctively. There was nothing. Only when he came back to himself did his gaze drift outside the window, where a Wingull had just landed on the railing and was pecking at its feathers.
"Two months…" he murmured softly.
He had never doubted that Mesprit would leave sooner or later. But the way it had reminded him, and the strange sadness that had surged up and then faded…
Did it hear what he had been thinking earlier? Was it throwing a little tantrum?
'I shouldn't have let my mind wander like that…'
Shiro tapped his head repeatedly, then, after a brief flicker of regret, realized that thoughts were not something he could fully control. Unless his psychic power reached Mesprit's level, he would never be able to conceal his true thoughts.
With a sigh, he scratched his head and forced those useless thoughts aside before walking back toward the training room. The Pokémon needed training, and as their trainer, so did he.
Mesprit was always going to leave; now that there was a clear time frame, it simply felt more certain. It was just a pity that once it left, he would no longer be able to use psychic power to pretend to stop time and show off.
* * *
Woooo!
The ship's horn echoed loudly, drawing passengers who had been cooped up for days out onto the deck.
Under the sea breeze, groups of Pelipper and Wingull gathered along the railing. Some held freshly caught fish in their beaks, others groomed their white feathers. Curious passengers even brought food from the restaurant to feed them, and the Pelipper and Wingull accepted everything.
From the front of the deck, golden sand could already be seen not far away.
That was Sandgem Town, a small seaside town at the southern end of Sinnoh.
The S.S. Anne was about to reach its first stop.
Inside the bedroom, Shiro stood by the balcony watching the waves while making a call.
"Professor Rowan, I'm about to arrive…"
* * *
"Good, very good!"
In a research room at the institute, Rowan could not hide his excitement. He sprang to his feet and shouted, "I'll bring people to the southern port to pick you up right now!"
With that, the call ended.
All the researchers in the lab stopped what they were doing and looked up at Rowan, who was already striding toward the door.
Head lowered and walking quickly, he did not notice their stares at first.
A researcher seated near the entrance cautiously raised a hand and called out to him, "Professor Rowan, are you going to pick up Dr. Corviknight?"
Rowan paused slightly before nodding. Glancing around the lab, he said directly, "Yes. Shiro… also known as Corviknight, is about to arrive. I'm going to notify Lab 1. You can all come along."
The moment he finished speaking, chairs scraped loudly against the floor one after another as the lab erupted into chaos.
"That's great! We finally get to see the legendary Dr. Corviknight!"
"Shiro? That sounds like someone from Kanto. Isn't Dr. Corviknight supposed to be from Galar?"
"Who cares where he's from? I've waited two months. The research summit finally has hope! Ahhh…"
"Dr. Corviknight hasn't posted on the website for almost a month!"
"Quick! Don't let Lab 1 grab all the good spots. I need to make an impression today!"
As Rowan stepped out of the lab, young researchers poured out behind him, their chaotic footsteps filling the corridor as they rushed toward the stairs.
Pausing briefly to the side, Rowan could not help but smile and shake his head. "Ah, young people really are full of energy…"
He then headed toward Lab 1 not far away. But before he reached it, a tall man wearing glasses suddenly pushed the door open and hurried toward him.
"Rei, why are you in such a rush?" Rowan asked quickly, his smile fading.
Rei was his most capable assistant, always steady and composed. What kind of news could make him act like this?
"Professor Rowan!" Rei caught his breath. "The Sinnoh League just sent a message. They said they received information that an unidentified Pokémon scholar massacred people in the Triangle Sea area and will be aboard the S.S. Anne…"
"An unidentified Pokémon scholar?!" Rowan's voice twisted in disbelief. "And massacred people?!"
"Uh…" Rei nodded quickly. "Yes."
"The Sinnoh League is shameless!" Rowan burst out angrily. "A well-known researcher who developed the Evolutionary Magnetic Field can be called 'unidentified'? And massacred people? Just a few pirates, like anyone doesn't know about them. If they're dead, they're dead! And wasn't that Agatha's doing—"
He abruptly stopped mid-sentence.
The implication of the Sinnoh League's message was clear.
Wasn't it suggesting that Shiro had killed all the pirates?
Was the Sinnoh League blind, or had they lost their minds?
A Pokémon scholar killing pirates… did that even sound plausible?
As Rowan pondered this, he began to sense that something was wrong. Because that was exactly what Shiro had told him.
"Did they mention Agatha?" Rowan asked after forcing himself to calm down.
Rei shook his head firmly. "No. And they also said… they've gathered information on Dr. Corviknight. They claim he has at least a Gym-level Haunter, and a Psychic-type Pokémon whose strength is at least Champion-level!"
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