"I said I already let it go—did I say I accepted your apology? I even arranged for the medicine supply to return to normal. What the hell do you want now?!"
On the way to Bill's Lighthouse, Ash ranted furiously, his head spinning with frustration.
Giselle, walking beside him, just smirked at his agitated state. Somehow, seeing Ash all flustered brought a strange sense of joy to her heart.
"Why do you care? This road isn't owned by the Dragon Clan, I can go wherever I want!" she snapped back defiantly.
Brock, used to their bickering by now, simply walked along in silence. Ever since parting ways with Joe, Brock had been strangely calm—no more falling for every girl he laid eyes on.
"You two, enough already. We're here—Bill's Lighthouse," Brock interrupted, comparing the map and guidebook before pointing toward a structure just a hundred meters ahead.
At his words, Ash glanced up at the lighthouse in the distance.
"Let's go," he muttered. "Ignore this crazy woman."
As they approached the lighthouse, Ash couldn't help but notice that it looked exactly like he remembered—a wide stretch of beach and the ocean spread out in front of it.
Soon, the group stood before the towering lighthouse. Ash pressed the doorbell. The resulting clang echoed loud and eerie, the sound giving off an unexpectedly creepy vibe in the night air.
"Who is it?"
A voice called out after a moment. It sounded elderly, but still full of energy—reminiscent of Professor Oak himself.
"Grandpa Bill! It's me, Ash!"
Ash responded eagerly. Bill had visited Pallet Town when Ash was a child, working alongside Professor Oak. Naturally, Ash had met him, though he hadn't known where Bill lived—hence why the lighthouse came to mind.
"Ash, my boy! It's been ages!"
Bill chuckled warmly as the lighthouse doors swung open. "Come in, come in!"
"You know someone here, Ash?" Brock asked in surprise.
"Yeah, Bill's also a Pokémon researcher—one who rose up from humble beginnings. I think even my grandfather admits he's got the edge when it comes to ancient Pokémon research."
Giselle, walking behind them, perked up at that. In this world, Pokémon researchers held great respect—sometimes, their discoveries could determine the future of Pokémon itself.
Every renowned researcher had their own specialization. Some were secretive, holding back their greatest insights for further study. Despite being a civilian, Bill was now recognized worldwide for his research into ancient Pokémon, rivaling even Professor Oak.
In fact, the first discovery of ancient Pokémon fossils in Kanto had been made by Bill himself. He had a reputation for eccentricity and rarely interacted with others. Oak was one of the few who managed to befriend him.
"He even knows Bill, the legendary fossil researcher?!"
Giselle's mind reeled. Ash's connections were on a level she couldn't even begin to compare to.
Inside the lighthouse, Ash immediately spotted an enormous Kabuto fossil suit. He facepalmed with exasperation.
"Grandpa Bill... still with this habit? I told you, pretending to be ancient Pokémon won't help. Humans and Pokémon have totally different instincts—you won't understand their thoughts just by mimicking them."
Bill scratched his head, a bit embarrassed.
"It's not that I want to—it's just a habit. Helps me think. Without it, I get stuck!"
"Then help me out here. The arms on this suit are way too short—I can't undo them on my own. If you hadn't come, I'd have to call for help!"
Bill laughed awkwardly.
Ash stepped forward and unfastened the ropes binding the suit. As the Kabuto puppet came off, an elderly man with disheveled green hair and a bright red suit stood revealed. He looked like someone trying to cosplay a noble but failing miserably.
"Ahh, that's better. My back was killing me."
He stretched his limbs, cracking joints in the process. "Ash, I heard from Oak that you've been traveling for a few months now. Word's gotten around—folks from all the big families know about you now."
"Wait, what? How do they know about me?"
Ash's brows furrowed at that.
Seeing the frown on Ash's face, Bill chuckled softly.
"Don't underestimate the reach of those powerful families. In every city, they have eyes. It's not easy to keep your movements hidden. And with your refined potions and Full Restore Capsules, even if you tried to stay under the radar, people would still take notice."
Ash raised an eyebrow but shrugged.
"Fair enough. I never planned to stay low anyway. I figured trouble would find me eventually while traveling, so why bother hiding?"
Ash then turned to formally introduce the companion beside him.
"Grandpa Bill, this is Brock—he's from Pewter City. He's also the chief pharmacist of the Oak household. I want to focus on becoming a Pokémon Trainer, while Brock's aiming to become a top-tier Breeder. So I've passed my medical formulas on to him. He'll be handling most of the future batches of Full Restore Capsules. The most recent batch? All his work."
Bill's brows lifted in pleasant surprise. Ash trusted few people so deeply, so this introduction clearly meant something. With Brock at his side, Ash's journey had become far more manageable.
"Nice to meet you, Dr. Bill," Brock said respectfully. "I'm Brock from Pewter City. I currently serve as the chief breeder for the Oak family. Though, truth be told, I still have a long way to go. Outside the formulas Ash shared with me, my knowledge is still pretty limited."
Bill nodded as he studied Brock closely.
"So that's how it is. A young man with ambition and humility—rare to see. And from what I can tell, your talent in pharmaceutical mixing is quite solid. Ash, you've really found yourself a dependable partner."
Then Bill's eyes shifted toward Giselle, standing behind Ash. A knowing look came over the old researcher's face as he leaned toward Ash with a teasing grin.
"And here I thought you were still just a kid... but you're already traveling with a girl like her, huh?"
...
TN:
At the start, it's mentioned that Ash has a talent like "Bird" or "Bird Affinity." That's actually a mistranslation — what it refers to is his Aura, which is also known as Waveguide. So just keep that in mind going forward: Ash has two innate talents — Psychic (like Sabrina) and Aura.
...
⚡ Support me on P-com/LordMerlin