Chapter 60: Unexpected Gains
After breakfast, Liz, surprisingly, had nothing to do and suggested a stroll with Ryū and the others. Without a second thought, Ryū took her to the beach.
The beach in winter isn't an ideal vacation spot. The Johto and Kanto regions are in a temperate zone, while Sinnoh to the north is in a frigid zone. For a proper beach vacation, you'd need to go to the subtropical Hoenn region or the tropical Alola region, both of which were very far away.
On the beach in Cherrygrove City.
"So cool and soft," Liz said, holding her shoes and stepping barefoot onto the sand.
"Be careful not to cut your foot on a shell," Ryū warned, walking alongside her.
With them were the two Gyarados, Charmander, Gligar, and Elder Maeve with her Ledyba. It felt great to walk on the beach as a group.
"This is the life I want," Ryū thought, watching Charmander and Gligar chase each other. If it weren't for the threat of war, perhaps he would happily slack off for a lifetime, living off Liz until he died of old age.
"Alan, what do you think is on the other side of the sea?" Liz asked.
"...The enemy," Ryū answered helplessly, a cold sweat breaking out. He wasn't making a 'Titan' reference. In this era, the other side of the sea really was the enemy—another human kingdom in the Hoenn region. And once they discovered each other, another war would be inevitable. That's just how humans were.
"When will there finally be peace?" they both sighed simultaneously, then looked at each other in surprise.
"Did you just say the same thing as me?" Liz asked, her eyes wide. She felt as if she had just understood Ryū's voice, and that he, too, was worried about the future.
"The exact same words," Ryū confirmed. He hadn't realized their bond had grown so deep.
"It's okay," Liz said with a determined smile. "With you working hard alongside me, peace will definitely come."
"I hope so," Ryū thought, though he wasn't optimistic. It was still the middle of this era; the peaceful Alliance Era was at least a thousand years away. He could live that long, but could Liz?
"Charmander! Charmander!"
At that moment, Charmander ran over excitedly, holding a large pink pearl. Gligar followed, struggling to carry a tightly closed seashell that looked very heavy.
"Huh? What is this? It's so beautiful," Liz said, bending down to take the 20-centimeter pearl from Charmander.
"Hmm?" Ryū frowned. He was less concerned with the pearl and more with the large shell Gligar was carrying. It didn't look like an empty, dead shell.
"Gligar~" Gligar dropped the shell heavily onto the sand, winked flatteringly at Liz, and then patted it.
Thump. Thump.
"Clam... perl..." a wronged voice cried from inside the shell.
"Hey, how can you two just snatch other Pokémon's things? Are you robbers?" Ryū thought, a moment of realization dawning on him. Wasn't this a Clamperl from the Hoenn region?
"Huh? Is this a Pokémon?" Liz asked, also hearing the voice. She was starting to notice a pattern of her Pokémon picking up other Pokémon.
"This must be returned," Ryū said, wrapping his tail around the pearl in Liz's hand and placing it in front of the large shell.
The pearl is a vital item for a Clamperl. It creates the pearl to enhance its psychic power, which it needs along with a Deep Sea Tooth or a Deep Sea Scale to evolve. If the pearl is taken away prematurely, Clamperl can never evolve.
"Clam?" The Clamperl opened its shell a crack. After seeing its pearl, it slowly opened up a bit more. When it saw Ryū, however, it immediately slammed shut in fear. But seeing that nothing happened, it revealed its face again.
"Here you go," Ryū said, putting the pearl back inside its shell.
"Perl," the Clamperl said, expressing its gratitude.
"It's okay," Ryū replied. Charmander and Gligar were the ones who took it in the first place.
After returning the pearl, Ryū was about to lead the group away when the Clamperl quickly called out to him.
"Clam, perl." It closed its shell, and when it opened it again, a crystal-clear blue, teardrop-shaped gem appeared beside it.
"Mystic Water?! Are you giving this to me?"
"Perl, perl!" Clamperl nodded.
"Thank you!" Ryū didn't hesitate. He picked up the small gem with the tip of his tail and swallowed it.
[Mystic Water]
Carrying this item increases the power of Water-type moves by 20%. He never expected to find one here. While it would be better for a Gyarados, it would still be very effective for him, as he knew Aqua Tail and Water Pulse. He would prioritize his own strength for now.
In the games, players can obtain a Mystic Water in Cherrygrove City from a man. Now, in reality, he had received it from a Clamperl. Perhaps, if he hadn't been here today, that Clamperl's Mystic Water would have been found by a stranger, passed down as a family heirloom for generations, and finally ended up with that man, waiting to be given to a future player.