Whether Cramorant would end up with a stomachache, Hayato didn't know. But seeing Gengar so delighted, he decided not to say anything.
After all, he had Revival Herbs— even if it ate itself half to death, he could still bring it back.
Inside the Ecological Park, Dr. Lund and his assistants continued their sampling of Relicanth.
From photography to body size analysis, even ultraviolet scans to test the hardness of its scales, the research stretched on until the evening sun sank below the horizon.
At dusk, the orange glow of sunset filtered through the glass dome of the Ecological Park, bathing the quiet forest in golden light.
Dr. Lund studied the data on his laptop, a satisfied smile spreading across his face.
He wiped the sweat from his brow, let out a long breath, then turned toward Hayato."All right, it's finally done. Relicanth's information has now been synchronized with the Pokédex database."
Hearing this, Hayato pulled out his Pokédex and scanned the ancient fish.
At once, its image and entry appeared on the glowing screen.
A mechanical female voice recited slowly:"Relicanth, the Longevity Pokémon. Its body is covered in rock-hard scales, enabling it to withstand the pressures of the deep sea."
Interesting…
Professor Birch smiled as he peered at the entry."The internet is one of humanity's greatest inventions. It connects the world. Perhaps not long from now, our voices, our stories—will be able to spread to every corner of the globe."
Dr. Lund nodded in agreement."Yes. In LaRousse City, they're conducting deeper research into networking. I believe it won't be long before we see real breakthroughs."
Hayato was intrigued.
If he remembered correctly, this world's technology advanced in step with his old one.
At first, people used pencils and notebooks to record wild Pokémon. Later, the Pokédex was invented for convenience.
Then came upgrades—"Navigator systems," "network devices," and more.
And in later anime, characters even carried smartphones.
Thinking of that, Hayato glanced at the old keypad phone in his pocket.He wondered how many more years it would take before smartphones appeared here.
Thus ended the Relicanth investigation.
That night, Dr. Lund's group rested on their research aircraft.
As the host of the Ecological Park, Hayato prepared them a lavish dinner.
Professor Birch, acting as his temporary Pokémon caretaker, also came to freeload a meal.
The room glowed with warm light, everyone's faces shining with excitement at the discovery of a previously unknown Pokémon— and the promise of more discoveries to come.
Brendan sat beside Hayato, sipping a drink as he watched the scene."Everyone really loves Pokémon, huh…" he said dreamily.
"Yeah." Hayato nodded with quiet emotion.
In these researchers, he saw the same passion and devotion for exploring the unknown that burned within himself.
By the time the feast ended, it was already nine at night.
Dr. Lund's team retired to their airplane-quarters. Professor Birch and Brendan waddled home with full stomachs.
When Hayato opened his door, he found Gengar dozing on the sofa.
The creak of the door woke it. Startled, Gengar shot upright, glancing around nervously—until it saw Hayato, and breathed a long sigh of relief.
Surprised, Hayato asked, "Nightmare?"
Gengar nodded, then drifted over to lean against his chest like a child.
Another year had passed. Hayato was now twelve, no longer eleven. He'd shot up in height too—already one meter fifty-five, nearly the same as Gengar.
So it was easy for him to pat its back gently.
Time moved swiftly forward. The world, and everyone in it, continued to grow and change.
Not only did Hayato realize he had grown taller—Gengar had noticed as well.
It let out a questioning cry.
Hayato chuckled. "Because, just like you, I'm growing too."
Gengar tilted its head, half-comprehending.
He ruffled its head softly. "If you're sleepy, go nap in the room."
Gengar blinked. "And you?"
"I've got a few things to prepare."
Since he'd already decided to head for the Icefield, preparations couldn't wait.
Dr. Lund's team planned to depart for the Arctic Icefield on January 7th. That meant they wouldn't linger in Littleroot Town much longer.
In fact, after collecting data on Zapdos tomorrow, they would leave.
Gengar didn't sleep, trailing Hayato as he busied himself with supplies.
Hayato didn't mind. He focused on packing: winter clothes, medicine for colds and fevers, a portable camera…
Just as he tucked them into his bag, Slowking shuffled in from outside, pausing at the door."Heading out on another journey?" it asked.
Hayato nodded. "Yeah. I'll leave the Ecological Park in your care."
Slowking seemed about to reply—when a sudden flood of visions seared across its mind.
The aurora shrouding the polar sky…
A colossal meteor, hurtling from distant space, shattering the Arctic ice sheet…
Through the dazzling auroras, a pitch-black form, heavy with oppressive aura, plummeting straight from the heavens…
A boy standing on the frozen plain, gazing up at the magnificent, terrible spectacle.
Blazing comets streaked across his eyes, while countless Pokémon parted like waves before a rock, splitting around him only to converge again behind.
Then the vision snapped away.
Slowking's eyes dimmed, the psychic-blue glow fading.
"Another prophecy?" Hayato asked calmly. He had already experienced this once before—so while surprised, he wasn't shaken.
Slowking nodded and quietly recounted what it had seen.
"…That boy was Tory, who came to the lab today."
"I see." Hayato's eyes grew thoughtful.
It was the very scene from the movie Destiny Deoxys.
The aurora curtain—Deoxys' arrival.
The auroras were Deoxys' way of communicating with its partner.
The boy must have been Tory, frozen in terror as Rayquaza and Deoxys clashed overhead.
As for the meteors…
They were likely the ones Deoxys had brought with it.
Hayato didn't dwell on it further. Seeing Slowking's worried look, he reassured, "Don't worry. I'll be fine."
Hearing this, Slowking cast a glance toward the slumbering Cramorant nearby. After a moment's thought, it relaxed.
It bade Hayato good night and turned away.
Once Hayato finished packing, he washed up quickly and went to bed.
The night passed without disturbance.
The next morning, Dr. Lund's team began tracking Zapdos.
Every morning, Zapdos would rise and soar out through the Ecological Park's skylight.
The researchers deployed their newest gadget—remote-controlled micro-cameras—to trail it.
Zapdos didn't fly at full speed, instead gliding leisurely among the clouds.
Thanks to that, the tiny cameras managed to keep up.
On the monitors, Zapdos' majestic flight streamed in real time—each wingbeat crackling with lightning, sometimes even turning fluffy white clouds into stormy thunderheads it cut through.
The researchers, red-faced with excitement, could barely contain themselves.
Hayato stood beside Professor Birch, silently watching.
Birch chuckled. "You know how it is. Unknown Pokémon always get people's blood pumping."
True enough.
Hayato recalled his own first encounter with a favorite Pokémon, and immediately understood their excitement.
Of course, the team didn't let their passion overshadow their work. They gathered Zapdos' data carefully.
By afternoon, the Pokédex had a brand-new entry.
Hayato scanned Zapdos with his Pokédex.
The female voice intoned:"Zapdos, the Legendary Bird Pokémon. This Electric-type Pokémon can control lightning at will. The flap of its wings brings thunder. Its nest is said to lie deep within pitch-black thunderclouds."
Two Legendary Pokémon in two days—every researcher present was overjoyed.
With the survey complete, assistants began loading equipment back onto the plane.
Dr. Lund turned to Hayato with a smile."All packed?"
Hayato nodded. "Ready anytime."
"Good." Lund glanced at Brendan. "Brendan, you should come too!"
"Huh?" Brendan blinked, pointing at himself. "Me? Really?"
"Of course!" Dr. Lund said warmly.
Professor Birch encouraged him too:"Go on! The Arctic is home to many rare Pokémon you'd never see in Hoenn!"
Brendan's eyes lit up. He dashed home to pack.
Dr. Lund's group boarded the plane, waiting.
Meanwhile, Hayato bid farewell to his Pokémon.
They lined up neatly in rows, each crying out in its own way to say goodbye.
Ralts stood by his side, raising its tiny white hand to wave at Gardevoir."Ralts~!"
Gardevoir gazed at the scene, then gave Hayato a gentle nod.
A wordless expression of gratitude.
Hayato nodded back.
After parting with Slowking, he boarded the plane bound for LaRousse City.
This time, he brought seven Pokémon: Cramorant, Gengar, Roserade, Fraxure, Ralts, Zapdos, and Charmeleon.
The Destiny Deoxys incident looked dangerous on the surface, but with Cramorant, he felt assured.
Besides, Slowking had said the Rayquaza there was black—the same one he'd encountered before.
That eased his mind.
Just then, Brendan came running up, backpack bouncing, eyes sparkling with excitement. He sat down beside Hayato.
Dr. Lund's son Tory sat nearby as well, face glowing with anticipation.
He had been looking forward to this Arctic trip for a long time. After all—rare Ice-type Pokémon awaited them there!
"Big Brother Hayato," Tory asked, eyes shining, "have you ever seen Ice-type Pokémon before?"
Ice-types usually lived in snowy mountains or frozen plains, rarely seen outside winter. Compared to other types, they were very rare.
Hayato studied the blue-haired boy, then answered honestly:"I haven't seen one in person. But I've heard stories."
At four or five years old, Tory's curiosity was boundless."What stories?" he pressed eagerly.
Brendan perked up too, intrigued.
Two pairs of eyes fixed on Hayato.
He leaned in with a mysterious air."Have you ever heard… of a Pokémon called Kyurem?"
"Kyurem…" Tory thought hard, then shook his head. "No."
He looked at Brendan.
Brendan shook his head as well. "Me neither…"
Both turned back expectantly.
Hayato cleared his throat, lowering his voice."They say, on a freezing winter night, a child about your age was walking home alone…"
"All around was darkness. The cold wind moaned like a chorus of ghosts…"
"And then… a sinister black shadow appeared right behind the child…"
"From that night on, no one in the village ever saw that child again…"
Tory shivered, imagining himself in the tale. "That's scary…"
The older Brendan just sweated silently.
Hayato spread his hands. "That's the end of the story."
Tory, frightened yet hooked, asked, "What is Kyurem then?"
"Kyurem is an Ice-type Pokémon," Hayato explained solemnly."They say it comes out on winter nights… to snatch children away."
It wasn't pure invention—this was an actual legend from Lacunosa Town in Unova, where NPCs tell the player that Kyurem steals children.
But seeing Tory's pale face, Hayato remembered his trauma from the movie. He quickly added:"Don't worry though. Kyurem only takes children from Unova. We're in Hoenn—safe and sound."
"Phew…" Tory exhaled in relief. "That's good…"
Brendan: "…"
He stared at Hayato, half-amused. Who knew Big Brother Hayato could tell ghost stories with such a straight face?
From another row, Dr. Lund watched with satisfaction. Seeing his son surrounded by companions filled him with joy.
At least on the Icefield, when the adults were busy researching, his boy wouldn't be lonely.
Meanwhile, far away in a cave in the Unova region—
The so-called "child-snatching dragon of evil" sneezed loudly in its sleep.
It opened its eyes, golden irises gleaming in the dark, staring blearily into the cave.
Seeing nothing amiss, it rolled over and drifted back into slumber.
Snore… zzz…
(End of Chapter)