Chapter 224: Engagement
Two days later, the rocket carrying Ryan and Wallace crashed into the sea off Mossdeep City. Having resolved the meteorite crisis, Ryan could finally rest for a while.
As for why Ho-Oh arrived so late, firstly, the League did indeed have the desire to abandon the two of them. After all, Ryan was the leader of the Mercenary Guild. Losing Ryan, the Mercenary Guild, while not collapsing immediately, would certainly lead to its gradual decline. Secondly, Ho-Oh was indeed delayed by something. As for what it was? Ho-Oh wouldn't say, so what could anyone do? However, when Ho-Oh arrived, it did have some injuries, indicating it had fought with something.
It was fortunate that Ryan was lucky, or rather, Lillie shared her luck with Ryan through Jirachi, which ensured that Ryan survived this ordeal.
Back at the Pokémon Center, Ryan rested well for two days. Afterwards, Ryan, Lillie, Ruby, and Sapphire said goodbye, and the two boarded a plane to Pallet Town.
Sitting on the plane, Lillie looked at Ryan curiously and said, "You've separated from Ruby and Sapphire, why aren't you complaining?"
Ryan rolled his eyes at Lillie and said, "They're members of my elite team. I gave them a signal, and they came right away. What's there to worry about?"
Lillie slapped her forehead and said, "I forgot about that. Ryan, back in Pallet Town, we'll be busy again."
"Yeah. We have a lot to do," Ryan said.
Lillie rested her head on Ryan's shoulder and said, "Don't worry, everyone and I will help you."
Ryan patted Lillie's head without saying anything, but he knew that no matter how busy he was in the future, he would always be there for Lillie.
The plane glided across the sky and flew quickly towards Pallet Town.
Ruby and Sapphire watched the plane fly away. Ruby scratched his head and said, "This is really going to be tricky. Oh well, I'll contact May first."
"Should we call Ash and the others?" Sapphire asked.
"Let's call them, otherwise Ash, with his oblivious nature, might really forget," Ruby said.
"I bet Ryan will be the most stressed, since he has to keep it from Lillie." Sapphire laughed, thinking of Ryan's predicament.
Ruby ignored her and had already taken out his phone to call May. If May knew that such an important matter hadn't been communicated to them, she would definitely be upset.
A week passed quickly, and today was the third day back in Pallet Town. Lillie brought breakfast to Ryan's room, but didn't see him.
With a sigh, Lillie took the breakfast to the study. Pushing open the door, she saw Ryan fast asleep at his desk, which was covered with stacks of unprocessed and processed documents. Lillie looked at Ryan's sleeping posture, her heart aching.
She placed breakfast on the desk, then found a jacket for Ryan to wear, sighed, turned up the air conditioner temperature slightly, and then went out.
After Lillie closed the door, Ryan instantly woke up, patted his chest, and muttered, "Thank goodness she didn't find out. Darkrai, Gengar, could you two have been a little faster in notifying me? We almost got caught!"
Gengar and Darkrai emerged from the shadows, looking at Ryan helplessly: So our hard-earned vacation was spent guarding the door for you!
Thinking about how all their companions had found their partners in the ranch and were living carefree lives, how could these two bear it!
Ryan instantly noticed the two Pokémon's resentment, and said irritably, "This concerns the lifelong happiness of your trainer and his future wife, thank you for your trouble."
Gengar and Darkrai resigned themselves to their fate and continued to observe the situation outside from the shadows.
That's right, Ryan was going to propose to Lillie. Well, not strictly speaking, it should be said that the proposal comes first, followed by the engagement ceremony. As for marriage, that's still a long way off. After all, Lillie will only be fourteen after the New Year, and they should at least wait until she's eighteen before considering marriage. As for Ryan, he'll be seventeen after the New Year, and he specifically went to consult Professor Oak about marriage.
The news he received surprised him a bit. In this world, marriage isn't just monogamous; polygamy is also possible, but it's less common. And to get married, you do need to register with the League organization in this world, and the identification documents for your children and your trainer's license are also processed there.
As for a marriage certificate, there aren't many requirements. In this world, anyone over 10 years old can travel, and correspondingly, 10 years old is considered an adult and can register for marriage. As for married life, that's not something to consider now.
Ryan's current focus is on giving Lillie a perfect proposal, something he's thought about for a long time. He's been dealing with a mountain of documents every day, and preparing in secret from Lillie, leaving him physically and mentally exhausted.
But he'll endure it all, all for the sake of surprising Lillie!
A week later, Lillie finished washing up, made breakfast, and brought it to Ryan. But as usual, Ryan wasn't in the bedroom. Lillie sighed and pushed open the study door, but she didn't find Ryan there either. The desk was clean, with only Sylveon perched on it.
"Sylveon, where's Ryan?" Lillie asked, placing the breakfast on the desk.
Sylveon's ribbon feelers wrapped around Lillie's wrist, and with a light leap, it jumped off the desk, then led Lillie towards the beach. Lillie let Sylveon guide her along as they arrived at the beach.
Ryan faced Lillie, his hands behind his back. Behind him was a row of barriers with "Under Construction" signs.
Lillie, led by Sylveon, walked up to Ryan. Looking at him, she said, "Ryan, what brings you out today? I thought you were up all night reviewing documents again."
"Yeah. Just taking a break," Ryan said. "Lillie, do you remember? We met on the beach, and it was Sylveon who accidentally bumped into you and helped me learn about your fear of Pokémon."
"Yeah, I remember. Then I started traveling with you. Although I didn't accompany you in the Johto region, I did accompany you through Kanto and Hoenn. In the blink of an eye, we've known each other for three years and traveled together for two," Lillie said.
"Yes, time flies. We went from friends to more than friends," Ryan said. "Actually, I've been thinking about something. Maybe you've forgotten because of other things, but I remember. I think it's time for our relationship to take a step further."
"Ryan, you…" Lillie covered her mouth, remembering something, looking at Ryan with a mixture of excitement and joy.
Ryan knelt on one knee, reaching behind him to open a ring box. Two sparkling diamond rings were inside. He said earnestly, "I'm not really good at flowery words, but I can promise you that you will be my true love, my only one. I don't want to talk about forever; I think one lifetime is enough. I will never let go. Lillie, will you marry me?"
"Ryan, I…" Lillie was already sobbing uncontrollably, her face covered in tears of happiness.
"Say yes! Say yes! Say yes…" Shouts rang out, and the construction barriers behind Ryan collapsed with a crash.
One by one, familiar faces and familiar people appeared before Lillie. Behind them was a dreamlike stage, the culmination of Ryan's efforts over the past few days.
"Everyone!" Lillie said, wiping away her tears. "So that's why everyone was gone this morning! You're all accomplices!"
"Lillie, are you going to marry him or not? If not, I'll marry him," Sapphire teased.
"Hmph, in your dreams!" Lillie retorted.
She then pulled Ryan up, and he took the ring and placed it on Lillie's left ring finger. Lillie reciprocated, placing her ring on Ryan's ring finger. Holding hands, they smiled at each other.
(End of Chapter)
[+500 Power Stones = +2 Extra Chapter]
[+10 Reviews = +1 Extra Chapter]
If you enjoyed this chapter, leave a Review!
P*atreon/Soulforger (20+ advanced chapters)
Buy me coffee - ko-fi*com/soulforger01