Having dealt with Gastly, Roy calmly walked out of that dim little wooden hut.
The wooden door closed gently behind him.
The afterglow of the setting sun spilled onto his face, feeling warm and cozy.
Roy took a deep breath of fresh air; the mixture of incense ash and hay inside the room earlier had been quite stifling.
"Pika pika~"
Pikachu followed at his feet, still ruminating on everything that had just happened, its little face full of confusion.
It tilted its head to look at Roy, then back at the wooden hut, completely unable to understand why that terrifying Old woman had suddenly become so kind and amiable.
Roy bent down and rubbed Pikachu's head: "It's alright, everything's been settled."
He pulled the pokédex from his pocket and opened it casually.
The screen lit up.
A few unread messages popped up.
The top one was from Delia.
The message was simple: just a shared location, the coordinates of Officer Jenny's residence in Maiden Gorge.
"Dinner is almost ready~ Waiting for you to come back~"
A cute emoticon was added at the end of the sentence.
Roy looked at the message, the corners of his mouth curling up unconsciously.
He put away the pokédex and patted Pikachu: "Let's go, time to head home for dinner."
"Pika!"
...Following the coordinates Delia sent, Roy led Pikachu through the streets of Maiden Gorge.
At dusk, the atmosphere of the festival was already beginning to brew.
Many small stalls were set up along the roadside, selling takoyaki, candy apples, masks... the stall owners were busy decorating, with occasional tourists stopping to inquire.
The aroma of various foods wafted through the air.
Roy didn't stay long, heading straight towards the west.
Ten minutes later, he arrived at a relatively quiet small courtyard.
The yard wasn't big, but it was kept very clean.
Some climbing vines grew on the wooden fence, and the courtyard gate was left slightly ajar.
Before even entering, he heard the sound of women's laughter coming from inside.
It was the voices of Delia and Misty.
Roy pushed the door open and entered.
In the yard, Misty was squatting on the ground, holding Pokemon food in her hands, feeding several Water-type Pokémon.
Goldeen swam happily in a water basin, while Starmie floated quietly to the side.
Nearby, Oddish and Eevee were gathered around—all of them were Delia's Pokémon.
"Eat slowly, there's enough for everyone~"
Hearing the door open, Misty looked up.
Seeing Roy, her eyes lit up: "Roy! You're back!"
"Yeah." Roy walked into the yard, "Finished handing out the flyers, and I took care of some business along the way."
Pikachu had already happily run over to eat with those few Pokémon.
"Business?" Misty stood up, brushing off the food crumbs from her hands: "Didn't you just arrive at Maiden Gorge today? Why does it feel like... you're even more familiar with this place than Officer Jenny?"
She tilted her head, her expression a bit puzzled.
Roy smiled, walked up to her, and reached out to ruffle her hair: "What, don't you think I'm amazing?"
"N-No, I don't..."
Misty's face turned slightly red, but she didn't dodge his hand: "This place is haunted, I told you not to run around blindly."
"Oh right," Misty remembered something: "Officer Jenny and Sister Delia are in the kitchen preparing dinner; they said they're making some Maiden Gorge specialties."
Just as she finished speaking, the kitchen door was pushed open.
Delia poked her head out with a gentle smile on her face: "Roy, you're back? Perfect, dinner will be ready in a moment~"
She was wearing an apron, her long hair simply tied back, with a few strands hanging by her cheeks, making her skin look even fairer.
Under the apron was simple loungewear, but her curvaceous figure was still faintly visible.
"Thanks for the hard work." Roy walked over and gave her a light kiss on the forehead.
Delia blushed and whispered: "Jenny is still behind me..."
"What's there to be afraid of?" Roy laughed.
At that moment, another person walked out of the kitchen.
It was Jenny.
However, the current Jenny was like a completely different person from the valiant police officer in uniform from earlier that day.
She had changed out of her police uniform and was wearing a beige loungewear dress.
The dress had a V-neck design, with the neckline cut just right—not too revealing, yet perfectly outlining the full curves of her chest.
The hem of the dress reached just above her knees, revealing a pair of straight and slender legs.
She wasn't wearing stockings, and her smooth calves shimmered with a delicate luster under the lights.
Her hair was also let down, draped over her shoulders, losing some of its heroic edge and gaining a bit more softness.
"Mr. Roy is back?" Jenny greeted with a smile: "Just in time, dinner is ready."
She was carrying two plates of food, skillfully walking toward the stone table in the center of the yard.
Roy looked at her back.
The fabric of the loungewear dress was very form-fitting; as she walked, the curves of her buttocks were perfectly presented, and her slightly swaying waist exuded the charm of a mature woman.
"Two charming cooks indeed..."
Roy praised inwardly.
Delia's gentleness and virtue, Jenny's spirited sexiness—two different styles, yet equally alluring... Dinner was soon spread across the stone table.
It was indeed the specialty cuisine of Maiden Gorge.
There was steamed fresh sea fish, sprinkled with chopped green onions and ginger slivers, drizzled with a special sauce.
There were local wild vegetables stir-fried with mountain mushrooms, smelling fragrant.
And a steaming pot of seafood soup, with shrimp, shellfish, and vegetables boiled inside.
The staple was bamboo tube rice, mixed with local spices and steamed to carry the fresh scent of bamboo.
"These ingredients were all prepared by Officer Jenny~" Delia said while serving soup to Roy, "I only helped out."
Jenny sat opposite them, smiling: "I just threw it together casually, I'm not sure if it suits your tastes."
"It's very sumptuous." Roy tasted the fish, which was fresh, tender, and smooth. "Officer Jenny's cooking skills are quite good."
The four of them sat around the stone table and began their meal.
Pikachu, Squirtle, and the others also had their own plates in a corner of the yard, eating heartily.
The sun had completely set, and the sky was growing dark.
Warm lights lit up in the courtyard.
The atmosphere was very cozy.
"By the way, Roy," Misty asked after taking a bite of rice, "You said you went to take care of some business this afternoon, what was it?"
Roy picked up a piece of mushroom: "It was nothing much, just went to chat with some of the local 'elders' to ensure this year's Summer Festival passes peacefully."
"'Elders'?" Jenny looked up: "The elders of Maiden Gorge? I've worked here for so long, how come I haven't heard of any particularly influential elders?"
Roy smiled: "Some 'elders' don't really like to show their faces."
He paused, then added: "But don't worry, I've already settled things. During this year's festival, there shouldn't be any more incidents of missing tourists."
Jenny's eyes widened slightly: "Are you sure? Mr. Roy, this is no joke. Every year during the Summer Festival, there are always one or two missing person cases. Although everyone is eventually found, still..."
"It won't happen this year." Roy's tone was firm, "I guarantee it."
Seeing Jenny's puzzled look, he added: "The specific details aren't convenient to discuss, but you just need to know that you can have a peaceful Summer Festival this year."
Jenny stared at Roy for a few seconds.
When this man said those words, his tone was calm, yet his eyes carried an unquestionable confidence.
She suddenly felt that maybe he really could do it.
"If that's truly the case," Jenny said seriously, "I thank you on behalf of the Maiden Gorge Police Station."
"You're too kind." Roy waved his hand, "I'm also doing it so I can enjoy my vacation in peace."
Delia looked at Roy tenderly from the side, her eyes full of admiration.
Misty looked curious, but seeing that Roy had no intention of elaborating, she didn't press further.