Delia's worries were completely unnecessary.
After returning from the VIP dining hall last night, Misty had carried Togepi to the deck and played wildly for a long time.
There was a dedicated Pokémon battle zone on the deck.
Although Misty didn't battle, she spent nearly two hours just watching others.
During that time, she almost threw Togepi away in her excitement.
Frightened, she quickly hugged it tight and didn't dare to wave her hands around anymore.
After the activities on the deck ended,
she ran back to the buffet restaurant.
She had another round of eating.
Oysters, scallops, and that special seafood fried rice.
She ate two full plates.
After eating, she even packed a dessert to take back to her room.
She said she would have it as a midnight snack.
But as soon as she returned to her room, took a shower, and collapsed onto the bed,
she fell fast asleep.
The dessert sat on the nightstand, completely untouched.
Until the next morning, when the sun was already high in the sky, Misty was still hugging her quilt, sleeping like a little pig.
Togepi had long been awake, bouncing around beside her, but she didn't react.
In the end, it was Togepi patting her face with its little hands that finally woke her up.
"Mmm... Togepi... stop it..."
Misty turned over and buried her face in the pillow.
Togepi wouldn't give up and continued to pat her.
Misty finally sat up, dazed.
Her hair was as messy as a bird's nest.
She checked the time; it was almost eleven o'clock.
"Ah... it's already this late..."
Misty yawned, rubbed her eyes, and got out of bed.
The dessert she had packed last night was still on the nightstand.
She picked up a spoon and ate it as breakfast.
She ended up with cream all over the corners of her mouth.
On the other side, Delia had already finished cleaning up everything that needed to be cleaned.
She had changed the sheets in Roy's room, cleared away the trash, and sprayed the room with her own cleaning spray.
Although the VIP cabins had cleaning staff, she still felt too embarrassed to let others tidy up these things.
If a cleaner came in and saw those marks on the sheets...
Just thinking about it made her face turn bright red.
So, while Misty was still asleep, Delia had gotten up early and tidied everything up.
Roy leaned against the headboard, watching Delia bustle about, feeling absolutely wonderful.
After Delia finished cleaning, she washed her hands and walked to the window.
The sea view outside was perfect.
"The weather is nice today."
Delia looked at the blue sky and white clouds outside the window, in a great mood.
Roy walked up from behind and wrapped his arms around her waist.
"Yeah, it is."
Delia leaned against Roy and nodded gently.
This cruise ship life continued for two more days.
In those two days, Misty tasted every single dish in the VIP dining hall.
She even got to know the head chef well.
The chef was a chubby auntie who especially liked Togepi.
Every time she saw Misty carrying Togepi to eat, she would prepare an extra small portion of special Pokémon food for it.
Togepi also ate it very happily.
Delia, on the other hand, took charge of transcribing Roy's travel notes.
She diligently recorded everything seen and heard along the way, the new Pokémon encountered, and the adventure in the Wonder Garden into Roy's notebook.
Her handwriting was neat, and the notes were clearly organized.
When it came to recording certain nights that were inconvenient to describe in detail,
she would blush and, under Roy's dictation, write only four words.
"A quiet night."
Seeing those four words, Roy laughed for a long time.
Of course, the important business on the cruise ship still had to be done.
The two of them would also find opportunities from time to time to spend a little more time in Delia's room.
With Misty running around playing outside as cover, it was quite convenient.
Although Delia would still be incredibly shy each time, she slowly got used to it.
Just like that, two days of wonderful cruise life passed.
On the afternoon of the third day,
the ship's loudspeaker rang out.
"Dear passengers, this ship is about to arrive at the Cinnabar Island pier. Please pack your belongings and prepare to disembark."
Roy and the others had long packed their luggage and were standing on the deck looking ahead.
The outline of Cinnabar Island became clearer and clearer.
From a distance, the whole island was covered in green vegetation, with a not-too-tall mountain standing in the center.
The mountain had a dark red color, contrasting sharply with the surrounding environment.
The pier was packed with boats of all sizes.
It was several times livelier than the pier they had departed from.
The ship docked, and the gangway was lowered.
Roy and the others walked off the ship with the crowd.
As soon as she stepped onto the pier, Misty's eyes widened.
"Why are there so many people here!"
The pier was densely packed with people.
There were backpackers carrying big and small bags, families on vacation, and tour groups wearing matching uniforms.
Various sounds mingled together, even noisier than the ordinary cabins on the ship.
Delia took a brochure out of her small bag.
This was the Cinnabar Island travel guide brochure they had received for free on the ship.
She flipped through it and found the introduction section for the island.
"I heard that a large hot spring was recently discovered on Cinnabar Island, and it has been developed into a tourist destination."
Delia said while reading.
"Cinnabar Island originally had volcanic terrain, the scenery is very unique, and its tourism resources are much richer than other islands."
"Now that the hot spring project has been newly developed, it has attracted even more tourists to come specifically."
"The brochure says that last month alone, the number of tourist visits to Cinnabar Island more than doubled compared to the same period last year."
As soon as Misty heard about the hot springs, her eyes immediately lit up.
"Oh, oh! There are hot springs we can soak in?"
She lifted Togepi high and looked at it eye-to-eye.
"Togepi, did you hear that! There are hot springs!"
Togepi didn't know if it understood or not, but seeing Misty happy, it waved its little hands along with her.
"There's the seaside, a beach, and hot springs! Oh my god!"
Misty counted on her fingers.
"No wonder there are so many people!"
"I really want to stay here and play for a few days!"
She looked at Roy with glowing eyes, her gaze full of "I want to play."
Seeing her expectant look, Roy smiled and reached out to pat her head.
"Go ahead and play."
"After walking such a long way before, through forests and the Wonder Garden, and then sitting on the ship for so long, you really need to relax."
"Pick whatever you want to eat, I'll pay!"
Upon hearing this, Misty jumped up.
"Yay!"
She lunged directly at Roy and gave him a big hug.
"I love you so much, honey!"
Togepi was squeezed between the two, struggling to poke its head out and protesting with two sounds.
Misty let go of Roy, her excitement not yet faded.
She spun around twice, planning what to eat, which hot spring to soak in, and which beach to take Togepi to.
However, excitement was excitement, but Misty hadn't forgotten the serious business.
She took a few deep breaths to calm herself down.
"Well, as for playing, let's do that tomorrow or the day after."
She said seriously, holding Togepi.
"Let's go see the Gym with you today and take care of business first!"
Roy raised an eyebrow and looked at Misty with some surprise.
Delia also showed a gratified smile.
She walked over and gently patted Misty's shoulder.
"Misty, you know to do business before playing now; you've grown up."
In the way Delia looked at Misty, there was a bit more of that gratification a sister feels when seeing her younger sister grow up.
Misty proudly raised her head, her chin almost pointing to the sky.
"Of course!"
"I've grown more than just a little bit now!"
After saying this, Misty's eyes rolled.
She suddenly added with a grin.
"When I was on the ship, when you and Roy were 'battling' in the room, I didn't come to disturb you~"
As soon as these words were out, Delia's face turned bright red instantly.
Like she had been scalded by boiling water, the redness spread from her cheeks down to the roots of her neck.
She said quietly, with a slight stutter.
"Ah... you... you knew?"
Misty froze for a moment.
Actually, she had just said that off the cuff without thinking much.
But seeing how incredibly shy Delia was, she quickly smiled and explained.
"Of course I knew."
"I can still read the room; I know when I should appear and when I shouldn't."
"Isn't that for our harmony~"
As Misty said this, she patted Delia's shoulder quite proudly.
The actual situation was.
That night, Misty had eaten a super delicious cheese-baked lobster at the buffet restaurant.
The taste was incredible.
She took a bite, and her first reaction was to share it with Roy and Delia.
So she put down her fork, held Togepi, and ran out of the restaurant.
Preparing to call Roy and Delia to come eat together.
But just as she reached the corridor entrance of the VIP floor,
she saw Delia standing outside Roy's room.
She was just about to shout "Sister Delia," but before the words could come out,
Roy's door opened.
Immediately after, a hand reached out and precisely wrapped around Delia's waist.
Pulling her inside in one go.
Then the door slammed shut with a "bang."
Misty's voice got stuck in her throat.
She stood in place, blinking.
Even if she were stupid or slow.
She could roughly guess what would happen next.
So she took a deep breath.
Holding Togepi, she turned around.
And went back to the buffet restaurant.
She finished that plate of cheese-baked lobster all by herself.
Then she went to the deck to watch Pokémon battles for two hours.
And then went back to the restaurant to have a midnight snack.
Finally, tired from playing, she went back to her room and fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.
From beginning to end, she never went to Roy's room to look for Delia.
This was what Misty called "reading the room."
After hearing Misty's description, Roy had a rough idea.
He stepped forward and reached out to put his arm around Delia's shoulder.
Delia was so shy by now that she was almost burying her head in her chest.
"Don't be shy."
Roy leaned into her ear and whispered comfortingly.
"She didn't know what was in the room, and you didn't do anything wrong."
"Besides, you two are sisters, and there will be plenty of days together in the future."
"Maybe you'll need to get to know each other even better later."
Delia's ears twitched when she heard this.
She knew what Roy meant by "get to know each other even better."
But she was too embarrassed to pick up on that topic now and just wanted to turn the page on this matter quickly.
"Alright, alright..."
Delia took a deep breath and raised her head.
Her face was still flushed, but she tried hard to calm herself down.
"Then let's hurry to the Gym!"
She changed the subject.
Roy smiled and let go.
Misty was also quick to pick up on it and immediately followed suit.
"Right, right! To the Gym! To the Gym!"
The three reached a consensus and began to look for the location of the Cinnabar Gym.
Coming out of the pier, there was a main road.
The main road was crowded with people, and various stalls were crammed on both sides of the road.
Selling souvenirs, selling snacks, promoting hot spring hotels.
It was very noisy.
Roy took out the map, which marked the location of the Cinnabar Gym.
It was right at the foot of Mount Cinnabar in the center of the island.
But the problem was, Cinnabar Island had developed too quickly for tourism.
The road layout on the island had changed significantly from the markings on the map.
Many newly built paths, commercial streets, and hot spring resorts were not on the map at all.
Some old roads had also been diverted or closed.
So even though the map marked the location, it was really not easy to find.
The three walked along the main road for a while.
They reached a fork in the road, and the map indicated they should go left.
But the road on the left was closed, with a construction sign hanging.
They could only detour to the right.
Once they detoured, they ended up in a commercial area.
There were shops and people everywhere, and they couldn't even tell north, south, east, or west.
"This is too hard to find..."
Misty stood on tiptoe, looking around.
"The map says there should be a road leading to the foot of the mountain here, why is it just shops selling things!"
Delia also frowned while looking at the map.
"It seems a new commercial street has been developed here, occupying the original road..."
Roy closed the map and looked around.
"Let's ask someone."
He targeted an uncle selling roasted sweet potatoes by the roadside.
This uncle looked like a local and should know the way.
"Excuse me, sir, how do I get to the Cinnabar Gym?"
The uncle looked up at them.
"Cinnabar Gym? You are challengers?"
"Yes, yes."
The uncle wiped his hands on his apron and pointed to the right.
"Go that way, pass two intersections, see a hotel called Red Flame Hot Spring, then turn left and keep walking, and you'll be there."
The three thanked him and walked in the direction the uncle pointed.
After passing two intersections, they indeed saw the hotel called Red Flame Hot Spring.
They turned left.
But after walking for a long time, they didn't see the Gym, but instead, they walked to a Pokémon Center.
Roy asked a pretty young lady again.
The young lady gave another route.
"You go up that small path, and turn right when you see the red sign."
The three walked up the small path.
They saw a red sign and turned right.
Then they walked to a dead end.
At the end of the road was a wall.
Misty looked at that wall, her mouth twitching.
"Is this really the way to the Gym..."
"Have we been played?"
Roy was also a bit speechless.
The Cinnabar Gym was hidden too well.
He asked an auntie selling Poké Ball keychains by the roadside for directions.
The auntie's description was even more mysterious.
"Cinnabar Gym? See that crooked tree? Go in from there, there's a small path, follow the path to the end, and climb a flight of stone steps, and you'll be there."
The three found the crooked tree according to the description.
There really was a small path.
Following the path to the end, a flight of stone steps indeed appeared.
On both sides of the stone steps was a dense forest.
It was very quiet around, completely different from the hustle and bustle at the foot of the mountain.
"This time it should be right..."
Misty held Togepi and said uncertainly.
Roy shrugged, not knowing either: "Anyway, Cinnabar Island is only this big. If we find the wrong place, we'll just treat it as sightseeing. The Gym won't run away anyway!"
Hearing Roy's words, Delia and Misty also felt it made sense, so they cheered up again, followed Roy to sightsee along the way, and continued to look for the Gym...