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The true reason for Blaine's departure from Cinnabar Gym sent shivers down Ash's, Misty's, and Brock's spines.
Pokémon gene fusion, self-creating life, creating entirely new Pokémon as a human… This kind of thing was simply a fantasy. If it wasn't for Professor Oak saying it, Ash would never have believed it.
He had only come to challenge the Cinnabar Gym, so why did it feel like he had stumbled upon some incredible secret?
"The Alliance is currently searching for Blaine's whereabouts. The reason they haven't revoked his position as the Cinnabar Gym Leader is to indirectly send him a message of goodwill, indicating they won't do anything to him." Professor Oak's next words surprised Ash.
"Why? Didn't Blaine do something the Alliance couldn't tolerate, which is why he ran away? And now the Alliance isn't pursuing it?" Ash asked, utterly confused.
If they hadn't intended to pursue it from the start, why did they force Blaine to leave?
"There are many things you can't understand, Ash, and I can't explain them in too much detail. In short, you just need to know that Blaine's research is something the world cannot tolerate, but since he has already conducted and succeeded in it, the Alliance needs his research results. For this, they can even overlook the mistakes he made."
At this point, Professor Oak sighed. The Alliance wasn't entirely bright, and those villainous organizations weren't entirely dark. The world wasn't black and white, and Ash didn't understand this yet, nor should he.
It was best for Ash to maintain a pure heart for now. If possible, Professor Oak wouldn't have wanted to tell Ash this, but Ash would eventually discover it if he kept digging, which is why he took the initiative to speak.
While he informed Ash, Professor Oak didn't fully explain the intricacies, only clarifying the true reason for Blaine's disappearance.
Ash understood only half of what was said, but he now knew the reason for Blaine's disappearance and why Cinnabar Gym was left in such a dilapidated state.
And now, it was likely that no one could find Blaine's whereabouts, meaning his hope of challenging Cinnabar Gym was completely dashed.
Ash sighed, already silently thinking about the next Gym.
With Cinnabar Gym unchallengeable, even counting Viridian Gym, he still lacked one badge. He would have to see if there were any other Gyms to challenge on the way back.
"Thank you for telling me so much, Professor Oak. I'll hang up now."
"It's nothing… But if you do happen to see Blaine, you can tell him to come talk to me. We're old acquaintances, and I understand what he's thinking, but some things won't have a conclusion unless discussed."
Hearing this, Ash chuckled, "How could I find someone the entire Alliance can't find?"
"That's not necessarily true. With your luck, maybe you'll bump into Blaine on the street?" Professor Oak teased with a laugh, causing Ash on the other end of the phone to instantly get a headache.
What the heck, bumping into Blaine on the street? Even with good luck, it couldn't be that good!
"Gotta go, gotta go." Ash hung up the phone and then led Misty and Brock to the already reserved hotel.
Since Blaine wasn't on Cinnabar Island, they would stay at the hotel for two days, treating it as a relaxing vacation.
Ash still wanted to try the hot springs there to see if they were really as miraculous at relieving fatigue. If so, he could let his Pokémon try them.
Led by Ash, the three arrived at the reserved hotel. The hotel indeed looked quite luxurious, its exterior decorations a cut above other hotels, and inside, the decor was even more opulent.
This hotel, while called a hotel, was not much different from a five-star luxury hotel. Ash and the others, who were accustomed to roughing it, sleeping outdoors, and staying in free accommodations like Pokémon Centers, were staying in such a place for the first time. Besides being awestruck, they also felt a bit unaccustomed to it.
They stayed on the fourth floor, in a room with three beds, considered a top-tier room. From the fourth floor, they could see the crowds of people below.
Besides comfortable rooms, there were also various amenities: hot springs, swimming, a Pokémon arena, a Pokémon massage area, and more.
Erika's name was truly useful. Without Erika, they wouldn't even be able to stay in this place, let alone see what the rooms looked like. Now, this place couldn't be stayed in with just money.
Even with money, it would probably cost five figures a night, after all, this was the top-tier hotel in a tourist attraction.
After dropping off their luggage, the three went out to stroll around Cinnabar Island. It was still early, so they could experience the local customs of the Cinnabar tourist area more. They would return to the hotel in the evening to soak in the hot springs.
After more than three months of travel, this was perhaps the most relaxing time… As evening approached, Ash and the others walked, stopped, ate, and drank on Cinnabar Island. They had played enough. Just as they were about to return to the hotel, Ash accidentally bumped into someone.
With Ash's physical fitness, he merely felt a jolt in his shoulder and was otherwise fine. But the other person was different; they were knocked directly onto the ground.
"I'm so sorry, are you okay?!" Ash quickly knelt down to help the person up. However, the person's yellowish-brown hair on their head fell off as Ash pulled them up. That smooth, reflective head left both parties in a state of shock.
The next moment, the bald man swiftly picked up his wig and put it back on his head. Ash awkwardly cleared his throat, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."
"It's fine, just be careful next time you walk." The bald man's voice was somewhat hoarse, sounding as if he were deliberately straining it. However, he was quite generous and didn't mind Ash bumping into him.
"Gardevoir?"
As Ash was about to pass the bald man and leave, Gardevoir, whom Ash had released to walk with him, made a questioning sound from behind Ash.
"What's wrong, Gardevoir?"
"Gardevoir."
"You remember this person? Maybe you just happened to see him passing by somewhere before," Ash said, not paying too much attention.
As a Psychic-type Pokémon, Gardevoir had an incredibly powerful memory. Even people she casually glimpsed on the street, she could remember clearly in her mind, essentially having a photographic memory.
If this happened to a human, it would be a condition called hyperthymesia, which would put an extremely heavy burden on the brain. But for Psychic-type Pokémon, it wasn't an issue.
Their brains were developed far beyond humans, so having a photographic memory was not a burden at all.
"Gardevoir!"
"You mean… you didn't meet him after you hatched, but you knew him when you were still an Elf Egg?!" Ash's body stiffened, and he sharply turned his head to look for the bald man, but when he turned around, the man's figure was nowhere to be found, as if the collision just now had been an illusion.
"Ash, Gardevoir fell from the sky as an Elf Egg, right? If she knew him when she was an Elf Egg, then wouldn't he be Gardevoir's original…?" Misty, who was beside him, couldn't understand what Gardevoir was saying, but Ash had basically translated Gardevoir's words.
That person had actually met Gardevoir before she was born, which meant that person had been with Gardevoir during her Elf Egg stage.
Ash obtaining Gardevoir was a very unexpected event. She had fallen from the sky as an Elf Egg, and her past before that was completely unknown.
So, could that person be Gardevoir's original Trainer?
"I'll look for him, he shouldn't have gone far." Ash's voice fell, he closed his eyes, and his Aura was fully unleashed. The dense Bo-do surrounding him instantly caused an explosion of information in Ash's mind!
If his Bo-do wasn't strong enough, such a large influx of Bo-do information would probably have made him faint.
However, for Ash, this level was still acceptable, as his Bo-do was not of an ordinary level.
While Ash closed his eyes to search for the bald man, Misty looked worried. Brock, seeing this, immediately understood what Misty was thinking: "Are you worried that if he is Gardevoir's original owner, what if he wants Gardevoir back?"
Misty nodded. Ash wanted to find the person, perhaps to thank him, but if the person saw a Shinny Gardevoir like this, would he really not want Gardevoir back?
"You're overthinking it. Gardevoir's bond with Ash now is something no one can influence. Moreover, he only held the Elf Egg. Ash now holds Gardevoir's Poké Ball. Even if it goes to the Alliance, Ash would be in the right, unless Ash, in a moment of recklessness, returns Gardevoir to him." Brock said leisurely, without any worry.
Although Ash was somewhat straightforward and honest, he wouldn't do such a foolish thing. His love for Pokémon was unquestionable, and the bond between him and Gardevoir had already reached an unbreakable point.
Gardevoir, moreover, only recognized Ash as her Trainer.
In this situation, even if Ash wanted to return Gardevoir to that person, it would be impossible.
As long as Gardevoir and Ash were unwilling, Gardevoir's ownership would absolutely belong to Ash, and it would be the same even if it went to the Alliance.
Hearing this, Misty's hanging heart relaxed slightly. It was good that the situation she had imagined wouldn't occur.
But in reality, both of them were wrong. The reason Ash wanted to find that bald man was not to thank him, nor to return Gardevoir to him, but to understand Gardevoir's origin.
Others might not know, but besides Gardevoir being Shinny, the most outrageous thing about her was her six S-rank potential. This kind of potential was impossible for a normal Pokémon to have.
Coupled with Gardevoir's ability to learn many moves that she shouldn't be able to learn, these strange signs indicated that Gardevoir was definitely not born from ordinary Pokémon.
And even though Ash hadn't noticed anything unusual about Gardevoir's body yet, with such unique characteristics, Ash had to figure out the reason. If Gardevoir suddenly developed some condition in the future and he was completely unaware, that would be the most troublesome thing.
All this time, Ash had never been blinded by Gardevoir's outstanding talent.
For an ordinary Pokémon to possess such talent, it was inevitably impossible without a price—this was what the group's experts had said.
Now that there was finally a chance to find Gardevoir's origin, Ash was naturally quite excited.
After scanning again and again with Aura, Ash opened his eyes and looked straight ahead: "He hasn't gone far, he's up ahead, let's go!"
Saying this, Ash led Pikachu and rushed forward. Gardevoir floated behind Ash. Misty and Brock exchanged glances and could only helplessly follow.
They didn't quite understand why Ash was so excited. Wasn't he just going to thank the person?
As Ash pursued, the surrounding crowd became increasingly sparse. Ash also felt that something was amiss, so he slowed his pursuit, merely using Aura to Lock-On to the person from a distance.
Ten minutes later, Ash, Misty, and Brock followed the person to a very secluded place.
Ash and the others had initially thought that the entire Cinnabar Island would be packed with people, but here, there wasn't a single person. This was a desolate area reached after taking who knows how many small paths.
There was also a small house here, which seemed to be where the bald man lived.
"Why does this person live in such a secluded place?" Misty looked around. On this hot island, she actually felt a sense of eeriness.
It was already approaching evening, the sun was setting, and the light was gradually fading into darkness. In this place without streetlights, only that one small house stood, giving a rather unsettling impression.
"Perhaps this person doesn't like noisy environments… Gardevoir, do you remember this place?" Ash turned and asked Gardevoir.
Gardevoir looked around, then slowly shook her head.
Before this, she only had a vague consciousness while in the Elf Egg. Being able to recognize that person was pretty much her limit. Perhaps if she were taken to the environment where the Elf Egg had lived, she might sense something.
But here, she truly had no sense of familiarity at all.
"Then let's go in and find that person first," Ash said, once again taking the lead. Misty wanted to pull Ash back and tell him not to be so reckless, but her hand grasped at empty air.
"Why is Ash in such a hurry? Is that person going to run away or something?" Misty grumbled, but still followed.
As the three slowly approached the small house with a dim light, a red and yellow figure descended from the sky, blocking their path. The Aura emanating from that figure had clearly reached Elite Four Class!