The silhouette of Viridian City revealed a dusty gray texture under the setting sun, the trees lining the roads stained with the dust peculiar to the city.
Misty kicked a small pebble by the roadside, her orange ponytail swaying with each step.
"Hey," she finally couldn't help but speak up, glancing sideways at Ash, whose steps were light and brisk beside her.
"That Magikarp... do you really think it can evolve into a Gyarados??"
She recalled the golden shadow splashing in the mud pit, her tone full of skepticism. "Although a Shiny is rare..."
But Misty remembered that a golden Magikarp would evolve into a red Gyarados.
To be honest, the value of most Gyarados really wasn't as high as a golden Magikarp.
If she had to choose, she would rather keep this golden Magikarp forever.
Ash rested his hands behind his head: "Of course! My partner has infinite potential! Just you wait and see, Misty. Don't drop your jaw when the time comes."
"Hmph, bragging." Misty pursed her lips, but her gaze swept over the Poké Ball containing the golden Magikarp on Ash's belt, then grazed the Pidgeotto on his shoulder and the sparking Pikachu at his feet, and ultimately she offered no further rebuttal.
Since she couldn't persuade him, she wouldn't try.
There was always some indescribable weirdness about this guy.
The two arrived at their destination.
The bright lights and the smell of disinfectant from the Pokémon Center rushed towards them.
Unlike in the games, there was no such good thing as simply placing a Pokémon on a healing machine to cure it instantly.
"Welcome to the Viridian City Pokémon Center." Nurse Joy's gentle smile put one at ease.
After verifying their identities and booking rooms, they went to rest separately.
After all, they couldn't possibly sleep in the same room, right?
Ash locked the door behind him with a backhanded motion.
"Pika?" Pikachu hopped onto the nightstand, looking doubtfully at his Trainer who was hurriedly pulling out his Pokédex to connect to the PC communication.
The screen flickered a few times.
Professor Oak's familiar face appeared in the frame, the background a messy research lab piled high with data.
"Yo! Ash!" Professor Oak pushed up his glasses, a teasing smile hidden behind the lenses:
"Let me see the date... hmm?"
"From Pallet Town to Viridian City, the straight-line distance is two days' travel at most, right?"
"You've been walking for half a month? What, did you manage to get lost even here?"
"Of the four children who set out at the same time... Gary has already reached Cerulean City and is preparing to challenge the Gym."
"Tsk tsk tsk... your speed won't do, young man!"
Professor Oak's tone was full of banter between old friends, carrying a bit of "watching you make a fool of yourself" schadenfreude.
Ash's expression, however, was one of utter confidence and pride: "Shut it! Professor! I'm playing it slow and steady, getting full experience!"
He genuinely had an extremely valuable harvest: "Besides, I made a huge discovery on the way! A massive discovery!!"
"Oh? A huge discovery?" Professor Oak clearly didn't take it seriously, picking up his teacup for a sip and asking leisurely, "Did you catch some particularly rare Pokémon?"
"Heheheh, I'll open your eyes!!" Ash took a deep breath, his fingers flying over the communicator to transmit the video.
"Professor, watch this!!"
The screen display switched.
Instantly, the air in Professor Oak's laboratory seemed to freeze.
The footage was shot through a shaky lens blurred by rain.
Over the gloomy, oppressive rainstorm forest, a magnificently brilliant golden light suddenly descended, tearing through the dark clouds!
That divine silhouette, those spreading wings that seemed composed of pure flame and light, that scattered golden radiance like stardust!
An ethereal, majestic cry that seemed to resonate directly in the depths of the soul came through the speakers, carrying an aura of ancient primeval times!
"Leeee—!"
The cup of instant noodles in Professor Oak's hand fell onto the table with a clatter, the scalding soup spilling out and soaking the research notes at his hand.
He was completely oblivious to it, his whole body seemingly struck by an invisible giant hammer as he sprang up from his chair, his eyes glued to the screen, his pupils reflecting that burning golden firmament.
"This... this is... impossible..." he murmured voicelessly, his voice dry and hoarse, filled with incredulous ecstasy and ultimate shock.
"Legend!"
"Ho... Ho-Oh!"
"It's really Him!"
"He actually appeared again!"
"And in Kanto!"
"Near Viridian Forest!"
The last time Ho-Oh appeared... was 9 years ago.
Oak still hadn't figured out to this day why exactly that incident caused both Ho-Oh and Lugia to appear?
The footage was short, ending as the golden light vanished into the clouds, switching back to Ash's face, which was struggling to maintain seriousness but was overflowing with pride in his eyes.
Ash, smug.jpg.
"How about that, Professor?" Ash's voice carried unreserved showing off. "Is this discovery big enough?"
"Enough! More than enough!" Professor Oak almost roared it out, his face practically pressing into the screen, incoherent with excitement:
"Time! Location! Specific coordinates! Weather details! Surrounding environment!"
"Were there any other witnesses?"
"Ash! Quick! Tell me quickly! All the details! You can't leave out a single scrap!"
Professor Oak was extremely concerned about Ho-Oh.
"Don't rush, Professor," Ash said leisurely.
"I have another little gadget here, would you mind taking a look at it too?"
He didn't give the Professor any time to react, abruptly turning the camera to focus on a basin temporarily filled with water in the corner of the room.
A completely golden Magikarp was boredly... blowing bubbles in the water.
"Shi... Shiny Magikarp?!" Professor Oak's voice pitched up sharply. "Wait... Ash! You caught it?! It's in your possession?!"
Although a golden Magikarp wasn't as rare as Ho-Oh.
However, Ho-Oh couldn't be caught, but the golden Magikarp had been caught.
And since Ash was so proud, Professor Oak didn't mind playing the hypeman.
Professor Oak slapped the table hard, preparing to say some nice words of encouragement:
"Ho-Oh appearing! And a golden Shiny Magikarp!"
"Ash, you truly are the Trainer I have the highest hopes for!"
"The future of the Pokémon League rests on your shoulders!"
"That kid Gary could run a hundred times faster and still not compare to your harvest!"
Professor Oak was very satisfied with Ash right now.
As for his own grandson Gary?
That kid's mentality was still too immature, hanging around with a cheerleading squad of girls all day; who knew when he would grow up.
"Professor... listen to me tell you specifically what happened during this time."
"... The one who saw Ho-Oh with me was the Cerulean City Trainer, Misty..." Ash explained what happened during this period clearly.
Of course, the specific content was definitely embellished.
"Misty... that name seems a bit familiar." Professor Oak rubbed his chin. "I remember now, she's the child from the Cerulean Gym, right?"
"... That child's parents went missing when they went overseas to challenge Sea King type Pokémon."
"Pokémon in the ocean are even more dangerous than those on land," Professor Oak said thoughtfully.
"... Misty didn't tell me much about that, I'll pay attention to it later, Professor." Ash did know Misty was a Cerulean City Gym Trainer, but Misty hadn't said so herself, so he had to pretend he didn't know.
It was just... this was the first time he'd heard the reason for Cerulean City's decline... the previous generation's Gym Trainers went missing overseas?
"Let me tell you a bit about Sea King type Pokémon... they correspond to what are called Totem Pokémon." Professor Oak began to explain the science.
"Ancient legends say there are five Sea Kings in the four oceans."
"They are all subordinates of the Sea Emperor Kyogre."
"They are respectively..."
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