"Morning," Willy said, waving at Ron.
"Morning," Ron replied. He then glanced at Penny, who was standing beside him. Under Ron's inquisitive gaze, Penny said softly, "I'll see you two off from the harbor."
"—" Willy fell silent for a moment at her words. Last time, when Ron went to Kalos, Penny coming to see him off was understandable, since he'd be gone for a week. But this time, it was only a day or so to the Ginger Islands. Besides, with the ticket only costing 1,000g, she could take his boat to the islands whenever she wanted.
At this thought, Willy suddenly remembered that the Resort on the island had already been rebuilt. He wasn't sure how Ron had managed to repair it in a single day, but the restoration of the Resort meant that everyone could now take vacations on the Ginger Islands from time to time.
Thinking this, he couldn't help but speak up, "By the way, Penny, today is Sunday. You don't have any other plans, do you?"
Seeing Penny shake her head, Willy couldn't help but laugh. His gaze shifted between Ron and Penny's faces. "The Resort on the Ginger Islands has been fixed up. If you don't have anything else to do, why don't we go over there for a vacation today?"
"Huh? Can we?" Penny asked, looking at Willy in surprise. "It's already finished? I thought it would take much longer!"
"You'll have to ask Ron about that. In any case, if you're planning to go, I can waive your ticket fee today, as an exception."
"In that case— we'll be imposing," Penny said softly to Willy.
She wasn't sure if Ron would mind her taking the liberty, and for some reason, she was always a little afraid that her own affections would bring him unnecessary trouble.
Seeing that Ron didn't react, she quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
And so, Penny went home to pack clothes for her vacation on the Ginger Islands, while Ron sat down next to Willy. In the gap while waiting for Penny to come back, Willy took another cup, poured Ron a coffee, and then, in a gesture of kindness, poured Sailor's leftover coffee into his own cup and downed it in one go.
"How was the sea fishing?" Ron asked, cupping his mug.
This was something Sailor had a say in. It chattered excitedly, opened Willy's fish bucket, and dragged a large fish out from inside. "Ratta ratta! Ratta!" It stood beside the fish, gesturing excitedly, trying to use its body language to show Ron the arduous process it had gone through to catch such a big fish.
Watching Sailor's constantly waving paws, Willy couldn't help but laugh.
He then remembered something and turned to Ron, "By the way, if Sailor catches all those legendary fish, should I give my family heirloom to you or to it?"
With the Stardrop already showing signs of being mass-producible on the farm, Ron glanced at Sailor, who was still excitedly reenacting its battle with the fish, and said, "Give it to him."
"Alright." Willy nodded.
For a Rattata, a Stardrop was the ultimate delicacy.
In reality, the item didn't have a specific taste; it simply evoked the most wonderful and favorite things from one's memory. Therefore, everyone's experience with a Stardrop was unique.
Just as Sailor was acting out the scene where it desperately dragged the fish from the water onto the boat, Penny, carrying her vacation clothes, trotted up to them.
Probably worried that she had kept them waiting, she had run the whole way and was now panting as she spoke, "I, I'm ready. Let's go."
"Okay, let's board," Willy said, stuffing the fish Sailor had dragged out to show off back into the bucket before getting on the boat.
Because he was so exhausted, Willy drove the boat at top speed the whole way. Ron stood on the deck, feeling the wind, while Penny stood beside him, constantly glancing at him out of the corner of her eye.
"Ron."
"Hmm?"
"Um— do you have any dreams?" Penny asked softly.
"Dreams, huh." Ron had never really thought about it. He pondered for a moment at her question and said, looking at the horizon, "No."
If he had to name one, living here was already his dream. And now, it had come true. Once the farm's income was stable and he had saved up some money from Kalos, he would probably travel there for a while.
"I see." This answer was a little surprising to Penny. It wasn't the fact that Ron didn't have a dream that surprised her—in fact, Penny didn't really have one herself. Before, all she wanted was a home, to get married as soon as possible and escape that quagmire. Now— She glanced at Ron again and uncomfortably averted her gaze.
As the boat drew closer to the Ginger Islands, the sea breeze gradually grew warmer. Penny took the scarf from around her neck and put it in her bag.
Once the boat was securely docked, Ron stepped off first. He then extended a hand to Penny, who was hesitant to disembark because of the boat's swaying.
"Thank you." Penny quickly placed her hand in Ron's and, with his help, jumped down from the boat.
"That's the resort over there, right?" Penny asked, looking at the buildings in the distance.
"Yep. My farm is just over there," Ron said, pointing. "If you need anything, just come and find me."
While he felt bad about leaving Penny by herself, with a large batch of Starfruit and Sprinklers waiting to be planted and set up on the farm, he really didn't have the time to accompany her.
So, after saying a quick word to Penny, he headed off towards the farm.
Penny watched Ron's retreating back and sighed after a long moment. She then entered the resort and changed her clothes.
There weren't many people on the island at the moment. Willy and Sailor had already set up a tent on the beach and gone to sleep.
Penny, now in a long dress, walked slowly along the beach.
The sand was warm. Stepping on the soft, fine grains made Penny involuntarily curl her toes.
The island was incredibly peaceful. She looked around, took a book from her backpack, and sat down in a nearby beach chair.
The light was perfect. She gently turned the pages, trying to lose herself in the magnificent and fantastical stories once more.
"What are you reading?" a young voice asked from beside her.
Penny couldn't help but turn and look. She saw a boy dressed in leaves, looking at her timidly.
Normally, upon encountering a stranger, Leo's first reaction would be to quickly scurry back to a safe place.
But perhaps this unfamiliar girl gave off such a gentle and serene aura that Leo instinctively felt she was no threat.
"This?" Penny glanced at Leo and said with a smile, "It's a story about a sailor who gets stranded on a mysterious island."
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