By the time Roy returned to the town's inn, the night was already deep.
Lavender Town at night was even more eerie than during the day; the streetlights flickered intermittently, casting long, distorted shadows.
But he was in a good mood; the Gastly Trio had been dealt with, and the thousand-year-old ghost had agreed to teach him skills. This trip was a massive profit.
He pushed open the room door.
The lights were on inside.
On the two beds, Delia and Misty were both still awake.
Misty was huddled under the covers, with only half her head showing, her eyes wide and staring straight at the door. Delia wasn't much better, leaning against the headboard clutching a pillow, her face a bit pale.
Seeing Roy enter, both of them breathed a simultaneous sigh of relief.
"You're back?" Delia's voice was soft, tinged with a bit of grievance.
Misty threw back the covers and jumped off the bed, running over barefoot and crashing headlong into Roy's arms.
"What took you so long!" She looked up and glared at him, "Do you have any idea how scared we were!"
Roy looked down at her; it seemed there were other Ghost-types nearby, and they had been genuinely spooked.
He reached out and ruffled her hair: "I was taking care of business, capturing those little ghosts."
"You caught them?" Delia also came over, asking curiously.
"Yeah, I caught three of them." Roy led them both toward the bed. "Though I'll probably have to send two of them to Professor Oak's place; they're too rowdy."
Misty didn't care about rowdiness; she only cared about one thing right now.
"So... are there really ghosts in that tower?"
When she asked this, her voice was very low, and her eyes glanced toward the window, fearing something strange might be floating outside.
Seeing her like this, Roy suddenly felt a bit mischievous.
He nodded seriously: "Yes, quite a lot of them."
Misty's body stiffened.
"Just as I went in, a Gastly shoved its face right into mine, its face was this big." He gestured with his hands. "It was deathly pale, with a bloody maw and a tongue this long."
Misty's face grew even paler.
"Then on the second floor there was a Haunter, and on the fourth floor a Gengar. The three of them circled around me, laughing the whole time—that 'Jie jie jie' kind of laugh."
He spoke with a straight face, his tone flat and matter-of-fact, as if he were describing what he'd had for dinner.
Misty was stunned.
Delia was also trembling slightly, but seeing Roy's expression, she suddenly realized what was happening.
"Roy... are you trying to scare us?"
Roy blinked and said nothing.
Misty froze, then looked up at him.
Three seconds later.
"Roy!!!"
Misty punched him in the chest, "You big meanie! You scared the life out of me, you know!"
Roy laughed and caught her hand: "I didn't lie to you; there really were Gastly and the others, but they're Pokemon, not real ghosts."
"Then why did you say all that!"
"I'm just giving an honest report."
Delia covered her mouth and giggled from the side; the tense atmosphere finally dissipated.
But Misty still wasn't letting him off, pulling Roy toward the covers.
"No way, you have to sleep with us, otherwise I definitely won't be able to sleep tonight!"
Roy raised an eyebrow: "Oh? Sleep with you?"
Misty's face turned red: "What are you thinking! Delia is here too, it's... it's just plain sleeping!"
Delia also gently tugged on his sleeve, her voice soft: "Roy, let's just rest together tonight~"
"Alright, alright, of course I'll stay."
He took off his coat and crawled into the covers.
The bed wasn't very large, so it was a bit cramped with three people, but being cramped had its advantages.
Misty huddled on his left and Delia leaned against his right; both clung to him tightly as if afraid he might run away.
The lights were turned off.
The room went dark.
It was quiet for a while.
Suddenly, Misty let out a small "Eek!"
"What's wrong?" Roy asked.
Misty shrank toward him, her voice trembling slightly: "I... my butt was just pinched."
Roy was taken aback.
His left arm was around Misty and his right arm was around Delia; both hands were resting properly and hadn't moved.
He instinctively asked: "Who pinched it?"
Misty's voice trembled even more: "I... I don't know..."
The room was silent for two seconds.
Then Delia let out a soft giggle.
Misty realized what was going on and slapped Roy's chest: "Roy! Was it you!"
Roy protested his innocence: "It really wasn't me, my hands didn't move."
"Then who else could it be!"
Roy fell silent for a moment, then lowered his voice and said in an eerie tone: "Could it be... a ghost?"
Misty's whole body stiffened.
Then she dove straight into his arms, burying her head in his chest, her muffled voice coming out: "Stop scaring me!"
Delia laughed until her body shook.
Roy laughed too, looking down to plant a kiss on Misty's forehead: "I was just teasing you, it was me who pinched you."
Misty looked up and glared at him: "You just said it wasn't you!"
"I just wanted to tease you a bit."
"Big meanie!"
Misty was huffy, but she didn't leave his embrace; instead, she clung even tighter.
Delia watched from the side, her eyes curving into crescents.
Roy turned to look at her and reached out to pinch her cheek: "What are you laughing at?"
Delia shook her head: "Nothing, I just feel... it's really good to have you here."
The words were spoken softly and sweetly.
Roy's heart stirred.
He rolled over and pulled them both a little tighter.
"Scared of ghosts, are we?"
Misty nodded, then shook her head: "I'm not afraid as long as you're here."
Delia also gave a soft "Mm-hmm."
Roy leaned down and kissed Misty on the lips.
Misty froze, and then her face flushed crimson.
"Oh my~" she murmured softly, "Roy, you..."
Before she could finish, Roy kissed her again.
This wasn't just a brief peck, but a deep, genuine kiss.
Misty's body went limp, and she closed her eyes, letting him kiss her.
After a good while, Roy finally let go of her and turned to look at Delia.
Delia's face was already red, and her eyes were watery.
"Your turn," Roy said.
Delia bit her lip and said nothing, but she tilted her head up slightly.
Roy kissed her.
Delia's kiss was gentler than Misty's, soft and tinged with a sweet fragrance.
After the kiss, Delia panted and whispered: "Roy... be gentle~"
Roy laughed: "I haven't even done anything yet, why do I need to be gentle?"
Delia's face turned even redder, and she buried her face in his shoulder.
Misty started to giggle: "You kissed Sister Delia for so long~"
Roy turned to look at her: "Jealous?"
"Am not!"
Misty was stubborn, but her expression betrayed her.
Roy laughed and kissed her again: "Happy now?"
Misty huffed and said nothing, but the corners of her mouth curled up.
Under the covers, the temperature slowly rose.
Roy's hand began to wander restlessly around Misty's waist.
Misty's body trembled as she whispered: "Roy... don't..."
"Don't what?"
"Don't... don't touch me like that..."
"I'm not touching you like that, I'm touching you seriously."
Misty: "..."
Delia burst out laughing from the side.
Misty glared at her: "Sister Delia, you're laughing! He'll be touching you in a moment!"
Delia's face turned red, and she stopped laughing.
Roy's hands were indeed not idle, moving slowly up from Misty's waist... Under the covers, the temperature rose even higher.
Roy's hands began to get adventurous.
Misty's body went as soft as a puddle of water, and Delia wasn't much better, her breathing becoming increasingly rapid.
This night was very long... The next morning.
When Roy woke up, the two of them were still sleeping.
Misty was curled up in his arms, sleeping soundly with a smile on her lips. Delia was leaning against his other side, her breathing steady and her cheeks flushed pink.
He gently withdrew his arm and got out of bed.
Outside the window, dawn was just breaking; the mist in Lavender Town hadn't dissipated yet, but it was much thinner than the night before.
Roy stretched his body and pushed the door open to go outside.
There was a small courtyard behind the inn, paved with bluestone slabs and surrounded by a few old trees. It was deserted and very quiet.
He stood still and took a deep breath.
He began to practice his fist technique.
The Courage Fist Technique.
This fist technique was a system reward; last night in the ancient tower, he had actually used it once—not to hit anyone, but to use its aura.
The core of the Courage Fist was the word 'Courage'.
The technique itself wasn't overly complex, but when combined with specific breathing methods and mental focus, it allowed one to remain calm in battle and even stimulate a stronger fighting spirit.
Roy went through the movements one by one.
The movements weren't fast, but every punch and kick carried a gust of wind.
His current body had been strengthened by the system, so his strength, speed, and reactions were far superior to an ordinary person's. As he performed the technique, it whistled with power.
After finishing a set, he withdrew his stance and stood still.
He let out a long breath.
His whole body felt comfortable.
He looked at his fists and felt confident.
With his current physical fitness, this fist technique would be enough for professional matches.
He practiced two more sets until he was lightly sweating.
Then he returned to the room.
Both of them were still sleeping.
Roy didn't wake them; he first took a shower and changed into clean clothes.
When he came out, there was movement on the bed.
Misty sat up rubbing her eyes, her hair a mess. Seeing Roy, she asked dizzily, "What time is it?"
"It's still early, want to sleep a bit more?"
Misty shook her head and yawned: "No more sleep... what are your plans for today?"
"First, I'll make a call to Professor Oak, then we'll head for Saffron City."
"Saffron City?" Delia had also woken up and sat up, supporting herself. "Are we going to the Gym?"
Roy nodded: "Yes, I'm mostly prepared, so we can head to the Gym."
He walked to the bedside and kissed both of them on their foreheads.
"Lie down for a bit longer, I'm going to make a call."
There was a public video phone on the first floor of the inn.
Roy inserted a coin and dialed the number for Oaks Laboratory.
Beep... beep... beep... it rang for a long time.
No one picked up.
Roy frowned and dialed again.
This time it rang even longer before finally connecting.
An image popped up on the screen, but no one was there.
All that could be seen was a background in total disarray.
There was a mess of test tubes on the lab bench—some knocked over, some shattered—with liquids of various colors flowing everywhere. Documents were scattered on the floor, and a switchbox on the wall was open, revealing charred wires inside. On the computer screen, a full display of garbled code was flickering.
Then came a series of crashing sounds, as if something else had fallen over.
Next were hurried footsteps.
Professor Oak finally appeared in front of the screen.
But his current appearance made Roy's mouth twitch.
His hair was a mess like a bird's nest, his white lab coat was covered in liquids of unknown colors, and there were two black streaks on his face.
He sat down panting and forced a smile that looked worse than crying.
"Ah, Roy... good morning..."
Roy suppressed a laugh: "Professor Oak, were you... out for a morning run?"
Professor Oak's face fell: "What morning run! It's those two little terrors you sent back!"
No sooner had he spoken than a strange laugh came from behind the screen.
Jie jie jie jie jie!
Then a purple claw reached out and pressed against Professor Oak's face.
Professor Oak frantically pushed the claw away: "Gengar! Stop it! I'm on the phone!"
Gengar's face leaned into the screen, winked at Roy, and then floated away again.
Immediately following that was another series of crashing sounds.
Professor Oak looked back, his face turning green: "Haunter! That's a microscope! You can't take it apart!"
He stood up wanting to rush over, but remembered he was on the phone and could only sit back down, looking utterly weary of life.
"Roy, don't worry, your two little ghosts... I can handle them."
When he said this, his tone was incredibly weak.
Roy raised an eyebrow: "Oh~ as expected of Professor Oak, truly a titan of the Pokemon research world. Two mere Ghost-types are nothing to you."
Professor Oak's eyes lit up: "Right, right! That's exactly what I was thinking!"
Roy continued: "I was going to offer some suggestions on how to get them to quiet down. But since you can handle it, then never mind..."
"No, no, no!" Professor Oak lunged toward the screen. "I need them! I need them very much! Especially need them! Roy, speak quickly!"
With that expression and tone, there wasn't a shred of a professor's dignity left.
Roy laughed.
"Actually, it's simple. Set up an entertainment room for them, put in a color TV—the bigger the better—and then play comedy shows. Keep them playing, and they'll quiet down."
Professor Oak was stunned: "It's... it's that simple?"
"It's that simple. Ghost-type Pokemon love pranks, but they also love entertainment. If you find some fun for them, they won't have time to cause trouble."
Professor Oak was skeptical, but he couldn't afford to care about that now.
He turned and rushed to a corner of the lab, where there was a spare large-screen TV he usually used for displaying research data.
He quickly hooked up the power and tuned the channel.
As it happened, there was a comedy show on in the morning.
The screen lit up, and cheerful laughter came from it.
Gengar and Haunter both stopped their actions and turned to look at the TV.
They floated in front of the TV, hovering in mid-air and staring at the screen.
Their eyes grew brighter and brighter.
And then... they just froze there.
Quietly watching TV, without moving an inch.
Professor Oak's eyes widened, unable to believe it.
He tentatively waved a hand in front of them.
No reaction.
He coughed once.
Still no reaction.
The two little ghosts were completely immersed in the TV program. Gengar even laughed 'Jie jie jie' along with the laughter from the show, and Haunter pointed at the screen with its claw, excitedly saying something to Gengar.
Professor Oak let out a long breath and slumped onto the floor.
"Good heavens... so it was that simple..."
He wiped the sweat from his forehead; there was so much of it that it looked like he'd just washed his face.
Then he scrambled up, returned to the screen, and gave Roy a thumbs-up.
"Roy, you're something else, kid! This method is brilliant!"
Roy smiled: "You flatter me."
Professor Oak waved it off: "No flattery at all. You're getting better and better at catching Pokemon."
"Alright, you go about your business, I have to go clean up this mess. Although these two little terrors are rowdy, their research value is indeed high. I'll have to record their data properly in a bit."
Roy smiled: "I've troubled you. By the way, remember to put out plenty of food; they love to eat."
"Got it, got it."
The call ended.
Roy was in a good mood as he went upstairs back to the room.