After Delia came over, Roy revealed the items in his hands.
He handed the Top-grade Dragon Scale to Misty and the Sun Stone to Delia.
Misty looked down, her eyes instantly widening.
"Ah! This is a Dragon Scale!"
She took it in one go, cradling it in her palms and turning it over and over to look, her mouth agape.
"The color is so beautiful! This luster! These patterns! This isn't an ordinary Dragon Scale, is it?"
She looked up, excitedly grabbing Roy's arm and shaking it vigorously.
"Look, look, there are golden patterns inside! Oh my god! It's too beautiful!"
Seeing her so excited, the corners of Roy's mouth couldn't help but curl up.
"Mm, a Top-grade Dragon Scale. Its quality is more than just a level higher than an ordinary one. After your Seadra uses it, the Kingdra it evolves into will be even stronger."
Misty held the scale with trembling hands; she looked down at the scale, then up at the Seadra in the water, then back down at the scale.
Seadra did a circle in the water, completely unaware that its trainer was currently holding something that could change its fate.
"Then what about this?" Delia held the Sun Stone, looking at it curiously. The luminous core of the stone was reflected in her eyes, shining brightly.
"A Sun Stone," Roy explained. "It can make Gloom evolve into a beautiful Bellossom."
Delia froze for a moment, looking down at the Sun Stone, then at the Gloom sitting on the shore.
Gloom's head happened to turn this way, the flower bud on its head swaying slightly, emitting a faint scent.
Delia fell silent for a second.
Then her eyes curved, and the corners of her mouth tilted up in a gentle arc.
"That's wonderful..."
She said softly, looking down at the stone in her hand, her thumb gently stroking its surface.
Misty suddenly snapped out of it and jerked her head up to look at Roy.
"Right! Where did you get this? This Dragon Scale is so rare! You can't even find them on the market!"
Roy's expression remained unchanged as he casually made up an excuse.
"I picked it up while catching Pokemon just now."
"Picked it up?"
Misty's eyes nearly popped out of her head, her voice rising an octave.
"You can just pick this stuff up? You're lying to me!"
"Why would I lie to you?" Roy spread his hands, looking completely innocent. "It was right there in the grass. I just got lucky and found it."
"Your luck is way too good!!!"
Misty gave a loud shout, then looked back down at the scale in her hand, her eyes full of stars.
"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!"
She hopped twice on the spot while holding the scale, then she suddenly rushed over, stood on her tiptoes, and gave Roy a big kiss on the cheek.
"I love you so much!"
Delia watched the two of them with a smile, her fingers tightening as she gripped the Sun Stone in her palm.
But after a while, the smile on Delia's face slowly faded a bit.
She looked down at the Sun Stone in her hand, then up at Roy, her lips moving slightly.
"Roy."
"Hmm?"
"This..." She held the Sun Stone out toward him, her voice soft but serious. "You should keep this for yourself. You're going to participate in the Indigo Plateau Conference; these enhancement items should be used by you first."
Roy's brow furrowed, and he was about to speak.
Delia continued, her tone calm yet heart-softening.
"You've been thinking of us the whole way, catching Pokemon and training them for us. The Indigo Plateau Conference is a big deal for you. Keep these precious items for yourself first; if you can use them later, or trade them for better equipment..."
"Delia."
Roy called her name.
Delia stopped talking and looked at him.
Misty, listening from the side, also saw her excitement slowly cool down.
She looked down at the Top-grade Dragon Scale in her hand, then up at Roy.
Then she also reached her hand out.
"That's right, Roy. You also have a Shiny Horsea."
Her tone suddenly became very serious, devoid of her previous flightiness.
"This strangely colored Dragon Scale would be a perfect match for your Shiny Horsea! Even better than for my Seadra!"
She held the scale out in front of Roy, her eyes fixed on him, showing not a hint of reluctance.
Even though she really, really liked this scale.
Liked it to death.
She had already imagined what Seadra would look like after evolving into Kingdra—that majestic Dragon-type form, those powerful Water and Dragon-type moves.
But thinking of Roy, she didn't feel the slightest bit of stinginess.
"You don't need to worry about my Seadra's evolution. I'll just ask my sisters at home to keep an eye out for me!"
"The Cerulean Gym is an official gym after all. My sisters know a lot of people; a Dragon Scale can still be found! Your Horsea should use this first; you are the most important one!"
As she finished, her voice suddenly softened, and her shoulders hunched slightly.
"You're the man of the house, the pillar; you're the one who has to support the four of us sisters and the Cerulean Gym."
"Your Water-types being strong is the number one priority!"
After speaking, she pushed the scale in her hand forward again.
Roy was stunned for a moment.
Those words...
They didn't sound like something Misty would say.
He smiled and reached out to pat Misty's head.
"Where did you learn to say that? It doesn't sound like you."
At his touch, Misty's serious demeanor instantly crumbled. She shrunk her neck and started giggling.
"Daisy nags me every time she sends my allowance~ Of course I know you're the pillar of the family~"
Her face was flushed, a bit embarrassed but also a bit proud.
"She nags me with these words every single time she sends money; I've got calluses on my ears from listening. I told her I remembered, but she didn't believe me!"
As she spoke, she looked up again, her eyes sparkling as she gazed at Roy.
"Next time we go back to the Cerulean Gym, you have to tell them how sensible and good I've been on this journey! Make them look at me in a new light! Let's see if they still call me reckless!"
As she said this, her chin tilted up slightly and the corners of her mouth curled, as if she were acting spoiled.
Roy looked at her, then at Delia.
Delia didn't speak, just watched him quietly.
The Sun Stone in her hand was still held out in mid-air, her fingers gripping it so tightly that her knuckles were turning white.
These two women.
One was reckless and wore everything on her face, while the other was gentle and reserved, keeping everything in her heart.
But at this moment, their gestures of giving were identical.
They were both thinking of him first.
Roy felt a warmth in his heart, but his face remained expressionless as he simply smiled.
"Okay, I'll tell them next time we go back."
He reached out and pushed the items they were offering back toward them.
Misty was stunned.
Delia was also stunned.
"Don't worry, I have a plan for my own combat strength." Roy's voice was very calm, as if he were stating something simple, without any hint of showing off or acting tough.
"These were specifically meant as gifts for the two of you. You are the people closest to me; as I get stronger, I can't leave you behind."
After he said this, the air went quiet for two seconds.
Then.
"Ugh~"
Misty's eyes suddenly turned red, her mouth pouted, and her voice wavered.
"Oh~ Roy~!"
She lunged forward, hugging Roy's waist tightly and burying her entire face in his chest.
"You said something that poked my eyes again!"
Her voice was muffled and nasal, her shoulders shaking.
"I'm going to cry in front of Sister Delia~ I'm really going to cry~"
As she spoke, tears started falling, warm and soaking into the clothes on Roy's chest.
As for Delia.
Delia was someone who cried even more easily.
She stood there, tears flowing down silently, drop by drop onto the Sun Stone in her palm, creating tiny splashes.
She didn't pounce on him; she just stood there, looking at Roy, her mouth still trying to curve upward while her tears wouldn't stop.
"Roy..."
She softly called his name, her voice a bit choked, then she also stepped forward and hugged him from the side.
Misty looked up from his embrace, glanced at Delia, and her tears became even more uncontrollable.
"Waaaah, Sister Delia, you're crying too..."
"I'm not crying."
As Delia spoke, her tears fell even faster.
Roy was being hugged by the two women on his left and right; it was warm, and a large patch of his clothes was wet.
He patted both of their backs.
"Alright, alright, this is a happy occasion, don't cry. Go evolve them; let's evolve Gloom first."
Delia pulled back from his embrace, wiped her tears, and nodded.
"Mm."
Her voice had a soft, post-crying quality, but her eyes were now full of anticipation.
Misty also let go of him, wiped her face haphazardly with the back of her hand, sniffled, and then immediately smiled again.
"Then I'll go put this away for Seadra first, and wait until we get to a city to use a trade machine for evolution!"
She cradled the Top-grade Dragon Scale in her palms, looked at it one more time, and then carefully tucked it into her waist bag, zipping it up tightly and patting it to make sure it was secure.
"Sister Delia! Quick, use it on Gloom!"
Delia nodded, walked over to Gloom, and knelt down.
Gloom tilted its head at its trainer, its flower bud swaying, unaware of what was happening.
Delia gently pressed the Sun Stone against Gloom and said softly,
"Are you ready?"
Gloom gave a cry; though it didn't know what it was preparing for, it still nodded trustingly.
Delia triggered the energy release of the Sun Stone, and an orange-red light surged from the stone's core, enveloping Gloom's entire body.
The light grew brighter and brighter, and Gloom's form began to change within it.
Its silhouette became a bit more slender, and the flower bud on its head slowly unfolded, turning into two bright flowers, one on each side, like it was wearing two hair ornaments.
Its green body became softer, and a skirt made of light green leaves grew on its lower half, making it look like a little Pokemon wearing a pretty dress.
The light dissipated.
Bellossom opened its eyes and looked down at its body.
It twirled around, its leaf-skirt spinning with it, and the flower ornaments on its head swayed gently in the sunlight.
Then it raised its hands and touched the flowers on its head.
There was no smell at all anymore.
In its place was an extremely faint fragrance, like the scent of the first flower blooming in spring.
Bellossom's mouth curved into a smile, and it lunged into Delia's embrace.
"Bell~ Bell~"
Delia hugged it, the smile on her face so brilliant it was as if she had evolved herself.
"That's wonderful! Wonderful... so beautiful..."
She stroked the flowers on Bellossom's head, the light in her eyes brighter than the Sun Stone.
Misty stood nearby clapping her hands, looking even happier than if she had evolved herself.
"So pretty! Bellossom! In the future, work together with my Kingdra—one as the core of a sun team, and one as a Water and Dragon-type attacker! Invincible!"
Psyduck tilted its head nearby, looking at Bellossom, gave a "Quack," and then slowly clapped its fleshy paws.
It was hard to tell if it actually understood what was going on.
Seadra did a circle in the water and sprayed a thin jet of water, as if celebrating in advance.
Dratini swam over to Bellossom and curiously rubbed its small head against its petals.
The scene was one of complete harmony.
After the evolution was over, the three of them had dinner together.
Delia had put in a lot of effort today; the dishes were much more abundant than usual, and the taste was beyond words.
Roy ate three large bowls and lay on the grass, not wanting to move.
Misty leaned beside him, her belly also round from eating, sprawling out with no regard for her image.
Delia sat beside them, watching them, the smile in her eyes never fading.
The sun set, the horizon burning into a solid sheet of orange-red, and the water's surface shimmered like it was sprinkled with gold dust.
Dragonair and Dratini swam in the water, Bellossom twirled gently on the shore, and Pikachu napped on Roy's stomach.
Night fell.
Roy lay in his tent with his hands behind his head, the top of the tent outlined in a blurry silhouette under the moonlight.
Pikachu was sleeping soundly in its little nest outside the tent, its snoring audible from inside.
He closed his eyes, preparing to sleep.
The tent's zipper was pulled open.
The sound was very light, but the night was too quiet, so it was perfectly clear.
A slender figure slipped inside, bringing with it the faint scent of shampoo.
Misty.
She was wearing pajamas, her hair loose. Moonlight peeked through the gaps in the tent, shining on her face, showing her biting her lower lip with sparkling eyes, looking a bit embarrassed but completely undeterred.
"Not sleeping so late, what are you here for?"
Roy asked knowingly, a hint of a smile in his voice.
Misty didn't speak; she just crawled onto his quilt and reached out to lift it.
The corner of the quilt was only halfway lifted, and Misty was just about to slip in when the zipper sounded again.
Both of them looked toward the tent entrance simultaneously.
Delia was halfway through crawling in when she looked up.
Inside the tent, Misty was leaning right next to Roy.
Under the moonlight, Misty's face was flushed, her pajama collar slightly open, the skin below her collarbone glowing in the light.
Delia froze.
Misty also froze.
The air was silent for a full three seconds.
Delia's face instantly turned bright red, from her cheeks to the tips of her ears.
"I... I... sorry! I didn't know Misty was here too!"
She scrambled to back out, her movements so frantic she nearly hit the back of her head on the tent support.
"It's fine."
Roy's voice was very calm, carrying a reassuring warmth.
"My tent is big!"
"It's fine if you both come in together!"
Delia's retreat stopped.
She froze at the tent entrance, neither entering nor leaving, the blush on her face spreading down to the base of her neck.
Misty was also stunned, her mouth forming an 'O' shape as she looked at Roy, then Delia, then back at Roy.
"Together?"
Both of their voices rang out almost at the same time.
Shock.
Disbelief.
And something else that couldn't quite be put into words.
Roy didn't give them much time to think.
He reached out, grabbed Delia's wrist, and used a bit of force to pull her inside.
And just like that, she was pulled into the quilt along with Misty...