Read up to 30 advanced chapters exclusively on my Patreon at - patreon.com/LoverrBoy
---------------------------------
Delia's words clearly caught Shuli off guard. After hearing the news, he froze completely, mouth agape and eyes wide, staring at Liam and Delia without being able to utter a single word.
Seeing this, Liam actually felt a bit of sympathy for the guy. He sighed inwardly, then raised a slight smile, stepped forward, and extended his hand in greeting.
"Yo, wassup— cough cough—hello, I'm Liam. Very pleased to meet you."
Liam had almost said something wrong at the start, but luckily managed to catch himself, coughed lightly, and introduced himself properly.
"Uh… ah! Oh, hello… I'm Shuli… I know of you, Professor Oak and Delia often mentioned you to me. Today I finally get to meet you… what an honor."
Only after noticing the hand extended toward him did Shuli scramble back to his senses. He quickly wiped his dirt-stained hand on his clothes, then grasped Liam's with both hands, his expression somewhat complicated as he spoke.
"You flatter me. I'm also very happy to meet you. May I ask what you're doing here? Are you heading back to Azalea Town?"
After a brief handshake, Liam withdrew his hand and curiously glanced at the people behind Shuli, smiling as he asked.
"Hahaha, since we're all acquaintances here, there's no harm in telling you. You should be able to tell from our clothing—we're archaeologists. We rushed over from elsewhere when we heard there might be ancient ruins nearby. But after several days of searching, we found nothing, so we decided to head into this town to resupply and ease our frustrations a bit."
The one who replied was a hearty middle-aged man standing behind Shuli. After hearing Liam's question, he stepped forward with a booming laugh and explained.
"Ancient ruins? Around here? Oh! Speaking of ruins, I might know one. When we were coming this way, not far from here, on a stretch of grassland, we stumbled across what looked like the remains of ancient ruins. Not sure if it's what you're looking for…"
Hearing this, Liam immediately thought of that grassland ruin where he had once encountered Entei. Now that Entei was gone, there shouldn't be any danger there. He couldn't help but speak up, addressing the middle-aged man and Shuli.
"You've discovered ruins!? This—hahaha—this is excellent news! Could you share the coordinates with us? We'll compensate you for it."
As soon as Liam said this, the previously dispirited archaeological team instantly came alive. They rushed forward one after another, eyes shining with hope as they looked at Liam and Delia. The middle-aged man too, wearing an excited expression, replied to Liam.
"Uh… I only thought the site looked very ancient, I can't be sure it's the real deal. But I can certainly tell you the location. As for compensation, no need—it can be our apology for bothering you earlier."
Surrounded by the enthusiastic archaeologists, Liam gave a slightly helpless smile.
He then carefully explained the route leading to the ruins.
"I'm not sure about other paths, but the route we took started from here. First, through Rainy Path, then Union Cave, followed by a forest. After the forest, you'll reach a vast grassland. That grassland connects to Violet City. The ruins are on that grassland, roughly at coordinates XXX, XXX."
He also provided the archaeologists with the approximate coordinates recorded on his navigation map at the time. The margin of error shouldn't be too big.
"Hahaha! Thank you so much! We've got it down! Honestly, we're amazed—you two crossed such a long distance all by yourselves? Your strength must be formidable! Hahaha, meeting such talented individuals today, it's truly our lucky day! We must repay this kindness somehow… ah! Yes, please take this! We unearthed this orb during one of our digs. It should have some value. Please accept it as a token of gratitude!"
After noting down the information, the middle-aged man was overjoyed. He sincerely thanked Liam, then suddenly remembered something. Quickly unstrapping his pack, he pulled out a golden orb about the size of a fist and firmly pressed it into Liam's hand.
"Please, you must accept it! Otherwise, we won't be able to rest easy… Alright, everyone! Now that we have a new lead, let's resupply in town, get a good night's rest, and set out first thing tomorrow!"
After handing over the orb, the man turned and rallied his team. Brimming with excitement, they hurried toward Azalea Town.
At the very back of the group, however, Shuli's expression differed from the rest. Instead of excitement, his face carried a faint sadness. He cast one last lingering look at Delia leaning against Liam, then clutched his chest, turned his head, and let out a strange, wordless shout. After that, he sprinted ahead, overtaking the others in a flash.
...
Liam turned his head, watching the archaeological team disappear into the distance. Then he looked down at the golden orb in his hand, faint arcs of electricity crackling faintly within. He didn't even need to test it to know what it was.
A Light Ball. A special item—if Pikachu holds it, both its Attack and Special Attack power double!
"Tsk, tsk, tsk… didn't expect it to be something like this. Delia, you hold on to it. When we have a child in the future, we can give it to them as a gift. They'll love it."
Liam slipped the Light Ball into Delia's shoulder bag, grinning mischievously as he spoke.
"Wha—what are you talking about!? A gift for our future child…! Honestly! You're embarrassing me! Hmph! I'm not talking to you anymore! Come out, Riolu! Quick, quick! Let's run off and explore ahead!"
Delia, dazed a moment ago, flushed scarlet the instant she processed Liam's words. Flustered, she shoved him away and avoided his gaze entirely.
In a rush, she pulled out a PokeBall and released Riolu once more, then scooped the confused little Pokemon into her arms and dashed into the forest ahead. From behind, her glowing red ears betrayed just how shy she was.
Watching Delia flee in embarrassment, Liam's lips curled into a triumphant smile. Without hesitation, he gave chase, sprinting after her into the forest.