Time flew by.
A massive energy source could be detected approaching on Bill's instrument system.
Theoretically speaking, active surveillance of the target was possible at this point.
However, in practice, this was an extremely inadvisable course of action.
The entity was coming to honor an appointment.
So, they simply had to wait.
The colossal energy signal on the screen was gradually brightening, its trajectory shifting towards the direction of Vermilion City.
Bill's Lighthouse is, in fact, quite close to Vermilion City.
One had to wonder if the Vermilion Gym had detected these abnormal energy fluctuations.
However, given Bill's status and standing... and the fact that this wasn't technically within Vermilion City limits, the city had no jurisdiction here.
...Still, how the Gym Leader of the Vermilion Gym, Lt. Surge, would react was something no one could predict.
That night.
The alarms inside the laboratory suddenly grew urgent, with red warning lights rotating and flashing silently.
The glow within the spectral blue energy conduits seemed to suffer interference, flickering unstably.
"Analytical model constructing... Energy readings spiking sharply... It's accelerated!" Bill's voice carried a trace of urgency.
Yet, the exhilaration in his heart was becoming impossible to suppress.
After so much time and effort, there was finally a result.
Through the words of these living fossils—these long-lived Pokémon—one could understand the truth of this world from a first-person perspective.
This was far nicer than archaeology.
Even if these Pokémon's perceptions held subjective biases, they could still be analyzed in conjunction with archaeological data.
In short, it was a win-win situation no matter what.
Gardevoir appeared silently at Bill's side, her red pupils shimmering with the brilliance of psychic power; she had clearly entered a state of high alert.
After all, Bill only needed to focus on research, but Gardevoir had much more to consider.
If a fight were to truly break out, Gardevoir would have to take the lead and engage immediately.
And if they couldn't win, it would be up to Gardevoir to lead everyone in an escape.
[Doctor, the port's energy barrier generator has automatically activated to maximum power.]
A gentle male voice resonated in everyone's minds, heavy with unprecedented gravity.
That Sea King's envoy...
Strong, strong, strong.
Extremely strong.
"Hahahaha—" Bill spun around abruptly to face Ash and the others, his expression a complex weave of excitement and severity.
"You'll see soon enough."
His voice cut through the hum of the alarms, seemingly carrying the echo of the ocean tides.
"It has... arrived."
On the massive main screen, the point of light representing the "Envoy" suddenly erupted with blinding radiance.
Amidst the frantic scrolling of data streams, its silhouette began to materialize bit by bit—
It was a shadow so colossal it induced trembling, like a moving mountain range casting its gaze from the deep sea toward the human city.
The laboratory lights flickered violently, as if shuddering at the descent of some supreme existence.
Gulp—Ash and his companions swallowed hard.
As the computer analysis clarified the shadow's form, its rough outline was revealed.
"I never expected it to actually be a Dragonite?" Brock exclaimed, so overwhelmed he was at a loss for words.
Generally speaking, Rock-type Pokémon were considered to have relatively large builds.
But even the largest Onix Brock knew of... fell far short of the behemoth before them.
"...That is just way too big," Misty murmured, estimating the Dragonite to be nearly 50 meters tall.
—Did my parents really go to challenge a creature like this?
—How could anyone possibly win against that?
—Can I ask Him?
Misty steeled her resolve; if the opportunity arose, she absolutely had to ask.
She had to confirm whether her parents were alive or dead.
"What a beautiful, magical, powerful creature..." Bill began to marvel.
[Doctor... he is too strong...] Gardevoir's grave voice resonated.
"Height approximately 50 meters... weight likely exceeding 24,650 tons..."
Bill seemed to not hear a thing, already immersed in his own world.
A single punch from this thing would be a literal Mega Punch—perhaps even a gigaton punch.
"Tail strike force equivalent to a small magnitude earthquake, impact force reaching tens of thousands of kilonewtons..."
"Not the tremor caused by the move Earthquake, but a quake caused by sheer kinetic impact."
"It is unclear how much the biological tissue has changed compared to a normal Dragonite given such size..."
"Disregarding Abilities, stats, or moves... even the pure material of its scales should be able to withstand heavy artillery fire."
Although he hadn't obtained detailed physical data or samples from the Giant Dragonite for research, Bill had already begun calculations in his mind.
"..." Gardevoir was somewhat speechless.
[Everyone, do not leave my side. If an anomaly occurs, I will transport you away immediately.]
Gardevoir warned Ash and his companions.
Fighting was out of the question; they couldn't possibly defeat the giant monster before them.
However, running away was still feasible.
This was the might of the Psychic-type.
Unless the space was locked down beforehand by a more powerful Pokémon using spatial powers...
...then no matter how weak a Psychic-type Pokémon might be, as long as it knew Teleport, it could flee a great distance.
The strength gap between Pokémon is vast.
Different Pokémon types are also divided into "god-tier" and "trash-tier."
Yet, the Psychic-type has never fallen out of the meta.
The Psychic-type's basic move, Confusion... is one of the skills with the widest range of utility and coverage.
Using Confusion to manipulate various substances, or even interfere with space itself.
The power of psionics needs no further explanation.
The alarm had ceased at some point.
But that heavy sense of oppression had not dissipated; instead, it shrouded the entire lighthouse like a tangible substance.
One of the five Sea King Pokémon—a powerhouse qualified to stand on the world stage.
The psychic brilliance within Gardevoir's red pupils flowed ceaselessly.
It tilted its head slightly, and that gentle male voice resonated in everyone's minds once more, carrying a trace of imperceptible astonishment:
[It stopped... right outside.]
[No intention to attack... it seems more like it is... waiting?]
...One could tell Gardevoir was nervous, as it had started talking nonsense.
If there really was hostility... well, there would be no "aftermath," so what was there to wait for?
Bill lunged at the main control console, his hands flying across the controls to project the feed from the external monitors onto the giant main screen.
The image shook violently and blurred at first, before gradually stabilizing and clearing up.
There, above the sea surface under the curtain of night, a silhouette so colossal it defied cognition stood towering and majestic.
The moonlight barely outlined its mountain-like profile—a rounded head, small wings, stout limbs, and a long, powerful tail.
It was precisely the form of a Dragonite.
Yet its scale was magnified countless times, resembling a titan walking out of legend.
The ocean waves flowed beneath its feet like gentle streams, and the beam of the lighthouse could not even fully illuminate its body.
Most heart-stopping of all were those gigantic eyes, like searchlights, staring calmly in the direction of the lighthouse. Within them, there was no rage, no malice, only a depth accumulated over endless years and... curiosity.
"Is it... looking at me?" Bill's voice trembled with agitation.
He almost subconsciously straightened his disheveled research coat.
"It understood my call!"
"It really came to respond to me!"
Bill's face radiated a glow akin to religious pilgrimage; the previous severity had been completely supplanted by immense excitement.
"Doctor, that's too dangerous!" Brock couldn't help but interject, his face written with worry.
Misty also nervously clutched Ash's arm.
Faced with such a colossal behemoth, every human instinct screamed to flee.
Big!
It was just too big!
But Bill's resolve was unshakable.
"Gardevoir, open the external barrier channel." His voice was exceptionally firm. "I must go speak with it... This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"
____
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