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After Harribel left, Liam first spent some time explaining to Delia exactly what favor he owed Harribel. Then the two went out together for a massive shopping trip, preparing for their upcoming journey.
By the time they finally returned to their room after an entire afternoon of shopping, both were exhausted. Delia went to shower first, while Liam once again opened the square box.
"Hmm… A color I've never seen in my memories. Is this a different individual?"
Since he already knew that the oval gemstone before him was the true core of Deoxys, he tried searching his memories. But he didn't recall a yellow gemstone among the known Deoxys forms.
Thus Liam suspected—this was an individual never seen before.
"Lulu, come out for a second. Help me figure out how to wake this guy up and restore him."
For difficult mysteries like this, Lulu was always the best choice.
"Mm-hmm~ Looks like it's my time to shine again~!"
With a cheerful cry, Lulu's tiny body appeared before Liam, her transparent wings fluttering as she spun in circles, scattering shimmering lights.
"Huh? You're not sleepy today, Lulu? I thought I would have to call you several times."
Seeing Lulu wide awake, Liam couldn't help feeling suspicious—like he was looking at a fake Lulu.
"Hmph~"
But after hearing that, Lulu flew to Liam's shoulder, grabbed a lock of his hair like she always did—
—then yanked.
"Ahhh! Ow ow ow ow!! Wait—Lulu! Are you your real body right now?! You're fully recovered?! That's great!!"
The sudden pain almost made Liam tear up, but then it hit him—Lulu's projection couldn't touch him.
If she could grab his hair… she was back in her real body!
His face lit up with joy as he snatched Lulu into his arms and shook her excitedly.
"Ahh—stop—! I'm getting dizzy! Put me down, you idiot!"
Lulu finally struggled free from his grip, furious and puffing up her cheeks as she glared at him.
"Hehe… sorry, sorry. I got too excited. Don't be mad. Come on—take a look at this Deoxys core."
Realizing he had indeed overdone it, Liam immediately shifted the topic, directing her attention to the gemstone.
"Hmph! I'm ignoring you!"
Though she said so, Lulu still flapped her wings over to the yellow gemstone. After touching and examining it, she floated back to Liam with her arms crossed.
"The cosmic energy inside this core is almost depleted. If it relies on natural recovery, it'll take decades—maybe hundreds of years—to fully awaken."
Lulu's words poured a bucket of cold water over Liam. His hopeful expression deflated instantly. He sighed as he gently touched the yellow gem.
"But if you want this Deoxys to recover quickly, there is a way."
Lulu continued, hands on her hips.
Liam: "…"
His hands froze mid-movement as he turned to give Lulu a speechless look.
"Hehe~ All you need to do is replenish it with cosmic energy."
Proudly swinging her legs as she sat on the edge of the box, Lulu continued.
"From what I know, meteorites that fall from space onto this planet carry cosmic energy—some more, some less. If you collect several meteorites and let this Deoxys absorb their energy, I'm sure it will awaken quickly."
Liam: "…Meteorites, huh? I think… I actually have one!"
Her words jolted Liam's memory—he had collected a meteorite fragment back at Mt. Moon. He rummaged through his bag until he finally found the long-forgotten shard and placed it beside the yellow gemstone.
Immediately, tiny sparks of yellow light flickered between the stone and the gemstone.
Liam could clearly see strands of mysterious energy flowing from the meteorite into the yellow core, whose glow gradually brightened.
But only for a few seconds. Then both the meteorite and the gemstone dimmed simultaneously.
"Huh? What happened?"
Liam picked up the meteorite shard, confused.
"That fragment's energy ran out. It can slowly regenerate, but it's only a piece of the whole. Its capacity is tiny. At the rate you just saw, it would take dozens—maybe hundreds—of charges to fully awaken Deoxys."
Lulu explained clearly.
"Ugh… so what now? Just wait slowly?"
Liam pouted, stuffing the useless fragment back into his bag.
"Hmph~ If the fragment isn't enough, then go find the complete meteorite! That shard you have is a piece that broke off Rayquaza's origin meteorite. Its energy is probably less than one-thousandth of the original. If you can find the real origin meteorite, this Deoxys will wake up in no time!"
Lulu floated up indignantly, hands on her hips.
"Rayquaza's origin meteorite… I remember it's located in Hoenn's Mt. Chimney. I see. Looks like when I have time, I should take a trip to Hoenn."
Liam closed the box and stored it away. Determination flickered in his eyes—he now had another future plan.
Just then, the bathroom door opened slightly. Delia peeked out, her hair still damp, cheeks faintly flushed.
"Liam… I can't reach my back. Could you come help me scrub it?"
Though it wasn't the first time she'd asked, Delia was still shy and fidgety—an adorable sight.
"Ahem! Of course I can! Coming~!"
Liam shoved all thoughts of meteorites out of his mind and dashed over instantly, leaving Lulu behind with a headful of black lines.
...…
Pleasant moments always pass quickly.
Later that night, Liam lay on the large bed, holding the sleeping Delia in his arms. He smiled unconsciously at her peaceful sleeping face.
At that moment—
A "beep beep beep" sounded from his backpack.
Liam frowned, carefully slipped out of bed, retrieved the source—a Black Vortex Mask—stepped onto the balcony, put it on, and answered the call.
"Hello?! Who is this?! Do you know what time it is?! I have work tomorrow!"
Liam's tone dripped with annoyance.
"Ahem. Don't be mad—it's me. I'm at the dock on Cinnabar Island.
I have something to discuss with you. If you're free, come over."
The voice on the other side spoke calmly.
"Huh? Giovanni? Tch, knew you'd be fine. Alright, wait there—I'll be right over."
Hearing Giovanni's voice melted away all Liam's irritation and worry.
Smiling faintly, he grabbed his clothes and quietly slipped out of the room.