Carolina froze for a moment, but there wasn't much else she could say.
Rowan simply walked into the yard and called out, "Sapphire! Sapphire! It's time to go!"
A few researchers who happened to be free saw what was happening and started looking for her as well.
Strangely enough, when Dawn hadn't started school yet, Sapphire spent every day arguing and bickering with her. Now that Dawn was at school, Sapphire had become quiet instead. She stayed gloomy all day and barely said a word.
The researchers were busy with their own work every day. They had neither the time nor the interest to keep her company.
As for being Birch's daughter, no one at the institute had any intention of trying to win her favor.
After all, their research had recently entered a rare period of rapid progress.
Back when Rowan had spent twenty years getting nowhere, Birch had only ranked slightly above him. Now that Rowan had finally turned things around, Birch had become the last-ranked Pokémon Professor instead.
Researching Pokémon habitats meant constantly traveling from place to place. It was exhausting, yet it rarely produced any groundbreaking results. Because of that, Birch Research Institute had fewer and fewer researchers.
To continue his research, Birch barely had time to look after his daughter. At the same time, he couldn't bear to make her suffer alongside him, so he often left her with friends he trusted.
"Sigh..." Rowan rubbed his forehead helplessly. "I wonder where she ran off to this time."
Pulling at his hair, he turned to Shiro and asked, "How much longer until your ship arrives?"
Shiro waved his hand twice, showing that there was no need to rush.
"I remember she was hiding in the grass earlier." Cynthia recalled with a smile and stuck out her tongue playfully. "She even tried to scare Garchomp, but Garchomp almost used a move on her."
Carolina's expression changed slightly. "Nothing could have happened to that child... right?"
Before she could finish, Rowan had already jogged out into the Pokémon park, searching everywhere.
Inside the main hall, Shiro sighed helplessly and spread his psychic power throughout the laboratory.
He had never imagined that one day he would be using his psychic abilities to look for a missing child.
It didn't take long. With a careful, carpet-like scan of the area, he quickly found her sitting beside the park's lake.
* * *
Sapphire was hugging her knees as she sat quietly by the water, watching the gentle ripples.
Nearby, a Kricketot slowly walked past while holding an Oran Berry. It seemed completely used to seeing her there.
Out on the lake, two Buizel were happily playing together.
"Sapphire." A voice came from behind her.
She didn't turn around.
The reflection on the lake clearly showed who had arrived. Half of his figure overlapped with hers as the image swayed gently on the water.
"It's time to go, Sapphire." Shiro took out his communicator and glanced at the time.
His ship would arrive at Canalave City's port in another two hours. Even with Unown A's power allowing them to teleport multiple times, crossing nearly half of the Sinnoh region would still take close to an hour.
Leaving from Sandgem Town now wasn't too late, but he always preferred arriving early.
"We should get going. It's time to go home, back to Hoenn."
He held out his hand toward her.
Sitting by the lake, Sapphire quietly got to her feet with her head lowered.
She didn't take his hand. Maybe she hadn't even looked at it. Without saying a word, she simply walked around him and headed back toward the laboratory.
Shiro smiled, then grabbed the back of her collar.
"Let's go!"
Psychic energy flickered as space rippled around them.
Sapphire only blinked once before realizing the ground was already far below her.
A Poké Ball traced a clean arc through the air before opening. Black wings spread wide as the Pokémon soared into the sky.
"Corviknight! Let's go!"
* * *
Canalave City was one of Sinnoh's most famous tourist destinations. A waterway divided the city into two halves, and the air was filled with the atmosphere and culture of distant lands.
Many enormous ships were docked at its harbor. Long ago, this had been an important cargo transfer port.
That afternoon, the Water Chaser cruise ship came to a smooth stop beside the dock.
It regularly traveled between Hoenn and Kanto, serving mainly merchants who frequently crossed regions for business.
Clang...
A metal gangway was lowered onto the gray stone pier.
Sailors in light blue uniforms busied themselves on the deck while passengers carrying suitcases and backpacks hurried aboard.
What surprised many of them was that Captain Gru of the Water Chaser, a large man with a round belly, was standing peacefully beside the gangway as though he were waiting for someone.
Many regular passengers recognized Captain Gru. He wasn't known for having a pleasant temper.
One passenger wearing a brown bowler hat was especially surprised. When their eyes met, the captain actually smiled and nodded at him. Curiosity got the better of him, so he stayed nearby to watch.
Soon, a young man in a black trench coat walked up the gangway with a little girl beside him.
Judging from their appearance and age, they looked like brother and sister.
Gru's eyes widened, and he greeted them with unbelievable enthusiasm. "Hahaha! Welcome! Professor Shiro, I've been waiting for you for quite some time… And little miss, there are plenty of delicious things waiting inside the ship!"
Sapphire looked completely uninterested. She didn't respond or even look at him.
The surrounding passengers, however, were both shocked and confused.
A Professor? Such a young Professor?
Most of them paid little attention to the League's upper ranks. They were ordinary people busy making a living. They weren't trainers, nor were they interested in Pokémon research. Naturally, they knew nothing about how Professors were appointed or about newly promoted Pokémon Professors.
The whispers quickly spread through the crowd, slowing everyone trying to board.
Shiro glanced around before smiling. "Thank you, Captain Gru. I still have a few things to take care of, so please don't mind us. The passengers behind us are probably getting impatient."
Gru naturally didn't dare say anything else. He nodded repeatedly before stepping aside.
Shiro took Sapphire to the top-floor cabin first. After letting Growlithe out to keep her company, he returned to the deck.
Passengers were still boarding one after another. Most were busy organizing their luggage, leaving the spacious deck almost empty.
Leaning against the railing and feeling the familiar sea breeze, he took out his communicator.
Beep.
"Hello? Is this Chairman Goodshow?"
* * *
Far away in Kanto, even Goodshow hadn't expected Shiro to call so soon.
Based on what had happened before, he had assumed Shiro would either forget about it entirely or only remember after arriving in Hoenn, when someone there reminded him.
Sometimes, Goodshow honestly wondered why Shiro always seemed even busier than the Chairman of the entire League.
He was still reviewing documents when the telephone on his desk rang. Reaching over, he casually answered it.
"This is Goodshow speaking... Haha, so it's you, Shiro. What a surprise. What have you been so busy with? You actually had time to give me a call."
**
**
**
Thank you for reading! If you'd like access to extra chapters and want to support my work, you can visit my P@treon:
P@treon/SilverShark769
Vote with Power Stones for Bonus Chapters!
Your support means a lot, thank you!