"The so-called Poseidon you mentioned is actually the Legendary Pokémon, Lugia, the very same Pokémon that attacked the Kanto and Johto regions."
Ash did not bother hiding Lugia's identity. Even if the other party knew, it would not change anything.
"What? You mean Poseidon is Lugia? How are you so sure? And what kind of Pokémon is Lugia?" After hearing Ash's words, Shintaro hurried over, his curiosity impossible to hide.
Almost everyone on the island wanted to know Poseidon's true identity. Now that Ash had revealed it, Shintaro naturally wanted to see it for himself.
"It looks like this."
Ash took out his Pokédex and displayed Lugia's image. Although there was no detailed data, the moment Shintaro saw it, he immediately recognized the resemblance to the Silver Wing.
"So this is the true form of the Silver Wing… what a beautiful Pokémon." Shintaro stared at the image, visibly excited.
"The problem isn't that," Ash said, his tone turning serious. "According to the legends here, Lugia should have been guarding the nearby islands, especially the largest group in Johto, the Whirl Islands. But when it first appeared, it showed up in the Orange Islands."
"And Lugia is extremely hostile toward humans. If Mewtwo and I hadn't fought it with everything we had, and if Ho-Oh hadn't been willing to trust humanity one more time, Lugia would never have stopped."
"This is also why I came to investigate. If we want to understand why Lugia hates humans, we have to find the root cause."
Thinking back to Lugia's overwhelming rage, even Ash could tell that it had truly intended to wipe out humanity.
"Why Poseidon destroyed the Whirl Islands… I don't know," Shintaro said, his expression dimming. "But back then, many survivors from a shipwreck settled on an island near Silver Rock Island after barely escaping death."
"Maybe one of them passed down the story of Poseidon to your ancestors. You can go there and ask."
Ash nodded. "That island… I'll check it out. Thanks."
He recalled that Lugia had a parent and child in the Orange Islands. That overwhelming hatred might very well be tied to something that happened in the past.
"In that case, Ash, Sabrina, you can stay here tonight," Shintaro added. "There aren't many inns on the island, so it might be hard to find a place."
Just then, Yuriko glanced at the time on her wrist and hurriedly stood up. "I need to get back to my shop. I forgot to close it earlier."
With that, she rushed out.
That night, Ash and Sabrina stayed at Shintaro's house.
Deep into the night, when everyone had fallen asleep, Ash suddenly opened his eyes. He turned slightly and looked at Sabrina beside him, a faint smile appearing on his face.
Unable to sleep, he quietly got dressed and stepped outside to get some air.
At that moment, he heard faint noises.
His brows furrowed slightly as he followed the sound toward the backyard.
Leaning casually against the wall, Ash's lips curled upward. He had already sensed two presences, Shintaro and his Rhydon.
The two were carefully working on something. In Shintaro's hands was a silver wing-shaped brooch, identical to the one Yuriko wore.
"Done… finally finished. Now I just need to wait until tomorrow." Shintaro looked at the brooch in his hand, his face full of satisfaction.
"Planning to give it to Miss Yuriko?"
Ash's sudden voice startled him.
"Ah, it's you, Ash. You nearly scared me to death." Shintaro let out a long breath and slumped onto the ground, his body relaxing.
"Oh? How did you know I was making it for Yuriko?" he asked, puzzled.
"It's obvious," Ash replied. "I noticed it during the day. The way you look at her is different. And she clearly has feelings for you too. From what I can tell, you two are childhood friends who grew up together."
"Before we even entered your house, Yuriko was already acting like the hostess. She brought Sabrina and me in without even asking for your permission. And you, who clearly noticed it, didn't say a word to stop her. That's not something ordinary friends would do."
After hearing Shintaro's question, Ash spoke calmly. His observational skills were sharp, this kind of detail was impossible for him to miss.
If he could not even notice something this obvious, then his perception and experience would truly be wasted.
"I see… so that's how it is. You're right." Shintaro let out a quiet sigh, then looked at the brooch in his hand. "This really is for Yuriko. Tomorrow is her birthday."
"I've wanted to ask her how she feels for a long time, but I never had the courage."
"But now I've decided. No matter what the outcome is, I want to hear her answer myself. If I don't even try, I'll regret it for the rest of my life."
As he spoke, Shintaro's grip on the silver wing brooch tightened slightly, his expression firm.
Sometimes, the person meant for you is right beside you, yet you let the chance slip away because of hesitation.
Taking this step might make things awkward between them… or it might bring them even closer.
At least in Ash's eyes, Shintaro's chances were very high.