The sight inside the Lighthouse Laboratory made the trio hold their breath in unison.
It was a stark contrast to the classical white exterior.
The interior was a futuristic silver-white.
Smooth alloy walls joined seamlessly, gleaming with a cold luster.
Complex energy conduits were embedded in the ceiling and walls like blood vessels, flowing with a faint, ghostly blue light.
Truly the laboratory of a world-renowned Professor.
At a glance, it was incredibly high-end.
Most striking were the massive, ancient stone tablets circling the walls of the rotunda.
They were completely out of place amidst the surrounding technology.
The stone was rough, the edges bearing traces of weathering, carved with vague yet powerful patterns.
Roaring whales, tangling tentacles, indistinct humanoids commanding wind and waves, and other indescribable deep-sea colossi.
They stood silently, as if transported directly from some forgotten ancient temple, radiating a desolate and mysterious aura.
These were excavated artifacts, collected and studied by Bill.
A Pokémon Professor's scope of research is actually quite broad.
Although Bill is world-famous for his [Pokémon Storage System technology], he actually has other research projects.
For instance, recently, he has been researching the true identities of the five great "Sea Kings" under the command of the Sea Emperor, Kyogre.
"These are..." Brock's gaze was instantly captivated.
As the successor of a Rock-type Gym, he possessed an instinctive desire to explore such ancient ruins.
"..." Ash remained somewhat silent; he didn't know what to say.
He actually saw Mewtwo on these stone tablets?
Emm... what is the situation?
Could it be???
"The Stone Tablets of the Sea People." A voice came from the center of the hall.
There.
A young man in a white lab coat with somewhat messy hair stood before a complex console, fingers flying across a light screen.
He looked up, revealing a face that was weary yet possessed incredibly bright eyes.
It was Bill.
His gaze swept over the three, pausing slightly when he looked at Ash.
"They record ancient legends regarding the ocean and... warnings."
Bill's tone was calm, but his next words instantly solidified the air.
"You've arrived at the perfect time."
He turned, pointing to a massive screen behind him that seemed composed of pure light.
The screen displayed a real-time monitoring map of the waters surrounding Vermilion City.
A massive, irregular energy signal could be seen moving slowly through the deep sea zone.
Wherever it passed, the signals of other marine life were scattering in retreat.
"The Emissary of the Sea Emperor is coming." This was the result of Bill's years of waiting.
"The Sea Emperor's Emissary?" Brock frowned, his face full of confusion. "What is that? Some kind of powerful Water-type Pokémon?"
He looked at the tablets, trying to find an answer.
Beside him, Misty's face instantly turned somewhat pale.
She subconsciously hugged her arms, her orange ponytail seeming to lose some of its bounce.
After all, she knew a little about her parents' accident.
Misty opened her mouth but couldn't make a sound immediately, her eyes revealing obvious dread.
The Cerulean Gym had dealt with the ocean for generations.
Certain fears buried deep in bloodline memory were far more etched in the bone than knowledge from books.
Ash stepped forward, his eyes locked on the slow-moving massive signal on the screen, his expression under the brim of his hat incredibly grave.
"Professor Oak mentioned a little to me last time..." His voice dropped low.
"About the 'Sea King' class Pokémon under the command of Sea Emperor Kyogre, those who rule different sea domains. Or rather... the 'Titans'."
He paused, then slowly recited those titles sufficient to suffocate an ordinary Trainer:
"1: The Ancient Sentinel of the Foggy Strait – The Immortal Guardian."
"2: The Ocean Torrent of a Billion Wills – The Deep Ocean Legion."
"3: The Mobile Fortress Carrying Islands – The Abyssal Behemoth."
"4: The Ballad Lord of the Polar White Sea – The Ice Ocean Master."
"5: The Curse Source of the Thick Fog Ghost Ship – The Ghost Ferryman."
"Professor Oak came up with the names."
"When I heard them back then, I thought he'd had too much to drink and was suffering from 'middle school syndrome'."
"Emm... drunk Professor Oak."
Ash finished speaking, adding a casual complaint.
The Oak Laboratory possessed the most cutting-edge research data in the world.
It could even be said that, aside from classified research, the academic community didn't mind giving Professor Oak a copy of most new data discoveries.
Ash didn't know if the information Professor Oak told him was the whole story.
But just hearing these titles felt like listening to mythology.
With every name recited, Misty's face grew a shade paler, and Brock's brow locked tighter.
What these names represented was a terrifying power beyond conventional Gym battles, or even Elite Four battles; they were existences truly at the level of natural disasters.
Ash looked up at Bill. "But Professor, we can't be sure yet which specific 'Emissary' is coming, or rather... what their true forms actually are, right?"
Hearing Ash's words, the corners of Bill's mouth curled into a smile.
"Hahahaha... Drunk Professor Oak??"
"Suddenly, that feels very fitting~~"
"Professor Oak is as humorous as ever." His gaze returned to the giant screen.
"The signs of the Sea Emperor's awakening are becoming more frequent. It is no accident that its Emissary has appeared in waters active with humans." Bill's fingers slid rapidly across the console.
"Do you know?"
"One day, I heard a sound coming from the other side of the ocean."
Under Bill's operation, a strange recording began to play.
"I want to see you, I want to see you—that was the feeling I got after hearing it."
"So, I created the same sound and used the lighthouse to broadcast it toward the sea."
"I want to see you too, I want to see you."
Instead of fear, Bill's face showed the extreme excitement of a scientist facing an unknown puzzle.
Even though he knew very well that what was being attracted would be an incredibly powerful Pokémon.
As a Pokémon Professor studying Pokémon, how could he fear danger?
This was the boundless love for Pokémon!
"Just like that, day after day passed."
"Until that day, I heard a response. The same sound came from the other side of the sea."
"I am certain. He is one of the five Sea Kings."
"It just so happens I am conducting research in this area."
"Rather than letting our imaginations run wild here, relying on various clues to deduce..."
"If we want to know the truth of the Sea Kings, wouldn't it be better to ask them directly?"
The archaeological research of this world is actually somewhat awkward.
Archaeology, archaeology.
Archaeology is for discovering history buried by time.
But this is not an ordinary world; it is a world with Pokémon.
There exist species among Pokémon with extremely long lifespans.
Especially those existences known as gods.
What is past history to humans...
To these long-lived Pokémon, is merely something they have personally experienced.
So, rather than thinking about how to increase one's archaeological knowledge, it is better to think about how to become stronger... and then go ask those powerful Pokémon about the things you want to know.
If one could contact the God of Time...
Then the entire archaeological industry could change from archaeology to stenography.
Compared to the potential errors of blind guessing in archaeology...
Recording it directly would definitely be authentic.
"As long as we meet him, we can understand this world even better."
Bill said.
"You guys just wait here for two days."
"This will be a memory that lasts a lifetime."
____
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