The closer the three of them drew to the white lighthouse perched on the cliff edge, the heavier the air became.
An invisible pressure washed over them like a rising tide, carrying a clear warning—
Do not approach.
It was a powerful Psychic force. Whoever was guarding this place from the shadows was no pushover.
A very strong Pokémon.
Misty instinctively hugged her arms around herself.
Brock's steps grew cautious, his expression tightening with tension.
On Ash's shoulder, Pikachu went from lazy to alert in an instant, standing up straight, cheek sacs crackling faintly with electricity. Its black eyes swept the seemingly calm bushes and rock shadows all around them.
Pikachu could feel hostility.
But it couldn't locate exactly where it was coming from.
——This is a tricky opponent, pika…
"This hostility is… intense," Brock muttered under his breath, voice unconsciously lowered.
Ash stopped walking.
He could feel more than one gaze fixed on them from the dark, full of scrutiny and firm rejection.
This level of security fit a Pokémon Professor's status perfectly.
After all, most of what they researched was extremely valuable.
——Couldn't have them getting robbed at home all the time like a certain "superhero," right?
——Without that guy, his whole shining country might actually be safer.
——If your nation keeps building super-weapons only for enemies to steal them, maybe your security is the real problem.
Ash didn't try to force his way in. Instead, he calmly pulled a familiar red-and-white device from his pocket.
His Pokédex.
He tapped a few buttons with practiced ease, then held it up.
—ProfessorSamuelOak,PalletTown.—Professor Samuel Oak, Pallet Town.—ProfessorSamuelOak,PalletTown.
Professor Oak's steady, familiar voice rang out clearly from the Pokédex's speaker, echoing across the pressure-filled clearing.
Then Brock stepped forward and added in a firm voice:
"From Pewter Gym—Brock, visiting."
Misty took a deep breath and called out as well:
"From Cerulean Gym—Misty, visiting."
Their voices—together with Professor Oak's recorded introduction—carried clearly through the air.
Silence followed.
Only the wind around the lighthouse keened softly past the metal and glass.
Then—
A loudspeaker high on the lighthouse crackled to life with a soft buzz.
A man's voice came through—tired, but edged with curiosity, undercut by the faint background hum of machinery.
"A Pokédex holder from Professor Oak?"
"And two Gym Trainers as well… what a rare combination."
"It's been quite a while since anyone came here."
"Come on in."
The instant he finished speaking—
The suffocating hostility around them receded like a retreating tide, vanishing as if it had never been there.
Right after that—
The air in front of them shimmered.
A slender, elegant figure seemed to be woven out of nothing at all, quietly appearing a few steps ahead.
Its pure white lower body flared like a gown. Green "hair" framed its head like a crest. Its arms looked like they were covered with elegant long gloves, and its crimson eyes, calm and deep, felt like they could see straight through a person's heart.
A Gardevoir.
Beautiful, poised, and dignified.
Then, a clear male voice spoke directly in the three of their minds—gentle and polite, yet carrying an unearthly, non-human echo:
"Welcome. Please follow me."
"The Professor is waiting for you in the top-floor lab."
Gardevoir bowed his head slightly, making a graceful after you gesture.
He didn't open his mouth, but the telepathic voice was clearer than ordinary speech, etched right into their consciousness.
"(꒪⌓꒪)"
Misty's jaw dropped a fraction.
She stared at the Pokémon in front of them—a Gardevoir with such a soft, graceful appearance…
…paired with a grown man's voice in her head.
"...(ಠ.̫.̫ಠ)"
Brock's eyes looked like his heart had just snapped in two.
He had not been prepared for a male Gardevoir.
As a Breeder, though, his curiosity sparked instantly at a Psychic-type capable of such smooth, stable telepathy, and with such high apparent intelligence.
Strong Trainers almost always had at least one Psychic- or Ghost-type partner.
With those, life became a lot easier—especially when it came to communication with Pokémon.
"...a pretty-boy crossdresser…" Ash thought to himself, tugging his cap lower. His eyes, however, glittered with interest.
"Telepathy… and that clear and steady? That's amazing," he said quietly, then nodded to Gardevoir. "Lead the way."
Gardevoir dipped his head again and turned.
His "skirt" brushed the ground soundlessly as he glided toward the lighthouse's massive metal door.
The trio exchanged glances, then followed.
On Ash's shoulder, Pikachu crouched low, staring curiously at their guide, its little head full of big question marks.
——Pika…?
(Male? Female?)
Pikachu had never seen a Gardevoir before.
But it had seen a lot of humans.
And on humans, anyone with this kind of silhouette and outfit was basically always a woman.
But this Gardevoir sounded exactly like a human man.
Which thoroughly scrambled Pikachu's tiny mouse brain.
Guess it was still too young; it needed more worldly experience.
"…"
Gardevoir's steps faltered, almost imperceptibly.
His voice sounded in their minds again, still gentle, but with the faintest hint of helplessness.
"For Psychic-types, gender identity is… not a priority."
"I am the Professor's assistant. My duties are to guide and to guard."
"This way, please."
Back when he'd still been a Kirlia, he'd actually wanted to evolve into a Gallade.
With Bill's status and connections, getting hold of a Dawn Stone would've been easy.
Unfortunately, Gallade's traits weren't what the Professor needed.
After weighing all the factors, the decision was made—
Kirlia would evolve into Gardevoir instead.
Whenever this came up, Gardevoir couldn't help feeling a little… tragic.
To his own species, appearance wasn't really a big deal.
In the wild, Gardevoir's male–female ratio was about 1:1.
After all, male Kirlia only evolved into Gallade if you also had a Dawn Stone.
And Dawn Stones were not exactly common.
But for a male Gardevoir living among humans?
Appearance was an issue.
What, did humans think Gardevoir didn't know how to use the internet?
Please. He was good at it.
And that was the problem.
What did humans say about male Gardevoir online?
——Quack, it's a femboy!
——It's a boyfriend-wife! Even better!
——Dude, it's literally the doujin queen!
Every time he remembered those… creative comments, Gardevoir just wanted to reach through the data cables and punch those filthy humans straight through the screen.
Gentlemen were basically the same level of menace in every world.
While Gardevoir was silently seething, the massive metal door in front of him slid open without a sound.
A sleek, high-tech corridor stretched beyond.
Inside and outside might as well have been two different worlds.
Of course the research lab of Professor Bill wasn't going to be simple.
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