“Long time no see, August! I’ve heard all about what happened in Vermilion City,” Professor Oak greeted him.

  He hadn’t expected August to deal with Lt. Surge so decisively—he had originally assumed August was just gathering intel.

  “It was nothing, really…” August replied.

  He had expected Professor Oak to take longer to arrive from Pallet Town, yet somehow, he had beaten Professor Cerise, who was much closer in Vermilion City.

  August gnced at the Dragonite standing beside Professor Oak.

  So this is the partner Professor Oak used in his younger days?

  Sensing August’s gaze, Dragonite was just about to wave in greeting when it suddenly felt something poking it.

  Looking down, it found an Eevee staring at it angrily.

  “Vui!”

  Eevee pointed at its toppled sandcastle and started scolding Dragonite.

  First, Gyarados had destroyed it. And now, just when it was almost rebuilt, Dragonite’s sudden descent had wiped it out again.

  “Uhh…”

  Dragonite scratched its head, realizing that it had caused the mess. It looked sheepish.

  “An Eevee? It looks extremely well-trained. Is it yours, August?” Professor Oak finally took notice of the Pokémon and was a little surprised.

  With his keen eye, he could tell right away—this Eevee was strong.

  Raising an Eevee to this level was no small feat.

  “Yeah, Eevee’s my partner.” August patted the still-pouting Eevee. “And it’s pretty strong too.”

  With August’s reassurance, Eevee finally let go of its grudge over the sandcastle.

  Dragonite, relieved, let out a quiet sigh.

  With that little incident resolved, Professor Oak turned his attention to the main topic—Lugia.

  In the Kanto region, Lugia, the Guardian of the Seas, had been recorded throughout history. Many schors had spent their lives searching for traces of it.

  Professor Oak was no exception. That was why, the moment he heard about August’s discovery of ruins reted to Lugia, he had rushed over without hesitation.

  August handed him the [Silver Wing] that Blue had found in the underwater ruins.

  “Blue just discovered this in the ruins. It’s Lugia’s feather.”

  As Professor Oak examined the [Silver Wing], August had Blue recount the details of what she had seen underwater.

  After hearing her account, August summarized his thoughts:

  “My guess is that the ruins were a pce where ancient people worshipped Lugia. But Pokémon research isn’t really my field of expertise, which is why I invited you here, Professor Oak."

  “I also invited Professor Cerise. If I’m not mistaken, he should be arriving right about…”

  Just as he was speaking, a loud cry echoed from the sky.

  A Pidgeot approached from a distance, carrying a basket in its talons. Looking closely, they could see Professor Cerise sitting inside it.

  Professor Oak and Professor Cerise, former mentor and student, exchanged greetings.

  Upon learning that Cerise had secured funding to establish his own research b, Professor Oak was visibly pleased.

  His once most promising student was finally embarking on his own path.

  Using Professor Oak’s influence, they managed to borrow a boat from Bluepool City’s municipal office. Following Blue’s directions, they sailed to the ruins’ location.

  “August, are you sure you want to go alone?” Professor Oak asked.

  He had originally wanted to dive in as well, but both August and Professor Cerise had stopped him.

  Even though Professor Oak had once been an adventurer, he was no longer as young as he used to be. If something happened to him down there, that would be on them.

  “I’ll be fine.” August patted Dragonair’s head. “I have Dragonair with me, plus Gyarados and Gardevoir—more than enough to handle any situation.”

  Since he would be working underwater, he had only brought Pokémon suited for the task.

  Both Dragonair and Gyarados could move freely in the water, and Gardevoir’s psychic abilities were not restricted by the ocean’s depths.

  “Besides… even if something did go wrong, wouldn’t your Dragonite be able to handle it?” August smirked and looked at Dragonite.

  “Woo~”

  Dragonite puffed out its chest and patted it confidently, assuring them that everything was under control.

  Seeing this, Professor Oak relented. He had absolute trust in his partner.

  “Alright then—be careful down there.”

  Dressed in a wetsuit, August gave them a thumbs-up.

  Then, holding onto Dragonair, he flipped into the sea.

  The moment he entered the water, a breathtaking scene unfolded before his eyes.

  A school of Magikarp swam past him, while Shellder and Staryu clung to the rocky seabed.

  A cluster of Corso basked in the sunlight filtering through the waves, their coral branches swaying happily in the currents.

  In the distance, a Lapras glided by gracefully, disappearing in a fsh.

  It was August’s first time experiencing the beauty of the ocean depths, and he found himself captivated by the mesmerizing sight.

  Then—

  Spsh!

  Dragonite jumped into the water, causing a massive wave that startled the Corso, sending them scattering in all directions.

  Unbothered, Dragonite stretched its body, moving as effortlessly as if it were in its natural habitat.

  August twitched the corner of his mouth.

  Professor Oak’s Dragonite is… kind of a mood killer.

  “Woo~”

  Dragonair nudged August’s cheek, then released a shimmering energy ring that enveloped him, keeping seawater from reaching his body.

  Breathing in the humid air within the protective barrier, August rested on Dragonair’s back and gave it an appreciative pat. Then, he turned to Dragonite and waved.

  “Let’s go.”

  Dragonair nodded and started descending toward the depths of the ocean.

  Dragonite quickly followed.

  The nearby wild Pokémon instinctively moved aside at the sight of the two powerful Dragon-types.

  In just a few minutes, August arrived at the underwater ruins that Blue had described.

  Rather than a single structure, the ruins were a sprawling complex. Most of the buildings were in various states of colpse, but the central temple remained intact.

  August pulled out his communicator and adjusted the settings.

  “Professor Oak, can you hear me?”

  "…zhh… I can hear you! …zhh…"

  The communicator crackled, the seawater interfering with the signal. But as long as it still worked, that was good enough.

  “I’ve reached the ruins. I’m switching on the video feed—keep an eye on the transmission.”

  Activating the recording function, August fixed the device onto his chest, aiming it forward.

  With Dragonair and Dragonite by his side, he swam toward the ruins.

  At the entrance, the doors had already been pushed open—likely from when Blue had entered earlier.

  Following the open path, August stepped inside.