Chapter 53: Doctor, Have You Heard of Ancient Pokemon?

Huo La and Xiao Gang stood before the iron gate of the lighthouse, looking up at the imposing door—on the black‑iron panels dozens of Pokemon motifs were carved, each stroke vivid, even Pikachu's tail tip and Ivysaur's leaf pattern were clearly visible, exuding an extreme love for Pokemon.

The two paused to admire for a moment, and Huo La reached out to press the doorbell by the gate.

A few seconds later, a slightly lazy male voice came from the intercom at the door: "May I ask who is this?"

"I am Huo La from Pallet Town, wishing to visit Dr. Zheng Hui," Huo La said into the microphone.

The intercom was silent for two seconds, then a curt "Huo La... not recognized" came, followed by a "click" as the line was hung up.

"Um..." Huo La's hand froze on the doorbell, awkwardly scratching his head—he hadn't expected that stating his name would make the other side refuse even to look at him.

Seeing this, Xiao Gang stepped forward proactively: "How about I give it a try?"

Huo La hesitated briefly, nodded, and lowered his voice to instruct: "Don't bring up anything else; just tell him you can make fried noodles."

Though his face was full of doubt, Xiao Gang still pressed the doorbell as instructed.

The intercom again carried Zheng Hui's voice, tinged with impatience: "Anything else...?"

"I can make fried noodles! And they're a secret recipe with over a dozen seasonings!" Xiao Gang immediately raised his voice, shouting the line Huo La had taught him.

The other end fell silent instantly.

After a while, Zheng Hui's tone noticeably softened: "What do you want to do?"

Huo La immediately took the microphone, speaking earnestly: "We would like to stay here for two days, and also... discuss that huge mysterious Pokemon with you."

"Whoa!" a sudden exclamation came from the other end, followed by a "clang" as a heavy object hit the floor, sounding as if someone had fallen off a chair.

Before Huo La could react, the intercom was hurriedly hung up, and then the heavy iron door creaked open slowly.

A young man with short green hair, dressed in a red aristocratic outfit, stumbled out, a few oil stains on his chest, clearly having just been cooking.

He scanned Huo La and Xiao Gang several times, his eyes full of urgency: "Who just said... they know information about that huge mysterious Pokemon?"

"It was me," Huo La stepped forward, meeting his gaze calmly.

"You?" Zheng Hui stared at the boy, barely in his teens, his brows furrowing tighter, his tone full of doubt, "What could a kid like you possibly know?"

"I am Huo La from Pallet Town; three months ago I received my Initial Pokemon at Professor Oak's Oak Research Institute, and I am now undertaking the Kanto Region Gym Challenge."

Huo La calmly added, deliberately mentioning Professor Oak's name.

Sure enough, upon hearing "Professor Oak," Zheng Hui's eyes lit up instantly, the doubtful expression vanished, and he quickly stepped aside to clear a path: "So you're a disciple of old man Damu! You should have said so earlier! Come in, come in!"

He enthusiastically pulled Huo La into the lighthouse, muttering nonstop: "You just said you know about that huge Pokemon? Tell me quickly, have you seen it? Do you know its species? I've been researching for almost half a year; besides that cry, I've only captured a few blurry photos..."

Xiao Gang followed behind, watching Zheng Hui's excited face, and finally couldn't help but lean toward Huo La, whispering: "How did you know that saying 'I can make fried noodles' and mentioning Professor Oak would work?"

Huo La turned back, smiled, and lowered his voice: "Back at the institute, I heard Professor Oak mention that Zheng Hui is not only a genius inventor but also a total foodie, especially fond of fried noodles; moreover, he's been a longtime friend of Professor Oak, and mentioning the professor's name always puts him at ease."

After leading the two into the lighthouse, Zheng Hui first pointed to the kitchen at the end of the hallway: "The fridge has ingredients; for fried noodles, the noodles and seasonings are on the Second Floor of the cabinet."

Xiao Gang immediately understood, grabbed his backpack and hurried inside—he knows Huo La's cooking skills so well that it's better for him to do it himself, at least to make a decent fried noodle dish.

Huo La followed Zheng Hui to the lighthouse's Observation Room on the top floor, and the two stood side by side before the massive window, gazing at the ink‑black sea outside. The sound of waves striking the rocks drifted faintly, occasional specks of light from fishing boats flickered in the distance, then were swallowed by the night.

"You say you know information about that mysterious Pokemon... it probably wasn't old man Damu who told you, right?" Zheng Hui suddenly asked, his tone probing.

Huo La was not surprised by his question.

After all, Zheng Hui is a top‑tier inventor and researcher; although he was momentarily excited by the "huge Pokemon" topic, once he calmed down it was easy to see the logic—if Professor Oak truly had relevant leads, he would contact him directly, not through a boy just setting out on a journey.

"Naturally it wasn't the professor who told me," Huo La replied honestly.

"So you're lying to me?" Zheng Hui snapped his head toward him, the excitement in his eyes dimming, a hint of wariness appearing, "You're a kid barely in his teens, never observed with me, never involved in related research—how could you know anything?"

In his view, either Huo La is lying, or the boy is indulging in naive speculation.

"I'm not deceiving you," Huo La met his gaze, his tone calm, "I do know the identity of that mysterious Pokemon, but I also have a question that needs verification."

"Hmm?" Zheng Hui furrowed his brows, his confusion deepening.

Huo La's gaze returned to the outside, where occasional moon‑lit ripples danced on the dark sea; he spoke slowly: "I wonder if the professor knows the Pokemon Dragonite?"

"Dragonite?" Zheng Hui was momentarily stunned, then conjured in his mind the orange dragon‑type Pokemon—a rotund body, broad wings, and that signature friendly gaze—"It's the one that likes rescuing drowning travelers at sea, right? I've seen the data; its size is about two meters, and its nature is very gentle."

He instinctively compared the Dragonite image in his memory with the massive figure perched atop the lighthouse, its wings covering a good portion of the sky; as soon as they overlapped, his eyes lit up sharply, his lips even trembled: "Dra—Dragonite? You say that mysterious Pokemon is a Dragonite?!"

"Yes," Huo La nodded.

"Right! Absolutely right! It's a Dragonite!" Zheng Hui paced back and forth excitedly, gesturing with both hands, yet his face kept flashing doubt, "Its wingspan is at least several meters; its coloration is darker than a normal Dragonite, and faint strange patterns seem visible... but how can it be this huge? It doesn't match any Dragonite species data!"

Watching his near‑manic demeanor, Huo La slowly posed the crucial question, his voice unusually clear in the quiet Observation Room: "Doctor, have you heard of Ancient Pokemon?"

"Ancient Pokemon?" Zheng Hui's movements froze instantly, the excitement on his face fading, replaced by deep bewilderment.

He furrowed his brows, pondering for a while, then finally shook his head, his tone confused: "No... the League's Pokemon Pokedex has no such category; I've never seen this term in the ancient texts or archaeological records I've consulted. What does it mean?"

Huo La didn't answer immediately, but pointed to the few blurry photos on the windowsill—pictures of the massive Pokemon that Zheng Hui had captured with a high‑magnification camera.

"Doctor, do you think today's ecosystem could nurture such a gigantic Dragonite?"

Zheng Hui stared at the photos, silent.

He had studied this mysterious Pokemon for half a year, and the size issue puzzled him most.

The growth limits of ordinary Dragonite have long been thoroughly understood, and the mass of this one before him could not be sustained by today's environment.

"You mean..." Zheng Hui snapped his head up, his eyes reigniting, "This Dragonite is a being from the Super Ancient?"

At that moment, Xiao Gang's shout came from below: "Fried noodles are ready! Come quickly!"

Huo La smiled: "Let's eat first, Doctor. We can discuss the Ancient Pokemon matter slowly—after all, this could be a discovery that rewrites Pokemon evolution history."

Zheng Hui swallowed, and his gaze at Huo La changed completely—no longer disdain for the boy, but urgent reverence for the Insider.

He immediately followed Huo La's steps, continuously asking: "How long ago does Super Ancient refer to? Ten thousand years? Hundred thousand? Besides this Dragonite, are there other Ancient Pokemon?"

The Observation Room's light illuminated their silhouettes, the waves outside still roiling, and a secret about the Super Ancient was slowly unfolding alongside a steaming plate of fried noodles.