Chapter 118: The Moon

Chapter: The Moon

“Y-You…”
A soft, fragile voice echoed within Lu Yun’s consciousness.

“What is it?”
Lu Yun’s tone was icy, like an emotionless machine.

Startled by his coldness, the pure white light symbolizing Lalulas’s spirit within the consciousness space suddenly shrank back.

“S-Sorry…”
The message came hesitantly, as if stammering.

Lu Yun said nothing, merely watching the glowing orb opposite him in silence.

The quiet atmosphere lingered in the mind’s space for a long moment. As if realizing that if it said nothing further, Lu Yun might expel it, Lalulas cautiously broke the silence.

“May I ask, are you from outside?”

“Outside?”
Lu Yun was puzzled by the ambiguous question.

“I suppose so.”

Upon hearing Lu Yun’s confirmation, Lalulas grew suddenly excited, its spiritual light wavering in the void.

“Have you… have you seen the ‘Moon’?”

With a tone full of sincerity and tentative hope, Lalulas asked.

“Ah?”

Lu Yun was momentarily stunned before understanding.

A faint pity rose from his heart. Judging by Lalulas’s behavior, he guessed it was born in the laboratory and had never ventured beyond the base.

Silently sighing, Lu Yun nodded at the luminous spirit before him.

“Is it… beautiful?”

With an almost pleading voice, Lalulas inquired.

“Beautiful!”
“Very beautiful!”

Lu Yun’s tone was solemn and earnest.

“Is that so…”
Lalulas murmured dreamily.

“Thank you!”
“Thank you so much!”

Within the mental space, Lalulas solemnly expressed its gratitude to Lu Yun.

“I won’t disturb you any longer.”

Leaving behind a gentle farewell, Lalulas carefully withdrew from Lu Yun’s consciousness.

Seeing the fragile vitality hidden within Lalulas’s spirit, as delicate as a flower on the verge of withering, Lu Yun couldn’t help but speak at the last moment.

“Don’t enter others’ consciousness spaces so casually in the future. It’s impolite.”

“Mm!”
“Okay.”

With a faint smile, Lalulas’s glowing orb seemed to wave goodbye to Lu Yun before dissolving into a quiet stream, flowing away.

Back in reality, Lu Yun raised his head and looked toward Lalulas.

She clasped her small hands together, eyes tightly closed, her little head tilted slightly upward toward the ceiling, as if imagining something.

Gradually, a clear droplet of tears fell from the corner of Lalulas’s eye.

Unable to bear watching any longer, Lu Yun silently lowered his head.

The translucent drop, like the purest gem, fell onto the cold concrete floor under the dim light, splashing countless invisible tiny droplets. For a moment, these sparks shimmered with a faint yellow glow reminiscent of dawn or dusk. Then, they faded into dull water stains, resting quietly on the ground.

…

In the pristine white laboratory,
the pungent scent of disinfectant mingled with the stifling, long-accumulated decay of the underground base, filling the air.

Cold metallic instruments gleamed with a silvery, merciless light, as if foretelling the grim fate awaiting the Pokémon subjected to them.

Researchers in white coats bustled about in the lab, which could also be called an operating room, preparing hurriedly.

The experiment was about to begin!

Nearby, on a simple stool,
Dr. Dahl lounged with his legs crossed, a pleased expression on his face,
holding a cup of steaming coffee, humming softly to himself.

Next to him, a young assistant looked serious, focused intently on the report in his hands.

“Doctor, the preparations are almost complete. We can start now.”

“Hmm, then bring over specimen number 267.”

Dr. Dahl replied casually,
“From now on, you’ll be responsible for all experiments involving it.”

“I’ve been busy handling tasks assigned from headquarters recently; I won’t have much time.”

“Understood!”

The young assistant nodded, his calm demeanor tinged with subtle excitement, his voice animated.

Dr. Dahl stood up, took a sip of his coffee, and started walking toward his office.

“Oh, by the way,”
he suddenly remembered something and turned back to ask,
“Which holding cell was number 267 in?”

“In cell number -5.”

“-5, huh…”

Suddenly recalling something amusing, the doctor chuckled softly.

Wrinkles gathered in layers at the corners of his eyes, resembling a tiny spider’s web.

“I remember number 92 was also kept there, right?”

“Yes, but according to the lifespan calculated after the experiment, it should die within a few days. So, there’s no need to worry about any unexpected interactions with number 267.”

“It’s not that I fear accidents; I just feel it’s a pity.”

“Number 92 was actually the closest to success in previous experiments.”

Dr. Dahl’s voice carried a hint of nostalgia.

“Yes, Doctor.”

“When we fused the grass-type energy with number 92, Lalulas, the progress was unexpectedly smooth.”

“I truly thought it would succeed, but…”

“Just missed it by a tiny bit.”

Feeling his description was insufficient, Dr. Dahl raised his empty right hand,
slowly curling his thin thumb and forefinger,
with the other three fingers folded into his pale palm,
making a gesture in the air, a strange smile playing on his lips.

“Unfortunately, there was a small mistake in the final step.”

Though he spoke of regret, Dr. Dahl’s tone remained indifferent.

“Heh heh…”

“Failures are normal, Doctor.”

The young assistant spoke calmly beside him.

“Besides, didn’t we finally succeed? With number 267.”

Dr. Dahl grinned, revealing uneven, beast-like teeth, and laughed carelessly.

“It was just a passing thought. Don’t mind it—just a failed specimen, worthless to me.”

With a careless wave, Dr. Dahl turned and left the operating room.

His black leather shoes clicked crisply against the glossy tile floor, the sound cold and sharp, echoing down the long corridor.

The assistant stood silently until the doctor’s figure disappeared into the shadows far ahead, then turned back.

Facing the busy researchers, the assistant’s expression grew serious, his tone unyielding.

“Begin the preparations for the experiment.”

“Have security bring specimen 267 over, and be careful on the way.”

“Double-check your tools; I won’t tolerate any mishaps during the experiment!”

“Understood?”

“Understood!”

With the researchers’ loud responses, the assistant nodded.

Glancing again at the report in his hand, he casually grabbed a passing researcher.

“Go to the storage room and get a ‘Decaywood Spirit’s Cursed Blood-Eye.’”