"Partnership?"
Steven blinked, glancing down at the unremarkable envelope.
"What's inside this?"
"An undiscovered treasure. You'll have to judge its value for yourself once you get there. If you think it's worth it, then give me the equivalent value in Beldum training methods."
"You trust me that much?"
"You're the heir of Devon Corporation, and I'm just a rookie Trainer with no background or connections. Do you trust me?"
Haruki didn't answer directly but responded with a question of his own.
Steven's lips curled into a wide grin.
"I trust my own judgment."
"Funny, so do I!"
---
Walking out of the Pokémon Center, Haruki looked up at the blinding sunlight, finally feeling a bit of warmth return to his body.
Though Steven was polite on the surface, his innate pride cut like an invisible blade, constantly exerting pressure on those around him.
Negotiating with someone like that meant you couldn't show a single hint of weakness, or you risked being completely overtaken by his pace.
Even though Haruki had prepared extensively for this meeting, he still didn't feel completely confident.
But so far, things had gone surprisingly well.
As for the contents of the envelope, it held the coordinates of Grampa Canyon in the Kanto Region, along with information about the Fossil Pokémon rumored to be buried there.
Haruki himself was from the Kanto Region, so it "made sense" that he would have this kind of information.
The rest was up to Steven's imagination.
From now on, Grampa Canyon's secrets would be his discovery. What did any of that have to do with Haruki?
With this thought, Haruki shrugged and headed back to his hotel.
Time to get some rest. The Gym Challenge was up next!
---
"Hello, Haruki. Due to the recent conclusion of the Oreburgh Festival, many Trainers are lining up for Gym challenges. Your current slot is scheduled for Friday afternoon. Is that alright?"
"Four days from now… That's fine."
"Alright, just a reminder that on Friday, you'll need to defeat two Gym Trainers consecutively before you can challenge Gym Leader Byron.
Additionally, you'll have a 30-minute recovery period to restore your Pokémon before the official Gym Leader match…
Alright, your registration is complete. Here's your Trainer ID card. Best of luck in earning your Badge!"
"Got it. Thanks!"
Haruki thanked the staff member and took back his Trainer ID card.
With four days to prepare, Haruki didn't plan to waste any time. After returning to his hotel, he rented a Rock-Ground Training Room.
The battlefield at the Oreburgh Gym was the same type as this training area, making it a perfect place to get some early practice.
On the first day, Haruki focused on routine training with Marowak and Skiploom.
On the second day, he once again swapped the security footage as he had before, letting Beldum out to train freely.
Three days passed like this, and Haruki's routine felt full and productive.
Marowak's strength had clearly improved after the recent string of intense battles. Its understanding and mastery of Bonemerang had increased even further.
Skiploom continued refining its Toxic-Substitute-Protect strategy and was starting to see promising results.
Beldum, on the other hand, didn't show much obvious progress over the three days, except for a noticeable increase in appetite.
During this time, Steven hadn't reached out to Haruki again, likely because he wanted to personally verify such a significant piece of information.
Haruki wasn't in a rush either, fully focusing his attention on the upcoming Oreburgh Gym challenge.
Finally, the day of the challenge arrived. Haruki arrived at the bustling Gym right on time.
The Gym was quite large. As soon as he entered, he saw six parallel battlefields where Gym Trainers were engaged in battles with various challengers.
After a brief 10-minute wait, Haruki's name was called, and he stepped onto the battlefield.
When he saw his opponent, Haruki couldn't help but smile.
…It was an old acquaintance.
"Roark, let's have a good match!"
The red-helmeted Roark's expression tightened for a moment before he gave a silent nod.
Once the referee finished announcing the rules, both Trainers released their Pokémon simultaneously.
Geodude vs. Skiploom.
"Not Marowak? If you're underestimating me, you'll pay the price…"
"Heh, you shouldn't underestimate my Geodude!"
Roark spoke with a dramatic flair, a hint of pride still visible on his face.
"Skip~"
Skiploom puffed up in anger, its round body suddenly expanding even further.
Haruki grinned. Underestimating Skiploom would definitely come at a cost.
"Geodude, Defense Curl and Rollout!"
Roark commanded aggressively.
His Geodude was indeed skilled, completing Defense Curl almost instantly before launching itself at the airborne Skiploom with a rapid Rollout.
"Toxic!"
Smack!
A blob of purple sludge splattered onto the rolling Geodude. Although much of the sludge was flung off by the spinning motion, enough made contact to trigger the Toxic effect.
The poison took hold immediately, and a sharp wave of pain caused Geodude to flinch, if only for a moment.
But this was still a Geodude that Roark had carefully trained, with a tenacious will to match.
Rollout continued, even gaining speed as it bounced off the ground, rocketing toward Skiploom. Despite the approaching threat, Haruki remained silent, not giving any command.
Then, just as Geodude was about to crash into Skiploom…
Skiploom lightly drifted to the side, avoiding the attack without a scratch!
"Leech Seed!"
With a flick of its petals, Skiploom scattered several seeds toward the now off-balance Geodude as it landed.
Direct hit!
The seeds took root almost instantly, their tendrils spreading across Geodude's surface, draining its energy with each passing second. No matter how much it spun, the vines clung tightly, refusing to let go.
"Geodude, stop your Rollout!"
On the other side, Roark's expression shifted dramatically. In just a few short exchanges, he had realized the gap between himself and Haruki.
"Was it the airflow generated by Rollout?"
"Not bad. You've got a keen eye."
Haruki nodded. As Byron's son and future Gym Leader, Roark had a solid foundation in battle knowledge.
For a Pokémon as light as Skiploom, even a minor shift in wind currents could affect its flight path, allowing it to dodge with ease.
Without another word, Roark raised his hand in surrender.
"I take back what I said earlier. Your Skiploom is really impressive."
"Skip~"
Skiploom proudly nodded in acknowledgment, its expression practically saying, ''Fine, I forgive you.''
Without delay, the next Gym Trainer stepped forward, sending out a Sudowoodo.
Seeing this opponent, Haruki's eyes grew sharp, and he gave Skiploom a small but meaningful nod.
"Ski~p"
Skiploom, sensing the challenge, immediately straightened up, its battle spirit ignited.
Sudowoodo moved first, crossing its branch-like arms with a swift motion. Instantly, a shower of rocks rained down from above, crashing toward Skiploom.
Rock Slide!
"Substitute!"
"Skiploom~"
Skiploom nimbly dodged to the side, weaving through the falling rocks as it closed the distance with Sudowoodo. When it could no longer dodge, it suddenly shed an outer layer, leaving a decoy behind to absorb the brunt of the attack.
Smack!
Another burst of Toxic sludge shot out, splattering against Sudowoodo with a wet, acidic hiss. Steam rose from its body as the poison took hold.
"N-NO WAY!"
Sudowoodo howled in pain, smoke rising from its rapidly corroding bark.
"S-Sudowoodo, hold your ground! Use Copycat!"
"Protect."
Smack…
The second wave of Toxic splashed harmlessly against Skiploom's glowing green shield, the move nullified completely.
"Leech Seed!"
Fwip fwip fwip
A fresh volley of seeds flew toward Sudowoodo, wrapping around its limbs and torso, rooting it in place.
"Sleep Powder!"
"Skip~"