"Come out, Cresselia. From now on, let's grow stronger together."
"Liiyaa~~"
Cresselia let out a gentle cry and nodded, its elegant body shimmering in the light. Right now, it was full of curiosity.
Between it and this trainer, a strange emotional connection had begun to form.
Still, if it really wanted to, it could leave at any time.
For Pokémon above level 80, Poké Balls no longer posed much of a restriction.
"Ash, Cresselia is sooo beautiful. Cresselia, when do you shed your feathers? I think your feathers are gorgeous. I'd love to have a few as a gift to send to my mom, hehe."
"Piplup…"
Dawn and Piplup glanced at Cresselia with a bit of embarrassment.
But the truth was—this Pokémon was stunningly beautiful.
Even Anabel looked a little tempted after hearing that.
Graciously, Cresselia gifted each of them two feathers.
These were Lunar Feathers. The tips of the feathers shimmered with alternating blue and green, while the midsection was pure white—absolutely mesmerizing.
[Pokémon]: Cresselia
[Species]: Lunar Pokémon
[Type]: Psychic
[Ability]: Levitate
[Potential]: Purple Tier
[Level]: 85
[Moves]:
Psychic Shift, Psycho Cut, Moonlight, Confusion, Double Team, Safeguard, Mist, Aurora Beam, Ice Beam, Blizzard, Slash, Brick Break, Future Sight, Heal Pulse, Illusion Art, Illusion Light, Moonblast...
[Exclusive Move]: Lunar Dance
All in all, an incredibly impressive Pokémon.
"Alright, let's head for Iron Island!"
__
Iron Island.
The entire island was rich in fossils.
The Oreburgh City Gym Leader and the Canalave City Gym Leader were actually father and son—both hardcore fossil fanatics.
Originally, Byron was the Gym Leader of the Oreburgh City Gym, but later he transferred to the Canalave City Gym. In his place, his son Roark became the Oreburgh City Gym Leader.
But whenever these two met... arguments exploded.
Each was absolutely convinced that they were the bigger fossil enthusiast.
Ash and his group arrived at the mining area of Iron Island.
In the Sinnoh region, the majority of fossils were unearthed from Iron Island and Iron City.
All around were vast and rugged stone valleys, dramatically shaped and deeply weathered.
Strange rock formations and winding cave systems loomed everywhere—this was an ancient land, soaked in prehistoric energy.
In one of Iron Island's smaller islets stood the Canalave City Gym.
From within it, loud voices were already echoing through the halls—
"I'm the true fossil lover here, brat! Back when you were still crawling on the ground, I was already obsessed with ancient Pokémon!"
The speaker—Byron—a rather peculiar name, but he was, in fact, the official Gym Leader of the Canalave City Gym.
"No way, Dad! You only got into fossils later in life! I loved fossils since I was a kid! I'm more passionate than you are!"
Across from him stood Roark, the current Oreburgh City Gym Leader and Byron's son.
The Canalave City Gym's referee gave Ash's group a helpless smile as they watched the father-son duo bicker endlessly.
"This... happens all the time. You've seen it for yourselves…"
Dawn and Anabel exchanged speechless glances.
Roark, seeing Ash here, was a bit stunned. He hadn't expected Ash to already reach the Canalave City Gym. After a brief greeting, he turned to his father and introduced Ash.
"You beat this brat? Big deal! Let's see if you can beat me!"
Byron puffed out his chest like he was the king of the world.
"Dad, don't underestimate Ash. But right now, I've got unfinished business—with you! Sorry, Ash, but I need to settle this with my dad first!"
Roark's tone shifted. This was no longer a friendly sparring match.
The referee sighed again, stepping into position—it was going to be a battle between two Gym Leaders!
__
"My Rampardos is the strongest fossil Pokémon!"
"Wrong again, boy! My Bastiodon is the true king of fossil Pokémon!"
Both father and son sent out their pride and joy:
Rampardos vs. Bastiodon!
"Oh? Now this is interesting. Offense vs. defense... it's all about endurance now!"
"Pikachu…"
Ash, Dawn, and Anabel settled in the stands to spectate.
Pikachu scratched his head. No one expected things to play out like this.
"Rampardos, use Iron Head!"
"Bastiodon, Iron Defense!"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The battlefield shook with each thunderous collision.
Rampardos and Bastiodon clashed again and again—raw power versus immovable defense!
__
But just as things were heating up…
A sudden alarm blared from the Canalave City Gym's fossil vault!
Byron's face changed instantly. Without a word, he recalled Bastiodon and bolted toward the vault!
That room held his most precious fossil collection, gathered over years. If anything happened to them—it would be a disaster!
Roark reacted quickly too.
Though he never admitted his dad loved fossils more, those fossils were irreplaceable. He had to protect them too.
Ash and the others hurried after them.
What they found in the vault sent chills down their spines—a massive tunnel had been dug into the chamber!
All the fossils had vanished—clearly stolen through the underground passage!
__
Following the tunnel, they chased the trail until it led to the surface.
There, a strange robot was waiting… along with none other than the Team Rocket trio!
"Nyahaha! Meowth reporting in! It's been a while since we showed up—but this time, we're scoring big!"
"That's right! This is what real Team Rocket action looks like!"
Meowth and James were dragging a huge sack, stuffed with the fossils they had just stolen.
"Hey... haven't we forgotten something?" Jessie asked with a pout. "Like... our classic motto?"
"Hey! It's you three again! Team Rocket! I knew nothing good would come from you!" Roark shouted.
"Did someone say it's time for us?"
"Then we'll come flying in at the speed of light!"
"Through the wind!"
"And the earth!"
"And—!"
They didn't even finish their motto.
BAM!—Rampardos landed an Iron Head right between their eyes, sending them flying in a blur!
"All that work stealing fossils…"
"And we still got blasted off... nyaaa~!"
"Curses!"
"What an annoying feeling!"
Ding!
With a glittering flash, Team Rocket was sent soaring—as usual—into the sky.
__
The fossils were recovered safely.
Among them, Roark unexpectedly found the very first fossil he'd ever unearthed with his father as a child.
And in that moment, he finally understood.
Byron leaving the Iron Island Gym... wasn't because he lost interest in it—but to push Roark to grow up faster, to become a Gym Leader who could stand on his own.
With the truth out, the two finally reconciled.
__
"Well then, Ash, I won't delay your challenge to my dad's gym any longer. He's all yours!" Roark smiled, a little embarrassed.
For Roark, finally reconciling with his father was a major milestone.
So now, he took it upon himself to personally referee the Gym Battle between Byron and Ash!
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T/N:
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