The night passed uneventfully. Ryuuske had no idea what Sakaki was truly thinking, but the Rocket Team's secret boss had remained unusually quiet the whole time. By the next morning, he even greeted Ryuuske with a cheerful wave and a big smile.
If not for what little anime knowledge he had reminding him just how dangerous this man was, Ryuuske might have already been fooled by his relentless act and dropped his guard.
After breakfast and a short break, Ryuuske had Gabite train a bit more with technique execution and release. Now that he had discovered the key to strengthening Pokémon lay in focus and willpower as well—not just physical training—he wasn't about to waste a single second. He poured all his time into training his Pokémon. Only by accumulating bit by bit could he achieve a breakthrough, and in the shortest time, become one of the strongest in this world.
I use the time you spend drinking coffee to read books—Ryuuske felt this saying made perfect sense. Doing it for a day might not change anything, but doing it for a year? That's when the gap starts to show.
After morning practice, Ryuuske set off with Sakaki on their so-called "investigation." Since Sakaki had already spotted him, Ryuuske knew that simply avoiding him was meaningless. With Team Rocket's power, he'd be found the moment he stepped into a city. So why not stay with the boss himself? Keeping Sakaki in his line of sight was actually safer.
The only thing that annoyed Ryuuske was that while others traveled hand-in-hand with girls, he was stuck with a middle-aged man—one who could very well take his life at any moment.
…
"These caves sure are dark."
He switched on a high-powered flashlight, turning the cave ahead as bright as day. Countless Zubat, disturbed by the light, flapped their wings and came rushing out of the cave's depths like a dam bursting. Ryuuske crouched behind Gabite, watching as the towering three-meter-tall dragon spewed flames from its mouth, scorching the swarm of bats and sharply raising the cave's temperature.
"We're already deep inside Mt. Moon, a place few people venture into... The outer areas are safer, and the caves there already have electric lighting installed."
Sakaki also stayed behind Gabite, knowing full well Ryuuske would be on edge if he got too close. So he kept a respectful two-meter distance. Even so, Ryuuske's attention remained fixed on him.
"You need to watch out for Diglett and Dugtrio here. They live underground and might ambush travelers at any time. They also loosen the soil, and if you step into one of their traps, it's like falling into quicksand—extremely dangerous. Based on their habits, Diglett and Dugtrio like to nest in tunnels left behind by Onix burrowing underground. If you see a Diglett, there's a good chance you'll run into a wild Onix too."
Sakaki's knowledge was impressively deep—he sounded like a real geologist. But Ryuuske figured it all came from years of experience during Sakaki's youth.
"This way! I can feel a breeze here, which means there's a clear exit ahead. Mt. Moon has many caves, but most aren't too complex inside. If you know what to look for, you won't get lost."
At a fork in the path, Sakaki paused to sense the airflow, then confidently took the lead.
"Hm? What's wrong, Gabite?"
Ryuuske suddenly noticed something strange—Gabite was staring intently at one of the cave walls, its usually fierce eyes flashing with excitement. Concerned, Ryuuske asked about it.
He felt a surge of emotion from Gabite, and immediately understood what it was thinking.
"You're saying… you found something good?"
"Raaawr!"
Gabite let out a low, excited growl and nodded.
"Why aren't you following, Ryuuske-kun?"
Sakaki, who had gone ahead, noticed Ryuuske wasn't with him. He turned back and asked curiously.
"Gabite seems to have found something. Could you wait a moment, Uncle Sakaki? Alright, Gabite, show me what you found."
As soon as Ryuuske gave the order, Gabite raised its twin blades and swiftly slashed into the wall, cutting out a chunk of solid rock. Ryuuske shined his flashlight on the freshly cut stone and saw the faintest glimmer of light reflecting from it.
"What's this…?"
"It's a fossil!"
Sakaki, who had just walked over, noticed the light too and explained.
"This is an ancient fossil. A small part of it was protruding from the rock surface—that faint shimmer you saw was its reflection. But that light is so faint that even most Pokémon wouldn't notice it, let alone humans."
Sakaki crouched down and, like a true geologist, pulled out a small brush to carefully clear away the dirt. Ryuuske also spotted an amber-colored trace.
Ryuuske took out his Pokédex and scanned Gabite. A line of text appeared:
"Gabite, the evolved form of Gible. Loves shiny things. It stays in its lair, staring blankly at gems or tiny diamonds it has collected."
Ryuuske's mouth twitched. Half-laughing, half-annoyed, he said, "So you really are a dragon, huh? I just wonder if you like kidnapping princesses too? No wonder you noticed such a faint sparkle—it's in your nature."
Gabite seemed flattered by the comment and let out an excited roar.
"Alright, alright, enough yelling. If you bring the cave down on us, we're screwed."
While Ryuuske spoke, Sakaki had already used his tools to carefully extract the fossil. Wiping sweat from his forehead, he handed it to Ryuuske.
"This is Gabite's discovery, so it's yours. I didn't expect it to have such instincts. You might want to explore the caves of Mt. Moon some more—Moon Stones reflect even more strongly than fossils, and Gabite should be able to find them easily."
Ryuuske didn't really care about the path to wealth. Money meant little to him. Once he grew strong enough, money would just be meaningless numbers. Personal power—that was what truly mattered.
He took the fossil and shone his flashlight on it, asking excitedly, "Uncle Sakaki, do you know what kind of fossil this is?"
"You can't tell just by looking—it requires professional instruments," Sakaki replied with a shake of his head.
"That's too bad," Ryuuske sighed, putting the fossil away. If only it turned out to be an Aerodactyl fossil…
No, wait—even that wouldn't be great. Ryuuske wasn't illiterate; he knew Aerodactyl wasn't really a dragon—it was a Rock/Flying-type. Even if it was an Aerodactyl, he wouldn't want to raise it. No way was he interested in becoming some backup Flying-type Elite Four member.
Still, whatever the fossil turned out to be, it was definitely something rare.
Seeing Ryuuske's excited face, Sakaki quietly sighed. It's only at moments like this that he actually looks like a teenager…
If only… If only that accident hadn't happened ten years ago… Maybe he would've grown up to be a cheerful, energetic young man too…
If only…
To be continued…