High in the sky, the air currents whistled.
Skarmory flew extremely steadily; sitting on its back, Ariel barely felt any turbulence.
Looking down, the small Dewford Town had turned into an ink dot on a cerulean canvas, surrounded by a surging sea of clouds edged with a magnificent golden border by the final rays of the setting sun.
This experience was far more breathtaking than riding any human vehicle.
Feeling the wind howling past his ears and watching the magnificent sea of clouds retreat rapidly beneath him, Ariel felt a surge of heroic pride.
Devon Corporation, Steven... and that so-called Fossil Press Conference.
What kind of surprises would this time bring?
The corners of Ariel's mouth curled up slightly.
He was looking forward to it.
---The high-altitude air currents were a bit biting, scraping against his face with a faint metallic scent.
It was the scent of Skarmory's wings.
Ariel held onto the metallic feathers on Skarmory's neck with one hand, his posture as steady as a rock, his gaze already fixed on the massive city below.
Rustboro City.
A skyscraper built entirely of glass and alloy stood like a silent steel behemoth, arrogantly capturing everyone's attention.
Devon Corporation Headquarters.
It didn't look like a mere office building; it was more like a monument proclaiming technology and wealth.
Sunlight hit its smooth, mirrored exterior walls, reflecting a cold and brilliant light that made the entire city seem like a mere backdrop.
Skarmory let out a clear, high-pitched cry, flapped its wings, and precisely entered the downdraft.
Whoosh—
The wind rushed at him, making the hem of Ariel's clothes flutter loudly. He squinted slightly, watching the rooftop helipad draw closer.
A figure in a dark blue suit was already standing there, tall and composed.
Skarmory's metallic talons made a "clanging" sound as they touched the helipad, creating a trail of fine sparks. It folded its massive Steel Wings, the resulting gust making the figure's coattails sway slightly.
"Thanks for the hard work, Ariel."
Steven's voice was gentle and magnetic. With a calm smile, he reached out his hand.
Ariel jumped down nimbly from Skarmory's back and shook his hand. Steven's palm was warm, dry, and strong.
"My pleasure, Steven."
Ariel's gaze inadvertently swept over Steven's cuff. The well-tailored, expensive suit had a small smudge of dark brown mud on the sleeve, as if he had just brushed against something.
Noticing his gaze, Steven smiled nonchalantly.
"I had a little time before the press conference, so I took a trip to the mines outside the city to look at a newly discovered Igneous rock sample."
As he spoke, he raised his hand to brush off the cuff, but the mud stubbornly remained, becoming even more noticeable.
The heir to a conglomerate of immeasurable value, the Hoenn Champion, yet he didn't care about a bit of mud on his clothes.
Ariel's impression of Steven became a bit more vivid.
"Let's head inside. Roxanne is here too."
Steven made a "please" gesture, leading Ariel toward the automatic doors leading into the building.
The VIP lounge featured a minimalist yet luxurious design.
The floor was paved with mirror-smooth black marble, reflecting the soft strip lights on the ceiling.
The walls weren't cold white; they were polished from some unknown gray rock, with natural patterns that looked like ink wash paintings.
The air was filled with a faint aroma of coffee, mixed with a subtle, cold scent characteristic of rocks.
A girl in a decent dress and glasses was sitting on a single-seat sofa.
She sat upright, a thick picture book spread across her lap, absorbed in her reading.
Hearing footsteps, she looked up, revealing a face familiar to Ariel.
The Rustboro Gym Leader, Roxanne.
"Ariel? You're here too."
Roxanne adjusted her glasses, a flash of surprise in her eyes, which quickly turned into a friendly smile.
"Gym Leader Roxanne."
Ariel nodded in greeting.
"Just call me Roxanne."
She closed the book; on the cover were the gold-embossed words: "Encyclopedia of Rare Ore Molecular Structures."
"You two know each other?"
Steven seemed a bit surprised as he walked to the bar and skillfully operated the coffee machine.
"Of course."
Roxanne's lips curved into a pleasant arc.
"Ariel is an acting intern instructor at our Gym. Last time I was tied up, thankfully Ariel took care of those kids for me."
Ariel thought of those children.
"Those kids are still quite innocent."
"Innocence doesn't put food on the table."
Roxanne shook her head seriously, then looked back at Steven, reigniting the previous topic.
"Mr. Steven, regarding the Crystal lattice of that new ore, I believe its Energy conductivity isn't just due to the resonance of internal metallic elements, but more likely related to some unknown spatial particle residue..."
Watching the two of them instantly dive into an academic discussion, spitting out a series of terms Ariel only half-understood—"Metallic element resonance," "spatial particle residue," "Crystal lattice"—Ariel sensibly kept his mouth shut.
He walked silently to the floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the city beneath his feet.
Is this the view from the top?
Unlike the free and vast feeling of riding Skarmory, standing here behind a thick layer of glass, everything in the city became a silent backdrop.
A sense of power from being in total control arose spontaneously.
No wonder so many people long to climb upwards.
The coffee machine made a soft "beep," interrupting his thoughts.
Steven walked over with two cups of coffee, handed one to Ariel, and leaned against the window, taking a sip.
"The press conference is in two hours."
He glanced at his wristwatch, a custom model with a dial designed like an ore facet.
"Just sitting here is indeed boring."
Roxanne also ended her long-winded speech and walked over with her cup of black tea, looking at Steven curiously.
Steven's gaze turned to Ariel, his eyes flashing with a pure light belonging to a Trainer—an appreciation and expectation of meeting a worthy opponent.
"Ariel."
"Hmm?"
Ariel met his gaze.
"How about..."
Steven's lips curled up as he said something that seemed to make the air freeze.
"We go to the Battleground below and warm up a bit?"
Roxanne's hand holding the teacup paused slightly, and a strong light instantly erupted in her eyes.
It was a Gym Leader's desire and curiosity for a battle.
She had come to Devon Corporation for the future cooperation and development of the Rock Gym; she thought today would be a meeting filled with business jargon and exchange of interests.
She hadn't expected there would be a Pokémon battle!
"Sure."
Two words: concise, clear, and powerful.
Steven's gaze met Ariel's.
Ariel responded readily.
"Just what I was thinking."
...
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