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Ariel casually closed the door; the hinges turned silently, cutting off all noise from the corridor.
This was a guest room in the Sootopolis City Water-type Gym. A faint scent of sea salt permeated the air, mixed with the fragrance of high-grade wood, making one feel calm and at peace.
The room's furnishings could be described as elegant, yet they were not ostentatious.
The deep blue carpet was soft and thick, making footsteps almost silent. The walls were a warm cream-white, adorned with several oil paintings depicting deep-sea scenery. The interplay of light and shadow in the paintings made it feel as if one could hear the low calls of whales.
However, what attracted Ariel's attention the most was the wall directly facing the bed.
It was a wall of honor.
He had seen this kind of design at the Fire-type Gym in Lavaridge Town. Old Man Mr. Moore couldn't wait to display his lifelong achievements in the most prominent position of the Gym's lobby, so that everyone who stepped into the Gym could feel the glory and heat of the Fire-type at first glance.
But it was different here.
The Water-type Gym's wall of honor was placed in the guest room used to entertain distinguished guests.
Compared to the flamboyant passion of Lavaridge Town, everything here appeared restrained and profound, like the deep sea—calm on the surface, but harboring enough power within to subvert everything.
This glory seemed only willing to show itself to recognized guests.
Ariel stepped forward, his gaze starting from the left side of the wall, examining it closely.
The first small section displayed Wallace's honors.
Several Contest Ribbons with gorgeous Ribbons and a few crystal trophies; the bases were engraved with words like 'Contest Master' and 'Beauty Category Winner'.
These honors were enough to make any Coordinator envious, but in Ariel's eyes, they were just that.
His gaze slowly shifted to the right.
After Wallace's section ended, the remaining space on the entire wall was occupied by another person's name—Juan.
When he saw the names of those honors clearly, Ariel's breath couldn't help but hitch.
The weight of it was simply terrifying!
Densely packed medals, badges, and trophies reflected cold gold or silver light under the soft glow of the wall lamps.
Looking across, they were almost all world-class Coordinator Contest titles!
From Kanto to Unova, from Sinnoh to Kalos, Juan's name was prominently listed in the top Grand Festivals of every major region.
The word 'genius' was no longer enough to describe this.
The more Ariel looked, the faster his heart beat.
His gaze swept past those Coordinator honors and landed on the area further back.
What was displayed there were no longer gorgeous Ribbons and medals, but Trainer badges of various styles, each exuding a fierce aura of combat!
Commemorative badges from various Regional League Tournaments, championship medals from various minor cups, and even several winner certificates from fighting tournaments!
Coordinating and battling, two completely different paths, yet Juan had actually reached peaks on both that were unattainable for ordinary people.
Ariel's gaze finally fixed on the very center of the wall of honor.
There was no trophy or medal there, only a simple wooden photo frame containing a clearly yellowed old photograph.
In the photo, there were four people in total.
Two of them Ariel recognized at a glance.
One was the former Fire Elite of Lavaridge Town, Mr. Moore, and the other was the Hoenn Dragon Elite, Drake, who was still in office to this day.
In the photo, they both looked only to be in their thirties, in their prime and full of vigor.
Mr. Moore was grinning like a firecracker, his whole body radiating a flame-like passion.
Drake had a serious expression, arms crossed, standing like an unsheathed sharp sword with a piercing gaze.
And between them stood a much younger man.
That face was one Ariel was all too familiar with; it was a young Juan.
In the photo, his face still carried a hint of greenness, like a Newcomer just starting out, standing cautiously beside the two Elites.
As for the fourth person, Ariel didn't recognize them at all; that person stood at the very edge of the photo, their figure mostly shrouded in shadow and their face somewhat blurred.
Mr. Moore and Drake...
The Fire Elite and the Dragon Elite...
The background of the photo seemed to be some conference room of the League...
A thought flashed through Ariel's mind like lightning, making the hair all over his body stand on end.
This... isn't this a fucking group photo of the Hoenn Elite Four from decades ago?!
That means... Juan, this man who looked gentle and refined, obsessed with the art of coordinating, was already Hoenn's...
Water-type Elite?!
Boom!
It was as if something had exploded in Ariel's brain. All the details he couldn't figure out before suddenly became clear at this moment!
He instantly understood why those two Team Aqua Executives, after being forced back by Seadra's Dragon Pulse, had been scared out of their wits just by seeing the silhouette of Juan's small boat from afar, not even daring to leave a single threatening word.
They weren't scared off by some Pokémon; they were literally driven back by the name 'Water-type Elite Juan'!
What a joke; even if they were given a hundred times more courage, they wouldn't dare to act up in front of an Elite!
Ariel also finally understood why Juan said that if he let Wallace take over as the Gym Leader, no one would dare to be dissatisfied.
The scope of this wasn't just Sootopolis City, but the entire Hoenn region!
Who would dare to be dissatisfied with a successor personally designated by a former Elite? Who would even be qualified to be dissatisfied?
This background was incredibly solid!
The young Gym successors, Flannery of Lavaridge Town and Wallace of Sootopolis City... behind them, without exception, stood Elite Four Level powerhouses.
At this moment, Ariel saw through it all.
Things like being too young or having insufficient seniority weren't problems at all.
In this world, if you wanted to break conventions and reach the top in one step, you had to have someone behind you! And it had to be a big shot who could reach the heavens!
He couldn't help but let out a self-deprecating laugh.
The gap between people was sometimes even greater than the gap between humans and Pokémon.
Just as Ariel's thoughts were racing, a series of 'thump, thump, thump' knocks sounded at the door, the rhythm steady and unhurried.
Ariel composed himself and went over to open the door.
Standing outside was an apprentice wearing the Water-type Gym uniform, about sixteen or seventeen years old, with a respectful expression.
He was pushing a small cart with a high-tech, precision instrument on it.
"Mr. Ariel, this is the incubator Mr. Wallace ordered to be delivered."
The apprentice spoke as he carefully moved the incubator into the room, placed it on the table, and after connecting the power, briefly introduced how to use it before bowing and withdrawing, closing the door behind him.
Silence returned to the room once more, save for the slight hum of the incubator starting up and the soft blue light glowing on the display screen.
Ariel looked at the most Advanced incubation device in Sootopolis City before him—a transparent dome, internal constant temperature and humidity, and it could even simulate energy fluctuations of specific environments.
He took a deep breath, calming his heart which was agitated from glimpsing Juan's secret.
With a flip of his right hand, a heavy Pokémon Egg quietly appeared in his palm.
The Tyranitar Egg.
This Pseudo-Legendary egg carried his immense expectations and was destined to reign over the land in the future!
His eyes became focused and eager. He carefully placed the egg into the incubator's padding and set the temperature and parameters most suitable for Rock and Ground-type Pokémon to hatch.
Having done all this, Ariel stepped back two paces and quietly watched the Pokémon Egg inside the incubator.
The soft blue light enveloped the eggshell like a mother's gentle touch.
An indescribable expectation welled up in his heart.
Juan's secret shocked him, but that was ultimately someone else's glory.
Inside the egg before him, what was being nurtured was Ariel's own future.
An incomparably powerful partner that belonged to him, and him alone.