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Liam stepped out of Giovanni's office, holding the box containing the Technical Machines. He glanced around but didn't see Miyamoto anywhere—she must have gone off to handle other matters.
Relying on his memory of the way he had come, he started walking back down the fortress-like corridors. He shouldn't get lost... right?
As it turned out, following a straight path didn't necessarily mean reaching the right destination, especially when each turn was guarded by Rocket Grunts.
Every time Liam approached them to ask for directions, they would first give him a cold stare before silently pointing in a particular direction. At least they seemed to recognize he was on their side.
After a series of such interactions, Liam finally made his way back to the main battle hall of the Viridian Gym. As he entered, he saw an ongoing battle in the arena.
Standing in the Gym Leader's spot was Miyamoto, commanding a blue Nidorina against a challenger—a small boy—who was using a Raticate.
"Raticate! Use Hyper Fang!"
The boy shouted as he directed his Pokémon.
"Raticate!"
At his command, the large rodent charged at Nidorina, its sharp incisors gleaming dangerously.
"Nidorina! Dodge and counter with Double Kick!"
Miyamoto responded calmly.
"Nido!"
The Nidorina, clearly a seasoned fighter, waited until Raticate got close before swiftly sidestepping the attack. Then, with a powerful lift of her hind legs, she landed two solid kicks to Raticate's face.
The Raticate cried out in pain, its body flung sideways before crashing onto the ground. A small cloud of dust rose as it lay there, unable to continue battling.
"Raticate is unable to battle! The challenger has lost all three of their Pokémon, meaning the winner of this match is the Viridian Gym!"
Liam recognized the referee—it was the same one from before. That made him curious—just how had this guy managed to stick around?
"Raticate! Are you okay?"
The boy rushed to his Pokémon's side, lifting it into his arms and checking its condition. After a moment, he looked up at Miyamoto, his face twisted in frustration.
"Hmph! This isn't fair! I know the real Gym Leader of Viridian Gym is a man! I refuse to accept this battle!"
Miyamoto's brow furrowed slightly, but she simply withdrew Nidorina into its PokeBall and addressed the boy with a composed expression.
"Like I said before the battle, I am the Gym Leader's assistant. If you had defeated me, you would have still earned the badge. But you should understand—our Gym Leader is much stronger than I am. If you couldn't even beat me, you definitely wouldn't stand a chance against him."
The boy clenched his fists, clearly unwilling to accept the loss but also knowing Miyamoto was right. With a reluctant huff, he stomped toward the exit.
"Just you wait! I'll get stronger and come back to challenge you again!"
Miyamoto watched the boy leave, shaking her head with a sigh.
"Kids these days… They lack the strength but are still so competitive. I've already encountered several challengers like him this week."
She turned to Liam with an exasperated expression.
Liam chuckled. "They're still young. Once they grow up a bit, they'll settle down. By the way, Sister Miyamoto, your Nidorina is coming along nicely. Here—this is a Moon Stone. It can help Nidorina evolve into Nidoqueen. Keep it, and use it when you're ready."
As he spoke, Liam reached into his pocket, pulling a Moon Stone from his inventory and handing it to Miyamoto with a grin.
Miyamoto blinked in surprise. "I... I can't accept this! It's too valuable!" She quickly waved her hands in refusal.
Liam laughed. "Come on, just take it. I might not have many other Evolution Stones, but Moon Stones? I've got plenty! This is nothing to me, so don't worry about it."
In reality, Liam still had an entire Moon Stone sphere in his bag—if he split it into smaller pieces, he could get dozens of Moon Stones out of it. He had more than he knew what to do with.
Miyamoto hesitated, then finally accepted it with a sheepish look. "Alright... if you insist. But still, receiving such a valuable gift without giving anything in return makes me feel guilty…"
Suddenly, as if she remembered something, she reached into her clothing and rummaged around for a moment. Then, she pulled out a stone pendant and placed it in Liam's hand.
Liam examined the pendant—a smooth, weathered stone that seemed to have been polished over time. He frowned slightly. "Sister Miyamoto, you kept this so well hidden... It must be really important to you. I can't accept it."
Miyamoto giggled. "Oh, it's nothing that precious. I've just had it for a long time. This stone is actually a fragment of a larger slab that I found by accident. It looked like a fossilized patch of fur, and I discovered that wearing it helped me recover stamina faster when I rested. I kept some other pieces of it too, so don't worry—I can make more of these pendants if I want to."
Liam froze. A fossil of fur?
That rang a bell. Something deep in his memory stirred, and he recalled a crucial piece of information.
Wait…
Mew was discovered by Miyamoto, wasn't it?
And didn't she go missing while chasing after Mew?
In the end, Team Rocket never actually captured Mew… but they did find a fossilized eyelash that had fallen off of Mew's body…
Could it be… this?!
Heart pounding, Liam discreetly activated his scan ability on the pendant.
[Ding!]
[Item detected: Fragmented Mew Eyelash Fossil;
Contains trace amounts of Mew's mystical energy. Wearing it accelerates stamina recovery for humans and Pokémon during rest.]
'No way… It's actually that fossil!' Liam's eyes widened in shock. He stared at the pendant in his palm before quickly turning back to Miyamoto. His mind raced as he considered his next move.
After a brief pause, he looked up at her and asked, "Sister Miyamoto, has a researcher named Blaine joined Team Rocket recently?"
Miyamoto tilted her head at the unexpected question but quickly nodded.
"Yeah, just a few days ago. That old man, Blaine, joined using your recommendation letter. He's still in the observation phase. Why? Is there a problem with him?"
As she spoke, her expression darkened slightly, and her sharp gaze hinted that she was ready to eliminate Blaine if Liam so much as suggested he was a threat.
Liam quickly waved his hands. "No, no! Blaine isn't a problem at all. In fact, I want Team Rocket to provide him with research funding. He's a genetic expert, and I need him to help us research something…"
Miyamoto raised an eyebrow. "What exactly?"
Liam slowly opened his palm, revealing the fossilized eyelash pendant.
"This."