"This stone... based on a preliminary appraisal, it's highly likely to be a piece of a Cranidos..."
Taking the unknown fossil Hakuya handed her, Roxanne picked up a magnifying glass from her desk, murmuring to herself as she examined it closely.
As a rock enthusiast, the beautiful teacher quickly identified the species of the mysterious fossil.
A fragment of the skull of an ancient Cranidos.
Judging by its completeness, it should be possible to revive it using the fossil restoration machines at the Devon Corporation.
Cranidos was a Pokémon that lived in ancient jungles approximately 100 million years ago, belonging to a prehistoric era. It was a Rock-type with an incredibly hard head. If she remembered correctly, the ace Pokémon of Roark, the Oreburgh Gym Leader in Sinnoh—Rampardos—evolved from a Cranidos revived from an ancient fossil.
However, it was a bit of a pity that the Rustboro Gym currently had more than enough Rock-type Pokémon.
Being a Trainer was, after all, an incredibly expensive profession. Even with her side income as a teacher at the Trainers' School, she couldn't just raise a massive number of Pokémon purely based on personal preference.
Otherwise, it wouldn't be long before she ended up "eating dirt" alongside her Rock-type Pokémon due to a massive financial deficit.
"Mr. Hakuya, this is a Cranidos fossil of quite good quality and completeness. If you took it to a Fossil Research Lab for restoration, I believe you'd get a Cranidos with excellent potential. It's just a bit unfortunate... for the foreseeable future, my Rustboro Gym doesn't have the capacity for any more Rock-type Pokémon. Keeping it here in my collection would just be a waste of its potential..."
Roxanne regretfully set down the magnifying glass and sighed.
Then, she paused, her eyes crinkling into a bright, radiant smile.
"However, I do know a Trainer who would likely be very willing to purchase it, so you don't need to worry, Mr. Hakuya~"
"Ah, that's great news."
Hearing Roxanne's reply, a look of genuine joy appeared on Hakuya's face.
He wasn't actually that interested in Fossil Pokémon.
Rather than spending money to revive it at a local Fossil Research Lab, having a Trainer interested in buying it was a much better outcome.
When he was just playing the games or watching the anime, he hadn't fully grasped the reality of the situation. It wasn't until he actually transmigrated into the Pokémon world that Hakuya realized being a Pokémon Trainer was nowhere near as easy as he had imagined.
For example, the backbone of the Pokémon world—many Gym Leaders—frequently engaged in side businesses to earn League Dollars. The Cerulean Gym in Kanto ran water ballet shows all day long; Erika of the Celadon Gym opened a specialty perfume shop that practically monopolized the perfume market around Celadon City.
For Hakuya, constantly engaging in the hyper-difficult battles of Randomized Emerald took a toll. Even with the Pokémon Center's full heals, Floragato and the others exhausted their stamina rapidly and frequently required high-energy Pokémon food to replenish themselves. The expenses were not insignificant.
Therefore, his current goal of saving up as much money as possible wasn't just to buy Poké Balls and catch overpowered monsters in Randomized Emerald; it was also to provide a better life for himself and his Pokémon.
To be responsible for every single Pokémon he caught with his own hands.
This was the core principle Hakuya steadfastly upheld.
"Then please leave the matter of contacting that Trainer entirely to me. I will ensure you receive proper compensation based on the standard market price for Fossil Pokémon and rare fossil collectibles, so don't worry."
"Alright. I don't know much about this industry anyway, so I'll leave the negotiations to you, Ms. Roxanne."
Having confirmed that there was a buyer for the fossil, Hakuya left the office highly satisfied and headed to his practical battle class on time.
Left alone in the office, Roxanne pulled out her PokéNav and tapped the contact saved as "Champion."
As fellow members of the Hoenn League and fellow fanatic rock enthusiasts, she was naturally well-acquainted with the current Hoenn Champion, Steven. He was exactly the Trainer she meant when she mentioned someone interested in the Cranidos fossil.
As expected, the Hoenn Champion and heir to the Devon Corporation boldly agreed to purchase it without hesitation.
Driven by curiosity, he specifically asked about the original owner of the fossil.
Naturally, the conversation shifted to Hakuya.
Hoenn Region, inside a certain cave near Meteor Falls.
"..."
Steven, who was still diligently mining for rocks deep in the cavern, took a moment to check the message on his PokéNav, his expression freezing.
Gym Leader Roxanne, who had nearly been "three-stocked" (swept 3-0), vividly described all the intelligence she had gathered on Hakuya.
—Rookie Trainers these days really are eye-opening. They've barely started their journey and they already have Legendary Pokémon?
Of course, what Steven couldn't comprehend came next.
What do you mean by a Latias whose aura becomes increasingly terrifying even as she uses [Draco Meteor], a move that lowers Special Attack?!
What do you mean by a Floragato that can trigger a massive Leaf Storm with just a simple [Leafage]?!
Hiss... and a Milcery that can tank dozens of [Stone Edge] attacks without even blinking?!
The pickaxe in his hand paused. Steven looked at his Armaldo, which was still diligently digging a hole nearby, and fell deep into thought.
While there was a saying that "there are no useless Pokémon, only useless Trainers who don't know how to draw out their potential"...
...facing a devastatingly powerful Rock-type ultimate move, a base-form Milcery with relatively low physical defense shouldn't have been able to tank it, period. To achieve such a terrifying level of resilience, that Trainer and his Pokémon must have undergone unimaginable, hellish trials somewhere, right?
Otherwise, there was absolutely no way they could display such overwhelming strength.
In an instant, Steven felt a surging battle aura ignite within his chest.
Every Trainer who becomes a Champion is a battle maniac at their core, and Steven—despite his obsession with rocks—was no exception. If one lacked a burning passion for Pokémon battles, it would be impossible to overcome every obstacle and become the League Champion.
As for whether the intelligence was false or exaggerated... Although his relationship with Rustboro Gym Leader Roxanne was mostly limited to being fellow "rock friends" without deep personal involvement, Steven knew her character very well.
—As a teacher at the Rustboro Trainers' School and a Gym Leader, her personality was as meticulous and solid as a rock. She had one of the best reputations among all the Gym Leaders.
Therefore, this Trainer named Hakuya was highly likely to be a genius with an incredibly rapid growth rate.
"Hmm... Sounds like an exceptionally promising young talent!"
With a bit more nurturing, he might even develop the strength to challenge the Hoenn League.
More importantly, he was a Hoenn native. If he proved strong enough, he could perhaps even take over the position of Champion.
Thinking of this, a look of genuine delight spread across Steven's face.