"Uncle, how much are you selling this rock for?"
Yuuto walked up to the base of the rock wall and looked up, asking in a casual tone.
Flint's hunched back straightened at once. His eyes brightened with sudden energy, and he practically scrambled down the rock face on all fours, moving with surprising agility.
"Ah! The customer has a good eye!"
He pointed at the dusty stones on his stall, voice full of long-lost enthusiasm.
"This one is limestone from nearby Mt. Moon—solid texture, beautiful natural patterns! Perfect for a fish-tank landscape or a sturdy paperweight!"
He gestured to a few smooth pebbles next.
"These… are excellent stones for making pickles!"
Rubbing his hands together, he announced the price a little awkwardly.
"All of them… fifty league coins for two."
"What?"
Misty beat Yuuto to the reply. She marched straight to the stall, hands planted on her hips, large eyes glaring.
"Fifty league coins? For two broken rocks?"
"Uncle, why don't you just rob people outright!"
Coming from a Gym family, Misty had been taught to watch her allowance carefully. Price gouging set her off instantly.
"For fifty league coins I could buy two delicious burgers—with cheese and bacon!"
She turned and tugged Yuuto's sleeve, voice softening into a persuasive whine.
"Hey, Yuuto~"
"This uncle is acting super strange. Don't let him fool you."
"Let's just hurry and challenge the Pewter Gym~"
She tried to pull him away.
"You… want to challenge the Pewter Gym?"
Flint's voice suddenly cut in, raspy but thick with complicated emotion. He stared at Yuuto, then at Misty.
Then—"Hahaha!"
He burst out laughing. The sound was dry and sharp, echoing down the empty roadside. Combined with his disheveled look and the way he had suddenly appeared, it startled both girls.
Misty and Delia took half a step back. Delia instinctively leaned closer to Yuuto.
Misty frowned and yanked Yuuto's sleeve harder.
"Yuuto, let's go! This uncle seems like he's got something wrong with his head too~"
Flint's laughter slowly died down. His gaze dropped to the Pikachu resting at Yuuto's feet.
Pikachu had been grinding experience all morning and was tired. While its trainer talked, it had wandered over to a shady spot beside Flint's stall—an old wooden shelf—and sat down, swinging its little paws lazily.
"If the Pokémon you're planning to use against the Pewter Gym…"
Flint's voice grew lower, carrying the sharp, professional scrutiny of an experienced Trainer.
"…is this lazy, weak-looking Pikachu…"
He shook his head with absolute certainty.
"…then you definitely won't win."
"Pika?"
Pikachu's half-closed eyes snapped wide open. It tilted its head, staring at Flint in pure disbelief.
*Me? Lazy? Weak?*
Sparks crackled across its cheeks.
Yuuto quickly reached down and rubbed Pikachu's head gently, soothing it. The little mouse huffed indignantly and turned its face away, though its tail still flicked in defiance.
Yuuto looked back at Flint, his smile unchanged.
"It seems you've done quite a bit of research on the Pewter Gym, Uncle?"
Flint fell silent. He lowered his head and rubbed a piece of limestone with rough fingers, tracing the fine lines etched into its surface like marks of time.
The air grew still for a moment.
Yuuto understood perfectly. He crouched down and picked out two of the plainest-looking pebbles from the stall.
"Wrap up two stones for me."
He pulled out fifty league coins and handed them over.
"Aha! Young man, you really do have a good eye!"
Flint's face lit up again. He snatched the money, wrapped the stones in old newspaper with practiced speed, and pressed the bundle into Yuuto's hands, suddenly as enthusiastic as a different man.
"As for the Pewter Gym… I have indeed done a lot of research!"
He puffed out his chest, a flicker of old pride in his eyes.
"After all… I once had dreams I fought for, too."
He said it so softly it was almost to himself.
"Is that so?"
Yuuto tucked the stones into a side pocket of his backpack and followed the opening.
"I'm heading to Pewter City right now to challenge the Gym. Any good advice, Uncle?"
His tone was sincere, like a junior seeking guidance from a senior, but his eyes watched Flint's expression closely, searching for the right moment to wake him up.
Flint was drawn in. He rubbed his bearded chin and studied Yuuto seriously.
"Besides Pikachu, what other Pokémon do you have?"
The question carried the analytical weight of a professional Trainer.
"I also have a Pidgeotto," Yuuto answered honestly, then added, "Those are the only two I have ready for battle right now."
"What?"
Flint jerked so hard he nearly tripped over his own stall cloth. He steadied himself and stared at Yuuto with wide eyes.
"Do you realize the Pewter Gym is a Rock-type Gym?"
"You only prepared two Pokémon?"
"And both are weak against Rock-types?"
His voice rose in disbelief.
"Electric moves have almost no effect on Rock-types, and Flying-types get countered hard by Rock!"
"With a lineup like that…"
He shook his head heavily, sympathy and warning clear in his tone.
"I suggest… you give up on the challenge and just skip Pewter City. You'll have better luck in the next one."
The moment the words left his mouth—
Before Yuuto could reply, Misty exploded.
"Hey! Uncle!"
Hands back on her hips, voice sharp and clear.
"How do you know Yuuto can't win? His Pikachu and Pidgeotto are really strong!"
"Back in Viridian Forest—"
Yuuto gently pressed a hand on her shoulder before she could finish. Misty blinked up at him. He gave her a small smile and a slight shake of his head, telling her to wait.
Yuuto turned back to Flint, calm but with a sharp edge in his eyes.
"Run away the moment things get difficult?"
The question was spoken softly, but it struck like a needle straight into a hidden wound.
Flint's body stiffened almost imperceptibly.
Yuuto continued, voice level yet every word crystal clear.
"If I choose to bypass every tough fight…"
"How will I ever improve?"
"How will I know what it feels like unless I face it?"
"In the League Conference, you don't always get to pick battles with type advantages."
Flint stayed silent. His head dropped; his fingers unconsciously picked at a hole in the stall cloth. His shoulders sagged once more.
Yuuto knew the timing was right. He softened his tone again.
"Alright, thank you for the information, Uncle."
"However…"
He bent down, scooped up the still-pouting Pikachu, and rubbed its soft ears.
"I still choose to face this type-disadvantage battle together with Pikachu and Pidgeotto."
He put heavy emphasis on the word "face."
"Fa… face it?"
Flint murmured the word again and again. He lifted his head and looked at Yuuto.
There was no hesitation or fear on the boy's face—only calm determination and complete trust in the Pokémon at his side.
That look touched something deep inside Flint. In a long-sealed corner of his heart, dust began to shift.
"That… young man!"
Flint's voice suddenly turned urgent. He stepped forward, almost grabbing Yuuto's arm.
"Are you really going to challenge the Pewter Gym with just Pidgeotto and Pikachu?"
"You're not changing your mind?"
Yuuto met his gaze directly and nodded.
"Facing it bravely is always more useful than escaping."
"Good!"
Flint suddenly shouted, loud enough to startle Misty and Delia again.
They watched the weary, disheveled uncle straighten up fully. The gray haze of exhaustion in his eyes seemed to wash away, revealing a faint but genuine spark underneath.
"Then I will… face it with you once!"
His voice rang with long-lost passion.
"I can help your Pikachu become stronger!"
"Please follow me, young man!"
Without waiting for an answer, Flint turned and began packing up his stall at lightning speed. In moments he had bundled every stone into the old cloth, tied it into a sack, and slung it over his back.
Yuuto's lips curved into a small, satisfied smile. The subtle jabs about "facing" and "escaping" had worked.
He turned and waved to the still-dazed Misty and Delia.
"Let's go. Keep up."
Carrying Pikachu, he followed Flint's brisk footsteps.
Misty and Delia exchanged bewildered glances.
"Uh…"
Misty blinked her large eyes at Delia.
"The two of them… how did they suddenly get so passionate?"
"What's with all this 'facing' and 'escaping' stuff… I didn't understand a single thing!"
Delia shook her head, equally confused. She watched Yuuto's back, then looked at Misty and said softly,
"Although I don't quite understand it either… trusting Yuuto is always the right choice."
"Let's go."
She took Misty's hand, and the two girls hurried to catch up.
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