"We're here."
Standing atop the ridge, Steven glanced down at the base below and addressed Ron beside him.
Before they were even close to the ground, Steven leapt down without hesitation, landing firmly on his feet.
Seeing this, Ron followed suit, dropping down with him, no longer bothering to conceal his presence.
"Steven, have you been training in breath techniques or something?"
Unable to hold back his curiosity, Ron asked the question before even inquiring about the base in front of them.
"Not really," Steven replied casually. "I just have good physical conditioning."
"Anyway, forget that for now—let me give you a proper introduction to this facility. It belongs to my family."
Hearing Steven's answer, Ron glanced again at the distance they had just jumped and couldn't help but doubt himself.
Even after training in inner energy cultivation, I still don't feel that much stronger than a regular person... Am I doing this wrong?
As for the facility Steven mentioned, it was a Devon Corporation research outpost, built specifically to study the volcanic environment in the area, including the ecological impact and how to deal with the constant volcanic ash emissions.
Due to frequent sightings of Team Magma operatives nearby, Devon had deployed a strong security team to garrison the base.
To better observe the environment, some wild Pokémon had been gathered here, with habitats carefully simulated to match the wild. Data was collected and recorded for research.
Just hearing Steven explain it all, Ron could already imagine how much money Devon must have poured into this project.
But based on Steven's tone, it all seemed like no big deal—as long as it could benefit the surrounding towns and people, it was worth it.
What could Ron say to that?
All he could do was inwardly shout: "Rich people are just built different."
"Young Master, what brings you here today?"
Before Steven and Ron could approach the base, a group of staff members walked out to greet them respectfully.
"This is Uncle Rin," Steven said, turning to Ron. "Ron here is looking to challenge some wild Pokémon of Elite Four-level strength to improve himself. So I brought him over and was hoping you could find suitable opponents for him."
"Ron, this is Uncle Rin—one of the pillars of the Devon Corporation and the person in charge of this base."
Thanks to the introduction, the wary look in Uncle Rin's eyes softened when he turned to Ron.
After all, it wasn't every day Steven Stone brought someone he called a friend.
"Ron, you can do your training here," Steven said, brushing his bangs aside slightly. "I've got to get back to digging for rare stones while I've got some downtime. I'll be around Mt. Chimney, so just contact me if you need anything."
With that, Steven began preparing to leave after connecting Ron and Uncle Rin.
After all, he rarely got time off—how could he resist the call of the stones?
"Young Master Steven, don't worry. I'll make sure Ron is well taken care of," Uncle Rin assured him with a smile.
"I'll leave it to you then, Uncle Rin."
"Skarmory!"
Steven's voice rang out, and moments later, his Skarmory swooped down.
With a practiced leap, Steven landed cleanly on its back and took off into the sky.
Watching the scene, Ron once again doubted the effectiveness of his so-called cultivation.
"Ron, is it alright if I call you that?"
"Of course. Then I'll call you Uncle Rin too, just like Steven."
"Haha, perfect. Now then, let me give you a tour of our research facility."
Saying that, Uncle Rin led Ron through the entrance.
"Ron, how come I've never heard of you in the Hoenn League before?" Uncle Rin asked curiously once they were inside.
"Well, I'm actually a Trainer from the Kanto region," Ron replied.
"Ah, that makes sense then! That's perfect—our lab here is modeled after Professor Oak's Laboratory back in Kanto."
"But unlike Professor Oak, whose research focuses on all things related to Pokémon, our focus here is on how volcanic ash affects both the environment and wild Pokémon, and how we might mitigate it."
"That's amazing, Uncle Rin. You're really impressive."
"Oh, not at all. I'm just the facility's manager. The actual research is done by our scientists."
"Anyway, let me give you an overview of the lab's layout."
Uncle Rin was, without a doubt, a capable director. With clear and concise language, he laid out the structural layout of the research base.
In truth, the constructed portion of the facility wasn't all that expansive. Most of it centered around the spot where Steven had brought Ron.
The rest was vast, uninhabited territory—untamed wilderness, heavily affected by volcanic ash.
This allowed researchers to observe the environment and Pokémon behavior in a controlled yet realistic setting.
The Pokémon raised in the facility were all species commonly found around Mt. Chimney, with habitats painstakingly recreated to mimic the volcano's natural ecosystem.
Ron didn't quite understand all the technical research stuff, but one thing was clear to him—this whole operation was incredibly expensive.
"Alright, Ron," said Uncle Rin, gesturing to the rugged stretch of wilderness before them. "This is the area where Elite Four-tier Pokémon are active. The strongest ones here are roughly Mid Elite Four level—you're free to choose which ones to engage."
"But before you battle them," he added, "I'd recommend trying to communicate first. We don't want to cause a wild outbreak."
"Don't worry, I'll handle it," Ron replied with a confident nod.
"Good. Then I'll leave you to it. If anything happens, contact me directly. You can also return to the lab anytime to rest."
"Understood."
After giving his instructions, Uncle Rin turned and left.
After all, Ron was a friend of Steven Stone. Uncle Rin had no reason to suspect him of any ill intent.
And even in the worst-case scenario—if Ron did have ulterior motives—his Low Elite Four strength wouldn't be enough to overwhelm Uncle Rin or the research facility's security.
Ron turned toward the open terrain. "Come on out, everyone—it's your time to shine."
With a flash of white light, Poké Balls burst open one after another. Apart from Gengar and the other two resting Pokémon, the rest of Ron's team assembled around him.
Gardevoir instinctively activated her psychic scan, projecting her abilities outward. It didn't take her long to locate a nearby wild Mid Elite Four Pokémon.
"Let's move," Ron said firmly. "We need to seize this opportunity to grow stronger."
With a shimmer of blue light, Teleport activated—Gardevoir vanished, taking Ron and the rest of the team with her.
Meanwhile, Steven had also found a spot that suited him for excavation.
"Come out, Aggron. Kabutops. Start by using Dig to clear out a suitable area."
Responding to Steven's command, the two Pokémon immediately got to work.
With practiced precision, they used Dig to swiftly carve out a spacious area ideal for mining.
Steven used the downtime to change into his excavation gear, then joined his Pokémon.
Metagross stood nearby, its psychic energy lifting and moving the displaced earth with mechanical grace. The motion was second nature, a routine born from countless excavations. It was clear these Pokémon had assisted Steven in mining operations many times before.
In the blink of an eye, a deep pit had opened in the ground.
Elsewhere—
"Machamp, Morning Peacock!"
Blazing bursts of fiery force rocketed outward. The attacking flames pounded the opposing Mightyena, which—despite being of equal strength—could barely hold its ground.
"Now dive in! Meteor Barrage!"
From above, Machamp crashed down, his fists radiating heat and power, unleashing a blazing flurry of strikes.
From the surveillance feed, Uncle Rin watched the battle unfold, his eyes narrowing with intrigue.
"So that's Ron… No wonder Young Master Steven considers him a friend."
Unbeknownst to him, what he saw was exactly what Ron intended for him to see.
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