Journey to Rustboro City

Lin Mo picked up his phone and read the comments, instantly understanding what the viewers were teasing about.

He turned the phone screen toward Steven. After only two glances, Steven's face flushed from his ears to his cheeks. He hurriedly waved his hands and explained,

"The viewers in this stream are all talking nonsense! I simply want to support an outstanding young Trainer. It has nothing to do with Wallace! The two of us are just opponents in the arena, nothing more! Honestly!"

Standing beside him, Lin Mo silently thought, The more you explain, the more suspicious you look. But seeing how anxious and embarrassed Steven was, he ultimately did not dare say it aloud and could only hold back his laughter.

Seeing Lin Mo's cheeks turn pink from suppressing his laughter, with the corners of his mouth constantly threatening to curl upward, Steven immediately saw through his little thoughts. He deliberately darkened his face and said in a stern tone,

"Looking at you, you must be secretly laughing at me for getting teased by the comments, right? Let me make this clear first: if you really dare laugh out loud, then the reward I promised you earlier—letting you choose fossils from my private collection and having Devon's top team revive them—will no longer count!"

Upon hearing that the "reward would no longer count," Lin Mo instantly swallowed his smile and hurriedly shook his head hard, his tone exceptionally sincere.

"Champion Steven, I really wasn't laughing at you! I just thought... thought the viewers had such wild imaginations. What they said was all pretty amusing. Please don't take their teasing to heart."

As he spoke, he subconsciously touched the corner of his mouth with his fingertips, firmly pressing down the curve that wanted to rise. His mind was filled with one thought: I absolutely can't laugh, or the reward will be gone.

Steven had never truly intended to hold Lin Mo accountable for holding back laughter. Seeing his nervous expression, as if he feared missing out on the reward, a faint smile quietly flashed through his eyes.

He quickly dropped his teasing expression, raised a hand toward the shiny Metagross floating nearby, and called softly, "Metagross, return."

A flash of white light passed by, and the massive shiny Metagross instantly shrank, turning into a streak of light that flew back into the Poké Ball at Steven's waist. The entire process was clean and swift, with none of the oppressive presence it had displayed in the cave earlier.

After putting away the Poké Ball, Steven patted Lin Mo's shoulder, his tone relaxed.

"All right, don't worry. I won't take back the reward.

Do you still plan to keep exploring the cave? If not, we can set off now and head back to Devon Corporation first—then you can see my private collection sooner."

At the words "private collection," Lin Mo's eyes immediately lit up. The excitement in his heart was impossible to hide, and he promptly replied,

"No more exploring! Compared to the cave, seeing your private collection, Mr. Steven, is much more important!"

Hearing Lin Mo's answer, Steven could not help laughing. A gentle smile lingered in his eyes as he lightly shook the Poké Ball between his fingers and said brightly,

"It seems my private collection is quite appealing after all."

Lin Mo did not waste any time. He immediately strode toward the floating livestream equipment nearby, his steps more hurried than usual. Clearly, his whole heart was set on going to Devon Corporation in Rustboro City.

Lin Mo first gave the camera a helpless smile, then reached out to adjust the device's angle, making sure the shot framed both himself and Steven before explaining,

"Everyone, stop spamming the comments. Mr. Steven was just joking with me earlier, so just treat it as a fun little interlude~"

But before his voice had even faded, comments like "I'm shipping this" and "Mr. Steven is way too cute" continued flooding across the screen.

Seeing this, Lin Mo quickly added, "All right, everyone, today's stream ends here."

He gave the camera an apologetic smile and added,

"Next, I'll be going to Devon Corporation with Champion Steven, so it won't be convenient to keep streaming. Thank you all so much for your company and support today. See you next time!"

Although the viewers were full of reluctance, they also knew when to stop. They left farewell messages in the comments one after another.

"Uwaaah, it's ending already? Today's stream was way too exciting! I was nervous the entire time!"

"Streamer, hurry and go to Devon Corporation with Champion Steven! Don't delay picking out your fossil—we're waiting for good news!"

"If it's convenient to record the revival process for the ancient Pokémon later, make sure to show us!"

"Who understands?! I'll remember Champion Steven blushing just now for an entire year. He was way too cute!"

Lin Mo smiled and waved at the camera, then skillfully operated the livestream equipment to end the stream.

"All done?" Steven was the first to ask.

"Mm, all done."

Lin Mo nodded, casually stowing the livestream equipment back into his backpack. He looked up at Steven, his eyes full of anticipation.

The sunlight outside Granite Cave was just right, dispelling the chill within. Lin Mo followed Steven out of the cave, and a salty sea breeze rushed toward them, blowing away the damp scent of the cavern.

He subconsciously tightened his hold on the inflatable fish tank against his chest. Feebas seemed to sense the openness outside as well, happily spinning in the water before pressing its little head against the tank wall to peer out.

"Are you ready?"

After recalling Aggron into its Poké Ball, Steven smiled and took out another Poké Ball. With a gentle toss, a red flash appeared, and a nimble Skarmory spread its wings and landed before them.

Its feathers resembled carefully forged steel armor, gleaming with a cold metallic sheen. Its spread wings formed sharp curves, and while its eyes were keen, they were not lacking in gentleness. It was clearly a partner that had been raised with great care.

"Mm!" Lin Mo nodded hard.

"Climb on."

Steven patted Skarmory's back and stepped up first. His movements were practiced and natural, clearly showing that he was long accustomed to traveling this way.

Lin Mo took a deep breath and carefully held the inflatable fish tank in his arms. With Steven's assistance, he climbed onto Skarmory's broad back as well.

Lin Mo had no intention of putting Feebas into its Poké Ball. Since it was such a rare chance to see the scenery from high in the sky, he wanted to let Feebas watch with him.

Though the feathers beneath his feet were hard, they were not uncomfortable. Lin Mo found himself sitting surprisingly steadily on Skarmory's back.

"Hold on tight."

Steven's voice sounded beside his ear.

Feebas seemed to sense that they were about to take off. It excitedly spun around in the tank, its little tail swishing rapidly and splashing a few droplets against the tank wall as if expressing its anticipation.

Skarmory let out a clear cry, its wings suddenly spreading wide as a powerful gust instantly swept up the fallen leaves on the ground.

With strong beats of its wings, its body lightly left the ground and climbed toward the sky.

Lin Mo felt his heart tighten slightly. One hand instinctively grabbed the hem of Steven's clothes in front of him, while the other steadied the inflatable fish tank against his chest.

When he looked down, Granite Cave had already become a tiny black dot on the ground, while the coastline stretched into the distance beneath the setting sun like a golden ribbon.