The days passed like this, one after another.
The ranch ran more and more smoothly, and the Pokémon steadily grew stronger.
Ralts gradually became part of this big family too, becoming the darling of the ranch.
A month soon passed.
Iron Island!
The ferry docked, and Yushu picked up his backpack and stepped off the deck.
Iron Island belonged to Canalave City, and reaching it required a boat ride.
The moment Yushu set foot on Iron Island, he felt the difference.
The ground here was much harder. Walking on it felt like walking on concrete, and even the roadside rocks were granite as hard as iron.
It could be called a paradise for Steel-type Pokémon.
No, for mining enthusiasts too.
Byron of the Canalave Gym reportedly loved mining here, and his son Roark had inherited this fine trait.
But because their views differed, Roark had taken his shovel to Oreburgh City to become its Gym Leader.
Both cities were heavy industrial cities in Sinnoh. When it came to mining in the Sinnoh Region, this father and son pretty much had the whole business covered.
He spotted Riley waiting on the shore at a glance.
The guy was far too easy to recognize. Standing there like a marker post, he looked like a soldier wherever he planted himself.
After a month apart, his skin had grown a little darker, clearly the result of spending every day exposed to the island's wind and sun.
Beside him stood a handsome canine.
Its body was blue and black, with bone spikes on its long, slender limbs. Its gaze was sharp and steady, like a battle-hardened warrior's.
Lucario!
[Lucario] [Type: Fighting + Steel] [Ability: Inner Focus] [Level: Late Elite Stage] [Moves: Metal Sound, Reversal, Aura Sphere, Meteor Mash, Extreme Speed, Metal Claw, Swords Dance, Bone Rush, Counter...]
"Did it evolve?"
Yushu was inwardly surprised.
Already at the Late Elite Stage? Lucario really had turned all that accumulated effort into a breakthrough.
Judging by this, if Luxray from a month ago fought the current Lucario, the outcome would be hard to predict.
Riley showed a rare hint of a smile.
"This really is an exceptional training ground. The Pokémon here are very strong. We fought the island's Wild Pokémon every day, and somewhere along the way, it evolved."
Yushu gave him a thumbs-up. "You're hardcore."
He had spent an entire month alone on a deserted island, fighting Wild Pokémon.
Lucario nodded at Yushu, its manner reserved and polite, very much like Riley.
After they exchanged a few pleasantries, Riley asked about Yushu's preparations.
Yushu said confidently, "Don't worry. Those training maniacs of mine don't need me fussing over them. They train themselves. All I have to do is cheer them on."
Riley said, "...You really do have it easy as a Trainer."
"Of course. It's called putting the right people in the right jobs."
Yushu said with perfect conviction, "A good manager doesn't need to handle everything personally. He needs to know how to delegate."
Riley shook his head helplessly and turned toward the island's interior. "Come on. We can talk as we walk."
The two headed inland along a gravel path, and Riley began introducing the basics of Iron Island to Yushu.
"Iron Island is a famous source of ore in the Sinnoh Region. It produces all kinds of metal ores, and mine tunnels cover the island."
"Because humans mine here so often, the island's Wild Pokémon are familiar with people, but that also makes them more aggressive."
"From what I can see, most of the Pokémon here are Rock-types and Steel-types. Mining here is basically stealing their food. It'd be strange if they didn't attack."
Yushu looked around at the Geodude and Aron that appeared by the roadside from time to time. These Pokémon all ate ore.
Wasn't this taking food right out of their mouths?
Riley nodded. "Yes. The Pokémon deeper inside are especially territorial. Most people don't venture that far."
"But some capable Trainers like to use this environment to hone themselves and take another step forward."
"That's fair enough. Pressure does provide motivation, after all."
Yushu looked around, seeing Geodude and Aron poking their heads out by the roadside from time to time.
Rather than hiding when people passed, the little creatures stared at him with looks that said, "What are you looking at?"
Yushu couldn't help laughing. "The Pokémon here have quite a temper."
Riley said, "You'll get used to it. Once we get farther in, you'll meet ones with even worse tempers."
After half an hour of walking, an enormous stone gateway covered in vines and moss appeared ahead.
The stone pillars on either side of the gateway each bore an enormous stone carving.
On the left was a four-legged, beastlike dragon with a long, slender neck and hard metal armor covering its back and chest.
In particular, a polygonal gem was embedded in the center of its chest armor.
The god of time, Dialga!
On the right was an upright dragon with a powerful body and hard, fan-shaped wings covering its back.
Discs covered its shoulders, with gems likewise embedded in their centers.
The god of space, Palkia!
Yushu tilted his head up at the two statues and couldn't help remarking, "I didn't expect to find statues of the Space-Time Duo here."
Floating invisibly beside him, Uxie looked at the two statues and couldn't help grumbling.
"Why are those two everywhere? We Lake Guardians are Legendary Pokémon too. Why doesn't anyone put up statues of us? This is so unfair!"
The more it thought about it, the angrier it became, feeling that it had been discriminated against.
Riley hadn't noticed Uxie's presence. Instead, he looked at Yushu with some surprise. "You know about the Space-Time Duo too, Yushu?"
Yushu pursed his lips. "I'm a proper Sinnoh-born Trainer, you know. How could I not have heard the legends about the Space-Time Duo?"
Riley smiled. "True enough. I thought you'd be as surprised as I was when I first came here."
But from those words, Yushu could tell that Riley wasn't a Sinnoh native.
Barring any surprises, he should have come from Cameran Palace in the original story, that small town famous for its Aura legends, which was also the hometown of the Aura Guardian Sir Aaron.
Beyond the stone gateway lay a deep, dim passage. Luminous ores embedded in the walls gave off a faint blue glow.
Yushu surveyed their surroundings. Rather than ruins, this looked more like a mined-out tunnel.
Indeed, the passage walls showed clear signs of excavation. The tunnels branched out in every direction, with a junction leading different ways appearing at regular intervals.
"Which way are we going?" Yushu asked.
Riley pointed to the second passage on the right. "I explored halfway down that one before. The Pokémon inside are all very strong. There must be something in there."
Looking at Riley's eager expression, Yushu had something to say but wasn't sure whether he should say it.
Shouldn't this be called robbery rather than exploration?
The two continued deeper, and quite a few Wild Pokémon began appearing around them.
Onix, Magneton, and even two Steelix stared straight at them, their eyes gleaming dangerously. They clearly regarded Yushu and Riley as intruders.
Yushu glanced over them and found that these Pokémon varied in strength.
Some were intermediate-level, some advanced-level, and some were even at the Elite Stage, scattered throughout the passage.
Seeing the two continue forward, they finally lost their patience.
Rumble!!
An Onix charged out from the side, opening its huge mouth to bite Yushu.
Crunch!!!