Inside the Gym in Pewter City, within the Gym Leader's rest area,
Brock was searching for something while Eddie stood by and watched.
Before and after their Gym battle, Brock had promised Eddie two compensations, and now he was looking for something suitable for him.
"Eddie, this is my first compensation for you."
Brock mysteriously retrieved a small, locked box from a drawer. Taking out a key, he unlocked it.
Eddie stepped forward to take a look. Inside the box was a piece of amber with small red specks embedded within it.
[Old Amber]: A rare amber containing the genetic material of an ancient Pokémon, faintly tinged with red.
"Is this Old Amber? Brock, you have an Aerodactyl, so you must know what's inside. Why haven't you revived it?"
Eddie immediately recognized the Old Amber and knew that the Aerodactyl inside could be revived with a special machine. However, he was puzzled as to why Brock hadn't already revived it, considering he owned an Aerodactyl.
"You actually know there's an Aerodactyl inside? Your Pokédex must have told you, right?"
Brock was slightly surprised that Eddie was aware of it, but after a moment's thought, he assumed the Pokédex had provided the information and didn't dwell on it.
"To be honest, I found an Old Amber in a cave before. After Professor Oak's introduction, I asked Blaine to revive it for me."
Noticing Eddie's confusion, Brock explained how he obtained his Aerodactyl.
"Blaine, the Gym Leader of Cinnabar Island, is also a researcher. One of his breakthroughs involves reviving ancient Pokémon, so he was able to restore my Aerodactyl from the Old Amber."
"This piece of Old Amber, however, is the second one I found later. I had planned to ask Blaine for help again, but for some reason, he has lost contact."
Brock's expression turned serious. A Gym Leader going missing was no small matter.
Many people believed Blaine had abandoned his position to focus on his research, but Brock suspected something deeper was at play. Without solid leads, though, all he had was a hunch.
"You're giving me this Old Amber and asking me to find Blaine?"
Eddie frowned, realizing the situation was trickier than he had expected. For now, he had no way of reviving the Aerodactyl.
"Exactly. If you find Blaine, you can ask him to revive it for you. You saw it yourself—my Aerodactyl is incredibly strong. Not a bad compensation, right?"
Brock grinned and gave a thumbs-up, his white teeth contrasting sharply with his tanned skin.
"Aerodactyl is definitely powerful, but finding Blaine will take time. Still, this is a good reward."
Eddie acknowledged Aerodactyl's strength, though at the moment, the fossil was useless to him. Perhaps in the future, it would become part of his secondary team.
He accepted the Old Amber and stored it in his inventory before turning back to Brock with a smirk.
"Brock, that was just the first one. What about the second compensation?"
"..."
Brock stared at the grinning Eddie, feeling somewhat exasperated. Why was this guy so persistent about getting both rewards?
"Ahem… The second compensation should be arriving soon. Just wait a little longer."
Brock silently thanked whoever had prepared something in advance for Eddie. Otherwise, he wouldn't have had anything to give him.
"Arriving soon? What's that supposed to mean? Is it being delivered or something?"
Eddie was amused when he heard this—Brock's words were quite interesting.
He recalled that before the Gym match, Brock had mentioned compensating him for the long wait. Then, after sending out Aerodactyl, he had promised another compensation.
Looking at the situation now, it seemed that Brock had given him the Old Amber on a whim—most likely as an impromptu gesture when he sent out Aerodactyl.
As for the compensation Brock had initially mentioned, it probably wasn't something he had prepared himself. Instead, it might have come from the person who had informed Brock of Eddie's name.
After all, Eddie's Gym battle had been incredibly difficult. If it had been anyone else—even Ash or Gary in their current state—they probably wouldn't have been able to defeat that Mega Aerodactyl.
Since the challenge had been made harder, it was only natural that the rewards would be better as well, right?
Brock didn't answer Eddie's question directly. Instead, he simply smiled and led him out of the Gym to an open area in front of the building.
"Mr. Morning Sun, Breakneck Express is here to serve you. This is your package. Please sign for it."
A voice rang out as a courier riding a Pidgeot descended from the sky. The courier reached into his backpack, pulling out a small package along with a delivery slip.
"It's actually a delivery? That's pretty cool."
Eddie took the slip and filled in his ID name. The courier then handed him the small package.
After exchanging goodbyes, the courier gave Pidgeot a command, and the Pokémon took off, heading toward its next destination.
"Brock, what's inside?"
Eddie held the package but didn't open it immediately. Instead, he deliberately asked Brock.
"I have no idea what's inside, so why ask me?"
Brock shrugged and gave a helpless smile.
Eddie proceeded to open the package.
Inside, he found a letter and a Poké Ball.
It seemed the compensation was a Pokémon. As for the letter, he would have to read it to find out more.