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Doo…
"Hello? Uh… Liam? Why is it you again? What is it this time? I'll tell you right now—I'm not giving you Aerodactyl!"
A night had passed, and by the next morning, after packing up and eating breakfast, Liam contacted Professor Oak's lab. At this time of day, Oak was usually there, so calling the lab was a safe bet.
"Tsk, Professor Oak, do you have to be like this? You know you're going to lose me if you keep this up, right?"
Liam, who had been smiling just a moment ago, nearly choked at Prof. Oak's words.
"Hmph. As long as you're not telling me to take Aerodactyl back, I'll listen. Go on, what is it this time?"
Prof. Oak didn't take Liam's complaint seriously. He waved impatiently at the screen.
"...Actually, I just want to transfer a Pokémon over to you. It's a Heracross. I caught it a few days ago during the Bug-Catching Contest at the National Park. I don't really have any use for it right now, so I'd like you to take care of it for me."
Liam, not wanting to waste more words, pulled out Heracross's PokeBall with a helpless look on his face.
"Eh? Heracross? That's a very solid Bug-type Pokémon. Shouldn't it be useful for you? Are you sure you want me to keep it?"
Prof. Oak was a little surprised when he heard Liam wanted to send him a Heracross.
"Hehe, Professor, did you forget I already have Scyther? I don't need any more Bug-types. Oh, and just last night, Scyther evolved. You must be curious, right? Come on out, Scizor, and say hello to Professor Oak!"
At Liam's call, a white light leapt from behind him. As it faded, Scizor's crimson, glass-like steel body appeared in the room.
"Scizor!"
"G-Good heavens! That's Scyther?! It evolved into a Scizor! How beautiful… uh, Liam, could we maybe talk about something…"
The moment Prof. Oak laid eyes on Scizor, he was completely enthralled, pressing his face against the screen as though he wanted to climb through the communication line itself. After a pause, he put on a kindly smile and spoke to Liam.
"Not listening! Goodbye!"
Liam immediately cut him off with a cold double rejection.
"Wait! Wait, Liam!"
Seeing Liam turn away, Prof. Oak panicked, though he knew Liam wouldn't really cut the call.
Liam turned back with a grin, placing Heracross's PokeBall onto the transport device.
"Professor Oak, don't bother asking—I'm not letting Scizor go anywhere for now. So… you'd better take this Heracross instead."
He pressed the transfer button, and in a flash of electricity, the PokeBall disappeared.
On the other side, Prof. Oak stood and sighed helplessly as he retrieved the transferred ball. He held it up for the camera, then looked at Liam meaningfully.
"Well… fine. I've received Heracross. Don't worry, I'll take good care of it. But Liam, someday you must send me Scizor. Your file mentions that when Scyther evolves into Scizor, it gains a new type—Steel. We've made progress researching this, but we still need more data. So…"
The implication was obvious, and Liam nodded in understanding.
"Got it, Professor. I'll remember. When I get the chance, I'll let Scizor stay with you for a while."
"Good, good. Do you have anything else for me? If not, I'll go release this Heracross into the backyard."
Satisfied with Liam's promise, Oak ended the call, and the two returned to their own business.
…....
"Scizor!"
Only then did Scizor, who had been standing behind Liam the whole time, give a sharp cry. It reached up with a pincer to tug awkwardly at the scarf around its neck, looking uncomfortable.
"Hehe, don't fidget, Scizor. That's a Silk Scarf—it's valuable. If you ruin it, that'll be a big loss."
Liam turned, smiled at the sight, and gently removed Scizor's claw from the scarf.
"Zor…"
Scizor looked aggrieved, clearly unhappy. Around its neck now hung two things: the Silk Scarf and its Scizorite.
Just last night, after testing out Mega Evolution, Liam had needed to decide where to keep the Mega Stone. After some thought, he remembered a certain Sceptile who wore its stone set into a scarf—it had looked quite stylish.
So, Liam remembered he still had an unused Silk Scarf. Why not combine the two?
That night, after Delia had finally gone to bed in a huff, Liam called out Lulu and used the system's modification function to fuse the Silk Scarf and the Mega Stone into one accessory. (Design based on Sceptile's.)
Of course, it wasn't free—it cost him 1000 exchange points for the service.
"Well, since Lulu was out anyway, I figured I'd have her do a little more, to save trouble later."
He also spent another 500 points each to fuse his and Delia's Key Stones into the halves of their heart-shaped agate necklaces. The Key Stones made the pendants larger, but also more beautiful—well worth it.
Because the necklace looked so much prettier, Delia forgave Liam for suddenly producing a mysterious Key Stone. She didn't even question how he had changed the necklace. By morning, she was happily wearing it as she went to Nurse Joy to check out of the center. Liam couldn't help but sigh at the sight… This girl is far too innocent.
After finishing checkout, Liam and Delia set off again. Their destination was still Ecruteak City, though the road ahead remained long.
.....
Meanwhile, far away near Mahogany Town, atop a desolate glacier, a Delibird flew swiftly through the storm, clutching its tail in its beak. Fighting against the blizzard, it finally broke free of the snow and descended to the mountain's base.
"Oh… you're back? Come here, Delibird—let me see what you've brought."
A shadowy figure digging near the foot of the mountain spotted the Delibird. The figure raised an arm, and the bird landed steadily on it.
"Deli!"
Delibird opened its beak and dropped two brand-new PokeBalls from its tail. The figure caught them quickly.
"So it's done, is it? Heh… looks like they did well. The Silver Wing Ball, and the Rainbow Wing Ball… Yes, the time has come. Our plan begins now! Come, Delibird—we're going to Ecruteak City to set it in motion!"
The figure stared at the silver and rainbow-colored PokeBalls, a cold smile curling on their lips. Stowing them away and grabbing their tools, their eyes flashed with a sharp glint as they marched toward Ecruteak City.
Above, the icy winds howled relentlessly, as if heralding the storm about to engulf the land.