It was Sunday—a school-free weekend—and the official first day of Surskit joining Harold's team.
Luckily, the weather was bright and sunny, making it a perfect day for outdoor activities like testing Surskit's capabilities.
The day before, Harold had brought Surskit to the Pokémon Center for a complete medical check-up and treatment. It was fairly expensive, but the service was undeniably top-notch. While he was there, Harold also officially registered Surskit under his name, making the little bug his full responsibility.
A gentle breeze blew peacefully through the yard, carrying the sweet scent of Peony bushes planted by Grandma Martha—a soothing aroma that instantly calmed the mind.
Harold, Teddiursa, and Surskit stood together by the edge of the daycare pond. Harold pulled a small notebook from his waist bag, where he kept track of every important detail regarding his training.
"So, would you mind showing me what moves you know besides Mud Shot and Bubble Beam?" Harold asked Surskit softly, keeping his voice gentle so he wouldn't startle the small bug.
Harold remembered reading a book by a Bug-type specialist, which mentioned that many basic-stage Bug Pokémon were naturally timid due to their low power. However, their personalities often shifted dramatically once they evolved, revealing their true potential.
"... ..."
Surskit didn't answer. Instead, it instantly skittered backward, putting a large distance between itself, Harold, and Teddiursa.
Surprised by its sudden retreat, Harold quickly held up a hand. "Surskit, it's okay if you don't want to! I respect your decisions."
"Teddiursa!" Teddiursa stepped forward beside Harold, trying to reassure Surskit. It had already grown quite fond of its new teammate—especially since last night, when bread topped with Surskit's sweet fluid became its absolute favorite snack.
Achoo!
Harold suddenly felt a tickle in his nose as a completely different, sweet aroma filled the air around them. Beside him, Teddiursa began sniffing eagerly, trying to locate the source of the lovely scent.
Surskit still didn't say a word, but it glided back over to Harold, staring directly up at him.
"Teddi!" Teddiursa pointed excitedly at Surskit, waving its paws as it tried to explain what had just happened.
Harold smiled, having already figured it out from Teddiursa's reaction. "Thank you for showing us Sweet Scent and Quick Attack, Surskit."
Harold leaned down to gently pat Surskit's head, then quickly jotted the details into his notebook before he forgot anything. This information was crucial for designing Surskit's future battle style—much like how he had trained Teddiursa to master Fling as a reliable long-range option.
That's a solid movepool. Surskit can focus on long-range combat as its primary strategy, Harold thought.
"We should focus on training your agility and speed," Harold said, jotting down his ideas while explaining the plan to both Surskit and Teddiursa. "You need to maintain distance from your opponents to avoid taking direct hits."
"It will be even easier once you evolve into Masquerain, since you'll be fast and capable of flight..." Harold paused, looking directly into Surskit's eyes. "Wait... do you actually want to evolve? I just want to make sure—we can easily adjust our strategy if you don't."
"... ..."
Surskit remained silent, but it gave Harold a firm, confident nod. It definitely wanted to evolve.
"That's great news! Masquerain is a Bug- and Flying-type, which quadruples its resistance to Fighting-type attacks. You'll make an incredible combo with Ted, especially since he's twice as vulnerable to Fighting moves," Harold said with high hopes. He truly wanted to win this tournament.
Winning that Everstone could determine who joined his team next—or at the very least, provide him with enough flexible cash flow to buy whatever resources they needed.
"Let's get today's training started! Ted, you'll be running laps with this new weighted belt," Harold said, strapping a 5kg weight around Teddiursa that he had recently purchased in Mauville City.
"I'll be running right alongside you, Ted. And Surskit..." Harold smiled down at the little bug. "You'll be practicing your aim and accuracy. I brought a few friends to help you out."
Right on cue, Pikachu, Plusle, Minun, and Dedenne popped out from the nearby bushes, watching Surskit with bright, curious eyes.
"Heh, you're going to have a great time with them, Surskit," Harold said, giving the little bug a sly look.
Oh, you're going to suffer, Harold laughed to himself. Those little mice are absolute experts at dodging!
Surskit, completely oblivious to what was coming, just stood there in confusion as it watched Harold laugh at seemingly nothing.
Meanwhile, far to the northwest, something dangerous was brewing in Fallarbor Town—hundreds of miles away from Route 117.
Fallarbor Town was a small settlement resting in the shadow of Mount Chimney, leaving it perpetually dusted in volcanic ash and soot. The grey powder covered everything—streets, rooftops, trees, and rocks alike.
Yet despite the harsh environment, the town was famous across Hoenn for two things: its exquisite glasswork and the rare meteorites that frequently fell in the surrounding area.
Visitors flocked from all over to purchase handcrafted glass, while scientists made the town their base to study cosmic space rocks.
But beyond what could be seen on the surface, something far darker was hidden beneath Fallarbor Town...
Deep underground, in a secret facility hidden from the Pokémon League, an office hummed with the sound of computers and dark-green-uniformed grunts. Suddenly, one of the operatives slammed his fist onto his desk.
"Dammit! How could he?!"
The man, wearing a nametag that read Vin, looked panicked. His colleague noticed his reaction and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Pete was captured," Vin replied nervously. "The Boss is going to be furious."
His colleague froze in shock. Pete had been assigned a high-stakes mission—one that had to remain completely off the Pokémon League's radar. If the League investigated Pete's arrest, their entire operation risked exposure, even if Pete kept his mouth shut.
Because Pete had those confidential files on him.
"I guess we need to..." Vin drew a finger across his throat in a sharp slashing motion, "...and retrieve or destroy those files."
"Who's going to make the report?" his colleague asked, dreading the answer.
Vin shook his head. "I'd rather not report anything until we clean up this mess, but..."
"The Boss will be even angrier if he finds out we hid it from him."
"Yeah. That's the problem," Vin sighed.
"I'll do it."
Another grunt sitting next to Vin spoke up. His voice was steady and confident, sounding completely prepared to face the Boss's wrath.
Vin hesitated, clearly worried. "No, Cyrus. You've done this too many times. You can't keep being the one who delivers bad news. What if he...?"
"No one else is willing to do it," Cyrus interrupted. The blue-haired, blue-eyed grunt paused, looking Vin directly in the eyes. "Including you."
Vin fell silent. Cyrus was right.
Aside from Cyrus, not a single person in the room dared to face the Boss. Unlike Cyrus, they were still driven by fear—afraid of pain, punishment, and rage—and lacked total devotion to the cause.
"Please, Cyrus." Vin stood up and placed a hand on Cyrus's shoulder. "We're counting on you. We'll wait here for the Boss's next orders."
The other grunts, who had been pretending not to listen, began stepping forward toward Cyrus. They were all relying on him to do what they feared, yet knew had to be done.
Without a word or a promise, Cyrus gave a firm nod and walked out of the office.