Early the next morning, the entrance to Rustboro City's Rock Gym was swarming with people.
With an inflatable fishbowl holding his Feebas strapped to his chest and a spirited Tyrunt trotting at his heels, Lionel had barely reached the gate before he was recognized.
Lately, the buzz among Trainers revolved around "the mysterious Trainer Lionel," "Champion Steven's gift," and the "ultra-rare fossil Pokémon Tyrunt."
Lionel's account had announced his challenge to the Rock Gym for today, and plenty of Trainers in Rustboro wanted to see the rare fossil Pokémon in person.
"It's Lionel! He really came to challenge the Gym!"
"So that's Tyrunt? It looks so mighty—way more imposing than in the clips!"
"And that shiny Feebas—he fished it straight from the sea. His luck is insane!"
"I want to touch him for luck; maybe I'll bump into a shiny too!"
"..."
Lionel smiled and nodded to the crowd, then started his stream.
In seconds, viewer count shot past 100,000 and bullet comments flooded in—
"Finally, a live Gym match—go for it!"
"At last, some battles! We've only seen training; hope it's not all theory!"
"Haha, if he loses this'll be hilarious."
"..."
Lionel flicked the screen, ignoring the jokes, and wiped the camera lens spotless.
Once the lens framed him, he flashed a confident grin, voice crisp through the mic:
"Sorry to keep you waiting! I'm right outside Rustboro's Rock Gym.
Today kicks off my rookie Gym circuit—goal: claim the Rock Badge!"
His words echoed through the stream; "Go!" and "Can't wait!" filled the chat.
Beside him, the drone rose, Lock-On to the mountain-like Gym, sweeping a slow arc—
Rough ochre stone, wind-sculpted ridges, the Gym crest barely visible atop; the sheer weight of it hit through the screen.
The drone dived, snapped back to his side, and under thousands of eyes Lionel pushed open the heavy wood door etched with rock veins.
The instant he stepped in, the sight blew away every expectation.
Instead of a standard field, the arena was a battlefield of rock—
uneven ground littered with boulders, stalactites jutting from the walls like a mini stone forest.
Spectators filed in behind him, filling the side stands, buzzing with anticipation.
Lionel checked his watch—10:00 a.m. sharp, exactly the slot he'd booked online. The Rock-type Gym challenge would begin on time.
Just then, from the opposite exit—
a girl in a charcoal princess dress stepped forward, pink stockings tracing slim legs, the soft gray fabric layering gentle elegance.
Stray curls danced at her brow, twin-tails swaying, pink bows bobbing playfully.
She was Roxanne, Leader of Rustboro Gym.
Lionel stared, momentarily stunned.
Back in games and anime, Roxanne's pink tights had felt jarring; in person, the mismatch vanished—only lively charm remained.
Her gray skirt rippled with each breath, tall figure poised beside the rocky field, legs looking longer and slimmer—so striking he lost himself for a second.
Meanwhile, his stream's chat exploded with awe:
"Whoa, that's Roxanne? Way prettier than her official Gym photo—stunning!"
"Gray dress plus pink tights—who knew? So gentle, so classy!"
"Only Roxanne could pull this off—anyone else would crash and burn!"
"Twin-tails and bows—right in my heart! Who can resist?"
"No wonder chat screamed 'Rock Gym first!' when he asked where to start!"
"I wanna apprentice here—Roxanne, you're gorgeous!"
"..."
Roxanne chuckled at his frank gaze, walked over, crouched, and curiously studied Tyrunt, patting its head.
"Welcome, Lionel. I heard a new fossil Pokémon appeared—never thought I'd meet it so soon."
This is Tyrunt, right? Rock- and Dragon-type—what a fierce little thing!"
Tyrunt seemed to catch the word "fierce," puffed its tiny chest, and barked a proud "Awoo," amber eyes smug.
Roxanne's hand brushed the small horn; annoyed, Tyrunt whined softly, so she straightened up.
She glanced at the floating drone, tapped the black recorder on her belt, and smiled:
"I teach at the Pokémon Academy; I'll record the match—battle footage is priceless for my students. You don't mind?"
Lionel shook his head at once. "Of course not—it's an honor for my Pokémon and me to help."
A staff member stepped forward briskly; under guidance, Lionel with Feebas and Tyrunt took the left side of the field.
Another staff referee, megaphone in hand, voice ringing clear:
"Challenger ready—match starts soon. Format: 2-on-2. Challenger may switch at will until one side's Pokémon are all unable to battle."
Across the field Roxanne nodded, eyes on spirited Tyrunt, anticipation flickering as she spoke:
"Since your partner is a fossil Pokémon, I won't bother with the standard lineup I use against regular Trainers."
With that she plucked a Poké Ball from her belt, flicked it lightly—
"Come on out, Lileep! Lionel, let's give these fossils their own showdown!"
Instantly the stream's chat detonated, text walling off the video:
"Holy—fossil vs fossil? This is MAX-level hype!"
"What?! Thought it'd be routine—fossil mirror match, so COOL!"
"Lileep's unique Grass/Rock, same as his Rock/Dragon—typing chess match, can't miss!"
"Was still drooling over Roxanne—now I'm bolt upright!"
"Fossil v fossil! Win or lose, this is peak—start already, can't wait!"