Settling In

Mr. Moore's Charizard didn't fly very fast. It seemed like he intentionally waited for the other trainers, as not all Pokémon could fly as fast as Elite level Charizard.

More than a hundred people rode their Pokémon into the sky together. It was quite a spectacular sight, and even the residents of Fallarbor Town couldn't help but look up in awe.

Following Mr. Moore's Charizard, the group of trainers flew eastward and soon entered the oceanic expanse, surrounded by deep blue waters.

During their flight, Yuga occasionally spotted some small islands floating on the sea's surface. However, Mr. Moore flew past them without a second thought, indicating they weren't their destination.

In this manner, Yuga and the others flew for nearly a full day, only stopping on uninhabited islands briefly when someone couldn't endure the journey any longer.

Fortunately, there were plenty of these islands along the way. Otherwise, they might have exhausted themselves and never reached their unexpectedly distant destination.

Finally, as the orange sun began to set, Mr. Moore, riding on Charizard, pointed ahead and shouted to the group of trainers behind him, "We've reached our destination!"

Following his gesture, the trainers looked in the direction he indicated and saw a distant island covered in lush trees.

Even though it was already winter, the coastal areas of the Hoenn region remained as warm as spring, a characteristic of the region's climate.

In the center of the island stood a conspicuous mountain peak. According to the information they had received earlier, that should be the discovery site of the Firestone vein—a dormant volcano and a gathering place for Fire-type Pokémon.

Upon hearing Mr. Moore's words, the trainers erupted in cheers. After a day of flying, everyone was feeling a bit fatigued.

Under Mr. Moore's guidance, the group descended to the island's edge, where they were met by a welcoming party.

These individuals were the advance team of the Pokémon League, consisting mainly of geologists and support personnel, along with a mining crew.

Once Yuga and the others cleared the Fire-type Pokémon from the area, these personnel would conduct surveys and initiate mining operations.

The leader of this reception party, a middle-aged man with a rotund appearance, rushed forward when he saw Mr. Moore dismounting from his Charizard. He greeted them warmly, saying, "Mr. Moore, you've finally arrived! We've been anxiously awaiting your arrival."

It was clear that Mr. Moore and this middle-aged man knew each other well. Mr. Moore laughed heartily and replied, "No need to rush! We're here now!"

The middle-aged man said, "Yes, yes! Let me arrange accommodations for you all. It's getting late today, and it's not suitable for any further action. We can discuss matters tomorrow!"

Mr. Moore nodded and said, "Very well, we appreciate your help."

The middle-aged man waved his hand and added, "It's no trouble at all; it's my duty."

Turning to the group of trainers, Mr. Moore said, "It's getting late, so let's settle in here for the night. Tomorrow, I'll brief you all on the island's situation, and then we'll proceed with our mission."

The trainers had no objections and agreed to this plan.

After Mr. Moore's introduction, Yuga and the others learned that the middle-aged man welcoming them was named Ux. He was a renowned geologist and the person in charge of this mining operation.

They had arrived on the island shortly after the discovery of the Firestone vein. Ux had already conducted a preliminary survey of the entire island and set up a rudimentary base.

Under Ux' guidance, Yuga and his group followed him to this "rudimentary base."

The perimeter of the base was enclosed with wire fencing, likely to prevent certain Pokémon from accidentally wandering in. The buildings in the base were of the convenient, prefabricated metal type.

Many staff members were coming in and out of the metal rooms, appearing quite busy, but Yuga and the group of trainers couldn't comprehend their activities.

Ux led Yuga and the others to a row of two-story metal buildings and pointed to them, saying, "During our operation, you'll be staying here. It's rather basic, so I hope you'll bear with it."

To be honest, most trainers were surprised to have any housing at all. They had initially expected to camp in their own tents, and many of them had brought tents along.

Trainers were generally accustomed to hardships. Otherwise, they wouldn't last long on this path. Even someone like Steven, who came from a wealthy family, had spent years adventuring in the wild. That's why his skills surpassed those of his peers.

Battles, training, and adventures remained the unchanging themes for most trainers.

Of course, Yuga, the pseudo-trainer, was an exception. After all, he was the guy with the "cheat codes."

Under Ux' arrangement, the trainers chose rooms in the row of two-story metal buildings. However, since they had a large group, and the number of rooms was limited, most of them ended up sharing a room with a roommate.

Flannery shared a room with an unfamiliar female trainer, while Yuga found himself sharing a room with an unfamiliar male trainer.

The rooms were very basic, with bunk beds, a table, two chairs, and the essential bedding.

As Yuga was inspecting the room, his temporary roommate walked in.

"Hey, you're the trainer who rides the Dragonair!"

The newcomer was a young man in his twenties, and he seemed quite surprised when he saw Yuga.

"Hello! I'm Yuga. Let's get along these few days."

Yuga nodded and greeted the young man.

"Hi there! I'm Beidou. Nice to meet you."

Beidou appeared to have an outgoing personality, always sporting a bright smile on his face.

"By the way, are you from the Sootopolis Gym?" Beidou suddenly asked Yuga.

Yuga paused for a moment and then nodded. Although he wasn't technically from the Sootopolis Gym, he represented it. He didn't feel like explaining, so he decided to go along with it.

"How did you know?" Yuga asked curiously.

Beidou chuckled and replied, "I think everyone knows by now. After all, you were the last one to arrive! We had all met each other a day before the scheduled gathering time. It's kind of an unspoken rule. Didn't your Gym Leader tell you?"

"I had no idea!" Yuga exclaimed.

He had no clue about this convention. It was surprising to him that he had made a name for himself even before arriving. But why hadn't Mr. Juan mentioned this?

What Yuga didn't know was that even Mr. Juan wasn't aware of these details. The Sootopolis Gym hadn't participated in this type of operation for a long time, and it had always been Wallace, his disciple, who led the teams in the past. So, Juan had never paid attention to such nuances.