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"Because I intervened in the match, I forfeit this battle. Congratulations on your victory, Miss Delia. You don't have any objections to this outcome, do you…?"
Right after Ariados's Hyper Voice extinguished the flames, Ginko quickly walked over to Paras's side, cradled the unconscious Pokémon in his arms, and turned to Delia with an icy expression.
At that moment, Delia was still shaken from the deafening sonic blast. Upon hearing Ginko's voice, she snapped back to reality. The first thing she saw when she looked up was his cold gaze.
Suddenly being stared at with such a chilling look made Delia's heart feel like it was plunged into ice. Never having experienced anything like this, her face immediately showed a grievance, like a child who had done something wrong. She lowered her head and took a timid step back.
"Calm down, Delia. I'm here."
Liam, who had been quietly observing from the sidelines, furrowed his brow at the sight. He quickly stepped forward, placed a hand on Delia's shoulder, and pulled her gently into his embrace, softly comforting her. His own eyes, however, stared coldly at Ginko, clearly upset at his action.
"Gym Leader? Since the battle has ended, shouldn't you hand over the badge now?"
Still holding Delia in his arms, Liam gently patted her back and calmly spoke to Ginko.
"Uh… sorry. I lost my composure…"
Caught off guard by Liam's question, Ginko's expression wavered for a moment. Then, seeing Delia in Liam's arms, he finally came to his senses and quickly replied with an apologetic tone.
Hearing the apology, Delia slowly raised her head. Her eyes were slightly red and still showed traces of fear, but she merely nodded faintly without saying anything more.
"Cynda?"
Just as the tension in the air reached its peak, Cyndaquil—who had been blown away by the Hyper Voice—came running back. Clueless about what had just happened, Cyndaquil stood up on its hind legs and tugged on Delia's pant leg with a confused look.
"You did great, Cyndaquil. Thanks to you, we won again. You're amazing!"
Cyndaquil's return helped shift Delia's attention a bit. She smiled warmly, bent down, and picked up Cyndaquil, showering it with praise as she cradled it in her arms.
"Cynda!"
...
"A Bug Badge. Proof that you defeated me, the Azalea Town Gym Leader. It's yours now."
Sometime after the battle ended, outside the Gym, Ginko handed Delia a ladybug-shaped badge.
"…Thank you. I appreciate your guidance."
Delia looked hesitantly at the badge in Ginko's hand, her face still a bit conflicted. But in the end, she reached out and quickly accepted it, thanking him stiffly.
"Yeah… I got too upset earlier. It wasn't your fault entirely and I'm sorry I scared you. As an apology, let me tell you where to catch a Shuckle. If you're interested, you can go there and try to catch one."
Seeing Delia's timid demeanor, Ginko scratched his head awkwardly, clearly not great at expressing himself, and spoke in a softer tone.
"Ah! A Shuckle?! Yes, yes! Please tell me where!"
That was just Delia's nature. One moment she was frightened, and the next she was completely back to normal.
"..."
Next to her, Liam looked like he wanted to say something but held back.
"Hehe… Actually, the spot is in a forest south of Ecruteak City. A lot of Shuckle live there. If you want to catch one, that's the place to go."
Ginko gave them a general description of the forest's location. After that, Liam and Delia returned to the Pokémon Center the same way they came, while Ginko went back to tending to his Bug Garden.
...
At the Pokémon Center in Azalea Town, Delia handed over all her Pokémon used in the battle to Nurse Joy, asking her to help them recover. Then, pulling Liam along, she rushed to the dining hall to deal with lunch.
"Mmm~ Post-battle lunch is just the best~"
In the Center's cafeteria, Liam and Delia sat across from each other. Delia was happily stuffing her face with delicious food, eyes squinting in delight.
Liam wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but that phrase sounded oddly familiar...
"Hey hey, Liam! I got another badge today! I'm amazing, aren't I? Hehe~ Now that I've got it, where are we going next? Is there anything fun to do in Azalea Town?"
Delia, who had been busy eating, suddenly set down her spoon and cheerfully pulled out her new Bug Badge, placing it carefully into her badge case with pride. Her face was full of excitement, clearly eager for their next adventure.
"Hmm... Azalea Town's main attractions are the Gym, which we've visited, and then there's the house of the PokéBall artisan—Mr. Kurt. Lastly, there's the sacred site: Slowpoke Well, where many Slowpoke reside. After lunch and a short break, we could visit Mr. Kurt's place. He's a close friend of Professor Oak, so if we mention that, we might even get a special PokéBall from him."
Liam gently set his spoon down, thought for a moment, and then looked up at Delia.
"You mean a special ball? I love Lorelei's Friend Ball! If possible, I'd love to get one too~"
Delia's eyes sparkled at the mention of special balls.
"Haha, finish eating first. You might just get your wish."
Liam couldn't help but chuckle at her excitement, picking up his spoon again to resume his meal.
...
Later in the afternoon, after eating and resting for a bit, Liam and Delia left the Pokémon Center to visit Mr. Kurt's house.
Since Cyndaquil and the others were still recovering with Nurse Joy, they didn't bring any Pokémon with them. Delia simply carried the Pokémon Egg in her arms, smiling as she walked alongside Liam.
...
"I'm sorry, Master Kurt isn't home at the moment. If you have any important matters, feel free to let me know, and I'll report everything to him when he returns..."
As evening began to fall, Liam and Delia finally arrived—albeit slowly—at the legendary Mr. Kurt's residence. But when they knocked on the door, a graceful woman in a kimono answered and politely explained that Mr. Kurt was currently out.
"Ah! When will Mr. Kurt be back?"
Delia looked visibly disappointed upon hearing the news and immediately asked.
"If it's something important, you can come again tomorrow. He'll definitely be home then."
The woman smiled kindly as she replied.
"Understood. We'll come by again tomorrow, then. If he returns in the meantime, please let him know that Professor Oak sends his regards on our behalf. We won't disturb you any longer. See you tomorrow."
Knowing they wouldn't be able to meet him today, Liam didn't press the matter. He nodded politely and gently pulled the reluctant Delia away from the house.
"Seriously… What a bummer. So now what?"
Outside, Delia pouted and muttered unhappily.
"Haha, it's no big deal. We'll just play for another day. No rush. For now, let's head back to the Pokémon Center. It's been a long day—we could use some rest."
Liam smiled as he looked at Delia.
"Alright… I guess that's the only option…"
Delia pouted but agreed.
...
As night fell and the two made their way back toward the Pokémon Center, Liam noticed a few shadowy figures hurrying past a dried-up fountain. Something about them caught his attention.
"Hmm? The emblem on their clothes…? The Hunting Group! What are they doing here...? And they're headed toward... Slowpoke Well! Are they targeting the Slowpoke?"
Liam immediately recognized the outfits—standard uniforms of the Hunting Group. Their direction was unmistakably toward Slowpoke Well, and that stirred his suspicion.
"Hmm? Liam? What are you looking at? Is there something over there?"
"Ah... nothing. Let's head back. I've been walking with you all day. Time to rest up."
"What's that supposed to mean? Like I haven't been walking with you all day too? Hmph, I'm not talking to you anymore..."
"..."
Late into the night, Liam glanced at the peacefully sleeping Delia, then quietly crept to the window and leapt out from the second floor.
Thanks to his enhanced body, that height meant nothing to him. Moving swiftly into the shadows of the building, he emerged again fully geared up, a black void-like mask on his face. Speaking quietly to himself:
"Let's see what shady business these guys are up to this time..."
With that, Liam flicked his cloak and disappeared into the darkness.