Professor Rowan's sudden appearance clearly caught Sato and the others off guard. After all, they had just arrived in Sandgem Town. How had he shown up so quickly?
Moreover, judging from what he had just said, he was actually willing to offer two Mega Stones to Mark and Joseph.
"We haven't earned it. Thank you for your generosity, Professor Rowan," Joseph was the first to shake his head and politely decline.
And while Mark definitely wanted the Mega Stone in his heart, he also knew this wasn't the time to speak out, so he kept quiet.
"You've done a great service, and you should be rewarded. The main reason I established my lab here in Sandgem Town was because of Lake Verity. I was the one who had the situation reported to the League. I just didn't expect…"
Professor Rowan stopped mid-sentence, but Sato and the others understood. The truth was, certain people in the League were behind this, and the information blackout was just standard procedure.
As the Lake Verity incident grew more serious and large numbers of unidentified individuals boldly moved in, even constructing an electrified dam… even Professor Rowan, slow to act as he might be, realized once the League showed no intention of intervening that the situation was far from simple.
So, though he acted outwardly anxious and flustered, he had secretly tried to get a message to Bertha.
But by that point, the Lake Verity incident had already reached its final stages. Even if the message got through, the main base was too far away; so in the end, Bertha had no choice but to come alone.
And just then, Sato and his friends crashed onto the scene, singlehandedly destroying the enemy's scheme and even successfully rescuing Mesprit, one of the Lake Guardians.
To Professor Rowan, the fact that these young Trainers had already attained such strength was truly remarkable.
More importantly, they were filled with a SENSE OF JUSTICE and dared to stand up to evil forces!
So of course, they deserved a reward!
…At least, that was Professor Rowan's personal take on them.
Thankfully, Sato didn't know what he was thinking. Otherwise, he'd have just let out a chuckle and said, 'This ojisan's pretty naive.'
"Starting last night, there were constant disturbances coming from Lake Verity. After fighting for so long, you must be exhausted. Go rest first. When you're ready, come to my lab, I'll be waiting for you there."
Professor Rowan had filled in all the blanks with his own imagination but didn't share any of it aloud.
He just told them -somewhat bossily- to rest up and then come find him, and then left on his own.
Sato and the others looked at each other. Had they even agreed to accept Rowan's reward yet?
"Well… looks like Rowan is reminding me not to bother you kids anymore. Whatever else I still need to know, I'll wait until I've seen your video footage," Bertha added before turning and leaving after Professor Rowan.
Watching them go, Sato and the others finally let out a long sigh. It was finally over, they could rest.
---
Time passed quickly, and by the next morning, the three of them -fully recharged- left the Pokémon Center.
Still feeling a bit awkward but also curious and fired up, they cheerfully made their way to Professor Rowan's lab.
"You've arrived. The professor's been waiting for you. Come with me," said a researcher in a white lab coat who greeted them as soon as they entered, clearly expecting their visit.
The lab was filled with precision instruments they couldn't understand, and the few researchers they passed all seemed to be in a hurry.
"Yesterday afternoon we made a special trip to Lake Verity and collected residual Gastrodon cells, hoping to analyze the principle behind their fusion..."
Noticing the trio's curiosity about their current research, the man began speaking enthusiastically.
…Thankfully, it didn't last long.
Soon, they spotted Professor Rowan, who was also deeply engaged in research.
"Ahem, Professor, I've brought them. I'll head out now," the researcher quickly reported respectfully upon seeing Rowan.
"Mhm," Rowan responded softly, without even glancing up.
A few minutes later, Rowan finally paused his work and turned toward Sato and the others.
"Come with me."
His expression was stern, the kind of man who wouldn't use four words where three would do.
Soon, everyone was seated in the lounge. Sato wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but once Rowan stepped out of the research area, his entire aura suddenly felt much gentler(?).
"This is the manual Bertha left for you. Since she knows you have a Krookodile, she chose one for raising Hippowdon. They both live in the desert, so there's quite a bit you can learn from it."
Rowan spoke more normally now, first completing the task Bertha had entrusted to him.
"And where's Elite Four Bertha?" Mark couldn't help but ask.
"I watched the video too. What it revealed, and the people it involved, runs too deep and wide. She had no intention of sticking around."
As Rowan explained, he also pulled out three small boxes from the cabinet behind him.
"Even though Bertha already gave you the manual, since you were the protagonist behind saving Lake Verity, I've decided to give you an extra reward."
Sato was a bit surprised. He hadn't expected Rowan, who seemed so strict, to be so generous in his actions.
"These are the Mega Stones for Lucario and Gallade. I've also included the Key Stones for each of you, you'll be able to use them immediately."
Rowan opened the top two boxes. Inside were four round stones of varying sizes and colors, each glowing faintly with a rainbow hue.
Joseph and Mark were both visibly excited. They carefully accepted their respective Mega Stones and examined them intently.
"Since I didn't know what kind of accessory style you preferred, I didn't embed the stones. You can decide that yourselves."
"Thank you, Professor Rowan!" ×2
Joseph and Mark expressed their gratitude earnestly. Now that they had their own Mega Stones, they no longer had to envy Sato.
"Sato, I also prepared a Mega Stone for you, one you can use."
As he spoke, Rowan quickly opened the last box, revealing a Mega Stone in red, pink, and green quietly lying inside.
Gardevoir's… Mega Stone!
Sato opened his mouth, but for a moment, he didn't know what to say. He didn't even know whether to accept the gift.
His Gardevoir… could not undergo Mega Evolution.
Outsiders all believed his Gardevoir was simply a special Shiny Pokémon, hence its jet-black body.
But Joseph and the others knew the truth: Gardevoir's very typing had changed long ago.
Since that accidental incident where its type had been altered, Gardevoir hadn't used a single Dark-type move.
Sato didn't know if it still carried emotional scars, and he didn't want to push it to find out, so he had left things alone.
…But now, a Gardevoir Mega Stone had suddenly appeared, and his Gardevoir couldn't use it.
Even someone without inner struggles would feel conflicted in this situation.
'Toto, Mega Stones and such... I don't need them.'
A telepathic voice suddenly rang out in Sato's mind.