"Hi, I'm Byron," the Gym Leader said, walking over with a polite nod.
"Forgive my forwardness."
"I overheard Ash calling you 'Sam'... and I seem to have seen you before."
He extended a hand, sincere and firm.
"Are you by any chance Professor Lockwood from the Celestic Research Lab?"
Sam blinked once in mild surprise. He hadn't expected that.
"That's right," he replied, taking the handshake calmly.
"So the Gym Leader of Canalave knows me?"
He tried to recall if they'd ever met before, as far as he could remember, nothing.
Byron chuckled, his voice gravelly but warm.
"You're too modest."
"You're the leading expert in Sinnoh's history. Of course I've heard of you!"
"We historians don't get many celebrities in our circles, so when someone like Professor Sam makes waves with his work on ancient texts and ruins, it spreads."
"I've heard your name many times, but never met the man in person."
He scratched his beard, eyes twinkling.
"Didn't expect you to be so young, either."
Sam gave a modest wave.
"You flatter me, Mr. Byron."
Ash, still buzzing from his victory, practically jumped into the conversation.
"Not just a historian!" he beamed.
"Sam's also an amazing trainer!"
"It's thanks to his advice that I beat all three of your Pokémon!"
"Oh?" Byron looked intrigued, raising a thick brow.
"Professor Samuel is also a strong trainer?"
Before Sam could downplay it, Ash continued, voice rising with excitement.
"Strong? He's mega-strong!"
"His Lucario is insanely strong! Like, seriously, next level!"
Sam chuckled softly, rubbing the back of his neck.
"It's not quite as dramatic as Ash makes it sound…"
Byron's interest deepened. He crossed his arms, thoughtful.
"Lucario, huh?"
"You train steel-types as well?"
His tone had shifted, curious, even a bit hopeful.
Steel-types weren't popular among trainers.
Sure, they were strong and durable, but few people specialized in them due to their complex move sets and limited versatility compared to fire, water, or psychic types.
In the entire world, there were only three widely known steel-type specialists:
Jasmine, the quiet Gym Leader from Olivine City in Johto.
Steven Stone, the retired Hoenn Champion and rock-steel connoisseur.
And himself, Byron, the iron-willed guardian of Canalave Gym.
So it wasn't every day he met someone new with serious steel-type experience.
He smiled.
"Well then, Professor Sam… you've piqued my interest."
"Since we're all here, and the field's still warm…"
"How about a match? Just you and me."
Sam blinked.
"A battle?"
The request caught him off guard.
At that exact moment, a familiar chime rang out inside his mind, clear, electronic, and emotionless.
[Ding! Random System Mission Triggered.]
[Objective: Defeat Byron's main battle Pokémon.]
[Reward: Psychic force.]
[Penalty: None.]
[Skill Effect 1: Move physical objects with the mind.]
[Skill Effect 2: Enhance and optimize the host's mind beyond ordinary human limitations.]
[Accept mission: Yes / No?]
A near-broken reward… and no downside?
He raised an eyebrow.
This system… knows how to bait me.
"Accept task," he responded silently.
The interface vanished with a subtle ding.
The moment he confirmed, Sam's focus sharpened.
The atmosphere around him subtly shifted; he didn't show it outwardly, but something beneath the surface felt... more electric.
Byron nodded at him from across the field.
"You were right earlier, Professor."
"It's fate that brought us together today. Let's make the most of it."
Sam met his gaze calmly.
"Since we're calling this an official Challenge, I have one request."
Byron tilted his head slightly.
"Name it."
"I'd like you to use your main Pokémon. Your strongest."
"If I'm going to challenge a Gym Leader, I want the real deal. No holding back."
Byron's face split into a grin.
"Now you're talking."
"I wouldn't dream of going easy on you."
He turned to his staff.
"Prepare the arena for high-impact combat."
With a quick bark of orders, Byron's team got to work.
The steel platform retracted, shifting gears, groaning as hidden sections extended, revealing reinforced metal flooring and energy barriers forming around the edges.
The gym lights intensified.
This was no ordinary match.
Meanwhile, in the elevated seats, Ash had tucked away his new Canalave Badge, but not into the usual badge case where he kept his others.
This one, he placed into a separate inner pouch of his jacket, almost reverently.
He sat forward, elbows on his knees, eyes fixed on the battlefield.
"This battle's gonna be crazy," he muttered, voice filled with anticipation.
"I've got to focus. If I want to improve, I need to watch every move Sam makes."
Pikachu gave an enthusiastic nod.
"Pika!"
Beside him, Brock crossed his arms.
"Yeah. This won't be an ordinary gym match."
"I've heard that all six of Byron's main Pokémon are Elite-level."
Ash blinked. "Elite level?! Like, on par with the Sinnoh Elite Four?!"
"Close," Brock confirmed.
"If Byron wasn't so obsessed with digging fossils all day, he probably would've been offered a seat among them already."
Ash's mouth dropped. "Wait, so his Pokémon are that strong?"
He looked back down at the battlefield.
"But… Sam only has one partner Pokémon. Lucario."
"There's no backup. What if something goes wrong?"
For a second, his brows furrowed with concern.
"I mean, Lucario is strong, but against Byron's best…?"
Before Brock could answer, Dawn leaned forward casually, cradling her Piplup in her arms.
"Don't worry."
Ash turned, puzzled. "Huh?"
Dawn gave a relaxed smile.
"Sam is going to win. I can feel it."
Ash blinked again.
"Wait, you said a second ago that you don't understand battling!"
Dawn shrugged, completely unbothered.
"True."
"But I don't need to understand battles to have a good feeling."
"Sometimes, you just know."
Piplup chirped confidently in agreement.
Ash and Brock exchanged skeptical glances, but neither argued. In truth, part of them agreed.
There was just… something about Sam.
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