"Lairon, it's been a while." Yuga greeted Steven's Lairon warmly.
"Lairon, Lairon!" Lairon clearly had a fondness for Yuga, the Trainer who had saved its life. Squinting its sky-blue eyes, it seemed to be in a good mood.
"You came to see me just so Lairon could meet me?" After greeting Lairon, Yuga looked up at Steven and asked.
"Of course not, I came for another reason." Steven waved his hand and said.
"Another reason?" Yuga asked in confusion.
"Yes, I mentioned to you yesterday that I found many fossils in the Hoenn Desert. I wanted to ask if you're interested. I can give you a few." Saying this, Steven took out his backpack and emptied several fossils onto the ground.
Yuga thought that Steven was quite straightforward. He liked rocks himself, so it was only natural that he chose stones as gifts for others.
However, Yuga did find fossils interesting because they could be revived as Pokémon using a fossil revival device. This device would also be introduced by the Devon Corporation in the future. The specifics of its development were unclear to Yuga.
Looking at the colorful pile of fossils, Yuga was amazed.
"Where did you find so many fossils? There are quite a variety."
Steven answered, "I found them in a relic in the desert. However, my spatial backpack has limitations, so I could only bring this many."
Yuga thought: There are really a lot of relics in the Hoenn Desert.
"You call this 'only this many'? It's almost like a small hill!" Yuga believed that for Steven, there could never be too many rocks.
Squatting down, Yuga rummaged through the pile of fossils. He suddenly realized that his skill "Insight" couldn't determine the former potential of these fossils.
However, Yuga didn't pay much attention to it. Fossil Pokémon were rare items in themselves, and their potential didn't matter. There were people willing to buy them just to take a look.
Seeing Yuga's actions, Steven asked curiously, "Yuga, can you distinguish the types of these fossils?"
Yuga nodded and said, "Yes, look, this is a root fossil. It should be part of a Cradily; this is a claw fossil, probably from an Anorith; and there's... oh, finally, this one is a armor fossil, likely from a Shieldon."
Saying this, Yuga classified the fossils one by one and set them aside.
Steven didn't expect Yuga to have knowledge about fossils as well, and he was pleasantly surprised.
"I didn't expect you to have knowledge about fossils. That's great."
Yuga said with embarrassment, "Actually, I don't know much about fossils, besides recognizing their types. I'm clueless about everything else."
"Hey, don't be too modest. Just look at your classification earlier. Yuga didn't make a single mistake. Don't say you're not knowledgeable."
With that, Steven began discussing the fossils with Yuga.
After Steven's free tutorial, Yuga realized he had embarrassed himself earlier.
Steven not only accurately recognized the type of each fossil, but he could also discern the era in which they lived through scientific methods, identify if the genes within the fossils were intact, and even proposed the possibility of reviving fossil Pokémon.
Yuga felt that Steven had truly broadened his horizons.
Yuga noticed that aside from being a Trainer, Steven was also a top student, especially when it came to archaeology. He was practically an expert in that field.
Looking at himself and then at Steven, Yuga realized that the gap between the two of them was just like the gap between a pauper and a wealthy man.
Lacking strength and knowledge.
Yuga secretly determined that while Steven was a second-generation rich kid, he would strive to become a first-generation rich kid!
After discussing fossils, Steven said to Yuga, "Take a look at the ones you like and choose some. Consider them as gifts from me, along with a few days' accommodation fee at your place."
Yuga thought to yourself: This accommodation fee is really quite expensive.
Although he thought this way in his heart, Yuga still wanted the fossils from Steven. Why miss an opportunity to gain some advantage?
"Could you help me choose? I don't know which ones to pick."
The reason Yuga didn't want to choose himself was that he was afraid of mishandling the quantity. If he picked too many, he might appear greedy; if he picked too few, he'd be at a disadvantage. So, Yuga decided to let Steven choose.
Yuga have to admit, Yuga is quite a crafty person.
"That works." Upon hearing Yuga's words, Steven agreed without hesitation.
Steven was quite straightforward too. He split each type of fossil in half and gave half to Yuga.
"So many!" Yuga was surprised by Steven's generosity. Was this really the same stone enthusiast he knew? He was unexpectedly so generous.
"It's nothing. There will be more chances to find them in the future." Steven waved his hand nonchalantly.
So, that's your real intention! Just as I thought, how could Yuga be so generous with stones! It turns out you had planned it from the beginning.
However, Yuga thought to himself: If you go again, there's no telling if you'll make it back alive.
After seeing Steven off, Yuga noticed that Misaki had returned. Not long after, Yuga left the house.
When Yuga returned, he went to the Ecopark with great enthusiasm. He placed all the fossils he had obtained from Steven there and handed them over to the Miltanks for safekeeping.
Yuga was waiting for the day when the Devon Corporation would introduce the fossil revival device. Then, he could use his connections with Steven to have all these fossils revived, which would be a big profit for him.
After entering the Ecopark, Yuga also checked on the other Pokémon.
Yuga noticed that the personalities of the newly added Tsareena had changed from when they first arrived. Initially gentle and tender, they had become wild and assertive, truly invincible queens now.
Especially recently, they had heated battles with the Clawitzer. They seemed to fight at the drop of a hat.
The key point was that the initiator, the Greninja, was watching the battles unfold without intervening.
The Tsareena held the advantage in type, while the Clawitzer held the advantage in numbers. Neither side had the upper hand.
Seeing them fight so fiercely, Yuga tried to discuss moving the Tsareena to the oasis of the Desert Sub-Ecopark. But not only did the Clawitzer object, even the Tsareena themselves refused.
Are they addicted to fighting now? Yuga was puzzled; perhaps they were enjoying the thrill of battle.
If that was the case, then Greninja should shoulder the blame. It was the one most enthusiastic about fighting in the entire Ecopark.
Since they were unwilling, Yuga wouldn't force them.