As if sensing Leon's presence, Vigoroth opened its eyes, stopped meditating, and stood up, stretching its body.
"You're close. At this pace, you'll break through soon—into Advanced Rank Tier One," Leon said with a smile, observing Vigoroth carefully. Then his thoughts shifted to Gyarados.
"If you break through first, that big guy will probably panic."
"Boss… can we cancel my fight with Gyarados?" Vigoroth asked in a low voice. "I don't want to fight it anymore."
Leon paused slightly.
Vigoroth was thinking back to the battle they had fought together—the moment Gyarados appeared and the two of them fought side by side.
At that moment, something indescribable had surged through him.
That feeling was what a true battle partner was.
So Vigoroth didn't want to fight anymore.
"I still think you should fight," Leon replied calmly. "But treat it as a spar."
"I'll break through soon. After that, that idiot won't be my opponent," Vigoroth said stubbornly.
Leon sighed lightly.
"Who says a fight has to determine a winner? That's for enemies. You're partners."
"A spar lets you understand each other better—and improve yourselves. Both you and Gyarados have exceptional potential. There's a lot you can learn from each other."
Leon wasn't just talking about this one-month agreement.
In the future, he planned more internal battles.
They were useful for testing training theories.
"…Alright," Vigoroth finally said.
"Chamo~!"
Torchic, panting heavily, ran to Leon's feet, tilting its head and chirping. It had no idea what Leon and Vigoroth were talking about.
"Chamo chamo~!"
Torchic asked curiously.
Leon smiled.
"Gyarados and Vigoroth are going to spar. You should grow stronger too. If you don't hurry up…"
Leon lowered his voice dramatically.
"Gyarados is scary, you know. Bad temper too. And it totally counters you. If you're still this weak, it might spank you."
"Hard. Painful."
"CHAMO!!"
Torchic froze.
Its mind immediately pictured Gyarados' terrifying face—and believed it completely.
Facing Gyarados… trembling… unable to resist… getting its butt smacked—
"Chamo! I must train! I don't want my butt smacked!"
Torchic panicked and tried to run off, only to be picked up by Leon.
"Haha, relax. Eat first. Train after."
Leon set down prepared food.
Torchic obediently started eating.
This was Leon deliberately scaring it a little.
Torchic had ruled the breeding house for too long—its confidence was drifting.
When it grew up, it would understand.
In another training room, Gyarados suddenly paused.
"…Weird. Feels like someone's talking about me."
That night, during dinner, Gyarados kept glancing at Torchic.
Why does this kid look scared of me?
I didn't do anything.
I even tried to be friendly.
…Is it because I look scary?
That shouldn't be it.
I look scary, but I'm gentle.
That was Gyarados' conclusion.
"Boss," Gyarados finally asked, confused, "why does the little guy seem afraid of me?"
"Oh, nothing," Leon replied casually. "Probably just not used to you yet. It'll pass."
Then Leon changed the subject.
"Not bad. You leveled up again—Level 29 already."
"Hehe. I felt something during training and broke through," Gyarados said proudly, then looked at Vigoroth.
"You're close too, right? Even if you break through, I won't lose."
"Whatever," Vigoroth replied, rolling his eyes.
"…Weird," Gyarados muttered. "You didn't argue back?"
"Hmph. I'll show you my training results. Breakthrough or not, it won't matter," Gyarados declared confidently.
A few provocations later—
Vigoroth finally snapped back.
"Ah. That's better," Gyarados said in satisfaction.
Leon smiled quietly, eating.
Torchic watched them both.
They're both so strong… One day, I'll surpass them.
Life stayed calm for several more days.
The trio returned to Celadon City, resuming life as shop owners—and running Ryan's "Galaxy Company."
Meanwhile, the Pokémon League began moving.
Personnel shifts.Preparations.Retaliation.
Celadon entered a period of tightened control.
It barely affected them—though business slowed slightly.
"Feels like a storm's coming," Ryan laughed lazily, legs crossed. "But we're indoors. The rain won't hit us."
"Still be careful," Noah warned. "The city government is inspecting."
"Our money's clean. Procedures legal," Ryan said confidently. "If we don't expose ourselves, they won't find anything."
And he was right.
The League was hunting their own people, not small businessmen.
Then—
"So you think everything's fine?" Leon suddenly asked from his chair.
"Absolutely," Ryan said. "Totally fine."
"They're here."
Leon murmured, looking outside.
"…What?" Ryan froze.
"League personnel."
"What?!" Ryan jumped up.
"Don't panic," Leon said calmly. "If we were exposed, more would've come. Let's see what they want."
A knock sounded.
"Manager," an employee said nervously. "League officers are here. They want to see you."
Leon stood.
"Let's go."
Ryan and Noah followed.