Seth Williams was not a man used to being ignored. As the heir to the Williams family, he had grown up with people hanging onto his every word, chard by his effortless charisma and prodigy-level talent.
But Lisandra didn't care about any of that. After returning to Kanto from their brief encounter in Hoenn, Lisandra had
officially obtained her researcher's license, dedicating her life to her true
passion: archaeology. She spent her days entirely consud by dusty tos, deciphering ancient runes, and exploring the buried ruins scattered across the region.
Seth, thoroughly intrigued by the only person who had ever treated him like an absolute nuisance, made it his mission to tag along. Using his family's vast resources, he applied as a 'combat escort' to every single expedition she
joined.
"You're stepping on a 100-year-old relic, you absolute buffoon!" Lisandra
yelled, yanking him backward by his collar just as a volley of rusted darts shot through the corridor they were exploring.
"See? We make a great team," Seth grinned, dusting off his jacket.
Lisandra groaned, rubbing her temples.
"You are infuriating. I am trying to
docunt the architectural shifts in early Kanto civilization, and you are
treating this like a the park."
Seth chuckled, stepping closer. "Co on, Lisandra. You work too hard. Tell you what, let's make a wager."
Lisandra eyed him suspiciously. "A wager?"
"A Pokémon battle," Seth said, his eyes flashing with the supre, unshakable
confidence of an eighteen-year-old prodigy. "One-on-one. If I win, you drop the dusty books for one evening and go on a date with ."
Lisandra crossed her arms. "And if I win?"
"If you win, I will be your personal chore boy for an entire month. I'll carry
your bags, dig your dirt, and I won't complain once," Seth declared smoothly.
He was incredibly confident. His Shelgon was already at Level 43, a solid Advanced-level Pokémon. He was a recognized genius. There was no way a bookworm researcher could match his battle sense.
"Fine," Lisandra sighed, unclasping a Poké Ball from her belt. "Let's get this
over with."
THUD.
Seth stood completely frozen, his jaw practically hitting the dirt.
At his feet, his prized Advanced-level Shelgon lay flat on its back, completely
unconscious, having been telekinetically slamd into the ground.
Hovering gracefully in the air opposite him was a beautiful, elegant Gardevoir.
"You assud that because I read books, I don't know how to fight?" Lisandra asked, adjusting her glasses with a triumphant, albeit exhausted, smirk.
"The ruins I explore are filled with deadly, territorial Pokémon, Seth. If I wasn't strong, I would have died years ago."
She tossed a heavy, mud-stained backpack directly at his chest. Seth barely caught it.
"I need soil samples from the lower quadrant by noon, chore boy. Don't be late."
For the next month, Seth kept his word. He traded his tailored suits for heavy
boots and cargo pants. He carried her equipnt, set up the camps, and dug
through layers of hardened earth while Lisandra painstakingly brushed dirt away from ancient, crumbling tablets.
At first, it was agonizing. But as the days passed, Seth found himself stopping to watch her.
He watched the way her eyes lit up when she translated a forgotten dialect. He saw the sheer, unadulterated passion and reverence she held for the mysteries of the world. She wasn't just working; she was connecting with the past, driven by an earnest, beautiful desire to uncover the truth.
Seth realized sothing profound during that month. He didn't just find her interesting anymore. He was hopelessly, entirely captivated by her.
And he also realized that if he wanted to stand by her side, in these dangerous,
forgotten corners of the world, his current strength wasn't enough.
He refused ro be just an escort. He wanted to stand on the exact sa stage as her.
What followed was a relentless, explosive period of growth for both of them.
Seth stopped treating training as a casual hobby. He pushed himself and his Pokémon to the absolute limit.
Lisandra, refusing to be outdone by the stubborn playboy, trained just as fiercely. They beca rivals, partners, and eventually, sothing much more.
They pushed each other so hard that their strength skyrocketed far beyond their peers.
Six months later.
Seth and Lisandra stood side-by-side in a highly classified, heavily guarded
conference room within the Pokémon League Headquarters at Indigo Plateau.
They were both nineteen years old. And they had both just officially breached the Level 50 bottleneck.
They were Pseudo-Elites.
"I still can't believe it," Lisandra whispered, her eyes wide as she stared at the classified docunts spread across the table. "I've spent years studying these ruins. I thought they were wiped out during the Unification War. But they're... they're still here?"
"The Ancient Kingdom," Seth muttered, his eyes narrowing at the reports of spatial anomalies and shadow-wars fought by League operatives.
Reaching the Pseudo-Elite level ca with privileges, and one of them was the truth. The League had finally pulled back the curtain, revealing the open secret that the ancient monarchs who once ruled the world were still actively waging a war from a fractured dinsion.
"It is a heavy burden to bear, but a necessary one."
A booming, hearty voice drew their attention to the doorway.
Stepping into the room was a tall, powerfully built man in a pristine lab coat worn over a champion's cape. His sharp eyes carried the weight of absolute authority, yet his smile was welcoming.
Professor Samuel Oak.
At this point in ti, he wasn't just the world's leading researcher. He was the
reigning, undisputed Champion of the Kanto region.
"Professor Oak," Lisandra gasped, imdiately standing at attention.
"At ease, you two," Oak chuckled, walking over to the table and looking at their files. "I've been following your progress. Both your archaeological research and your abilities as trainers. It is truly remarkable."
Oak looked at them, his eyes gleaming with genuine admiration.
"I haven't seen a pair of geniuses rise through the ranks this quickly since
Giovanni."
Seth's eyes widened slightly at the na.
Giovanni.
The ultimate prodigy. In this ti period, Giovanni had not created
Team Rocket yet. He was the golden boy of the Pokémon League, a legendary figure who had completed the Gym Challenge and reached the Elite level in less than a single year. And now, three years since then, he had officially reached the Elite Four level.
He was offered a seat to beco one of Kanto's Elite 4, but he surprisingly
declined and stated he wanted to be a gym leader instead. Many were shocked at that decision, being an Elite 4 was far more reputable.
But Giovanni didn't care what others thought, which Seth respected. To a young, ambitious Seth, Giovanni was the absolute benchmark of strength.
"You flatter us, Champion," Seth said, though his heart beat a little faster.
"I don't flatter. I state facts," Oak replied, his expression turning serious.
He tapped a specific, highly redacted file on the table.
"The Ancient Kingdom's activity has been spiking around a newly discovered ruin deep within the Viridian sector," Oak explained. "Because of your expertise in ancient architecture, Lisandra, I am assigning you both to the vanguard of this expedition."
Oak crossed his arms, a confident smile returning to his face.
"It's a highly classified, extrely dangerous mission. Which is why you won't be going alone. You will be operating directly under the command of the expedition's leader."
Seth and Lisandra exchanged a glance.
"Who is leading the expedition, Professor?" Lisandra asked.
Oak's smile widened.
"You'll be working under the League's brightest star. The Viridian Gym Leader,
Giovanni."
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