DPA09

Challenge! The Fortress Of Steel
挑戦!　ハガネの城!! Challenge! The Steel Castle!!
Info Collected in Vol. 2 Chapter number 9
Other Location Celestic Town/Canalave City Manga series Pokémon Diamond and Pearl Adventure!
Chapters Previous Chapter Team Galactic's Conspiracy, Revealed!! Next Chapter Serious Training on Iron Island!!

Challenge! The Fortress Of Steel!! (Japanese: 挑戦!　ハガネの城!! Challenge! The Steel Castle!!) is the ninth chapter of the Pokémon Diamond and Pearl Adventure! manga.

Plot

Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.

The chapter begins as Mitsumi and Jupiter seem to be evenly matched. Just when things are about to end for Mitsumi, Jun comes in to help (it also seems that his Staravia evolved). However, he is not alone, as Professor Rowan steps in. Seeing the potential danger, the Team Galactic Commanders flee on their Golbat. Prof. Rowan realizes that in order to obtain Dialga, they must catch the lake trio. Professor Rowan decides to send them to the Sinnoh lakes.

Meanwhile, Hareta and Piplup are resting peacefully in Byron's house when they suddenly get an army-style wake-up call from the Gym Leader himself. They are skeptical on whose side the tough iron miner is on, but their minds are changed when they receive a fit-for-a-king breakfast. After discussing the accident, he introduces himself as Byron, the "man of steel".

Walking through the City of Ports, the group arrives at the Gym. Once inside, Hareta is put through challenges such as dodging steel beams, confronting a speedy moving walkway going in the opposite direction, and battling a one-on-three battle during an Earthquake. He reaches Byron only to find out that he has already lost due to his recklessness. He is sent to Iron Island for further training and the chapter ends with Fantina screaming at the reader, shouting "How dare you call me Grandma?!"

Major events

• Mitsumi continues her battle with Jupiter. Jun and Professor Rowan show up to help, however Saturn and Jupiter retreat soon after.
• Having been rescued by Byron, Hareta awakens and learns of him being Canalave City's Gym Leader and Roark's father.
• Hareta takes Canalave Gym's challenge, but is defeated by Byron who then suggests for Hareta to train on Iron Island.

Debuts

• Byron

Pokémon debuts

• Staraptor (Jun's)
• Steelix (Byron's)
• Bronzor (Byron's)
• Bastiodon (Byron's)

Characters

Humans

• Hareta
• Mitsumi
• Jun
• Roark (flashback)
• Byron
• Jupiter
• Saturn
• Professor Rowan
• Cynthia's Grandmother

Pokémon

• Piplup (Hareta's)
• Infernape (Mitsumi's)
• Leafeon (Mitsumi's)
• Staraptor (Jun's)
• Geodude (Roark's; flashback)
• Steelix (Byron's; ×2)
• Onix (Byron's)
• Bronzor (Byron's)
• Bastiodon (Byron's)
• Toxicroak (Jupiter's)
• Golbat (Jupiter's)
• Golbat (Saturn's)

This article is part of Project Manga, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each series of Pokémon manga.