Chương 8

I managed to calm myself down before we arrived at our destination. Somewhat. I recovered my focus and ability to have coherent thoughts, but my heart still hammered in my chest. I glanced to my side where Steven, the Champion of Hoenn, was silently leading us towards a restaurant for breakfast. As I trudged forward, every step was weighed down by the sheer presence he exuded next to me. I ran through what could possibly be awaiting me once we had time to chat. He wants the stone.

He wouldn't present himself as a "Collector of Rare Stones" if he didn't have an interest in it. Hopefully I can actually sell it to him and not be forced to give it up due to some obscure Pokemon League rule. Swept along by Steven, we eventually arrived at our destination. It was a fancy Kalos restaurant called "Bistro de Crawdaunt," which had an actual Pokémon Chef working in it. It was a Pokémon Chef in that it was a Pokémon who was a Chef, and not a Chef who made food for Pokémon. Both jobs had the same title.

I didn't have anything to compare the inside of the restaurant, since I wasn't the kind of person to eat anywhere fancy. The inside of the restaurant screamed "class" and was filled with a mixture of finely dressed customers and casually dressed tourists. Every table had at least one person eating or waiting for their food. The tables were covered in white cloth and the chairs were more cushioned than I expected for a restaurant.

The walls didn't have much decoration, outside some paintings of people I didn't recognize. There was no waiting area past the entrance, rather a uniformed waitress stood behind a podium immediately inside. Steven approached the woman to talk to her.

"Good morning miss. Is the private room available?" He reached into the pocket of his cargo shorts and handed a small note to her. She read it over once and nodded, then walked inwards to lead us deeper into the restaurant. I took the moment to analyze Steven's outfit. And by "analyze," I meant I finally processed what he was wearing. It wasn't his normal purple and black suit, no, it was some horrendous amalgamation of tourist and beach-goer. Cargo shorts with socks and sandals?

A combination I would never have expected the Champion of Hoenn to wear. Everything about the way he moved practically screamed he should have been too refined to wear something as ridiculous as his tourist getup. The waitress opened a door in the back of the restaurant and revealed a balcony table overlooking the waters of Slateport. The restaurant was positioned on a side of the city without a beach, so there were only the sounds of waves hitting the shore below us. Other than the waves, the room was silent.

Considering when we were on the streets the sounds of tourists starting their day were prevalent around us, I definitely believed there was some kind of Pokémon nonsense involved with this balcony. We sat down at the table: Steven with the poise and grace of years of practice, and me with robotic rigidity and tenseness from stress from being next to the Champion. The waitress handed us menus and stood next to the table.

The menus were written in French, or at least the Pokémon world's equivalent of French, so I wasn't able to read them at all. The silence between us continued while Steven read and I nervously glanced around before he spoke to me for the first time since the Pokémon Center.

"I'm a big fan of the crepes they have, do you like crepes?"

"... Sure" Steven looked over to the waitress and handed her his menu.

"We'll take two servings of crepes. Put the charge on my account." She nodded, took his menu as well as mine, and left the room. Steven took this opportunity to remove both his sunglasses and hat. I finally saw the Champion of Hoenn in his full unadorned glory. His hair was shorter and closer to his head over its appearance in the games, but it still had that same spiky structure that I had initially recognized. He folded his hands over the other in that very "rich person" way and looked me over.

"That stone you have, I would be very interested in purchasing it. It's much rarer than you think, and worth nowhere near the price you paid for it. You're certainly a lucky person to have obtained it before I could purchase it for myself.

"Would you be interested in selling it to me? I'm willing to provide anything you want." I wasn't eating, but I choked anyway. I could ask for a huge amount of money. That would pay for my entire journey and then some. I wouldn't need a sponsor, I could fund everything myself. And it would even let me make back the money I wasted on the stone. I could trust Steven to take care of it since he's a "good guy," but here's the million Pokédollar question: is it worth only asking for money?

I want to immediately scream yes, but this is the Champion of Hoenn! He has so many connections just thinking about them makes my head spin. He offered to grant me anything. I could earn money through jobs and a sponsorship later, but this is a chance to get rare items that could help me on my journey now. My mind raced and started to think of all the possibilities. I didn't notice when I stopped panicking about Steven.

After all, I was too busy plotting how I could make the most out of this trade deal that had fallen in my lap. Before I settled on a decision, I decided to fish for more information.

"Why do you want this stone so badly in particular?" Steven's posture partially relaxed, and his eyes actually sparkled.

"It's the stone I need to represent the bond I have with someone. Believe me, it's far more precious to me than you can ever realize." A bond Steven has? Is he giving the stone as a gift to someone important? I don't remember Steven ever being in a relationship in the anime or games, unless... No. No, I couldn't have possibly done that. Did I really steal...? I thought back to the specific colors of the Mega Stone. A light blue shine with a bronze center helix. The same colors as-"Metagross..." I whispered.

Steven grinned at my comment.

"How perceptive. Yes, that stone is necessary for the connection between me and my starter Pokémon, Metagross. As I said before, I'm quite desperate for it." Did I steal Steven's Metagrossite from right under his nose? I know he has a Mega Metagross in canon, but did I really buy the exact stone he would have obtained the day before he bought it? Steven interrupted my thoughts by speaking once more.

"What you have is priceless, and I would much prefer it if we could make a trade of equal value. Of course, that's only if you're interested in trading it to me." I lunged at the opportunity to confirm I wanted to make the trade. He didn't know I wanted to sell it anyway. This was the perfect scenario to make sure the Mega Stone I bought would be owned by someone who could use it and keep it safe, especially if it went into the hands of the person who was supposed to have it in the first place.

"Yes!" I yelled.

"Yes, I would very much like to trade it to you."

"Very well then, what would you like for it? Simply tell me and I will see what I can do." I continued to think, starting to panic at how many options I had, but tried my best to calm down. No need to think about how I technically stole a Mega Stone from the Champion, I just need to make the trade with him and move on. I might have a lot of options, but I can't request anything too exciting. Steven is the Champion, which means he could give a lot in exchange, but I don't want to make him interested in me.

I want a normal Pokémon journey that specifically doesn't deal with the nonsense that would come with catching the Champion's eye. No need to ruin my life as a Pokémon trainer before the season even begins. One thing to specify about Steven was that he was the Champion. That's "Champion" with a capital "C." A Conference winner was technically a "champion," with a lower case "c," but they couldn't compare to the actual Champion of the region.

Steven was the most powerful Pokémon trainer in the region and was in charge of protecting the region using the full force of the Pokémon League's local military might, which consisted of their employed trainers like the Ace Trainers and Rangers. As excited as I was about making this trade, I needed to be extra cautious in my decision to maintain my "disguise" as a normal Pokémon trainer.

I didn't want anyone to know or even have the slightest hint that I knew more than I should, and I definitely didn't want the freakin' Champion keeping tabs on my journey. My life would be so much more difficult if that interest leaked, and it would be that much harder to hide any slip-ups. I had to make sure my request was uninteresting enough for him to not care. However, Steven Stone, Champion of Hoenn, was offering the might of the entire region to get me whatever I asked. A bunch of money?

It would make my life a lot easier, but I had a blank check to ask for anything, and so the possibilities were near endless. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. But I had to make it boring. I would ask for Mega Stone for a Fairy Type Pokémon, but I don't want to risk revealing I know about the phenomenon. Plus, Key Stones are rarer than individual Mega Stones so it wouldn't be a fair trade.

It'll be better for me to get a Mega Stone once they're more publicly known and available. I could ask for something rare and expensive, but that might reveal my knowledge and has the risk of me asking for an item more valuable than the Mega Stone. If I asked for something too cheap, that would be a waste of the Champion's influence. And if I asked for just money? Well, that would be plain dumb even if I could buy the same items I asked for.

I'd rather develop my team than waste time hunting down a rare item or two. It was a decision I had to carefully mull over. The silence permeating the room was interrupted by a knock on the door, followed by the waitress from before entering the room carrying a tray with two plates of the crepes we ordered. They looked like burritos, but filled with some kind of white cream and what looked to be sliced strawberries.

I didn't know what the proper name for the berry was, but it was close enough to strawberries I just called it that. Chocolate syrup was drizzled over the top of the crepes and the whole thing looked and tasted more like a dessert than breakfast.

"Don't worry about rushing to think of a payment," Steven said, "enjoy your food and if you can't think of anything you can call me later." I absentmindedly ate the sugary breakfast burritos. They were good. Not enough to distract me from my inner dialogue, but I was able to use the time it took to eat them to get my thoughts in order.

I finally compiled a set of items that were rare enough to be worth asking for, useful enough to make my journey easier, and simple enough to hopefully not raise any flags with Steven.

"Do you mind if I request multiple things?" I asked him.

"No, by all means, go ahead. Again, this is an important stone, so ask for whatever you wish." He replied. I wiped my mouth to make sure I was presentable before speaking my idea.

"Well, Steven. Can I call you Steven? I don't know if that's improper or not since you're the Champion after all," He nodded so I continued, "So Steven, I don't have a lot of money to my name. I don't have a sponsorship or anyone supporting me so I've been struggling to get enough cash to take care of my team. I only have two Pokémon at this point, and I want to eventually support an entire team, maybe more.

Money would go a long way but I'd rather get a few things to make my journey easier that are difficult for me to track down myself.

"First, I'd like one of your Devon backpacks. Something that's larger on the inside to make carrying my stuff a lot easier. Maybe a refrigeration device as well so I can store berries for a longer period of time to feed my Pokémon during long excursions onto routes.

"I'm also a fan of making sure my Pokémon's Pokéballs match their appearance, so I'd also like a few sets of hard to find Pokéballs. Apricorn balls would be preferable since they're uncommon and pricey.

"Any spare evolutionary stones would be nice as well. I'd prefer an Ice Stone, some Shiny Stones, and a Moon Stone or two since those stones are most relevant to Fairy Types. If I can only get one, I would choose to get an Ice Stone." I stopped to breathe before stating my last request.

"And finally I'd like some vouchers for grooming kits. They're expensive and it's hard to save up for them when I have to pay to feed my Pokémon. I don't know for sure what Fairy Types I'll be catching in the future, but I'd like to be able to buy sets appropriate for their body types. Vouchers to redeem for a kit would be better than the grooming kits themselves since those could be used to get one for any Pokémon I catch." I paused. I had made my set of requests but they didn't feel like enough.

He had offered me anything. Everything I asked for was relatively easy to buy with money, but just took time I didn't have to obtain. I couldn't think of anything specific, so I asked for the next best thing. Hopefully I would be able to use them as "Get Out of Jail Free Cards" in the future. I quickly added one last request to my list.

"Also, three favors."

"One favor," he countered.

"Two or I'm calling it off." Steven blinked. I breathed in again, this time to clear my nerves rather than a lack of oxygen. I just rapidly ran through that entire request without pausing to stop more than once. Steven raised his hands to his mouth to think, and when he brought them back down I noticed he was smiling. Shit. I just caught his interest anyway, didn't I? Well, at least I'll be getting some cool stuff out of it.

"That's a very well thought out request. It's more complex than what I expected, but easily manageable. Be aware it might take some time to deliver the items to you." Steven reached into his pocket to pull out a PokéNav and checked a message on it before putting it back away again.

"Are you spending tonight at the same Pokémon Center I met you at?" I nodded.

"Alright, you should receive some packages this evening. Look for them. I believe that's a deal?"

"Just to confirm," I asked, "That's everything I said with no substitutions or limitations? So the backpack, the portable fridge, some apricorn balls, a few evolutionary stones, a bunch of grooming kit vouchers, AND two favors in exchange for the Metagrossite?" He paused then held out a hand for me to shake, which I quickly took, more than happy enough to get this entire fiasco behind me.

The total cost of the items I asked for would have taken me months to save up for, and would have taken me even longer just to track down and buy. Money would still be tight in the future, but now I wouldn't have to worry about saving up money for large purchases any time soon. Especially since I would be getting an Ice Stone to evolve Vulpix later. Although, did he really say this evening? He JUST said it might take some time. What kind of time frame does he live on?

"Now then, this 'Metagrossite,' as you called it," he said as he held out his hand. I reached into my backpack, too distracted from my thoughts to understand the consequences of what he just said, and handed the Mega Stone to Steven. He smiled and put it into the pocket of his horribly tacky cargo shorts before speaking to me once more to finish our meeting.

"It was a pleasure to do business with you. Before you go, how about you place an order for a nice breakfast for your Pokémon as well? My treat, it would be rude of me to only buy food for their trainer, after all." Steven was in a good mood. He loved collecting stones. Their luster, their texture, their age, they all had so many unique traits that made them special in their own individual way. Each stone had its own story to tell, which brought joy to his heart to discover on his own.

Finally obtaining the stone that took so many months and false leads before finally being found? And meeting an interesting trainer in the process? A wonderful morning. One detail, however, was stuck on his mind. That trainer, he thought, how did they know what the Mega Stone was called? At first, Steven thought the trainer was just an average beginner trainer nervous from meeting the Champion.

Avoiding eye contact, getting lost in thought, and not-so-subtle glances at his outfit were all perfectly normal behaviors he frequently dealt with when talking to star-struck trainers. But then the trainer used the proper name of the stone: "Metagrossite." Did they know? Or was it a lucky guess? Steven, in his disguise, turned to walk into an alley to obscure himself from view and released one of his most trusted friends, Claydol.

He fondly recalled when he first met Claydol when they were still a young Baltoy, when he first started to explore the desert of Route 111. They were young and scared, but over the years grew up to be a formidable combatant. Steven still remembered the day when they survived a Hyper Beam from Drake's strongest Salamence. Just thinking about it still filled him with pride even now. Steven pressed a hand to Claydol's body and without him feeling any sudden shift, found himself within his home in Mossdeep.

A flawless Teleport, like always. He returned Claydol to let them continue to rest then returned to his room. There, he changed out of his disguise and put on a proper outfit, one that he felt matched his status of Champion a lot better. It wasn't that Steven preferred to be always dressed in a suit, but he recognized the necessity of having a recognizable style. No matter how comfortable the disguise was, it would be best to maintain a professional look for his public image.

It definitely doesn't hurt that I look so good in my suit. Steven left his bedroom and continued into his personal office. Display cases containing his most treasured stones were on display in this room, showing off the absolute best of his collection. He went to his desk, which had a surface that was a slice of a polished geode, and once more mentally thanked his father for such a wonderful gift. He turned on his Devon Corporation laptop, and began the work that needed to be completed by the end of the day.

He processed reports from Ace Trainers around the League, submitted documents regarding the results of last month's Conference to Charles, emailed a certain list of peculiar items to one of his many assistants, and confirmed the meeting time of today's video call between all of the Gym Leaders and Elite Four members of Hoenn, scheduled to start in just a few moments. He completed one last form before it began, and joined the group call right at 11am, the exact time it was scheduled to start.

Not a moment too early, and not a moment too late. The Champion was expected to be punctual, after all. When Steven joined the call, most of the others were already there. There was a cacophony of Hello's and Good Morning's as the other League members greeted their Champion. The only members missing were the "children'' of the group, the twin Psychics of the Mossdeep Gym and Flannery of the Lavaridge Gym. Flannery would still be asleep, and Tate & Liza should join the call soon. We'll begin once the twins arrive.

As Steven waited for the missing members, the conversation continued where it left off before he joined the call.

"It's not your fault! How were you supposed to know they knew exactly where we stored them?" Phoebe, the Ghost Type specialist of the Elite Four, shouted.

"Aye lass, 'twas my job to protect the orbs. The loss of them reflects a loss of my own." Drake, the Dragon Type Master, responded in kind. It seemed that the conversation was about the main topic of the meeting.

"Drake, you must stop blaming yourself. It was too organized for a random attack. They knew you would be gone and attacked when you weren't around to protect them. All that means is that if you were there, they would have failed in their theft." That was Norman, the Normal Type Gym Leader, who spoke up. He had the chance to be a member of the Elite Four in the past, but turned it down in favor of starting a family. Last Steven heard, his kids were visiting Kanto as a tagalong for a Battle Frontier challenge.

Steven continued to listen to the discussion passively while the other members of the League chatted. Sidney, the Dark Type Elite Four member, wasn't fully paying attention like usual, but Steven knew he would start to listen when it mattered. In a lull in the conservation, Glacia, the Ice Type Elite Four member, decided to address Steven.

"Steven, you look oddly pleased this morning. Find a rare stone?"

"Hmm? Oh," he supposed he was smiling. He hadn't realized.

"Yes, I managed to finally track down the Mega Stone for Metagross. We'll be practicing controlling its enhanced power soon." The other Gym Leaders sent their congratulations to Steven. His hunt for a Metagrossite was almost all he talked about these past few months, so they knew how much it meant to him.

"I'll be there to help counter any spare Psychic power that comes out. Just send me your location when you do it."

"Thank you, Sidney. I appreciate it." Steven paused for a moment, thinking about whether it was worth bringing up a certain detail.

"There was something else too." He said slowly.

"Oh?" Glacia asked curiously.

"Do tell."

"The stone was in the possession of a brand new trainer. No gym badges, only two Pokémon, and struggling to obtain funds to support them.

"I approached them to make a deal to buy the Mega Stone, and I was provided with a very intriguing list of requests. Nothing about their request stood out, but they did ask for two favors to call in at a later date." There was a brief moment of silence as the League members considered what a newbie trainer might use those favors for.

"That's an interesting decision, but it doesn't explain why they've got you interested," spoke Winona, the Flying Type specialist.

"Well," Steven continued, "they used the proper term, 'Metagrossite.' I believe they knew it was a Mega Stone." This time, the call exploded in noise as all the members shouted in disbelief.

"What?! How did that information leak?"

"Are you sure? It wasn't just a clever guess?"

"WAHAHAHAH! Sounds like an interesting trainer!" Steven waited until the noises died down. He kept a passive face, but enjoyed the reactions of everyone else in the call. It was certainly similar to how he responded internally after the trainer used that term.

"There's no reason to believe there's a leak. The League isn't the only group that knows about Mega-Evolution, as evidenced by the existence of the Draconid tribe." Drake, familiar with the group, nodded. He had seen one tribe member's Mega Salamence and had been looking for a Salamencite for himself ever since.

"There's a number of ways that trainer could have learned of it, and with the technique slowly being introduced in Kalos it's likely that many more trainers will know soon enough." That quieted down the reactions, but Steven could tell many of them were still nervous. Mega-Evolution, while extremely rare, had the potential to massively increase a Pokémon's raw power. Without proper control, a Mega-Evolved Pokémon would become overwhelmed by its power and go berserk.

It was a security risk for regions without Mega-Evolution capable trainers of their own, so the more contained the knowledge was, the better. Public announcements of the discovery would be made once more research was done on the subject, as well as once proper countermeasures for berserk Mega Pokémon were prepared and implemented. Steven spoke again, an idea coming to mind.

"The trainer planned on taking on the Gym Challenge in the next season. If you so wish, I can pass on the trainer's details so you can recognize them when they show up. If you're so nervous, test them yourself, or if you're feeling confident in my theory, ask them for more details on your own." That got a positive response by the leaders nervous about a trainer with the knowledge of Mega Evolution. Already, some of them were messaging Steven for details about this trainer.

If the trainer was as clever as their requested list suggested, Steven was sure everything would be fine. A "ding" sound interrupted the conversation as the missing twins joined the room.

"Hey! Sorry we're late. Solrock-"got stuck in the ground during practice and-"Lunatone struggled to pull them-"out so we had to help them." After the round greetings finished once more, Steven cleared his throat to gather everyone's attention.

"Well then, now that everyone is here, let's start with the most pressing topic." He leaned forward and crossed his hands. His normally pleasant demeanor shifted into one of absolute authority.

"With the recent theft of the Red and Blue orb by the remnants of Team Magma, we need to discuss our next moves to locate and secure those dangerous artifacts once more."