"Hmm…"
Steven looked at the various new desserts in the pastry shop, lost in thought.
But Aron doesn't seem to like sweets…
Wait!
I can put ore in the desserts!
"Hello! Please pack all kinds of desserts for me!"
"Thank you for your patronage. Come again!"
Steven put the desserts into his backpack, but found that it seemed a bit full.
"With all sorts of ores and food, some things just won't fit…"
Steven turned around and bought a new backpack, planning to nest them together.
Separating the food and ores would make things more convenient.
The remaining items and ores were placed together.
Only after Steven had organized everything did he leave Rustboro City.
Once in the wild, Steven distributed the desserts to his Pokémon.
Aron looked at the dessert in front of it, appearing uninterested.
What?
Is this stuff tastier than ore?
"I added iron ore for you."
"Aron?!"
You should have said so earlier!
Aron immediately took a big bite, discovered that there were indeed many iron ore chunks in the dessert, and contentedly chewed it twice before swallowing.
Hmm…
The sweet taste combined with the crunchy texture of the ore—not bad!
Skarmory urged Steven to wrap the Metal Coat around the dessert, looking a little impatient.
"You guys…" Steven had originally just wanted to reward his Pokémon.
Who would have thought they all wanted to add special items to it!
Aron and Metagross, who had finished eating first, immediately returned to their Poké Balls, under the pretext of—digestion!
However, what they were digesting wasn't food, but the Steel-type energy they had consumed.
Skarmory finished eating at lightning speed and also returned to its Poké Ball.
Steven sighed helplessly and put a donut into his mouth.
He glanced to the side, looking at Scyther, who was staring blankly at its half-eaten donut.
"No wonder it likes sweets. Its previous Trainer must have liked sweets too."
Steven didn't disturb Scyther's moment of contemplation, but quickly finished his donut and lay down under a tree for a short rest.
"When we get to Verdanturf Town… I'll buy more donuts."
After a short nap, Steven opened his drowsy eyes.
He found that Scyther was no longer nearby.
He checked the Poké Balls on his belt and found that all of them had returned to their Poké Balls.
"You guys should at least leave one to watch over me!" Steven said helplessly.
Although if there was a problem, Metagross would be the first to come out.
It was no longer a Metang. Metang would obediently stay in its Poké Ball.
Even if the Poké Ball wasn't locked, it wouldn't come out on its own unless Steven called.
Steven stretched, feeling the gentle breeze on his face, and his mood suddenly improved.
He looked down at the neatly stacked small paper plates, which must have been Scyther's doing, or perhaps Metagross had come out midway to clean up.
Steven put the trash into a bag and placed it in his backpack.
Forests, oceans, and similar places are where Pokémon need to survive.
Littering is not acceptable.
A qualified Trainer must have a good sense of environmental protection!
After tidying up, Steven headed toward the mountain path on the other side of Rusturf Tunnel.
After crossing this mountain, it's Verdanturf Town.
"Speaking of which, going into a mine usually means going down, but climbing a mountain is quite rare."
Steven looked up at the bright sun and raised his hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead.
Bang!
Metagross suddenly emerged from its Poké Ball, hovering above Steven's head, moving with him.
The sunlight was blocked by Metagross, casting a shadow over Steven.
"Thank you, Metagross." Steven chuckled.
"Meta~" Metagross's eyes curved into crescent moons.
You're welcome~
Scyther, meditating in its Poké Ball, opened its eyes. It had also heard the conversation between the human and his Pokémon.
It didn't know what it was thinking, then closed its eyes again.
"It's too hot. I'm getting a bit tired…" Steven was slightly out of breath and took off his jacket, revealing the black shirt underneath.
"Meta?"
Metagross landed on the ground and scribbled on it with its claw.
Want to ride?
"Since you're offering, wouldn't it be a bit pretentious if I didn't accept?" Steven chuckled.
He stepped onto the protrusions of Metagross's disc-shaped body and sat on its flat head.
"Let's go, Metagross!"
"Meta!"
Metagross responded and began to accelerate forward!
With Metagross accelerating, the wind rushing toward Steven made him feel much cooler.
They reached the mountaintop in less than half an hour.
Steven patted Metagross's head and said, "Let's rest for a bit, Metagross."
Although this short time wouldn't exhaust a Champion-level Metagross much, Steven was afraid that too much wind would cause a headache.
"Meta!"
Metagross was also very obedient and came to a stop.
Steven pulled out a piece of magnetic ore from his bag and tossed it to Metagross.
Metagross tilted its head slightly, opened its mouth, and caught the magnetic ore.
With one gulp, the magnetic ore was simply and efficiently consumed.
No need for the elaborate absorption process like before.
Steven stood on the mountaintop, gazing at Verdanturf Town in the distance.
Although not large in scale, he could still see some signs of life.
Hmm… at least from this distance, the houses still look quite new.
Steven put on his jacket and said to Metagross, "Let's go!"
"Meta!"
The downhill path was much more exciting than the uphill one. It seemed they would reach Verdanturf Town in less than half a day.
After descending the mountain, Steven recalled Metagross to its Poké Ball.
He would walk the remaining distance himself.
When Steven arrived in Verdanturf Town, he found that the foot traffic here was quite considerable.
It was probably because the Contest Hall was located here, so Pokémon Coordinators would gather here for periods of time.
"Hmm?"
Steven saw a thin young boy sitting on a bench by the roadside.
His usually vibrant green hair seemed to look more sickly on him.
"I think I remember him," Steven murmured.
When he played Pokémon Emerald before, there was indeed such a character in the game.
But what was his name again?
Did this count as triggering a quest?
Steven amused himself with the thought and chose to go up and sit beside the boy.
"Hmm?" The boy seemed a bit startled, cautiously glancing at Steven.
Steven also remained silent after sitting down, because he hadn't thought about how to start a conversation with the boy.
Would he think I have ulterior motives?
After all, the boy had a pleasant appearance, and there was something about him that made one want to look after him.
No, I'm handsome enough. What am I afraid of?
"Hello… are you lost?"
Alright, I admit what I said was awkward.
"Ah?"
Steven's sudden opening made the boy flustered.
"Ah… because I saw you sitting here alone, and you didn't seem to be in a good mood. I thought you were lost, that's why…"
"Ah… I'm not lost…" The boy lowered his head, his voice somewhat soft.
However, Steven barely understood what the boy said.
"I'm a 'new' Trainer. I thought I was going to do another good deed today, like helping a lost boy find his way home or something." Steven chuckled softly, leaning back comfortably in the wooden chair.
"You're a Pokémon Trainer?" A look of… yearning appeared in the boy's eyes.
"Yes, I've just obtained two Gym Badges." Steven smiled and took out his Badge Case, showing the boy his Stone Badge and Knuckle Badge.
This should probably lower the boy's guard.
This kid will also be a very powerful Pokémon Trainer in the future.
Moreover, this kid seemed unable to become a Pokémon Trainer due to his weak physique.
He loves Pokémon so much, yet he can't become a Trainer.
So Steven wanted to give him motivation in advance, which was why Steven came over to "chat him up."
"That's so amazing…" The boy sighed, his face full of envy.
"What's wrong? It looks like you'll become a Pokémon Trainer in a few years, right?" Steven took the opportunity to get to the point.
The boy's shoulders slumped slightly, his mood low as he said:
"No, my physique… my family won't agree to let me become a Pokémon Trainer."
"But if you don't become a Pokémon Trainer, if you don't accompany Pokémon and witness the vast world together, you'll… regret it, right?"
"Mm." The boy nodded gently, every movement appearing cautious.
"Then that's it. Although I don't know your specific physical condition, I know that if you continue to be so discouraged, your health won't improve."
Steven rested his hands behind his head, looking up at the sky that was beginning to turn golden.
"Since you want it, why don't you fight for it?"
"Because… my family doesn't want me to do that."
Steven turned his head to look at the boy and smiled slightly.
"Then why can't you make a change?"
"A change that will make your family trust that you can become a Pokémon Trainer."
"Ah?"