Natsui asked Kuroda for help. He asked Kuroda to mail the Meteorite Keystone to Ever Grande City. After that, Natsui and Misty rested in Lilycove City for one night. Then, they started traveling again toward Fortree City.
While resting at the Pokémon Center, Natsui changed his team. He sent the Three Legendary Birds, Raikou, and Suicune to Sabrina. Now, he only had Deoxys and the Shiny Rayquaza as Legendary Pokémon. Next, he sent the Red Gyarados and the Crystal Onix to Cerise Park. Finally, he took back the team he was training.
He looked at Scizor, Eevee, Milotic, and Metang in his hands. Natsui finally felt like a normal trainer.
He did not have to worry about evil groups attacking him anymore. He did not have to deal with the Legendary Pokémon of the Hoenn region. He only needed to travel to challenge gyms and focus on training his Pokémon. His goal was simple and pure. This was what the life of a normal trainer was supposed to be!
About the Hoenn Pokémon, Natsui called Phoebe when he left Lilycove City. They agreed to meet in Fortree City.
He still had the Blue Orb and the Red Orb. It was time to give them back to their owner.
He did not take them to Mt. Pyre because it was not on his way. Also, he helped Phoebe a lot. It was fair to ask her to come to him.
They left Lilycove City and traveled west.
The weather was very good today. It was not too hot, and there was a light wind. They did not need to hurry, so they felt relaxed. They had more time to look at the view along the road. They noticed things they had never seen before.
This was a rare and nice experience for a trip that was very stressful before.
After traveling for more than half the day, they passed a Safari Zone.
People also called the Safari Zone a Wild Pokémon Preserve.
This was a place where wild Pokémon lived and grew. The law and the Pokémon League protected it. However, people could pay a fee to go inside. Then, they could use special Poké Balls to catch Pokémon without a fight.
For people who did not like to battle, this was a great place to get a Pokémon. But they needed good luck.
The success rate of the Safari Balls was not high. If someone had bad luck, the rate was low enough to make them feel upset.
Because of this, many trainers did not visit, even though it seemed easy to get Pokémon there.
Natsui did not want to catch any Pokémon. He did not waste time and walked past the gate of the Safari Zone with Misty.
However, as they were leaving the area, Misty joked with Natsui about Ash.
"Chuckle, this is so like you. You know you don't like any of the Pokémon here, so you didn't even think about entering. If Ash passed by here, he would definitely go inside to take a look!"
Misty knew Ash very well because she traveled through two regions with him. She knew his personality. He would never miss a place like this.
"True." Natsui nodded and smiled. "He is someone who likes exciting things. But this is the only way to get from Verdanturf Town to Lilycove City. After Ash challenged the Mauville Gym and went toward Lilycove City, he must have passed this place. He definitely looked around inside."
They left the preserve area while talking. They followed the main road and turned north.
They walked for another half-day. They finished lunch and walked through some tall mountains. Natsui looked over by chance. He saw a person he had met before!
There was almost no one on the road, so he noticed the person quickly.
"That person is..."
Natsui looked surprised, so Misty looked too. She saw a man about twenty-five years old. He wore a neat black suit. He had light blue hair and looked like a gentleman. She asked a question.
"What is it, Natsui? Do you know that man?"
"Oh? You don't know him?" Natsui remembered she had never met him. He explained, "That is Steven. He is the son of Mr. Stone. Mr. Stone is the president of the Devon Corporation."
"Oh, so that's Steven." Misty understood now. She had never seen him, but she heard the name from Natsui and Mr. Stone. He was not a stranger to her. "But why is he here?"
Natsui was also curious about why Steven was there. However, he looked at the area and understood.
What was Steven's favorite thing to do?
It was looking for stones everywhere!
People joked about it, but it was true. He was here for only one reason. There must be a special stone nearby.
In the distance, Steven was about to enter a cave. He felt something and turned his head toward Natsui. He saw Natsui and Misty.
He was surprised for a moment. He did not expect to see Natsui there. After two seconds, he walked slowly toward them.
When he got close, he looked at Misty. Then, he smiled and nodded at Natsui.
"I really didn't expect to meet you here."
"Yes, it's quite a coincidence." Natsui said hello back. Then he asked, "Since you are here, does it mean there are special stones nearby?"
Steven was not surprised that Natsui knew his hobby.
"That's right." He stepped aside so Natsui could see the cave entrance. "I heard that while a trainer was exploring this cave, they accidentally found a secret path. It leads much deeper. So, I thought I might find some rarer stones there."
Natsui thought that a rich young man would indeed travel everywhere for his hobby.
Natsui thought about the cave and asked a question.
"Is the place you are talking about the Scorched Slab?"
"Oh?" Steven looked at him with surprise. "You actually know about that place? That's very strange. You clearly aren't from the Hoenn region, yet you know about such a hidden spot."
Natsui did not know the future. He knew these things because he had played the games. He remembered this place well. He remembered that deep inside this cave, there seemed to be a rare Heatran.
Heatran was a Legendary Pokémon, but Natsui thought it was ugly. He did not like it at all. Some people thought it was strong, but he was not interested.
"I just happened to hear someone mention it before." Natsui moved his hand to change the topic. "For someone like me, I hear and see a lot of things. Maybe one day I just remember them like I did now. But if you ask how much I know, I really only know the name."
"I see." Steven believed his explanation. However, he remembered something and smiled. "I heard from Kuroda that you helped my father again recently?"
Natsui thought for a moment. He realized Steven was talking about the meteorite.
"It wasn't much of a help. It was just helping each other. Also, thanks to Mr. Stone's information, I was able to catch a powerful Pokémon."
"You mean that Deoxys, right?" Steven laughed. "It's a pity I wasn't there at the time. If I had known, I might have been the one to catch Deoxys."
Natsui did not think so.
Steven was a trainer who liked Steel-types. He might not even try to catch Deoxys.
Also, Team Magma and Team Aqua were there with Courtney and Shelly. Rayquaza even appeared at the end. Natsui did not know if Steven could win and catch Deoxys like he did.
Even if he was a Champion, it would not be as easy for him as it was for Natsui.
They were both busy, so they said goodbye after talking for a while.
Steven went into the cave. Misty turned around and talked about her impression of him.
"How should I put it... He gives a very good impression. He seems very gentle and polite. He treats people nicely and is not arrogant like some rich kids. Also, you can tell he is very confident in his strength. He seems like someone who hates to lose."
"That's a very good summary." Natsui agreed and nodded. "Just like you said, Steven is an excellent person. That is why he is so popular in Hoenn."
This event was small, and they soon forgot about it. They left the mountains and traveled for another day. By the second night, they could see the lights of Fortree City.
Fortree City was a city on trees that lived with nature.
It was in the north of the Hoenn region, near a long mountain range. The city was not large, but it was surrounded by forests. The trees hid the buildings. From far away, it looked like a forest.
There were many treehouses inside the city. They were on tall trees and had bridges between them. It was not a busy city. It smelled like flowers and had the sound of birds.
Most people here walked. There were no cars, and roads were rare. It was all nature!
It rained a lot there, so the trees were very tall. People said the residents were very healthy and lived long lives. Bug-type Pokémon lived in the city.
Since it was late, they went to the Pokémon Center to rest.
While eating dinner, they heard that a Feather Carnival had happened a few days ago. Misty groaned.
It was a large event about the sky, and the town was very busy. Misty felt disappointed.
"I really wanted to join a festival like that..."
She was a ten-year-old girl. She liked fun events.
Natsui shook his head. "There's nothing we can do about it. We were busy with other things. But when the Ever Grande Conference starts, you should have time to have fun. At that time, it will definitely be more exciting than any other event!"
The Fortree Gym was outside the city. It was the only building not on a tree.
It looked like a pyramid made of stone. It was very high. To reach the top, trainers needed a Flying-type Pokémon or they had to walk up many stairs. It was tiring.
There were two stone statues of Pokémon at the gate. They were ten meters tall. They had their wings open and looked scary.
Natsui was full of energy the next morning. He went to challenge the gym.
They walked through a passage and reached the gate. A staff member came out to meet them.
"You are here to challenge the gym, right?"
"Eh? We are here to challenge the gym, that's true. But from the look of it, you seem to be here to pick us up? How did you know we were coming?"
"This gym is the tallest building in all of Fortree City. Inside the gym, we have sharp eyes like eagles. We notice anyone who walks onto the long path in front of the gym. Alright, please come in! Our Gym Leader, Winona, has been waiting for you for quite a while!"
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