The cave grew more and more complicated as I walked deeper, with multiple branching paths at every turn. I took out the direction stickers I bought earlier and stuck them on the walls so I could trace my route back later.
After a while, I noticed piles of crushed stones scattered across the ground—clearly caused by Rock-type Pokémon.
"What happened here…? A territory conflict between Rock Pokémon?"
"Maw!"A sudden cry echoed behind me. A Mawile, its jaws clacking urgently, rushed up to me. Something was clearly wrong. I pulled out my Pokédex—its coloring wasn't like a normal Mawile.
"A Shiny Mawile?! What are you doing here…? You want me to follow you?"
"Maw!"It dashed down another tunnel. I hurried after it.
The path opened into a wide cavern. There, a group of Geodude and Graveler were bracing themselves, using Rollout and Rock Tomb to fend off attacks from multiple Mawile.
"Maw!!"The Shiny Mawile pointed at the Rock Pokémon, urging me to help.
"If this is just a territory dispute, I can't interfere… Are you sure the Mawile group attacked first?"
"Maw!!"It nodded firmly.
"Alright. Torchic—stop the Mawile in front! Use Ember!Lotad—protect the Geodude and Graveler!Wingull—fly high and monitor everything!"
"Torc! Lot! Wing!"My partners split up immediately. Torchic kept a safe distance from Mawile's huge jaws, controlling their movements with small bursts of Ember. Lotad and Wingull covered the Rock Pokémon with Water Gun, pushing back the attackers. Meanwhile, the Shiny Mawile and I dragged every fainted Pokémon—whether Mawile or Geodude—out of the battlefield.
Soon, all the wounded Pokémon were safe. But I noticed Torchic caught in the jaws of the leader Mawile.
"Torchic! Return!" I recalled it just in time.
With Torchic gone, the frontline collapsed quickly and the Mawile pushed forward again. "Everyone, retreat! We can't win head-on!"
Then a clear voice rang out:
"Aggron—Flash Cannon!"
A beam of silver light blasted across the cavern, scattering the Mawile troop instantly. A man with silver hair and a noble, calm presence stepped forward.
"You're Mr. Steven, right? Thank you for helping!"
He nodded. "You're welcome. But this incident… might be partly my fault."
"You accidentally damaged their habitat while searching for rare stones?" I guessed.
"Mm… not exactly, but close enough. How did you know?"
"Mr. Steven being obsessed with stones is basically common knowledge."
He chuckled. "Seems my reputation travels far."
"Geo! Gra!"The Geodude and Graveler tugged at my shirt, urging me to follow. "Okay, slow down! My shirt is going to rip!"
They brought me to a hole filled with shining stones—Water Stones, Fire Stones… and then—
"Wait… that's a Mega Stone!"
Steven raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You even recognize that? You're quite knowledgeable."
"Of course. Mega Evolution lets Pokémon break their limits and fight in an entirely new form—it's amazing."
"Yes, but it also creates incredibly destructive power," Steven added.
"True, though some Mega Evolutions aren't exactly my preference."
"Oh? Why?"
"Mega Garchomp."
"…Even if its speed drops, its power increases massively."
"Still, losing speed can be fatal at the wrong moment," I replied, remembering yesterday's battle.
Steven moved closer to the stone pile. "So… which Pokémon's Mega Stone is this?"
"Maw~"The Shiny Mawile approached, reacting to the stone naturally.
"Oh? Perfect coincidence. This must be Mawile's Mega Stone."
"You can take it," Steven said. "It's a gift from the Geodude and Graveler."
"Hmm… but I also want a Water Stone to evolve Lotad. And I don't have a Mawile—or a Key Stone—so I can't use the Mega Stone anyway."
"That Shiny Mawile isn't yours?" Steven asked.
"I mean, it's rare, sure—but it came for help. I can't betray its trust by forcing it to join me. That wouldn't make it my Pokémon."
Steven applauded lightly. "Well said. Trainers should learn from you."
He looked at the stone pile. "Since I helped them too, could I pick one?"
The Rock Pokémon nodded.
"By the way," Steven turned back to me, "I never asked your name."
"Stephen," I said. "And if you choose the Water Stone, that's fine. You don't need to reward me."
He shook his head. "It's alright. I no longer need Water Stones anyway."
I smiled. "Makes sense. The son of the Devon Corporation's boss probably has plenty."
In the end, I received both the Water Stone and the Mawile Mega Stone—one as thanks, and one as Steven's gift.
"Stephen, where are you headed next?" he asked.
"Rustboro City. I'm aiming for the Stone Badge. Do you have any requests or missions for me?"
"You're sharp. Yes, actually."He handed me a heavy sack. "Please deliver these stones to my father."
"Wow… this is heavy, but manageable. Why don't you bring them back?"
"I'm meeting a friend who just returned to Hoenn."
"A friend…" I thought. "Must be Wallace."
Steven laughed softly. "I'll be going. Take care."
"Bye!" I waved as he headed toward the cave exit.
If you want, I can: