While waiting for the roasted chicken, Icarus chatted casually with Stone and learned more about what had happened to him over the years.
It turned out that because his house had been located at the very edge of the village, he had narrowly escaped the Pokémon tide by sheer luck.
After arriving in town, he had initially lived off a small pension. But as he grew older, his appetite increased dramatically, and the money quickly became insufficient.
Left with no choice, he began looking for work.
Fortunately, his tall and sturdy build made it easy to pass for someone older, so no one questioned his age.
However, since he lacked any skills, he could only take on heavy manual labor.
Eventually, while working as a porter, he was noticed by his current foreman and brought into the construction site—where he had now been working for two years.
By the time Stone finished telling his story, the roasted chicken had arrived.
Icarus gestured for him to eat, while also briefly sharing his own experiences.
…
As they ate and talked, the atmosphere gradually returned to how it used to be when they were kids.
Stone naturally began calling him "Brother Icarus" again, just like before.
Seeing the timing was right, Icarus decided to stop circling around the topic.
With someone like Stone, being direct was far more effective.
"Stone," he said, clearing his throat, "I'm a regular Trainer now. From what you've told me, your current situation isn't great."
He paused, then spoke plainly:
"Have you thought about coming with me? We can be teammates—and become Trainers together."
"…I have," Stone admitted after a moment of thought. Then he scratched his head awkwardly and pointed at the empty rice bucket.
"But Brother Icarus… you've seen how much I eat. Almost everything I earn goes into food. I don't even have enough to take care of myself…"
"I'll support you at the start," Icarus said immediately. "As long as you're willing, I'll help you."
"You've seen how much Trainers can earn."
"Brother Icarus…"
Stone's eyes reddened slightly.
"You still treat me like your brother… I'm really useless…"
Then, suddenly—
"I'll definitely stand in front of you if anything happens, Brother Icarus!"
Without hesitation, he stood up.
"I'll go talk to the foreman!"
"…That's… very straightforward," Icarus muttered, slightly speechless—but satisfied.
On the other side, Stone walked directly to the largest table, where the foreman was sitting.
"Boss… I'm sorry. I can't keep working here. My brother came to take me to do something else."
"What?!"
The already drunk foreman instantly exploded.
"You ungrateful bastard! Say that again!"
"If I hadn't brought you in back then, would you even be eating your fill right now?!"
"Now you're leaving? What 'brother'? You're trash—and your brother's probably trash too!"
Smash!
He grabbed a bottle and smashed it onto Stone's head.
"You damn ingrate!"
"Boss… I…" Stone tried to explain—
But before he could finish, Icarus had already stepped forward.
Smash!
"Who the hell do you think you're hitting?" Icarus snapped, smashing another bottle onto the foreman's head.
"Who the f—?!"
"Brothers! Grab something!"
The workers instantly erupted. Some grabbed bottles, others picked up stools.
"Try it."
Icarus's voice turned cold.
At the same time—
"Vileplume!"
A Victreebel appeared beside him, releasing a powerful aura as its vines lashed out.
Crack! Crack!
Two strikes shattered the large wooden table into pieces.
"H-Hey! Gentlemen! Small business here—please don't fight inside!" the fat owner rushed out, panicking.
"No problem," Icarus said calmly, tossing down money. "This covers the damage. Let's take it outside."
The foreman, now half-sober, stared at Victreebel, his expression changing.
Mid-level strength.
Comparable to a peak-stage Machop evolution.
His confidence wavered—but he couldn't back down now.
"…Fine. Outside," he said through clenched teeth.
"If you win, take him."
The group moved toward the construction site.
Behind them, the workers began whispering.
"Damn… Stone actually has a Trainer brother?"
"He's going to become a Trainer too…"
"What insane luck…"
Some even tried to curry favor.
"Stone! Remember when I taught you how to mix cement? We're close, right? Don't forget me when you make it big!"
But Stone didn't respond.
He just walked forward silently.
His heart felt… complicated.
Hurt.
But also relieved.
He wasn't stupid—just simple.
And the foreman's words earlier had cut deep.
-------------Author---------------
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