Thanks to the convertible's excellent visibility, Lucas, Victini, and Terapagos were able to enjoy the scenery of Sootopolis City along the way. Looking at the lively scene, Lucas realized that Sootopolis City resembled the style of Santorini in Greece from before his transmigration.
As expected, although Wallace said they were going to pick up a friend, the sports car headed straight toward the deepest part of Sootopolis City—the undeveloped area on the other side of Sootopolis Mountain.
Along the way, they passed several checkpoints. Although Wallace could simply remove his sunglasses to pass through by face recognition, the strictness of the security showed that this was one of the most sensitive locations in Sootopolis City. It might even hide quite a few Hoenn League secrets.
The car finally stopped at one end of the mountainside. The road ahead became much harder to traverse. An off-road vehicle might have been able to continue, but a low-chassis sports car had no chance.
Turning off the engine and getting out, Wallace removed his sunglasses, looked around, and said with an expression that said "as expected":
"Sure enough, he hasn't come out yet. Looks like he ran into another stone he liked? I plan to go in and urge him out. Do you want to come with me?"
Wallace asked for Lucas's opinion. Although the elegant Wallace would never lose his beauty whether spotless or covered in dust, and he feared nothing, he also offered Lucas the option to wait outside in case he disliked entering a dusty cave.
But would Lucas, who had even slept in the wild during his travels, be afraid of a little dust? Of course not.
Without any hesitation, he replied, "I'll go in with you."
The cave Wallace mentioned wasn't far from where they parked. After walking a couple hundred meters, the bright cave entrance came into view. The cave leading into the dormant volcano's interior should, in theory, be a popular exploration spot for many Trainers, adventurers, and mountain climbers. But due to restrictions, aside from wild Pokémon, there wasn't a single person in sight, and there were almost no signs of mining or excavation.
There were, however, plenty of traces and figures of wild Pokémon living there—mostly Rock-, Steel-, and Ground-type Pokémon. For some reason, when these Pokémon saw Lucas and Wallace, they had no intention of attacking or blocking the way. Instead, they all hid away in unison. This left the eager Victini somewhat disappointed. It had finally mastered its two moves properly, but there was nowhere to use them!
The interior of the cave was fairly spacious. Although there were many passages, Wallace seemed to know the way. After leading Lucas through twists and turns for about ten minutes, a different sound suddenly came from the other end of the passage. It was the sound of objects striking each other, similar to Tinkatuff. Given the cave setting, it was clearly a pickaxe striking the rock wall.
Following the sound, Wallace quickened his steps. From his behavior, the identity of the person ahead was obvious.
After walking a bit further, a figure came into view. The man was wearing what first appeared to be ordinary hiking clothes and carried a backpack. From behind, he looked like an extremely ordinary climber. But when he heard the noise behind him, stopped digging, and turned around—a handsome profile entered their field of vision.
The man appeared to be in his twenties. Even though the digging and several days of cave life had left him dusty and disheveled, the compelling noble aura radiating from within was not masked in the slightest.
There was no need for Wallace to introduce him—Lucas already knew who this was. The wild mountain man, the passionate stone enthusiast, the young master of the Devon Corporation, Wallace's close friend!
The former Hoenn League Champion—Steven Stone!
No reminder from Wallace was needed. Only when he saw Wallace standing there did Steven realize he had once again lost track of time while digging. He revealed an apologetic smile. "It looks like I got immersed again. Sorry about that."
Wallace, long used to this, simply shook his head. "It's fine. How much progress is left? Need help?"
"No need. This is the final step."
Steven swung down the last pickaxe. A perfectly round stone, still covered in dust and dirt, rolled to the ground.
"An Dawn Stone. But compared to most common Dawn Stones, its shape is rounder, its luster slightly different, and most importantly, the energy concentration inside is higher. When helping Pokémon evolve, it often yields better results!"
Picking up the stone, Steven spoke endlessly about his discoveries while digging, as if he had found a beloved treasure.
Even Wallace occasionally found Steven unbearable, let alone with Lucas standing behind him now. As the host, the elegant Wallace wouldn't leave his guest hanging.
"Seeing you covered in dust, I'll help you clean up like before."
As Wallace spoke, he skipped his usual exaggerated Pokémon entrance pose and directly sent out his ace Milotic, issuing the command.
"Refresh."
Even inside the cave, Wallace's Milotic radiated its captivating charm. Its artistic tail rested on Steven's instinctively outstretched right hand, and a shocking scene unfolded. The gentle white light glowing from Milotic seemed to come alive. Starting from where its tail touched Steven's right hand, it spread outward. In the blink of an eye, Steven himself began to glow. Under the light's effect, all dust and dirt were swept away. Even his hair, unwashed for several days, became lustrous as if nourished.
If even the previously dusty Steven looked like this, it went without saying for Wallace's already outstanding Milotic. Lucas would bet that on any Contest stage, Wallace's Milotic could unconditionally deduct points from opponents simply by using "Refresh" like this! This was the strength of the world's number one Coordinator.
Wallace was long accustomed to handling these matters for Steven, who was nearly ten years younger. After recalling Milotic, he immediately shifted Steven's attention to Lucas.
"Let me introduce you. This is my friend from the Paldea region, Lucas. He's a powerhouse on the same level as you and me. Even my Milotic has lost to him before."
Wallace introduced his friend in a way that belittled himself to elevate Lucas. Or perhaps, to Wallace, this wasn't self-deprecation at all.
Wallace's brief two sentences immediately made Steven look at the silent Lucas behind him. This kind of evaluation was something he had never heard from his close friend before. It instantly sparked Steven's interest in Lucas. Though it still couldn't compare to the Dawn Stone in his hand.
Revealing a perfectly measured smile like that of a friendly older brother, Steven extended his hand to Lucas.
"Hello, Lucas. I'm Steven Stone. As you can see, I'm just a common stone enthusiast. Since you're Wallace's friend, you're my friend too. Between friends, just call me Steven."
"Hello, Steven."
At the same time, Lucas noticed that Steven's hand, which he was shaking, was quite clean. This cleanliness didn't refer to the absence of dust, but rather that Steven wasn't wearing the rings Lucas remembered from the games. Was it because they were inconvenient while digging? Lucas wasn't sure, but it didn't stop them from exchanging brief self-introductions.
Steven also learned from Lucas that his main occupation was farm owner. Seeming to recall something, Steven looked at Lucas with some confusion. "Speaking of which, I think I heard my father mention a farm in Los Platos in the Paldea region. The apples it produces are the best, surpassing even the Apple Hills. Ever since he tried a dish made with those apples at a famous restaurant in the Kalos region, my father has been unable to forget them. Unfortunately, there are no substitutes on the market, and the farm had no stock during winter. Your farm is also in Los Platos. Do you know anything about it?"
Lucas: Wait, how did this suddenly turn to apples?
Come to think of it, Lucas vaguely remembered that sometime last month, Oranguru had mentioned a call from the Hoenn region. They wanted to buy some apples at any price—even double—and were willing to pay more. At the time, the winter farm wasn't operating, and although there was some stored in the ice storage, Lucas had no intention of selling and had directly refused. So that had been an order from the president of the Devon Corporation?
Facing Steven's curious gaze, Lucas was silent for a few seconds before saying helplessly, "Sorry, I think the farm you're talking about is the one I run."
Steven & Wallace: (OO)
After agreeing to prepare a few boxes of apples for Steven to bring back and give his father a big surprise, Lucas left the nameless volcanic cave together with Wallace and Steven.
Because of the apples, Lucas could sense that Steven's attitude toward him had clearly become much closer. He no longer treated him merely as Wallace's friend but as one of his own people.
After leaving the cave, the view suddenly became open and bright. Steven could now see the two Pokémon Lucas had with him more clearly. Victini perched on Lucas's shoulder—he didn't recognize it. Terapagos, with only its eyes peeking out of the satchel—he didn't recognize it either. Assuming they were characteristic Paldea Pokémon, Steven didn't inquire further and simply praised that they were both very cute.
Victini couldn't handle praise. It was immediately hooked by the words, its mouth curving up, and it was even willing to share its beloved small round biscuits with Steven.
On the way back to the sports car parked on the mountainside, the three faced a new problem.—Wallace's convertible only had two seats. Normally, Wallace only taking Steven was fine, but adding Lucas instantly caused an overload. Was the extra person supposed to lie on the hood? Neither Wallace nor Steven would allow that.
"I'll ride my Skarmory down the mountain. You two can drive normally."
Steven ended the topic directly and released a powerful-looking Skarmory with a wave of his hand. Taking the sky route, he might even reach the bottom faster than Wallace and Lucas.
Although Lucas could have ridden Moltres down himself, since Steven had already done this, he didn't refuse. He simply sat in the passenger seat while Wallace took the driver's seat.
Turning around and accelerating—with the roar of the engine, the sports car sped down the mountain, while Steven had already disappeared from view along with his Skarmory.
On the road, Lucas couldn't help but curiously ask Wallace how his Milotic was able to share the Refresh effect—which normally only worked on itself—with Steven.
With both hands on the steering wheel and eyes fixed ahead, Wallace had no intention of hiding anything from Lucas. The corners of his mouth lifted into a meaningful smile as he said, "This is the charm of coordinating—deeply developing a Pokémon's own charm, abilities, and ways to use moves. When you find the trick, you can do what Milotic does: share Refresh, which dispels abnormal conditions and cleanses the body, with others."
Wallace's sports car wove through Sootopolis City's white buildings and streets before soon stopping in front of a huge Western-style hall with a blue roof, surrounded by a spacious courtyard.
Removing his sunglasses, Wallace explained to Lucas beside him, "This is the Sootopolis Gym, and also my residence. Since I took over as the Hoenn League Champion, my master Juan is currently running it. Because of the Wallace Cup, hotel rooms and Pokémon Center rooms are probably all nearly booked up. I'll have to trouble you to stay here for these few days."
"It's fine. After all, I only contacted you yesterday."
Lucas naturally wouldn't complain about where he stayed. He looked around at the surroundings, a hint of admiration in his eyes.
"Speaking of which, this place is really beautiful…"
"Hehehe, every tree here was personally arranged, designed, and planned by the elegant me. If it makes you feel beauty, then that's wonderful."
Wallace proudly puffed out his chest, thoroughly enjoying Lucas's praise of his aesthetics.
"Bi-mi!" Victini left Lucas's right shoulder and looked around the environment with some nostalgia. It felt a bit like the courtyard where it had stayed before meeting Lucas.
"Bagogogo~"
With Lucas's encouragement, Terapagos was lifted out of the satchel and curiously observed the unfamiliar sights around it.
"…Mm, so this is Terapagos's full appearance?"
Wallace's gaze fell on Terapagos, with clear appreciation shining in his eyes. But a few seconds later, as if remembering something, Wallace's expression changed slightly.
"Oh no! Don't let Steven see Terapagos's full appearance!"
But Wallace's warning came too late. From above their heads came someone's trembling voice, unable to suppress its excitement.
"Ooooh—"
"What a beautiful and dazzling crystal this is! Just one glance, and my heart is already captivated by it!"
Steven, who had descended from the sky on his Skarmory, had his entranced gaze firmly locked onto Terapagos in Lucas's arms, now fully revealed for the first time.
"…It's truly something one can't help but want to kiss gently!"
…