After leaving the Safari Zone, they passed through quite a few towns along the way.
For instance, Ash and the others stumbled upon a place called Sunny Town, and the three of them pedaled water bikes for a good twenty-odd kilometers along the route. But there's no need to go into detail about that, since nothing of particular note happened.
The road to Cinnabar Island was still a long one, and it wasn't always lined with bustling metropolises.
That became more and more apparent the further they traveled from Kanto's economic heartland.
Saffron City, Celadon City, Vermilion City, Cerulean City — these four formed the economic core of the Kanto region, the densely populated centers of gravity. The four cities clustered relatively close together.
Beyond them, Viridian City, Pewter City, and Fuchsia City were scattered across the outer ring.
Cinnabar Island could practically be called an isolated outpost adrift at sea.
And in the sprawl between those major cities, along the roads connecting them, all manner of smaller cities and towns had taken root.
The most obvious example was the industrially polluted Gringey City they'd passed through before — and then there was Maiden's Gorge, with that Thousand-Year Gastly lurking inside it.
This time, they had arrived at a place that was smaller in scale, yet distinctly its own kind of special — Stoneton Town.
Stoneton Town's first impression was one of tidiness, prosperity, and even a certain well-ordered insularity, as though the rest of the world simply hadn't been invited.
Most of the town's buildings were constructed from locally quarried stone — sturdy and handsome.
There were precious few of the League's standard public facilities to be seen on the streets, yet everywhere one looked, there was an air of self-sufficient abundance.
"This place is... so quiet. And so clean," Misty said, glancing around and unable to help herself.
There weren't many pedestrians on the streets, but every single one of them moved at an unhurried pace, dressed neatly and properly.
Brock's gaze, meanwhile, had drifted toward the imposing mountain range rising behind the town. In the sunlight, faint traces of quarrying were just barely visible on the rockface.
"Looks like the rumors are true," he said. "The lifeblood of Stoneton Town is that mountain — 'Evolution Peak,' they call it."
"They say it holds rich veins of special minerals — the kind that can be processed into Evolution Stones of all varieties."
"Fire Stones, Water Stones, Thunder Stones — this place has just about all of them."
As someone whose hobby was mining, Brock had been coveting this place for a long time.
He really wanted to go in and dig around.
Unfortunately, this town was just too far from his home in Pewter City. He'd always had the idea in mind, but had never actually made it out here.
Looking at the Kanto map, Pewter City was in the upper-left corner, and Stoneton Town was in the lower-right corner.
...You could say they were about as far apart as two points could possibly get.
"Whoa! Does that mean this place is absolutely loaded?!" Misty's eyes lit up.
Evolution Stones were still worth quite a pretty penny.
A vein of Evolution Stones was worth even more.
Though the amount of stone required for any single Pokémon's evolution was small, when you factored in just how many Pokémon were out there, those numbers added up fast.
It was a big business.
"You could say that," Brock nodded, then furrowed his brow slightly. "But precisely because of that, this mountain — and this town — exist essentially outside the League's administrative framework."
"Just look — we've been walking around for a while now, and we haven't spotted a single Pokémon Center sign."
Once he pointed it out, Ash and Misty noticed it too.
For a traveling Trainer, a Pokémon Center was like a waystation and a refuge all in one — its absence cast a quietly exclusionary shadow over this seemingly prosperous little town.
This town had been wealthy since ancient times. It didn't seem to need the League's protection.
...But was that really a good thing?
"The League's reach isn't boundless," Brock said, with a touch of wistfulness.
"The real question is — how much longer can this kind of independence, built on a single resource, actually last?"
"Once the Evolution Stone veins run dry, or the market shifts..."
Some things were entirely predictable.
It was just that some people could see further ahead than others.
And to the people who couldn't see very far ahead at all — the words of someone who could sounded like prophecy.
Misty, for her part, was more of an optimist. "Don't overthink it!"
"I remember the travel guide mentioning that Stoneton Town holds a grand 'Evolution Festival' every year — apparently they're really welcoming to tourists during that time, and they even offer discounted or free Evolution Stones!"
"The bad news is... we seem to have arrived just a step too late and missed it."
Still, this town was fairly well-known.
It was, after all, one of the most important quarrying sites for Evolution Stones in the region.
Evolution Stones were dug up all around the world, and the League had even been experimenting with synthetic ones.
But for now, naturally occurring Evolution Stones were still the mainstream, and this place was one of the richer deposits.
As they were talking, the three of them found a stone-built structure that looked like an inn and decided to stop there and rest.
It lacked the professional medical equipment of a Pokémon Center, but at least it could offer clean beds and hot water.
Good enough for now. No point being picky.
However, not long after they had settled in —
A fierce argument suddenly erupted on the street below, shattering the town's quiet.
"Taichi! How much longer are you going to keep this up?!"
"Listen — this is for Eevee's own good! Evolution is the only path forward!"
"You have to choose one of the three — Water, Fire, or Thunder!"
Curious, Ash and the others crowded over to the window and looked down.
On the street below, three older-looking young men had surrounded a younger boy wearing glasses.
The boy clutched a brown Eevee tightly in his arms — the fluffy ruff around Eevee's neck was puffed up in alarm, making it look both anxious and utterly adorable.
The three young men were a distinctive bunch.
The one in the lead was tall and broad, with spiky yellow hair and an imperious set to his brow. Beside him stood a Jolteon, fur bristling, radiating a sharp, aggressive energy.
The second young man had a comparatively milder air about him — blue, seaweed-like hair hanging loose — and at his feet stood an elegant Vaporeon, its body the color of deep ocean water, as though sculpted from flowing currents.
The third had fiery red hair and an equally fiery temper to match, and crouched at his side was a Flareon, its neck ringed with a flowing mane.
The boy at the center of it all — the one they called Taichi — only shook his head stubbornly, pulling his ordinary Eevee closer. "No... I don't want to! Eevee doesn't want to evolve right now, either!"
As a general rule, once a Pokémon evolves, it cannot devolve.
This was unlike a certain other franchise.
Digimon evolution was remarkably casual.
Today you could evolve into a dragon, tomorrow into a woman, the day after into a mecha.
A branching, web-like evolutionary tree — in certain respects, honestly pretty satisfying.
For example:
Dorumon → Dorugamon → DoruGreymon → Alphamon
Zhuqiaomon → Zhuqiaogyamon → Grademon → Alphamon
Combined · Alphamon · Ouryuken
...
What's the difference between a king and his mount?
Why, the magic of a web-based evolution tree, of course!
But this little tangent had nothing much to do with the situation at hand. The argument below was still going strong. The above was purely Ash's own mental meandering.
"What do you know?! If Eevee doesn't evolve, it can never get stronger!"
"An Eevee from Stoneton Town that refuses to evolve? Unthinkable!"
"The reputation of us Eevee Brothers cannot be ruined by you!"
"Whichever path of evolution you choose proves which of us is strongest."
Up at the window, Ash and Brock watched the argument below and couldn't help murmuring to each other.
"The Eevee Brothers, huh..." Brock rubbed his chin. "Looks like the older brothers are pressuring the youngest to evolve his Eevee."
Brock had actually heard of these four before.
They were prominent members of the local ruling family.
...As for their strength? Eh. Nothing to write home about.
Rich, sure — but beyond that, just a bunch of fossils who hadn't kept up with the times.
If Brock felt like it, he could probably take on the entire town by himself.
After all, Brock had brought three of his heavy hitters with him. The Steelix, Onix, and Golem he was carrying were nothing to sneeze at.
Ash looked at Taichi's stubborn yet helpless expression, and the Eevee in his arms that was clearly terrified at the idea of evolving, and his brow furrowed slightly.
Eevee was indeed a Pokémon that required an external trigger to evolve — but even so, how it evolved should be its own choice to make.
Brock continued his commentary:
"Speaking of which — there are actually eight known Eevee evolutions now."
"Water, Fire, and Thunder are just the first three discovered — the most common ones."
"The Leafeon, evolved with a Leaf Stone, and the Glaceon, evolved with an Ice Stone, are considerably rarer."
"And then there's Espeon and Umbreon, which require high friendship and evolving at a specific time of day, plus Sylveon, which evolves after mastering Fairy-type energy... there are plenty of options, is what I'm saying."
Brock was genuinely well-read, and he always kept a close eye on the latest research findings in the scientific community.
Some things had actually been discovered quite a while ago — they just hadn't spread into common knowledge yet.
In fact, beyond the forms mentioned above, there were also the special regional forms from Galar.
Galarian Eevee could Gigantamax — but in exchange, those Eevee could not evolve the way the others could. Gigantamaxing was their only transformation.
It was presumably the result of local Galarian Eevee cells adapting to that region's particular environment.
Eevee was, at its core, an evolution Pokémon.
Its unstable genetics meant the possibilities for what it could become were wildly varied.
Originally quite rare, their numbers had begun to increase substantially with the League's assistance.
But even so, they were still nowhere near numerous enough to be compared to stray dogs on a street corner.
— Ha.
— Pikachu: What are you talking about?
Ash nodded, and casually added in a low voice with a barely perceptible note of amusement:
"Probably because... the conditions for the other forms are pretty demanding, and these three just can't manage them right now. The ones that use Evolution Stones are the simplest and most straightforward."
"Though even then — don't they still have the Leaf Stone and Ice Stone?"
"Honestly, I get the feeling these three are just jealous of each other... so they're putting their little brother through the wringer to figure out which of them is the strongest."
Ash had seen right to the heart of it.
It was an offhand remark — he'd meant it as idle conversation with Brock — and his voice hadn't been especially loud.
However, those three older brothers down below were Trainers with sharp ears, especially when it concerned the path of Evolution Stone mastery they took such pride in.
"Hey, up there! What are you blabbering about?!" Achi, the hot-headed redhead, was the first to tilt his head up, practically fuming as he jabbed a finger at the window. "Who said we can't?! What do you know about Eevee evolution?!"
As for exactly why they weren't using the Leaf Stone or Ice Stone — let's set that question aside for the moment.
Because the truth was, from beginning to end, all three brothers had wanted their youngest sibling to pick which of them was strongest. They'd never once given the boy any say in the matter.
Raizou's expression darkened as well.
His Jolteon crackled with tiny electric sparks, a clear display of its Trainer's displeasure. "And just who are you outsiders, to come here and lecture Stoneton Town on its traditions of evolution?"
Mizuki, the second brother, said nothing — but his eyes were full of disapproval.
And just like that, a single offhand remark that had cut straight to the point ignited a conflict in an instant.
...Life was like that sometimes. You mutter something under your breath in the corner of the room — even softly — and if the wrong person hears it, trouble finds you all the same.
Misty pressed her hand to her forehead and sighed. "Great, Ash. You've gone and stirred up a hornet's nest."
Ash, however, did not back down. Meeting the three brothers' hostile stares from above, he said calmly:
"Am I wrong? Eevee's potential goes far beyond just Water, Fire, or Thunder. Forcing it onto a path it doesn't want to walk — is that what you call 'doing what's best for it'?"
This was a line Ash held firm on — a conviction of his.
Pokémon had their own distinct personalities.
A Trainer's job was to help their Pokémon walk the path that was best for that Pokémon.
Not the path the Trainer assumed was best.
— "I'm doing this for your own good" — when it's really just self-righteousness — was never truly good.
— "Tell me what you need" — then we actually examine it together, objectively, and ask: is this genuinely good for you?
— And then we help you get there.
— That is what good truly means.
...A Trainer defines what will counts for their Pokémon.
...A Pokémon repays their Trainer with strength.
...That was the path Ash believed in.
"Insolence!" Raizou snapped. "The evolution of an Eevee is a sacred rite — the only path by which its life can be elevated to something greater! Who are you, an outsider, to pass judgment on it?"
"Exactly!" Achi chimed in. "If you've got something to say, come down here and say it to our faces! Are you just going to keep mouthing off from up there like a coward?!"
Stoneton Town existed outside the League's administrative framework, and its ideas and worldview were genuinely less progressive than what the League espoused.
The word "tradition."
Sometimes it was genuinely hard to say whether it was right or wrong.
Taichi held Eevee tightly and watched the stranger who had suddenly intervened, a flicker of hope crossing his eyes — though worry still dominated his expression.
Taichi did hope that someone would speak up for him.
But he didn't want anyone to get hurt on his behalf.
Though this wasn't the same Taichi from that other story — this Taichi was also a kind-hearted boy.
Brock murmured, "Ash — looks like there's no avoiding this one."
Ash took a slow breath, and his eyes turned serious.
He glanced back at Pikachu beside him, and at Misdreavus floating nearby — who was watching with the exact same expression as someone who had been waiting for popcorn.
— Both of these were Pokémon that could evolve using an Evolution Stone.
— And since he was apparently about to butt heads with these guys, of course he should use exactly these two.
In that moment, Ash thought briefly of Lt. Surge.
Lt. Surge and these brothers had different philosophies — but they'd probably get along just fine over drinks.
"Pikachu, Misdreavus — we're heading down," Ash said, his tone calm but resolute.
"Some things can't be settled with words alone. You have to let them see it with their own eyes."
When words can't open a door, you use your fists.
Since you won't believe me — let me prove it through strength.
The only problem was that Pikachu's strength might be just a little... excessive.
Honestly kind of funny.
This was a Light Ball–partnered Pikachu — against ordinary Pokémon, it really was capable of moving mountains with brute force alone.
And little Misdreavus's strength was also well beyond the norm — specifically in the sheer mastery and finesse with which she handled her moves.
Ash turned and headed for the stairs, and Brock and Misty exchanged a glance before immediately following.
They knew that once Ash had made up his mind about something, he wasn't going to change it easily.
And besides — they didn't agree with the three brothers' approach to forcing evolution, either.
They came down to the street.
The two sides squared off.
The Eevee Brothers stood with their evolved Pokémon at their sides, emanating an imposing pressure.
On Ash's side, though only Pikachu and Misdreavus flanked him, his composure and confidence gave away not an inch of ground.
Taichi stood nervously off to the side, watching the situation unfold.
"So, kid — you had plenty to say up there, didn't you?" Achi stepped forward, voice dripping with provocation. "You say there are other evolved forms?"
"Then go ahead — let's see your Eevee evolve into one!"
He had clearly misunderstood and assumed Ash also owned an Eevee.
Ash shook his head. "I don't have an Eevee."
"But I believe that the right to choose how to evolve belongs to the Pokémon itself — and to the bond between Pokémon and Trainer. Not to a few cold pieces of stone. And certainly not... to pressure from others."
Ash did, in fact, have a Thunder Stone and a Dusk Stone on him.
But he had never once considered using either of them unilaterally.
Pikachu, carrying the Light Ball, had no use for a Thunder Stone regardless.
As for Misdreavus — even with the Dusk Stone available, she had wrestled with the decision for a long time.
Ash had never said a word either way. He had left the choice entirely with Misdreavus.
Whenever Misdreavus wanted to evolve, she would evolve.
Treating a Pokémon as a true partner in the fullest sense of the word.
"Respect" was easy to say — genuinely living it was anything but.
It wasn't something you had to consciously force yourself to do.
It was something that came out of you instinctively, without thinking.
If you had to consciously remind yourself to be respectful — that was just performance.
Because true respect came from the heart.
"Hmph — sophistry!" Raizou let out a cold snort. "No practice, no right to speak!"
"If you're going to challenge our path, then prove it in battle!"
"If you win — we'll stop pressuring Taichi."
"If you lose — then you'll apologize to our town's tradition of evolution for your arrogant little speech just now!"
"It is the tradition of Stoneton Town: only evolved Pokémon are permitted to join the [Stone Knights]."
"If Taichi wants to join, he has to evolve his Eevee."
"A weak Pokémon has no right to join!"
The exchange had now revealed a deeper layer of the conflict.
It seemed this was all tied to a rigid entry requirement for some organization.
"Fine," Ash said, without a moment's hesitation.
"Perfect — I want you to understand something: evolution is not the only answer to strength. Understanding and respect can forge power just as formidable."
"If you want to battle me, then hear this: your tradition is outdated, and it's time it changed."
"If your standard is being 'strong enough' — then evolution isn't a requirement."
"My Pikachu and Misdreavus will show you what true strength really looks like!"
Ash felt it — this time, he needed to go all in.
Even if it might be a little like dynamiting a fishpond.
But sometimes, if a fishpond needs dynamiting — you dynamite it.
When it came to a clash of philosophies, there was no room to back down.
Compared to Lt. Surge, these guys had completely missed the point and were chasing after the shadow instead of the substance.
Lt. Surge and these brothers really were different in that regard.
Lt. Surge's goal was to become stronger.
These guys just wanted evolution.
Sunlight poured down across the stone-paved streets of Stoneton Town.
A Pokémon battle born from clashing beliefs about evolution was about to unfold in this little town renowned for its Evolution Stones.
To follow an ancient tradition — or to embrace a wider world of possibilities?
____
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