Latias was fast. It didn't take long before the coastline of Hoenn came into view, and Rustboro City appeared below.
"Until next time, Latias." Steven looked at the red Pokémon hovering before him and raised a hand.
"If you need to reach me, you can contact through the girl," Latias said in his mind. Then she shimmered — and was gone, light bending around her as she slipped out of sight.
Steven pulled on his hat, fitted the mask, and put on the sunglasses.
He entered Rustboro City.
He was stopped by Officer Jenny before he had gone fifty metres.
The reason, delivered with professional courtesy, was that his attire did not suggest entirely lawful intentions. The matter was resolved quickly once Steven produced his League identification.
"Grandma Caroline wasn't wrong," he murmured, walking away with a resigned smile.
It was genuinely fortunate that the last time had gone without incident.
He pulled out his Pokégear. The screen showed thirty-two missed calls, all from Cynthia.
The forest had had no signal. There had been nothing he could do about it, but he understood why she had called.
He typed out a message — brief, honest, covering the important points: why he hadn't been reachable, that he was back in Hoenn now, that he was heading to Devon to check on a project. He sent it.
The reply came back in less than two seconds.
Okay.
Steven looked at it. One word, instant response, middle of the night in Sinnoh.
"She hasn't slept." He let out a small, rueful breath, and sent one more message. No reply came after that.
He'd deal with the apology in person when he got back.
Devon Corporation came into view ahead. Steven removed the hat, sunglasses, and mask and tucked them away before he walked through the front doors.
His first stop was the president's office.
"Vice President." Kennedy bowed as Steven came in. "The President stepped out for a walk a short while ago."
"I see. Could you let him know I came by?" Steven smiled.
"Of course."
He was already turning to leave when a thought stopped him.
"Secretary Kennedy — do you happen to know where my Skarmory originally came from? Its habitat, specifically."
This had been the other reason for the visit — to ask his father directly. Since that wasn't possible today, Kennedy was the next best option.
Kennedy considered for a moment.
"If your subordinate recalls correctly, Vice President, your Skarmory is the offspring of the President's own Skarmory. As for the exact location of its habitat, I'm afraid I don't have that information."
"Understood. Thank you." Steven nodded and left.
He had never once seen his father's Pokémon — not as a child, not since. The subject had simply never come up.
He rested a hand briefly on Skarmory's Poké Ball.
"Looks like we'll have to postpone that a little," he said quietly.
Skarmory, inside the ball, did not particularly mind. It had grown. It would keep growing. There was time.
The research and development department was busy, and the progress was considerably ahead of where Steven had expected. At the current pace, a launch in roughly a month was realistic.
The main outstanding issue was licensing. The team still hadn't secured agreements from the various Gym Leaders, whose likenesses and battle styles were being referenced in the project.
"Just have someone reach out and explain the concept," Steven said. "I can't imagine any of them would turn it down."
The lead researcher scratched his head. "The problem is that most of the Gym Leaders aren't in their Gyms at the moment. We're not certain when they'll be back."
"All of them?"
Steven paused.
Wallace has been unreachable. If the others are also gone—
A coordinated absence. Perhaps the League had called a training period for Gym Leaders — it would explain things. Wallace was probably caught up in that, which was why he hadn't been answering.
"Go ahead and build out the models in the meantime," Steven said. "When they come back, we'll sort out the agreements then. Something like this — they won't say no."
It was the kind of thing that helped Trainers, which meant it helped the League, which meant every Gym Leader had an interest in seeing it succeed. Handling the formalities after the fact was fine.
"One more thing, Vice President — the name. Is the game just called Pokémon?"
Steven was quiet for a moment.
"No. Call it Pokémon: Gem."
It was starting with Hoenn, which meant Hoenn's identity should be in the name. And if this became a series — which was the intention — Gem could be the first entry.
"Pokémon is meant to be a franchise. Gem is the first title."
He looked around the room. The broad structure was in place. The remaining work was in the details — adjusting individual Pokémon data, balance, polish. That was time, not problems.
Steven left Devon Corporation. On his way out, he stopped at Kennedy's desk and arranged for a large shipment of ore and rare metals to be sent ahead to an address in Celestic Town — the Stone family home in Sinnoh. He and Cynthia were heading back there in a day or two.
Between Aggron and the newly acquired Larvitar, his current supply was already running low. And Honedge's training would start properly once they were back. Larvitar, for now, he would leave to Aggron.
Steven found a room nearby and let his Pokémon out to eat while he collapsed onto the bed.
Sleeping on the forest floor without a sleeping bag for a full night had consequences.
He'd remember that next time.
"Yo-ji! (★ ω ★)"
Larvitar's eyes went wide the moment it materialised and registered the situation: a room, and in that room, a very large pile of ore.
"Ka-ao~"
Aggron positioned itself in front of its own portion and pointed, with great clarity, to a second pile — noticeably smaller.
That one is yours. This one is mine. Do not confuse them.
Larvitar turned and threw itself onto its pile without hesitation.
"Ka-ao~" Aggron ate peacefully.
Your mother has good instincts. Following the Master was the right call.
You won't go hungry here. And when the Master eventually goes into a mine — which he will — the snacks will be exceptional.
"Yo-ji!" Larvitar had fully moved past any lingering sadness about the parting.
Steven gave too much for sadness to last long.
It was already understanding, with some clarity, that it had almost talked itself out of the best arrangement of its young life. Its mother's judgement had been sound.
"Ka-ao~"
Fair warning, though. The training is hard.
But the ore is worth it.
"Yo-ji!" Larvitar stood up straight.
Understood!
"Twist~"
Honedge drifted over to Larvitar and let out a small, amused sound.
"Yo-ji?" Larvitar looked at it with the generous spirit of a Pokémon who had just eaten well. It held out a piece of ore.
"Twist!" Honedge shook its blade-arm politely.
Thank you, but no. The Master says I should only absorb ore with concentrated Steel-type energy. Steel Gem, Ghost Gem — that sort of thing. I can't just take anything.
"Yo-ji... 〒▽〒"
It doesn't even want my food.
From across the room, Metagross observed the small green creature and gave a private, internal nod of approval.
It had known about the ore theft before Aggron had.
It had seen Larvitar slip into the bushes, and chosen not to intervene. The creature was small. It was hungry. These things happened.
But if Larvitar were ever to try taking anything that belonged to Steven directly —
That would be a different conversation entirely.
Steven slept through until evening, then dressed and made his way to the Rustboro City aerodrome.
He had less than two weeks of leave remaining. The Lily of the Valley Conference began in ten days.
He could be there for the early rounds — Cynthia's opening matches. Then he would need to return to Hoenn, take up his official position, and if things moved quickly enough, make it back in time for the final stages. Possibly even the championship match itself.
The Gym Leaders would be back before too long. Sidney and Phoebe — his Elite Four — could start picking up some of the day-to-day responsibilities in the meantime. The experience would do them good.
The plane lifted off.
Below, the lights of Rustboro City spread outward in every direction.
Steven watched the city shrink through the window, the corner of his mouth tilting upward.
It was time to go back.