The next morning arrived with the soft chirping of Taillow and a hazy sunrise over the eastern edge of Mauville. Joseph stood at the campfire, stirring the last of their morning tea with practiced ease. Steven sat nearby, already dressed and quietly polishing the Poké Balls on his belt with a cloth that shimmered faintly—Stone Company microfiber, no doubt.
"I've decided," Steven said without looking up. "I want to challenge the Verdanturf Gym after we pass through."
Joseph raised a brow. "Verdanturf doesn't have an official Gym."
Steven grinned. "Not yet. But the Contest Hall is converting its battle stage into one next season. I figured I'd test the waters."
Joseph sipped his tea. "Still chasing that Champion dream?"
Steven looked up. "Of course. You're not?"
Joseph didn't answer right away. Eevee curled at his feet, watching the trees with ears perked.
"I think… I want to make sure there's still a world left when someone becomes Champion," Joseph said softly.
Steven blinked, not quite sure how to take that. But Joseph just smiled faintly and poured the rest of his tea into the soil for the roots.
Tunnel Talk
The route west to Verdanturf Town led them into Rusturf Tunnel, a narrow pass recently reopened after the Devon Corp's latest excavation efforts. The brothers arrived just in time to see a foreman grumbling over a set of tracks.
A couple of workers nearby whispered to one another.
"They say some wild Pokémon keep sealing the tunnel from the inside."
"Yeah, it's not the work crews. Something's messing with our support beams."
Joseph approached calmly.
"Need help?"
The foreman, a stocky man with mud-stained boots and a helmet too small for his head, glanced over skeptically. "You a trainer?"
Joseph didn't answer. Instead, he crouched near the earth, touched the soil gently, then looked toward Eevee.
"Feel anything?"
Eevee's ears twitched, her eyes glowing faintly with a soft purple shimmer—Detect. Then she nodded once and padded into the half-cleared tunnel with quiet precision.
"Hey! That's not safe—!" the foreman barked.
Joseph followed her inside without pause.
Steven sighed and flashed a Devon badge to the workers. "Don't worry. He knows what he's doing."
The Digging Guardian
Halfway into the tunnel, Joseph paused. The air was still. Too still.
He heard a soft rumble just ahead.
A Loudred stepped from the shadows, chest puffed and voice ready to explode.
Joseph held up a hand. "Shh."
It stopped. Confused.
Then, from a higher ledge, a low growl rumbled. A second Pokémon—Mawile, gleaming with a metallic sheen and defensive stance—stepped forward. This one wasn't confused. It was guarding.
Joseph understood.
"You're trying to protect something," he murmured.
Eevee hopped to a nearby rock and sat, watchful but calm. Joseph raised his hands and slowly stepped forward.
"I'm not here to destroy your home. But the humans outside don't understand. The more you collapse the tunnel, the more they'll dig. And that puts you in more danger."
The Mawile narrowed her eyes.
Joseph smiled and reached for something in his bag. A case—a soft container with five Sitrus berries and one shimmering blue Poké Puff. He opened it and placed it on a nearby stone, then stepped back.
Mawile sniffed the air. She hesitated.
Eevee chirped. A simple, non-threatening note.
And finally, the wild Pokémon stepped forward. Peacefully.
Verdanturf Arrival
Steven was waiting when Joseph returned.
"Loudred and Mawile were defending a clutch of eggs deeper in the tunnels. No wonder they were acting out."
The foreman blinked. "There aren't supposed to be any nests in the cleared zones…"
Joseph handed over a datapad with GPS coordinates. "Avoid those areas for the next few months. Let the Loudred relocate on their own. They're not hostile—just protective."
The man stared for a moment. Then nodded. "Thanks, kid."
As they left the tunnel and walked into the soft, green bloom of Verdanturf Town, Steven whistled low.
"You talk to Pokémon like they're people."
"They are," Joseph said.
Breath of Flowers
Verdanturf was quiet compared to the booming Mauville and vibrant Slateport. The air was sweet with blooming roses and soft music from string players practicing in the parks. Everything about it felt peaceful. Natural.
Which is why the noise at the Contest Hall was so jarring.
A small crowd had gathered at the entry. An older woman stood there, her Roselia injured and collapsed in her arms. A Coordinator next to her was apologizing profusely.
"I—I didn't think Hyper Beam would connect! It was just a practice battle!"
The Roselia twitched weakly.
Joseph stepped forward and knelt beside the woman.
"May I?" he asked gently.
She hesitated, then nodded.
Joseph touched Roselia's petals, then reached for his pack. From within, he pulled out a small salve—Silver Leaf extract, homemade from his own PC's farm patch, back in the ROM world.
He applied it slowly to the base of Roselia's stem and gave her a Pecha Berry dust mix to nibble.
Within minutes, Roselia sat upright, dazed but stabilized.
The Coordinator looked stunned. "That's not a standard treatment…"
"It's not," Joseph said. "It's something I've worked on for years."
The woman—evidently a Contest Judge—stood slowly and took Joseph's hand.
"I don't know who you are," she said, "but thank you."
"Just a traveler," he replied.
Steven smirked behind him.
Dinner and Direction
That night, the two brothers sat at an outdoor café, sipping local berry wine and watching the stars over the flower-filled hills.
Steven finally spoke.
"You know, we could offer Devon healing salves based on your formula. It'd change the industry."
"I know," Joseph replied, not looking away from the sky.
"But you won't do it."
"Nope."
"Because?"
"Because it's not ready. Because once it becomes mass-produced, someone'll cut corners and hurt Pokémon trying to save money. I'm not releasing anything until I can ensure it stays clean."
Steven looked at him long and hard.
"You're the most stubborn Stone I've ever met."
Joseph raised his glass. "And you're the most ambitious."
They clinked their glasses together.
"I think we'll do just fine," Steven said.
Joseph smiled.
"So do I."
In the Shadows
Far away, deep within Mt. Chimney, a figure in dark robes stood over a pool of magma.
A communicator in her hand buzzed to life.
"There's a traveler. Name's Joseph. He's not registered, not ranked, but every report says he's stronger than the local Gym Leaders."
"And he's moving through the region slowly… like he's watching something."
The figure didn't speak.
She simply turned toward the volcanic vents and whispered,
"Then we watch him back."
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