"This…"
Being asked that by Steven, Grey was momentarily at a loss for words.
Did he have any interest in joining Hoenn?
Wasn't that basically setting him up?
No—calling it a setup wasn't quite right. This was just outright poaching, right to his face.
Of course, Steven probably didn't know Grey was now an Honorary Elite Four member of Kanto. Otherwise, he wouldn't have asked so bluntly.
"Gym Leader Grey, you don't want to leave Kanto? Then let me ask a different question."
Steven seemed to guess what Grey was thinking and continued:
"Would you be willing to be on good terms with Devon Corporation? As a private relationship—not between Leagues. If you're open to that, I'm willing to give you 10% of Devon's Class B shares."
Class B shares were different from Class A shares.
These shares came with multiple votes per share (like 2 votes, 10 votes, and so on). They were often held by founders or the core team to ensure control over major decisions.
And Steven was actually willing to offer that kind of stock—his sincerity was obvious.
More importantly, he was recruiting Grey in a personal capacity, without the mutual suspicion that came with League politics, unlike Shauntal's approach.
"Explain," Grey said.
He didn't really understand what Steven meant by "being on good terms."
But from the "10% Class B shares" alone, it was clear Steven was putting real weight on the table.
"With 10% of the Class B shares, you'd have enough standing to sit on Devon's board. If you don't want to attend, that's fine too—you can just wait for the money to hit your account every year."
Steven spelled it out plainly.
Even Grey, who didn't understand corporate stuff, immediately got the point.
If he took that stock, he could lie at home and count money for the rest of his life.
The kind of counting that made your hands cramp.
This was Devon Corporation—an enterprise on the same level as Silph Co.
In Hoenn, it was the top company. And with Steven as the connection, calling it "local royalty" wouldn't be far off.
"Gym Leader Grey… what do you think?"
Steven stared straight at Grey, waiting for his answer.
This was the first time he'd ever used company shares as an investment.
Now it depended on Grey's choice.
"Steven… you're really putting me on the spot."
Grey shook his head and waved his hands, refusing. "That stock is tempting, but for someone like me who hasn't done anything for it, taking it would honestly feel like holding a hot coal."
He looked helpless, thinking about how lately everyone seemed determined to recruit him.
First the Kanto League, then the Unova League, and now Hoenn too.
At this rate, when Caitlin showed up, was she going to ask him to join the Sinnoh League?
Given Caitlin's relationship with Cynthia… yeah, it really did sound possible.
Close friends. Always looking out for each other.
"Steven, stop joking around. If there's something you want, just say it."
Grey gave a few awkward laughs.
Steven's offer was insanely attractive, but Grey was already an Honorary Elite Four member of Kanto. And on top of that, holding that much stock would paint a target on his back—Grey didn't want trouble falling into his lap for no reason.
"Alright. Then I'll be straightforward?"
Steven knew Grey was giving him an out, so he took it. "I want to work with you."
"?"
The moment Grey heard "work with," the first thing that popped into his mind was his chat log with Shauntal.
"Steven… does your region have some villain organization like Team Rocket? And you want me to 'happen' to arrest a few of them if I ever travel there?"
Grey asked cautiously.
"…How did you know?"
Steven raised an eyebrow. He hadn't expected Grey to predict the whole thing before he even said it.
"Yeah, figures."
Grey laughed in relief.
So all these invitations were really about taking out villain groups, huh?
Honestly, it made sense.
The biggest reason to ask an outside Trainer for help was simple—
Not enough manpower.
Especially Unova. They were seriously short.
Compared to that, Hoenn was doing better.
At least they had two Champion-level Trainers.
"Tell me what's going on over there. If I ever have time to travel to Hoenn, I'll help out and see if I can catch a few of them while I'm at it. Oh, right—why didn't that little celebrity, Lisia, come with you?"
Grey suddenly remembered. Back in his stream, there'd been a little star who wanted to come over.
Steven arrived… but Lisia was nowhere to be seen.
He only remembered her now that they'd started talking about traveling.
"Wallace knows about it. He said he didn't want to trouble me, so she didn't come."
As Steven mentioned it, he chuckled.
That uncle-and-niece combo was pretty funny—nothing like how serious they looked in formal settings. Too bad she hadn't come. Otherwise, Steven would've introduced her to Grey for sure.
"Ahem. Anyway, here's the real issue."
Steven cleared his throat, his tone turning more serious. "Hoenn is a bit different from other regions."
"In our region, there are two criminal organizations. One is Team Magma, whose goal is to expand the land and fill in the sea."
"The other is Team Aqua, whose goal is to expand the sea and flood the land. They're sworn enemies—usually they're always clashing with each other at Mt. Chimney."
"But starting three months ago, it's like they changed completely. They avoid each other now. Instead, they started hitting different parts of Hoenn and occupying territory like they're kings."
"So… you're saying these two groups somehow reached an agreement, and decided to declare war on the Hoenn League?"
That was the conclusion Grey drew from Steven's information.
"More or less. And their bases are extremely well-hidden—we have no idea where they are."
When he got to that part, Steven sounded slightly uneasy.
Team Aqua and Team Magma were causing way too much chaos.
If it were only one group, Steven and Wallace could just lead the Elite Four to suppress them directly.
But the problem was there were two groups.
And they still didn't know how strong the leaders were.
If both leaders were also around the "borderline Champion" level, Steven couldn't guarantee they could take down both groups cleanly without paying a price.
They had to break them one at a time.
But then another problem appeared.
Their members were too good at running.
They scattered faster than Mightyena. The League would arrive, and all they'd find was a wrecked site and empty air.
"So, Gym Leader Grey—if you have time to travel in Hoenn, and you happen to see Trainers from those two groups during your trip… could you help deal with them? I'll reimburse everything, and there'll be bounties too."
"I thought it'd be something big. Of course."
Grey waved a hand and accepted the job.
"In that case, I should do my part too. Just a small gesture—something to support you."
Steven took out a Poké Ball and handed it to Grey. "This one is related to my ace Pokémon. If you don't mind, please take it."
"What Pokémon is it?"
Grey looked at the ball. He couldn't tell what was special about it.
"Nothing much," Steven said casually. "Just a Shiny Beldum."
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