Sinnoh Region, Eterna City.
This was a city with a rich, ancient history where the old and new existed harmoniously.
Steven landed at the airport wearing a black hat and sunglasses to conceal his identity.
Eterna City was the closest city to Celestic Town, making it Steven's only viable landing point.
His appearance had been memorized by the second Team Magma grunt, who had escaped. It would be wise to maintain a low profile while visiting Sinnoh.
However, in time, whether Steven chose to keep a low profile would depend entirely on his own decisions.
After a full day of flying, Steven stretched his body thoroughly as soon as he stepped off the plane.
"Much more comfortable."
"Let me see..." Steven pulled out his navigator to check the location of Celestic Town.
Since the navigator had originally been designed for promotion across various regions, it contained detailed maps of all known regions.
"I should head east, right?"
Steven didn't linger at the airport and immediately made his way toward Route 211 to the east.
To the east of Eterna City stood two impressive statues. The distinction between them was clear—one depicted a quadrupedal creature while the other showed a bipedal form.
"The legendary deities of the Sinnoh Region," Steven murmured, pausing in front of the two monuments.
Dialga, the God of Time, and Palkia, the God of Space.
Steven gazed at the nameless statues thoughtfully. At this point in history, the names of Palkia and Dialga were not yet widely known throughout the world.
According to the myths and legends of Sinnoh, they possessed incredible powers to distort space and manipulate time itself, earning them the title of deities.
However, whether they truly existed remained unconfirmed at present.
Perhaps their names were recorded somewhere in ancient texts.
"Just how much power do these gods truly possess?" Steven wondered with genuine curiosity. He hadn't encountered a single Legendary Pokémon since arriving in this world.
His understanding of Legendary Pokémon was that their strength existed on a legendary level, or perhaps even beyond that classification.
At the very least, without reaching legendary-tier strength, it would be extremely difficult to contend with genuine Legendary Pokémon.
Steven gave the statues only a brief glance before departing from Eterna City.
The current timeline felt somewhat uncertain, and Steven wasn't sure when the Temporal and Spatial Dragons would make their appearance in history.
Steven traveled through Route 211, and by the time he arrived in Celestic Town, darkness had already fallen.
After an entire day of flying followed by a full day of traveling on foot, not only was Steven exhausted, but even Metagross showed signs of fatigue.
"You've worked incredibly hard. I'll make you something delicious later," Steven said with a grateful chuckle, recalling Metagross into its Poké Ball.
Looking down into the large excavation pit, he could see a door built into the stone wall at the pit's edge.
That must be the entrance to the Celestic Ruins.
Outside the large pit, a few houses still had their lights glowing warmly in the darkness.
Following the address Joseph had provided, Steven located Professor Carolina's house and pressed the doorbell.
Ding-dong—
Within moments, the door opened before Steven.
Professor Carolina, sporting short brown hair and still wearing her research coat even at home, appeared at the entrance.
"You are..."
Professor Carolina narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing Steven from head to toe, before speaking with pleasant surprise:
"Isn't this Joseph's son? It's been such a long time!"
Professor Carolina's eyes lit up with genuine delight, and she immediately pulled Steven into the house.
"Um... Grandma Carolina, wait! I haven't taken off my shoes yet!" Steven protested with a wry smile, quickly asking Professor Carolina to pause.
"Oh, right! What brings you all the way to Sinnoh? Did you come specifically to see Cynthia?" Professor Carolina released her grip on Steven's jacket and asked curiously.
Steven, who had been in the process of removing his shoes, froze. He turned back and asked in confusion, "No, actually, my father told me to come retrieve a fossil from you?"
"He said you discovered a fossil in the ruins, and also mentioned that Pokémon Hunters seem to be unusually active in the Sinnoh Region lately, stealing Pokémon fossils and such. So he sent me to bring that fossil back safely."
"Hmm?"
Professor Carolina made a sound of surprise, crossed her arms, and began pondering deeply.
As Steven finished removing his shoes and stood up once more, Professor Carolina finally spoke:
"No."
"Huh?"
"I didn't discover any fossil in the ruins whatsoever, nor have I heard anything about a Hunter organization actively searching for fossils." Professor Carolina explained matter-of-factly, then tapped her temple with one finger:
"Although I'm getting older, my mind remains perfectly sharp."
Steven stood frozen in shock. His father shouldn't have any reason to deceive him, right?
Joseph probably didn't know that Steven had encountered a Pokémon Hunter in the Mirage Tower, and that the Hunter had stolen a fossil there, did he?
Was it merely a coincidence?
Did his father have some purpose he couldn't explain directly?
Come to think of it, Joseph had noticeably paused during their phone conversation earlier. Could it be that he had been contemplating how to trick Steven into coming to Sinnoh even then?
Judging by Professor Carolina's reaction, it seemed Steven had simply been sent to the Sinnoh Region... for no apparent reason?
No! He had to call and ask for clarification immediately!
Although he had been somewhat "rebellious" in the past, occasionally not listening to Joseph, those had been trivial matters—just normal childish behavior.
More recently, Steven had never refused anything his father requested. What could have made Joseph worry that he wouldn't come to Sinnoh willingly?
Professor Carolina, however, paid no attention to Steven as he fumbled with his navigator to make a call. Instead, she retrieved a pair of slippers, tossed them onto the floor, and walked into the living room with her hands clasped behind her back.
"No answer..."
Listening to the busy signal on the phone, Steven felt truly bewildered in that moment.
What was going on exactly!
Steven put away his navigator with a complicated expression on his face. He had thought his relationship with his father had improved considerably, but even now, he still struggled to understand the man.
"Joseph's son, if it's not connecting, don't waste your time calling," Professor Carolina called from the living room. She poured a glass of water and placed it on the table.
"Have some water first. The slippers on the floor are brand new—you can wear them."
"Okay, thank you, Grandma Carolina." Steven nodded appreciatively, changed into the slippers, and sat down on a chair, choosing to set the matter aside temporarily.
His father must have his own reasons for doing this...
Steven glanced around the room before asking curiously, "Grandma Carolina, where's Cynthia?"
"You rascal! The moment you walk in, you're already thinking about my Cynthia, aren't you!" Professor Carolina's expression shifted dramatically, and she casually picked up a wooden stick lying nearby, holding it as if prepared to strike Steven.
"Wait, wait, wait!" Steven quickly raised both hands to stop Professor Carolina.
Why was there a wooden stick conveniently placed there, and why had she grabbed it so effortlessly!
The wooden stick in Professor Carolina's hand never actually descended, and her face took on a half-smiling expression that appeared somewhat unsettling.
Steven shivered involuntarily and quickly said, "Let's talk calmly, calmly. Getting angry isn't good for your health."
"Hmph, I was merely teasing you," Professor Carolina said with an amused snort, setting the wooden stick back down.
"Joseph informed me that you departed on your journey, and Cynthia left on her own journey the very next day afterward."
"Speaking of which, I'm still rather upset with you. Do you realize that when Joseph gave you your first Pokémon, Cynthia immediately started clamoring for one of her own!"
"Do you have any idea how much trouble it was for me to set aside my research and apply to the League to obtain a Pokémon for her early!"
In this world, regulations clearly stipulated that individuals must be sixteen years old to receive a Pokémon. First, they must develop substantial knowledge of Pokémon care and training.
Young children might not understand the hidden dangers that existed in the outside world, and might lack the ability to properly care for themselves and their Pokémon.
That was why the rules mandated that people could only receive a Pokémon and begin traveling at age sixteen.
However, those who made significant contributions could go through specific procedures to obtain a Pokémon one year earlier.
Individuals with status comparable to Professor Carolina's position as a recognized Doctor, or Joseph's role in Devon Corporation's substantial support of the Trainer industry, qualified for such applications.
As children's physical capabilities improved and Pokémon information became increasingly comprehensive, there existed a strong possibility that this situation would change in the future.
For instance, the age requirement for obtaining Pokémon and beginning journeys might be reduced.
"Ah, well, you can't place all the blame on me!" Steven protested, scratching his head sheepishly.
"Still claiming it's not your fault! After you returned home that time, my dear Cynthia started studying with desperate intensity, declaring she would become Champion one step ahead of you!"
"You owe me my sweet, adorable Cynthia!"