"This spot suits our training better than most places we've found," Metagross said, its four red eyes scanning the open wetlands.
"Is it the natural energy in the air?" Steven asked.
"Perhaps," Metagross replied with a slow, measured nod.
"Then the advantage might not be unique to this spot," Steven said, studying the landscape around him. "Environments like this probably exist elsewhere too."
He scanned the area carefully. Among the wild Pokémon roaming in loose groups, he noticed something — each group had one individual noticeably larger than the rest of its kind. They reminded him of Totem Pokémon, though these were far more restrained in size and considerably less extreme in presence. Their strength, however, was not something to dismiss lightly. They were easily on par with the Totem Pokémon he had encountered before.
"Let's head to Jubilife Village first," Steven decided. "If it turns out the training conditions there aren't as good as here, we'll come back and set up something more permanent."
"Understood. I'll follow your lead, Master."
After a quiet dinner at their camp, Steven gave his Pokémon some time to rest before recalling them all into their Poké Balls. He had noticed something during their time in the Crimson Mirelands — the heightened energy was not something only Metagross had picked up on. Every single one of his Pokémon, Diancie included, seemed more attuned and responsive than usual. Whether it was the difference between ancient and modern times, or something stranger — the fact that his team simply did not belong to this era — Steven couldn't say for certain. He didn't dwell on it. As long as it helped his Pokémon grow, that was enough for him.
He climbed onto Metagross and the two set off in the direction the old man had pointed, heading toward Jubilife Village.
The Crimson Mirelands, it turned out, were every bit as vast as they looked. Even as the sun began to sink toward the horizon, Steven still had not cleared the grasslands. Rather than push on in the dark, he made camp where he stood, setting up his tent in a sheltered patch of open ground.
After dinner, his Pokémon spread out across the camp and began their evening training on their own. Steven sat back and watched Diancie for a while. Without her portable game console, and surrounded by nothing but endless grass and the occasional fruit tree dotted across the plains, she looked thoroughly unimpressed with the scenery.
"I did tell you to head back," Steven said, smiling as he walked over after finishing a session with Lucario.
"Hmph! If there's nothing else to do, then I'll just train!" Diancie replied, puffing out her cheeks. "And don't expect me to hide behind you later!"
With that, she turned and bounced off across the grass, throwing herself into practicing her moves with surprising dedication.
Steven watched her for a while longer. Diamond Storm — Diancie's signature move — was already formidable on its own. Paired with Tackle, it gave her strong physical pressure against close-range attackers. Even without Mega Evolution, her access to Trick Room let her completely flip the field against faster opponents. And her natural defenses were extraordinary — the ability to instantly conjure a massive pink diamond as a shield made her far more durable than most opponents expected. If her raw power continued to develop, she would be a serious threat on any battlefield.
Satisfied, Steven set down his thoughts on Diancie and turned to his own training. Since the environment seemed to amplify growth for Pokémon, he figured his own body deserved the same attention. He could never hope to reach the physical extremes of someone with a Heavenly Aura Physique — but he could at least aim for a body sturdy enough to absorb a Thunderbolt or a Flamethrower without stumbling.
It was the first time Steven had trained alongside all of his Pokémon at once.
He woke early the next morning, the camp still dim in the grey light before dawn. Sleeping in the wild was something he hadn't done regularly in some time, and the return to it left him feeling slightly out of rhythm.
He gazed up at the pale sky for a moment.
I wonder if Cynthia has settled down by now, he thought quietly.
After breakfast, Steven recalled his team and mounted Metagross again, continuing toward Jubilife Village. By the time the sun was approaching its peak, a cluster of structures appeared in the distance.
As they drew closer, Steven could see a wooden gate at the village entrance, a sign hanging above it with text he had never studied — and yet, the moment he looked at it, the meaning was perfectly clear to him.
Jubilife Village.
He paused. Had Dialga given him this? The ability to read ancient script without having learned it? He supposed it made sense — some form of communication aid to function in this era. Though he had to admit, it seemed like a fairly modest gift given the circumstances. His mother had spent more than a decade working for that Pokémon, and this was all it provided?
Once he had the chance, he was going to have a word with Dialga.
"Halt! State your name and your business!"
Two guards in wide-brimmed straw hats stepped forward, blocking the path. They looked Steven up and down with obvious suspicion — his clothing alone was enough to raise questions.
The question caught him slightly off guard. He could hardly explain the truth.
"I'm a traveler," Steven said, his tone easy and composed. "I journey from place to place. I happened to pass through this area and saw the village — I was hoping to rest for a while."
It wasn't a lie, exactly. Steven had always been an adventurous Trainer at heart. He had simply changed his destination.
The guards exchanged a look. One of them was beginning to shake his head when the sound of hurrying footsteps drew everyone's attention.
"Uncle!" A boy in a dark blue tunic and a red-trimmed cap came jogging over, barely winded despite the pace he'd set. "Our leader wants to see this person!"
Steven raised an eyebrow. The boy — young, maybe twelve or thirteen — had run all the way from somewhere inside the village without so much as breathing hard. The people of this era were clearly not ordinary.
"Leader wants to see him?" The guard's expression softened. He turned back to Steven and gave a short nod. "Then you may enter."
The boy extended an arm toward the large building visible beyond the gate. "This way, please."
"All right," Steven said.
He fell into step behind the boy, turning things over in his mind. He had barely arrived — a few minutes at most — and someone already wanted to speak with him. From that distance, how had anyone even noticed him?
"My name is Akira," the boy said, glancing back at Steven with open curiosity. Around them, the villagers nearby were already murmuring quietly to each other, eyes drifting toward Steven's unfamiliar outfit. "What's yours?"
Steven offered a calm smile. "Steven."
"Aren't you warm in all that?" Akira asked, eyeing Steven's jacket.
"Not especially," Steven replied. "Are you comfortable in that?" He nodded toward Akira's heavy-layered clothing. Just looking at it made the air feel warmer.
Akira blinked, then glanced down at himself. "Oh — yes. It's made from a special fabric. It regulates temperature."
Steven nodded. Now that he thought about it, most of the villagers seemed to wear something similar.
Akira led him through the settlement to the largest building in Jubilife Village, stopping just outside the entrance.
"We're here," he said. "Come on in."