"This is a stone I've never seen before!"
Steven carefully examined the stone in Yamcha's hand.
"Gray, irregular, and full of a sense of age."
Hearing such high praise, Yamcha was a little surprised. But before he could speak, Steven expertly pulled out a magnifying glass.
He traced his fingers along the edge of the stone, gently rubbing it, closing his eyes to feel it closely. "These fractures seem to be man-made... What a pity."
Then Steven took out a miniature flashlight, shining light on it as he carefully studied it.
"It seems to reflect a kind of sheen that doesn't belong to this world."
"This strange stone must have a huge story behind it."
Yamcha's expression turned a bit odd.
There was indeed a story behind it, but...
Yamcha gave Steven a subtle glance.
Remember the bet during Garou's challenge to Yamcha at Bang's dojo?
This stone in his hand was actually the one Garou lost to him in the One Punch Man world.
More accurately, it was a piece of the dojo wall at Master Bang's place.
This thing wasn't from this world at all, so of course it could be said to have a sheen not of this world. And since it was broken off, of course the damage was man-made.
"What a treasure, what a treasure..."
Steven praised it, his gaze as affectionate as if he were looking at a lover.
After quite a while, he reluctantly looked away and turned to Yamcha. "It might be presumptuous of me to say this, but... may I have it? I'm willing to trade anything in return."
In the Platinum games, there's a fun backstory—the original owner of the Villa in Resort Area bought it just to collect rare stones in the Sinnoh region, and before leaving, casually handed the villa over to a stranger.
Loves rare stones, rich and generous... most likely, that guy was Steven.
If you've got a rare rock, he's basically your long-lost brother.
Handing out villas? Easy for him.
But Yamcha wasn't lacking money himself.
This rock was just something he mentioned offhand at the time—and he'd nearly forgotten he had it.
Most importantly, he had a good impression of Steven.
So he shrugged. "If you like it, I'll give it to you."
"How could I?!"
Steven shouted, visibly shaken. "To let me have such a precious stone is already presumptuous—how could I accept it as a gift?!"
At the word precious, Yamcha's eye twitched. Precious? If he wanted to, he could break off another entire wall and just say he was helping Master Bang repair the dojo. Bang would probably be grateful.
"Friends give each other gifts all the time, don't they?"
"And isn't a first gift from a new friend something you shouldn't refuse?"
As he spoke, Yamcha placed the stone into Steven's hands, giving him no chance to say no.
"Well... alright then."
Steven looked at the "strange stone" in his hand, then at Yamcha's "sincere" eyes. If he refused again, it would be like saying they weren't friends.
Still, even though he accepted it, he made a decision in his heart.
"By the way, Yamcha, why are you going to Hoenn?"
"Oh, nothing major."
Yamcha took out the only Poké Ball at his waist.
With a flash of white light, a sharply angular Pokémon of red and blue appeared before the two of them—
A Porygon.
"I'm looking for the items to help this little one evolve. There's something very important in the future that I'll need its help with."
Yamcha gently stroked Porygon's head. The Pokémon squinted its eyes, clearly enjoying the affection.
Usually, Pokémon not caught personally don't listen well.
But Yamcha had an incredibly "natural" aura, which gave him high affinity with Pokémon.
"Upgrade and Dubious Disc?" Steven nodded, a plan forming in his mind.
As the heir and president of the Devon Corporation, Steven had access to all kinds of resources.
In fact, Yamcha needed the help of two more Pokémon, but there was no rush.
It was said there were some in the Meteor Falls area too, so he could catch one himself—that had been the plan from the beginning.
"Oh, right—can I get your contact info?"
"Of course."
Normally, a Pokédex can be used for communication, but Yamcha didn't have one—he was basically a "ghost" in this world.
Fortunately, there was more than one communication method. Every region had its own tools. Hoenn had the PokéNav, but the most commonly used was Johto's PokéGear. Naturally, Yamcha had bought one, though it only worked in this world.
By the next evening, the cruise ship had successfully arrived in Slateport City.
After learning Yamcha was headed to Meteor Falls, Steven handed him a Poké Ball from his own waist.
"Bringing only one Pokémon is too dangerous, so please take this one. It's close to evolving—I hope it can help you."
Without giving Yamcha a chance to refuse, he left the ship along with the other passengers.
After Steven left, Yamcha looked at the Poké Ball in his hand, lost in thought.
It seemed he'd already accomplished what he came to Hoenn for...
So he turned around and decisively walked back to the ship.
"What? Sir? You want to board the ship and head back already???"
The sailor was full of question marks after hearing Yamcha's request.
He'd seen all kinds of travelers, but someone who turned around the moment they arrived? That was a first.
In the end, Yamcha boarded the cruise ship back to Kanto.
Without Steven—the surprisingly talkative companion—the return trip felt a bit dull. Other than occasionally enjoying fine dining at the ship's restaurant, Yamcha spent most of his time resting in his room.
Gotta say, Pokémon-prepared food really was delicious. Even someone like Yamcha, who was used to dishes prepared by Gourmet Hunters, had to nod in praise.
Tonight's dinner was salt-grilled cod made from Lean Codfish.
Though the flavor was mild, it was very tasty.
Lean Codfish had powerful regeneration abilities. It would discard excess flesh to become lighter before ambushing prey. That discarded flesh was what made such delicious cod meat.
Just as Yamcha was quietly enjoying his meal, he suddenly sensed something, set down his fork, and slowly turned around, gazing into the distance.
"There's a powerful energy over there..."
In the direction of his gaze, a mysterious island suddenly erupted in flames, and a mushroom cloud slowly rose into the sky.
Boom!
In an instant, dark clouds gathered, fierce winds howled, and lightning flashed.
A storm that shouldn't have existed suddenly arrived.
(End of Chapter)