Steven Stone: Petalburg Panic!
North Petalburg City was one of the most dense places to live in. Skyscrapers extending high above the clouds casting shadows onto the walkways and footpaths below. People lived here to access work and employment easily, and also had access to Petalburg Woods and the even larger Rustboro City further ahead.
Rod and Forrest had been in the City for the morning after leaving Oldale Town early. The shops were opened ablazed at Nine o'clock sharp and the crowds of Pokemon, people and workers seemed to empty onto the streets. However today, the noise levels seemed to be even higher than normal. Posters were placed around the city, and banners and strings hung between the glass and wood buildings. It turned out the monthly Battle Festival was to take place over the course of the day. Rod and Forrest both split up to ask people for directions before finding out the information. Rod instantly wanted to join, he saw is as a great opportunity to get some last minute practice before the Petalburg Gym nearby.
Forrest disappeared off to his Breeder convention as Rod was left alone with his Pokemon outside the Pokemon Centre. A large fountain remained there with water Pokemon dancing and relaxing around it in the baking sun. The Battle Festival was starting soon, and Rod glanced at the mass of other trainers, varying in ages and size. A podium was set in front of the fountain as the opening announcer stepped forward. Everybody gasped in shock as they saw the man who was hosting. He had silver hair, and wore a dark jacket. It was Steven Stone. The Hoenn Champion.
Rod yelled out in acceptance as the rest of the crowd realised. Steven waved and spoke into the microphone: "Hello trainers, and welcome to the monthly Battle Festival. My name is Steven, and I'll be helping out today. How today works is that you battle as many trainers as you can in the next hour, and the top two will have a battle. The winner of that will get to battle myself."
The crowd cheered again at such a lucrative prize, the chance to battle and possibly defeat a Champion trainer. A real Pokemon Master. The siren sounded above them, and the battles began all around. Rod found an opponent, and they released their Pokemon as so many others did around. The Festival had begun!
Forrest's Breeder Convention had finally finished, and he thanked the tutor for some new tips on how to create Pokeblock food, and also a Sinnoh recipe known as Poffins. He walked back towards the Pokemon Centre, allowing his Geodude and Voltorb out to breathe the fresh air. The ground seemed to be trembling slightly with every step he took, and the magnitude seemed to increase. Other people around him began to start shaking as some began to trip and fall on the ground. An Earthquake?
"Geo. GEODUDE!" Forrest's Geodude pointed up at the sky, and Forrest gathered himself and looked at where it was pointing. Geodude looked at the hillsides around the main City area. Forrest squinted and saw something. Rocks falling. Very large rocks, and it was falling down the hill. The ground trembled even more as Voltorb lost its balance and began to roll onto the street. "Voltorb return!" Forrest yelled. What was going on? He had to find Rod quickly. "Geodude we have to find out what's going on!"
"Geo…DUDE!" The trembling increased even further and the rocks on the hillsides above began to appear larger than ever. This was no accident, those rocks were being lifted by some sort of move. People began to scream as the rocks came even closer smashing the cars, massive boulders that shouldn't have been moved began to fall one by one.
Forrest reacted quickly: "Geodude use Rollout! Crush those rocks!" The Rock Pokemon curled into a ball and rolled along the road dodging the stranded cars before making contact with one of the boulders causing it to shatter. "Nice work, keep it up!"
Other citizens began to see what Forrest was doing and more Pokemon were called out with their attacks. The boulders kept falling though, Forrest didn't know how long they could hold out for. Roads were being slowly jammed with rocks as the earth below trembled.
The Battle Festival was in chaos. Screams were heard from every direction as Rod tripped on the shaking ground along with the other trainers. "Staravia GO! Find what's going on!" He instructed the Starling Pokemon as it took off into the air away from the chaos and the skyscrapers. Rod looked around and saw Steven releasing a Scarmory, the Iron Bird Pokemon from its Pokeball and disappearing deeper into the City. He ran afterwards, maybe there was a reason for what was going on. It didn't feel like an Earthquake at all.
Rod ran around the buildings, feet tripping over the tiled streets that were slowly breaking up. Steven was ahead and he stopped just as Rod caught up. "I need you to head to the main street, I think that's the epicentre of this activity." Steven spoke calmly which shocked Rod due to what was occurring so randomly. "I saw you battling back there, and there are a lot of people down there. Help them out."
"How about you? "Rod called back over.
"Im heading up to the Hillside." Steven whistled loudly in the air and his Scarmory reappeared crying loudly, and swooped to pick Steven from the ground. They nodded to each other as Rod turned towards the Main Street and the horror that was seen upon it.
Forrest's Geodude was slowly wearing out and so for the other Pokemon in the area, several others had taken serious damage from the boulders that just seemed to keep coming. Up above he saw a Scarmory with a passenger on its back disappear in the clouds. He looked back on the road and dived out the way as Geodude was sent flying by the rock slide onslaught. This was it, he thought. There would be no escape now.
"Staravia use Aerial Ace, Bulbasaur use Energy Ball and Ariados use Confusion!" Forrest and many other turned to see Rod appear from around the building with his Pokemon appearing in front. The three used their attacks on the oncoming rocks and threw them back at the hillside roads. Some smashed and some simply rolled aside.
Forrest called out: "Rod thank god, what is going on here?"
"Steven Stone is here Forrest, and he told me to help out here with the other trainers as he went up there to stop the problem!"
"Steven Stone, here in Petalburg?"
"Theres no time to explain, here comes more!" Rod yelled pointing at the hills again as the rocks pelted down again. He called out more Pokemon attacks as other trainers joined the fight. Rod hoped that the solution would appear soon. He looked as his tiring Pokemon and felt two more Pokeballs in his pocket. He didn't want Slugma and Furret to get injured just yet especially with large type disadvantages, he need them fresh just in case.
Explosions of lightning, water and fire created a dense smoke that rose above the city. The rocks had seemed to stop falling as the dust storm appeared from the ground. Some trainers use Defog and Gust as others used Whirlwind in the oncoming sand. Rod dived to the ground with his Pokemon with Forrest who returned his Geodude hastily. Rod yelled out: "Is this a Sandstorm attack?"
Forrest yelled back: "It looks like it, but its immensely strong just what is going up on that hill?"
Rod's Pokemon were calling out loud in pain as sharp stones appeared in the sand. A Stone Edge attack! Rod returned his frightened Pokemon and crawled over to one of the buildings nearby, dragging Forrest with him. The sand began to subside and they looked up into the sky and saw a Pokemon with a dark tail and orange skin appear high in the sky. A Landorus. A Pokemon native to the Unova region had decided to appear here in Hoenn. It cried out loud with its call before disappearing high into the clouds. Another call was heard elsewhere above, the sound of two more Pokemon. Their voices echoed above as children began to scream in fear below on the ground.
"Landorus…But why?" Rod asked quietly as the voices were still heard above.
Steven Stone then reappeared behind them, his Scarmory bruised and dented from the flying. Steven returned it as many others looked in his direction praising his appearance in a time of deep confusion and danger. Rod spoke first: "Steven, what happened what was a Landorus doing here?"
Steven replied, his face still calm: "Tournadus and Thundurus are also here, I think Landorus was protecting you with his Sandstorm attack. He stopped the rocks falling from their battle, and they may all be leaving this area now. How unfortunate."
He gazed at the wreckage that was left on the streets, with cars and building windows shattered. Glass littered around them sparkling in the returning afternoon sun. Officer Jenny arrived and spoke with Steven before ordering any injured patients to go to the Pokemon Centre immediately for inspection. The area was cleaned up over night, with even more questions as to why the Elemental Kami trio were so far away from their native lands in Unova, and the Abundant Shrine on Route 14.
Rod and Forrest returned to the Pokemon Centre and were happy to hear that no deaths were reported and that all the Pokemon would heal quickly. Steven sat with them in the café, and they spoke about the events. It was concluded that it was a freak accident that could have occurred anywhere, but nobody was hurt and that was something to celebrate.
Steven said: "These Pokemon cause a lot of natural disasters and they are strong, I struggled to understand their motives when I was up there. They shouldn't come back though unless they want to be dealt with violently."
Their conversation continued before Steven asked suddenly: "So Rod are you going to challenge the Gym here?"
Rod replied: "Yes I am, I hope to engage in battle tomorrow."
"Well, how about a battle with me? You've earned it after how you helped out those people stranded in the Main street. You inspired so many to pick your bravery up."
Rod was astonished: "Me battle you? Thank you!"
"Meet me tomorrow outside, and we'll have a one on one practice battle. Let's see what you really have coming for the Hoenn League."
Rod stood up confidently and spoke: "I'll be ready, I'll give it everything I've got!"
Steven nodded and laughed. Their conversations continuing late into the night.