A/N: I don't know how these keep turning out so long I swear I'm not trying... -small sobs-
After getting a few more details on each of their respective assignments- and receiving a Great Ball each as Super Official Thanks from the company- the rivals agreed to retire for the evening. It was only early afternoon, but they'd had a very stressful as well as very productive day, and this would give them and their teams time to recover while also arranging for their tasks.
Morgan was able to get in touch with Briney, who was more than happy to aid her for saving his darling Peeko. She apparently had to trek back through Petalburg Woods- something about the coastline farther north being rough on ships- but once she was there he was supposed to have the fastest non-commercial vessel this side of Mt. Pyre, wherever that was.
Sera, meanwhile, would be borrowing a company issued Pokemon to fly. Where Morgan's task apparently required maximum discretion (maybe it really was important), Sera's required speed and as little room for interaction as possible. She'd be allowed to stop in Dewford long enough to face the gym, but then it was right on to Slateport. Given the extenuating circumstances altering their travel, though, Sera was to wait for Morgan to catch up before continuing, so Morgan was okay with this.
The following morning, Morgan headed down to the lobby to find Sera petting and doting on Spitfire. "How is she?"
Sera looked up, a touch of concern tinting her smile. "Honestly, a little less fiery than before… But I'm sure she's just a little shellshocked. You just need a bit to readjust again, don't you, girl?" she asked, scratching the Poochyena's ears. Spitfire, in turn, seemed to perk up a little, if only a little.
Morgan nodded in a way she hoped was encouraging. This did remind her, though, and while she felt it might be a bad time, she didn't want to forget again. "Hey, I was meaning to ask." Sera looked up quizzically. "We're supposed to send the bodies away when our Pokemon die, right? But what about wild Pokemon?"
Sera blinked. "...Wha'd'you mean?"
"Y-you know, how they disappear when we kill them. What's up with that?"
Sera sat in quiet confusion for a few moments. "...You know, I've never even thought about it." Really? "It's just always been that way. I guess I assumed it was something like… keeping corpses out of the main roads? I'm not really sure where they go though. Maybe to the off-limits areas where only wild Pokemon go, to be eaten in privacy? Or maybe they're harvested for some kind of resources or something. Who knows." Sera shrugged.
"Huh." Well, both of those things sounded reasonable enough, even if Morgan still found it odd that even Sera had nothing more than guesses.
Brighter, her rival changed the subject. "But hey yourself! Speaking of things we meant to ask: yesterday, before all the commotion, I was going to suggest we have our next rival battle. Any chance you wanna do that before we head out this morning?"
Morgan gave it little thought before shugging. "I suppose we should." So with that, they both took a few minutes to ensure their teams were in order, then met outside in the street.
Sera set her Nav to a countdown function to synchronize their first release. 3… 2… 1… "Go Mithril!" "Let's go Flash!" "Shit."
Morgan hoped Mithril had gotten strong enough, especially with her little Exp Share trick, to stand up to him now. She wasn't… entirely wrong; Ember didn't instantly knock him out this time. She was definitely regretting Wonder Trading that Wingull as she recalled Mithril to send in her overpowered Croagunk. He came into an Ember as well, but the look of shock on both their opponents's faces when Croagunk just smiled told Morgan this was a good pick.
"Try a Peck," Sera commanded. That did quite a bit more damage, but Croagunk's Revenge did far more, knocking Flash out cold.
"Let's see how you do without your powerhouse," Morgan mumbled with a smile, more to herself than Sera.
Sera next chose her Taillow, Wings. Morgan recalled this type matchup was less than favorable, and opted to switch back to Mithril for now, content to watch Wings's… well, Wing Attack… bounce right off. Sera was going to have a hard time piercing these defe-
"Boomburst!" Murder in its eyes, the Taillow created a sonic force so strong that Mithril didn't quite pass out- xe started malfunctioning. A hand to her mouth, Sera squeaked, "O-oh no, is… Is xe okay?"
Morgan cringed hard. Her Nav was being very unclear about that, giving her some rather jumbled readouts. "I.. guess we'll find out after. Come back for now, Mithril." Hopefully a little rest would help xir calm down.
Types be damned, this Taillow was obviously a force to be reckoned with. So out Croagunk came again, and to Morgan's relief, even the super-effective Wing Attack didn't do too terribly much damage. Croagunk's Feint Attack, however, sure did. Quick Attack took him a little off-guard, but another Feint Attack took out the feathered glass cannon.
Sera next brought out Marshtomp, so Morgan switched to Cerberus. Now this was a starter-vs-starter battle she could get behind. Sera just kind of blushed and cringed awkwardly when Water Gun gave Cerberus a nice shower. "...On second thought." Yeah, not so fun on the receiving end, was it? Morgan was too amused to be annoyed as Sera switched to Zuma the Zigzagoon.
Cerberus Leered at the furry insult; he deserved a better foe. His Quick Attack did a good chunk of damage, but her Baby Doll Eyes apparently reduced Cerberus's physical strength a good deal for the moment, as indicated on Morgan's Nav. Certainly, that seemed like a form of magic to her, but no time to dwell on that now. If Sera was going to go for her physical attributes, Morgan had an answer, recalling Cerberus to send in Dustox. Another Baby Doll Eyes was employed, but Morgan just sniffed a laugh as she ordered Confusion, which did far more damage than Zuma's attempt at a Headbutt.
Sera bit her lip, and as Morgan ordered Confusion again, Sera managed to switch in Spitfire just in time to negate it. Morgan frowned; immunities were really something, weren't they. Admittedly, coming to see Zigzagoon and Poochyena as 'trash tier' Pokemon may have gotten Morgan a little spoiled, as she decided to try Dustox's luck with Gust and Tackle instead, but those Fire Fangs quickly finished him off.
Back to Croagunk, then. With Spitfire looking a little worse for wear, Sera switched to Pelt the Nuzleaf. Morgan couldn't imagine why. Even without taking any damage since her release, Croagunk's Revenge knocked Pelt out in a single blow.
Zuma came back next, so just for kicks Morgan switched back to Cerberus, who took one look at his opponent before turning to give Morgan a 'seriously?' look. This gave Zuma the chance to get in a Headbutt, but it was quickly negated by his Abs- oh. Oh wait this wasn't Absorb anymore, it was Mega Drain. Morgan hadn't even noticed when it got more powerful. Whatever its name now, though, it left Zuma unconscious and Cerberus in tip-top shape. Spitfire took Zuma's place, but Fury Cutter took her out before Fire Fang could be a concern.
Oh hey, so didn't that just leave… It did! Marshtomp was the last one left. Morgan found herself grinning. Wasn't he Ground-type now, too? She was almost a little afraid to use Mega Drain, but Cerberus sure wasn't. And with that delicious double weakness-
He was still standing!? Smiling through exhaustion, the best Marshtomp could manage was a light Tackle, but all the same… "...Gentle, Cer," Morgan warned, and he complied with a jab of a Quick Attack to finish the Marshtomp.
Both Navs beeped, Morgan's declaring her the winner. Letting out a heavy sigh, Sera piped up, "You've really gotten a lot better. Nice job!"
Morgan tried not to squint as she wondered whether that was actually supposed to sound condescending or if she was just reading into it. Well, either way, "Thanks. You too." It was no more than a pleasantry, but seemed proper to do for their viewers's sake if nothing else.
They headed back inside to get their Pokemon healed back up before leaving. Aside from Mithril, any injuries were pretty light and easily mended, their energy levels quickly restored. Unfortunately, Beldum being such a rare Pokemon meant there was only one doctor on staff who had treated others in the past, and he hadn't seen anything quite like this. Another doctor said she'd treated some other mechanical-like species and suspected xe'd be fine with enough rest and time to naturally recover, though they advised Morgan not to use Mithril again until she got to Dewford, just in case she needed to rush to their Center.
Sera came by with her starters by her side to apologize again, but Morgan brushed it off. "Xe's still alive, and that's what's important. Besides, it might not've even been your fault, to be honest. Mithril's always been a little… well, even the doctors pointed out xe acts as much like a machine as a creature. Xe might've been on the verge of glitching out either way for all we know."
"I guess so…" Sera agreed. "Still, I hope xe'll be all right."
Morgan nodded. "I'm sure xe will be. ...But hey, that Taillow's something else. I've battled quite a few over the last few days, but he was on a whole different level."
"Right?" Sera shifted to excitement. "I was so lucky to find him. -for the most part, anyway, heh… Oh, but Cerberus is really turning into a formidable force! I'm impressed!"
Morgan smirked. "Damn right. He may not be as fast as Flash, but at this rate even with their typings Cer's gonna be able to give him a run for his money."
Flash was indignant- nay, appalled- by that claim, and ruffled his feathers as he gave them a look of disgust. Even Sera had to laugh at that, which only upset the bird more. Meanwhile, Cerberus stood nearby, and raised his head higher to literally look down on Flash. Morgan was starting to get the feeling she and Sera weren't the only rivals here.
Meanwhile, Marshtomp just smiled up sweetly at both, not seeming to get the tension. Which reminded Morgan, "Hot damn, Marshtomp really can take a hit, though."
"Ohmygods," Sera exhaled all at once, a hand flying over her heart. "That was so scary, I couldn't believe he took a Mega Drain! Between that and Roxanne's gym, he really is turning into a hell of a tank, isn't he?"
Marshtomp's eyes grew a little wider, his demeanor a little brighter, and he turned to tug at Sera's cape. "Tomp?"
"Hm?" Sera listened, then grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, I guess I do. Sorry about that. I've just said Mudkip for so long, you know?" Marshtomp went on. "Oh? … Oh, that's a good point. Yeah I guess we could." His tone on the next bit felt like a suggestion even to Morgan, which made her a little curious when Sera replied, "Oh! Yeah, I like that a lot! Are you sure you do?" Marshtomp happily nodded, and Sera turned to Morgan. "I guess we stumbled across a good name for him after all. From now on, just call him Tank."
Morgan smiled a bit. "Sounds fitting to me. Nice to re-meet you, Tank."
Shortly after, they wrapped everything up and both headed outside, saying their last goodbyes at the door. Sera had recalled all her other Pokemon, and now released holy shit that was a dragon. Morgan had heard tales of larger back in Snaska, but up close this one was still imposing. Its shoulders were roughly even with the trainers's, except it had a long neck and huge wingspan still towering above that and a long bulky body back behind. Sera climbed on its back to secure herself in a rather flimsy excuse for a harness, and Morgan found herself all the more grateful she'd been picked for the boat task. "Uh… You sure that thing's safe?"
Sera laughed nervously. "It's… admittedly a little scary being up here myself, but most Salamence trainers use them to fly all the time, and this one's extra trained specifically for transport. So it's… probably fine," she assured… probably herself more than Morgan, honestly.
For a moment Morgan was amazed that Devon trusted a 17-yr-old kid with such an impressive Pokemon, but then realized it was probably also trained to travel a designated route and not respond to combat orders, so stealing or abusing it would probably be more than a little difficult. "Well, good luck, then."
"See you in Slateport!" Sera called, then tried to stifle her scream as the Salamence took off.
Morgan and Cerberus headed out on foot. With her team so much stronger now and most of the trainers she met along the way ignoring her this time, the trip was much quicker.
Morgan found time to stop by the nursery- winding up disappointed they didn't cultivate anything that could be used for tea there, but taking a brochure on the many uses of different berries- and still managed to make it through Petalburg Woods by nightfall. Her only concern that it might be a little late to disturb Mr. Briney, she camped on the far edge of the woods, on a hill overlooking the beach.
And she was glad she did, as the following morning while packing up, something glittering in the dawn light caught her eye. Upon closer inspection, she was almost certain it was a Revive, and upon using the Nav to confirm as much, she quietly stowed away the new treasure for use on a rainy day.
Atop her swift Salamence steed, Sera had meanwhile arrived in Dewford late the night before. As soon as the gym opened, she made her way there… and swept every single trainer without ever switching from Wings. Badge obtained!
...And it was still so early. This was the farthest Sera had been from home in a while, and there was basically nothing in Dewford, so what were the odds she'd come back here any time soon? Surely it wouldn't hurt to take just a little bit to look around…
Salamence released himself from his ball. You're not thinking of procrastinating, are you….
"...Nnnot… procrastinating per se," Sera answered with a forced smile. Salamence leered. Sera's defense fe- wait nevermind. "I just uh- Well the point of stopping by the gym was to interrupt my journey as little as possible, right? Soooo, I just thought, normally I'd be able to capture a Pokemon or two here, right? It wouldn't take that long, and if we really want to minimize interference…"
Salamence sighed heavily. You have one hour, and I'm going to be watching. Sera waved and called her thanks after him as he took a perch on a cliff at the edge of town.
She found a small shop that sold fishing rods, and picked one up. With it, she fished up a Magikarp… who Death on Wings promptly killed. Well, damn. A nearby fisherman did appreciate the corpse, though, swearing that as little usable meat as there was on a Magikarp, that little bit was delicious. Sera wasn't too keen on eating something she could talk to, but with it already dead she figured that was better than going to waste.
As she headed north to see if she could grab something from the local cave, she stumbled across some sort of gathering. They looked pretty engaged in whatever they were doing, so Sera was just going to go around, but one of the participants turned and made eye contact. "Hey, newbie!" Sera pointed to herself questioningly, and the man nodded. "Are you here to join the Potion Festival?"
"Hm? Uh… No, not really."
"What? But… Potion Festivals! They're like, the coolest of the cool! What could possibly be cooler than a Potion Festival?"
Sera didn't have the heart to tell them that the Potion Festival craze ended like eight months ago, so instead she just offered, "I dunno… Pretty Wing Dances?" When his eyes grew wide and he grew quiet, Sera took her opportunity to make a break for it.
She knew she wouldn't have time to explore the cave in full, so instead she had to settle for calling "C'mout, c'mout, wherever you are!" some twenty yards from the entrance and hoping something would come to her.
At last, a Makuhita did. With those narrow eyes and that way-too-broad smile, Sera had to admit the little girl was a little unnerving… but at the same time, there was something oddly very cute about her. When diplomacy failed, Tank managed to wear her down, and Sera was able to capture a new Pokemon here after all, making the detour entirely "worth it" (aka loosely justifiable). She couldn't seem to place a good name just yet, so she left the field blank as she allowed the Makuhita to transfer to her PC.
With her business taken care of, Sera made her way back into town, Salamence swooping down to meet her. Once again, she climbed aboard, and off they headed toward Slateport.
It was some two days later when Morgan finally arrived in Dewford herself.
Mr. Briney had been surprisingly pleasant company up to this point, and assured her he'd be ready to set sail as soon or late as she wanted. She'd have worried about interrupting his business by taking too long, but Briney had made it clear this was a matter of pride to him. When she'd shown up at his cottage mentioning Devon business, his words had been along the lines of "Screw that lily-livered" something something, "I'm doing this because ye saved me darling Peeko." It really did warm Morgan's heart to see how much he cared for the little Pokemon. Would she and Cerberus have a bond like that someday? Or maybe even she and a Pokemon she'd yet to meet? Morgan could hope.
As she stepped off the boat, a heavyset gentleman approached. "Howdy there! Are you Morgan?" A fan, perhaps?
"I am…?"
The man reached to grab a nearby fishing rod and extended it to her. "In that case, this is for you! Compliments of Ms. Birch." As Morgan looked over the odd gift a little bewildered, the man explained, "Oh, don't worry, it's collapsible," and showed her how to stow it compactly.
...Huh. "Well uh.. Thanks then." She stowed that away for now and asked, "By the way, have you seen anyone named Steven around here?" He hadn't, so Morgan thanked him again anyway and moved on.
As she asked around town, she found no leads, but did see someone fishing up Pokemon, which made her realize: oh wait, this meant the town was probably its own Area to catch Pokemon in, wasn't it? Sweet. So after a little trial and error, she managed to fish up a Magikarp, then traded it for a Whismur. ...Well, it wasn't a Zigzagoon, so that was something.
On the beach north of town, her Nav notified her that she was technically on part of Route 106, so she spent some more time fishing and managed to capture a Tentacool, promptly named Manowar. A few trainers challenged her to battle, but none had heard of Steven. President Stone did mention that Steven was fond of rocks and may be in Dewford to study something about them, so the nearby cave seemed the next best bet.
Once inside, she had hardly taken ten steps when suddenly a golden fox-faced creature literally appeared in front of her. ...Oh shit. Could it teleport? If it did that again, she suspected her Nav would count the area as missed for capture. Rather than risk startling it with an attack, she fished out that Great Ball and hoped for the best. To her great relief, the Abra- or Kitsun as she then named him- was captured.
That proved to be the most productive thing that came out of this venture into the cave, however, for she soon found a team of archaeologists (probably?) congregated a little farther in, and it did not seem wise to intrude on their work. She did catch one to ask if an of them were named Steven, but none were, so she quickly made her exit. A local hiker informed her there were upper levels to the cave as well, but she lacked any gear to climb to those and he had none to spare, so back to town it was.
As the day drew on with no luck, Morgan decided to hit the gym. If nothing else, she could go ahead and get her badge, but she hoped the Gym Leader might have heard of the man she sought. After a little adjusting of her team, that was.
Cerberus, Mithril, Dustox, Kitsun, Croagunk, and… Eh. One of these Zigzagoon had proven pretty decent at clearing obstacles back in Petalburg Woods when she'd come back through, so she supposed she could stay on the team. Notably, she and her Pokemon had ended up watching more tv to kill time on the boat. As such, she had taken to calling Dustox "Zack" after a character he seemed to focus a lot on in one show; and Croagunk "Robit", as he seemed very fond of shows with giant robots, and as a play on 'ribbit'.
Oh hey, before she left the Pokemon Center she supposed it was about time to check on Mithril. Hesitantly, she brought out xir PokeBall and released the Beldum. For just a few moments, Mithril beeped and twitched erratically as xe had before, but just as Morgan began to reach for xir Pokeball, xe began to slow down, growing calmer until xe finally settled into something resembling normalcy.
"Hey pal. Are uh… Are you okay?"
Mithril gave a rather positive-sounding series of beeps, and Morgan was fairly sure the spot that served as xir probably-eye shifted a little. She'd never seen it do that. Nor had she heard Mithril sound so ah… energetic? Enthusiastic? Maybe it was just her imagination after being worried for a few days, or maybe Mithril had just been standoff-ish until xe got more comfortable around Morgan? She supposed there was probably no need to worry as long as xe seemed fine now. So off to the Gym they went!
And with the first victory, Mithril evolved! The first thing the new Metang did was turn to give Morgan what she had to imagine was the closest approximation xe could make to a thumbs up with xir newly formed limbs. But really, wow, what a massive change! Perhaps this was why Mithril was acting differently?
Mithril and Zack swept through the remaining trainers with ease, though occasionally Morgan let Kitsun out to taunt their Pokemon first, even though all he could do was teleport out of the path of their attacks. She just thought it best to look like he'd seen some battle so it would be less suspicious when, due as much to the Exp Share as his actual practice, Kitsun evolved.
The Kadabra proved much more offensive than he'd been before, and he was able to take Brawly out all on his own.
In the wake of that fight, Morgan watched as the laid back 'surfer bro' sort of man she'd met at the beginning of the battle sat stunned and bewildered. "What...are you?" he breathed.
Morgan shrugged as she recalled Kitsun and more took than accepted her badge. "Just a trainer trying to earn her freedom."
As he partially collected himself and handed over another TM to install in her Nav, he elaborated, "I've seen a lot of trainers. Some even one-shot my Pokemon. But this was… It feels different. Your Pokemon respond to you differently, like you…" He pursed his lips, either not knowing how or not wanting to put it into words. Finally, he said, "You're like some sort of training wizard."
His tone made her feel that wasn't a compliment, but Morgan just shrugged. "Well, you're not really wrong." His questioning look just made her chuckle. "Nevermind, long story. Oh, almost forgot though. Have you seen anyone named Steven around the island lately?"
"...Steven what?" Brawly asked.
Morgan sighed. "I wish I knew. I was just told Steven. It sounded like he was here visiting, though, not a resident."
Brawly shook his head. "Sorry. Can't say I have."
Great. Just great. Morgan was given the simplest errand under the sun and she was going to fail it. Spectacular. As she left the gym, she caught sight of a group nearby doing elaborate dances with large fake wings. She might have been interested if they didn't look so gaudy and out of place, and if there weren't even gaudier posters surrounding the event. She decided not to ask and gave them a wide berth as she decided to take another stroll through town.
Taking the path she did, she was fortunate enough to see the archaeologists from before leaving the cave. "I can see why the ruins have been so popular lately," Morgan could hear one saying. "It's hard to believe such intricate paintings were preserved right under our noses for so long."
"What's hard to believe is that those Team Whatever goons didn't wreck the place when they came through last week." Team what now? If that was Team Aqua, Morgan might want to go take a look. For now, she tried to tail the group as inconspicuously as she could to eavesdrop a little longer.
"Well I don't blame them," said a third person. "They seemed like a rowdy bunch of kids, but mostly just that: kids." Morgan would have classified the ones she met as adults, but probably around her age, and she supposed these folks would count her as a kid, too. By comparison, she was. "They may be mixed up in some questionable business right now, but I'm sure most of them are good folks. It's no surprise they'd appreciate history, or know where to draw the-"
With a heavy sigh, one interrupted, "Harold, we all know you wanna believe in your son, but-" Orrr maybe the old man was just wishful thinking, and Aqua really was just bad news..
"I dunno," interrupted the other. "News travels so slow this far out, but all kinds of people are coming out of- or I suppose into- the woodwork to see the murals lately. I mean, if the heir to the Devon Corporation could make it-"
Morgan and Harold were both taken aback by that, the latter jumping in with "Are you serious?! When?"
"As we were leaving! Just now! That's why I was trying to stall a little longer."
"I didn't realize that was the Stone kid! I thought-"
Morgan didn't stick around to hear more. This had to be Steven. It only made sense. She couldn't imagine why President Stone wouldn't just tell her the letter was for his son, but who else would be so important to request such a favor? If there was some internal family affairs they didn't want being made public, all the discretion made sense. Come to think… Maybe "Steven" was a pseudonym? That must have been why she was supposed to enter a blackout code on her nav once she found him, but could go around asking for "Steven" on camera no problem. A simple given name wouldn't be so obvious as a full name.
Geez, you think they could have come up with something a little more identifying, though.
The sun was going down by the time Morgan made it back to the cave's entrance, but fortunately Zack was able to be taught the move Flash, which allowed him to glow like a lantern. Morgan found herself grinning and mumbling something about "moth to a flame", but the joke was lost on the Dustox. In case the light attracted unwanted attention, and because he was out more often than not anyway, Cerberus accompanied her as well.
As she headed deeper down, she began to see some of the paintings, and had to admit they did seem to be in good condition, but they did not prepare her for the grandeur that lay ahead. Where the smaller paintings seemed to tell small stories, fairly vague in Morgan's opinion; the main mural- lit not only by Zack's light but by several lanterns that had been left burning in the chamber- stretched easily 50 feet or more high and sprawled even wider than that, and it very, very clearly displayed several titanous beasts locked in some sort of battle, the earth and skies both torn open around them. It made Morgan feel… smaller.
She was so busy being awestruck by the scene that she didn't realize she was not alone until she heard a voice. "So their primal forms held this much power…" Morgan jumped at the sound even though it was clear the owner wasn't talking to her, merely musing.
Her eyes finally settled on a stunning individual with bright silver hair. She'd assumed the President's was gray from age, but could it have been that way all along? She opened her mouth, then remembered just in time and first grabbed her Nav to enter the one-time code. Once she was sure it was no longer broadcasting, she spoke up: "Excuse me."
As the person turned toward her, Morgan's eyes took in a better look: a steely expression on soft features, eyes barely bluer than that silver hair, a lean build, and… Hm? While she realized she shouldn't stare, Morgan found herself unable to determine whether that bold cravat was creating a slight illusion, or if their physique was actually that feminine. "Yes? Can I help you?" A fairly androgynous voice did not help her confusion.
Though she now felt nervous asking, Morgan awkwardly went on, "Are… ah… Are you… Steven? By any chance?" Eyebrows raised a bit above curious silver eyes, and she dared to add for her own curiosity, "Steven Stone…?"
"I am? To whom do I have the pleasure of speaking…"
Oh, good. "Uh, Morgan Fayel. I'm a Game trainer sponsored by Petalburg's Norman, and I was asked to bring you this letter from President Stone." She brought out the envelope in question.
"Interesting," he mused. As he took it and read the front, he murmured, "Well I'll be damned." Morgan couldn't imagine why; maybe confirmed it to be his handwriting? All it said though was "Steven".
He opened and read it over in silence, expression staying mostly even throughout with a few brief flashes of disgust. Finally, he sighed. "Too little too late. I'd give it a generous B- for effort." He began to crumple the letter, but then changed his mind and folded and pocketed it instead. "You can tell the old man you've delivered the letter, but I'm not interested. He had his chance."
"... Um." How to put this… "Are you… sure it's safe to just…"
"Hm?" Steven cracked a smile now as he barked a small laugh. "Oh, don't worry. As long as he knows it's from me, you should be fine." Averting his gaze a bit, he mumbled, "I guess we're both lucky he got that much right, at least."
"Oh… All right then." So that was it, she guessed. Her big mission completed. She got the distinct feeling Steven and his father did not get along, and she didn't really feel like pushing any farther there. Just walking away felt awkward, too, though, so she just… "Soo… I hear you like rocks?"
Steven laughed more brightly at that. "If by that you mean am I both a highly respected geologist and one of the world's foremost experts on Rock- and Steel-type Pokemon, then yes, I do very much 'like rocks'." Fortunately, he seemed sincerely amused by the understatement. "To be honest, I was out here researching some of the most interesting stones of all- which is to say, Mega Stones. Though it seems what's depicted here is similar, but very different, so instead of answers, all I've managed to find are more questions.."
"I see…" Sort of. ...Although… "Mega Stones, huh? Is that their super scientific name?"
"Hm? Well, yes, actually, given their relationship to the equally-creatively-named Mega Evolution. Though I suppose I could get into all the specific reasons we've been unable to scientifically classify them as anything else, if you find the simple version disappointing."
Morgan couldn't help but match his smirk. "If I had more time, I just might take you up on that, actually."
"Oh really now?" He crossed his arms and raised one hand to his jawline, studying her. "You really would, wouldn't you? Can't say I come across guys like you too often, Morgan." Morgan offered a quizzical expression in response, which caused Steven to briefly return it before shifting to negative realization. "W-wait. You said you're the same Morgan that-" His hand moved in front of his mouth for a moment before he stammered, "Ah, I- Forgive me for asking, but ah… What is your… gender?"
Morgan didn't expect to be so taken aback by the question. "I… dunno? I guess I'm a girl." That was the answer she usually gave, anyway, though usually there were only two options given. Being open-ended felt… different.
Steven's expression voiced his 'you guess?' without him having to say it, but he shook his head and did not press it. "Ah, my deepest apologies then." Debating briefly, he added, "Must be the lighting in here, hm?" but Morgan could tell the joke was forced.
In her own attempt to play it off, she told him, "Don't worry about it. Most of these clothes are from the boys's section, and to be honest, I thought you were pretty enough to be a girl when I first saw you. So I guess that makes us even, eh?"
She had no idea what that expression was, but it was not what she was expecting. After a few seconds, Steven just shook his head again and chuckled softly. "I think we could both use a subject change. You're the trainer Norman bought the Shiny Beldum for, right?"
Always with the Shinies. "Yeah. I take it you've been watching my run some then?"
To her surprise, he answered, "No, the Games are more my dad's thing. They're a bit barbaric for my taste."
"... Oh."
Smiling, he added, "Although… Every now and then a particularly special trainer does catch my interest." He gave her a wink, and Morgan felt her face heat ever so slightly. She swore she wasn't even interested, he was just… really good-looking, wasn't he… Damn. "But I ask because I was the breeder he bought them from."
"Oh, shit." Norman wasn't kidding about excellent breeding, was he? "I've uh… Xe actually evolved just earlier today if you wanna-..."
Steven's eyes lit. "I'd love to!" As Morgan released Mithril, Steven chimed, "Why hello there little-" before his face fell. Mithril beeped happily in response, but Steven just stared.
"I- Is everything all right? Did I do something wrong?"
"I don't… What… happened?"
Morgan flinched. "..wwwha'd'you mean?"
"They- xe…? Just seems very... different…"
A wave of relief washed over her. "Oh, that. Mithril was pretty quiet at first, but it seems like xe's really starting to open up now. We did make it through a pretty close call together the other day, so I think maybe xe's just started to trust me and the other Pokemon more." Morgan was smiling, but Steven was not, which caused her to follow suit. "Do… you think it's something else?"
He couldn't seem to take his eyes off the Metang, until finally he forcefully pulled his attention back to reality and shook his head. "N-no, no. It's-... probably fine." Looking to his wrist, he remarked, "Ah, but look at the time. I should probably continue my investigation tomorrow, and you probably want to get some rest so you can get back to your journey in the morning."
Well he wasn't wrong, even if that did feel sudden and forced. "Er… Yeah, I guess." She recalled Mithril anyway. "Nice meeting you?"
He gave her a nod. "And you."
"Are uh… You staying at the Pokemon Center, per chance?" Maybe he'd want to walk back together?
But Steven shook his head. "Camping, I'm afraid. But don't worry. I get the feeling our paths will cross again."
Morgan smiled. "I hope so. See you then, Steven."
"See you then."
