I'm putting today's date up top here to remind myself that I need to get it in gear on the writing end. 06-19-2024

Also, the chapter title is definitely not a reflection of the relationship that Chris will develop with Steven Stone. Not by a long shot.

Brothers by Choice

The alarm Chris set on his phone goes off, and it somehow almost seems to blend in with his dream. Nearly sleeping through it, he was fortunate that his Swampert was in fact not sleeping through the alarm, as Hawke shakes Chris awake. His eyes slowly open, and he finally reaches over to turn the alarm off. "Sorry, buddy." Chris tells his partner Pokémon, before stretching out his arms and legs, and getting up out of bed.

A fantastic breakfast provided by the hotel before checking out, Chris paused to smoke a cigarette before he mounted his Harley. It was time to turn his attention back towards Petalburg City, which meant going back through the woods. As unappealing as that sounded at first, Chris then found himself having quite a rare moment. While riding through the forest, he took moment to relieve himself, and was beset by a wild Treecko. One of the starter Pokémon of the region. Capturing a regions starter in the wild was a rare thing, which Chris knew from when he captured a wild Piplup back in Sinnoh. And he took full advantage of it, weakening the Treecko with the help of his Tailow, and then securing it within a Poké Ball. Now back up to six Pokémon on his belt, any further captures would be trained by Chris's Infernape back home, as he had left Caesar in charge on that front.

Captain Briney had told Chris before they parted that he possibly would be out walking with Peeko, if he wasn't in his cottage. But he also told him that it wouldn't be long before he returned were that the case. So once Chris discovered the cottage was empty, he killed the engine on his Harley. As he waited, he smoked another cigarette as he took a short walk on Briney's small dock. He took a look at the captain's ship to discover that it seemed to have enough room to carry his Harley, silently nodding before he walked back to his bike to wait on the good captain.

Once the cigarette was finished, Chris tossed the butt inside a trash can outside the cottage, right in time to keep it hidden from Captain Briney. "Ah Chris, my dear boy!" The captain's voice suddenly excitedly pipes up behind him.

Chris turns around with a smile on his face. "Captain Briney." He says walking towards his new friend. "It's good to meet you under much better circumstances, now."

"You as well! Peeko and I have had quite the enjoyable day today, in no small part to how you helped us yesterday."

Chris looks to the Wingull riding the good captain's shoulder, and extends his hand to pet the Water/Flying-type. Peeko happily closes its eyes, enjoying the feeling of Chris's pampering. "I'm glad to hear that, captain. You certainly didn't deserve all of yesterday's Tauros-shit."

"What was that all about, do you know?"

"They were grunts from some organization called Team Aqua. They had just pulled off the theft part of a heist on Devon Corps. But they never could've gotten away with it, if you ask me."

"Of course not. Stealing from the largest corporation in the Hoenn Region was a failed effort from the moment it was thought up."

"Sure seems that way. Listen, I met up with the president of Devon Corps after helping to bring the stolen products back to them, and they've asked me to deliver those stolen goods to the shipyard in Slateport City."

"Then you'll need a ride on my boat Chris. The bridge meant to connect Route 103 to Route 110 is still under construction, so passing Dewford Town by water is your quickest route."

"The president actually asked me to deliver a letter to his son in Dewford Town, coincidentally."

"Then lets get your bike loaded up on my ship. Its a beautiful day today, not a cloud in the sky. It should be smooth sailing to Dewford if we leave now. Let me just get my ship re-positioned so I can lower the ramp for you." Chris nods, then waits patiently on his Harley as Briney fires up the engine on his ship. Chris begins to slowly pull the motorcycle up on the dock, waiting as he watches the ship carefully settle at the end of the dock. Briney walks from the ramp of his boat onto the dock, holding Chris up a moment before he can park up on the small ship. "I should have some straps to help you secure your motorcycle."

Chris nods, then carefully rides the bike onto the boat. The spot right in front of the vessel's controls is just too perfect of a spot for Chris to look anywhere else. He kills the engine, and drops the kickstand. "This should do just fine." He says to himself.

"Good choice, boy." Briney says, as he hands Chris the straps. Chris gives the old captain a chance to walk to his controls before he begins securing his vehicle. "Peeko! We're setting sail, my darling!" Chris hadn't noticed Briney's Wingull soaring around in the air until it descended to land back on Briney's shoulder. "So Chris," The captain starts, as Chris spreads the straps across his Pan-Unovan. "What brings you to the Hoenn Region?"

Chris chuckles, looking up at Briney with a half-smile. "Is it that obvious that I'm not from here?" He asks.

"Indeed it is." The captain answers, as he powers up his ship.

Chris shakes his head, the half-smile still on his face. "I've had a certain challenge that I intend to overcome for most of my life. The only problem was that it took me a long while to learn that this is where I needed to be if I ever wanted to do so."

"What is the challenge, exactly?"

"It's a private matter, in all honesty." Chris pulls the last buckle of the strap as tight as it can get, before he then looks up at Briney. "But the important thing is that it does frighten me. And as far as I'm concerned, that means I have to do it."

"I like that. I won't pry any further, if this is all you wish to tell me." Chris nods to him, then goes to take a seat beside him. "So is there someone waiting for you, wherever you came from?"

Chris looks to the ground for a moment as he gets comfortable, his mind going back and forth between Dawn and Danielle at the mere asking of this question. "Not yet." He says, and then looks back up to the good captain. "Maybe one day."

"Don't say maybe boy. I can just tell you from personal experience that true love is rare, but something that if you find it, you've got to hold on to it for all your worth."

"I'll take your word for it, Captain Briney. But for the time being," Chris pauses, and points to his head. "I've got a lot to sort through up here, before I could ever be a good partner to a girl."

"I understand. I'm more than willing to speak to you about anything in those matters should you want me to."

"I'll remember that, captain. Thank you."

As the captain goes to pull his boat away from his dock, he has one last bit of information to offer Chris. "You should keep your bike here while you search for Mr. Stone's son. Dewford is a very small town; its population doesn't even go over 500. Only less than 10 even own a vehicle."

"No roads?" Chris asks.

"Not a one. Just a little town built on a beach, more or less."

"Well hopefully the sand isn't too hot then. I'd like to feel it between my toes."

"This time of year, you should be fine to do just that. However, I recommend bringing your shoes if you need to head to the caves not to far from the beach."

"Got it."

The remainder of the boat ride was a quiet one, at least as far as conversations went. Between the ships engine, and the waves it was making as it moved, both men could barely hear their own thoughts. They'd never be able to hear each other. Yet this didn't bother Chris much, who made note of the Tentacool and flocks of Wingull navigating through the beautiful scenery of the route. The swimmers this far away from Petalburg City or Dewford Town struck him as being insane, and yet he forgot all about them when he noticed a cavern past the rocks, which seemed to be covered in ice somehow. That was something that was something that seemed more odd than the swimmers, despite it not quite being the height of summer.

The voyage wasn't a long one at all, despite all the sights Chris saw in such a short amount of time on the water. Now with his attention turned to the sights of Dewford Town, Chris realized that Captain Briney absolutely was not underselling Dewford Town. It really was just a small town on the beach. To the left of all the buildings was just more water, but it looked like there might be wilderness off to the right. If Mr. Stone was right, then Chris could find his son exploring some cave or other. Going right seemed to be his best option.

Dewford Town certainly seemed like a great place to take a vacation in the future. The people were a rather laid back bunch from what Chris could tell by their appearance, behavior, and what little he overheard from conversations as he walked by. Of course looking out towards the water, and the many surfers he spotted made this no real surprise. If that population stayed a small one, then he could even consider moving here in the distant future. No one seemed to mind that Chris kept his eyes forward as he made his way away from the town, which he was thankful for. From the moment he stepped onto Hoenn's shores just a couple short days ago, Chris had no intention of staying in any one place for too long.

After making his way through some trees, Chris could see caverns in the distance. A few Pokémon trainers stood between him and the cavern, which only served to give him the chance to test his newly captured Pokémon. His Tailow was the standout performer at this point, but Ralts certainly wanted to become powerful in her own right. All four of his new captures had so little experience at this point, so if there was any trouble in the caves, Chris intended to let his Swampert and Electivire handle it.

The light from outside the cave may be doing its part to illuminate this first part of the cave, but Chris knew better than to think that it would stay this way. Sure enough, as he got deeper into the cave, Chris was glad he pulled out his flashlight from his bike's saddle bag. The bright light made the dark corners of the cave nothing to concern himself over, even scaring off some of the smaller wild Pokémon. Even so, it was more than a little unnerving when he could hear a bestial roar in a somewhat regular interval. "Aggron!" The roar would shout.

"If that's not a Pokémon, I don't what is." He said to himself, as he continued on through the cavern. Seemingly having looped around to where he first entered the cave, Chris spotted the entrance down below as he found himself on higher ground, and wondered how he didn't notice it before. Looking directly across his environment, Chris could spot another entrance to the room. As much as it was true that he didn't know where the cavern would lead, it was also true that he wasn't sure where else to look. And it had been a few minutes since he had heard the bestial roar, so it didn't seem like he was going to end up in this "Aggron's" den.

Stepping inside the cavern, there Steven Stone stood with his back turned to Chris. He was gazing up upon a mural in the wall that depicted two massive Pokémon upon it. One was a titanic reptilian-like Pokémon that towered above the land, and the other an aquatic creature, the mural seemingly depicting it as bending the seas to its will. There wasn't a doubt in Chris's mind that these were the legendary Pokémon Groudon, and Kyogre. Perhaps this cave was of great significance to both Pokémon in ancient times.

Whatever the case may be, Chris had very little time to think about it. The ground beneath his feet began to tremor at a startling pace, and one of the walls away from the mural was ran right through. A massive steel-clad Pokémon burst through the wall, and caught Steven at a complete disadvantage. This Pokémon had to be Aggron, and as much was confirmed to Chris when this behemoth shouted that same bestial roar Chris had heard earlier. And it was on a rampage.

Chris saw the lack of a reaction from Steven, and took the initiative into his own hands. Completely forgoing a standard one-on-one battle, Chris sent out both his Swampert and Electivire to battle it. Now sensing the presence of two Pokémon that could match its power, the wild Aggron turned its attention away from Steven. It lets out a ferocious roar, which fails to intimidate either of Chris's two best Pokémon. "Zapsquatch, Iron Tail! Hawke, Waterfall!" Zapsquatch's tail begins to glow with a steely energy, and Hawke surrounds his body with water as both Pokémon charge towards the Aggron. Aggron braces itself, and shrugs off both attacks before forcing both Pokémon back.

Before Chris can issue another command, the wild Aggron's head begins to shimmer with pure steel power. It rushes towards Hawke and nails him with an Iron Head attack, right before swipping at Zapsquatch with its own Iron Tail attack. The rage of the brutish Aggron only makes its attacks land with more force, with Hawke dropping down to a knee, whilst Zapsquatch hits his back on the ground hard.

Fortunately for the two Pokémon, their trainer is a creative strategist. Knowing full well that Hawke's partial Ground-typing will negate any blow back from what his next move is, Chris goes for it. "Hawke, Hydro Pump!" Hawke rises back to his feet, and sends a powerful water blast hurdling at the rampaging Aggron. The attack hits for super effective damage, but Aggron takes it with ease. "Zapsquatch, Plasma Fists!" Zapsquatch's fists seem to turn into lightning bolts as it hits Aggron with two powerful haymakers. Soaked from head-to-toe, the wild Aggron takes some absolutely brutal damage, with its armor only barely hiding its now electrified body. But no one is in the clear yet.

The wild Aggron is clearly getting ready to charge in for another attack. Hawke and Zapsquatch look at each other, and then Hawke looks at Zapsquatch's tails. Zapsquatch also takes a glance back, and the two nod at each other. If Chris had been issuing any commands, neither of his Pokémon were listening. As the wild Aggron finally ran at his Pokémon, Chris watched them take a position with a short distance between each other, and suddenly Zapsquatch allows Hawke to pull on one of his tails. Although electricity immediately surges through Hawke's body, it is immune to it. Hawke uses Zapsquatch's tails to trip up the Aggron, and it falls onto its stomach flat. Now Zapsquatch listens for his trainer's command. "Close Combat!" While the Aggron remains on the ground, Zapsquatch unleashes a flurry of brutal punches on its prone body, putting it to sleep. Having quelled its rampage, Hawke and Zapsquatch pound fists with each other, as Chris realizes that there is a truly close friendship between his two best Pokémon. That fact has Chris unable to keep a smile from his face.

Almost having completely forgot about him in all the excitement, Chris watches Steven Stone carefully step past the fallen Aggron. "You have my thanks," The son of the Devon Corps president starts. "but we should leave before it wakes up." Chris nods, his two Pokémon following up closely behind the two men. They both ended up providing a shortcut, as both Pokémon hopped down the ledge, and caught both Chris and Steven as they jumped down after them. It wasn't too much longer where everyone was outside of the cave. "My own Aggron should have been able to handle that one, but just witnessing that one burst through the cave wall like that..." Steven pauses to shake his head. "I guess I just went into a state of shock."

"It was seven-foot tall monster, with every inch of its body clad in steel armor. I'm sure you wouldn't be the only one." Now that Chris was getting a better look at this man in the sunlight, he was realizing that he looked familiar.

"True enough." The man extends his hand. "Steven Stone." Now that he's said his own name out loud, Chris knows why Steven looks so familiar.

"Chris Harper." He says back, as he shakes his hand. "So what exactly is the Hoenn Region's Champion doing spelunking?" Chris was very familiar with Mr. Stone, the image of him and the champions from seven other regions lined up together on a dais returning to his mind. That addition of Trainer's Weekly was released one month before Cynthia became champion in Sinnoh.

"There aren't that many trainers that can make it to challenge the Elite Four in Hoenn, let alone me. It leaves me with quite a bit of free time."

"I've met Mary-Ann. I can definitely see why that's the case."

"Indeed. But also, I've always been interested in rare stones, so I travel here and there. What brought you to these caves?"

"Actually," Chris starts, before pulling the letter given to him by Steven's father. "I have a letter I've been asked to deliver to you."

"A letter? For me?" Steven says, as he takes the letter from Chris. "Okay, thank you. I can only assume this is from my father." Chris nods to him. "I will need to go out and see him some time soon." Steven pauses again, and looks over at Hawke and Zapsquatch. "You certainly seem to be a capable trainer, raising Pokémon as strong as these two." He then looks back at Chris. "I suppose you'll want to challenge me one day?"

"Maybe some years down the road. But I actually have other things I want to discuss with you."

"Really? Like what?"

Despite the trainers not being all that close in proximity to the two trainers, Chris still moves a bit closer, and speaks a bit quieter. "Rayquaza."

Now that immediately captures Steven's attention. "Why do I get the feeling you enjoyed being in that situation with that Aggron?"

"I wouldn't go that far. Rayquaza has just been a personal matter to me for a long time now."

"Very well. Lets go back to Dewford, to the Pokémon Center." Chris nods, and then recalls his two Pokémon. Once they were inside the Pokémon Center, they sat down with some snacks and soft drinks while the staff tended to Chris's Pokémon. "So you've come from far away Sinnoh, in hunt of a Hoenn legend. Why?"

Chris washes down a bite of his sandwich with his drink, then sighs hard. "I'm from Kanto originally. My parents were researchers, scientists, whatever you want to call them. One summer, they took me on an expedition with them to the North Pole, and we were gonna be gone for most of my summer vacation from school. Then... something happened. Something fell from space. An alien formed out of it. And then right after that, I saw Rayquaza for the first time. And even as young as I was, what it looked like I could never forget. It battled the alien, and their fight destroyed a lot of the equipment the people on the expedition needed to survive the harsh environment. My parents had to choose at one point between their survival, and mine. They chose mine." Chris sniffles, and clears his throat as he fights back the tears. "I've been obsessed with finding and capturing Rayquaza ever since."

"This is certainly no small task you have placed upon yourself, Chris."

"I know. But I intend to do it anyway. And your father thinks that you can help me."

"I'm guessing if you've made it this far, you already know quite a bit of Rayquaza's history, its ties to Groudon and Kyogre?"

"I do. I was hoping you can tell me where I should start looking."

"Well, I'm not certain exactly where Rayquaza chooses to rest when it comes to Hoenn, but I do believe that your best bet would be a place called Meteor Falls. It is actually just north of the Devon Corps in Rustboro City. Time for you to turn around I suppose?"

"Later. I made a promise to your father that I'd deliver something to Slateport harbor."

"In that case, you could also take a longer route through Slateport, up towards a town called Fallarbor Town. From there, you head west, and you'll reach Meteor Falls. Maybe you'll find more Hoenn Pokémon you'd like to capture."

"I think I just might do that." Chris then gets an idea. "Listen, your father believes that you could help me. So would it be alright if I got your number so I can get a hold of you if I have any more questions?"

"It would be, yes." The two trainers add each other's numbers to their phones, right as the nurse Joy calls for Chris to retrieve his Pokémon. "Call whenever you have questions Chris, and I'll aid you however I can. Still though, I'd like to know that you have an actual plan for if you find Rayquaza."

"I do. I'm gonna be sure that Meteor Falls is where Rayquaza rests in Hoenn, and then I'm gonna get some more of my strong Pokémon from back home. I know I'll need more than just two strong Pokémon to capture a legendary Pokémon."

"Then you may just have a chance. In any case, I look forward to our next conversation, Mr. Harper." The two trainers shake hands and nod again, as Steven exits the Pokémon Center. Chris head up to the front desk, and retrieves his six occupied Poké Balls.

Before leaving the center, Chris overhears the news talking about some organization in the Unova region called Team Plasma talking about "Pokémon liberation" but commiting crimes all along the way. There's also an image of a girl, with a Pokémon Chris recognizes as Samurott battling someone in a ridiculous knight costume. Chris rolls his eyes at the sight of it. "Some people are too full of themselves for their own good." He says to himself, before exiting the center to return to Captain Briney.

"Off to Slateport City now, Chris?" The good captain greets Chris.

"Yes captain. I'm ready whenever you are."

"Then anchors away." Briney and Chris take a seat on the captain's vessel, as his Wingull lands back on his shoulder. "We're off, Peeko!" The captain exclaims, as he turns his boat around, and takes off towards Slateport City.

A full week. Not bad, but I still need to cut the time down a bit.