The Stone family had made its fortune in mining and steel smelting. Gradually, it had expanded into gas and energy, while also branching into ancient Pokémon research and fossil exploration. But the reason the Stone family had risen to the ranks of the elite was Steven Stone!
The extraordinarily gifted eldest son of the current generation, he shared his father's passion for collecting rare stones. A Steel-type specialist, he had become the Hoenn Region's Pokémon League Champion at a young age, with a Shiny Metagross as his ace!
Overwhelming strength was an essential deterrent that safeguarded a family's growth, as well as the best way to demonstrate its power to the world. Steven's presence was the fundamental reason the Stone family had become an elite family.
Rustboro City was an important port and industrial city in the western Hoenn Region. The Devon Corporation had established its base and headquarters here.
The city's entire southwestern district was filled with sprawling steelworks and laboratories. Among them stood a hundred-meter-tall building housing the president's offices, where Mu Jin Stone worked.
After a long walk, Yong arrived at the Devon Corporation's building and identified himself under the security staff's watchful eyes. Only after verification through his Pokédex and approval from the president's office did he finally manage to enter.
Yong could only marvel at how stringent a large corporation's procedures were.
A security guard escorted him into the elevator and up to the top floor. After handing him over to a secretary, the guard turned and left. The secretary led Yong to an opulent mahogany door adorned with gold carvings, smiled, and gestured for him to enter on his own before closing the door behind him.
Utterly bewildered, Yong surveyed the absurdly spacious office. The room contained only two rows of sofas facing each other in the open central area and a long mahogany desk positioned across one end, directly opposite a massive bookcase that covered an entire wall.
Amid all this oversized furniture, the middle-aged man seated in the executive chair behind the mahogany desk looked rather small. His black hair, streaked with white, formed a somewhat peculiar star shape. He sat there smiling at Yong.
Yong hurried forward, met the middle-aged man's gaze, and greeted him respectfully.
"Hello! I'm Yong from Dewford Town! It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Stone!"
I had better be sweet-tongued here!
President Stone narrowed his eyes happily and laughed.
"Oh, so you're the Shiyan boy? You've grown so much! What's this 'Mr. Stone' business? Just call me Uncle!"
He left his chair and approached Yong. Though he was short, he was full of vigor and presence.
"Yes, Uncle Stone!"
"Good, good! Your father told me all about it!"
He patted Yong's shoulder and continued.
"You only just started your journey, yet you managed to beat the mainstay of Roxanne's third team. You're already quite strong!"
Huh?
Yong looked at him in surprise. The older man winked and said mysteriously,
"Surprised?"
"Uh, yes."
Yong nodded honestly.
"That girl comes here all the time to mooch food and drinks off me!"
President Stone suddenly sounded a little indignant.
"She uses our shared hobby and exchanging ideas as an excuse to make off with all the stones in my collection. It drives me mad!"
Then his smile returned, and he told Yong rather proudly,
"But I've never let her see the really good treasures. Haha, clever of me, isn't it? Ahahaha!"
Watching the older man's rapid changes of expression, Yong no longer knew what to say. Could a person's face really be that expressive?!
"Oh, right!"
Suddenly turning serious, the older man finally remembered the matter at hand.
"Toru said you need a Metal Coat to evolve your Onix, right?"
Toru was Shiyan Toru, Yong's father.
"Yes, Mr. Stone. My Onix is already on the verge of evolving."
"Mm, you've come to the right person. Wait a moment."
He returned to the mahogany desk, picked up a box and a bottle of clear liquid, then walked back and handed them to Yong, introducing them cheerfully.
"Our newest product! An ultralight Metal Coat. Although your Steelix will weigh more after evolving, its agility and speed will actually improve a little. This is our latest research breakthrough!"
As he spoke, he lifted the bottle of liquid.
"This is a bottle of Primordial Stone Milk. Dilute it and have your Pokémon drink it with their food, and it can increase the mass and density of Rock-type and Ground-type Pokémon, improving their defense and size!"
Looking at the astonished boy, President Stone placed both items in his hands and said kindly,
"Your father told me you want to become a master of Ground-type and Rock-type Pokémon? An admirable ambition. I look forward to that day! These are my gifts for your journey. I hope that, like Steven, you'll one day stand at the pinnacle of the Pokémon League!"
Yong nervously accepted the Metal Coat and Primordial Stone Milk. These were exceptionally rare treasures. Even setting aside the ultralight Metal Coat, which felt almost weightless in his hand, this bottle of Primordial Stone Milk alone could greatly boost the strength of Pokémon of both types!
Rock-type and Ground-type Pokémon already had high defense and massive bodies. Add my Rock Solid talent, then supplement it with the stone milk!
How ridiculous would that make them?
"Thank you for the gifts, Uncle Stone! Thank you so much!"
He happily thanked the older man.
"I'll definitely work hard!"
Mu Jin Stone patted Yong's shoulder again, equally delighted.
"Excellent! Go for it, young man! Your father and I will both be backing you!"
He escorted Yong to the door and handed him over to the secretary. Winking again, he said meaningfully,
"You could take a look around Rusturf Tunnel. You might find a surprise!"
"Ah, yes!"
Deep in thought, Yong said goodbye to President Stone and followed the secretary into the elevator down to the first floor, where the security guard from earlier was already waiting.
Having accomplished his goal, Yong looked back at the Devon Corporation's building, still pondering.
Rusturf Tunnel? It shouldn't be fully excavated yet. Would there really be a surprise waiting there?
I'll go take a look later, then. It should still be a half-dug tunnel. Maybe there'll be some powerful Rock-type Pokémon there?
Walking with his head lowered in thought, Yong suddenly bumped into a passerby.
"Ah, excuse me, I'm sorry. I was... thinking about something... uh!"
"..."
A middle-aged man wrapped in an odd robe and wearing a hood glanced at him, got up without a word, and hurried away. In moments, he had vanished into the crowd.
"What a strange man!"
Yong shook his head and stopped overthinking it. He would find out once he went to Rusturf Tunnel anyway. He ran toward the Pokémon Center. Now that everything was ready, it was time to evolve Onix!
Filled with anticipation, Yong put the strange middle-aged man out of his mind and disappeared into the crowd as well.
In an unknown alley somewhere, the middle-aged man hid in the shadows at the corner of a wall. He opened his robe, took out a test tube filled with purple liquid, and removed the stopper, allowing the liquid inside to evaporate.
"It's about to begin! Come! Wreak havoc, my pets!"
His hoarse voice echoed through the alley!
As a gentle breeze drifted past, the potion spread in all directions.
His robe swayed, revealing a faint glimpse of what seemed to be only one arm.