Auron hadn't expected that the man talking with his dad would turn out to be the same elderly gentleman he'd met at the Pokémon superstore just yesterday.
The old man stroked his chin and smiled, eyes twinkling.
"I thought you looked familiar yesterday. Sure enough, seeing you and your dad together now, you two are practically identical."
Ashen grinned back.
"Of course. The boy gets his good looks from me—at least eighty percent. Wait, you two already met yesterday?"
Seeing Ashen's confusion, the old man explained,
"Yes, I stopped by Zhia's store for a look, and happened to see these kids checking out those iridescent stones. I can't help myself—I love teaching—so I gave them a little rundown."
Iridescent stones? Auron thought. That must be this world's term for Mega Stones. But…who was Zhia? Sounded like the owner of the Pokémon superstore.
Ashen glanced at Auron's slightly puzzled face and smacked his own forehead.
"Oh, I forgot to introduce you. This is Grandpa Flint, an old friend of your grandfather's. Our two families have been close for generations—well, except for yours. He even held you when you were a baby, but I doubt you remember."
Auron gave a polite nod.
"Nice to meet you, Grandpa Flint."
Grandpa Mo beamed, pleased.
"Good, good! I came in a hurry, so I didn't bring a present this time. But your dad says you're aiming for Skyspire University? Once you get in, I'll have a gift ready for you."
Auron answered dutifully, "Thank you, Grandpa Flint."
He had no idea what else to say to this kind of relative, but thankfully Ashen picked up the conversation, asking,
"So, what brings you to Vantora, Uncle Flint?"
The kindly look faded; Grandpa Flint scowled.
"Isn't it always your dad's fault? Honestly, every time I just want to do some research, but as soon as he can't win an argument, he goes straight to fisticuffs. The worst part is, I can't beat him! Makes it seem like he's the boss and I'm the sidekick."
Ashen gave a wry smile—he should have known better than to bring that up. Grandpa Flint and Grandpa Ashford (Ashen's dad) had been arguing since childhood. Grandpa Flint was always quicker with words, but Grandpa Ashford was a better battler—both himself and his Pokémon. Every time Flint got verbally steamrolled, Ashford would just roll up his sleeves, throw out a Pokémon, and say, "You want to settle this with words or a battle?"
Desperate to change the subject, Ashen asked,
"Haven't seen Dax in ages. What's he up to these days?"
Grandpa Flint's scowl deepened.
"That good-for-nothing is never home! He's getting on in years and still hasn't settled down—still no sign of a grandson for me. I've come to Vantora this time to hunt him down, see if I can't finally set him straight."
Ashen just shook his head. Dax Jonas was Grandpa Flint's son—a powerful Pokémon Champion, a few years younger than Ashen but still unmarried. Every time the family got together, Grandpa Flint would scold him about it, so much so that Dax started dodging him altogether. This time, a new Pokémon domain had appeared in Vantora and someone needed to keep watch; Dax volunteered, hoping to avoid his dad. Grandpa Flint, of course, tracked him down anyway.
Auron didn't quite get the whole story, but listening to their banter and Grandpa Flint's over-the-top frustration made him stifle a laugh—just as Ashen noticed. Grateful for the interruption, Ashen quickly changed the topic.
"So, what did you need, son?"
Seeing the opening, Auron explained,
"Yesterday, when I was looking at those iridescent stones with Grandpa Flint, I remembered seeing something similar in your lab before. I was hoping to check them out again."
"Oh, sure! Let me get them for you," Ashen said, immediately standing. "You sit with Grandpa Flint a bit."
Grandpa Flint picked up his teacup and smiled at Auron.
"It's been ages, hasn't it? You've grown so much—didn't even recognize you yesterday."
Auron just nodded.
Grandpa Flint sipped his tea, then sighed.
"If Dax were more like your dad, I'd probably have a grandson heading off to university by now."
Auron seized the chance to redirect.
"So, what does Uncle Dax do, anyway? His name sounds really familiar."
"He's one of Draconia's Champions," Grandpa Flint replied with a sniff. "You probably know his name from somewhere."
Auron's eyes widened. "A Champion of Draconia?"
"Hah, and what good does that do? Doesn't mean he gets to stay single and childless forever!"
Auron gave a polite smile. "You're right, Grandpa Flint. Oh, you mentioned Elise's shop?"
Grandpa Mo nodded. "That's Dax's older sister—you should call her Aunt Elise. She owns the Pokémon Store. I stopped by while I was in town, just to check up on things."
Auron realized, "Oh, that's why the store gets such great support! Even when I was a kid, I wondered how Mom's shop got all those premium Pokémon eggs and supplies—now it makes sense."
He kept going, "So, what happened between you and Grandpa Ashford this time?"
Grandpa Flint put his cup down and glared.
"Your grandpa's obsessed! Swears there's evolution energy in those iridescent stones. He's been testing for months—none of the Pokémon show any sign of evolving. I just pointed it out, and what does he do? Whips out his Haxorus and challenges me to a duel. 'Words or Pokémon, pick one!' Like I'm some kind of brute! I left him to it and went to clear my head."
Auron was a bit shocked. Grandpa had already figured out that the Mega Stones contained evolutionary energy—and had even started researching it.
Grandpa Flint went on,
"We've tested pretty much everything—Pokémon with two-stage evolutions, no evolutions, even Feebas, but nothing reacts. I started to wonder if maybe there's a further evolution beyond the standard three stages. The moment I suggested it, your grandpa wanted another duel!"
He chuckled, clearly enjoying the memory,
"Still, after I left, he went right back to testing all the three-stage evolvers. I am the director, after all—he has to listen to me. Rank has its privileges."
Auron wasn't so sure. If they'd tried everything, Absol should have reacted—shouldn't it? He asked,
"Did you try Absol?"
Grandpa Flint nodded. "That was one of the first. Why? Do you like Absol?"
Auron replied honestly, "Yeah, I just think they're cool. I was curious if it could evolve."
"Ah, I see."
The conversation stalled awkwardly, but just then Ashen returned, carrying a box.
"Here you go, all the iridescent stones I have."
He laid out a dozen Mega Stones on the table, letting Auron look them over.
Blue-violet and red for Gengar;
yellow and red for Ampharos;
blue and black for Charizard X;
grey and black for Aggron;
yellow-grey and orange for Pinsir;
yellow-red-blue for Gyarados;
yellow-purple-brown for Kangaskhan;
green-pink and deep green for Sceptile;
silver-yellow-black for Beedrill;
purple-black for Aerodactyl;
pink-black-red for Banette;
grey-mauve and light purple for Mewtwo Y.
Wait—a Mewtwo Y stone? Auron was stunned. Wasn't Mewtwo a manmade Pokémon? How could it exist here? He decided to ask Ashen about it later.
Looking up, Auron asked, "Can I take a couple?"
Ashen hesitated. "You can, but I didn't know you were a collector."
Grandpa Flint grinned and pushed the whole box toward Auron. Then he leaned over and whispered—loudly—into Ashen's ear,
"I saw him at Elise's shop yesterday, with a girl who seemed really interested in these. Kids, right? What's the harm?"
Ashen's face cleared. "Oh, that makes sense. You're right."
Auron looked at them, exasperated.
"Grandpa Flint, you don't have to whisper so loudly—I can hear you fine. And Dad, that girl was Serena, along with Jace and Tim. The stones are just something I'm curious about, nothing to do with Serena, I swear."
Grandpa Flint was still all smiles.
"Listen, Auron, don't end up like Dax, alright? If you find someone you like, go for it! We're not old-fashioned—no one says you have to wait until college to date. If you need more stones to impress her, I've got plenty."
Auron groaned, "It's really not like that! I'm just interested in the stones themselves!"
Ashen turned serious.
"Your Grandpa Flint is right—we're not traditionalists, but just be responsible, alright? Anything you need, tell me. I'll handle your mom."
Auron wanted to cry, "How am I supposed to explain this? Waiting for an answer—seriously urgent!"
End of Chapter
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