"Ah! Yes! That's right! Joseph is my father!" Steven immediately confirmed, snapping back to attention.
"Then what was all that just now?" Hachi asked, clearly confused by Steven's earlier outburst.
"Uh... that was, ahem, nothing important," Steven said awkwardly.
He coughed twice, trying to quickly change the subject before things got more embarrassing.
"By the way, Grandpa Hachi, how exactly do you know my father?" Steven asked with genuine curiosity.
"Well..." Hachi's expression softened as he recalled memories from long ago, and a nostalgic smile appeared naturally on his weathered face.
"When I was young, I traveled all around the world with Joseph on various adventures. But I never expected his career would become so incredibly successful after all these years had passed."
Steven nodded thoughtfully, genuinely surprised to learn that his father had once traveled the world alongside Hachi during their youth.
However, a pressing question suddenly arose in his mind—one that had bothered him for years.
"Grandpa Hachi, do you happen to know anything about my mother?" Steven asked, his expression becoming notably more serious.
He had never once seen his mother since he was a small child. There wasn't even a single photograph of her anywhere in their home, despite how many times he'd searched.
Whenever he asked his father about her, Joseph would always skillfully avoid the topic and change the subject.
Steven's entire childhood had been spent absorbed in academic studies. Before Beldum arrived in his life, only his collection of rare stones and minerals could truly soothe his young, lonely heart.
"Your mother?" Hachi's expression grew thoughtful. "Joseph was still single when he traveled the world with me all those years ago. But it seemed like he suddenly rushed back to Hoenn for some urgent reason. Later on, he started up his company. When I saw you today, you looked so incredibly similar to a young Joseph that I immediately realized he even had a son who'd grown this old already." Hachi shook his head slowly and sighed. "I'm afraid I don't know anything beyond that."
"I see..." Steven's expression became visibly dejected.
He clenched his hands tightly on the fabric of his black checkered coat, feeling that familiar emptiness again.
"Tomorrow morning, I'll take you to Dewford Town," Hachi said, deliberately shifting the topic. He didn't want to interfere inappropriately in Joseph's private family matters.
"Then I'll be troubling you, Grandpa Hachi," Steven said, standing up to thank the elderly man properly.
"I'll just set up my tent outside and sleep there for the night."
The wooden cabin was furnished quite simply, with no extra bed available for Steven to use.
"Alright then. I'll call for you tomorrow morning," Hachi agreed.
Steven walked out of the wooden cabin and looked over at his Pokémon, who were still playing energetically without a care in the world. He crouched down on the wooden porch, gazing quietly up at the brilliant stars filling the night sky above.
The next morning arrived quickly. Steven had already prepared a simple breakfast for everyone, and Metang was sitting off to the side, deep in meditation.
Metang needed time to properly adjust and mentally digest everything from the previous battle against Scyther.
The intense battle with Scyther had been an extremely valuable and rare experience for Metang. However, its ability to process and learn from such experiences wasn't particularly fast at the moment. Everything needed to be taken slowly and carefully.
"Oh, you're already up this early?" Hachi emerged from his cabin, looking mildly surprised.
He considered himself quite an early riser, but Steven had apparently woken up even earlier than him.
"It's just a habit I developed. I used to always wake up early to continue my studies," Steven explained with a light chuckle.
"Grandpa Hachi, I've prepared breakfast for us. Would you like some?"
"Of course! And I see you've even prepared a portion for Little Wingy as well."
"Then I shall gratefully accept your hospitality!"
Hachi happily accepted the breakfast Steven had made. The moment the first bite entered his mouth, he couldn't help but sigh with genuine appreciation.
"Your cooking skills are a hundred times better than your father's ever were! Back in those days, absolutely no one could manage to finish eating your old man's cooking. Hahaha!" Hachi laughed heartily at the memory.
"When I have idle time on my hands, I enjoy exploring and learning about various different fields," Steven replied modestly, trying to downplay the compliment.
After they finished eating, Hachi immediately led Steven onto the boat he'd built himself. It wasn't particularly large, but it was definitely more than spacious enough for two people to travel comfortably.
"Let's set off, Little Wingy!" Hachi called out as he started the boat's engine.
Not only had he named his Wingull "Little Wingy," but he had also given the exact same name to his beloved boat.
It clearly showed just how deep Hachi's attachment and obsession with the name "Little Wingy" truly ran.
Steven leaned casually against the boat's railing, enjoying the feeling of the fresh sea breeze on his face. He occasionally dipped his hand into the cool seawater, letting it flow between his fingers.
Meanwhile, Hachi seemed tireless in telling Steven various stories from his adventurous youth.
He enthusiastically recalled how strong and full of energy he had been during his younger years. He described his deep love for sailing and embarking on long ocean voyages, and how he had personally witnessed all sorts of fierce storms and dangerous weather conditions.
Then he recounted the special story of how he first met Little Wingy the Wingull.
According to Hachi's nostalgic description, one day after he had officially retired from his sailing career, Little Wingy had simply flown in from somewhere unknown and decided to stay with him permanently.
This unexpected companionship had rekindled Hachi's youthful passion for sea travel and adventure, which directly inspired him to build his current boat, which he naturally named "Little Wingy."
As he continued speaking, Hachi pointed toward a distinctive crescent-shaped island visible in the distance. He chuckled warmly and mentioned that he often went there to relax and spend time.
If anyone ever came looking for him and couldn't find him at the wooden cabin, he would almost certainly be on that particular island.
Steven listened attentively to every word, carefully marking the exact location of the crescent-shaped island on his PokéNav's map system for future reference.
He verbally promised Hachi that he would definitely visit the island another day when he had the chance.
Throughout the entire journey, Steven and Hachi chatted happily about various topics. Hachi's warm actions and genuine interest clearly showed his growing fondness for the young Trainer.
As noon approached, the boat finally arrived at the shores of Dewford Town.
"Steven, my boy, how long are you planning to stay here? Would you like me to wait around and take you back when you're finished?" Hachi asked, leaning comfortably against the side of his boat as Steven prepared to disembark.
"There's no need to trouble yourself, Grandpa Hachi. I estimate I'll be staying here for several days at least," Steven replied, waving his hand politely to decline Hachi's kind offer.
"Alright then. I wish you smooth sailing on your journey ahead!" Hachi called out cheerfully.
After bidding a proper farewell to Hachi, Steven headed directly toward the westernmost part of Dewford Island, where the famous Granite Cave was located.
Skarmory's new feathers were already showing faint signs of growing in properly. They would probably be fully developed and ready for flight in just a few more days.
Considering Skarmory had been living in thorny bushes during its molting process, its feather regrowth was progressing quite rapidly—much faster than Steven had initially expected.
Steven was already planning to use Skarmory in his upcoming challenge at Dewford's Fighting-type Gym. The type advantage would be crucial.
While waiting for Skarmory's feathers to finish growing completely, Steven had decided to explore the depths of Granite Cave. He wanted to see if he could possibly find a high-quality Aron to add to his team.
The most straightforward way to judge whether an Aron had good potential was by carefully observing its physical size and build.
Size wasn't simply about being overweight or fat. Rather, it was about being genuinely larger overall while having a more solid, dense body structure that indicated strong constitution.
However, Aron definitely wasn't an easy Pokémon to raise properly. The Steel-and-Rock-type literally grew and developed by consuming various types of ore and minerals as its primary food source.
Steven gazed at the dark, imposing cave entrance ahead of him. He adjusted his safety helmet securely on his head, switched on his headlamp flashlight, and walked purposefully inside.
Granite Cave wasn't simply a single-level cavern. The cave system actually had multiple floors, including both upper levels and lower basement levels. To make it more convenient for rock enthusiasts and mineral collectors to safely explore and gather specimens, someone had even thoughtfully constructed proper stone steps leading between the different levels.
Steven's target—a quality Aron—would most likely be found on the lower basement levels of the cave system.
After all, the deeper you went into the cave, the more abundant and diverse the ore deposits tended to be. Aron, which fed exclusively on ore, would naturally be drawn to reside in the deepest parts where food was most plentiful.
Upon first entering Granite Cave, Steven immediately noticed many Zubat hanging upside down from the ceiling above, sleeping peacefully in the darkness. There were also several Makuhita actively punching and striking rocks to train and strengthen their bodies. Occasionally, they would accidentally encounter a Geodude that had been disguised perfectly as an ordinary rock, which would inevitably lead to spontaneous battles between the wild Pokémon.
The cave walls were covered with numerous markings that had been left behind by previous rock enthusiasts. These markings served as a navigation system to help explorers find their way back out safely.
Granite Cave's internal structure was incredibly intricate and complex. Without proper precautions, one could very easily become lost and trapped inside for days.
Not only were there Aron living somewhere in these caves, but there were even persistent rumors of the rare Nosepass being occasionally spotted deep within Granite Cave.
In fact, the only known natural habitat for wild Nosepass in the entire Hoenn region was right here in Granite Cave.
Steven carefully followed the navigation markings left on the walls. Before long, he successfully located the entrance leading to the next level down. He descended the well-constructed stone steps and reached the first basement level of Granite Cave without any difficulty.
Without these stone steps having been built, this particular entrance could only be accessed by Trainers who had Flying-type Pokémon capable of carrying them down safely.
Steven hadn't encountered even a single piece of exposed ore anywhere along his path so far. Everything had probably already been excavated and collected by enthusiastic rock collectors who had come before him.
"Since I've come all this way, I should at least dig up and find one good rock specimen, right?" Steven muttered to himself, rubbing his hands together with anticipation.
If he could manage to find an even deeper section of the cave, the possibility of discovering rare and valuable stones would increase dramatically!
This irresistible attraction was something Steven simply couldn't ignore or resist!