Riley's Machamp and Wanda helped him leave the tunnel safely.
Steven looked at the Mega Stone in his hand, then turned to look at the Mega Stone attached to Metagross's body.
He had a feeling that Riley gave him this Mega Stone because he had noticed the one Metagross was wearing.
Otherwise, Riley wouldn't have given him a gift he had originally intended for his girlfriend.
It was understandable that Wanda didn't recognize him. After all, they had only met once by chance on the street.
Steven took out his PokéNav. Wally's messages would actually come in every once in a while.
Steven would always reply and encourage the young trainer.
"Piplup? (゜ー゜)"
Are we still going to dig?
Steven looked at Piplup's expectant eyes and chuckled softly.
"Let's dig!"
"Piplup! (￣︶￣)"
What are we waiting for then?
Let's get started!
"You little fellow, when did you fall in love with mining?" Steven smiled helplessly.
Bang—
Aggron emerged from its Poké Ball on its own, lowering its head to look at the Mega Stone in Steven's hand.
"Kao..."
I want to eat it so badly...
Steven suddenly raised his hand, gripping the Mega Stone tightly in his palm.
"You absolutely cannot eat this one, Aggron."
"Kao?"
But I think it would taste perfect for me.
Aggron placed its claw on its chin, actually showing a thoughtful expression.
"Let's go back later and verify if this is your Mega Stone, all right?"
Looking at Aggron's reaction, Steven became even more certain of his suspicion.
...
In the evening, Steven left Rusturf Tunnel riding on Metagross and returned to Devon Corporation.
Piplup hugged a good number of ore samples, its entire face smudged with gray dust, looking quite comical.
Steven arrived at the president's office on the top floor.
Knock knock—
"Come in."
Steven pushed the door open and closed it behind him.
"Father."
"I heard from Kennedy about your work. How did it go?" Joseph put down the documents in his hand, a hint of a smile appearing on his face.
"The initial stage seems to have no problems for now, but there might be more issues in the middle stages," Steven frankly stated his opinion.
"That's good to hear. I went to Littleroot Town today and spoke with Professor Birch," Joseph said calmly.
"He also expressed his support for the project."
Steven was startled for a moment, then chuckled softly.
"The Ever Grande Conference is approaching soon, so just focus on preparing for battle with peace of mind," Joseph said earnestly.
Steven always felt that his father had changed quite a bit recently.
Was it guilt, or was he trying to make amends?
Joseph had barely cared for Steven when he was little, and his visits home were only occasional.
Steven could understand this. It was normal to devote oneself completely to one's career.
"Father, can you tell me about Mother now?" Steven suddenly asked.
After this question, a long silence fell between them.
"Alas..."
Joseph sighed slightly, breaking the uncomfortable silence.
"I will tell you once you have truly grown up."
"Am I not strong enough yet?" Steven asked.
Does this growth refer to my strength as a trainer, or something else?
"I can only tell you one thing right now."
Joseph took a deep breath and said solemnly, "Your mother is an Illusion Trainer."
An Illusion... Trainer?
"What does that mean?" Steven asked, clearly puzzled.
He had only heard of Rookie Trainers, Advanced Trainers, Elite Trainers, and so on.
Illusion Trainer was something completely new to him.
Could it be... a Trainer recognized by a Mythical Pokémon?
Or perhaps a Trainer who possesses a Mythical Pokémon?
"The rest of these matters, we'll discuss them later."
Joseph's expression returned to neutral. He picked up the documents on the table and began reading them.
The meaning was clear—the conversation was over.
"Then I'll be going now, Father."
Steven bowed slightly, turned around, and left the office.
Why did his father's emotions change so drastically whenever his mother was mentioned?
His father should also own a house somewhere in Rustboro City, but he had never told Steven about it.
It couldn't be that his father always slept at the company or in a hotel, could it?
Since Joseph wouldn't say anything more, it indicated that there must be information about his mother in that house.
Before going to Petalburg Woods to pick up Scizor and Riolu, Steven first went to the police station.
He wanted to ask Officer Jenny to check on his father's house location in Rustboro City.
But unfortunately, the records were encrypted and could not be accessed.
Steven could only sigh in frustration.
Having money and high social status truly allowed someone to do almost anything.
After picking up Scizor and Riolu from the Pokémon Day Care, Steven booked a room at a Trainer Hotel in Rustboro City.
Steven lay on the bed, planning to return to Mossdeep City the next day.
If he was told he hadn't grown enough yet, then he would simply continue to work harder.
"Wait a moment... Illusion Trainer... such a title shouldn't be completely unsearchable online, right?"
Steven immediately sat up, moved to the computer desk, and began typing on the keyboard.
But there was absolutely no information about "Illusion Trainers" online at all.
Had his father deleted all the information from the internet?!
Having money and high social status truly allowed someone to do almost anything!
Ring ring—
Steven glanced at his phone and answered it.
"Steven, what are you doing right now?"
Cynthia's voice came from the other end of the line.
"I just arrived at the hotel and was thinking of searching for some information online," Steven replied with a smile.
"About your health condition, I still think you should go get it checked as soon as possible."
Listening to Cynthia's worried voice, Steven's heart felt warm, and he quickly responded:
"Understood! I'll go for a check-up first thing tomorrow morning!"
"Anyway, if you ever need help with anything, make sure to call me!"
"Okay..."
After chatting with Cynthia for a while longer, she finally hung up the phone.
Steven didn't want to lie to Cynthia, but there was no other choice.
If something dangerous were to happen at that location, it would be extremely risky.
Although the possibility was small, Steven didn't dare to take that gamble.
If that particular Lucario couldn't determine his physical condition either, Steven might still be able to seek out the Mew at the Tree of Beginning.
As for Riolu, Steven still trusted it completely.
Riolu wouldn't say such concerning things for no reason.
Immediately after, Steven began searching for information about the "Aura Guardian."
Unexpectedly, there really was information available!
This legend originated from Cameran Palace in Rota.
And Rota is located in the mountains north of Pewter City and Mt. Moon in the Kanto Region.
The title "Aura Guardian" is awarded to the winner of the annual tournament held in Rota.
They would then symbolically be crowned with the title of "Aura Guardian" for that year.
And the ceremony was scheduled for half a month from now!
At the very least, Steven now knew both the location and the timing.
Steven pushed against the desk, and the wheels under his chair rolled him back toward the bed.
Steven stretched his limbs and lay down on the soft, comfortable bed.
"This is getting complicated... I'll find a time to go there with Wallace."
However, during the two-week period before the ceremony, he still needed to train himself and strengthen his Pokémon team.
To ensure nothing would go wrong during the journey.