Lucas saw a man in a suit with light blue hair sitting in the lounge area, with an extremely eye-catching Shiny Metagross floating beside him.
At this moment, he was elegantly drinking hot tea prepared for him by Lilligant.
It's him! The noble son of the Pokémon world, the handsome guy obsessed with digging for Stones, the former Hoenn Champion, Steven Stone.
"Steven?"
Lucas walked out from behind the counter and asked.
Hearing the voice, Steven put down his teacup and turned to look at Lucas, "Lucas?"
Lucas nodded with a smile and extended his hand.
"I apologize for visiting without prior notice."
Steven reached out and shook Lucas's hand, speaking with proper etiquette.
"It's fine. Wallace called to inform me while I was patrolling the forest, but I didn't expect you to arrive so quickly."
"Because I wanted to study the Stones I just dug up as soon as possible, I had Metagross pick up the pace."
Steven said with a smile.
He rode here on a Metagross?
Lucas sized up the clothes Steven was wearing; it was just a thin but very well-fitted suit.
As expected of a superhuman from the Pokémon world, wearing so little in such cold weather and flying here on a Metagross—truly terrifying.
"Steven?"
Cynthia walked out from behind the counter, happily enjoying a small cake she had just asked Alcremie for, only to see Lucas talking with Steven.
"You arrived so quickly?"
Cynthia walked over, looking at Steven as she spoke.
She had heard the call between Wallace and Lucas earlier and knew Steven was coming, but she was surprised that he arrived so soon after the call.
Steven was also surprised, "Champion Cynthia? Are you here too?"
Cynthia nodded, "I like it here very much, so I usually come here to rest."
Especially since an Alcremie that is particularly good at making desserts has come to the Breeding House.
Cynthia did not say this part out loud.
Steven nodded thoughtfully.
With both Wallace and Cynthia full of praise for this place, it must be truly excellent.
Lucas had Steven and Cynthia sit down, then called for Gothitelle.
Gothitelle floated over with tea leaves and began brewing tea.
It's really comfortable having Gothitelle at the Breeding House.
Lucas thought to himself.
Steven looked around the Breeding House, seeing Golduck, Azumarill, and other Pokémon coming and going, especially a Zoroark.
"Lucas, they're carrying boxes, is that—"
Steven asked curiously.
Lucas explained: "Because it has been snowing heavily in Twinleaf Town lately, making it inconvenient for the residents to travel, they asked if we could start a food delivery service. Those boxes they're carrying are for delivering food to Twinleaf Town."
Delivery service?
It seems like a very friendly service for the residents.
At that moment, Gothitelle finished pouring tea for everyone.
"Mr. Steven, would you like to try the tea from the Breeding House?"
Steven withdrew his gaze and looked at the steaming hot tea on the table, which had a fragrant aroma; it was exceptionally skilled tea-making.
Steven praised.
"Just call me Steven."
After saying that, Steven picked up the teacup, blew on it for a moment, and then finished it in one gulp.
Sweet, fragrant, the breath of spring.
"How is it?"
Lucas asked with a squinty-eyed smile.
"Excellent tea leaves, and the tea-making skill is also top-notch."
Steven praised incessantly.
Seeing this, Lucas smiled with satisfaction.
As expected of the young master of Devon Corporation, he has taste.
After the two talked for a while, Steven discovered that Lucas's knowledge was not inferior to his own, and he had also raised the Pokémon at the Day Care exceptionally well; the Pokémon there clearly trusted him deeply.
Most importantly, Champion Cynthia seemed to really like it here too.
Steven's favorable impression of Lucas skyrocketed.
"Manager, you mentioned you were patrolling the forest when Wallace called you, that's—"
Lucas explained everything to Steven, from the initial attack on the forest by Pokémon Hunter J, to the appearance of Celebi who saved the forest, and finally how he built a friendship with the forest and became its Forest Ranger.
"Although I don't know why the snow is so heavy this winter, as a Forest Ranger, I patrol the forest twice a week to ensure no hidden dangers arise."
Listening to Lucas, Steven sipped his tea and nodded repeatedly.
Are the Breeding House and the forest friends?
Recalling the meaning Lucas had expressed, Steven thought to himself.
It's the first time I've seen such a thing.
The two continued their conversation, while Cynthia had already sat to the side to read a book.
"I heard that Steven-san is very passionate about digging for Stones."
Steven was stunned for a moment, then nodded without hesitation, "Yes, because I feel that the Stones buried deep underground all have their own stories. When you personally excavate them and see the beautiful, complex, and profound patterns on them—some even emitting a brilliant light—and then go on to uncover the stories behind them, it's a great sense of achievement."
"Every Stone buried underground has witnessed the development of an era."
Lucas's words resonated deeply with Steven.
"How about it? How were Steven-san's results this time?"
Lucas asked with a smile.
When Steven heard Lucas's question, the smile on his face already gave away the result.
"Quite good."
Steven said.
"There are several high-quality evolution Stones, and I even excavated a Sceptilite."
Steven was very satisfied with the results this time, "However, there is one Stone I can't identify; the energy fluctuations on it are something I'm seeing for the first time."
"Is it also a mega stone?"
Lucas asked.
"The Manager also knows about mega stones?"
Steven saw Lucas reach into his chest and pull out a small hanging wooden plaque, which had a key stone embedded in it.
I see.
Steven said: "That is my guess, but it still needs verification. It could also be a Stone I've never encountered before."
Lucas was also curious about the Stones Steven had dug up.
"May I see them? The Stones you excavated this time."
Steven laughed and snapped his fingers, "Why not?"
He then had Metagross bring out all the Stones excavated this time.
Lucas looked at this Shiny Metagross. He had to admit, it was truly cool.
Lucas looked at the Stones placed on the table: Fire Stone, Thunder Stone—"
Seeing this, Gengar passed through the ceiling, went to the room to grab a box, and returned to the lounge area.
"Gengar gargar"
Ta-da~
Gengar opened the box, and inside lay the evolution Stones Gengar had neatly arranged.
Steven took a look; all the types were present and accounted for.
"The Manager also likes collecting Stones?"
Steven's eyes sparkled, full of pleasant surprise.
"Just a hobby."
Steven's favorable impression of Lucas went off the charts.
"May I take a look?"
Gengar nodded and generously handed the box to Steven.
Steven took them out one by one to observe, "These are all exceptionally high-quality Stones."
Steven was even a little tempted, "If it were anyone else, I might have asked if they were willing to sell them to me, but since it's Lucas, I won't ask."
"After all, to collect such a complete set of high-quality evolution Stones, Lucas must have put in a tremendous amount of effort."
Steven expressed his understanding; after all, he had a set of similar quality at home that he had spent a vast amount of time and money to complete.
A tremendous amount of effort?
Lucas remembered the fever incident; that wasn't wrong.
This set of evolution Stones was given to him by the residents of Twinleaf Town during the Autumn Thanksgiving Festival.
Although Lucas had thought about selling them when he first heard Steven's words, he later realized these were gifts from the residents of Twinleaf Town, so he didn't speak up.
Moreover, Lucas looked at Gengar.
He remembered how it would take out these Stones every night, wipe them carefully, and then place them back into the box with a smile that couldn't be faked.
The most important thing was that our Gengar seemed to really like this set of evolution Stones.
As long as Gengar likes it.
It's worth more than any amount of gold.