"What's up?"
Kashiwagi and Mawile leaned in curiously. They found Aggron hovering over the moss-covered rock, looking like it wanted to smash it open but was simultaneously afraid to try.
"Agg-roon..."
Aggron turned its head and pointed at the knee-high rock, signaling that it had sensed something peculiar inside.
"Is this... a Moss Rock?"
Kashiwagi knelt down to examine it. In the games, there's a specific rock that triggers Eevee's evolution into Leafeon; in the Hoenn remakes, it was located right here in Petalburg Woods. Aside from that, it didn't have much of a function, but he wasn't sure if this was the real deal.
He searched for related entries on his phone, comparing the descriptions, and found a high probability that it was indeed a Moss Rock.
First, a Moss Rock usually only has moss growing on the "top," while the other sides are bare. Second, a Moss Rock is significantly lighter than a standard rock of the same volume. Being from Pyrite Town, Kashiwagi had a mental encyclopedia of rock weights, and as he read further, his eyes suddenly lit up.
The entry stated that not all mossy rocks cause changes in Eevee. Geological analysis revealed that the majority of true Moss Rocks likely contain a Leaf Stone—or an unformed one—deep inside. The unique energy field they emit allows Eevee, with its unstable genetic makeup, to evolve without even touching the stone.
Similarly, an Ice Rock contains an Ice Stone. This research eventually explained why Eevee could later evolve using the stones directly.
"Whoa! Picking up a random rock might land us an Evolution Stone?"
Kashiwagi sucked in a breath through his teeth and couldn't help but praise his Pokémon. "Nice job, big guy! What luck! Luck—wait?"
Thinking of something, he pulled a small box from his pocket. Inside was the Prism Scale Toshiki had given him yesterday.
'This is my lucky scale. I hope it brings you good luck, too.'
"No way... is it just a coincidence?"
Kashiwagi looked at the Prism Scale suspiciously. He wasn't usually one for mystical or metaphysical stuff, but this was hard to ignore.
Oh well. It doesn't cost anything to believe in it a little.
He tucked the box away and discussed how to dismantle the Moss Rock with Mawile and Aggron. Violent destruction was out of the question; as Steven Stone himself once said, Evolution Stones have quality grades just like pearls or jade. Whether a high-quality stone makes a Pokémon stronger was debatable, but it definitely made it more expensive.
Kashiwagi had checked once before. Even though he wasn't an expert, seeing a "flawless, translucent Water Stone with a swirl like a swimming fish" sell for millions of PokéDollars made him realize how valuable they could be. There were cheap ones, too—you could buy a standard one at a department store for a few dozen thousand—but the gap in quality was massive.
Supposedly, Evolution Stones used to be rare, but as more mines were excavated, the market was flooded, driving the prices down.
Regardless, the priority was handling this rock. Normally, you'd haul it to the nearest town and find a professional with the right machinery. But Kashiwagi didn't know if Rinshin Town had such equipment, and carrying a boulder that far would take forever.
Ride Steelix there? He could, but he'd definitely scare someone. After Officer Jenny's warning yesterday, he didn't want to risk getting arrested for a "public disturbance."
His best bet was to try and break it down himself—at least make it small enough to fit in his bag.
"Let's gamble! It was a free find anyway, so as long as we get something out of it, even a basic stone is worth tens of thousands. You do the honors!"
Kashiwagi handed the rock to Aggron. Since Aggron found it, it should be the one to open it.
"Agg... rron..."
The steel titan looked a bit nervous. It was great at pulverizing rocks into dust, but knowing there was something fragile and valuable inside made its claws feel like clumsy lead weights.
"Use that patience you have when you're planting trees! Use your Metal Claw to shave it down bit by bit!" Kashiwagi nudged it. "Go on!"
"Maw-wile!" Mawile chirped, equally impatient.
Aggron looked indignantly at the two of them for ganging up on it. Hesitating, its claws began to glow with a silver light. Trembling slightly, it began to "caress" the Moss Rock.
Layers of moss and stone skin were shaved away—nothing.
Aggron applied a fraction more pressure, and a series of sharp cracks echoed. Its movements and expression froze instantly. "Agg-rron..."
Uh-oh.
"What happened? Did you break it?" Kashiwagi's heart skipped a beat. Seeing Aggron's dejected face, he sighed. "It's fine! If it's broken, it's broken. Just open it up!"
"Aggron?" the titan asked uncertainly.
"Open it!" Kashiwagi grit his teeth and nodded firmly, his hand reflexively squeezing Mawile's small paw.
With a final crunch, Aggron applied enough pressure to split the rock in half. As the sunlight filtered through the canopy and hit the interior, the area was suddenly bathed in a brilliant green light.
"Green crystals!?"
Kashiwagi stared in shock. The Moss Rock was actually hollow, lined with numerous green, crystal-like minerals. The Leaf Stone was nestled right in the center, encrusted by the crystals.
No wonder it had made that cracking sound; it was like a geode. Is this stuff worth much?
He quickly searched for the price of "green crystals," and his breath hitched—the results said they were "extremely rare and precious!"
"For real? Are we rich overnight?"
However, when he realized the "green crystals" mentioned online and the ones that appear with Leaf Stones weren't the same thing, his excitement cooled a bit.
"Wasted my energy getting hyped. I'll just take a photo and ask Steven."
Kashiwagi clicked his tongue and sent a message through his PokéNav to the Hoenn Champion. Although they had each other's private contact info, they rarely spoke. He didn't want to bother the busy Champion—the man used to spend his time wandering the world for rocks after resigning, but now that he was back in the seat, he had to be swamped with work.
Beep-beep!
That was fast!
Kashiwagi opened the chat, only to see Steven had sent a string of exclamation marks, followed by several rapid-fire messages.
Steven: Kashiwagi, are you in Petalburg Woods right now?
Steven: Kashiwagi, can you take a few more pictures for me?
Steven: Kashiwagi, sorry to bother you, but could you take them in direct sunlight? Or better yet, a video call?
He's gone mad! The Champion's gone stone-mad!
Kashiwagi exchanged a look with Aggron and Mawile, then hit the video call button while gesturing for the two Pokémon to push the halves of the rock into a sunlit patch.
The call was accepted almost instantly.
"Hi, Kashiwagi!" Steven's face appeared on the screen. He looked as dashing as ever, though his breathing was a bit heavy. "Long time no see."
"Long time no see, Steven. I won't waste your time; take a look for me." Kashiwagi knew the man was dying to see the find. He flipped the camera and scanned over the "green crystals" and the Leaf Stone.