On the way to Oreburgh City, two Shiny Metagross flew rapidly through the sky.
Wayne and Steven sat on their respective Metagross, chatting and laughing as the scenery below sped past.
Since both of them had raised Metagross, and Wayne also had Lucario, they had plenty in common to discuss.
Wayne also took this opportunity to ask Steven about some of his questions regarding the Metagross breeding manual.
Steven answered each question patiently.
Noticing Wayne looking at the Metagrossite on his Metagross's front right limb, Steven smiled slightly. "Are you interested in Mega Stones?"
Wayne took out his Key Stone glove. "I already have a Key Stone, just not a Metagrossite."
How could Wayne not be tempted?
He was extremely tempted!
Steven's lips curved upward. "Speaking of which, I had quite a few successful finds on this trip to the Kalos region."
Steven took out a wooden box from his backpack, opened it toward Wayne, and displayed its contents. "Can you recognize them?"
Wayne's eyes widened slightly. "Blastoisinite, Blazikenite, Sceptilite, Mawilite, and Metagrossite!"
Wayne's gaze was drawn to the Metagrossite, which had a blue base with yellow and white in the center.
Steven's eyes were filled with appreciation. "As you can see, I already have a Metagross Mega Stone. Do you want it? If you do, I can give it to you."
"I can give it to you."
What wonderful words those were!
When they were just online acquaintances, Steven had already given him the Metagross breeding manual for free.
Steven was someone who liked to mentor promising juniors.
Wayne vaguely remembered that Steven had casually given a Sceptilite to Sawyer.
But Wayne was only tempted for a moment.
He couldn't accept it—this item was far too expensive.
Metagrossite couldn't be bought on the market at all, and even if it could be, its market price would definitely exceed 30 million.
Even 50 million wasn't out of the question.
After all, Metagross was both rare and powerful.
You had to remember that a Poké Ball only cost 500, and Jubilife City's minimum hourly wage was 1,100.
The numbers just didn't add up.
Wayne's Metagross was clearly very interested in this Metagrossite.
However, Metagross was very well-behaved and didn't make a fuss like Arcanine would, so it didn't show any particular reaction.
But Wayne could tell.
"I can't just accept it. Sell it to me."
Wayne decided he would buy it even if he had to sell everything he owned.
As if he had anticipated this response, Steven smiled slightly. "I have a suggestion. Let's make an exchange."
Steven could easily give the Sceptilite to Sawyer or other promising juniors he favored.
Because when he interacted with them, Steven was the Champion and a senior mentor.
As for money? Money was an external thing.
As the future heir of Devon Corporation, money was just a string of numbers to Steven.
But Steven and Wayne were different. Steven treated Wayne as an equal, as a companion with whom he could share responsibilities.
Giving the Metagross Mega Stone directly to Wayne would seem like a condescending gesture.
Of course, if Wayne had actually accepted it, Steven wouldn't have thought anything less of him.
"Go ahead."
"Let your labor offset the cost."
Wayne: ???
Steven didn't notice the change in Wayne's expression, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Energy Cubes and maintenance for my Metagross... How about we agree on one year?"
So it was this kind of labor!
I thought he was going to make me sell myself into servitude!
No, wait—I am selling myself.
Selling Energy Cubes and selling maintenance services is also selling labor!
Wayne waved his hand magnanimously. "What's one year? Three or five years is no problem."
Steven shook his head slightly. "There have been no transaction cases for Metagrossite to date, so the pricing is naturally up to me."
...
Alright, you're the boss. You call the shots.
"After we finish exploring the Oreburgh Coal Mine, we'll sign an agreement, and this Metagrossite will be yours."
Signing a contract was a necessary process.
It wasn't a matter of mutual trust—this was a League requirement.
During their conversation, they arrived at the Oreburgh Coal Mine.
Due to coverage by Sinnoh Now TV, many people had come to visit the Oreburgh Coal Mine.
As the two Shiny Metagross landed simultaneously, all eyes immediately turned toward Wayne and Steven.
"Two Shiny Metagross?!"
"That's the Hoenn Champion Steven, right? I watched the Champions League last year."
"He's appearing in the Masters League tomorrow."
"Who's the other one?"
Wayne's fans explained, "A very famous Breeder, Wayne."
With the accumulation of followers on Wayne's account, he could indeed be called a well-known Breeder.
Wayne blinked in surprise.
"Why are there so many people?"
A hearty male voice laughed. "This is already good—there were even more before."
It was Roark, who had come to greet Wayne and Steven.
Before arriving at the Oreburgh Coal Mine, Steven had already called Roark.
Steven and Wayne nodded simultaneously. "Mr. Roark."
Roark quickly waved his hand. "Just call me Roark. Without further ado, let's go in now."
It was noon, and a Hoenn Champion had just arrived, yet Roark didn't suggest eating first but instead led them directly into the mine.
Wayne didn't know what to say.
Fortunately, the person he was meeting was Steven.
It must be said, this suited Steven perfectly.
Although Steven himself wasn't hungry, he had to consider Wayne's and the Pokémon's conditions. "Are you hungry?"
At this moment, Roark also realized his oversight. "Sorry, I forgot you probably haven't eaten yet, have you?"
Steven shook his head slightly. "I'm fine."
Wayne nodded. "I have Energy Cubes, so the Pokémon don't need to worry. As for myself, I'm not hungry."
"Please wait a moment."
Roark ran off and returned with two sandwiches and some Moomoo Milk. "Sorry, this is all I have on hand."
"This is more than enough."
Steven handed over the Metagrossite.
"You hold onto this first."
Since there were still many unknowns in the Oreburgh Coal Mine, Steven chose to give the Mega Stone to Wayne first to help him cope better with any situations.
Wayne didn't refuse. Whether he had signed the contract or not, he would provide Steven with Energy Cubes and Pokémon maintenance.
"Come out, Lucario!"
Lucario, who could manipulate Aura, could help Wayne and the others better explore their surroundings.
But the main reason was that Lucario didn't like staying in its Poké Ball.
The Oreburgh Coal Mine had resumed allowing passage, and with Roark personally leading the way, there was no danger of getting lost.
The rock walls of the passages on both sides were grayish-black, and tallow lamps burned in the carved-out depressions in the walls.
As a mine that had been worked for many years, the Oreburgh Coal Mine had sufficient safety measures and was spacious enough.
Even Arcanine could run around in the mine with plenty of room.
"We're almost there."
Following the direction of Roark's pointing finger, Wayne and Steven could vaguely see a blue light emanating from the rock wall ahead.
"This is it."