Chapter 1756 - 1750: Reunion

Chapter 1756: Chapter 1750: Reunion

Leafy Town.

That town that had once been remote, backward, and did not even appear marked on some large maps, had now already become a great metropolis of the Hoenn region, second only to Rustboro City.

One had to know that Rustboro City had the headquarters of the Devon Corporation, the largest company in the Hoenn region, and at the same time was the workplace of the Champion of the Hoenn League, Steven Stone.

However, such a rapidly developing metropolis was about to be caught up to by that small and backward Leafy Town.

Thinking about it, the process truly was a little emotional.

Wide streets, tall buildings, commercial districts everywhere, and lively pedestrians coming and going. Moreover, all kinds of Pokémon from different regions could be seen everywhere. All of this showed Leafy Town’s current prosperity.

In a café by the street.

A noble young man dressed in a small formal suit full of aristocratic air, with a red scarf around his neck that nobles loved to wear, combined with short silver hair, an elegant posture, and a cup of coffee in his hand, conveyed inside and out an atmosphere of nobility.

With one leg crossed over the other, his gaze was directed toward an enormous stone sculpture located not far away, in the center of the city.

The sculpture represented a young man with a cold face. Accompanying him, above his head, was the Sky Dragon, Rayquaza, flying with an indomitable attitude, and the Blood Moon Dragon, Salamence, flapping his wings while freely soaring through the sky.

At his side were the robust and extremely intimidating lord of sandstorms, Tyranitar; the elegant and lively Diamond Princess, Diancie; the solemn and cold God of Nightmares, Darkrai; the King of Psychic Power, Mewtwo...

The Ultimate Warrior, Blaziken; the Impregnable Fortress, Aggron; the Warrior of Aura, Lucario; the Psychic Queen, Gardevoir; the Sovereign of the Forest, Venusaur; the Destructive Beast, Swampert...

The King Who Summons the Rain, Politoed; the Sniper of the Deep Sea, Kingdra; the Sage of the Sea, Slowking; the Lord of Shadows, Gengar; the Scorpion Emperor, Drapion; the Queen of Flowers, Florges; the Icy Blade that Lurks in the Darkness, Weavile...

The Mechanical Puppet of the Miraculous Soul, Magearna; the Sorceress of Dreams, Mismagius; and finally, perched on the young man’s shoulder, vigilantly watching the surroundings with a sharp gaze, the eldest brother of them all, the Boss of the Night Sky, Honchkrow!

Looking at that statue, the young man with noble air who held the coffee showed a complicated expression.

If someone observed carefully, they could confirm that the person drinking coffee was precisely the current Champion of the Hoenn region and true leader of the Devon Corporation: Steven Stone!

Steven lowered his head and took a small sip of the coffee, letting the bitter taste finally spread through his mouth.

Beneath the statue, many people who had come attracted by its fame looked at the enormous sculpture, some with admiration, others taking photos with it. Every person who looked at the statue did so with respect impossible to conceal.

That person was the hero of the entire Pokémon world. He had saved this world, and his strength surpassed the entire Pokémon world. He was the undisputed uncrowned king.

It was said that currently the Champions of six regions of the Pokémon world had a very good relationship with him.

And the name of the person represented by that statue was... Cain!

He was Steven’s best friend, his closest friend, the goal he had always chased.

Tock.

Steven gently placed the cup of coffee on the table, with a complicated expression, filled with memories, nostalgia, and a trace of anger.

"Cain, damn you. You planned everything, calculated everything, prepared everything, and just when the final moment came to carry it out, you suddenly disappeared, leaving us with a pile of problems..."

The more Steven spoke, the angrier he became.

In a way very unbecoming of his identity, he struck the table hard with his fist.

Bang!

The coffee inside the cup trembled nonstop.

"Two full years have already passed. If you don’t come back, the existence of Team Rainbow Rocket will probably truly become the greatest threat to the League. Those subordinates of yours... only you can make them move..."

"Irresponsible bastard. You disappeared without saying a single word."

As he spoke, Steven took a small metal box from his inner pocket and slowly opened it. Inside was a crystalline and transparent Pokéblock.

Although a long time had already passed, this Pokéblock had not deteriorated in the slightest.

It was unknown whether it was because Steven had preserved it well, or because the preservation treatment of the Pokéblock itself was excellent.

Looking at that Pokéblock, the scene of the first time he met Cain appeared in Steven’s mind.

This was the first customized Pokéblock Cain had prepared for him. Back then, he had not thought too much and left one unused, but he never imagined that it would end up becoming the only thing Cain had left him.

Back then...

On that train that departed from Goldenrod City, Cain was still very weak, and he himself was equally immature.

Even, at that time, Steven could have completely crushed Cain.

But with each meeting and each change, little by little, he went from being the one chased to being the one who chased.

From working together as League researchers, step by step until reaching the Elite Four level, and then the Champion level...

While thinking about all of that, Steven’s eyes reddened without him realizing it.

His voice sounded slightly dry.

"Damn you. Although you disappeared, you... are still alive, right? You’re definitely still alive, right...?"

He seemed to realize that he had lost his composure.

Since assuming the position of Champion and that of president of the Devon Corporation, there were already very few times when he lost his composure in this way.

He quickly picked up the cup of coffee, trying to use the coffee to cover up his loss of control.

But for some reason, perhaps because he did not hold it well, or perhaps because his hand trembled slightly, after lifting it, he actually failed to hold it.

The cup of coffee, suspended halfway in the air, directly tipped over, and all the coffee inside spilled out.

Steven showed a face full of surprise. He also did not expect this accident to occur.

He could already foresee that the expensive clothing he was wearing would end up ruined.

Of course, for him, a simple change of clothes was not important. What was important was that, if others saw that he, a Champion, had such an embarrassing scene, probably tomorrow’s news headline would already be decided.

For Steven, who gave so much importance to his image, that was unacceptable.

"If I had known, I would have summoned Metagross first..."

That was the only thought that appeared in Steven’s mind at that moment.

Metagross’s psychic power could definitely prevent this kind of accident from happening.

Only...

With narrowed eyes, he waited a few seconds, but Steven did not feel the accident of being soaked.

He saw the cup of coffee, together with all the spilled coffee, suspended in the air without a single drop falling.

It was wrapped by a faint layer of psychic power.

Steven looked at that scene in a daze.

Then he saw how the spilled coffee slowly flowed back into the cup, and afterward, as if held by an invisible hand, the cup was gently placed back onto the table.

If he had not seen it with his own eyes, Steven would even have thought he was seeing an illusion.

Ting.

The coffee cup collided with the glass surface of the table, producing a clear sound that woke him from his daze.

Suddenly, as if he had thought of something, Steven abruptly stood up with an enormous loss of composure. The chair beside his feet scraped against the floor and produced an unpleasant sound.

But at that instant, he no longer cared about any of that.

He sharply turned his head back.

Immediately afterward, his body froze in place.

He saw a familiar figure, as well as that faint smile that often appeared in his memories, that black hair, those eyes with a slight trace of a smile...

Cain!

"Damn you!"

Steven clenched his teeth and squeezed those words out between them, closing his fist as he strode toward Cain.

"Hey! Hey! Hey! No way, right? After so much effort to come back, you’re coming at me with this again!"

Immediately, Cain’s face changed color.

Steven’s fist went straight toward his face. Cain was so frightened that he quickly closed his eyes and withdrew his psychic power.

Bang!

The fist passed by Cain’s face and turned into a palm that struck his back hard.

A big hug!

"Stinking brat... you finally came back. Do you know how much we missed you? Vivian hasn’t been able to eat or sleep well since you disappeared, damn bastard."

Steven’s somewhat choked voice resounded beside his ear.

Cain was also stunned for a moment. Then he showed an enormous smile, and with both hands, he also patted Steven’s back.

"Hey! Everyone come and see! Our Champion is crying! Besides, who do you think I went to visit first, bastard? Hahahahahaha!"

(End of Chapter)

And so, my nakamas, we have reached the end of this long journey.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who was here, to those who joined from the very beginning, and to those who came aboard along the way. Throughout this entire adventure, we managed to stay in the Top 10, and that was only possible because of all of you.

So, if it is not too much to ask, I want to propose one last journey together: this week, let’s not drop for anything. Let’s keep this ship as high as possible one last time and finish this adventure the way it deserves.

After that... may each of you keep sailing, discovering new stories, new worlds, and searching for your own One Piece.

Thank you for everything, my nakamas.

CAMPAI!!! 🥂🥂🥂