Chapter Ninety-Four: Anomalous Circumstances

Zhao Fang and Qian Sha exchanged contact information. Since Qian Sha didn’t have a Pokédex, they could only stay in touch by phone for now. Zhao Fang took the opportunity to promote the upcoming launch of WeChat next week, managing to secure a future user for himself.

After leaving the battle room, Zhao Fang received the fighting badge, which looked exactly like it did in the game. Still, knowing these badges weren’t being awarded by the gym leader himself left Zhao Fang with a vague sense of incompleteness. Yet he also realized if it had been Fujiki who personally battled him, the pressure would have been far greater.

“Well, there’s nothing much left for me to do in Dewford Town. Just these few stones… I suppose I’ll have to head back to Kanaz City first.” Stretching as he exited the fighting gym, Zhao Fang felt there was nothing left in Dewford Town that especially warranted his attention. He had already visited Granite Cave and collected the stones he needed; he no longer intended to linger in this small town.

As Zhao Fang made his way to the pier to buy a ticket for the ferry, he noticed a new message on his Pokédex. He opened it to find a message from May: she had obtained the Rock-type badge and vowed that next time they battled, she would show him her true strength. Zhao Fang couldn’t help but smile as he sent back his congratulations. It was good news that May had earned a Rock-type badge, though it seemed his influence had nudged her down a different path—no longer solely dedicated to being a coordinator. Zhao Fang wondered just how far she might go in the future, and looked forward to facing her in the Hoenn League.

“The Hoenn League… I wonder what kinds of opponents I’ll encounter when I finally take part.” Zhao Fang gazed at the vast sea, his thoughts adrift, as an expansive sense of possibility welled up inside him.

“Huh? What’s that?” Just as his thoughts were wandering, Zhao Fang’s eyes caught a strange shape drifting in the sky above the sea. Squinting, he made out what seemed to be an airship. It puzzled him—why was there an airship over the ocean?

Curiosity piqued, Zhao Fang still made his way to the pier to buy his ticket. Before doing so, he decided to contact Steven. The Hoenn Champion was notorious for being less than diligent, so Zhao Fang needed to confirm Steven was actually in Kanaz City; otherwise, what was the point of going back—just to pick up an Exp. Share?

Zhao Fang sent Steven a message about the interesting stones he’d just dug up, asking for his opinion. Steven immediately replied, asking for Zhao Fang’s location. After Zhao Fang told him he was at Dewford Pier, Steven simply told him to wait and then sent nothing further.

“Mr. Steven truly loves stones,” Zhao Fang thought with a wry smile. It was no wonder Steven was so famous for his passion; sometimes Zhao Fang suspected that when Team Magma or Team Aqua caused trouble, they would leak news of rare stones just to distract the Champion.

Zhao Fang sat quietly on a bench, but before long, he noticed something odd: more and more people were showing up at the pier, most of them in League uniforms. Soon, the pier was cordoned off, and Zhao Fang and a crowd of onlookers were left standing outside the barricade, watching as several ships set out toward the horizon. Zhao Fang noted that the ships were heading in the same direction as the airship he’d seen earlier—was something happening out there?

At first, Zhao Fang thought the situation was already dramatic enough, but then more ships followed, and even Officer Jenny arrived to maintain order and stop trainers from heading out to sea. Not even Pokémon that knew Surf were allowed out. Witnessing all this, Zhao Fang realized something big was going on.

But what exactly was happening? That question gnawed at Zhao Fang’s curiosity.

Because he was waiting for Steven, Zhao Fang stood outside the pier’s cordon for most of the day. Just as he began to wonder if Steven was even in the region and already flying back, his Pokédex vibrated with a message from Steven.

It turned out Steven had just arrived nearby, but seeing the dense crowds, he hadn’t gotten off—he instead asked Zhao Fang to meet him at a house southwest of Dewford Town.

Following Steven’s directions, Zhao Fang arrived at a beautifully decorated and expansive house. Just as he reached the entrance, a young woman in a maid’s uniform approached, verified his identity, and led him inside.

Upon entering, Zhao Fang saw Steven sitting on a sofa, examining a stone with a magnifying glass while a butler in a black suit dutifully held a lamp nearby.

Zhao Fang couldn’t help but twitch his lips—this house clearly belonged to Steven as well, and the extravagance was almost inhuman.

“Oh? Zhao Fang, sorry to keep you waiting. The League assigned me a task just now, so I had to make you wait a bit.” Steven greeted Zhao Fang with a friendly smile.

Zhao Fang quickly waved off the apology; it seemed the task was related to the recent lockdown, though what sort of mission could keep the Champion busy for four hours was a mystery.

Yes, Zhao Fang had been waiting over four hours for Steven’s message.

But Zhao Fang didn’t mind. If it was something he needed to know, Steven would surely tell him. Instead, Zhao Fang took the stones from his backpack and placed them before Steven.

Steven briefly examined them, set the others aside, and picked up one containing a piece of amber with clear interest. He reached out, and the butler immediately handed him a small flashlight. Steven shone the light through the amber, his brow furrowing in concentration. Then he took out some small tools and carefully tapped at the stone.

In no time, a beautiful piece of amber was in Steven’s hand, inside of which was a strangely shaped insect.

“This is an extraordinary find, Zhao Fang. The other stones aren’t of much value, but this amber is of great importance to the study of ancient creatures... Would you be willing to sell it?” Steven looked at the fossil in his hand with delight, asking eagerly.

Zhao Fang nodded at once. After all, he’d risked being mobbed by a gang of Marowak precisely for a chance to make some money.