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Launce is the current president of Devon Corporation and Steven Stone's father.
Steven's passion for collecting rocks was inherited from Launce, so he was well aware of his son's habits. Since underground mining often resulted in poor signal reception, all important notifications were sent via text messages.
When Steven checked his father's message, his initial reaction was surprise, but soon, his expression became… odd.
Without hesitation, he tapped on his Pokédex and called his father.
The call connected instantly.
"Oh? Steven, it looks like you've come out of the mountains. How was it? Did you dig up any rare rocks?"
Steven sighed. Of course, his father's first question was about rocks.
"I did make some discoveries, Father. Also, I saw your message."
"Oh? Good. But don't take it too seriously—it's just something surprising that came up. I never expected Elite Agatha to have a grandson."
Steven raised an eyebrow.
"Agatha's grandson?"
"Yes, though I heard she was never married, so it seems the child was adopted. His name is Maen. If you run into him, you should get to know him. No need to force it, though."
Steven hesitated for a moment.
"Uh, Father… I've already met Maen."
"Oh? I suppose that makes sense. You were in Mt. Moon, and he must have passed through after challenging Pewter Gym. But what do you think of him?"
At his father's question, Steven immediately recalled what had happened in the ancient tomb—the ghost Pokémon willingly looting the sarcophagus, Maen cheerfully dividing the treasures, and Steven himself ultimately giving in to temptation and taking the fossils.
He nearly blurted out the words "big villain."
But he held back and instead said cautiously, "He's a good friend… but a little bad."
"...???"
For a man as experienced as Launce, this was a truly baffling description.
What did his son mean by "a good friend… but a little bad?"
However, Launce didn't press the matter. He knew Steven well—his son was polite to everyone, but he had few true friends.
The last time Steven called someone his friend, it was Wallace—the student of Juan, the Sootopolis Gym Leader, and a future gym heir.
This meant that in Steven's eyes, Maen was at least on par with Wallace.
Since his father didn't ask further, Steven quickly changed the topic to discuss his plan for collecting MEGA Evolution Stones.
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Meanwhile…
After parting ways with Steven, Maen rushed to Cerulean City before nightfall. The first thing he did was head straight to the Pokémon Center—he needed a good night's rest.
Spending an entire day exploring a cave had left him drained, and he didn't have the energy to do anything else.
The next morning, Maen was up early, jogging through the city streets as part of his daily training routine.
He had maintained this habit for years.
After all, being a trainer wasn't just about Pokémon—it also required physical endurance. If he couldn't even walk long distances, traveling would be impossible.
As he ran, Maen thought about his next destination.
First, he decided not to challenge the Cerulean Gym.
Currently, the gym's leadership was in a messy state. Misty's father had tragically lost his life earlier in the year while fighting criminals. Since the gym challenge system couldn't be canceled, Misty's three older sisters had taken over as temporary gym leaders.
However, they were still kids. As a result, Cerulean Gym had essentially become a free badge giveaway.
Unless the challenger was on the level of a Bug Catcher, almost anyone could win a badge.
Normally, the Pokémon League had strict gym evaluation standards—a gym that handed out badges too easily could lose its official status.
But because Misty's father had died serving the League, the Alliance decided to keep Cerulean Gym active.
Maen actually respected the Cerulean Sisters for how they handled things.
Rather than pretending to be skilled trainers, they embraced their strengths—eventually transforming the Cerulean Gym into a water performance venue that brought in huge revenue for the city.
With such an economic boost, the gym could maintain its status until Misty was old enough to become a proper Gym Leader.
Maen had no interest in taking advantage of the situation.
Beating up that annoying Bug Catcher Kid back in Pewter City had been justified—but bullying three young girls? That wasn't his style.
With Cerulean Gym ruled out, Maen focused on other plans.
Just as he was thinking, he noticed something strange.
Outside a clothing store, a red-haired man was staring intently at the window display.
Maen slowed his pace, watching carefully.
The man's posture reminded him of certain "free shopping" enthusiasts from his past life—people who stared at merchandise just before making a move.
"Is this guy planning to steal something?"
Maen's gaze sharpened, his mind already assessing the situation.
The red-haired man sensed the scrutiny and turned his head, meeting Maen's eyes.
After a brief pause, he quickly waved his hands in a panic.
"Wait! Don't be nervous, I'm not a bad guy!"
Maen froze.
For a second, he couldn't believe his own eyes.
Yesterday, he had met Steven Stone—and today, he had somehow run into the future Dragon-type Elite…
"Lance."
Recognizing the famous Dragon Master, Maen relaxed immediately.
Lance, noticing the change in Maen's expression, sighed in relief.
Then, he looked at Maen carefully, as if trying to recall something.
A second later, a smile appeared on Lance's face as he stepped forward and extended his hand.
"Hello, Maen. It's nice to meet you. My name is Lance."
Maen blinked.
"Huh? How do you know my name?"
This was their first meeting, yet Lance had called him by name.
Seeing Maen's confusion, Lance chuckled.
"It's a long story. Let me explain..."
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