Mossdeep City, Hoenn Region.
Inside a modest villa, a silver-blue haired boy was carefully packing his belongings into a travel bag.
"This should be everything," the boy murmured, slinging the single-strap bag over his shoulder. His attention shifted to the large Pokémon floating beside him.
The creature possessed a hard, metallic silver body shaped like a disc, connected to two massive arms. Its red eyes gleamed with intelligence, while a golden X-shaped mark adorned its face and another spike protruded from its back. Two pairs of golden, blade-like appendages extended diagonally from its sides.
"Metang!" The Steel and Psychic-type Pokémon bobbed in acknowledgment.
A slight smile crossed the boy's face as he turned toward a full-length mirror leaning against the wall.
His short, silver-blue hair complemented his bright, observant eyes of the same color. He wore a grey and white checkered jacket over a black high-collared shirt, paired with black trousers and boots.
At 1.7 meters tall, he stood at a respectable height for his age.
Combined with his refined features and natural elegance, he cut an impressive figure.
This was Steven Stone, sixteen years old, and today marked the beginning of his Pokémon journey.
This world operated somewhat differently from what the boy remembered from his past life. Originally, trainers could begin their journeys at ten years old, but regulations had changed, raising the minimum age to sixteen.
"Let's go, Metang." Steven gently patted his Pokémon's metallic head, his smile widening.
"Metang!" The Pokémon responded enthusiastically, its body rising and falling in excitement.
Steven took a deep breath, his smile never wavering.
"Being Steven Stone really is wonderful."
This wasn't the first time such thoughts had crossed his mind. Ever since gaining consciousness in this new life, he had marveled at his circumstances.
He was wealthy, had good looks, natural talent, and even possessed a Shiny Beldum as his first Pokémon—an incredibly rare gift.
It was fortunate that his own abilities weren't lacking; otherwise, Steven's inherent potential might have gone to waste.
Perhaps it was the merging of his consciousness with the original Steven that resulted in such exceptional talent.
Regardless, his interests aligned closely with the Steven he remembered from his previous knowledge of this world.
Steven descended the stairs. In the first-floor living room, several exquisite stones sat on display, each protected by a glass case like museum pieces.
"No matter how many times I see them, they're still absolutely stunning," Steven said softly, leaning down to examine the stones within their cases. Their shimmering, multicolored surfaces would captivate anyone who laid eyes on them.
He still loved collecting rare stones and minerals.
Whether this passion stemmed from his father's influence or Steven's original personality, he couldn't say for certain.
Either way, Steven remained someone who treasured discovering and collecting beautiful stones.
It was precisely because he shared this hobby with his father, Joseph Stone, that his father had gifted him a Shiny Beldum.
This gave Steven the means to protect himself, allowing him to join mining expeditions and excavate rare minerals safely.
Now that Steven had turned sixteen, he planned to first aim for becoming the Hoenn Region's Champion while encountering various Pokémon along the way.
"Let's go, Metang!"
"Metang?"
Metang tugged gently at Steven's collar with its psychic power, directing his attention toward a gift box sitting on the table.
"Hmm? From Father?" Steven wondered aloud, though he couldn't think of anyone else who would leave him a present.
Steven picked up the box and opened it, finding only a brand-new Poké Ball and a handwritten note inside.
The note contained his father's well-wishes for a successful journey, along with a request that Steven visit the Devon Corporation headquarters in Rustboro City before officially beginning his travels.
The Pokémon contained within the Poké Ball was Joseph's gift to his son for this important milestone.
"Rustboro City, then? That works perfectly. Perhaps I can explore Rusturf Tunnel for interesting stones. Granite Cave in Dewford Town isn't far from there either." Steven began planning his route mentally.
He had always wanted to catch an Aron with strong potential, but his father had been occupied with expanding the company, and his mother had passed away when he was young.
Steven had grown up surrounded by books and stone collections, which contributed to his extensive knowledge base.
However, constantly asking for things wasn't in his nature.
There was a significant difference between requesting something and receiving it as a gift.
If someone chose to give freely, Steven would accept graciously.
"Come out, new partner!" Steven held the Poké Ball carefully. Unlike some trainers who dramatically threw their Poké Balls, he preferred a more measured approach. While Poké Balls had an automatic return function, Steven rarely used such flashy methods under normal circumstances.
White light filled the living room, revealing a Pokémon covered entirely in metallic silver armor that resembled a knight's plating. Red coloring showed on the undersides of its wings, and its sharp beak gleamed dangerously as it met Steven's gaze.
"A Skarmory. It's nice to meet you." Steven offered the Steel and Flying-type Pokémon a gentle smile and extended his hand in greeting.
Skarmory remained still, studying Steven's face for several seconds before finally lowering its head.
Taking this as acceptance, Steven stroked Skarmory's smooth, hardened head plating.
A Pokémon's strength could generally be assessed through its aura and physical condition.
This Skarmory's power wasn't particularly formidable yet, but it was significantly stronger than most typical starter Pokémon.
Still, Skarmory was considerably weaker compared to Metang's current level.
A fully grown Skarmory typically stood around 1.7 meters tall, but this one measured roughly 1.5 meters—about a head shorter than Steven.
Like Steven himself, the Pokémon was still in its juvenile stage and hadn't finished growing.
"Say hello to each other, Metang, Skarmory." Steven maintained his calm, friendly demeanor.
"Metang!"
"Skaaar!"
The two Steel-type Pokémon began their introduction, and Steven felt confident the somewhat shy Skarmory would quickly adapt to its new companion.
"It's getting late. I need to catch my flight to Rustboro City." Steven retrieved some Pokéblocks formulated specifically for Steel-type Pokémon and offered them to Skarmory before recalling the Armor Bird Pokémon into its ball.
He then climbed onto Metang's disc-shaped body.
Compared to the experienced Metang, Skarmory lacked any practice carrying a trainer during flight, so Steven chose to have his trusted partner transport him to Mossdeep City's airport.
The airport wasn't far from Steven's home, though he attracted considerable attention during the journey.
"Being this handsome can be troublesome sometimes," Steven sighed quietly, though his smile remained firmly in place.
Beyond Steven's appearance, the Shiny Metang alone was enough to draw every eye in the vicinity.
After efficiently completing the check-in process, Steven boarded his flight to Rustboro City.
The plane landed around noon.
Upon arriving at Rustboro City's airport, Steven once again found himself the subject of many stares as he disembarked.
Already accustomed to the attention, Steven maintained his pleasant expression. After exiting the airport, he released Metang and headed directly toward Devon Corporation's headquarters.
Joseph's secretary recognized Steven immediately and escorted him directly to the president's office on the top floor.
The secretary opened the door and gestured for Steven to enter.
Steven nodded his thanks and stepped inside. The secretary closed the door behind him.
"Father." Steven bowed slightly in formal greeting.
He reserved "Dad" for private moments; in person, "Father" felt more appropriate.
"You're here." Joseph, who had been working at his desk, looked up with a faint smile.
"I called you here to give you something." Joseph retrieved an object resembling an older model cell phone from his desk drawer and placed it on the surface between them.
"This is the new PokéNav device our company has developed. It functions as a convenient phone and can also record Pokémon data, display maps, and more."
After all, not everyone in this world possessed a Pokédex—only those recognized by Professor Oak received that honor.
The Pokédex served more as a status symbol than anything else.
The PokéNav was essentially a simplified version of the Pokédex with limited recording capabilities, combined with basic phone functions.
More advanced smartphones and even Rotom Phones would likely be released in the coming years.
"You'll need to register your information and add my contact details. Soon, the PokéNav will be distributed throughout the Hoenn Region and eventually worldwide."
"Understood, Father." Steven nodded, examining the device. The PokéNav reminded him of the old-fashioned mobile phones from his previous life.
He quickly familiarized himself with the interface, mastering the device's operations within minutes.
Father and son talked for a while longer, with Joseph reminding Steven to prioritize his safety during his travels before finally allowing him to leave Devon Corporation.
And with that, Steven Stone's journey truly began.