From the "Reverse Gravity" move just now, it was clear that Kawaki had a real knack for developing moves.
If he ever became a full-fledged Trainer, that talent could truly shine.
If he became a Champion one day, he could earn money through competitions and endorsements.
And even if he didn't reach Champion level, he could still use his accumulated travel experience to get a job in a field related to Trainers or Pokémon.
Looking at Steven now, Kawaki couldn't help but smile.
Steven was empathizing with him.
That said, Kawaki didn't currently need Devon Corporation's sponsorship. Now that the daycare was running smoothly, those sponsorships should be left for Trainers who truly needed them.
"I wasn't finished earlier," Kawaki said with a shake of his head. "At first, I just wanted to make enough money to support myself and Bewear, but now…"
"Now?" Steven prompted.
Kawaki looked over at Bewear and the Clefairy, then answered:
"Now I just want to run this daycare with everyone, take care of more Pokémon, and gather all my favorite Pokémon in the backyard to raise them. That's my dream."
"That's a great dream," Steven said softly, admiringly.
Kawaki smiled, then asked in return, "What about you, Steven? Is your dream to become the League Champion?"
Steven nodded. "That's just one of my goals on the road to growth."
"Then what is it that you really want to do?" Kawaki pressed further.
Steven looked a bit embarrassed.
Kawaki: "?"
"To be honest, I really like rocks—whether they're ancient fossils, meteorites from space, or rare gems found deep in caves."
"People may find it strange, but to me, they're incredibly fascinating."
When he talked about rocks, Steven's eyes lit up. His voice was filled with elegance and confidence.
Kawaki smiled inwardly.
Yep—this was the Steven he was familiar with.
"Speaking of which... I happen to have a few stones that are nearly impossible to find on this planet."
Saying that, Kawaki stood up and went to the storage room to fetch some meteorites the Clefairy had gifted him.
The moment Steven saw the radiant, shimmering rock, his eyes locked onto it.
A beautiful stone he'd never seen before!
Then he looked up at Kawaki, his eyes burning with desire, his face practically shouting:
I want it!
"Well?" Kawaki asked.
Steven was immediately struck with the urge to spend whatever it took to buy the stone on the spot.
"It's incredibly rare," he said softly, eyes fixed on the rock. "Doesn't seem like it's from this planet. Judging by its appearance and luster, I'd say it's extraterrestrial in origin."
Kawaki nodded. As expected of Steven the stone fanatic—his guess was spot-on.
"Kawaki, would you be willing to sell this stone to me?" Steven finally asked.
"Sorry, this one's not for sale," Kawaki shook his head.
As disappointment flickered across Steven's face, Kawaki continued, "But... I'm open to a trade."
In an instant, Steven's dimmed expression lit up.
He straightened up and asked seriously, "What do you want in return?"
Kawaki glanced at the Clefairy who had gathered around to watch and said, "A Moon Stone."
A Moon Stone?
Steven was momentarily confused, but then noticed the nearby Clefairy.
As he knew, Clefairy evolved into Clefable using a Moon Stone.
Kawaki likely wanted the stone to evolve the daycare's Clefairy into Clefable.
Although Moon Stones weren't exactly common, they were still local to this planet.
Fire Stones, Water Stones, Thunder Stones, Moon Stones—Steven had long since collected them all.
Back when he first got into stones, around seven or eight years old, he had already spent quite a bit on building his collection.
Now, his stone vault was overflowing with evolution stones.
Besides, Moon Stones were commercially available—but this kind of rare meteorite? Priceless.
"Deal," Steven agreed without hesitation.
Then he hesitated—he didn't have any stones on him at the moment.
To fetch one, he'd need to go home, and that wasn't a short trip…
His stone collection wasn't in Rustboro City—it was in Mossdeep City, on the eastern side of Hoenn.
After a short silence, Steven explained his situation.
He expected Kawaki to ask him to go home, retrieve the Moon Stone, and return later for the trade.
Instead, Kawaki said:
"In that case, why don't you take the stone with you now? I'll wait here for you to bring the Moon Stone back."
Steven blinked. Kawaki trusted him that much?
That gesture touched Steven deeply.
He nodded solemnly, took the stone, and left only one line behind: "Please wait for me to return."
Then he left the daycare with his three Pokémon.
Kawaki stared at the information screen in front of him, filled with complex feelings.
[Name: Steven Stone]
[Age: 10]
[Gender: Male]
[Special Ability: Money Power]
[Status: Healthy]
[Mood: Excited]
[Joy: 80]
[Affection: 50 (He considers you a trustworthy partner)]
[Bio: I'm always first, strong and awesome! — Steven]
Kawaki had just accidentally activated his cheat power while focusing on Steven.
Wait a minute… since when could he see human data too?
What was "Money Power" supposed to mean?!
Also, why did Steven's affection level instantly jump to 50?
Is he really that easy to win over?
Kawaki wasn't worried about handing over the meteorite early. As someone who had crossed into this world, he knew exactly what kind of person Steven was.
This was the same Steven who, without hesitation, would stand at the front lines to protect Hoenn when Groudon and Kyogre clashed.
What surprised Kawaki more was that his cheat ability could even display human profiles.
So humans really are just another species of Pokémon, huh?
Steven's special ability was "Money Power"… If it were Lance, would it be "Dragon Mastery"?
"I wonder if I'll get to meet Lance someday," Kawaki muttered.
Lance, Cynthia, Ash, Misty—he was genuinely curious to meet them all.
To get back to Kawaki as soon as possible, Steven didn't waste any time on the road.
After flying for a full day and night, he finally arrived in Mossdeep City.
He hopped on Skarmory and flew straight there.
Once inside, Steven carefully placed the rare meteorite into his personal treasure vault.
Then he turned to the storage area containing his evolution stones.
Over the years, he had gathered quite a number of them.
And now, they were finally going to be useful.
He placed a Moon Stone into his backpack and looked toward his shelf of treasured stones.
Then, he stood up and picked one from the top shelf—a marble-like, crystal-clear stone with swirling orange patterns inside.
Charizard, Blaziken, Ampharos...
As for Kawaki, Steven genuinely hoped they could become friends.
The Moon Stone was just for the trade—but this rare stone? That was a gift to seal their budding friendship.