Steven Stone. Son of the president of the Devon Corporation, Champion of the Hoenn League, a master of Steel-type Pokémon, and a man who loved collecting rare stones.
That last hobby had earned him a top spot in the fan-dubbed "Triumvirate of Recluses"—three unbelievably powerful trainers who were notoriously bad at the public aspects of their jobs. The other two members were Volkner, who spent all his time tinkering with electronics and causing city-wide blackouts, and Riley, who seemed to have retired permanently to Iron Island to play with his Lucario. Even now, Zane could still remember one of Steven's lines that had been famously butchered by a bootleg translation: "In the end, I am number one, strong and amazing."
As the trainers' introduction graphics appeared on the screen, Zane's gaze locked onto the young man with silver-blue hair and matching eyes. Steven was probably about sixteen at this point in the timeline, his energetic face radiating pure confidence.
"It's starting, it's starting!" Tsuyoshi shouted, practically bouncing in his seat.
Since he already knew the outcome of the match, Zane's reaction was much more subdued.
The referee's whistle blew. Amidst the roar of the live audience, both trainers sent out their first Pokémon. Steven's Skarmory was flawlessly raised. His opponent, the side character whose name Zane couldn't even remember, sent out a Pidgeot.
The Pokémon League Conference, no matter the region, was the pinnacle of competition. Every trainer who made it this far had fought their way through countless trials and adventures.
Under Steven's calm and precise commands, the Skarmory tore through its opponent's team with swift, powerful moves. The Pidgeot fainted. The Skarmory landed back in front of Steven, almost completely unscathed.
"A-amazing...!" Tsuyoshi breathed, completely captivated.
What followed was an even more dominant performance. Steven's Skarmory proceeded to complete a full one-on-three sweep. What was even more terrifying was that, throughout the entire process, Steven's expression remained calm and composed, as if everything was going exactly according to his predictions. The battle ended without Zane even catching a glimpse of Steven's ace, Metagross. He had defeated his opponent and won the championship using only two of his Pokémon. It was a complete and utter stomp, the kind of crushing victory that made you gasp.
Can I ever become a trainer with that kind of strength?
Zane replayed Steven's calm decision-making and precise predictions in his mind, asking himself the question. Compared to the grand finals of the Pokémon League, his battle between Budew and Corphish was like watching a graduate student compete against a kindergartener. They weren't even in the same league.
But how will I know if I don't try?
In that moment, a firm resolve settled in Zane's heart. He would work with his Pokémon and strive to reach the very peak of the trainer world.
But first, he had to save up some money.
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The next morning, Zane was in the bathroom getting ready to take Budew out for some more move practice. As he was looking in the mirror, Gengar suddenly phased out of it, making a scary face.
Zane's expression didn't change. He just continued wiping his face with a towel.
For the first time in its existence, Gengar began to doubt its ability to be scary. "Are you really not afraid?" it asked, looking devastated.
Zane glanced at it and told the honest truth. "I just think you're kind of cute."
After everything those ancient humans had done to it, the "curse" born from its grudge was just giving people nightmares. The cold air it gave off could even double as a free air conditioner in the summer. Compared to other Ghost-type Pokémon, this Gengar was actually pretty kind and innocent. On top of that, it wanted to eat cute things like ice cream and little cakes. That, combined with its attempts to look sinister, just created an endearing, "gap moe" contrast.
Being called cute for the first time, Gengar actually blushed. "Well, I'm still not going to tell you where the other treasures are," it mumbled, before diving back into the mirror and disappearing.
After washing his face, Zane headed out as usual with Budew and Cramorant. It was late autumn now; next month, winter would begin. The weather was starting to get cold. A chilly autumn wind blew, and Budew shivered and snuggled deeper into Zane's arms.
"Nini~"
Zane had noticed it too. He thought for a moment, then took his two Pokémon to a store and bought a scarf for each of them.
"There," Zane said, tying the first scarf around Budew before moving on to Cramorant. He stroked the bird's head. "You can't go in the water with this on," he instructed. "You'll get the scarf wet. Besides, we're not short on food anymore. You don't need to bring things back from outside." It had taken him a while, but he'd finally realized that Cramorant's hunting was its way of making sure he didn't go hungry.
"Gah?"
Cramorant tilted its head, still not understanding.
Zane sighed. It didn't matter. He had already decided he was going to take care of this bird for the rest of its life.
While he was out, besides the scarves, he bought some other daily necessities: basic healing potions, some snacks that Grass-types liked, and so on. Most of it was for Budew and Cramorant. His own needs were simple; as long as he had enough to eat and warm clothes to wear, he was content. Looking at all the miscellaneous items in his bag, he suddenly had the strange feeling that he was a parent raising children.
He shook his head, pushing the unnecessary thought away. He decided to drop the stuff off at home before taking Budew out to train.
Gengar watched as Zane put the scarves on Budew and Cramorant, a pang of envy in its ghostly heart. A thought couldn't help but bubble up: If only I had met this human sooner.
But there were no "if onlys" in this world. Gengar retreated back into its Sealing Orb, dejected.
Zane had, of course, noticed the Gengar's reaction. From his shopping bag, he pulled out another scarf—a pink one with a cute, chibi Eevee pattern printed on it. He saw Gengar as a pitiful, wandering soul who was temporarily crashing at his place. When he was in the store, he thought of their conversation that morning, saw the scarf, and thought it would suit the ghost. He'd bought it on impulse. It was only after he'd paid that he remembered Gengar couldn't actually touch it. But since he'd already bought it, he figured he could give it as a winter gift to the poor ghost.
Zane bundled the scarf up and wrapped it around the Sealing Orb, then left with Budew.
The room quickly fell silent. Gengar emerged from the orb and froze when it saw the scarf. It floated in front of the desk. Even though it couldn't feel it, it gently stroked the soft fabric with its ghostly claws.
The wind outside was very, very cold, blowing into the room through a crack in the window. It rustled the pages of an open book on the desk, making a soft, fluttering sound.
The sound seemed to echo in Gengar's heart. In that moment, for the first time in centuries, it felt the sudden urge to cry.
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