Pokémon: Above the Top-Chapter 269: The Rolling Tide of History

"If I'm not mistaken, it's a Grass-type Energy Crystal," Steven said seriously after carefully examining it once more.

"Really? It's so ugly..." Sato couldn't help but complain. If this dried-up root were left on the road, no one would even bother to pick it up.

No, actually, no one would pick it up for sure!

Then, Sato took out a finely sealed, luxury box from his backpack and cautiously placed the dried-up roo- no, the Grass-type Energy Crystal inside, preparing to give it to Cacturne when they returned.

"What about yours?" Sato turned to Steven, who was also packing away the meteoric iron ball.

"This is Starfall Iron. After proper processing, it can be used to enhance the physique of Steel-type Pokémon," Steven explained without holding back.

As soon as Sato heard this, he understood the rarity of the meteorite. Steel-type Pokémon were known for their sturdy builds and multi-type resistances.

At the same time, improving the physical toughness of Steel-types was extremely difficult; like the difference between scoring 60 to 80 versus going from 90 to a perfect 100. The higher the starting point, the harder it was to improve.

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'Seems like my energy crystal wasn't carefully selected by Ralts after all. I didn't even bring Cacturne on this "expedition",' Sato thought with a slight tinge of frustration.

However, thinking about the Rock-type Origin Ore still waiting for him from Steven made his mood inexplicably better.

Still, this undersea exploration had to be ended early.

What made Sato feel even more conflicted was that, on their way back to the submarine, they unexpectedly stumbled upon a wandering Cradily.

After casually asking the others for their thoughts, Steven happily ran over and captured the Cradily.

All that could be said was that the tide of history was simply too fierce. One way or another, Steven still ended up capturing a Cradily.

Given Steven's deep pockets, he could easily invest enough resources to raise it to Pseudo-Elite Four level. As a support Pokémon, Cradily was indeed reliable.

In fact, the Seafloor Cavern still held many unsolved mysteries.

The treasure hidden in the underground space, the light shining from the dome above, the freely evolving and devolving Gardevoir, and the living Fossil Pokémon.

However, none of that had anything to do with them anymore. After a "mutual and equal" exchange with the Elite Four level Gardevoir, they took their "hush money" and chose to leave.

Eventually, the four of them obediently returned to the submarine, ready to officially depart the Seafloor Cavern.

The submarine slowly powered up, submerged, and began retreating along the same path they had taken.

---

Once the submarine completely passed through the hook-shaped tunnel, a faint purple glow suddenly flickered at the entrance of the Seafloor Cavern.

Ralts stared at the seawater passage connecting to the outside world, then lifted her head and looked far into the distance.

"Ralts~"

Ralts let out a soft cry. Her eyes then lit up with a pale purple glow, and she directed her power toward the surrounding rock walls and seawater.

The earth shook, stones collapsed, and seawater rushed in. As the final stone sealed the entire underground cavern and seawater completely filled the space, Ralts' figure had already vanished.

---

On the submarine, Mark was still eagerly asking questions about the Shiny Stone, and Joseph was also listening attentively by his side.

"The 'quality' of an Evolution Stone mainly depends on the purity of its energy," Steven explained patiently. "The purer the Evolution Stone, the more it can help a Pokémon achieve a perfect evolution."

"What's a perfect evolution?"

"A perfect evolution is..."

Sato tuned out. He already knew about perfect evolution; his Gengar had achieved it by chance.

He'd long since experienced its benefits firsthand, so the Evolution Stones given to Mark and Joseph were definitely no less valuable than an energy crystal or even an Origin Ore.

While the four of them were deeply engaged in their conversation, none of them noticed the green-haired little girl hiding behind a large crate in the corner of the cabin, secretly eavesdropping on everything they said.

What was even more surprising was that not even Sato, who possessed Dark Energy, sensed her presence.

After another 36 hours of travel, they finally saw the light again. No matter how bright the white crystals were, they could never match the warmth and comfort of real sunlight.

"Ahhh, I, The Great Mark, have finally returned!" Mark shouted dramatically after getting off the submarine.

Sato and Joseph ignored him without changing expression, then casually flanked Steven on either side and slipped into the car prepared by Steven's butler.

It wasn't until the car was about to drive off that Mark suddenly realized he was the only one left standing outside.

"Hey hey hey, wait for me!"

---

Steven brought the travel-worn trio directly to his home. After all, they'd gone through thick and thin together, bonding after a battle was only natural.

But honestly, in the beginning, Steven had only agreed to everything to obtain information about Mega Evolution.

Bringing Sato into the Seafloor Cavern had seemed, in Steven's view, like offering Sato a chance to grow faster.

When he learned that Sato planned to bring his two companions along, Steven had been somewhat displeased inside.

However, thanks to his refined upbringing, he rarely embarrassed people openly. So in the end, he agreed and even prepared himself to look after them along the way.

Steven wasn't a bad person... just extremely proud.

But as he gradually witnessed Joseph and Mark's abilities in the Seafloor Cavern, his pride remained, yet he began to categorize all three of them as worth befriending.

And once Steven truly decided to befriend the trio, even Sato had to admit...Steven's way of handling things after changing his attitude was incredibly likable.

"Sato, here's the Origin Ore I promised you," Steven said immediately upon arriving home, wasting no time in handing it over.

"The USB contains everything I know about Mega Evolution. I hope it helps."

"Hahaha, you might not believe this, but I was really into rocks at the time, and when the Joy family was secretly collecting Mega Stones, I accidentally caught wind of it. And well, you know how it goes... hahahaha."

"...I'm starting to think one Origin Ore isn't enough," Sato said after a moment of silence, unable to hold back.

"Even though I'm strong, I'm also an excellent businessman. All sales are final," Steven replied cheerfully, shamelessly grinning without the slightest trace of his former "aristocratic" aloofness.

Sato couldn't quite adjust to this side of him.

"Since you're a businessman, and you've got so many 'stones'... how about we make a deal?" Sato suddenly said, an idea forming in his mind.

"Go ahead, I'll give you the friends-and-family discount!"