BRRRRR [Open]
It was a chilly day in Hoenn, but the weather never once deterred Steven from searching for rare stones. As he waded out of the shallow waters of a sea cave near Lilycove, he began to question his decision to look for gemstones in such a place rather than somewhere warmer.
Inside the cave, the breathtaking layers of walls and ceiling distracted Steven enough for him to trip over a stray rock jutting up from the sea floor. He lost his balance, and his frantic reflex was to mash the release button on the nearest pokéball he could get his hands on. The impact of Metagross’s weight crashing into the water drenched Steven from head to toe.
But Steven didn’t complain—even while slogging out of the water to the rocky shores of the cave’s perimeter, brushing clumped locks of his dripping hair out of his eyes.
Backpack heavy with samples, he climbed back to the beach, his soaked socks squishing inside his boots with every step. The ocean breeze made Steven hug his arms across his chest.
Though it was cold, Steven was more concerned with how Metagross was doing, having just polished it less than a week ago. Once he was far enough on Lilycove’s beach, Steven let Metagross out of its pokéball again, the pokémon’s massive weight causing it to sink into the sand.
Steven smiled and nuzzled Metagross’s face before digging through his pockets and retrieving a dripping-wet handkerchief. He wrung it out before kneeling in the sand and beginning the hopeless task of drying off Metagross as well as he could, checking it for any damage.
Engaged with the task at hand, it took Steven a few minutes to notice that someone approached him. Embarrassed, Steven stood up quickly and brushed the wet sand off of his pants. “Oh… Please accept my apologies for causing such a spectacle. I’ll be on my way soon.”