Chapter 49: Museum - II

"Ouch!"

Aeron woke up from his thoughts when he heard Misty's yelp. 'Did she crash into something or someone?' This wasn't impossible since the girls were running up the narrow stairs. 'Hopefully, it's nothing troublesome.'

It didn't take less than a few seconds for him to catch up to the girls and a young man dressed in a fine black suit.

"I am sorry; we should have been more careful."

"It's alright." The young man with bluish-silver hair shook his head with a polite smile. "I was holding up the entrance as well." He looked at the two girls before hesitantly asking. "If you are here alone, how about we see the museum together?"

If it was before, Misty might have accepted the offer of the boy who was not only good-looking but also a gentleman. However, now she only had one thought in her mind.

'Annoying.'

"We are here with our boyfriend." Nessa knew Misty's short temper and directly intervened. She chose to be direct, and her words seemed to have an effect since the blue-haired boy did not pester them.

"I was rude." The blue-haired boy had a small, embarrassed smile at the rejection. It was only then he noticed a black-haired boy walking towards them.

"All good?" Aeron asked the girls, ignoring the blue-haired boy for now. "Anyone hurt?"

"It was my fault," Misty explained. "I was running ahead and then...well, you can guess."

"Be more careful." Shaking his head at her clumsiness, Aeron gave her head pat before turning his attention to the other boy. "I hope everything is settled."

"Don't worry. As I said earlier, I am also at fault for blocking the entrance." The blue-haired boy dismissed Aeron's words and then added. "And you are?"

"Aeron Duskborn, and I am their boyfriend."

"I am Steven Stone; it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Misty Williams."

"Nessa Rurina."

They all introduced each other, and Steven Stone was left surprised.

"The youngest Waterflower and the future heir of Galar's Water-type Gym?" The boy could not help but ask. The two girls held quite some fame in their respective regions. However, what surprised him the most was the name of the black-haired boy accompanying them. "Aeron Duskborn?"

"We know each other?" The Duskborn asked, confused by how the famous Steven Stone knew of him.

"Well, you just beat everyone's record at [PKC]; it is hard not to know you since now I am ranked fourth," Steven said with a smile, and his tone had no hard feeling even though Aeron was the reason he was no longer in top three. He politely raised his hand forward.

"Steven Stone as in...Sir Steven Stone of Hoenn?" Aeron took his hand, surprised to see the blue-haired boy in Kanto.

"It is but a title. You can call me Steven." The blue-haired boy shook his head. "And it is also a pleasure to finally meet you."

"Likewise."

"Would you mind giving me some of your time in the evening?" Steven asked Aeron in a polite tone. While he was of a higher social standing than the three of them, he had no arrogance or pride because of it.

"Can I ask why?" The Duskborn frowned since he could find no reason why the future heir of Devon Corp. would like to meet with him.

"I am a collector, and when I heard about a set of peculiar rocks being sold off in Pewter City, I flew over the same day. However..."

"You mean the Truth Seeker Orbs?" Aeron asked and then added. "That's what I named them. However, I will not be selling them off."

Steven gave a wry smile since he knew Aeron was very serious, and no amount of money could shake him off. Moreover, he found it rude to pester someone to sell off something they owned.

"Then can I at least have a look at them?"

Aeron thought for a second and then nodded. "We are staying at Pewter City Pokémon Centre."

After the duo arranged for a time, they brought their attention back to the museum. Nessa and Misty had already gone off to explore with the rest of their Pokémon except Abra, who was still in Aeron's arms.

"Will you be participating in the Indigo League?" Aeron asked as the two boys walked around the museum, looking at the satellites that were made in the past but were later destroyed by an unknown entity.

"No." To his surprise, Steven shook his head in refusal. "While it's been a year since I got my trainer license, I have not officially started my Pokémon Journey. For now, I am going around the world catching some strong Pokémon." He spoke without any reservations; it had been a while since he had a friendly conversation with someone. Most kids his age would always end up sucking up to him or being afraid to start a conversation. "While I did come to Kanto for those stones you named Truth Seeker Orbs, there is also a Pokémon I had been searching for residing within this region."

"A Pokémon that made you come so far from Hoenn?" Aeron stopped his steps and looked at Steven with an amused look. What kind of a Pokémon could make someone come this far?

The blue-haired boy thought for a bit before giving a few hints.

"I heard rumours of a giant Rock Serpent residing within the depth of Rock Tunnels." Steven looked at Aeron as he described what he knew. "Its size is at least twice that of the rest of its species."

"A giant Onix?" Aeron raised an eyebrow since they were the only Pokémon called Rock Serpents. "But aren't you afraid I will snoop in before you and grab that Pokémon for myself?"

"I trust you," Steven said those words with a mysterious undertone as if he was implying more than what he said. Suddenly, he remembered something and immediately asked. "Where is the other guy?"

"Who?"

"Nessa and Misty came with their boyfriends; you should be one, and the other is..."

"It's just me," Aeron responded before he walked toward the statue of a man around which the girls and their Pokémon had gathered. On the other hand, Steven was rooted to the ground as the reality of Aeron's words sank in.

"B-both?" He looked at Aeron, who now had his arms locked with two beautiful Water Trainers.

"Fuck."

-

"Sir Aaron, the Knight of Rota Empire, was a strong Pokémon Trainer and a researcher who had greatly contributed to what we know about Pokémon today. While he had a lot of different artifacts on himself, one that never left his side was the glasses he wore almost all the time. The statue before you has the authentic glasses that Sir Aaron had used. While the design of these glasses had been copied by many of his fans, the original piece has been preserved by Pewter City Museum for decades after they were found."

Misty read through the stone tablet beside the statue of a man in his early thirties. He had long hair with a hat covering his face. However, the glasses that the stone tablet spoke of were visible to all on his handsome face. He wore a long cape on his back with a long metal rod in his right hand. He looked like a wise sage that had come to bestow knowledge upon the mortal world.

"How can they be so sure those glasses are real?" Nessa questioned.

"They were provided to the museum by the Rota Royal Family after they had recovered a few things from an ancient ruin," Misty answered as she had read about it in an online forum. She squinted and carefully looked at the glasses before turning to the boy beside her. "Aren't those glasses exactly like yours?"

"You are also a fan of Sir Aaron?" Steven asked when he saw the uncanny resemblance between the glasses and took out his pair. "Should have told me we are fellow admirers."

"Can't let them find out I am into guys too." Aeron joked, making the two girls and the blue-haired boy laugh. "Jokes aside, is there something special about these glasses?"

"I don't think so." Steven shook his head. "What makes these glasses special is that Sir Aaron wore them; other than that, they are very..." He paused, thinking about the right word to describe his thoughts.

"Mundane?" Nessa suggested from the side.

"Exactly." Steven immediately agreed. "There are many objects that just hold historical value." He was a historian and a rock collector. Having done a lot of research on such objects, he had not found anything interesting about these glasses. "By the way..." A thought crossed his mind as he looked at the black-haired boy beside him. "Your name bears an uncanny resemblance to Sir Aaron."

"Aaron...Aeron." Misty muttered the names under her breath. "Don't tell me you are long lost son." She made a surprised expression as if she had discovered a huge secret.

Aeron sighed as he made a resigned expression. "You have found the truth. " He spoke in a horse voice, acting like an old man who had lived for countless years. "I am an old man in a young man's body." He sighed while shaking his head. "Come here, little girl; let me tell you the stories of my youth."

Nessa, Misty and Steven looked at Aeron, acting like an old man, before the four burst into laughter.

"That was such a good acting." Nessa wiped the tears from her eyes. "You would make a great actor."

"I almost believed it as well," Steven added jokingly.

Aeron smiled as he enjoyed the moment, and he could feel he had gained another friend in Steven...and something told him their friendship would go a long way.

"Shall we explore the rest of the museum now?" Misty asked after she stopped laughing, and the other three agreed before the group went around the whole museum, exploring the ancient technology. They did not know when the time flew by and another day of their journey was coming to its end.

Four of them walked out of the museum once it was a little before 5 p.m. and walked back to the Pokémon Centre. Their Pokémon were already in their Pokeballs except for Abra and Pidgey, who were nestled on Aeron; the Psychic Pokémon was on his head while the Bird Pokémon was perched atop his shoulders.

"I am famished." Misty dragged her feet as she walked.

"Shall we eat first?" Steven suggested. "My treat."

"Let's go!" The orange-haired girl was ready for food.

"Where should we go?" The blue-haired boy asked. He had never been to Pewter City and had no clue what was a good restaurant to visit at this time.

"I want to eat...I don't care where." Nessa said from the side in a tired tone. She and Misty had both skipped lunch, and now they were starving.

"I know a place," Aeron suggested, and once the other three agreed, he led them through the streets of Pewter City with a smile.

'Friends...'

He looked at their small group; his gaze stayed on Steven for a few seconds before landing on the two girls walking close to him.

'Family?'