An Unexpected Visitor

Taking a deep breath as he stepped out of the car, Steven felt the distinctly different air of Verdanturf Town compared to Rusboro City, and his mood instantly improved.

After spending two days on the road, he had finally reached Verdanturf Town from Rusboro City.

Walking along the streets of Verdanturf Town, Steven felt a sense of inner peace that had been absent for a while. This was a quaint little town with fresh air and beautiful surroundings. The pedestrians here all wore smiles, a far cry from the always-rushed city dwellers in Rusboro.

Approaching a fruit stall, Steven asked a woman there, "Excuse me, ma'am. How do I get to YoYo Day Care?"

The woman looked up to see a handsome young man asking for directions and beamed, "Young man, are you here to buy Pokémon? Oh my, YoYo Day Care has become quite famous recently. Many people are coming to buy Pokémon, and they even got interviewed by a TV station. You've got good taste."

"Is that so? I didn't realize YoYo Day Care was this famous!" Steven feigned surprise.

"Absolutely. Let me tell you, that Little Yuga is becoming quite talented! Opening up their Day Care and making it more vibrant than ever," the woman spoke about Yuga with a prideful tone, as if he were her own child.

"Is this 'Yuga' you're talking about the owner of YoYo Day Care?" Steven asked curiously.

"Of course, who else could that 'Yuga' be? That kid is truly talented, and their Day Care is gaining quite the reputation," the woman continued to praise Yuga endlessly, like a torrent of words that kept pouring out. Since it didn't cost anything to shower people with praise, she did so with gusto.

Finally getting the directions from the woman, Steven hastened away. He had had enough of her verbosity.

It seemed that when YoYo Day Care chose its location, it took into consideration the size required for a Day Care, so it was situated on the outskirts of Verdanturf Town. Fortunately, the town wasn't large to begin with, so Steven quickly arrived at the entrance of YoYo Day Care.

Standing on the street, he saw a YoYo Day Care on the left and another on the right. The only difference was that the house on the left appeared older, while the one on the right looked newer.

Gazing at the new store on the right, Steven mumbled to himself, "This must be the new store they mentioned in the interview! I wonder if I should visit the new store first or the old one?"

Just then, he saw a child chasing after a Skitty from the old store, followed by a woman who picked up the child and Skitty, about to return inside.

Recognizing the woman as a staff member of YoYo Day Care, someone he had seen in the interview, though he couldn't recall her name, Steven called out, "Excuse me."

Turning around with the child and Skitty in her arms, the woman faced Steven, asking, "Is there something you need, sir?"

"I'd like to meet your boss. Is he here?" Steven inquired.

"Of course, if he wasn't here, where else could he be?" the woman replied with a smile. "Please, come with me."

Steven followed the woman into YoYo Day Care.

Inside the Day Care, Steven scanned the surroundings. Several customers were currently selecting Pokéblocks at the counter, indicating good business.

"Just wait here for a moment, I'll fetch our boss," the woman said, setting down the child and Skitty in her arms.

"Sure, thank you!" Steven replied with a smile.

"Dian, stay in the store and don't run around, okay? If you act like you did just now, Mommy will get angry," the woman warned the child before leaving.

As the woman left, the child, named Dian, picked up the Skitty by his feet and quietly observed the young man before him.

Seeing the child named Dian staring at him so intently, Steven met his gaze. The two of them engaged in this seemingly pointless staring contest while waiting for Yuga to arrive.

Meanwhile, on the second floor, when Suzuki Koen came to find Yuga, he found Yuga talking with Misaki in his room, with Windy present as well. Upon seeing Suzuki, Yuga addressed both of them, "That's how things stand. You two can head back now."

After listening to Yuga's words, Windy and Misaki nodded, then got up and left Yuga's room.

"Sister Koen, what's up? Did you need something from me?" Yuga asked, puzzled.

Suzuki Koen replied, "There's a guy downstairs looking for you."

"A guy looking for me? Who is it?" Yuga asked, confused.

"I don't know," Suzuki Koen shook her head, "I haven't seen him before."

"Let's go down and check it out." Intrigued, Yuga and Suzuki Koen went downstairs together.

Arriving downstairs, Suzuki Koen pointed at Steven, who was silently locked in a stare-down with Dian, and said, "No, it's him."

Steven!

Following Suzuki Koen's direction, Yuga looked over with a hint of surprise.

With his lightly blue hair and a fairly handsome face, Yuga instantly recognized the future Champion.

Why is he here? He said he wanted to find me, but I don't know him!

Baffled, Yuga approached Steven.

"Hello, did you want to see me?" Yuga walked up to him and greeted.

Hearing Yuga's voice, Steven lifted his head, ending the stare-down with Dian.

"Yes, Mr. Shimizu, don't you remember me?" Steven's opening words left Yuga a bit perplexed.

??? Should I recognize you? Although I do know about you, this is our first meeting. I can't really say I know you!

Seeing Yuga's puzzled expression, Steven continued, "Desert, Lavaridge Town, don't you recall?"

Yuga still didn't understand what he was talking about.

"You saved a person in the desert and also had a Lairon with you."

Hearing this, Yuga finally remembered. It seemed he did save someone while leaving the Hoenn Desert, but if Steven hadn't mentioned it, he would've completely forgotten.

"You're that person?"

Really? What a coincidence. The disheveled guy from back then and this handsome young man now are worlds apart.

Steven explained, "Yes, it's me. I stumbled upon a ruin in the desert and found many fossils. I ended up spending a lot of time there without realizing, and I ran out of water and food. That's why I looked like that."

So that's what happened!

Only now did Yuga recall. Steven wasn't just an exceptional Trainer, he was also a crazy enthusiast for rare stones. He even went so far as to give up the Champion title for his good friend, Wallace, in order to collect stones more efficiently.

"I'm sorry for not recognizing you. It's just that your appearance then and now are so different." Yuga said embarrassedly.

Hearing Yuga's words, Steven suddenly understood. No wonder Mr. Shimizu didn't recognize him earlier.

He then remembered how he looked when he had just woken up – completely disheveled. Not only was his face obscured, but even the color of his hair had changed.