Cave Mural

Unedited

Steven had been through a lot in his life. Of which included trying to escape collapsing caves, and fleeing from Pokémon he disturbed on many of his cave explorations. Even battling the gym leaders and Elite Four; though he never thought that he'd become champion, of all things. Though that was all well and grand, this was a moment in which Steven could not, for his life, comprehend anything that was going on. Everything was pandemonium around him. Apparently, Team Aqua had managed to awaken the super-ancient Pokémon, Kyogre, who escaped when Team Aqua's leader, Archie, tried to control it. Subsequently, a giant rain cloud materialized above what he figured to be Sootopolis City. Since he had no idea where Kyogre would head, he decided to consult his best friend for an answer; and since his friend lived in Sootopolis City as well, it seemed like a reasonable option. So with that in mind, he sent out his Skarmory to fly him to Sootopolis City - but not before practically pleading with [Y/N] to promise that she wouldn't do anything reckless.

Even though all that had happened when he was physically present, he still couldn't wrap his brain around it, or even concentrate on anything.

Except her.

Steven watched as [Y/N] stepped onto the ground, letting her Sharpedo swim around in the lake that was located in the middle of Sootopolis City. She stared in despair at all the turmoil the storm was causing and even tried helping a few passersby get to safety. That was one thing Steven liked about [Y/N]. No matter how dire the situation was, she would stop at nothing to do her best to help.

Finally noticing Steven, she waved and smiled tightly at him, climbing onto her Sharpedo to swim her across the lake. He always found it ironic that [Y/N] had a Sharpedo because it was one of the Pokémon Team Aqua frequently used.

In seconds, [Y/N] was right in front of Steven and he couldn't fathom how her Sharpedo got over so quickly. But no matter. The subject was on the problem at hand.

"[Y/N]!" Steven felt his face break out into a smile, despite the current circumstances. "Hello, once again. I was hoping you'd come. Lovely weather isn't it? You didn't do anything reckless either, did you?" He inquired, the left side of his mouth curving up. At that, [Y/N] rolled her eyes. "Meet Wallace. Wallace, this is [Y/N]." Steven watched Wallace eye her up and down as if judging her for a contest (which he participated in on occasion).

Wallace nodded. "I am, indeed, Wallace. Protector of the Cave of Origin and gym leader of Sootopolis City. When Kyogre awoke from its deep slumber, its power caused the energy in the Cave of Origin to escalate tremendously, resulting in this horrible downpour."

Wallace paused, closing his eyes.

"That is the Red Orb, if I'm not mistaken?" Wallace asked, opening one eye and peering down at [Y/N]. [Y/N] nodded and Steven discreetly watched as several droplets of water slid down her face. Everyone was soaked to the skin from the storm Kyogre was creating, and unfortunately, there was no definite way known on how to stop it, as far as Steven was aware. Too bad he couldn't just Google it. That'd make things a whole heck of a lot easier.

"I see. Follow me," Wallace said, and motioned for both [Y/N] and Steven to follow.

"Rain is needed by both Pokémon and people alike, yet why does this rain cause us so much dread? If these clouds continue to extend over Hoenn..." Steven decided not to finish his thought, but anyone listening could see where he was going. Too much water - which is exactly what too much rain would bring - would cause serious problems; not only affecting the lives of everybody, but the environment as well. It would disrupt the flow of nature, causing everything to become disordered and unbalanced, covering many landforms in water. Steven wished he knew a way to stop it all. Stop the world from drowning, but alas, he knew of no such way.