Pokemon World - The Lost Child

Steven Stone - Glimpse into the past

(Steven Stone - 8 years old)

Wandering through the streets of Mossdeep City, a young Steven Stone, stumbles upon a familiar child sitting in the dirt playing with rocks.

"Oh, it's you again." Brown eyes gleam with joy, a sweet smile adorning the child's lips. "I'm so happy!"

Steven's eyes go wide. 'He's happy?'

"Look at this, don't you think it's pretty?!" The child asks, holding up a stone for Steven to see. Steven sits down in the dirt beside the child, his gray eyes taking in the appearance of the stone.

"Not really." Steven says after studying it for a moment.

The child pouts, looking upset as he grumbles. "Well I think it's pretty."

Steven looks at the stone once more, the stone was different from many stones he's seen, having a somewhat clear exterior with a black inside, the black looking similar to smoky veins running throughout it. He didn't think it's pretty, but when his eyes met those warm brown ones, he bites his tongue, not voicing his disagreement.

"Here, I'll give it to you! We're friends now!" The child grabs Steven's hand, placing the stone in his hand with a bright smile. "I want to collect lots of rare stones and make friends with some rock type pokemon. Don't you think that sounds like so much fun?"

"Not really." Steven says, gray eyes fixed on the stone in his palm. 'It doesn't feel hard like normal stones, it actually feels like it'll shatter if I apply too much force.'

"Oh." The child softly says, Steven looking up, seeing those bright eyes looking slightly less bright.

Frowning a tad, Steven wonders what he did wrong. 'I don't really ever talk to children my age. I've never had a friend before...what should I do?'

The child in front of him brightens up a moment later. "Do you like pokemon?"

Steven tilts his head, his gray eyes warming slightly. "Yeah."

"Then what's your favorite type?" The child asks, face inching closer to Steven, eyes sparkling in excitement.

"I don't have one." Steven says, noticing a group of three women walking past them, the woman casting them glances and whispering to each other. Steven glances down at his outfit, a fitting suit, and then looks over at the child's shabby and worn clothes. 'They must be wondering why we're together.'

"That's okay, I'll tell you everything I know about pokemon, maybe you'll decide rock types are the coolest! So let's see each other again, okay?" The child laughs, eyes alight with joy and liveliness, breaking Steven from his thoughts. Unknown to him, his normally cold gray eyes warm, his entire self becoming more approachable and not so distant.

"Okay."

The child stood up, gathering his collection of rocks as he smiled happily. Turning to go, he pauses, turning back around. "Oh, right. My name's the same as that rock you're holding."

Steven looks down at the rock, looking back up, he sees the child has already left. 'He's so...happy.'

(Steven Stone - 12 years old)

"You're late again." A warm voice scolds Steven as he walks into a small shabby hut.

"Apologies, my father requested my presence unexpectedly." Steven says, sitting on the bedside, watching the brown haired boy peel potatoes, probably for his dinner later.

The boy looks up, frowning at Steven. "I told you to stop doing that, that formal tone kills me, and what's with your eyes, they look like obsidians, not pretty at all."