Chapter 35

"Young man, young man! Young Trainer, want to take a look at some stones?" A slightly hoarse shout came from a stall not far ahead.

He stopped and looked in the direction of the sound—the man in front of him wore a somewhat faded red beanie, a thick beard covering most of his face, a washed-out beige vest, and a pair of wrinkled green pants. Although his appearance was a bit strange, it made Huo La's pupils constrict suddenly.

It's Flint!

Brock's old man who wanted to be a Pokémon Master but dumped the burden of the Gym and the family entirely on his son!

Huo La was both surprised and happy—when he first entered Pewter City, he had specifically looked out for stone vendors on the roadside. After all, to make Brock willingly follow him, he had to make Flint take on his family responsibilities, but he hadn't found any trace of him at the time. He didn't expect to run into him at the Pokémon Center.

Thinking about it, it made sense. As a Gym city, casual roadside stalls in Pewter City would indeed affect the Trainers' impression of the city. Choosing the Pokémon Center, which had dense foot traffic and wasn't against the rules, was quite shrewd.

Seeing Huo La stop, Flint immediately leaned over enthusiastically, pointing to an old cloth spread out beside him—it was covered with stones of different sizes and shapes, including smooth, round pebbles and angular rock fragments.

"Young Trainer, look at my stones, how clean the color is, how delicate the texture is. They are most suitable for brewing stone tea, making the tea carry a natural stone fragrance!" He picked up a snow-white pebble and handed it to Huo La.

Huo La squatted down, took the stone, and played with it in his hand—the touch was cold and smooth; it was indeed a good ornamental stone, but it was definitely not the "excellent tea-brewing product" Flint claimed.

He didn't rush to speak, just stroked the surface of the stone with his fingertips, his gaze observing Flint calmly: compared to the slightly sloppy appearance in the animation, the Flint in front of him, although casual, had a bit more of a "businessman's" liveliness. It seemed he had figured out some tricks from selling stones over the years.

Seeing Huo La just playing with it without speaking, neither buying nor leaving, Flint felt a bit suspicious, but his enthusiasm remained undiminished. He pointed to a grayish-brown stone half a person wide: "If you don't like brewing tea, young man, look at this one! It's heavy and thick enough, perfect for pressing pickle jars. It guarantees first-class sealing, making the pickles crisp and flavorful!"

Huo La put down the white stone in his hand and reached out to touch the "pickle stone"—the surface was rough, and the density was indeed not small; it was quite suitable for pressing jars.

But his goal was obviously not these ordinary stones. After being silent for a moment, he finally spoke, his tone flat but guiding: "Uncle, these stones of yours are all quite ordinary. Do you have anything more special?"

Flint's eyes flashed suddenly, then he waved his hand, his tone evasive: "Special? How could there be any special stones... these are all ordinary natural stones, solid and durable!"

Huo La saw it all, and he understood—Flint definitely had good stuff hidden, he just didn't want to take it out easily.

He didn't expose Flint's evasion, but instead picked up the stone with small crystal clusters and spoke casually: "I heard that on the road from Pewter City to Cerulean City, there is a Moonview Mountain formed by a meteorite impact."

He paused, catching a glimpse of Flint's ears moving slightly, and continued, "Legend has it that there is a kind of Moon Stone in that mountain that can make Pokémon like Clefairy and Jigglypuff evolve. Many merchants flocked to dig there a few years ago, messing up the environment in the mountain. The League later restricted entry, and now Moon Stones are becoming harder and harder to see. You've been in the stone business for so long, Uncle, do you have this stuff in your hands?"

Flint stroked his beard, his eyes changing again—he stared at the Poké Balls hanging on Huo La's waist, and only after a moment did he laugh: "Of course I've heard of Moon Stones! That's a treasure! But as you said, young man, the League manages things strictly. How could my little stall have such good stuff? If I really had it, would I still be here selling pickle stones?"

Huo La stared into his eyes for a few seconds, his tone carrying a bit of just-right regret: "That's true. I'm preparing to challenge the Pewter Gym. If I could have a Moon Stone to let my Nidorina evolve and improve its strength, maybe I'd have more confidence."

He changed the subject and suddenly brought up another matter: "By the way, I met a Trainer from the same town who had just challenged the Gym two days ago. He told me that the Gym Leader of Pewter Gym, Brock, is really a pitiful person."

Flint's movements stopped abruptly, and the hand holding the stone tightened involuntarily.

"I heard his father said years ago that he wanted to be a Pokémon Master, but once he left, there was no news, dumping all ten younger brothers and sisters on Brock." Huo La's voice was very light, but it pierced Flint's heart like a needle. "Brock clearly wants to be the world's #1 Pokémon Breeder, but he can only guard the Gym to earn money to raise his siblings, not even having the chance to go out and travel. I heard that he's grown up like this and hasn't even had a decent romance. You say, at such a good age, being tied down by family, how pitiful."

Flint buried his head lower, his beard covering his expression, only his voice carrying an irrepressible heaviness: "Perhaps... perhaps his father had his own reasons for having to stay behind."

"Reasons?" Huo La raised an eyebrow, his tone suddenly turning a bit cold. "No matter what the reason, a man who isn't even willing to take responsibility for his family, still has the nerve to say he wants to be a 'Pokémon Master'? It's simply a joke."

This sentence hit Flint like a heavy hammer, making him lift his head abruptly, his eyes full of complex emotions.

Huo La didn't look at him again, but said to himself: "But I quite admire Brock. If he didn't have to worry about his siblings and the Gym anymore, I'd really like to make a bet with him—if I win the Gym challenge, I'll persuade him to travel with me and realize his dream of being a Breeder. Young people, after all, should live for themselves once."

After speaking, he took out a handful of League coins and placed them on the stall, picked up the "tea-brewing stone" that Flint had recommended at the beginning, and turned to walk toward the treatment area of the Pokémon Center, never looking back at Flint from beginning to end.

Flint stood frozen in place, watching Huo La's gradually receding back, then looked down at the coins on the stall and those stones that no one asked about, his heart feeling like a spilled bottle of five flavors.

Huo La's words were like a key, opening the guilt he had hidden for many years—how could he not know Brock's hardship? But the "Master Dream" of that year had clouded his mind, and later he didn't have the face to go back and face his children, so he could only rely on selling stones to get by.

"Travel with him... realize his dream..." Flint muttered to himself, his hand involuntarily reaching into his pocket to touch the stone he had hidden for a long time, glowing with a faint blue luster—that was the Moon Stone he had dug from Moonview Mountain years ago, which he had originally intended to keep "until he became a Master," but now it seemed particularly ironic.