Nine years earlier...

The deep green stone in my hand glinted in the sunlight, casting an almost turquoise shadow through its translucent surface. I brushed the remaining soil off it, revealing more of its color. Out of all the rocks I had found so far that day, this one was probably the best quality. I grasped it with just my thumb and index finger and held it up to the sun. More light passed through the stone, illuminating its topaz bolt-shaped core. Just as I thought, a Thunder Stone. I smiled and slipped it into my bag. I then turned my attention to the other stones piled on the ground next to me, picking one up and examining it like I did the previous.

Searching for and collecting stones had always been a hobby of mine. Something about the way they looked intrigued me. A pretty fitting interest considering my last name was Stone.

After finding several chunks of limestone and a bit of marble, I dug out a very peculiar rock. It was unusually round, a perfect sphere in fact, maybe around the size of a large marble. I knew rocks could become naturally rounded depending on where they were found, but the problem with that was those kinds of rocks were found near rivers. I had dug this thing out of the ground near Meteor Falls, nowhere close to any water.

I passed the stone to my other hand, frowning when I saw the dust it left behind. It was covered in dirt. Without thinking I blew on the rock, immediately regretting it when the dust flew up into my face. I waved it away as best I could, closing my eyes against the stinging particles. At least the stuff was gone.

The stone was mostly see-through with a slight gray tint to it. There was also what resembled a bright orange flame suspended in the stone's center. The strangest thing about it was how it felt. Not like the texture, but it had an odd sort of energy to it, like some kind of aura. Perhaps Mom would know what it was? Instead of putting it in my bag, I slipped it into my pocket. It felt like it was too valuable to store with the other rocks I had found. I stood up, dusted the dirt from my pants, and headed back home.

I had lived in Rustboro City for most of my life, moving from Mossdeep when my dad had his job relocated. It was certainly no Mauville in terms of size, but it made up for that with the amount of people traveling here for work. In fact, the reason why my family moved here was because of said work. The largest business in Hoenn had their main headquarters relocated here, the business that had been run by my family for generations: the Devon Corporation.

The Devon Corporation was not only the biggest business in the region, but the most popular as well. Devon created Poké Balls, electronics, machinery, and everything in between. The amount of products manufactured and distributed rivaled that of Silph in Kanto while the profits made far outmatched them. It would be an understatement to say that the company was a tycoon. The company's building loomed over all the others, a monolith compared to everything else in the city.

As I passed by the Devon building, my pace quickened. I was always paranoid that Dad would be looking out his office window and might notice me. After all, I wasn't supposed to be out here in the first place.

My dad was the current president of Devon, so it would only make sense that he'd want his son to take over once he retired, right? Apparently the phrase, "You can never start too soon" was something he took literally. I was stuck indoors nearly at all times studying. Business, marketing, accounting, and management were a fraction of the subjects I had to learn.

Dad had never bothered sending me to school, he had the money for tutors, and a regular curriculum would have taken away time from me learning whatever else he deemed more important. He seemed convinced that I'd be able to run the company by the time I was eighteen, and he was willing to do anything to make sure I achieved that goal of his.

What I was doing then was the complete opposite of what I was supposed to. Mom had never fully agreed with Dad's "terms," and she let me leave home so long as I was home before Dad was and I didn't venture any farther than Meteor Falls.

Out of habit, I glanced up at the office window. To my shock and horror, I saw Dad looking through the glass, staring right at me. I froze in place, staring back. Our gazes locked for just a moment, a moment that seemed to last for much longer. Even though his window was on the fifth floor, I could tell he was staring at me. Panicking, I tore my eyes away from the window and began running down the sidewalk. My home was a few blocks from the Devon building, and I made it back in record time.

I ran up my yard's long walkway and flung the front door open, relieved to find that it was unlocked.

"Steven, is that you?" my mom called from the kitchen. Pretending not to hear her, I bolted down the hall and up the stairs to my room. I slung my rock bag off my shoulder onto the rug with a clatter and I kicked it under the bed, not caring about the rarities I had found that morning. The only thing I could think of was how dead I was. Dad had seen me, he saw me when I was supposed to be studying!

I stood in the center of the bedroom, chest heaving, heart trying to squirm its way into my throat. Why did that have to happen? Why?! I didn't know how long I stood like that in my room, scared out of my mind. I jumped when I heard footsteps on the staircase. Despite knowing it wasn't Dad, I still felt on edge.

"Welcome home, sweetie," Mom's voice said from behind me. I hesitantly turned to see her standing in the doorway. "Did you find anything interesting today?" she asked with a smile that quickly faded when she saw the panicked look on my face. "Are you okay?"

"U-um, yes. I'm fine, Mom," I lied. Of course, she saw through my lie. Without saying a word, she led me over to my bed and gently sat me down on it before taking a seat beside me.

"I know something's wrong. You can tell me anything, you know that," she said, giving me a reassuring smile.

I took a deep breath before I spoke, sighing shakily. "I was on my way home, and I passed by the Devon building like usual..." I paused. "AndDadsawmethroughhiswindow," I finished in an unorganized burst of syllables, burying my face in my hands afterwards.

Thankfully, Mom seemed to understand what I had said. "I'm sure he didn't. You might have imagined it. Or if he was, he could have been looking at someone else."

"He wasn't, he was staring directly at me. I wasn't supposed to be outside! I let him down... he'll be so disappointed with me!" I said, nearly whimpering as I did so. I felt awful for whining in front of Mom like this. I hated complaining, it made me look pitiful. People didn't need to deal with my problems, not with their own to worry about.

"No, he won't. He'll understand," Mom said comfortingly.

"He will be disappointed. I... I just know it!" I said, looking up at her. I knew I would be right, I always was when it came to things like this.

"He won't," Mom said, a sharp edge to her tone. "What you were doing wasn't wrong, it was what you love. Just do what makes you happy, and he'll understand."

"I can't though." My chest clenched, and I felt tears stinging the corners of my eyes. Don't cry, Steven. Don't you dare cry! I scolded myself. Dad wouldn't want that! He expects more from you, Dad knows what is best for you. He knows, he knows, he knows! I repeated that mantra to myself in my mind.

Mom wrapped her arms around me, pulling me close to her. "Don't cry, sweetie. One day he'll realize what he's doing, and things will change." She lightly kissed my forehead. "Start your homework, okay? Everything will be fine, I promise." She let go of me and stood up, leaving the room and closing the door behind her.

I sat there on my bed, staring blankly at the closed door. Eventually, I heaved a massive book on new-age marketing from my nightstand onto the bed. Picking up from where I had left off yesterday, I began reading.

—~*~—

After several hours had passed, I gave up. The words on the page I'd been attempting to read had begun blurring into unintelligible gibberish, and I couldn't concentrate.

With a sigh, I leaned my head back against the wall. Nothing I had read today stuck with me, forgotten the moment after I read it. Thinking about what would happen when Dad got home had been eating away at me, making me more afraid by the minute. I needed a distraction other than reading. I then remembered the spherical stone I found earlier.

The stone was still in my pocket, safe and sound. Now that I was at home, I could perhaps figure out what it was. I abandoned my textbook in favor of an equally as large rock encyclopedia. Dad had gotten it for my eighth birthday, a month after we had moved here.

I spent the next hour flipping through the book, scanning every page for it. Nothing remotely matched what I found. I was confused. Why wasn't it there? Had I discovered a new type of stone? My thoughts were interrupted when I heard the front door close downstairs. Dad was home.

"Steven, come downstairs for dinner!" Mom yelled up to me. All of a sudden, I didn't feel too hungry.

I sat at the table with my parents, Mom across from me and Dad at the head of the table. We ate in silence, well, my parents did at least. I couldn't eat, my stomach was far too knotted for me to consider it. The tension in the air was so thick that not even an Air Slash could have cut it.

"So how was your day at work?" Mom asked, finally breaking the silence.

"Busy as usual," Dad replied. "The plans are finished and the date is set. We'll be hosting the party in the company auditorium a month from now."

The Devon Corporation had recently released its latest and greatest product, the PokéNav. It was a portable device that functioned as both a map and a radio. It even had some minor communication capabilities. As expected, the PokéNav sold like crazy. Within days of being put on store shelves, it had sold tens of thousands of units. To celebrate this accomplishment, my dad decided to host a banquet in honor of Devon's greatest achievement yet.

Mom smiled joyfully. "That's great! Isn't this nice, Steven?"

"What?" I looked up from my untouched plate. Mom cast me a quick glare, and I realized what I had said. "I mean, pardon?"

"Pardon is correct. You know what I said about proper etiquette?" Dad said. "Speaking of you, young man... we have to talk about something."

I tensed up. "Yes, Dad?"

"Earlier today I thought I saw you outside on the street. At first, I was sure it couldn't be true because I've told you countless times that I don't want you going outside. Not to mention you had reading to do. But you haven't said a single word since I got home, and you refuse to look at me... Are you hiding something? Tell me the truth."

I slowly looked to meet Dad's eyes. His expression was a kind one, but it was heavily masked by sternness. I had to tell him, I couldn't lie, lying was not tolerated with him. Accepting my fate I replied, "Yes, I was outside today. I'm sorry, Dad."

"Steven..." Dad's gaze dissolved to the one I dreaded most, disappointment. "What did I tell you about going out on your own? You know that—"

"I know! I am so sorry." I didn't dare voice my misgives regarding the situation. I had done it when it first began, and seven years later nothing had changed. Dad knew what was best for me, I just had to put up with it. "May I be excused, please?" I asked.

"You may not. We have to discuss your punishment for disobeying my orders," Dad interjected. However, Mom looked at me and nodded.

"Yes you can," she said, flashing me a gentle smile. Without hesitation, I left the table and went upstairs.

Standing in my room felt even more terrifying than it had when I first came home that day. What was going to happen? Though they rarely did it, would my parents fight? Knowing Mom's stubbornness and Dad's overall standoffishness, if they did fight, it could become messy all too quickly.

I sat down on my bed with my back to the wall and pulled my knees up to my chest, wrapping my arms around them. I buried my head in the small gap between them and pretended that I was somewhere else. The dark space was like a sanctuary I could access at any time, but for once, it didn't comfort me.

Throughout the rest of the night I could hear Mom and Dad loudly talking downstairs, though I wasn't able to make out what they were saying. Although it didn't sound like a fight, it felt like one to me.

I spent the night curled up on my bed, unable to fall asleep. I remained in my sanctuary, teeth gritted and tears threatening to escape my eyes. Countless thoughts kept me awake with one being more prominent than the others. It made me feel sick to my core. I'm sorry Dad, I let you down. It won't ever happen again... I'm so, so sorry!