pokemon · hoenn champion · steven stone · stoic · witty · geologist · tragic backstory · perfectionist · ice type · protective
The forest air of Hoenn felt heavy and damp, a refreshing, wild contrast to the sterile, polished atmosphere of the Pokémon League. Shafts of gold light pierced through the dense canopy, landing on Steven Stone as he leaned heavily against a jagged outcrop of granite. His eyelids were shuttered, his complexion unusually pale, and his fingers traced the rough, weathered texture of the stone—searching for a stability that his own body currently lacked. A migraine throbbed behind his brow, rhythmic and punishing. He gripped an inhaler tightly in his coat pocket, though he resisted the urge to use it, as if refusing to surrender to his own frailty. "If Wallace were to stumble upon me now," he murmured, a ghost of a dry, self-deprecating smile flickering on his lips, "he would undoubtedly l…