Steven Stone

Steven Stone
Species	Human
Affiliation	Pokémon League (Hoenn)
Hair color	Blue
Eye color	Blue
Age	25 (Gen III)
Base	Mossdeep City/Meteor Falls
Relatives	Joseph Stone (father)
Voiced by	Tom Wayland (2014) Xander Mobus (2019)
Debut	Pokémon: Ruby/Sapphire Versions

Steven Stone is a powerful Pokémon trainer and opponent from the third generation Pokémon games and their remakes, appearing as the champion of the Elite Four in all of them save for Emerald, in which he was an optional post-game opponent. He specializes in Steel-type Pokémon, although his roster also contains Ground- and Rock-type Pokémon.

Background

Steven was the son of Joseph Stone, the president of the Devon Corporation. Rather than following in his father's footsteps, Steven Stone became a Pokémon trainer who at some point challenged Hoenn's Elite Four and became the champion by defeating them. He was also friends with Wallace, the Sootopolis City gym leader who guarded the Cave of Origin. Steven had strong faith in Pokémon and the good they could do, and he would often muse aloud about Pokémon and trainers. He confidence in his skill as a trainer, and his strategy involved exploiting opponents' weak points.

Steven was also known for his love of rare stones, often traveling in search of such stones, and he would occasionally train at Meteor Falls. Despite his young age, he had his own home in Mossdeep City.

Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald

Within Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald, he was first seen within the Granite Cave at Dewford Island when Brendan/May delivered a letter to him from his father. Steven thanked the trainer by giving them TM 47: Steel Wing. While observing the trainer and their Pokémon, he remarked that they had the potential to become a Pokémon League champion. He then briefly met the trainer again on Route 103 and briefly talked to him about different types of Pokémon. Steven met Brendan/May again at Route 120 and showed him how camouflaged Kecleon were revealed using the Devon Scope. After the trainer defeated or captured a Kecleon, Steven let them keep the scope.

Steven would then be found in his home at Mossdeep, where he would give the trainer HM 08: Dive. In Emerald, before this Steven teamed up with the trainer in a double battle against Archie and Tabitha of Team Magma when they tried robbing the Mossdeep Space Center. After Groudon and/or Kyogre were awakened, Steven appeared and went with Brendan/May to Sootopolis, where he introduced them to Wallace. He remained at Sootopolis until the crisis was resolved.

In Ruby and Sapphire, Brendan/May would ultimately battle and defeat Steven Stone to become the Elite Four's new champion. Afterwards, Steven guided the trainer to be registered as the new champion. In Emerald, Steven Stone had given up his position as champion to Wallace beforehand. In either game, after Brendan/May became the new champion and returned to Mossdeep, Steven had left to go soul searching. He left behind a note and a Pokéball containing a Beldum as his gift to Brendan/May. In Emerald, he could be found training in the Meteor Falls, where he could be battled. This confirmed the suspicions Steven had since he first met the trainer that they would eventually become champion, but Steven said that only the trainer would know where they could go from there.

Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire

In Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, Steven's role and appearances were mostly the same as in Ruby and Sapphire, but with an expanded storyline in which Steven was also researching subjects such as Mega Evolution and Primal Reversion.

One new encounter was in the player's first visit of Route 118. Steven started to talk to Brendan/May, but the conversation was interrupted by the sudden appearance of Latias or Latios (depending on the version). The Pokémon brought the trainers to Southern Island in order to protect the other Pokémon of the pair (and its Mega Stone) from Team Magma or Team Aqua (again, depending on the version). Steven teamed up with Brendan/May in a Multi Battle against the foes, and after beating them, he saw that the Pokémon had acknowledged Brendan/May as a worthy trainer. Steven proceeded to give them a Mega Bracelet and told them about Mega Evolution before returning to Route 118.

Steven still gave Brendan/May a Devon Scope at Route 120, but now he also gave them a Mega Stone that could evolve the player's starter Pokémon. After the crisis with Kyogre and Groudon was resolved, Steven gave Brendan/May the Eon Flute for use in summoning Latios or Latias] to fly the trainer to any location. Once more, Steven acted as the champion of the Pokémon League at Ever Grande City and was defeated by Brendan/May.

Delta Episode

During the Delta Episode, a new crisis emerged as it was discovered that a giant meteoroid was on course to crash into Hoenn. Steven worked with his father and Professor Cozmo on a plan to stop it. Their plan involved harnessing Infinity Energy to create a warp hole that would send the meteor to some other dimension at random. Steven used an experimental phone call app for the Pokénav Plus to contact Brendan/May and asked the champion to help them with this.

Between the two of them, they retrieved Meteor Shards that were needed to power the dimensional shifter. Steven also worked with Brendan/May to battle a member of the fallen team (Courtney or Matt depending on the version) when they tried hijacking the project to set off an explosion that would have destroyed them all. They also encountered Zinnia, a girl who stood in opposition of their plan and who was apparently a descendant of the ancient Draconoid people. Zinnia objected to the morally dubious use of Infinity Energy, and she also posited the theory that their warp system could send the meteoroid to destroy a different version of Hoenn. Ultimately, she destroyed the dimensional shifter and kept them from using it at all. Steven ended up having to trust in Brendan/May again and sent them to meet with Wallace about accessing the Sky Pillar in order to confront Zinnia. Ultimately, Zinnia's plan managed to work, and Brendan/May was able to use Mega Rayquaza to destroy the meteoroid.

In the aftermath of the crisis, Steven talked to Wallace about what had just happened. He realized that there was a lot that he did not know about the world, and he felt that he should dedicated himself to exploring most of it firsthand. He assured Wallace that he would not disappear immediately, due to his duties with the Pokémon League, but he also told Wallace that he he hoped that he would lend him a hand when the time came.

After the Delta Episode, Steven's letter and Beldum gift from the original games could be found at his home in Mossdeep City. At Ever Grande City, Steven and the Elite Four could be challenged to rematches. For these rematches, Steven gave Key Stones to the Elite Four members, so that they could use Mega Evolution as well. After Steven was beaten in a rematch, he thanked Brendan/May for all of their help by giving them Metragrossite, a Mega Stone for Metagross. Steven also appeared as a potential battle partner for the Multi Battle Challenge at the Battle Maison.

HeartGold/SoulSilver

Steven Stone also made an appearance in HeartGold and SoulSilver Versions (most likely taking place before Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald since he refers to himself as Hoenn League Champion). He first showed up at Vermilion City after Ethan/Lyra retrieved the CopyCat Girl's doll from the Pokémon Fan Club. Steven came to the region in order investigate the rumors of Latios and Latias's appearance in Kanto, which he believed was connected to the missing Soul Dew. He also noted a strange familiarity in Ethan/Lyra despite never meeting them before, saying he always seemed to battle trainers like them.

After Ethan/Lyra defeated Red at Mt. Silver, Steven Stone would appear on the bottom floor of Silph Co. and awarded the trainer with their choice of one of the Hoenn starter Pokémon: Treecko, Torchic or Mudkip. He also appeared at the Pewter City Museum, where he admired all of the different rocks that he had never seen before. He later returned to Silph Co., where he would trade a Beldum holding a Dawn Stone to the player for a Forretress, saying that he wanted one because it was not in the Hoenn region, and he had never seen one before. Finally, he remained at Pewter's museum until the player found the Engima Stone. Once the Enigma Stone was brought to him, Steven had it examined and realized that it contained a Soul Dew. He then went outside, to see that this had caused either Latias or Latios (depending on the version) to appear outside. Steven was tempted to try to catch it, but he decided to give Ethan/Lyra a chance. After the trainer defeated or captured Latias/Latios, Steven congratulated them, but he then decided that he had been away from Hoenn for too long and left. Before he left, he realized that he had never learned Ethan/Lyra's name, but he decided not to ask, because their fun "would have to wait for the right time".

Black 2/White 2

In Black and White 2, Steven competed in the Pokémon World Tournament held at Unova, taking part in the Champions Tournament.

Pokémon Roster

Steven uses the following Pokémon in Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire:

• Skarmory
• Cradily
• Claydol
• Armaldo
• Aggron
• Metagross (Mega Metagross in Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire)

In Emerald, during the double battle, Steven uses Metang, Skarmory and Aggron.

For rematches in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, his line-up is similar to his original roster, except that Cradily and Armaldo are replaced by Carbink and Aerodactyl. He also uses an Aerodactyl and Metagross when teaming up with the player at the Battle Maison.

In Black 2 and White 2, the Pokémon that he potentially used for tournament battles are similar to his original line-up of Pokémon, except that the Skarmory and Claydol are replaced with Excadrill and Archeops.

In Other Pokémon Games

In Pokémon Masters EX, Steven Stone appeared as a playable trainer. He formed a number of sync pairs with his Pokémon, most of which could be recruited at random through the Sync Pair Scout feature during limited time periods:

• The default version was Steven Stone in his ordinary outfit paired with Metagross, which was capable of Mega Evolving into Mega Metagross when using a sync move. He was available in limited time periods starting in February 2020.
• Summer 2020: Steven Stone in beachwear paired with an Alolan Sandslash. Available in limited time periods starting in July 2020.
• Anniversary 2021: Steven Stone in a refined suit paired with a Shiny Rayquaza that was capable of Mega Evolving into Mega Rayquaza. Available in limited time periods starting in September 2021.
• Sygna Suit: Steven Stone wearing an outfit designed to be a Sygna Suit for the Pokémon he's paired with, Deoxys, which had access to all of its forms. The Sygna Suit includes a blue jacket with symbols related to Deoxys. Available in limited time periods starting in August 2022.
• Special Costume: Steven Stone wearing an old-fashioned detective's outfit paired with Stoutland. Available in limited time periods starting at the end of March 2023.
• Cradily could be unlocked as an alternate Pokémon for Steven Stone to use in battle in his default outfit by reaching Friendship Level 100 with him in the Trainer Lodge, after he was added to the lodge at the end of March 2023.

When fought as an opponent in battles, he could also partner with other Pokémon such as Archeps, Aerodactyl, Aggron and Claydol. In this appearance, Steven was known as Hoenn's champion.

Steven was featured in the Story Event "The Strongest There Is", in which the player and Barry tried to learn from Steven and Wallace after encountering them in the mountains. The two of them ended up teaming up with Steven to beat members of Team Break and then to battle Grant. Steven's summer variant was featured in the "Summer Superstars" Story Event. In that event, Steven attended a music festival with Lyra and Scottie/Bettie, and the three of them teamed up together to win the Pasio Superstar Competition. They were appointed promotional representatives of Pasio as their prize, while the second place winners got a statue of Lear. Steven was impressed by the type of stone used to make the statue, so the second place winners decided to give it to him. The "Hearts United" Solo Event also featured Steven's anniversary variant. He chose to battle Wallace for the Unity Gala as a way of showing him how much he had learned about Rayquaza thanks to the lore that Wallace had taught to him, and he also sought to battle Zinnia's Rayquaza to determine which was stronger. Steven was also featured in the Main Story's Villain Arc chapter "Hoenn: Deltas of Land, Sea and Sky", which showed how he got his Deoxys. He investigated Groudon and Kyogre's sudden rampages in Pasio, and he learned from Professor Bellis that a meteor was going to hit the planet in the near future. While investigating another meteor that had crashed near the island recently, he found Deoxys and got caught up in an arduous battle with it. Bellis contacted him to inform him that the meteor was now on a collision course with Pasio, and as Steven was busy fighting Deoxys, he contacted Zinnia to entrust her with the task of destroying the meteor. He encouraged her by calling it a race, and Zinnia was soon able to get her Rayquaza to Mega Evolve to destroy the meteor. Steven successfully caught Deoxys and joked that he was "letting her win" the race. Afterwards, Steven and Bellis's investigation turned up a suspicious device that was amplifying the natural energy which caused Kyogre and Groudon's rampage. They destroyed the device, allowing the Legendary Pokémon to finally calm down. In the Costume Event "Solve the Case!", Steven played the role of detective for a mystery game, with Shauna acting as the assistant. After solving the case, he worked on cracking an actual case involving a Pokémon thief known as the Phantom Imaginate with the help of Zinnia, who had previously used that name when taking back stolen Pokémon.

Other Appearances

Other Media

• Steven initially appeared in one episode of the Pokémon anime's Hoenn-based series, where he helped Ash and his friends to escape from an underground cavern, which led Ash to vow to be good enough to defeat Steven someday. Years later, he appeared in several of the special episodes that were based on Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, which acknowledged him as being Hoenn's champion. He helps out with several crises that break out in the episodes, from Rayquaza Mega Evolving to Groudon and Kyogre undergoing Primal Reversion. Steven then appears in several episodes of the Kalos-based series, where he helps in the battle against Team Flare.
• Steven Stone appeared throughout the Ruby/Sapphire arc of the Pokémon Adventures arc. It was shown in the past that he lost to Wallace in the final round of the Pokémon League tournament, but because Steven Stone became champion through default when the title was refused by Wallace. He works with his father to find a way to prevent the revival of Groudon and Kyogre by seeking the legendary Regi-Pokémon. He is first seen in the Granite Cave where he helps Ruby in battle and is impressed by his skills but does not recruit him as a scout because he is too young. Steven later gathers together the Elite Four to gather the Regi- Pokémon after Groudon and Kyogre are revived and begin their battle. He also forces Wallace to accept the champion's cloak due to a vision that he would die soon. After arriving at Sootopolis Sapphire gives him a letter from his father given early in the arc which in this version contains the last piece of the puzzle in awakening the Regi- Pokémon. He then exerts control over Registeel, Regirock and Regice, although he winds up dying from the stress after Groudon and Kyogre are driven away. However, he comes back to life afterwards due to some sort of time slip created by Celebi. He later made a cameo appearance at the beginning of the Platinum arc, where he was seen signing over his villa (which Platina wound up taking next) and returned to Hoenn with his Metagross after getting all the stones he needed. He later played a large role in the Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire arc.

Trivia

• His first name in English may be intended to sound evocative of 'steel', while his last name is clearly just using the word 'stone' in relation to his type and his passion for stones. His Japanese name is Tsuwabaki Daigo, which is based on the Japanese names for the leopard plant and Indian coral tree, respectively, with the former word also containing the kanji for the word "stone".
• His favorite move is Steel Wing, and his favorite Pokémon is Beldum.
• Steven is the first character to team up with the trainer in a double battle.
• In Platinum, it is implied that he is the previous owner of the villa. The owner is described as having stayed there for while when he was collecting all of Sinnoh's rare stones and then passed the villa on to another person before returning to Hoenn.
• It was possible to receive Steven's Beldum (a Shiny one) for Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire through a promotional download event that was available through the Nintendo Network from November 2014 through January 2015. If the player has that Pokémon in their party while playing the Delta Episode, Steven would have extra dialogue where he recalls events and characters from his appearances in the special episodes of the Pokémon anime that tied in with these games. Those specials were also referenced in the "Hearted United" Solo Event of Pokémon Masters EX, when he alludes to another trainer (Alain) who helped him in a past battle with Rayquaza.
• His Key Stone is kept in a Mega Stickpin, which is the pin he wears on the lapel of his jacket.