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"Meteor Falls?"
Hearing the name, Kai felt a vague sense of familiarity. He remembered it appeared somewhere in the games, but the details escaped him. Still, since it was called Falls, it clearly meant there was abundant water here—and where there was water, wild Pokémon would naturally be plentiful.
Maybe he would run into something rare?
Suppressing the spark of excitement in his heart, Kai and Misty followed the main path deeper into the cave.
Just as Kai had expected, the further they went, the more Pokémon appeared and the wider the variety became.
Aside from common species found throughout Kanto and Johto, such as Diglett, Dugtrio, Geodude, Graveler, Onix, and Zubat, there were Pokémon they had never encountered before, like Lunatone and Solrock.
Kai even spotted a small Aron dart past them and disappear into a tiny tunnel.
Misty sighed in amazement. "If Brock were here, he'd think he'd stumbled into paradise!"
Kai laughed, ready to tease her when suddenly, under the beam of their flashlight, a small, strange Pokémon floated silently in the air not far ahead.
"Huh… that's—?"
Kai blinked in surprise and quickly raised his Pokédex toward it. Despite the darkness, the device scanned it instantly and displayed the result.
"Beldum, the Iron Ball Pokémon, Steel and Psychic type. Its body is entirely composed of magnets, and magnetic force circulates through it in place of blood. By repelling the Earth's magnetic field, it floats in the air. Groups of Beldum move in perfect unison, communicating with each other through magnetic pulses. In battle, it uses magnetic force to pull opponents toward itself before striking with its sharp claws. If angered, Beldum will rampage and release intense magnetic waves, damaging machinery. Note: If Beldum shows signs of low energy, giving it a Magnet can help restore it."
"Beldum?"
Misty leaned forward curiously. When she finally got close enough to see it clearly, she couldn't help but stare.
Despite its name, Beldum looked less like a dumbbell and more like some sort of stone surveillance device. A crest-like ridge rested atop its rounded head, its front was a spherical joint socket, and its single large red eye glowed ominously. A thick, metallic tail extended behind it, ending in a massive claw.
Misty had met Pokémon that resembled plants, animals, tools, and even magnets like Magnemite, but this was her first time seeing something like this.
Before she could say more, she turned around and was stunned.
Kai was already striding toward Beldum, hand positioned over a Poké Ball at his waist.
"Wait—Kai? Are you planning to catch it?"
"Of course." Kai didn't even hesitate. He pulled the Poké Ball free with one hand while signaling Torchic with the other. "Don't let its size fool you. When it evolves all the way into Metagross, it becomes incredibly powerful."
"Metagross…?" Misty didn't know what it looked like, but since Kai said it with such certainty, it was definitely strong.
Meanwhile, Torchic had already reached Beldum, chirping excitedly. Beldum gave it only a brief glance before turning and gliding into a side tunnel.
Kai followed immediately.
Misty froze for a moment before chasing after him, calling anxiously, "Kai! Hold on! Didn't that old man warn us not to leave the main path? If we wander into the side tunnels, we'll get lost!"
Kai glanced over his shoulder, laughing.
"We're Pokémon Trainers. We don't get held back by rules like that. Relax there's always a way forward. We'll be fine. Now, hurry up, we can't let it get away!"
His smile was infectious.
Misty took one deep breath, nodded, and followed without hesitation.
Right—why worry so much?
As long as she stayed beside Kai, even if they were lost for weeks, she wouldn't mind at all.
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Inside the cave, Beldum floated ahead, Torchic ran behind it, and Kai and Misty came after them.
Even though Beldum's speed wasn't high, the uneven ground prevented them from running full speed. They turned left and right through countless winding paths, crossed a shallow underground river, and then dove deeper into the cave system.
By the time Beldum finally stopped, they were already far beyond the main route. There was no chance of finding their way back simply by turning around.
Kai didn't care.
Beldum hovered silently, and the surrounding walls glittered with magnetic minerals, clear evidence that this was its habitat. These minerals were likely its primary energy source.
Kai signaled Torchic.
Torchic puffed up, chirped, and spat a burst of Ember.
Beldum watched them emotionlessly. With only one eye and no facial expression, Kai had no way of knowing what it was thinking.
Maybe it didn't understand it was being challenged. Maybe, in this safe environment without predators, its sense of danger had grown dull.
The Ember struck it squarely.
Beldum shook violently before finally reacting putting out the embers and lunging at Torchic with a Take Down.
Torchic sidestepped easily.
A slash of its claw struck Beldum's metal body, making it tremble again.
Beldum attacked repeatedly, but its moves were predictable and slow. Torchic's dodges grew smoother each time.
Watching the repeated exchanges, Misty whispered, "Um… Kai? Why does it only use one attack? Doesn't it know anything else?"
Kai nodded. "Wild Beldum only know Take Down until they evolve. Even though it's Steel/Psychic, it doesn't learn much before evolution. Kind of like how Magikarp only knows Splash weaker at first, but terrifying after evolving."
Understanding dawned across Misty's face.
Right Magikarp seemed useless, yet Gyarados was one of the strongest Pokémon she knew.
Before long, Torchic fired another Ember, finally knocking Beldum to the ground.
Kai tossed a Poké Ball.
With a flash of red light, Beldum was drawn in. The ball rocked a few times then clicked.
Caught.
Kai wasn't one for dramatic reactions when capturing ordinary Pokémon anymore, but a faint smile still tugged at his lips.
Misty clapped happily. "Congratulations, Kai! That makes… which number now?"
"My twenty-first Pokémon."
Considering he could only carry twelve at a time, this capture meant he now had eleven with him only one slot left.
He hadn't expected his Hoenn journey to speed up his captures so rapidly. In just a few days, he had already added three new Pokémon.
Kai picked up the Poké Ball, ready to leave but something glimmering in the corner caught his eye.
He walked over and picked up a small, round, crystal-clear stone. Under the flashlight, a faint crescent-shaped pattern shimmered inside.
"What's that?" Misty leaned closer. "It doesn't look natural. More like… a carved gemstone?"
Kai examined it for a long moment before murmuring, "This should be a Key Stone."
"A Key Stone?" Misty blinked. "What's that?"
"Remember the Mega Stones I found earlier?"
"Of course."
"This works together with them. Key Stones are natural stones imbued with special energy. When a Trainer holds one and their Pokémon holds the matching Mega Stone, the two resonate and trigger Mega Evolution."
"Mega Evolution?!"
The moment she heard that, Misty lit up and immediately dropped to the ground, searching through the scattered minerals. In just a short while, she found seven or eight more Key Stones.
Grinning from ear to ear, she divided them into two piles, keeping one set for herself and giving the other to Kai.
Even if she never used them personally, they were valuable enough to gift or trade for an unexpected treasure.
After their little haul, Misty continued searching but found nothing more. Still satisfied, she dusted herself off and followed Kai back the way they came.
However, after only a short distance, they reached the very first fork and froze.
"Um… which way did we come from?"
Misty looked left and right, completely lost.
Kai could only shake his head.
He had been focused entirely on chasing Beldum.
Misty groaned. "We should've marked the path…"
"It's fine." Kai smiled. "There's a simple trick for this. As long as we follow one direction consistently, say, always turning right, most caves without extreme layouts will eventually lead us to an exit."
He wasn't wrong. Outdoor explorers often used this method, and even if it failed, their Pokémon could still help them out. They weren't in danger just unsure how long it would take.
After a brief discussion, they took the rightmost path.
Soon the ground grew damp, and the sound of running water echoed faintly in the distance.
Not the path they came from but at least it was a lead.
Following the flow of water, the path sloped upward. The noise grew louder until they slipped through a crouching-height tunnel and were suddenly greeted by a breathtaking sight.
Before them stretched a cluster of towering waterfalls, more than a dozen in total, pouring into a massive cavern.
Above the highest waterfall, a huge fissure in the ceiling allowed sunlight to spill down like a spotlight, illuminating the mist.
At the base was a colossal, perfectly round crater. It didn't look carved by water over time it looked like something had crashed into the earth.
Misty stared up at the roaring cascade and shouted over the thunderous water,
"This must be Meteor Falls, right?!"
Kai couldn't say for sure but the meteor-like crater and the falling water that sparkled like stars made it hard to imagine it was anything else.
It was majestic, Awe-inspiring, like a shower of falling stars frozen in time.
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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