"Leafeon, continue training your Iron Tail. I want you to master it completely by today!"
Buui~!
Leafeon obeyed Nozomi's instructions and focused on a wooden target, repeatedly striking with its Steel Tail.
"Bulbasaur, try using Synthesis."
Bulbasaur was still too low-level for Nozomi to expect any immediate battle improvements. His training tasks were designed for long-term growth rather than instant power boosts.
The move Synthesis shared some similarities with Solar Beam. If Bulbasaur learned it before evolving, there was a chance he could acquire Solar Beam directly after evolution.
"Saur~!" Bulbasaur loved his training assignment.
For him, practicing Synthesis was simply basking in the sun—a task he enjoyed immensely.
Metagross was already strong enough and didn't need training for now. Gastly was busy helping Growlithe with bravery training and couldn't participate either.
"That just leaves Onix."
Nozomi looked at the Onix before him. Honestly, at this point, further training Onix wouldn't yield much improvement. To grow stronger, it would require years of consuming rare minerals to strengthen its body.
But that method was incredibly inefficient compared to evolving Onix into Steelix.
"Maybe I should just evolve Onix here."
Onix's ability to evolve wasn't a secret. After all, this was the real world, and there was no barrier between Kanto and the Johto regions. Steelix simply wasn't commonly found in Kanto.
After hesitating for three seconds, Nozomi decisively chose to evolve Onix.
The reason he hadn't done it before was that Onix's injuries hadn't fully healed. Now that the fissures were completely mended, there was no reason to wait any longer.
Nozomi retrieved a Metal Coat from his system storage. Unlike the palm-sized evolutionary stones, this Metal Coat was massive—a half-meter-tall silver cylinder that looked extremely solid.
"How do I even use this…"
He stared at the Metal Coat, mentally flipping through the cultivation manual he had acquired earlier.
He remembered that in his past life playing the games, the Pokédex mentioned two ways Onix could evolve into Steelix: one was through years of high heat and pressure underground, and the other involved consuming and accumulating metal, which altered the body.
According to Nozomi's thinking, he should melt the Metal Coat and forge it onto Onix's body under high pressure.
But without certainty, he wasn't willing to experiment recklessly.
Before he could finish searching his memory, Onix, who had been lying on the ground, suddenly looked at the Metal Coat as if it were something delicious.
Uuuu—!
Finally, Onix couldn't resist any longer. While Nozomi was distracted, it opened its jaws and swallowed the Metal Coat whole.
"!!"
Nozomi's memory search was interrupted. He stared at Onix in disbelief—this Pokémon really would eat anything.
"Hey! Spit it out! You can't just eat that!"
Onix looked reluctant but dared not disobey Nozomi's command. It certainly didn't want another beating from Metagross.
It made a heaving motion, vomiting for what seemed like an eternity, but only small bits of rock debris came out.
"Can't spit it out?? Seriously?!"
The Metal Coat Nozomi had won as a rare drop was gone, swallowed by Onix. He wanted to cry from the sheer waste!
Just as his frustration peaked, a blinding white light suddenly shone from Onix's body without warning.
Gary, who had been chatting with his girlfriends nearby, was drawn to the light. He turned and froze in surprise. "Onix is evolving?"
He abandoned his conversation and rushed over immediately.
The previously scattered trainers had also gathered around.
"This is the first time I've ever seen an Onix evolve."
Everyone watched as the figure within the white light began to shift and transform.
Although research had confirmed Onix could evolve into Steelix, most captured Steelix had evolved naturally. Because the Metal Coat was so expensive, few trainers had actually evolved an Onix in their possession.
Even fewer trainers had the chance to witness the evolution process firsthand.
All eyes were glued to the evolving Pokémon. Nozomi, too, watched intently as Onix was enveloped in the light of evolution.
After a long while, the light faded.
A Steelix appeared on the field—a massive, matte silver-gray body, sharply defined edges, a flat, menacing head, radiating a fearsome aura.
The evolved Steelix now had a metallic texture all over. Its head had changed, joints had developed three pairs of rod-like protrusions, and its tail had sharpened into a pointed spike.
Overall, Steelix looked far more aggressive than the Onix it had once been.
"Kuuuurgh—!"
Steelix raised its head and roared toward the sky, the metallic clang of its voice echoing clearly!
It was announcing its rebirth in the only way it knew how.