"He's quite persistent, isn't he?"
Steven couldn't help but chuckle at Aron's behavior. The more he observed this particular Aron, the more pleased he became.
He absolutely had to catch it!
"Metang, use a light Bullet Punch. Don't put too much force into it."
Metang watched as Aron charged forward once more, then casually threw a punch that connected with Aron's head, knocking the small Pokémon to the ground.
Aron's compact body even bounced once against the cave floor.
Watching the fallen Aron, Steven threw another Poké Ball.
Click!
The Poké Ball pulled Aron inside, then dropped to the ground and began shaking.
Two seconds later, the Poké Ball burst open again.
Relying purely on determination, Aron stood up, took two steps forward, and kicked the broken Poké Ball away.
"Aaaaarooon!!!"
No one's taking my rock!
Metang scratched its head in confusion. It didn't understand what rock Aron kept crying about. Wasn't its Trainer interested in catching it?
"This one's incredibly stubborn. Aron's possible Abilities don't include Sturdy in this way, do they?" This completely baffled Steven.
By all logic, Aron shouldn't have been able to withstand Metang's Bullet Punch, right?
Even with Metang holding back considerably.
But it still shouldn't be possible...
Now he wanted to catch it even more!
"Aaaron!"
Aron charged again. Metang simply swept its arm, sending Aron flying. The Steel-type hit the ground and rolled several times.
"This time it shouldn't be able to stand up..."
Steven hadn't even finished speaking when Aron rose to its feet again!
However, this time its short legs were trembling visibly. It was clearly nearing its limit.
At that moment, Metang turned around and made a gesture toward Steven.
Its two arms came together, with its golden claws forming a diamond shape.
"What are you trying to tell me?"
Seeing Steven's confusion, Metang gestured toward Aron again.
"A stone?" Steven roughly understood what Metang was trying to communicate.
"Metang!" Metang nodded, then pointed at Aron while making several descriptive motions.
Meanwhile, Aron was shuffling forward, gritting its teeth as it advanced toward Metang.
Metang used all its mental power, and after a series of elaborate gestures, Steven finally grasped what his Pokémon wanted to express.
"So this little guy is guarding its food source?" Steven realized, pulling out the Hard Rock he had excavated earlier in Rusturf Tunnel from his bag.
He walked over to the still-stumbling Aron, crouched down, and offered the Hard Rock.
A rock suddenly appeared in Aron's field of vision. Without hesitation, it bit down on it.
Compared to its own precious stone, this rock could actually be bitten into, and it tasted quite good.
Aron looked up at the smiling Steven, then collapsed to the ground in relief.
"Aaaron..."
No choice... I'll trade...
Steven looked at the Hard Rock in his hand that Aron had chomped on, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
"It really was protecting its food..."
This time, Aron didn't resist. The Poké Ball successfully captured it without any struggle!
"I feel like if I'd just offered it food from the beginning, I wouldn't have needed to let it take those hits."
Steven minimized the Poké Ball containing Aron and placed it into the slot on his belt.
"Let me see what kind of stone made Aron so protective."
Steven walked deeper inside, and with his flashlight beam, he immediately spotted the stone Aron had kicked earlier.
"This can't be..."
A stunned Steven picked up the spherical stone, his hands trembling slightly.
While roughly spherical, it was more like an irregular orb with tiny protrusions across its surface.
It was predominantly gray, with a leaf-shaped symbol composed of dark blue and light blue in the center.
"This couldn't be a Mega Stone, could it..."
Steven wasn't entirely certain. Information about Mega Stones in this world was extremely limited, though some people did possess them. However, no detailed photographs were publicly available.
Based on his knowledge, this stone was most likely a Mega Stone.
However, Steven couldn't recall the exact color patterns of various Mega Stones very clearly.
Looking at this Mega Stone's coloration, it was most likely for a Rock-type or Steel-type Pokémon.
"If it's Aggron's Mega Stone..." Steven couldn't stop his lips from curving upward.
However, to confirm whether this was indeed a Mega Stone, he would need to travel to the Kalos region and consult Professor Sycamore, who specializes in Mega Evolution research.
Regarding the origins of Mega Evolution, there are two prevailing theories.
One theory claims that Mega Evolution originated in the Kalos region, while the other suggests its origin lies in the Hoenn region.
This debate exists because discoveries of Mega Stones have occurred in both regions.
Steven, with fragments of memories from his previous life, also felt puzzled about this. Mega Evolution was a battle mechanic introduced in the Pokémon games alongside the Kalos region. Yet most of the Legendary Pokémon capable of Mega Evolution seem to originate from the Hoenn region.
Strictly speaking, Primal Reversion forms like Primal Kyogre and Primal Groudon aren't considered Mega Evolution. However, their counterpart, Rayquaza, does undergo Mega Evolution, and both Latios and Latias can Mega Evolve as well.
He had a strong feeling that the true origin of Mega Evolution might actually be Hoenn!
"I need to find time to visit the Kalos region," Steven decided.
But not immediately, since he couldn't utilize Mega Evolution yet anyway.
Placing the Mega Stone carefully into his backpack, Steven planned to continue exploring deeper into the cave.
Trading a Hard Rock for a Mega Stone—that was an incredible profit!
As long as he didn't encounter an exceptionally powerful Pokémon, Steven could proceed unimpeded.
Even if he did encounter one, Steven would have to retreat. Not because he feared losing the battle, but because he worried that fighting might cause the tunnel to collapse, potentially burying him alive.
Deeper inside the cave, Steven finally discovered a Fire Stone of exceptionally high quality.
On the opposite rock wall, there were also diamond-shaped, dark-colored mineral deposits embedded in the stone.
Without hesitation, Steven began excavating on the spot. Under his flashlight, the quality of this Fire Stone was comparable to the one in his personal collection at home.
Steven was thrilled that this expedition had been incredibly worthwhile!
Near the entrance to the cave's deeper sections, Steven also excavated numerous Hard Rocks, planning to use them to feed Aron once they emerged from the cave.
Minerals and ores could not only satisfy Aron's hunger but also enhance its physical strength. The energy contained within could be fully absorbed by Aron, steadily improving its capabilities.
Simply by eating, it could continuously grow stronger. Combined with proper training, wouldn't its development be meteoric?
Unlike other Pokémon that need to absorb energy through more complex methods, eating was simpler and more efficient.
Aside from the potentially high costs involved, there were virtually no disadvantages.
And money, for Steven, was hardly a concern!