"That's right, there are also some Metal Coats, Ground Gems, Rock Gems, and Steel Gems here."
Steven, very satisfied, placed all his findings into his backpack.
Behind him stood his loyal Metang, and beyond that, a pile of fainted Pokémon.
"I think it's time to head back." Steven rubbed his rumbling stomach. This expedition's haul was far greater than what he'd found in Rusturf Tunnel.
"Let's go, Metang."
"Metang!"
Steven led Metang back along the marks he'd made earlier, stopping only when he reached the pile of rubble and looked up at the hole through which he'd fallen.
"Has that Mawile woken up yet?"
Steven glanced around but didn't find any trace of the Mawile.
"Take me up, Metang."
Steven stepped onto Metang's body and returned to the previous level.
What Steven didn't know was that chaos was continuously unfolding below.
After that Mawile had woken up, it was furious and determined to find whoever had knocked it unconscious.
So it was violently attacking every Pokémon it encountered in the lower levels.
Steven walked out of Granite Cave, and by now, the sky was dark with night, and exhaustion gradually set in.
Steven pulled out a Metal Coat, then climbed onto Metang's back, waved his hand, and grinned. "Let's go, Metang!"
"Metang!"
Metang absorbed the magnetic energy contained in the Metal Coat, immediately felt its body surge with power, and began speeding off with Steven on its back.
In a short while, they returned to Dewford Town. Once there, Steven recalled Metang into its Poké Ball.
Steven first headed to the Pokémon Center, handed Aron over to Nurse Joy, and then booked a room to rest.
Nurse Joy wore her professional smile as she took Aron's Poké Ball and handed the room key to Steven.
Steven pocketed the room key and sat in the lobby, quietly waiting while watching some minor tournament matches playing on the public television screen.
Aron actually hadn't sustained any injuries, since Metang had only struck with its arms without using any actual moves.
So within a short while, Nurse Joy called Steven's number, asking him to retrieve Aron's Poké Ball.
Steven was too tired to find a place to cook, so he simply ordered some takeout from the restaurant next door and ate it in his room.
Metang and Beldum only needed to absorb magnetic energy to maintain their vitality, while Aron preferred eating rocks and minerals. For Skarmory's dinner, Steven had brought high-quality Pokéblocks himself.
So he only needed to arrange his own dinner.
Steven released all his Pokémon in the room.
"Aaaron!" As soon as Aron emerged, it was extremely curious about its surroundings.
First, the unfamiliar compact space inside the Poké Ball, and now this unfamiliar larger room.
With the sudden change in environment, Aron remained cautious.
After all, it had grown up living in a dark cave.
Looking at Aron's fierce expression, Steven remembered how this determined little Pokémon kept getting back up to continue fighting.
Though it had been to protect its food.
Still, a temperament like that should make training go smoothly.
"Here, these are for you."
Steven pulled out several Hard Rocks from his bag. He didn't know Aron's current appetite, so he took out a few to test it.
"Aaaron?" Aron was startled.
No! Can't accept food from strangers!
But... these rocks look so delicious...
Aron struggled internally for two seconds, then resolutely pounced on the Hard Rocks in Steven's hand.
"Hey! Wait!"
Since Steven was sitting on the bed, he couldn't dodge and was struck squarely by Aron.
"Ow..."
Steven clutched his stomach. Aron's steel armor was incredibly hard. It felt no different from being hit by a boulder.
But seeing how enthusiastically Aron was eating, Steven couldn't bring himself to disturb it.
He took out Metal Coats and Pokéblocks, and watching everyone contentedly eating made him feel much better.
Though he thought 'contentedly eating,' in reality, they were all consuming their respective meals without bothering each other.
Yet he inexplicably felt a sense of warmth.
This was a feeling Steven had rarely experienced since childhood.
In his vast home, he was always alone. Occasionally, a butler or housekeeper would visit, but there was no real companionship to speak of.
When Steven was five or six years old, an elderly woman had visited his home with her granddaughter. That brief period occasionally gave Steven something to look back on fondly.
Those were perhaps the days that felt most like a proper childhood to Steven.
"Indeed, Pokémon are my family too..."
After dinner, Steven brought Aron over for a small discussion.
Steven said, "I hope you'll integrate with us and walk the path toward becoming a powerful Pokémon. What do you think, Aron?"
"Aaaron?"
Aron tilted its head, clearly not understanding Steven's meaning.
"It basically means we'll accompany each other—sometimes as partners, sometimes as allies, sometimes as family."
"Aaaron..." With that explanation, Aron seemed to grasp it a little.
"Aaaron?"
What is this 'path toward becoming powerful' though? Is it edible?
Skarmory, hearing this, suddenly felt somewhat embarrassed.
Currently, in Steven's team, only Skarmory seemed remotely normal.
Metang and Beldum's intelligence levels were similar. Aside from Steven's commands, they wouldn't particularly try to understand much else.
Seeing Skarmory's reaction, Steven roughly understood Aron's confusion.
"It means eating more minerals, then getting stronger and stronger, so you can eat even more minerals." Steven tried to explain from Aron's perspective.
"Aaaron!"
Now I understand!
Aron looked enlightened, then happily accepted Steven's explanation.
"Aaaron?"
However, Aron also raised its own concern.
It seemed aware that Steven didn't fully understand its speech, so it pointed to the empty food bowl nearby.
It probably meant, Will they steal my delicious food?
"You don't need to guard your food here. They won't take your minerals." Steven chuckled.
"Aaaron!"
That's great! My family back home always steals my food!
Although Steven didn't completely understand, he could roughly gather that Aron had accepted the arrangement.
"But training will be very demanding."
"Aaaron?"
How demanding? More demanding than eating bad-tasting minerals?
"As long as you persevere, you'll keep getting stronger."
"Aaaron!"
Getting stronger means being able to eat more minerals!
Thinking about it this way, this arrangement is definitely worthwhile!
Aron decided on the spot and nodded in agreement.
The hardship now was just so it could eat more delicious minerals in the future!
Worth it!
Steven looked at Aron's excited expression, knowing without doubt that this little Pokémon was imagining eating vast quantities of minerals in the future.
In any case, it counted as successful recruitment... no, successful explanation!