Early Morning
At the break of dawn, Paul made his way to Veilstone City's Park.
Just like in the anime, this world's meteorite was located within the park, while Team Galactic's Veilstone base was merely a branch, not their headquarters.
It didn't take him long to arrive.Since it was still early, the park was nearly deserted, and the meteorite site itself was completely empty.
"Come out."
Paul took out several Poké Balls and released his Pokémon.
"Cha ~"
"Buzz-Buzz~"
"Grrr~"
"Gaaa~"
Four distinct cries rang out as Dewott, Electabuzz, Grotle, and Gabite emerged.
"Get close to the meteorites and see if you can sense any energy inside. Try to absorb or utilize it if possible."
Paul had seen these meteorites countless times since childhood. He knew he wouldn't be able to analyze anything just by looking at them, so he let his Pokémon take a more direct approach.
Each Pokémon had been carefully selected.The Lustrous Orb, Adamant Orb, and Griseous Orb—crafted using the Dragon, Water, and Steel-type Plates—shared similar compositions with these meteorites.
That meant the Pokémon most likely to tap into the meteorite's energy were Gabite, due to its Dragon-typing, and Dewott, because of its Steel-typing. Electabuzz, having consumed the Zap Plate, might resonate with it as well.
Meanwhile, Grotle was an experiment—Paul wanted to see if it could absorb any power from the meteorite.At his command, all four Pokémon approached the meteorite, attempting to sense its inner energy.
Failed Attempts.
"Buzz~"
Electabuzz was the first to give up.
While it could vaguely sense a special energy within the meteorite, the energy seemed hazy and incompatible with its own—completely useless.
"Cha~"
Shortly after, Dewott also withdrew. It could detect a force that was somewhat aligned with its typing, but it was impossible to utilize.
"Gaa~"
Gabite sighed, crouching beside the meteorite. Sneakily, it extended a claw, attempting to chip off a small piece to eat.
"Grrr~"
Grotle was the most straightforward—it simply extended its roots and activated Giga Drain, trying to extract energy from within the meteorite.
A soft green glow flickered as its roots absorbed whatever they could… but ultimately, Grotle shook its head in defeat.
The energy inside was far too advanced. It was beyond its ability to absorb.
"Buzz-buzz~"
Electabuzz, now watching Gabite's claws intently, was eager to see if it could break off a piece.
"Gaaa!"
With a startled yelp, Gabite managed to chip off a tiny meteorite fragment, which clattered onto the ground.
"Buzz-buzz-buzz!"
Get more!
Electabuzz glanced around, confirming that aside from Paul, there were no other people nearby. Excitedly, it urged Gabite to break off more pieces.
"Gaa~"
Gabite complied, raising its claw, preparing to use Dragon Claw to slice through the meteorite.Free, high-quality material—why not take as much as possible?
"That's enough. Return."
Paul put a stop to Gabite's actions and recalled all his Pokémon into their Poké Balls.
After all, the meteorite was a city landmark. Damaging it would be problematic. It wasn't going anywhere before Team Galactic made their move.
If it had any usable power, after all these years, some of it naturally eroding was reasonable.
And if it wasn't usable, then collecting more wouldn't make any difference. With the small meteorite fragment in hand, Paul calmly headed home.
The moment he returned to the Pokemon Center, Paul released all his Pokémon again and tossed a small piece of the meteorite to Gabite.
"Eat it and see what happens."
Given Gabite's Ground/Dragon typing and its strong digestive abilities, consuming a rock was no issue.
"Gaa?!"
Gabite swallowed it in one gulp—then froze in surprise.…It felt exactly like eating a regular rock.
After waiting a few minutes, nothing happened. No energy had been absorbed, and the meteorite's power had completely failed to integrate into its body.
"So, it's useless after all? Forget it, then."
Paul tossed the remaining meteorite fragments to Gabite, letting it finish them off. Still, there was no reaction. He had no choice but to accept reality.
"Go back to training. We'll be setting out on our journey soon."
After giving instructions, Paul left home once again.
This time, he headed to an anonymous internet café and sent emails to the police department, the investigation bureau, and the special forces—warning them that Team Galactic would soon attempt to steal the meteorite.
While stopping Team Galactic completely was unlikely, even a slight delay would buy him more time for his own development.
Paul didn't care about their so-called "new world", but he would never allow them to destroy the current one.
His fate had to remain in his own hands. The stronger he became, the greater his control over his own destiny.
Of course, the success of his warning depended on whether these agencies believed the email—and whether they even had the strength to stop Team Galactic.Paul wasn't exactly optimistic about the Pokémon League's ability to handle it.
Final Arrangements Before the Journey
Several days passed.
Once Gabite's second phase of bloodline awakening had concluded, Paul gathered his Pokémon to finalize preparations before setting out on his journey.
"Tomorrow, we begin a new journey. The Pokémon I call will continue traveling with me. The rest of you will stay here for training."
All of his Pokémon looked at him, eager to be chosen.
"Electabuzz."
Paul needed to make further refinements to its training regimen.
"Buzz-buzz!"
Naturally! As expected of my trainer!
Electabuzz smirked, feeling quite pleased at being the first pick.
"Gabite."
The Dragon Bloodline Awakening Plan was still in its early stages. Paul needed to monitor it closely.
"Gaaa~"
Always follow big bro's lead!
Gabite puffed out its chest proudly.
"Ursaring."
Electabuzz and Gabite would be perfect sparring partners for it—two-on-one training sessions would be just right.
Since all three excelled at close combat, they could push each other to improve.
"Ursaaa~"
Ursaring grinned—finally, worthy opponents!Paul's gaze shifted between Dewott, Vulpix, Skorupi, and Grotle, before finally settling on Vulpix.
"Vul~!"
Vulpix let out a sweet cry, overjoyed—
"Vulpix will stay behind. Stick to your current training routine and reach the evolution threshold as soon as possible."Paul added.
For now, Vulpix didn't have any major adjustments to make—it just needed to perfect its current training. Bringing it along wouldn't be particularly beneficial.
"Grotle, come with me too."
"Grrr~"
After hearing this, Grotle said goodbye to Vulpix happily.
Grotle, are you going to leave me too?
"Vul..."
Vulpix's expression fell.
"Skorupi, keep training with Drapion. Master all of Drapion's techniques, and I'll take you on the next journey."
At this stage, staying with Drapion would help Skorupi improve far faster than traveling.
Even Paul's guidance wouldn't be as effective as learning from an experienced Drapion.
And so, the final selections for Paul's next journey were set.
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