Pokémon Center
After leaving the Devon Manufacturing Group, Aoki arrived at the Pokémon Center and booked a private room. He wasn't in a hurry to return to his base—his priority was to identify the Ultra Evolutionary Stones/Ite he had obtained from President Stone.
Back at Devon Corp, President Stone had gifted him the stones without personally verifying them, meaning Aoki had received them in their raw form, unappraised. Now, he had the perfect opportunity to enjoy the moment of uncovering their identities.
With a deep breath, Aoki carefully took out the Ultra Evolutionary Stones/Ite and activated his data-analysis ability.
His eyes flickered as the information appeared before him:
• Salamence Ultra Evolutionary Stone/Ite
• Metagross Ultra Evolutionary Stone/Ite
• Beedrill Ultra Evolutionary Stone/Ite
• Alakazam Ultra Evolutionary Stone/Ite
• Charizard Ultra Evolutionary Stone/Ite
Aoki's expression stiffened slightly. Not a single one belonged to Boss Lairon.
While the Ultra Evolutionary Stones/Ite for Salamence and Metagross were valuable, he currently had neither Pokémon. The Mega Evolution of these two was known for their terrifying strength—Steven Stone's Metagross in the manga was proof of that—but Aoki couldn't utilize them yet.
He sighed. "Well, at least they were free. Maybe I'll find Boss Lairon's stone in the future. Besides, Meteor Falls isn't too far away… I might be able to obtain a Bagon."
Aoki recalled that, in the manga, Meteor Falls was home to wild Bagon, which often trained there in their pursuit of flight. If he managed to catch one and raise it to a Salamence, he'd be able to make use of the Ultra Evolutionary Stone/Ite.
Still, what he truly wanted was Boss Lairon's Mega Stone.
"If not that, then a Blazikenite or Sceptilite would work. At least I could use those right away."
Shaking off his disappointment, Aoki turned his attention to another matter.
"Forget it, let's open the treasure chest first."
Bringing up the system log, he accessed the silver chest reward he had earned from defeating Roxanne in Rustboro City's Gym.
A notification popped up:
Ding Dong! Congratulations, you have obtained TM Solar Beam!
Aoki exhaled sharply, slightly disappointed. Solar Beam wasn't a game-changing move, but it was still useful. Most importantly, Boss Lairon could learn it.
"This might actually help against Water- or Ground-types like Swampert. If it lands, it'll be a one-hit knockout."
Satisfied with this small gain, Aoki prepared for his next objective. The following morning, he packed his gear and departed Rustboro City, setting out toward Meteor Falls.
His goal: to explore the cave and, if luck was on his side, capture a Bagon.
Meteor Falls
After half a day's journey, Aoki arrived at the entrance of Meteor Falls—a massive cave formation shaped by the impact of a meteorite. A colossal waterfall cascaded down the rock face, giving the area an ethereal atmosphere.
Surveying the entrance, Aoki took a deep breath before stepping inside.
The interior of the cave was dimly lit, with damp echoes reverberating off the walls. He cautiously advanced, hoping to locate a Bagon or, at the very least, a rare Pokémon.
"Boss Lairon, come out."
With a burst of white light, Boss Lairon emerged, its armored form gleaming in the faint light. Given that this was a wild and potentially dangerous area, Aoki wasn't taking any chances.
"Lead the way."
The ground trembled slightly as Boss Lairon stomped forward, its weight causing small vibrations with each step. Now that it had reached the Elite level, its body had become significantly heavier.
Aoki activated the system map, checking for any signs of treasure or hidden opportunities.
"…Wait, what?"
His eyes widened as a diamond treasure chest icon appeared on the map.
A diamond chest meant only one thing—it was linked to a famous Elite or Champion-level trainer.
Considering Hoenn's known trainers, only a few possibilities came to mind.
"Could it be Steven Stone? He does love to explore places like this…"
Aoki wasn't certain, but there was no time to dwell on it. Instead, he proceeded with his original plan—searching for rare Pokémon.
Inside the cavern, silence reigned, interrupted only by the occasional drip of water.
Aoki moved carefully, his senses sharp, until—
RUMBLE!
A deep, rolling tremor echoed through the cave. Aoki's body tensed. He immediately signaled his Pokémon.
"Combusken, Frogadier, Relicanth—stay on alert."
The three Pokémon materialized, each taking a battle-ready stance.
The rumbling grew louder. Then—
From the shadows, a wave of rolling boulders came into view.
No… not boulders.
Golem. Graveler. Geodude.
Dozens of them, moving together as a massive horde.
The instant they locked eyes with Aoki, they halted—then lifted their feet.
Aoki's mind raced. They're about to use Earthquake!
In this cavern, a large-scale Earthquake could cause a catastrophic collapse.
"Boss Lairon, Flash Cannon! Combusken, Flamethrower! Frogadier, Relicanth—Psybeam! Treecko, Energy Ball!"
The Pokémon attacked simultaneously.
A dazzling silver-white energy beam erupted from Boss Lairon, while Combusken's fiery breath roared across the battlefield. Frogadier and Relicanth fired Psybeam, sending shimmering waves of psychic force at the enemies, while Treecko launched a glowing green Energy Ball.
The impact was immediate.
A massive explosion rocked the cavern, kicking up dust and debris.
Seconds passed. When the dust settled, the entire Golem group lay motionless, knocked out.
Aoki exhaled in relief. "That was close… If they had used Earthquake, this whole place might've come down."
Approaching the fallen Pokémon, he inspected them carefully.
While he didn't need them personally, Golem was a solid Pokémon, especially for trainers below the Elite level. He could always capture one to hand over to his subordinates in the future.
"At the very least, they have decent base stats."
With the immediate danger passed, Aoki turned his focus back to his original mission.
He wasn't leaving Meteor Falls empty-handed.
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