North Entrance of Alto Mare
"Long time no see!"
The moment they met, a silver-haired boy lunged forward and pulled Elias into a bear hug.
Having not seen his friend for so long, the ever-loyal Steven was overwhelmed with nostalgia.
"Yeah, it's been a while." Elias responded with a warm smile.
Given that Steven was one of his very few friends, he had missed him quite a bit too.
Not to mention, Steven had helped him out plenty of times in the past without asking for anything in return—like how he had used his connections to obtain the Prism Scale that helped Feebas evolve into Milotic.
"So, where's your new Pokémon? Aren't you going to show it to me?"
Recalling how Steven had kept his new Pokémon a secret for a whole year, Elias asked with great interest.
As a cultured and refined young heir, Steven was far above the base pleasures of the common folk.
If he had spent so much time boasting about a Pokémon, it had to be either immensely powerful or unbelievably rare.
Sure enough, upon hearing Elias's question, Steven let out an amused hum.
Then, with a flick of his wrist, he unhooked the only Poké Ball from his belt and tossed it forward.
Boom—
A flash of white light revealed a floating, sharp-angled, pure white Pokémon hovering before them.
"…A Shiny Beldum?"
Elias was genuinely surprised.
If it had been an ordinary Shiny Pokémon, he wouldn't have been that shocked.
But Beldum belonged to the Mineral Egg Group and was genderless—meaning it couldn't reproduce like most other Pokémon.
The only way new Beldum could come into existence was when a fully evolved Metagross reached a certain level of maturity and shed part of its body, which would then form a new Beldum.
In other words, to obtain a Shiny Beldum, one had to first find a Shiny Metagross.
The odds of that happening were astronomically low, far rarer than acquiring most Shiny Pokémon through conventional means.
Seeing Elias's reaction, Steven looked quite pleased.
Smiling, he asked, "What do you think? I spent ages tracking this Beldum down. Pretty rare, huh?"
Elias nodded in agreement, finally understanding why Steven had kept it under wraps for a whole year.
If it had been him, he would have been just as excited.
"Don't worry—once it evolves into Metagross, the first Beldum it sheds will be yours."
Steven waved a hand generously.
A warm feeling rose in Elias's heart.
Having almost no friends of his own, he felt truly lucky to have met someone like Steven.
After chatting for a while, Elias remembered the other reason he had come out today.
"I actually came out to capture my second Pokémon. Interested in joining me?"
The last encounter with poachers had made him realize the importance of firepower.
If, instead of J's subordinates, the poacher herself had shown up that day, both he and Latias would have been doomed.
Moreover, Milotic, being a Pokémon symbolic of peace, wasn't exactly suited for battle.
Elias urgently needed a strong Pokémon to fill the gap in his team.
"Catching a Pokémon, huh?"
Hearing this, Steven fell into thought.
After a moment, he sighed apologetically.
"Sorry, Elias. I just got back to Hoenn, and I have to help my father with a lot of company affairs. I probably won't have much time to go out."
Elias wasn't surprised by his refusal.
After all, Steven's father—Joseph Stone—was an incredibly capable businessman.
As a corporate tycoon, he had always been strict about Steven's education, assigning him various company responsibilities from a young age.
It was no surprise he had little time to spare.
---
[After a bit more conversation, the two of you part ways.]
[After saying goodbye, you head north of Alto Mare, entering the forest.]
[The vegetation here isn't as dense as in some other areas, but there is a well-known landmark nearby—Meteor Falls.]
[It is said to be a cavernous waterfall formed by a meteorite impact, home to many Pokémon.]
[You decide to check it out.]
Inside the Forest.
"Milotic, want some berries?"
Along the way, Elias noticed several trees laden with ripe berries.
After picking a few, he turned to Milotic and offered them.
"Miu~"
Without Latias around, Milotic seemed visibly pleased.
She let out a soft hum, rested her head on Elias's shoulder, and took small, delicate bites from his hand.
"Miu~"
After finishing her meal, she licked Elias's cheek with her soft, pink tongue, her eyes half-lidded in satisfaction.
Being a mom feels so nice…
Elias had no idea what kind of bizarre thoughts were running through her head.
After making sure she was full, he plucked a few extra berries to bring back for Latias.
Just then, a loud crashing sound echoed in the distance, followed by an unmistakable roar.
"…That sounds like a Salamence?"
Elias immediately tensed, turning toward the source of the commotion, various possibilities running through his mind.
Given that Hunter J was a dominant figure in the poaching world, many poachers had adopted Salamence as their go-to Pokémon.
He worried that the ruckus might be caused by yet another group of poachers.
With that thought in mind, he gestured to Milotic.
"Let's go check it out."
After a few swift [Teleports], Elias arrived at the scene.
Several massive trees had been felled, their trunks cleanly severed as if by a blade.
However, the ones responsible weren't poachers as he had feared.
Instead, a wild Salamence and a few young Bagon were at the center of the chaos.
"Come on, it was just one egg! Do you really have to chase me down like this?!"
A black-haired girl in a gray cloak was running for her life, shouting back at the enraged Salamence.
Despite her words, she clutched the stolen egg tightly in her arms.
"ROAR!"
The Salamence, enraged beyond reason, flapped its wings and surged forward in pursuit.
Realizing the danger, the girl tried to roll to the side to dodge—
But it was too late.
Salamence raised a claw, green energy coalescing into a razor-sharp [Dragon Claw].
As the attack came down, the girl gritted her teeth and held the egg in front of her like a shield.
She was gambling—betting that Salamence wouldn't strike its own offspring.
But before she could find out if her gamble would pay off, a voice rang through the air.
"Milotic, [Hydro Pump]."
The moment the command was given, a powerful torrent of water shot out, crashing directly into Salamence's incoming [Dragon Claw].
BOOM!
A deafening explosion of mist filled the air, forcing the girl to shut her eyes.
Salamence, caught off guard, hesitated for a moment.
Then, spotting Elias and his Milotic, its fury only grew.
No longer concerned with its egg, it flapped its wings and charged forward, determined to punish these intruders.
And then—
It was promptly schooled by a single [Dragon Tail].
---
T/N: welp i think ill just keep alto mare for continuity purposes...
hehe remember im out of the country! sorrgee for the lack of updates power stone stuff probably wont be available until im back home
...
If you're reading this, then you've wandered all the way to the end. I'm impressed. Stories are like wine—meant to be savored, not rushed. So if you took your time? Thank you.
Of course, the real thanks goes to WiseTL—the one who turned tangled words into something beautiful. I just got asked to wrap things up with a ribbon. Hopefully this counts!
If you enjoyed the journey and want to support the person who made it possible, you can find them here:
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Go on. Be generous. They've earned it.
Until next time—read well, rest often, and maybe come visit me at the Hostess of Fertility sometime.
– Syr ✨