After adding the Alpha Bagon to his team, Gladion and Sabrina followed Aster through another passage that eventually led away from the main nesting chambers. The tunnel gradually widened until they emerged onto the other side of Meteor Falls.
Unlike the underground tunnels, this area was open and rugged. Huge rocky slopes stretched into the distance, with veins of different colored minerals visible beneath the exposed stone.
Aster stopped near the edge of the valley and gestured toward the surrounding mountains. "This is the area covered by our agreement. You may survey the land and determine where you believe mining would be practical. You are not allowed to move towards the underground caverns but only mine around the hills. The surface areas around these mountains are available to your company under the terms we agreed upon." Gladion looked around carefully rather than immediately responding.
His eyes moved from the exposed rock to the mountain walls and then toward the deeper slopes. He pulled a small device from his pocket and began examining the area. "There is more exposed ore here than I expected. If the deposits continue underground, this could become extremely valuable."
Aster nodded. "Our people have known about the resources for generations, but we never wished to disturb the mountains unnecessarily. We take what we need and leave the rest untouched."
Gladion crouched beside a large exposed vein and examined the stone. "That is exactly why this place remained so valuable. Most mining regions have already been heavily worked. Here, the resources have been sitting untouched for generations."
Sabrina looked toward him with a small smile. "I assume you are already calculating how much money you could make from this."
Gladion did not even bother denying it. "Of course. I am a businessman. It would be strange if I looked at a mountain full of valuable resources and thought only about how pretty the rocks are."
Aster laughed quietly at his honesty. "Then perhaps the agreement was made with the correct person. You seem more interested in understanding what the land can provide than simply taking everything from it."
Gladion straightened and looked toward the distant mountains. "I have no intention of destroying the place. If the Draconids have protected this region for generations, the last thing I want is to ruin it for short term profit. We can mine carefully, preserve the important areas, and still make the operation profitable."
He looked back at Aster. "I also want my people to work with yours. Your knowledge of the land is far more valuable than anything written on a map."
Aster nodded approvingly. "Then I believe the agreement will benefit both sides. I will leave you to inspect the area. When you are finished, one of our guides will take you back to the main entrance."
Gladion nodded. "Thank you, Aster. I appreciate the trust your people have placed in me."
She smiled before turning back toward the caves. "And I believe your new Bagon will make sure you remember that trust every day."
Gladion looked toward the Poké Ball containing his newest partner and smiled. "I have a feeling he will make sure I remember a lot of things."
----
As Aster left, Gladion released a couple of his Poké Balls, and a flash of white light appeared beside him.
Three Dugtrio that were a part of the gym rather than his personal team emerged from the ground almost immediately.
He crouched slightly and gave them a simple gesture toward the ground. "Search the entire area beneath us. I want you to look for anything unusual, especially stones that are glowing and rainbow coloured. Do not bring up ordinary rocks unless you think there is something special about them."
The Dugtrio nodded in their own strange way before disappearing underground, their bodies drilling through the soil with surprising speed.
Sabrina watched them vanish beneath the ground and then looked back at Gladion with curiosity. "What exactly are you searching for? You seemed far more interested in this place than you saw the metal mine in Mt.Moon."
Gladion glanced toward the mountains nearby before answering. "Mega Evolution Stones. If the records I have studied are correct, this place should have a very good chance of containing them."
He walked toward a large section of exposed rock while continuing his explanation. "Thousands of years ago, a series of meteoroids bombarded this region. Those impacts carved out the massive cave system we now call Meteor Falls. The meteors were not ordinary pieces of rock either. They carried unusual amounts of cosmic energy and life force, and that energy changed the land around them permanently."
Sabrina folded her arms as she listened. "And that is supposed to explain why so many Dragon type Pokémon live around here?" she asked.
Gladion nodded. "Partly. The energy left behind by those impacts changed the environment over a very long period. It created conditions that were unusually favorable for rare Dragon type Pokémon such as Bagon and Salamence."
"It also seems to attract Pokémon connected to cosmic energy, such as Solrock and Lunatone. The strange thing is that Meteor Falls is not simply a place where these Pokémon happen to live. The entire area seems to have developed around the energy left behind by those ancient impacts."
Sabrina nodded slowly, but then she noticed Gladion's expression becoming more thoughtful. "You mentioned Mega Stones. How exactly do they form? I thought they were simply rare stones that allowed certain Pokémon to Mega Evolve."
Gladion gave her a small smile. "That is the simple explanation, but there are several theories about where they actually came from. One theory says that Mega Stones were originally ordinary Evolution Stones, such as Fire Stones or Water Stones, that were exposed to an enormous amount of energy around three thousand years ago. And this energy came from legendary Pokemon Xerneas and Yveltal.
Sabrina raised an eyebrow. "So you are saying that legendary Pokemon of Kalos region formed mega evolution stones?"
Gladion nodded. "That is one possibility. The problem is that this theory does not explain everything. There are Mega Stones found in places that do not appear to have been heavily affected by that event, and some of them are located near old meteor impact sites."
He crouched beside a piece of dark stone and brushed some dust from its surface. "That is where the second theory becomes interesting."
Sabrina leaned closer. "What is the second theory?"
Gladion stood again and said, "The second theory is that Mega Stones can form naturally when meteorites fall from space. These meteorites sometimes appear to carry a strange green glow when they enter the atmosphere. When they land, they absorb the natural energy surrounding them."
"Some researchers call that energy Infinity Energy, while others simply describe it as the life force present in living things and the environment. Over a long period, that energy changes the meteorite itself and causes it to crystallize into a special stone."
He held up one finger as he continued. "The final form of the stone depends on what kind of energy it absorbs and how it interacts with the genetic structure of nearby Pokémon. That is why different Mega Stones resonate with different species."
Sabrina looked thoughtful. "So the meteor itself becomes the stone?" she asked.
Gladion nodded. "That is the idea. The meteor provides the material, while the energy of the land and living creatures provides the change. Eventually, you end up with a crystal that can respond to a particular Pokémon's genetic makeup and allow it to reach a Mega Evolution. It would also explain why certain Mega Stones are repeatedly discovered around old meteor impact sites."
He pointed toward the surrounding cavern. "And that is precisely why I find Meteor Falls so interesting. Almost every Mega Stone I have encountered in my research has some connection to places where unusual meteors were recorded falling thousands of years ago."
Sabrina stared at the enormous cavern around them. "Then you believe there could be Mega Stones somewhere underneath Meteor Falls?" she asked.
-----Author Notes------
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