Sabrina stared at the enormous cavern around them. "Then you believe there could be Mega Stones somewhere underneath Meteor Falls?" she asked.
Gladion nodded confidently. "I do more than believe it. I think there is a very good chance. This region has everything the theory predicts. Ancient meteor impacts, unusual energy, rare Dragon type Pokémon, and a geological structure that suggests the ground beneath us was heavily disturbed long ago."
He glanced toward the place where his Dugtrio had disappeared. "If Mega Stones formed here, they may not be sitting on the surface waiting for someone to pick them up. They could be buried extremely deep beneath the ground."
Sabrina looked toward the distant caves where the Draconid people lived. "Then how did they never find them? These people have lived here for generations. Surely someone must have discovered at least one."
Gladion scratched his chin as he considered the question. "That is actually the part that surprises me. The Draconid people have lived around Meteor Falls for a very long time, and they clearly understand the area better than almost anyone else. Yet I have never found a reliable record of them discovering a Mega Stone here. Heck, they even bought one from me."
He paused before adding, "I think there are two possible reasons. First, they may never have known what they were looking for. If you are not actively searching for Mega Stones, you could easily mistake one for an unusual crystal or a piece of meteorite."
Sabrina nodded. "And the second reason?" Gladion looked down at the ground beneath his feet. "Depth. The meteorites may have fallen thousands of years ago. The surface has changed many times since then. Rock formed over the impact sites, soil accumulated, underground rivers changed course, and new caves were created."
"If the Mega Stones formed deep underground, the Draconid people could have lived here for centuries without ever reaching them." He gave a small grin. "They know Meteor Falls extremely well, but knowing a cave system and knowing everything beneath that cave system are two very different things."
A loud rumbling suddenly came from beneath them.
Sabrina looked down. "Was that your Dugtrio?" Gladion nodded. "Probably. They have found something." He waited for several seconds, but the ground remained still.
Then another rumble came from farther away, followed by a third one. Gladion's expression became more interested. "They are spreading out. I told them to search in different directions so we could cover more ground."
Sabrina shook her head with a small smile. "You really came here prepared to dig up half of Meteor Falls, did you not?"
Gladion shrugged. "I am not planning to destroy the place. I am simply using Pokémon that are naturally suited to underground exploration. Besides, if there really are Mega Stones buried beneath us, I would rather find them before someone else accidentally discovers them and decides to sell them for a fortune."
Sabrina gave him a skeptical look. "You mean you would rather find them and sell them for a fortune yourself?" Gladion smiled innocently.
"I prefer to think of it as responsible resource management. If I find something valuable, I will make sure it ends up in the hands of someone who understands its importance."
Sabrina stared at him for a moment. "That sounded suspiciously like something a very wealthy criminal would say."
Gladion placed a hand over his chest in mock offense. "I am a Gym Leader and a diplomat. I am deeply offended that you would compare me to a criminal simply because I happen to appreciate rare stones."
A loud whistle came from beneath the ground.
Gladion immediately stopped joking.
The Dugtrio emerged several meters away, covered in dirt and carrying a small piece of dark rock between them. The rock was strange. It was not large, but faint green lines ran through its surface, and the stone seemed to reflect light that was not actually present inside the cave.
Gladion's expression changed immediately.
"That is not an ordinary stone," he said, walking toward them. He crouched down and carefully examined it without touching it. His eyes narrowed as he studied the green glow. "This could be exactly what I was looking for."
Sabrina stepped closer. "You think it is a Mega Stone that might turn into mega stone?"
Gladion shook his head. "I do not know yet. It could be an old meteor fragment that has absorbed energy, or it could be something much more valuable. We need to examine it properly before making that conclusion."
He looked toward the Dugtrio. "Continue searching around the same area, but do not damage anything that looks unusual. If there is one strange stone here, there could be more."
The Dugtrio immediately disappeared beneath the earth again.
Gladion looked at the stone for another moment.
'If the second theory is correct, then this entire region could be hiding a large number of Mega Stones,' he thought. 'The Draconid people may have been sitting above a treasure buried beneath their feet for generations without ever realizing it.'
He slowly smiled.
'And if that is true, I may have just found one of the most valuable mining sites in the world.'
Sabrina noticed the expression on his face and sighed. "I already know that look. Whatever you are thinking, please tell me that it does not involve digging through the entire mountain."
Gladion looked at her with complete seriousness before answering, "I cannot promise that until I know how many Mega Stones are beneath us."
Sabrina closed her eyes as she realised something. "Wait, if these rocks can turn into mega Evolution stones, you are going to use Latios and Latias powerful energy to turn them into mega stones? You could just turn this rock into tension of mega evolution stones."
Gladion laughed, "I don't think that is possible even with two legendaries by my side. No I am hoping to find stones that have already absorbed the energy during the past thousands of years and are already mega evolution stones."
-----Author Notes------
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