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Lionel leaned against the cold stone wall, the hoarse voice and the content of the mural echoing repeatedly in his mind.
"The Meteor People… A thousand-year seal. Mega Evolution is not betrayal, but rebirth…"
He murmured to himself.
Combining the scene in the mural of the Meteor People besieging Mega Altaria, he gradually pieced together the clues.
Altaria was originally a Dragon/Flying-type Pokémon, but after Mega Evolution, its Flying type would change to Fairy.
It would become a Dragon/Fairy-type Pokémon.
And Fairy type is the bane of Dragon type.
Dragon-type moves have absolutely no effect on Fairy-type.
Perhaps, in the eyes of the people called the Meteor People in the mural, this kind of evolution that can suppress its own kind is itself a kind of "betrayal."
Fearing this unknown power, they regarded the evolved Altaria as a traitor and launched a siege.
"If it's a traitor, shouldn't it be Altaria that's sealed? Why is it Flygon?"
Lionel frowned, pondering.
Perhaps, Flygon was sealed...
because the Meteor People feared it might follow the same "evolutionary path" as Altaria, afraid that another being capable of threatening the Dragon type would emerge.
That's why they used the power of what appeared to be Rayquaza's green scale to imprison it here.
Of course, these were just Lionel's conjectures.
Unfortunately, Lionel couldn't decipher the ancient script on the murals. The specific reason would have to wait for further expert verification to know the truth.
Just as Lionel was deep in thought, the Metang beside him let out a low, excited laugh.
Lionel looked up and saw that the space around the Metang suddenly rippled.
Like pebbles thrown into water, the ripples spread in layers.
Then, the air at the center of the ripples began to distort and fold, revealing a familiar figure accompanied by a powerful surge of psychic energy.
It was Steven!
Beside him were a silver-white Metagross and a Claydol covered in eyes.
"Mr. Steven!"
Lionel was both surprised and delighted; he hadn't expected Steven to arrive so quickly, and his tense nerves instantly relaxed.
Upon seeing the Metagross, the Metang immediately flew over like a bullied child.
It affectionately nuzzled the Metagross's cheek, emitting a soft "warm" growl, its red eyes filled with tenderness.
At the same time, it intermittently transmitted its harrowing experience using psychic powers, while gesturing with its hands back towards the depths of the cave.
Metang now seemed to have reverted to its childhood form, resembling a Beldum, looking exactly like a child tattling on their parents.
Metagross looked down at Metang with a soft, moist gaze and gently touched Metang's head with its metallic back.
Then, its gaze turned towards the passage from which Lionel had escaped.
A hint of anger flashed in its red eyes, and a strong aura emanated from its body.
Clearly, it had received the message from Metang and learned of what had just happened, which aroused its "Parental protection."
Metagross's current posture seemed as if it was about to rush in and drag the mysterious Flygon out to question him.
Steven noticed this scene, shook his head, and turned to Lionel, saying:
"It seems you really did encounter quite a bit of trouble just now." He paused, his expression turning serious: "Tell me the whole story again, in detail, don't leave out any details!"
Lionel nodded.
He told Steven everything about the unusual behavior of the Larvesta, the discovery of the cave, the contents of the murals, and the form of the Flygon.
Lionel also released the Larvesta from its Poké Ball.
The chubby Larvesta had recovered its core energy after resting.
It was curiously observing the Psychic Claydol with many eyes in front of it.
The Psychic Claydol gently supported the Larvesta with its psychic powers, its many eyes blinking and staring at the Larvesta.
It seemed to be studying this little Pokémon it had never seen before.
After listening, Steven unconsciously stroked his chin, a thoughtful glint in his eyes.
"I see," he said.
"I've been to Meteor Falls a few times before. I've mined a lot of ore in these caves and am quite familiar with the terrain, but I've never noticed this cave before. It seems that the green scale you mentioned is very likely a scale from Rayquaza; it couldn't have blocked the senses of my Metagross and Claydol. If your Larvesta hadn't sensed Rayquaza's presence, this mysterious cave would probably never have been discovered."
Larvesta seemed to understand that Steven was praising it, and proudly puffed out its head.
Larvesta's five tentacles shot out flames one after another, showing its joy.
Claydol's eyes immediately lit up, staring intently at Larvesta's five tentacles. Stared at by so many eyes from the Claydol, the Larvesta was frightened and immediately used its webs to return to the Tyrantrum.
Seeing this, the Claydol also shook its body, its form flashing, and following the Larvesta's movement, it hovered on the Tyrantrum's back.
Its many eyes scrutinized the Larvesta and the Tyrantrum, like scientists, seemingly pondering something.
Steven saw that the Claydol's old habit had resurfaced. He immediately spoke up:
"Alright. Claydol, don't scare the kids.
Larvesta, don't be afraid either. Claydol is just curious about the unknown; it won't hurt you."
After explaining to Larvesta, Steven patted Lionel's shoulder:
"Let's go, take me to see what that mysterious Pokémon is. With Metagross and Claydol here, we don't need to worry about safety."
The Shiny Metagross immediately stepped forward, its massive body leading the way, giving a great sense of security.
Metang was now perched on Metagross's back, pointing with its metal arm towards the direction of the mysterious Pokémon at the altar deep in the passage.
It was a "I'll lead the way, it's over there" stance.
Lionel and Steven exchanged a glance, both seeing smiles in each other's eyes. With Steven by his side, Lionel felt much more at ease. Stepping back into the passage leading to the main cave, the chill in the air was still biting.
But this time, Milotic didn't need to expend energy absorbing or resisting it.
The Claydol hovering behind released an extremely strong wave of psychic energy.
A huge blue light shield formed around Lionel and Steven's group.
The blue light shield acted like a solid barrier, keeping out all the chill and ensuring that Lionel and his group were completely unaffected.
Metang excitedly waved its metal arm around the Metagross, guiding Metagross in the right direction.
The two of them took the lead, quickly advancing into the depths of the cave.
When Lionel stepped into the huge cave again, he was still deeply awestruck by the murals on the stone walls.
Those murals recording Mega Evolution and the legend of Rayquaza, even after seeing them again, are still breathtaking.
Illuminated by the blue light emanating from the Claydol, these murals appear even clearer, as if silently recounting the changes of a thousand years.
On the distant altar, the mysterious Flygon Pokémon has opened its eyes, the ring-shaped connection on its back swaying slightly.
Its crimson gaze is locked onto Lionel and his group, the energy fluctuations around it even more intense than before.
Seeing this, the Shiny Metagross immediately uses its psychic powers to control the Metang clinging to it, sending it back to Lionel's side.
Then, with heavy strides, it slams its four powerful metal bones into the ground, using the rebound force to rush towards the altar like an arrow.
The speed and size created a bizarre contrast.
Seeing this, the mysterious Flygon let out a low roar and, without hesitation, unleashed another breath of dragon breath containing terrifying power, aiming directly at the Metagross.
The orange-red dragon-type energy swept in like magma, even more powerful than the previous attack on Lionel.
But this time, the situation was completely different.
Steven's Metagross neither dodged nor evaded, its entire body gleaming with a silvery-white metallic sheen, as if it were encased in an indestructible armor.
It charged straight at the dragon breath.
The dragon breath struck it, like a stone sinking into the sea, leaving no trace.
In the blink of an eye, the Metagross was already beside the mysterious Flygon, one of its metal arms raised high, and then swung it with all its might.
Behind Metagross, a massive meteorite appeared, carrying an unstoppable pressure.
This was Metagross's signature move:
Meteor Mash!!
Simultaneously, a striking red light shone from the Shiny Metagross. It seemed to have triggered some kind of enhancement effect, multiplying the power of this move.
With a muffled thud, the attack struck the Mysterious Flygon solidly.
The Mysterious Flygon's figure shook violently, its eerie light dimming considerably, clearly having suffered a significant impact.
The Mysterious Flygon felt the pain, its eyes flashing with intense anger.
It let out an angry roar, its body erupting with intense red light, energy fluctuations rapidly increasing, clearly preparing to unleash a powerful attack.
Just then, bursts of data-like light flashed in the Shiny Metagross's eyes.
A powerful surge of psychic energy erupted like a tidal wave, relentlessly bombarding the mysterious Flygon's body.
Like a heavy hammer, the psychic impact directly struck the Mysterious Flygon's mental level, instantly causing its body to stiffen. The energy gathering process was forcibly interrupted, causing pain and confusion to flash in the Mysterious Flygon's eyes.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, two enormous meteor-like phantoms appeared behind the Metagross, their aura even more imposing than before.
Two consecutive red lights shone on the Metagross, causing its body to swell considerably.
This time, the Mysterious Flygon could no longer withstand the Metagross's attack.
Its body shattered like broken glass, turning into specks of red light.
The remaining force of the Comet Fist skill continued to attack the altar, instantly shattering it into pieces, scattering stones...
And just as the Mysterious Flygon's figure completely disappeared from sight, the sound of Flygon echoed again in the cave.
This time, her tone carried a hint of understanding and relief.
"Thank you~ The evolution of Altaria, the fear of the Meteor Clan, made us also bear the name of 'traitors' for thousands of years. Today, with your power, I have broken the secret of the forbidden Mega Evolution... No longer forbidden. The future of the Evil Dragon Clan lies in accepting all forms..."
The voice gradually faded. The last remaining red light of the Mysterious Flygon condensed into a bracelet and a broken, earthen-yellow round stone, falling to the ground.
The bracelet was the same kind of bracelet worn by the Meteor Clan in the previous mural, inlaid with a colorful gem.
And the broken, earthen-yellow round stone somewhat resembled the Swampert Mega Evolution Stone that Lionel had exchanged with Steelix in Steel Canyon.
Through the system panel in his mind, Lionel also learned about the information on these two items.
[Item: Mega Evolution Stone (Resonates with a Mega Evolution Stone, allowing specific Pokémon to Mega Evolve)
[Item: Flygon Mega Evolution Stone (Allows Flygon to Mega Evolve under the guidance of a Trainer holding a Key Stone. Damaged, Broken, Failed, Incomplete Item!!!)]
Moreover, as the altar shattered, three stone pillars appeared on the ground.
Each pillar was carved with a different Pokémon:
Salamander, Garchomp, and Altaria, along with their Mega Evolution forms.
And on each pillar...
At the top, each item held a head ornament and a bright glass bead of a different color.
These items also revealed their information on Lionel's system panel:
They were Mega Evolution Stones, and the Mega Evolution Stones for Salamence, Garchomp, and Altaria!
Seeing these strange items appear, Metagross immediately and carefully controlled them with its psychic powers.
It levitated them one by one in front of Lionel and Steven, allowing them to examine them.
Steven, who had previously obtained the Mega Evolution Stone for Charizard, had also collected the other stones under Lionel's careful guidance...
Now, comparing it with the mural, he roughly knew what these items were.
So Steven quickly took out a round metal device from his pocket.
His fingers rapidly manipulated it a few times.
A moment later, a holographic image was projected onto the device.
A short, white-haired old man in pajamas appeared before Lionel and Steven.
This man was the highest-ranking official of the four regions: Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh. League President:
Charles Goodshow!
He yawned and wiped his eyes. His tone carried a hint of… Unadjusted:
"Steven, what are you doing? It's already 8 PM!
Don't you know the old folks get up early?
You and Wallace are both such a headache.
I, this old man, still have to handle the affairs of the Hoenn League.
I gave you this equipment to hold remote video conferences, not for you to disturb people's sleep in the middle of the night!"
"Chairman, please look at this first."
Steven ignored the complaints of the Chairman, stepped aside, revealing the surrounding walls and floating objects.
Now, the video camera.
Chairman Charles had just lowered his eye-pricked hand. Originally…
He wanted to ask Steven who the boy next to him was, but then he suddenly saw Rayquaza in front of him.
His sleepiness vanished instantly, and his eyes widened.
"This is...?" Steven explained the whole story, from the discovery of the cave in the forest, to the content of the murals, to the appearance and defeat of the mysterious Flygon, a suspected item for Pokémon's re-evolution.
Chairman Goodshow's expression changed from shock to seriousness, and finally to deep thought. He was silent for a moment, then said to Steven, "Wait a moment, I'll go inform the others." *
As he spoke, Chairman Goodshow's holographic image disappeared.
At this moment, Steven also explained to Lionel:
"This is a specially made cross-regional remote projection communication device of the League. It is only used when handling important League affairs or holding emergency meetings.
Wallace and I are often away because we are busy with many things.
So most of the time, we attend meetings remotely through this device. It seems that it has come in very handy this time."
As he finished speaking, the device in Steven's hand emitted a "buzzing" sound.
Chairman Goodshow's holographic image reappeared.
Immediately afterwards, several more illusory figures appeared in Hologram:
Wallace, Professor Birch, Professor Oak from the Kanto region, Professor Elm from the Johto region, Professor Rowan from the Sinnoh region, and Steven's father, the chairman of Devon Corporation, Joseph Stone.
"What's the rush so late?
Why did you wake people up in the middle of the night, Chairman? Don't you know that insufficient sleep is bad for your skin?... Heh, Lionel, Steven, what brings you two together?"
Wallace's voice rang out first.
Even in his pajamas, he maintained an elegant demeanor, and upon seeing Steven and Lionel, he smiled broadly.
Chairman Goodshow glanced at Wallace:
"Alright, Wallace, don't interrupt. We've only informed you so far. Quickly check your surroundings."
All the illusory figures on the field turned their gazes to the surrounding murals and floating objects, falling silent for a moment.
Clearly, they were all stunned by the scene before them.
Steven then explained the whole story to everyone in detail. He recounted the events to ensure everyone understood the full picture.
Chairman Goodshow, seeing that everyone knew the details, stroked his beard and said,
"Alright, now that everyone understands the general situation, I'll assign tasks.
Joseph, quickly arrange for personnel from the Devon Company to come and make copies of all the text here, including the Leerhe characters, and preserve them properly.
We'll then hold an League meeting to discuss the specifics of this matter in detail."
Chairman Stone immediately nodded in agreement. "No problem, I'll contact the team right away and have them set off immediately with their professional equipment, aiming to arrive before dawn."
"Dr. Birch, can you recognize what the writing on these murals says?"
Chairman Goodshow turned to ask Dr. Oda.
Dr. Birch shook his head, his tone slightly stern:
"No. This isn't my area of expertise. You'll have to ask Dr. Sycamore or Dr. White. They are the experts in this field."
"My prized student, Researcher Satake, can also help. He has some knowledge of these ancient inscriptions."
Professor Oak and Rowan added at the same time.
Damaran nodded. "Okay, I understand. It seems we can only wait until Mr. Stone sends someone to make copies of the murals, and then invite them to the League meeting to participate in the deciphering work. But judging from the content of these murals, it seems to say that using these stones can allow Pokémon to evolve into new forms—that's truly amazing!"
"Indeed amazing," Wallace interjected.
"Unfortunately, the specific method is still unknown; we can only find out after the text is deciphered."
The professors' gazes then fell on the object floating in front of Lionel and Steven, their eyes filled with research...
The desire to investigate grew stronger.
The discussion became even more heated.
After everyone had finished discussing, Chairman Goodshow cleared his throat and turned his gentle gaze to Lionel:
"You must be Lionel?"
"Yes, Chairman."
Lionel replied respectfully.
Chairman Goodshow smiled, his eyes full of praise.
"I've heard Steven and Wallace mention you before.
They both sang your praises. I didn't expect to meet you in person today.
There's something I'd like to discuss with you.
You discovered this ruin first. According to the rules, these spoils should..."
"It belongs to you and Steven."
"However, judging from these murals, it seems to involve a completely new path of Pokémon evolution, which has significant implications for the entire Pokémon world."
Chairman Goodshow paused, looked at Lionel's eyes, and continued:
"So, could you please lend these items to the League for research for a while? Of course…"
Before Chairman Goodshow could finish speaking, Lionel immediately interrupted:
"Chairman, you're too kind. This discovery was entirely due to Mr. Steven's help and protection. I just happened to…"
"Just discovered a clue.
These things can help the League's research.
I'm also very happy.
As a member of the League of the Honnen Region, contributing to the League's development is what I should do."
"The League will provide you with all the necessary equipment and resources for your future Mega Evolution. This is the League's way of thanking you for your significant discovery."
Steven, Wallace, Chairman Stone, and the various professors watched Lionel and Chairman Goodshow's conversation with smiles of satisfaction and appreciation.
At this moment, Steven seemed to suddenly remember something and said to Chairman Goodshow, "Chairman, this research might take a long time. Lionel's team only has four Pokémon right now, not even meeting the requirements for the Tournament yet..."