Pokémon: I picked up a reborn Eevee at the start of the game.

Beneath her short purple hair, the pretty woman remained silent for a while before slowly saying, "But the name [Fire Goose] is already on Interpol's Class B wanted list. Merits and demerits don't offset each other. Even if the Lava Team is wiped out, it won't clear her name."

This is an ironclad rule that Interpol has suggested revising countless times since its inception, but has never changed. While it has certainly increased the cost of crime, it has also made the choice to abandon the dark side and embrace the light completely lose its cost-effectiveness.

Xia Chen smiled slightly, "If you can't clear her name, then let [Fire Goose] die."

Huo Yan was taken aback for a moment, but the intelligent girl immediately understood what Xia Chen meant.

Having been a member of Team Lava for nearly ten years, she's been called "Fire Goose" so often that she's almost forgotten her real name.

"May I get to know you again, miss, whose name I don't even know?"

A large, strong hand reached out in front of her, as if to pull her out of the abyss.

"No," Christina said, a slight smile playing on her lips, as she extended her slender, delicate right hand without hesitation.

"It's nice to meet you. My name is Christina."

…………

After handing a gold coin from Sai Fuhao to Christa, Xia Chen let her return to the Lava Team to continue being her "Fire Goose".

He didn't care whether Chrissy would turn against him again after returning.

While planting a high-ranking mole within the Lava Team would certainly benefit the plan to destroy them later, it wouldn't matter if they didn't.

This was an opportunity Xia Chen gave her, not one he gave himself.

Xia Chen felt that she would most likely be a good inside man. People who have never seen the light can endure the darkness, but if someone is willing to lend her a hand in the dawn, she will strive to climb up.

Joining forces with Xia Chen to annihilate the Lava Team and erase the codename [Fire Goose] from the dust of history is her only hope of living in the sunlight again.

As for how Christa will explain to Crimson Pine the failure of the mission and that she returned alone, it shouldn't be a difficult task for her.

With the keystone successfully obtained, the Lava Team's time was temporarily over, and Xia Chen returned to the village with the irregular meteorite, which was three or four meters in diameter.

Something this big definitely won't fit in the storage ball; it can only be airlifted back by hanging it from Guleton's claws with a rope.

Meteorites have a very high density; even a small keystone that has broken off from a meteorite feels heavy in your hand, let alone a whole raw meteorite.

This was not a challenge for Guleton, but it was a difficult task for the rope that connected the stone to Guleton.

Using almost all the spare ropes, Xia Chen finally managed to transport the meteorite back to Meteor Village with great difficulty.

"Is this the key to enabling the Dragon God to complete Ma Ga's evolution a thousand years ago?"

Grandma Alicia circled the meteorite, which was twice her height, clicking her tongue in amazement and awkwardly uttering the homonym for "mega evolution."

Under the sunlight, certain parts of the meteorite shimmer with a mysterious and dazzling luster; those are the parts that can be made into keystones.

Xia Chen wasn't entirely sure about the answer to this question. "Based on what you've said, it should be the meteorite in Sootopolis that caused Rayquaza to Mega Evolve."

Unlike other Pokémon that can Mega Evolve, Rayquaza's Mega Evolution does not require a Mega Stone; it only requires learning the "Dragon's Eye" skill and using a Mega Bracelet.

The reason lies in Rayquaza's body, which contains a special organ called the "Emperor Organ," which can store the energy from meteorites that Rayquaza instinctively ingests in the atmosphere.

When Rayquaza needs to undergo Mega Evolution, the Emperor Organ acts as Rayquaza's Mega Stone and Key Stone, resonating to complete the Mega Evolution.

Therefore, theoretically, the meteorite in Sootopolis City is also a Key Stone. As for where the Mega Stone is, that's another event waiting to be explored.

Anyway, it seems that he can get the Gardevoir evolution stone himself, and he doesn't have any other Pokémon that can Mega Evolve, so Xia Chen isn't in a hurry.

…………

"By the way, you must keep this meteorite with Keystone energy safe. There are two evil organizations called Team Magma and Team Ocean that are looking for this thing in an attempt to awaken Groudon and Kyogre. Make sure they don't get it."

Xia Chen solemnly reminded him.

Upon hearing this, Granny Alicia's expression showed obvious surprise, not at the two things about lava oceans, but at Xia Chen's choice.

"Isn't this what you're looking for? You're going to put it in the Meteor Village?"

Xia Chen explained, "I've already taken more than a dozen. There's no point in taking more. On the contrary, when the prophecy comes and the meteorite impacts, this thing that can make Rayquaza super evolve will definitely be a great help to you."

This is why Xia Chen didn't break the meteorite and remove the key stone separately, but instead brought the entire original stone back.

After finishing your meal, you can't just smash someone else's bowl.

If Rayquaza is unable to Mega Evolve because Xia Chen has taken all the Key Stones, leading to serious consequences like the sinking of Hoenn, Xia Chen will become a sinner for all time.

He didn't want to get rich by selling keystones, since he was already rich enough.

However, Grandma Alicia smiled and shook her head, "Since you're not comfortable with the meteorite's safety, why don't you take responsibility for it yourself?"

Xia Chen was slightly taken aback. "What do you mean by that?"

Grandma Alicia smiled and said, "The successor is not a title, but a responsibility. Xijiana is the successor of this generation because she is the strongest among the younger generation, and you have also proven yourself."

Xia Chen was speechless. What did that mean? Did you Meteor Citizens also play the "with great power comes great responsibility" card?

"But I'm not a member of the Meteor Clan."

He no longer wanted to shoulder the burden of being a successor to the Meteor Dwellers.

"Does it matter?"

Grandma Alicia asked Xia Chen a question that made him think deeply: "If the prophesied meteorite really falls, will you stand idly by?"

Xia Chen thought for a moment, then answered honestly, "No."

From a rational and objective perspective, if the meteorite is large enough, it will cause drastic changes in the global climate. Without the intervention of certain powerful beings, the Elf World will turn into a wasteland within just a few years.

In short, if that millennium prophecy really comes true, Xia Chen cannot ignore the future of this planet.

"So what difference does it make whether this meteorite is with you or in the meteorite's lair?"

Grandma Alicia said meaningfully, "And if it's really as you say, those with ulterior motives will come and try to steal it. Are you really at ease leaving it here?"

Xia Chen shook his head honestly.

The Flying Dragon Patrol in Meteor Village is very strong, but if those two evil organizations join forces to attack, not only will the meteorite be lost, but the entire village could also be in danger.

After a moment's thought, Xia Chen came up with a solution.

“Grandma, how about this, let’s remove the keystone from this meteorite and keep them separately. This way, they’ll be easier to carry and less conspicuous. If the meteorite is really going to hit Hoenn, there will definitely be a warning, and we can regroup then.”

Apart from Xia Chen, Alicia's mother-in-law, and the Xi Jia Na sisters, no one knew that the source of the meteorite's energy lay in the keystone.

A single Key Stone might not have enough energy to evolve Rayquaza, but hundreds or thousands of Key Stones combined contain almost the same energy as a Meteorite, so they definitely can.

This is the best solution Xia Chen can think of so far to deal with the attack by the criminal organization and the occurrence of the prophetic event.

Alicia couldn't think of a better solution at the moment, so she nodded in agreement.

…………

The task of separating the keystone from the meteorite was carried out by Gullardon.

Meteorites are extremely hard, and it's really difficult to separate them without enough force. But simply having a lot of force isn't enough either; brute force might damage the keystone. So, controlling the amount of force is also very important.

With these two requirements combined, this task falls to Guleton.

After spending an afternoon, all the keystones on the meteorite were finally separated, totaling 1135 stones of various sizes, which was about what Gullett had estimated.

In the game and animation, there is no difference between individual Keystones, but in this world, Xia Chen discovered that the Keystones taken out from the inside are larger, have a brighter luster, and have clearer eye-like patterns inside.

I wonder if Mega Evolution performed using such a Key Stone will have any special bonuses.

Thinking this through, Xia Chen stored half of them in his storage ball, and entrusted the other half to Granny Alicia for safekeeping.

If the events are resolved in the future and the Meteorites are able to return to normal society, these Keystones will become an important source of income.

By the time everything was finished, it was already getting dark.

As the sun sets, the crimson-gold Qixia clouds paint the half-light and half-dark clouds on the horizon like a young girl full of worries.

Beneath the clouds, a young girl, burdened with worries, was murmuring to herself.

"Go on a trip. Don't go on a trip. Go on a trip."

As she muttered to herself, she was also plucking at some of the keratinized scales on the Salamence's body.

It's not that I was being mischievous, but Salamence's scales do need to be cleaned and replaced regularly. The newer scales are lighter and harder, which affects Salamence's speed and defense.

Higana decided to make her decision based on what she said when she removed the last keratinous scale.

If it's about "going on a trip," then you should go and tell your grandmother yourself!

However, things didn't go as planned. The removal of the last keratinized scale was frozen after "not going on a trip," and Higana hung her head in dejection.

"Does the Dragon God also think I shouldn't go on a trip?"

She sat on the soft grass, gently stroking the bluebird that had just landed in her lap to play with her, the girl's thoughts filled with melancholy.

Just as she was feeling depressed, Higana suddenly felt something touch her shoulder. Turning her head, she saw that it was her own Salamence stretching out its blood-red, rounded wing and gently patting her shoulder.

"Violent—"

It raised its wings, and at the junction of its blood-red wings and body, a grayish-blue keratinous scale shimmered in the afterglow of the setting sun.

…………

After dinner, dusk settled in.

Inside the shrine, beneath the mural of "[The Dragon Saves the World]", Higana mustered her courage and made a request to Alicia.

"Grandma, I want to go on a trip!"

Alicia was not surprised. Her two granddaughters had grown up under her watchful eye, and she knew their personalities perfectly well.

She had thought this day would come two years later, but due to some external stimulus, it arrived ahead of schedule.

Do you feel ready?

Instead of directly refusing, she threw the question back to little Xijiana.

"Once you leave, you will be leaving behind the life you've grown accustomed to. There will be no one to take care of you, no one to help you when you need it, no one to comfort you when you're sad. You'll need to take care of yourself and Rocky. So, are you ready?"

"I"

After hesitating for a while, Higana still couldn't bring herself to say "I'm ready."

Higana was precocious and sensible, understanding that these words were easy to say but carried much greater weight.

The Meteor Dwellers value commitment and responsibility above all else, and Higana wants to be a person who takes responsibility for herself.

She sighed bitterly and said, "I understand, I will."

Before he could finish speaking, a familiar voice suddenly interrupted from behind.