I caught a Pokémon

After finishing his business, Xia You took his leave.

Although Du Juan and the students earnestly tried to persuade them to stay for lunch and to exchange more experiences, Xia You politely declined.

After all, Rika had just left, and Xia You was not in the mood for such things. Moreover, the few days of traveling back and forth had wasted a lot of time. Seeing that Ash was about to arrive in Hoenn, Xia You felt a bit nervous.

There's nothing we can do about it. Ash grows up so fast, he has to constantly motivate himself to stay ahead and not be surpassed by Ash!

After leaving the Kanaz Gym, Xia You and Xiaoxia headed out of the city.

Their destination this time was Lavatown, which is surrounded by mountains in the northeast. Not only does it have the Lavatown Gym, which is the closest gym town to Lavatown besides Petalburg Gym, but it also has the very famous Lavatown Hot Spring. Just soaking in it can relieve muscle soreness and is very helpful for the rest of the trip.

Heading north.

As they walked further, the path beneath their feet changed from a main road to a narrow path, and then to a winding gravel road. By noon, when the two were about to rest, they had reached the foot of a continuous range of mountains.

Looking into the distance, one can see countless towering rocky mountains that stretch as far as the eye can see.

"Sigh, looks like I'll have to climb the mountain again..."

The two looked at each other and shook their heads. They came to a big tree and sat down on a rock to rest.

They drank some water and ate their lunchboxes. As they gazed at the seemingly endless mountains before them, sighing at the time and effort it would take, an old man wearing a straw hat and carrying a bamboo basket on his back walked out leisurely from the other side.

Upon seeing him, Xiaoxia's heart skipped a beat, and she walked up to him with a bright smile.

“Grandpa,” she asked in a clear, sweet voice, “do you know of any shortcuts around here that can get me through these mountains?”

It's clear that she actually dislikes mountains. This is understandable, considering she often talks about being the world's most beautiful girl. She is indeed a delicate young woman with fair skin on her arms and legs. If she could, why would she want to walk on mountain roads?

The old man looked to be over seventy years old. He looked down at the pretty young girl, and, touched by her smile, nodded without hesitation. He then pointed to a hidden cave not far away.

"Of course! See that cave entrance? That's a shortcut." The old man then looked at the two with kind eyes and reminded them, "Judging from your appearance, you must both be trainers, right? Once you enter the cave, be very careful. Don't get lost, and definitely don't chase after any Pokémon. It's a maze of interconnected passages, and it's easy to get lost. Once you're lost, it'll be difficult to get out. So don't wander off; just follow the main path, and you'll pass through safely!"

"Should we just follow the main road?" Xiaoxia repeated, nodding. "Don't worry, we know what we're doing!"

After thanking the old man, Xiaoxia returned to Xia You's side with a happy expression, and even raised her eyebrows at him triumphantly.

Knowing that she was happy that she didn't have to climb the mountain, Xia You could only smile helplessly.

But this is good too. If there's a shortcut, of course we should take it. Compared to the long, windy, and sun-exposed roads outside, the cave is undoubtedly more comfortable.

After resting enough, the two set off again.

Only when they got closer did they realize that what looked like a small hole from a distance was actually five or six meters high when they reached the entrance. The ground beneath their feet also seemed to have been prepared, with flat gravel laid out, indicating that people often passed through it.

Now the two were even more relieved; it seemed this was indeed a shortcut.

Upon entering the cave, the temperature dropped sharply compared to outside. Fortunately, the two had put on thicker clothes before entering, so they were not affected.

Although they could pass safely by following the main road, Xia You still released Eevee and Torchic just in case.

As they ventured deeper into the cave, visibility decreased, forcing the two to turn their flashlights to their brightest setting just to see the path ahead.

Fortunately, this was not the kind of cave and ice Xia You had walked through before, so it was not difficult to walk. It was just that some damp wind blew in from somewhere, 'whooshing' into the clothes through the collar and cuffs.

Xia You tightened her clothes and then swiped the flashlight beam to the left and right.

Just as the old man said, this place is a maze of paths. Besides the main road under their feet, there are countless branch paths leading to both sides. Some of the openings are very large, but most of them are very small, only big enough for small Pokémon to pass through!

I really don't know how the first person who discovered this shortcut got out of there.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but turn to look at Xiaoxia and ask, "By the way, did the old man say what this shortcut is called?"

Xiaoxia thought for a moment and nodded, "I remember, it should be called... Meteor Waterfall!"

Chapter 609 The 21st Pokémon and the Key Stone

Meteor Falls?

Hearing the name, Xia You seemed to have a vague impression of it, knowing that it should have appeared in the game, but she couldn't recall the specific details. In any case, since it was named a waterfall, it meant that there would undoubtedly be a large amount of water here, and with water, there would naturally be more wild Pokémon.

Is there a chance we'll encounter some rare species?

Suppressing their curiosity, the two continued along the main road.

Just as Xia You guessed, as the two went deeper into the cave, they did encounter many Pokémon, and the types became more diverse.

Besides Pokémon like Diglett, Dugtrio, Geodude, Graveler, Onix, and Golbat, which are very common in the Kanto and Johto regions, there are also Pokémon like Lunatone and Solrock that they encounter for the first time.

Xia You even saw a Coco Doraemon flash by and disappear into a small cave.

Turning her gaze away, Xiaoxia sighed, "If Xiaogang came here, he would be overjoyed, thinking he had arrived in paradise!"

Xia You laughed and was about to say something when, under the beam of the flashlight, a small, peculiar Pokémon was seen floating in the air not far away!

"That is……"

Xia You was taken aback and quickly took out the Pokédex and pointed it at it. Although the cave was somewhat dark, the Pokédex quickly produced a result and sent back the information.

"Beep, Beldum, the Iron Ball Pokémon, Steel/Psychic type. It's said that all of Beldum's cells are magnets, and even the magnetic force circulates in place of blood, allowing it to float in the air by repelling the planet's magnetic field. When Beldums gather together, they move methodically like a Pokémon, communicating with their partners through magnetic fluctuations. In battle, it emits magnetic force from its buttocks to pull enemies towards it, then pierces them with its sharp claws. If angered, Beldum will not only wreak havoc but also unleash a powerful magnetic force that can destroy mechanical objects! Note: If you encounter a Beldum that is unwell, give it a magnet!"

"Iron dumbbells?"

After hearing the Pokédex's description, Misty looked at the Iron Dumbbell with great interest and took a few quick steps. Only when she was a certain distance away could she see its appearance clearly.

This iron dumbbell, despite its name, felt more like a stone camera to her. It had a crown-like structure above its head, a long torso, a huge claw on its buttocks, and a nearly round head embedded in the ball-and-socket joint at the front of its torso, with a huge red eye in the center.

To be honest, she often encounters Pokémon that resemble both animals and plants, but this is the first time she has ever heard of a Pokémon that looks like a dumbbell!

She could only marvel at how vast the world is, where anything is possible. But then she remembered Magnemite, which is also common in the Kanto region, and even Pokémon that look like screws exist there. So, Beldum didn't seem so strange to her.

Not paying much attention, Xiaoxia was about to continue walking forward when she turned around and suddenly saw Xia You walking quickly towards Iron Dumbbell, even reaching for the Poké Ball at her waist!

This action surprised her greatly, and she couldn't help but ask, "Brother Xia You, do you want to subdue it?"

"Of course!" Xia You nodded, his hands still busy, holding the Poké Ball in his hand, then commanding Torchic to rush towards Beldum. After doing all this, he turned to Misty and said, "Don't let its small size fool you, it may not look special now, but once it evolves into its final form Metagross, it will be very powerful!"

Metagross?

Xiaoxia gave an "oh" that seemed to understand but not quite. Although she had never seen what Metagross looked like, since Brother Xiayou said so, it must be a very powerful Pokémon, there was no doubt about it!

The turkey had already run up to the iron dumbbell on its two legs.

It shouted excitedly at the iron dumbbell, but the iron dumbbell just glanced at it, turned around and left, entering a side road!

Xia You didn't hesitate and immediately followed with the Torchic. Xiaoxia, who had been standing behind for a moment, quickly caught up as well, calling out, "Brother Xia You! Wait a minute! Have you forgotten what the old man said before we entered the cave? If you don't want to get lost, you have to follow the main road!"

Xia You didn't stop, turned around to look at her, and laughed, "We're trainers, how can we be restricted by rules and regulations? Don't worry, there's always a way out. What's a complicated road? Alright, let's hurry up and catch up, before it gets away!"

Perhaps infected by Xia You's smile, Xiaoxia nodded emphatically, putting everything else out of her mind, and followed Xia You with light steps.

That's right, why worry about so much!

As long as I stay by Xia You's side, what does it matter if I can't leave this cave for weeks on end?

Inside the cave, Iron Dumbbell flew in the lead, followed closely by Torchic, and a little behind were Xia You and Xiaoxia.

However, although the distance was not widened and the Iron Dumbbell was not very fast, Xia You and the others had to pay attention to the road under their feet at all times, unlike the Iron Dumbbell flying in the air, so they could not catch up at full speed.

They ran like this for a while, turning left and right, crossing an underground river, and continuing to delve deeper. When Iron Dumbbell finally stopped, they had strayed far from the main road, and even if they wanted to return the way they came, they couldn't find the way they came at all.

However, Xia You was in no mood to care about those things. He looked at the Iron Dumbbell floating in place and knew that this was obviously the Iron Dumbbell's habitat.

This can be seen from the various rare ores in the vicinity. It is not difficult to see that these ores all have a certain magnetic force, and this magnetic force is the food that the iron dumbbell relies on for survival!

He gave the turkey a wink, and the turkey chirped and charged at the dumbbell again. As it got closer, a burst of hot sparks shot out of its mouth!

Iron Dumbbell floated in the air, its single eye fixed on the humans and Pokémon before it. Because it had no expression, Xia You couldn't discern its emotions at all.

But Xia You guessed that it must be very confused right now.

After all, it was in a cave, and even if someone occasionally passed through the cave, it had only seen them from a distance. Obviously, this was the first time someone had chased it like this and stood opposite it.

Perhaps it was because no one had ever bothered it, or because it had no natural enemies, that it had been safe for so long and had long since lost its vigilance. Even when the spark came to Iron Dumbbell and hit it, it did not dodge!

This made Xia You frown.

I finally found an iron dumbbell, is it stupid?

Fortunately, after being burned by the flames, Iron Dumbbell realized that it had been attacked. Only then did it belatedly realize what was happening. It then twisted its body to extinguish the flames and charged towards the Torchic!

Such an attack didn't even require Xia You's command; Torchic simply jumped to the side to dodge the impact of Iron Dumbbell.

That wasn't all. The Torchic then raised a claw and grabbed the Iron Dumbbell, making its body shudder!

Iron Dumbbell turned around and used Tackle to hit Torchic again, but Torchic dodged the impact just like before, and then hit Iron Dumbbell's body again.

After doing this several times, Xiaoxia turned to look at Xia You, hesitated for a while, and then asked, "Brother Xia You... why does this iron dumbbell only have this one move over and over again? Doesn't it know any other moves?"

Xia You shook her head: "Indeed, no. Although it has both steel and psychic attributes, an untrained wild Iron Dumbbell can only use the Tackle move. But don't be fooled by its current weakness. Just like Magikarp, it will only unleash its full power after evolving."

Hearing Xia You compare it to Magikarp, Xiaoxia nodded in understanding, and had a clear understanding in her mind.

It's just like Magikarp's Splash!

Although she hasn't completely overcome her fear of Gyarados yet, she knows that the weaker a Pokémon is in the early stages, the more likely it is to undergo a qualitative change in the end!

Looking at the iron dumbbell in front of it, once the turkey figured out its patterns, it became much easier to deal with it.

Not long after, it used the spark again and completely knocked the iron dumbbell to the ground.

Seeing that the battle was over, Xia You threw the Poké Ball that she had prepared beforehand onto Beldum.

Under Xia You and Xiaoxia's watchful eyes, the Poké Ball emitted a red light, capturing the Beldum inside. It then rolled a few times on the ground before finally settling down with a 'bang'!

Having traveled for so long, aside from capturing legendary Pokémon, he no longer showed much emotion or excitement towards ordinary Pokémon like these. However, despite this, a faint smile still appeared on his face because he was happy.

Xiaoxia, on the other hand, clapped and celebrated, saying happily, "Congratulations, Xia You! By the way, how many Pokémon is this now?"

Xia You replied without hesitation, "It's my 21st Pokémon."

Including this Iron Dumbbell, Xia You currently carries a total of 11 Pokémon, just one short of the 12-monster limit.

This was something he hadn't expected before arriving in Hoenn. He hadn't anticipated that he could catch Pokémon so quickly; he had only been there a few days and had already added three new Pokémon.

After picking up the Poké Ball, Xia You was about to turn and leave, but before he did, he glanced around the area one last time.

There are many kinds of minerals here, some of which he recognizes, and some of which he doesn't even know the names of.

Under the beam of the flashlight, something in one of the corners was flashing and reflecting light!

Curious, Xia You walked to that corner and picked up a small, round stone that looked as clear as crystal.

"What is this?" Xiaoxia also came closer and looked at the crescent-shaped pattern on it, asking curiously, "It doesn't seem to be natural, it looks more like a man-made gemstone?"

Xia You examined it for a while before hesitatingly saying, "This should be a keystone."

"Keystone?" Xiaoxia was clearly hearing the name for the first time and asked in surprise, "What's that?"

Xia You pondered, "Do you remember the Mega Evolution Stone I got before?"

Xiaoxia nodded: "Of course I remember."

Xia You said, "This is the item that comes with the evolution stone. It is indeed a natural stone, but we don't know how it was formed. People only know that it contains magical power that resonates with the Mega Stone that the Pokémon carries, causing the Pokémon to Mega Evolve."

Super Evolution!?

Upon hearing that this was something needed for super evolution, Xiaoxia immediately became interested and stopped trying to figure out how it was formed!

She crouched down and carefully felt around on the ground, quickly finding seven or eight more keystones!

Overjoyed, she divided the keystone into two parts, keeping one for herself and giving the other to Xia You. Whether she used it herself or gave it to someone else, it was an unexpected delight!

With this discovery, Xiaoxia enthusiastically searched the area again, but this time she didn't find anything. However, since she had already made a purchase, she didn't mind. After calming down, she and Xia You turned around and headed back the way they came.

However, after walking only a dozen steps, they encountered a problem at the first fork in the road.

"Where did we come from?" Xiaoxia looked left and right, because she had run so fast that she hadn't remembered the details.

Xia You also shook his head. He had been focused on Tie Dumbbell and hadn't paid attention to the way he came.

Seeing that Xia You didn't remember either, Xiaoxia sighed and said with some regret, "I should have made a mark earlier."

"It doesn't matter." Xia You didn't seem to care much about it and smiled at Xiaoxia, "Actually, there's a little trick to this situation. As long as we keep going in one direction, we'll usually reach the exit unless we encounter a particularly complicated maze."

He was right. There are indeed such tricks for exploring the wild that can help them get through difficulties. And even if this method doesn't work, they still have Pokémon to help them. They won't be trapped here to die. It's just a matter of when they leave.

After discussing it, the two chose the rightmost path. However, after walking for a long time, they noticed that the path under their feet had become wet, and they could hear the sound of flowing water in the distance.

They exchanged a glance, knowing that this was not the way they had come from, but since they had already walked for so long, there was no reason to turn back. So they followed the sound of the flowing water and searched all the way.

You can feel that although the path under your feet is not obvious, it does have an upward trend. As the sound of flowing water in your ears gets louder, when you turn a corner and leave through a cave entrance that you can only crouch down to pass through, the view in front of you suddenly becomes bright!

Before them lay a massive waterfall complex, comprised of more than a dozen waterfalls of varying sizes, cascading turbulently through the cave. At this moment, the water flowed swiftly and powerfully, creating a huge opening in the cave ceiling through which sunlight streamed in, dispelling the darkness within the cave.

At the very bottom of the waterfall is an enormous circular pit. Judging from its roundness, it doesn't look like it was created by the water flow, but rather by a meteorite impact!