Chapter 50: Steven's Pokémon

"So these are Truth Seeker Orbs?"

Steven looked at the twelve spherical orbs of unknown material placed on the ground. No matter how he tried, he found it difficult to lift them off, and according to Aeron, only Psychic Energy or a Pokemon with a lot of strength could move these orbs.

"Why are they so heavy?" Misty tried her luck but failed to lift them even a little, unlike Steven, who could still bring one orb to his knees.

"I think only a fully grown Alakazam can use these in battle...are they even meant to be used as weapons?" Nessa wondered. How was a Psychic Pokémon even going to lift these off the ground with their telekinesis, much less use in a battle?

"I have no clue." Under the watchful gaze of the three, Aeron picked the orbs one by one and stored them inside his travelling bag. "I bought them because I have a training method in mind that might help Abra become proficient at using Psychic Energy before it becomes Kadabra."

"Before that...how did you pick those things?" Steven asked in bewilderment.

His actions were so smooth that Steven, Nessa and Misty wondered if he was using some kind of a prank on them.

"Or maybe you are too weak?" Aeron shrugged, making Steven's lips twitch in annoyance. The blue-haired boy knew he was being teased, but being called weak didn't feel good.

After a filling dinner, the group returned to the Pokémon Centre and used its training grounds to goof around. Since it was already close to midnight, no one was there except the four of them.

"Where are you guys going after this?" Steven asked, changing the subject.

"We are going to my home, Florian Town, for a day and then continue towards Mount Moon," Aeron explained the route they would be taking. "I am planning to challenge Cerulean Gym next."

"Don't you even think my sisters will go easy on you," Misty added from the side with a smirk, to which Aeron just gave a confident smile.

"You?" Duskborn asked the blue-haired boy.

"I am going straight to Mount Moon. I want to try finding some Moonstones, and maybe one of those Fairies would be willing to be my Pokémon." Steven had come to Kanto for a specific Pokémon, but it didn't mean he would miss out on catching any other Pokémon he liked. "What kind of Pokémon do you guys have so far?"

"Drednaw, Horsea and Pidgey."

"Gyarados and Wartortle."

"I have Axew, Growlithe, Larvesta and Abra," Aeron replied the last before asking. "You?"

He knew Misty had a few more Pokémon back at her home, which she hadn't brought along, while Nessa had this mystery Pokémon she wasn't willing to talk about. And seeing how stacked up Misty's Nayla was, he was looking forward to knowing the kind of Pokémon the future heir of Devon Corp would have and how many.

"Well..." Steven tried to create some suspense, but a glare from Misty made him stop midway, and he spoke in a resigned tone. "I don't want too many Pokémon. Although, on average, most trainers catch about twenty to thirty Pokémon per region, I plan to create a team of limited yet strong Pokémon."

He took out three Pokeballs; two were attached to his metal belt around the waist, while the other was in a necklace, similar to how Aeron kept Axew's Pokeball.

"Metal Ball, Dive Ball and Stone Ball."

Misty looked at the three different versions of Luxury Balls made for specific Types of Pokemon.

Steven scanned his fingerprint on the Stone Ball and threw it into the air. "This battle monger is my third Pokemon, and I found him in one of the caves I was exploring."

The Stone Ball opened, and a four-foot-tall Pokémon came with metallic armour on its back.

"Ron!"

It roared in a metallic voice before immediately taking a battle stance, but Steven smacked its metallic head.

"Is fighting all you think about?"

Lairon looked at Steven and then at the three people he had never seen before. "Ron..." It shook its head in disappointment. It was not going to fight. "Lairon." It sighed before introducing itself begrudgingly.

"Lairon, these are my friends: Aeron, Nessa and Misty."

"Ron"

"You were right when you called him a battle monger." Aeron chuckled and then squatted down to pat its head.

"No, don't..." Steven tried to warn Aeron not to touch Lairon since it didn't like others patting it. It made the Pokémon think others were looking down at it and considered it cute instead of menacing. However, to his surprise, Lairon did not resist Aeron's touch and walked closer to the black-haired boy.

"...Ron..." It dropped to the ground before rolling, allowing Aeron to rub its belly.

"Okay, what the hell?" While the Iron Armour Pokémon was having the time of its life, Steven was left baffled at the scene before him.

"Another one bites the dust." Nessa sighed as Aeron had tamed her Drednaw, while her Pidgey also liked to perch on top of his head and have its feathers brushed by his fingers.

"You are not the only one and won't be the last." Misty consoled the shocked Steve as she felt the same when her Gyarados had become extremely close to Aeron on their first meeting.

"But...but..." Steven wanted to say something but, in the end, sighed and just accepted the scene before him. "

"Can I?" Aeron asked, and once the sulking Steven nodded, he took out his Pokedex to scan Lairon.

-

[Lairon, the Iron Armour Pokémon. Its body is dark gray, and its eyes are sky blue. Its back is covered with lots of iron armour. The sides of Lairon's lower jaw are very sharp, and its two teeth are visible inside its mouth. There are two metal bands on each of Lairon's legs. The higher one is the same gray as its body, and the lower one is iron-coloured. Lairon tempers its steel body by drinking highly nutritious mineral spring water until it is bloated. They are highly territorial. When two Lairons meet in the wild, they fight for territory by bashing into each other with their steel bodies. The sound of their collision carries for miles.]

[This Lairon is a Male and has a Trainer.]

-

"You have one of my favourite Pokémon." Aeron sighed as he stood up while the Lairon looked at him pleadingly to continue with the belly rubs.

"You...you betrayed me." Steven looked at his Pokémon with a fake glare, and the Lairon just turned away to ignore him. "And guess what I have here?"

"Ron?" The Iron Armour Pokémon turned around and saw a video of it being all cute in Steven's Pokedex. "R-Ron?"

"Quite menacing, aren't you?"

"Lairon!"

"Nope. I won't get rid of it until you let me do the same."

"...Lairon..." It reluctantly nodded, and Steven smiled at his victory.

He recalled the Iron Armour Pokémon and took out the next Pokeball.

"My second Pokémon is the Hoenn Royal I received for being the 1st Rank in the Regional Exam," Steven called out the Pokémon inside his Dive Ball. "Come out, Swampert."

"Swampert!"

"Guys, this is Swampert and Swampert; they are my friends, Nessa and Misty."

"A Water-type!" Nessa and Misty were excited when they saw the Hoenn's Royal Pokémon.

"Oi, what about me?" Aeron called out when Steven removed him as a friend.

"You are a Pokémon poacher."

"Petty."

"Pokémon poacher."

"Childish."

"Pokémon poacher."

"Skill issue."

"Pokémon poacher."

Aeron ignored Steven and scanned the Water-type using his Pokedex.

-

[Swampert, the Mud Fish Pokémon. Swampert is an amphibious quadruped Pokémon. It has a long, bluish/white body with a lighter blue underbelly. It has four appendages that are a cross between legs and fins. With these, it sometimes stands upright on its hind legs and at other times is on all fours like a quadruped animal. Each has an orange oval on it. Swampert has large, fan-shaped fins above its eyes and a huge axe-like fin growing from behind as a prosaic tail would. It also has a pair of orange gills on either side of its face. It also has similar orange eyes.]

[This Swampert is a Male and has a Trainer.]

-

"You have taken good care of it." Misty, who had lived among Water-types her whole life, could tell how healthy this Swampert was.

"Can I?" Nessa asked, and the Water-type allowed her to touch its head. "Aren't you a strong fellow?"

"Swam, Swampert." The Water-type puffed its chest in pride, making Nessa gush at its cuteness before she gave it a few more head pats.

Misty walked forward and played with it before the Mud Fish Pokémon was recalled back by Steven, who now had a Metal Ball in his hand.

"Now, onto my first Pokémon." Steven looked at the Pokeball with a fond smile before checking his surroundings, ensuring no one was nearby. His actions perplexed the trio, as they were not sure why he was being so cautious. "You will know." He said, looking at their expression and calling out his first Pokémon. "Prime, come on out."

Aeron, Nessa and Misty were expecting a strong Pokemon, yet what stood before their eyes was not something they could have imagined, even in their wildest dreams.

There, floating before them, was a metallic tank with a silver-coloured body that was as smooth as a crystal. Its four legs were extended outwards with golden claws at the end of each that could rip apart anything they touched. The blue X on its face shone lightly under the moonlight while its red-coloured eyes were glowing eerily.

It called out its name in a deep, metallic, yet emotionless voice.

"Meta."