Haruki let Beldum continue greedily absorbing the Indium-tungsten Ore. Since it had no bottleneck at the moment, what it needed most was a supply of energy.
He moved over to the rock wall to study it more closely.
The ore looked like small lumps embedded in the stone, unusually conspicuous.
The wall was clearly covered with bite marks, likely left behind by Steelix.
Haruki glanced over at the Steelix still lying there. It was clearly awake, but pretending to be unconscious.
'What a coward.'
After a moment of hesitation, he threw a Poké Ball and captured it.
The ball shook violently at first but eventually fell still.
Steelix wasn't weak, but it overlapped too much with what Metagross would eventually become.
And this particular Steelix really didn't fit Haruki's standards: its growth was artificially accelerated, it had already evolved, its fighting spirit was weak, and it was both reckless and dull.
'Forget it. Better to exchange it for some points.'
After all, Marowak's next Training Manual would require a hefty sum.
Just then, a blinding blue light lit up beside him.
Haruki's heart leapt.
He turned to see Beldum evolving.
"…"
But the light continued for more than half a minute, and the shape of the second-stage Metang was already taking form.
And yet… it didn't stop.
"You're evolving now? Fine… I'll consider it a favor I owe you guys."
A long-dormant voice suddenly echoed in Haruki's mind, startling him into a shiver.
A surge of pinkish-purple light erupted from his head, expanding into a fog-like mist.
The mist spread out and enveloped the evolving Beldum completely.
"Who are you?!"
Haruki tried to wave it away, but the purple fog wouldn't disperse. He could only watch helplessly as Beldum was wrapped inside.
"Heeheehee, don't worry. Your partner's gained a huge benefit from me. One day, we'll meet again."
The mysterious voice laughed softly.
The next moment, Beldum's evolution light burst forth again, so bright that even the fog couldn't obscure it.
Finally, as the light faded, a shimmering silver Metang appeared before Haruki.
Skiploom curiously circled the newly evolved Metang. Her once headstrong little brother was now much, much bigger.
"Metang~"
A slightly electronic cry rang out as Metang floated over and gently pressed itself against Haruki.
"You've finally evolved. Let's take care of each other from now on, Metang."
"Metang~"
Metang waved its two metal arms. Its golden claws gleamed brightly, just looking at them, they already looked formidable.
Haruki released Marowak as well, letting it get familiar with Metang.
Marowak lightly tapped Metang's arm with its bone, acknowledging its growth.
"You should've learned some new moves. Let's see what you've got."
"Metang!"
At the mention of that, Metang perked up.
It looked around, but didn't see its previous opponent, Steelix, so it turned its attention to the rock wall.
"Metang!"
Its golden claws extended, sparkling with radiant light. With a sharp lunge, Metang slashed hard at the wall.
Screeech~
Like a knife through butter, the wall split into three deep gashes, with neatly cut Indium-tungsten Ore clearly visible inside.
A Steel-type move: Metal Claw. One of the most common offensive moves for Steel-types.
When used by Metang, it gleamed with dazzling brilliance: powerful and stylish!
Next, Metang's eyes glowed with a pinkish-purple light. The surrounding rocks lifted into the air, flipping and spinning under its control.
A Psychic-type move: Confusion. A jack-of-all-trades skill that Metang naturally learns upon evolving.
Though judging by the force… this one might've been a bit too strong.
Next, Metang's whole body gleamed silver as it suddenly dashed to the other side of the cave, its fist the size of a sandbag smashing down onto a boulder.
Boom!
The rock exploded, fully revealing Metang's raw power.
A Steel-type move: Bullet Punch. An attack delivered at bullet speed, it has priority and is an excellent opener or finisher in battle.
…And it wasn't done yet.
Metang's steel arms suddenly flickered with a dark aura as it began swinging them through the air.
Haruki hesitated for a moment.
"…Pursuit?"
"Metang~"
Metang nodded, then stepped back slightly as its arms retracted into their booster-like state.
Then, with a flash of pinkish-purple light across its body, Metang launched itself into another boulder.
'Well then… classic Metang.'
It had just gained the Psychic type and already learned Zen Headbutt… clearly committing fully to its headstrong ways.
Lastly, Metang's body emitted a faint electric current, and its movements became significantly more agile.
Haruki quickly recognized it as the move Magnet Rise.
With that, Metang had finished demonstrating all of its newly learned moves.
[Shiny · Metang]Ability: Clear BodyLevel: Veteran-lowMoves: Take Down, Iron Head, Metal Claw, Bullet Punch, Confusion, Zen Headbutt, Magnet RiseNature: All-in bruiser, (formerly) hiding behind teammates.
Now, all three of Haruki's Pokémon had reached the Veteran level, a respectable force.
And thanks to Steven's steady flow of resources, Haruki could finally think about raising a new partner.
No rush though, he would let fate decide.
Next up: the Indium-tungsten Ore!
Judging from the environment, these ores had been discovered by Steelix itself, and had nothing to do with the previous excavators.
So Haruki wasn't worried about getting entangled with other factions.
But without a professional team like the Devon Corporation for surveying, Haruki had only one thing to rely on: Metang.
Thankfully, Metang was naturally sensitive to metallic ore, and Metal Claw was perfectly suited for mining.
So what was he waiting for? Time to dig!
Metang swung its glowing claws, slicing off massive chunks of rock with each swipe.
Marowak coated its Thick Club in concentrated Ground-type energy.
With a light tap, regular stones would cleanly separate from the Indium-tungsten Ore.
Haruki was in charge of sorting the ore and placing it directly into the Spatial Backpack to avoid double-handling.
Skiploom provided Aromatherapy and Grassy Terrain to restore everyone's stamina and ease fatigue.
One Trainer and three Pokémon were hard at work, the cave ringing with constant clanging and clattering.
Still, during those repetitive mining cycles, Haruki couldn't help but think back to that mysterious voice and the purple mist.
Metang had awakened such strong psychic power immediately upon evolving. Was it related?
And that voice said they'd meet one day… but when?
In the end, they dug for a full week straight.
---
Now covered in dust, Haruki looked at his fully packed backpack, then over at Metang still diligently slashing away with Metal Claw, and he had only one thought.
He couldn't keep mining himself, he needed someone else to take over.
As for who that should be, who better than Steven? At this rate, even the resources needed for Marowak and Skiploom were nearly covered.
With the decision made, Haruki didn't want to stay a moment longer.
He called back the reluctant Metang, along with the equally worn-out Marowak and Skiploom, and left Ravaged Path behind.
Then, he opened his communicator and called Steven.
"This time, you're getting another bargain!"
"You found another Grampa Canyon?"
"..."
Chapter 60: Evolution, Metang Appears!