Eevee trotted over with a Poké Ball in her mouth and placed it in Gary's hand.
Gary scanned the new capture.
[Potential: Quasi-Elite]
[Ability: Heavy Metal (doubles its own weight)]
[Moves: Tackle, Harden, Metal Claw, Rock Tomb, Protect, Iron Head]
[Friendship: 76 / 255]
"Friendship's a little low," Gary muttered. "We'll need some time to bond."
Turning to Eevee, he said, "Find Zinnia—we should head out soon."
They had already spent nearly three hours in Granite Cave and—aside from a handful of Evolution Stones—had little to show for it. Were it not for those upset Aron leading him to this promising Lairon, the whole trip might have been a waste.
Eevee pricked up her ears, chose a tunnel, and set off with Gary close behind. The warren of intersecting passages made Gary marvel at Zinnia's speed the girl must have covered a lot of ground.
After several minutes, Eevee halted. Gary's flashlight caught two figures jogging toward him—Zinnia, and beside her, Steven Stone.
"How did those two end up together?" Gary wondered.
Zinnia waved excitedly. "Gary, look what we dug up!"
She hefted a stone larger than a washbasin even in the dim light, Gary could see fossilized bone embedded in it.
"A fossil? You found that here?" he asked, impressed.
"Yep! Mr. Steven helped me excavate it, and he says his family can have it revived," Zinnia beamed.
Gary turned to Steven. "I hope Zinnia hasn't been any trouble."
"Not at all," Steven chuckled. "She's surprisingly efficient—clearly experienced underground."
Zinnia scratched her cheek, a little embarrassed by the praise. Life in Meteor Falls had made burrowing second nature.
"Are you fossil-hunting too, Mr. Steven?" Gary asked.
"I collect rare stones and fossils as a hobby," Steven replied. "I came in yesterday—never expected to run into you here."
Just then, several Aron surfaced, chattering at Steven. Gary recognized them: same levels and potential as the ones he'd encountered earlier. When they spotted Gary, they squeaked in alarm and ducked behind Steven's legs.
Steven blinked. "Gary, did something happen between you and these Aron?"
Gary explained his plan to raise an Aggron and how the wild Aron had fetched the stronger Lairon he eventually caught.
Steven nodded. "So it was all a misunderstanding."
Granite Cave wasn't a preserve Pokémon here were fair game for Trainers. In fact, Lairon wouldn't have been caught at all if the Aron hadn't intervened.
Facing the little Steel types, Steven said, "Lairon was captured fair and square. I can't help you this time, friends."
The Aron whined, clearly disappointed.
"Cheer up." Steven knelt, producing several bars of high-grade stainless steel from his pack. "Gary's an excellent Trainer Lairon will do well with him. Here—treat yourselves."
The Arons' eyes lit up. They forgot their grievances instantly and began gnawing the steel with relish. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝✶𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮✶𝓷𝓮𝓽
Zinnia winced. "They actually eat that?"
"Aron species are born to consume metal ore," Steven explained. "The purer the steel, the better they like it."
Gary made a mental note to stock up on quality iron ore for his new partner. The armor an Aggron sports is literally built from what it eats the richer the diet, the stronger the plating. Raising one properly required a hefty bankroll—Aggron really were Pokémon for the well-funded.
Watching the contented Aron, Gary couldn't shake a suspicion: had they lured Lairon to him on purpose, removing a rival for their precious iron? In Granite Cave, they were the only Pokémon that ate metal Onix and Geodude subsisted on rock and soil, so competition was fierce only within the Aron line.
Well, intentional or not, things had worked out. With a new Lairon, a fossil for Zinnia, and an unexpected meeting with Steven, the trip was turning into quite a success.