"Scyther has lost the ability to battle. Meltan wins the victory!"
With the referee's voice echoing, Ethan's gym evaluation battle came to an end.
Once the evaluation was over, Ethan quickly followed the staff of the Pokémon Trainers' Guild out of the gym.
Even so, he was almost stopped by a group of spectators with burning gazes. Fortunately, the Pokémon Trainers' Guild intervened in time, allowing him to escape safely.
"Phew... I almost didn't make it out," Ethan said as he wiped the sweat from his forehead and let out a sigh of relief.
"And whose fault is it for not making the evolution methods of Scizor and Steelix public yet?" the guild staff member replied, shrugging.
The evolution methods of those two Steel-type Pokémon were far too attractive to trainers specializing in this type, so the audience's exaggerated reaction was completely understandable.
"I've heard that our League has already reached a preliminary intention of cooperation with the World League Organization over this matter. It's not the right time yet," Ethan replied with a faint smile.
Although he didn't know exactly what that so-called preliminary cooperation entailed, as the author of A New Direction for Pokémon Evolution, he was certain that he would reap enormous benefits from it.
"Right, that's not something we need to worry about. Also, here's your gym badge. And your application to enter the Steel Secret Kingdom will be approved very soon."
"This is the regulations and rules for entering the Secret Kingdom. Take a look."
As he spoke, the staff member handed Ethan a small booklet, which carefully detailed all the points to be mindful of inside the Secret Kingdom.
"Oh?"
"Besides training Pokémon, you can also capture Pokémon inside?"
Interest appeared on Ethan's face. If he encountered a Steel-type Pokémon with good potential, he naturally wouldn't mind capturing it.
Of course, capturing Pokémon from the Secret Kingdom came with conditions: the Pokémon had to willingly agree to follow him, and in addition, a tax had to be paid to Ferraria City.
...
Inside the Steel Secret Kingdom.
After obtaining approval from the Pokémon Trainers' Guild, Ethan immediately led the impatient Meltan into the Secret Kingdom.
"Zzzt!"
As soon as they entered, Meltan visibly became agitated, filled with excitement.
Then its body began to float, and as electrical currents ran across its surface, it seemed to be sensing something.
Very soon, Meltan fixed on a specific direction and began to emit excited buzzing sounds toward Ethan.
"Meltan, have you discovered something?" Ethan asked, his eyes gleaming faintly.
"Zzzt!"
Meltan nodded enthusiastically and quickly floated forward, signaling Ethan to follow.
Without hesitation, Ethan threw a Poké Ball and released Charizard, leaping onto its back.
"Charrzz!"
Charizard barely had time to show affection before taking off into the air, following Meltan at full speed.
The Steel Secret Kingdom was, in essence, a massive mining area. Because transporting heavy machinery into the Secret Kingdom was impossible, most of the iron extraction work was carried out with the help of Pokémon.
At the various work sites, besides Steel-type Pokémon, Fighting-type Pokémon such as Machop and Machoke could also be seen.
Apart from the already exploited mines, the Secret Kingdom contained many naturally formed caves, inhabited by numerous Steel-type and Rock-type Pokémon.
Guided by Meltan, they quickly found the entrance to a cave, and without hesitation, Meltan plunged straight inside.
After entering, a deep passage appeared, extending toward the depths underground. In a place like this, Charizard couldn't move comfortably, so Ethan returned it to its Poké Ball and released Vibrava.
Inside caves like this, Vibrava's ultrasonic detection and vibration perception were excellent methods for anticipating danger. With its help, Ethan was able to move swiftly through the tunnels, closely following Meltan.
The passages of the Secret Kingdom crisscrossed like a labyrinth, but Meltan seemed to know the route perfectly, as it didn't hesitate for even a moment at each fork.
"What's going on with Meltan?"
"Is there something in this cave that's attracting it?"
Ethan was also curious, but clearly this was not the time to ask questions.
"Viiibbrraa!"
As they advanced at high speed, Vibrava suddenly emitted a warning signal.
Immediately afterward, a loud crash echoed from ahead: Meltan was already confronting a Metagross.
In a head-on fight, Meltan was battling with all its strength, yet it still couldn't completely suppress Metagross.
"There's a Metagross here, a pseudo-legendary Pokémon!"
Seeing this scene, Ethan was surprised. In his experience, only the Silver family possessed Pokémon this rare, and he hadn't expected to find one in this Secret Kingdom.
Then, an intense excitement surged within him. A Pokémon as rare as Metagross immediately sparked his strong desire to capture it.
Boom, boom, boom!
Metagross was furious at Meltan's intrusion into its territory. As it roared incessantly, a blue glow appeared in its eyes. Using its psychic power, it resisted the suppression of Meltan's Magnet Pull ability and, from time to time, fired powerful light cannons, forcing Meltan to dodge.
"Let's not think about all that for now. Even if I want to capture this Metagross, this isn't the time."
Seeing Meltan's anxiety, Ethan made a decision immediately.
He released all his Pokémon to help quickly defeat Metagross.
At the same time, he kept one hand on Gengar's Poké Ball, prepared for any unknown danger that might emerge from the shadows.
Boom, boom, boom!
With several Pokémon joining the battle, Metagross was clearly at a disadvantage and soon lost the ability to fight.
"Go... Poké Ball."
After defeating it, Ethan hesitated for a moment.
Leaving Metagross unconscious in that place was far too dangerous, whether it might be attacked by other Pokémon or, upon waking up, try to take revenge.
Therefore, he decided to capture it. Honestly, the strength of that Metagross was quite good, and if he could integrate it into his team, it would be an excellent addition... provided that he gained its recognition.
"Zzzt!"
As they went deeper into the cave, Meltan's anxiety became increasingly evident.
Ethan picked up Metagross's Poké Ball, returned Charizard and the others, and closely followed Meltan, flying toward the depths of the cavern.
(End of chapter)