In his line of sight, there really were Beldum—not just one, but many of them, like an entire group.
"Are these the Pokémon the mysterious map was pointing to?" Nathan wondered silently, but didn't dare to make a move.
Are Beldum good?
Without a doubt, yes.
Even though Beldum tend to have violent temperaments and possess strong offensive abilities, they are pseudo-legendaries. Their final evolution, Metagross, has a base stat total of 600. Even a moderately talented Beldum is worth training. For most trainers, it could become a powerful ace.
Especially a whole group of Beldum like the one in front of him—there were over a dozen. Who wouldn't be tempted?
Still, Nathan didn't dare act recklessly.
Beldum tend to move in groups and are usually seen together. But more importantly, he was worried that a Metagross might be nearby—Beldum's final evolved form.
A Steel/Psychic-type pseudo-legendary.
After evolving into Metagross, Beldum typically leave their groups and live alone, but usually don't go very far.
And a wild Metagross that's managed to fully evolve in the wild—well, let's just say its strength wouldn't be anything to scoff at. It could even be terrifying.
Just look at the Tyranitar in the restricted zone. Most people know how resource-intensive it is to raise a Tyranitar—it can consume all the soil and minerals within a mountain.
A wild Tyranitar, without the help of a trainer, has to rely solely on its own strength.
And the rules among Pokémon are simple: strength rules.
So, for wild Pokémon—especially pseudo-legendaries—if they've managed to evolve to their final stage, they're incredibly powerful. They can easily take on two opponents of the same level in battle, and one-on-one fights? Unless you're extremely strong, you'll be crushed.
These powerful wild Pokémon also possess extraordinary battle instincts. Even without a trainer, they understand how to effectively combine and utilize their moves.
Of course, one Metagross is manageable. But if there's more than one...
Nathan might just turn around and leave.
That's no longer a matter of danger. That's straight-up suicide.
"The system wouldn't screw me over like this, right? It said the Pokémon I could capture with my current strength shouldn't come with too much danger..." Nathan muttered in his heart, lying quietly in the tall grass, not daring to move a muscle.
Suddenly—
Just as he was debating whether to leave or stay, the Pangoro lying beside him tugged on his sleeve and pointed in a direction.
Nathan blinked in confusion, but when he followed Pangoro's gaze, his eyes immediately widened.
In his view—
There was a lone Beldum, seemingly isolated, floating quietly in place and watching the group of other Beldum from a distance.
Its color also appeared darker—like a shiny variant.
"What's going on? Is it isolated because it's shiny?" Nathan whispered, curiosity piqued.
As if sensing Nathan's gaze, the Beldum suddenly turned to look at him. Its large eye revealed a curious expression.
Nathan's heart skipped a beat, but he took a deep breath and stayed calm, keeping perfectly still.
The Beldum floated toward him, curious.
Fortunately, the tall grass, thick trees, and the distance from the main group kept its movements from being noticed by the others.
Before long, the Beldum hovered right in front of Nathan's face, eyeing him curiously.
Its tail-end claw glinted with a sharp, cold light, making Nathan instinctively pull back a bit. He also held down Pangoro to keep it from reacting.
Put simply—if there really was a Metagross nearby, it'd likely be at least Elite-level. And Metagross usually aren't friendly.
Best not to stir up trouble.
That's the golden rule of survival for trainers in the wild.
At the same time, Nathan activated his Viridian Aura.
Instantly, it was as if a magnetic field spread out. Nathan began hearing the voice of the Beldum in front of him. It sounded young and innocent.
"What are you?"
"I..."
What do you mean, "what"? I'm not a thing, Nathan twitched.
Still, he whispered, "I'm a human. A trainer."
"Human? Trainer? What are those?" Beldum asked curiously, also glancing at Pangoro. Although this Beldum seemed to be only elite-tier, it didn't appear frightened by Pangoro at all.
Nathan patiently explained, "Humans are my species. A trainer is someone who captures Pokémon, helps them become stronger, and commands them in battle."
"I don't get it."
Beldum floated around and asked, "Can you make me stronger?"
"You want to get stronger?" Nathan asked curiously.
This Beldum didn't seem nearly as aggressive as he'd expected.
"Yeah," Beldum said in its childish voice. "I don't know why, but no one likes me. Maybe because I'm too weak. They're all much stronger than me, and they like bullying me."
Nathan looked at the group of Beldum in the distance, then back at the one in front of him.
To be honest, the difference really was huge.
Those other Beldum were at least peak advanced-tier, and most looked ready to evolve at any moment.
"Could this be the Pokémon the system pointed me toward?" Nathan thought to himself. Truthfully, this Beldum really did tempt him.
Earlier, he couldn't see clearly from afar. But now that it was up close, he could tell this was definitely a shiny Beldum.
If normal Beldum were light blue, then this one was deep blue—like the color of the ocean.
"I can help you become stronger, but only if you come with me. If you come with me, you'll meet other strong Pokémon and battle them. That's how you'll grow stronger," Nathan said softly.
"Leave?"
The Beldum floated in circles around Nathan and said, "If it means getting stronger, sure. But I don't know if the leader will allow it."
"Leader?"
"Yeah, it's the big one that protects us. Super strong. Way stronger than all of us combined. It's already our final evolved form. I wonder when I'll become like that."
Upon hearing that, Nathan's pupils shrank, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
As expected, there's a Metagross nearby.
At that moment, Pangoro tugged on his sleeve again and pointed nervously in a direction, instinctively shrinking his head.
Nathan turned to look and immediately ducked his head back down, face pressed into the dirt as he silently chanted in his heart:
"Didn't see me, didn't see me, didn't see me..."
..
In his line of sight was a massive Metagross. Normal Metagrosses are about 1.6 meters tall, but this one was over two meters—and its presence was terrifying, definitely above Elite-level.
It glanced at the group of Beldum, then turned its gaze toward Nathan's direction.
And in an instant, it was standing right in front of Nathan.
Two red eyes locked onto him.
"Leader!"
The shiny Beldum floated over.
"Can I go with him? I want to become stronger."
Hearing that, Nathan looked up.
When he saw the Metagross, his mouth twitched. He took a deep breath before forcing himself to stay calm.
"Hello, Metagross," Nathan said stiffly, releasing his Viridian Aura to express goodwill.
Metagross didn't respond to Beldum's question. It just stared curiously at Nathan. On this human, it sensed a familiar yet foreign aura.
"Human. You're special."
The Metagross's magnetic voice was deep.
"Huh?"
Nathan blinked in confusion.
Metagross didn't elaborate. It looked at Beldum again, then back at Nathan.
"You want to take it with you?"
"Uh, yeah, I was thinking about it," Nathan scratched his head. "But if you don't think I'm worthy, then... forget it."
"No. You're worthy."
"Hmm?"
Nathan looked at the Metagross in surprise and eased up a little. This Metagross didn't seem hostile—but that only made him more curious.
The Metagross spoke again, voice still cold and firm.
"Since I came into this world, I've seen many humans—what you call 'trainers.' Most of them died at my hands. They tried to take these children by force without their consent or thought they could defeat and capture me. In the end, they all died."
"You're different. You asked the child first. You didn't force anything."
"Also, I can tell—you've raised at least one Pokémon very well."
As it spoke, Nathan felt its gaze settle on the Poké Ball hanging around his neck.
He scratched his head, then removed the ball. "Come out, Volcarona."
"Vol."
Volcarona appeared before Nathan, its golden glow lighting up the dark night.
"This is my first partner—Volcarona," Nathan said to the Metagross.
The moment it appeared, Volcarona moved to protect Nathan, warily eyeing Metagross.
"Impressive. You've trained it well. And clearly, it cares about you deeply."
Metagross's deep voice rumbled.
"Of course. We basically grew up together," Nathan said with a soft smile.
Metagross was silent for a moment, then spoke again.
"You're a good trainer. Though I am ruthless, I don't oppose these children bonding with humans. In fact, I acknowledge that it helps them grow faster and better. You're qualified. If this child wants to go with you, I won't stop it."
"Really?!"
Nathan's eyes lit up with excitement.
If this Metagross had objected, there was no way he could take the Beldum. The difference in strength was simply too vast.
Volcarona was on full alert the moment it appeared. That alone showed how much pressure Metagross was exerting—its power was likely on the level of a gym leader or even higher.
"Unlike humans, I don't lie," Metagross said flatly. "But I hope you can promise me one thing—help me find a... rival."
"A rival?"
"Yes."
Metagross seemed to be recalling the past.
"Back when I was still growing, I constantly battled strong Pokémon to survive and grow stronger. One day, when I thought I had reached my peak, I met a Pokémon I'd never seen before. It was majestic—like a lion, as you humans say. And it was powerful."
"The moment I saw it, it was like looking at a god. Or maybe it really was a god. Even without battling it, I knew it was incredibly powerful."
"I lost the will to fight the moment I saw it."
"That day, I realized how small I still was."
Metagross looked straight at Nathan, its tone filled with rare emotion.
"But I still wanted to challenge it. It refused."
"Its words still echo in my mind."
'When you are truly strong, come challenge me again. Then I will accept.'
"I remember that clearly. Now, I am strong enough. But I cannot leave these children. So I hope you can help me find it."
Its voice was sincere—like a request.
Hearing this, Nathan's eyelid twitched. He cautiously asked:
"You're not... talking about Solgaleo, are you?"
Based on Metagross's description, the first thing that came to Nathan's mind was Solgaleo, the Sun God.