After harvesting a bunch of the Herba Mysticas planted by the Titan couple, Aiden had achieved his purpose and quickly left their territory with Steven.
Once out of the stone cave, Aiden felt a sense of relief and stretched lazily.
"Although the process was a bit convoluted, this trip's objective has been achieved. I didn't expect there to be such magical Pokémon in Paldea."
Steven couldn't help but sigh.
Initially, he only came to see if there might be "Pokémon from ancient times," as he had heard.
After all, besides a few Pokémon that had continued from ancient times, the only way humans could understand the past was through archaeological fossils, using special biological devices to activate them and bring Pokémon that existed tens of millions of years ago into the modern era.
He didn't expect that in Paldea, even the step of fossil restoration was skipped, allowing one to directly see living ancient Pokémon.
And not only that, there were also Pokémon suspected to be from the future, like the "Iron Treads" he had just seen.
"Future Pokémon, have they all completely abandoned flesh and become metallic bodies like Iron Treads?"
Steven couldn't help but feel curious.
If his guess was correct, wouldn't that be so cool!
Do all future Pokémon possess powerful Steel-type attributes, with each one's skin filled with an intoxicating metallic texture?
As a staunch Steel enthusiast, Steven was powerless against these incredibly cool future species.
If Iron Treads and Great Tusk hadn't already formed their own family and were unwilling to go to the Hoenn region with him, he really wanted to try.
However, from Iron Treads, it seemed these Pokémon should also have their corresponding "ancestors." He wondered if his main Pokémon would also have future forms?
Therefore, he decisively asked Aiden, who clearly knew more, about his thoughts.
Aiden thought for a moment and then shook his head.
"To my knowledge, there shouldn't be any."
Metagross itself was already very powerful; if there were Paradox Species, it would be overwhelming.
Wait, it might not necessarily be so...
Among the pseudo-legendary Paradox Species, some seem weaker than their original forms!
"Is that so? What a pity."
Steven shook his head helplessly, expressing regret.
After all, what was inside Area Zero wasn't up to him. It seemed there were no populations of Beldum in Paldea, so the absence of their corresponding Paradox Pokémon seemed normal.
"If only I could personally go to Area Zero."
Unfortunately, Area Zero was currently sealed off; otherwise, Steven really wanted to see it for himself.
"There might be a chance in the future."
Seeing this, Aiden quietly smiled.
If Steven really wanted to go down, it would definitely be a good thing for Paldea.
The reason Area Zero remained closed was only one—
The Paradox Pokémon inside and the wild Pokémon raised over the years were too brutal; ordinary trainers going down there could genuinely be in mortal danger.
And with the League clearly lacking manpower after the previous incident, it was already quite good that they could function normally.
They naturally didn't have the extra energy to continue exploring, so they temporarily sealed off Area Zero, waiting for a batch of capable rookies to emerge from the Victory Road in these two years before restarting the exploration plan.
Steven's strength obviously didn't need to be said; it was certainly no less than their Top Champion Geeta, and perhaps even stronger.
If at that time, they could lure the clearly interested Steven over, sending rookies down to explore would probably make the League feel more at ease.
Although it felt a bit strange, the Hoenn League Champion Steven coming to alleviate Paldea's troubles while leaving his own league affairs entirely to Wallace…
Hmm, that's very champion-like.
"Then, I truly hope to explore Area Zero again with Teacher Azure when the time comes."
To Aiden's polite words, Steven didn't think much and responded with a smile, then spoke again.
"Speaking of which, originally it was just a very selfish request of mine, but I didn't expect Teacher Azure to agree so decisively, allowing me to see more interesting things on this trip to Paldea."
"Even though it was our first meeting, it felt like we were old friends. It seems the compatibility between Teacher Azure and me is very good, right?"
Steven squinted his eyes and looked at Aiden.
"Owing such a big favor to Teacher Azure, I must think of a way to repay it."
"I remember that among Teacher Azure's companions, there should be a Lucario, right? From watching the previous live streams, Teacher Azure should have some understanding of Mega Evolution, right?"
"So Teacher Azure should know..."
"Lucario is also one of the Pokémon that have been confirmed to have Mega Evolution, right?"
Upon hearing this, Aiden immediately raised an eyebrow.
"Mega Lucario?"
Steven's meaning seemed already very clear—
Was he going to give him a Mega Stone?
Sure enough, it was the wealthy and generous Devon Corporation heir, who gave the protagonist a pseudo-legendary Beldum just after finishing the first playthrough!
No wonder you're perfect, Steven, the eternal top fan!
Given the confirmation of special energy existing in the Hoenn region, Steven's understanding of Mega Evolution was obviously more extensive than Aiden had originally imagined.
It was possible that Hoenn's research progress on Mega Evolution wasn't weaker than the Kalos region.
In this case, knowing which Pokémon possessed the power of Mega Evolution was indeed normal.
Moreover, Steven's Devon Corporation, whose main business was energy development and metal refining, was not only a large company comparable to Silph Co., but also the main force researching this peculiar phenomenon in the Hoenn region.
The development of the Navigator app and learning devices for Devon Corporation could only be considered a "side hustle."
As the heir of Devon Corporation, giving a Mega Stone as a "friendship fee" to befriend Aiden was indeed a very reasonable act.
Noticing the change in Aiden's expression, Steven's smile widened slightly, and he continued:
"Among all known Pokémon with evolutionary potential, Mega Lucario is considered very powerful."
"If this power can be used well, perhaps Teacher Azure's Lucario's strength can improve further."
"However, because I'm traveling in Paldea, I don't carry other Pokémon's Mega Stones on me, so after I return, I'll contact my steward to send the Mega Stone to Sunshine Gym."
"By the way, our Devon Corporation also owns part of the shares of 'Pokémon Champion,' so we know some information."
"If Teacher Azure is interested in the new version, Mega Evolution will soon be online in the game, allowing more people to experience the charm of this peculiar phenomenon."
"If it's Teacher Azure, you should be able to quickly develop new tactics based on Pokémon's Mega Evolution, right?"
After speaking, without waiting for Aiden's response, Steven decisively and stylishly stepped onto Metagross's head and waved to Aiden.
"In short, I had a great time on this trip, and I hope to have more adventures with Teacher Azure in the future."
"Then, see you later~"
Then, amidst Aiden's confused gaze, Steven quickly disappeared riding Metagross.
Only Aiden was left standing in the Asado Desert, scratching his head.
"According to the normal Path of Legends process, shouldn't he have eaten a sandwich here first before leaving?"
It seemed the keywords were triggered; as Aiden complained, a Poké Ball in his pocket began to shake instantly, and Miraidon soon appeared before Aiden.
"Gao!"
Miraidon raised its head high, issuing a low roar, its meaning unmistakable.
Mealtime!
...
To be honest, this weekend was quite meaningful for Aiden.
In two days, he quickly defeated two Titans, allowing Miraidon to regain some of its strength.
The Sour Herba Mystica guarded by the couple Titan corresponded to gliding ability, further enhancing Miraidon's mobility.
Only one piece of the puzzle remained to complete the collection of five Herba Mysticas.
After recharging with sandwiches, Miraidon powered up and managed to bring Aiden back to Sunshine Gym before dark.
Just like yesterday, a line of small text appeared before Aiden's eyes as he entered:
[Main quest "Path of Legends" has been updated.]
[Current task: Collect Herba Mysticas to awaken Miraidon's full form. (Current progress 4/5)]
[Reward: Random golden item x1, being distributed...]
[Reward: "Dragon Milk Powder" has been distributed!]
After receiving the message, a sudden weight appeared in Aiden's hand.
Looking down, sure enough, it was a transparent glass jar of powdered milk.
After staring at it for a few seconds, its information quickly appeared before his eyes.
[Dragon Milk Powder (Gold): On the surface, it's just a jar of unremarkable powdered milk, but it actually contains all the nutrients necessary for certain dragon species to grow, aiding the growth and development of most Dragon-type Pokémon.]
This time, there were no weird things like snow day dolls or sandstorm dolls.
But it didn't seem much better either?
He had heard of cow milk and goat milk, but this dragon milk was his first time seeing it.
He wondered how it tasted.
Aiden instinctively lowered his head and looked at the powdered milk jar he was holding with both hands.
Its function was already very clear—it was for Bagon, helping it quickly pass through its juvenile stage.
After spending time with it, Aiden gradually understood why the official name of the pseudo-legendary Pokémon was "Late Bloomer."
Starting from zero, the breeding cycle of a pseudo-legendary Pokémon was quite terrifying.
Even Cynthia's Gible and Steven's Beldum accompanied them through almost their entire childhood, only completing their transformation during their travels after maturation.
Aiden had the time to wait slowly and had set the appropriate expectations.
But now, with this unknown dragon milk, maybe Bagon could accumulate enough strength a bit faster?
Aiden thought so.
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