This shiny Beldum timidly poked out half of its silver-white body from beside the massive steel feet of the Metagross.
After seeing the stranger Lionel, it quickly retracted as if startled, leaving only its red crystal eye peeking out, blinking as it glanced at Lionel.
When Lionel saw the figure of the shiny Beldum, a faint, imperceptible blue halo appeared in his eyes, and the panel in his mind instantly manifested.
The various data of this shiny Beldum appeared clearly in Lionel's consciousness.
[Pokémon: Beldum (shiny)]
[Type: Steel, Psychic]
[Classification: Iron Ball Pokémon]
[Ability: Clear Body (Stats cannot be lowered by the opponent's moves or abilities)]
[Moves: Tackle, Confusion, Iron Defense, Zen Headbutt, Take Down, Iron Head]
Lionel's breath hitched slightly.
Beldum! The initial form of Metagross!
And it's even a shiny individual! It also knows so many initial moves; although the proficiency is just at the level of having just learned them, it's too incredible!
What is its relationship with Steven's shiny Metagross?
Lionel was extremely familiar with Beldum; in the anime and games of his past life, this Steel/Psychic dual-type Pokémon was one of his absolute favorites.
But regarding its evolution, Lionel always had some doubts; the game Pokédex clearly states it is a Fusion Evolution.
Two Beldum are needed to fuse into Metang, and then two Metang must combine to evolve into Metagross, which means four Beldum are required for the final form.
But the evolution trigger in the games was simple and crude; as long as the level reached the requirement, it would automatically complete, not reflecting the core requirement of "fusion" at all.
In the anime of his past life, descriptions of its evolution process were even scarcer, almost never showing the full picture.
In this real Pokémon world, Trainers who own a Metagross are already as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.
Whether it follows the level-based evolution from the games or needs to meet the special prerequisite of "fusion," Lionel didn't know.
At this moment, Lionel was no longer calm; seeing this shiny Beldum, his heart couldn't help but beat faster, and his face couldn't hide his excitement.
With a trembling and joyful tone, he asked Steven: "Is it..."
"How is it? Can't stay calm anymore, can you?"
Steven's voice had a hint of playful teasing, but he couldn't hide the pride for his Pokémon in the depths of his eyes.
He reached out his hand, his fingertips gently stroking the metal cross mark on the chest of the shiny Metagross beside him.
The shiny Metagross seemed to read its master's heart, slowly lowering its head and letting out a long, low hum; the metallic luster flowing over its body flickered slightly with the hum.
The shiny Beldum on the side seemed startled by this sudden low hum, its small body quickly rubbing against Metagross's massive steel feet and hiding behind it.
Seeing this, Steven couldn't help but smile, then continued: "This is a Beldum individual split from my Metagross.
The evolution of the Metagross Family is a very special existence in the Pokémon world; its evolution process is very strange, and few people understand exactly how it evolves."
Hearing this, Lionel nodded quickly; he was already full of doubts about Metagross's evolution, as the information from the games and anime in his past life was either contradictory or incomplete.
Now that he could hear Steven explain it personally, his interest was instantly piqued, his eyes full of urgency and anticipation, wishing he could know the core key right away.
"It is a Pokémon that evolves through fusion. The evolution method is somewhat similar to the Grass/Psychic dual-type Exeggcute or Roxanne's Probopass, but there are some differences.
The first step in Beldum's evolution is its own transformation; it must accumulate enough energy and consume sufficient metal before it can split a new individual from itself.
Then comes the key to Fusion Evolution: two Beldum merge to evolve into Metang, and during the Metang stage, it's the same—splitting itself and completely merging to evolve into Metagross.
It is precisely under the influence of this Fusion Evolution that Metagross eventually has four separate calculating brains, providing support for its battle strategy analysis and its special behavior of floating in the air.
Under normal circumstances, this splitting ability only triggers naturally at key nodes of evolution. If forced at other times, it will seriously damage the Pokémon's core energy and even lead to a significant drop in strength."
"But..."
Steven stopped talking and looked at Lionel, his tone full of pride and glory:
"My Metagross is different. Its strength is powerful enough, and combined with the fact that I often feed it many rare metals, its core energy is far more robust than its peers.
Splitting off a Beldum individual now is still within an acceptable range for it; after supplementing it with more energy and metal in the future, it can fully recover."
The shiny Beldum on the side seemed to understand the word "split," its small body gently bumping against the shiny Metagross's body, making a crisp "ding" sound.
Its red crystal-like eyes held a bit of ignorant gaze, as if confirming its connection with the shiny Metagross in front of it.
Seeing this, the shiny Metagross slowly lowered its head and used its hard but warm head to gently nuzzle the shiny Beldum's small head.
This so-called "splitting," for it, was actually more like giving birth to a child of its own; the movements were full of pure protection and affection.
After explaining the origin of this shiny Beldum, Steven's gaze landed steadily on Lionel's face, with a hint of earnest expectation in his eyes.
He then raised his finger and gently tapped the cold, hard metal shell of the Metagross beside him; the crisp "clang clang" sound echoed slowly in the quiet collection room.
Amidst the "clang clang" sound, Steven spoke a thought he had buried deep in his heart:
"You mentioned to Wallace before that you wanted to let everyone see the beauty and cuteness of Pokémon at the Grand Festival, right?"
Lionel was slightly startled, then nodded frankly; these were indeed the original words he had said to Master Wallace, and it was also his sincere expectation to show everyone the other side of Pokémon besides fighting.
"So—"
"If you decide to choose this shiny Beldum, I have only one requirement: take it to the stage of the Grand Festival.
Anyway, the matches of the Grand Festival require two Pokémon to be sent out together; I hope it can become one of the cores in your lineup and strive for the highest honor of the Grand Festival together with your Feebas."
Pausing slightly, Steven's gaze fell on the peeking shiny Beldum, his tone full of expectation:
"Tailor-make compatible combination moves for it, polish a stage style unique to it, and let it shine brilliantly on the stage of the Grand Festival.
Well, are you confident?
Now, whether to choose Dratini or this shiny Beldum depends on your decision!"
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