Hikaru froze in place for a moment when he saw Heatran appear.
Mainly because the way this guy showed up was just too ridiculous—dignified Legendary Pokémon or not, it scuttled over like some giant cockroach, only to tumble out of the air with a loud thud!
Heatran was a Pokémon that resembled a turtle, with orange-red eyes and a head covered by a metallic mask-like plate. Its body was reddish-brown, patterned with orange and brown spots, and on its legs were structures like metallic shackles. It could crawl freely and cling to cliffs.
It was also a Legendary Pokémon of the Sinnoh region, but it was known as a legend in other regions as well—basically, every volcano had a Heatran entrenched near its crater.
According to legend, they were fragments of space-time that fell into this world when Dialga and Palkia once fought.
Although in the anime and manga, Heatran often ended up as a stepping stone for other Legendaries or was manipulated by villains to serve as a front-line general only to be exploited, when it came to actual battlefield strength, Fire/Steel was a superb typing. Heatran had always been one of the stalwart pillars of competitive battling.
"Hmph!"
Heatran shook its large head. Falling from the ceiling was just standard practice for it!
What? Never seen a flying cockroach before?
Well, now you have.
If it weren't necessary, it really didn't want to appear before humans at all. You humans were always thinking about capturing it!
"Th-that thing… could it be… the King of Reversal Mountain?!"
Skyla stared in disbelief at the "giant fire-steel bug" before her.
She often came to and from Lentimas Town and knew of the local legend of the King of Reversal Mountain. She had guessed it might be a special Pokémon, but she had never seen it herself.
Now, with Heatran radiating an overwhelming heat, exuding a fierce aura, and sporting that bizarre appearance, every sign confirmed it—the creature before them was an exceptionally rare and powerful Pokémon!
"Heatran… the Unova Pokédex hasn't even recorded this one yet."
Hikaru acted like a walking Pokédex, pulling out the actual Pokédex that Professor Juniper had given him.
It had already logged Regigigas and Darkrai. Now Heatran was added to the list.
"Heatran exist within volcanoes all across the world. Legends say they are born from fragments of space-time, while others claim they were born from molten magma within the earth itself, ruling as kings over volcanoes. Its typing is Fire and Steel!"
"It's a Legendary Pokémon!"
Shauntal put her hand on her hip. "Another Legendary? This place treats Legendary Pokémon like wholesale goods!"
Of course, the appearance of a Legendary meant vigilance was necessary—even if the Heatran before them showed no aggression.
"Gou-gou-bo!" Heatran opened its molten steel jaws, clearly unimpressed by the trainers' wariness.
Its eyes locked directly onto the pile of Volcano Stalestones beside Hikaru!
Hey, human! I came for those goodies! I'm here to eat!
You—you actually make Volcano Stalestones?!
Humans can make these things too?!
Heatran muttered and growled strangely, its expression weird.
"What's it saying?" Skyla asked curiously. "It seems different from Darkrai. It can't speak to us telepathically."
Heatran: "…"
Sorry for not talking, but hey, our body structures aren't the same, you know!
Hikaru reached into Heatran's thoughts. As soon as the bond formed between human and Pokémon, even the King of Reversal Mountain was startled.
What the—this human can talk directly into my mind?!
"Hmm… geothermal energy, minerals, the power of the earth converging in the volcano… but you're saying the Volcano Stalestones here have been lost?"
Hikaru's reading made Heatran's eyes widen as it nodded frantically—even though it didn't really have a neck.
Shauntal frowned. "The Volcano Stalestones are missing? So originally there were Stalestones here?"
Skyla nodded. "They're treasures of the volcano. Some explorers do come here searching for them."
"But…" Skyla's gaze flicked to Hikaru's "wholesale" stash of Stalestones.
This guy had basically opened a treasure factory. And with his psychic processing, these man-made Stalestones might even be of higher quality than the natural ones.
That explained a lot. Hikaru remembered the games' depiction of Reversal Mountain. Eventually it would be linked as part of the "Undella Town–Lentimas Town Tourism Plan," attracting people searching for Stalestones—but in the actual game, no Volcano Stalestone could be found there.
The only Stalestone was on the south sea cliff of Route 18's island, reachable only from Opelucid City by sea.
Maybe a trainer had found one here and taken it away, only to discard it there later?
Still, Reversal Mountain and Stark Mountain were similar volcanoes, but described differently depending on the game version:
In Black, Reversal Mountain was filled with water but still frequently erupted.
In White, it brimmed with magma but rarely erupted.
Stark Mountain's Stalestone loss caused major upheaval, but nothing happened when Reversal Mountain lost its own.
"So that's it! The recent activity in Reversal Mountain—it's Heatran trying to create new Volcano Stalestones!"
Shauntal snapped her fingers, suddenly recalling what old Lady Wind had once said:
"The Stalestones were lost, but since they are essential treasures for Heatran, if they can form in a volcano, then Heatran must have the ability to create them!"
Heatran gave Shauntal a glance.
"Gou-bo-bo."
Yo, you're sharp!
But nope—I don't actually make them myself, 'cause I can't use Flamethrower!
"It says it doesn't have that ability." Hikaru translated. "Volcano Stalestones are creations of the volcano and the earth. Heatran stirs the volcano to see if they'll form naturally. Normally, creating Stalestones requires volcanic eruption. Fire-type moves could simulate the conditions, but ordinary Heatran can't learn Flamethrower… it said it's been trying by using earth power."
Heatran nodded emphatically.
Exactly.
"Ordinary ones can't learn Flamethrower? You mean there are special ones?" Skyla and Shauntal glanced at each other. "This is our first time seeing a Legendary like this—how do you know so much about its ecology?"
Hikaru chuckled. "I've seen a Heatran that could use Flamethrower in another region."
That was the special Heatran in Almia, from the Ranger storyline. No one knew exactly how it learned it, only that it was described as a chance occurrence.
"Do you want Stalestones? I can trade them with you. I'll just keep a few pieces."
Hikaru thought back to Stark Mountain, where Stalestones could be arranged into a whole formation, though the player could only take one.
But here in Reversal Mountain, the caverns were almost barren. Despite being larger than Stark Mountain, it had fewer treasures—a reversal indeed.
Heatran looked thoughtful.
Hmm… trade, huh.
You're not gonna try to capture me or study me, are you?!
It had learned a lot from the various weirdos who visited Reversal Mountain. Even though Lentimas was hard to reach, the mountain was still a tourist spot.
Heatran refused without a second thought.
No way! With the volcano serving as my all-you-can-eat buffet, why would I ever leave? I'm staying right here!
But… if you give me more Stalestones, I'll throw in some rare volcanic minerals. They're just part of my food stockpile anyway.
"That works for me—but besides the minerals, I also want some of your steel."
Hikaru made his request.
Heatran's steel was unique. Its blood boiled like molten lava, constantly melting and regenerating the metal covering its body. The steel shell was formed by digesting and refining minerals, then excreting them to coat itself again.
In the anime, Heatran had shown itself absorbing volcanic energy and bathing in magma to restore its strength. Away from a volcano, its power weakened.
Heatran mulled it over.
That wasn't a bad trade.
Those melted plates weren't exactly "waste," but more like molted skin.
"Gou-gou-bo! (Deal!)"
Heatran quickly scuttled away, sticking to the rock walls with rapid thuds. Moments later, it returned, opened its huge mouth, and spilled out a pile of minerals and metal!
Skyla gasped. "These are Heatran's hoarded volcanic minerals!"
"No," Hikaru corrected her, "these are just its rations. I can sense Heatran's thoughts—it's even telling us which ones taste good and which don't."
Plenty of Pokémon ate minerals, each with different flavor preferences.
[Material: Molten Steel Carapace]
Description: A special steel shed by Heatran. It resists extreme heat without melting, resonates with immense energy, and carries faint traces of space-time fluctuation. To ordinary craftsmen, it's a dream material.
You have the skills of Smelting and Flame Forging—you can process such material!
Effect: Can be used to forge special equipment. When given to Fire- or Steel-type Pokémon, it boosts their power and growth. Armor forged from it will never rust.
Craftable Items: Heat-resistant Luxury Armor, Smoke Device, Heavy Baton, Repair Kit of Seven Tools, Protective Fragment, Special Locked Container, Trick Coin (requires Gold Nugget).
Extras: With continued rare materials, you could forge legendary equipment like the War Armor of Ironclad Men, the cursed armor Eternal, the sword that reflects all attacks Shun, and even the Immortal Golden Armor. Molten Steel Carapace is just the base material.
The minerals Heatran had regurgitated were mostly Fire Gems and Water Gems.
Water Gems tasted bad, Fire Gems were toasty and delicious. There were also Flame Orbs, Toxic Orbs, Red Shards, Blue Shards, tiny Meteorites, Star Pieces, scattered Nuggets, and even a Smoke Ball.
Among them, Hikaru spotted a special crystal.
[Material: Fire Crystal]
Description: A crystallization of fiery power, magma, and geothermal energy! When held by a Fire-type Pokémon or one with Fire-type moves, it dramatically boosts their energy and move power. It's also an essential crafting material.
Craftable Items: Core Metal Barrier, Flame Orb, Magma Orb, Memory Lighter.
[Item: Smoke Ball]
Description: Guarantees escape from wild Pokémon battles.
"Heatran really stockpiled a lot. Some of these are extremely rare items!"
Shauntal picked up a Flame Orb with gloved hands. The fire inside seemed alive, flickering and dancing endlessly.
Heatran looked at Hikaru expectantly.
See? These things aren't much use to me, just food and shed skin. But for you humans, they're treasures, right?
So… how many Stalestones does that get me?
Hikaru smiled. "Hmm… could you bring more of your molted shell?"
"Gou-bo!"
Greedy human!
Heatran almost snapped, but then saw Hikaru push five Stalestones forward. Its retort died in its throat.
Now that's a fair trade!
This human's got good instincts!
I'll fetch more right away!
But going back and forth is too slow… you'd better come with me to my lair so we can discuss properly!
"Ohh, if I could capture you, I'd have an endless supply of this steel. Since it's just your molt, after all."
Hikaru muttered as they walked, making Heatran flinch. It glanced nervously at him, but through their bond sensed that Hikaru was just talking to himself. It relaxed.
True, it could eat other foods—but staying near a volcano was best.
"Gou-bo."
If I want to molt, I need to stay by the volcano, absorbing energy until my blood boils. That's when the steel melts and regenerates. Without magma and minerals, no new shell forms.
"You're right! Staying by the lava is what fuels your growth. The molten shell symbolizes your progress. If I tried to capture you just for the materials, it'd actually be a mistake."
For battling, maybe—but to harvest? That'd be a nightmare.
Raising a Heatran meant literally owning a mine.
Generously, perhaps fearing Hikaru would truly attempt to take it away, Heatran gave him all of its molted shells from birth. The lair's walls themselves glittered with embedded half-melted plates, proof of a lifetime of growth.
(End of Chapter)
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