After successfully creating Geodude, Arceus decided to make a few more large ones. There was quite a bit of raw ore brought by Babanuki, and these minerals could still be put to great use.
Arceus repeated the same process as before, but with more powerful energy output. The minerals didn't split into round Geodude-like shapes; instead, they combined together.
The body formed from massive gray stones, its figure resembling a large serpent made from linked boulders. Just like Geodude, its body was marked with deep blue and black mottled patterns, and on its forehead appeared a horn seemingly composed entirely of Seastone.
Seastone Steelix, also an active Rock-type Pokemon across various generations, created two large holes in the ground upon its appearance.
This is their natural behavior; Steelix can burrow underground at speeds up to 80 kilometers per hour. Because of the magnets in its brain, it doesn't lose its sense of direction even while tunneling underground.
Their bodies grow rounder with age, similar to Geodude; the younger they are, the more angular.
Such Steelix can easily ensnare individuals with binding without fear of escape.
"Wow...so powerful..."
Babanuki marveled at the Steelix that created a large hole in the ground, aware of how solid this earth was, where even several strong men would take more than half a day to make a small dent.
Yet the Steelix drilled two large holes with ease and seemed quite excited, as this was its method of self-training, diving through hard rock layers to hone its body through compression.
Once enough metallic minerals adhered to their exterior and they reached sufficient depth, the high temperature and pressure underground would give them a chance to evolve into Steelix.
Then, Arceus stopped not because he couldn't create more but because too many would be hard to sustain. These Rock-type Pokemon needed to consume minerals regularly; given their bodies were composed of Seastone, even Seastone could serve as their food.
Too many and it would be truly unsustainable, but he considered deploying ordinary Steelix to other islands for mining or excavating an underground palace beneath the Red Earth Continent.
Five Geodude and two Steelix were their achievements this time.
The newly born Pokemon inevitably felt hungry, and the remaining raw ores became their food. However, they only consumed a small amount of the Seastone-laden ores, while mostly eating regular rocks.
Some minerals, though, were left untouched by them.
"Babanuki, what are those?"
Looking at the oddly colored ores, Arceus asked the manager there.
"That's... Wine Iron Ore? Who told you to bring that over!"
Wano Kuni's valuable minerals were not limited to Seastone; Wine Iron Ore was also a special mineral here, and the Demon Blade series of Kitetsu contained this ingredient.
Seastone products were mainly used for confinement tools, and the reason for Wano Kuni's superior weaponry was the inclusion of Wine Iron Ore, which enhanced weapon performance significantly.
The mining and smelting of this ore posed far greater risks than Seastone, with the toxic gases and wastewater generated in the Udon Factory being closely linked to Wine Iron Ore.
The mine workers were thus classified; ordinary workers mined general minerals, less challenging, while those with slightly more serious offenses mined Seastone.
These minerals are more labor-intensive and demanding, and those with the most severe offenses had to mine Wine Iron Ore, which was not only hard but hazardous to their safety during excavation.
Geodude and Steelix showed no interest in these iron ores, but with the emergence of Seastone-type Pokemon, there was no reason to ignore Wine Iron Ore.
From these bases of Wine Iron Ore and Seastone, a small creature clad in iron appeared there.
Iron Armor Pokemon, Aron, types Steel + Rock.
Resembling a large insect, with an oval head and body, but only four short, stubby legs.
Its main body was gray-white with a metallic sheen, but this Aron bore ghostly patterns of wine red and deep blue, resembling alcohol-like aura.
These contours within it showed the influence of Wine Iron Ore and Seastone.
Its pair of blue eyes appeared a bit daft, yet its head, limbs, and back were covered in a thick steel armor; its back adorned with a horn-like protrusion.
The armor contained holes, serving as ventilation and locations of its eyes.
Upon arrival, it immediately began to devour the leftover iron ores, aiming to construct a Steel Body for protection; wild Aron would consume iron ores from the mountain.
The quality of the iron determined their future strength. Not just iron ores, any metal products could serve as their food, including train tracks when hungry.
However, they didn't go unrewarded; like crustaceans, they molt during growth, and the discarded armor became prime metal materials.
"Babanuki, I'll leave it to you; make sure to feed it well, with ordinary metals as its staple and Wine Iron Ore as a supplement."
"Understood, leave it to me!"
Wine Iron Ore was an additive, not the core; the bulk of metal was transported from the territories outside the Hundred Beasts Pirates, so keeping one Aron was manageable. Despite its considerable appetite, it paled in comparison to the consumption of Larvitar.
"Alright, the Geodude and Steelix will remain here. They can assist in mining challenging resources; you might find Steelix useful for excavating mine pathways, as they're quite docile."
"Quite... docile?"
Babanuki pondered, watching the Geodude already brawling amongst themselves. Such behavior didn't seem to match the description of docility.
"That's just their nature, don't be surprised. They love to tussle like this.
Steelix will forage underground, while Geodude can survive on leftover ore scraps. The primary concern is Aron; if it gets hungrier, who knows what it might consume."
After leaving the various Pokemon, Arceus and Kaidou departed from there.
"Brother Babanuki, how do we manage them?"
"No need to worry, Lord Arceus said they would find their own accommodations, just ensure they are fed in the morning."
By this time, he had already observed some Geodude climbing to higher grounds of the mining site, embedding themselves into small dug pits, while others nestled within the ore piles.