The tiny Shiny Beldum timidly peeked out from behind Metagross's massive steel claw, revealing only half of its small, silver-white body.
The moment it saw Theo, this unfamiliar human, it flinched in fright and instantly retreated, hiding its body once again.
Only its single red crystal eye remained visible outside, secretly observing Theo without blinking, the glowing pupil flickering with a mix of wariness and curiosity.
And at the very moment Theo laid eyes on the Shiny Beldum, a faint, nearly imperceptible blue light rippled across his gaze.
The familiar panel surged forth in his mind immediately, and the data of this Shiny Beldum appeared with absolute clarity before his consciousness.
[Pokémon: Beldum (Shiny)]
Type: Steel and Psychic
Category: Iron Ball Pokémon
Ability: Clear Body (Its stats cannot be lowered by the opponent's moves or abilities)
Moves: Tackle, Confusion, Iron Defense, Zen Headbutt, Take Down, Iron Head
Theo's breathing hitched for a moment.
Beldum!
The very first evolutionary stage of Metagross!
And not just any Beldum—
A Shiny one!
With so many learned moves right out of the gate!
Even though their mastery level was clearly still at the "newly learned" stage, it was still unbelievable!
What was the relationship between this Shiny Beldum and Steven's Shiny Metagross?
Theo was deeply familiar with Beldum, almost more than any other Pokémon.
In his previous life, in both in the anime and in the games. this Steel/Psychic-type Pokémon was one of his absolute favorites.
But its evolution had always been shrouded in uncertainty.
In the games, the Pokédex clearly labeled its evolution as fusion evolution:
Two Beldum combine to form a Metang, and then two Metang merge again to evolve into Metagross.
Meaning, in theory, four Beldum must merge to form a single Metagross.
Yet the game's evolution trigger was comically simple, just reach the required level and it evolves automatically, completely ignoring the "fusion" requirement.
In the anime, the process was even more vague—barely depicted, never fully explained.
Now, in this real Pokémon world, trainers possessing a Metagross were extremely rare.
So Theo had no way of knowing whether this world followed the "level-up" evolution or the true "fusion evolution" method.
At this moment, Theo's earlier calm had completely vanished.
When he saw the Shiny Beldum, the heartbeat in his chest skyrocketed, and excitement surged uncontrollably across his face.
With a slight tremor in his voice, unable to suppress the amazement inside him, he asked Steven:
"Is it…?"
"How is it? Hard to stay calm now, isn't it?"
Steven chuckled softly, amusement laced through his tone, though the pride in his eyes was unmistakable.
He raised his hand and gently brushed his fingers across the golden metallic "X" emblazoned on his Shiny Metagross's chest.
As though responding to its trainer's touch, the Shiny Metagross slowly lowered its head and released a deep, resonant hum.
Metallic light rippled across its body with every vibration, shimmering like waves across silver steel.
The little Shiny Beldum clearly got startled by the Metagross's sudden low hum.
It immediately pressed its tiny body against Metagross's colossal steel leg and scurried to hide behind it.
Steven chuckled softly at the sight and continued:
"This Beldum is a split-off individual from my Metagross.
The evolution process of the Metagross line is one of the rarest in the Pokémon world—its method is extremely unique, and very few people truly understand how it evolves."
Theo instantly nodded.
He had always been full of questions about Metagross evolution—conflicting game lore, incomplete anime depictions—nothing ever made full sense.
Now that Steven was personally explaining it, Theo's curiosity surged to its peak.
His eyes burned with anticipation, eager to grasp the truth behind this mysterious evolutionary line.
"Metagross evolves through fusion, similar in concept to the Grass/Psychic-type Exeggcute, or the Rock/Psychic Nosepass family, yet different in its own unique way.
"For a Beldum to evolve, the first step is a transformation within itself.
It must accumulate a sufficient amount of energy and consume enough metal.
Only then can it split off a new individual from its own body.
"Afterward comes the key to fusion evolution:
Two Beldum combine and evolve into a Metang.
Then, at the Metang stage, the same process repeats of splitting and merging until it fully evolves into a Metagross.
"Because of this repeated fusion, Metagross ultimately possesses four fully independent brains, granting it unparalleled analytical capability in battle and allowing it to float using psychic-powered electromagnetism.
"Under normal circumstances, this splitting ability only activates at critical evolution thresholds.
Forcing it to split at any other time would inflict severe damage to its core energy, even drastically reducing its strength."
"But…"
Steven paused there, his gaze turning toward Theo.
His voice carried unmistakable pride:
"My Metagross is different.
Its strength is overwhelmingly superior, and I routinely feed it extremely rare metals.
Its core energy is far thicker and denser than that of any ordinary counterpart.
"So, splitting off a Beldum at this stage is still within what it can sustain.
With sufficient replenishment of energy and metal in the future, it can fully recover."
The Shiny Beldum seemed to understand the word "split," because its small body nudged gently against Metagross's steel armor, emitting a clear metallic ding.
In its red crystal eye was a confused yet instinctive sense of connection—
As if confirming the bond between itself and the towering Shiny Metagross.
Metagross responded by slowly lowering its massive head and rubbing it gently against the tiny Beldum—the gesture radiating a warmth utterly at odds with its cold metallic body.
To Metagross, this "split" was less like division
and more like…
the birth of a child.
Its movements were full of simple, instinctual affection and protection.
After fully explaining Beldum's origin, Steven's gaze settled steadily onto Theo.
Hidden in his eyes was a sincere, earnest hope.
He raised a hand and tapped twice on Metagross's steel shell—clang, clang—the crisp echoes lingering through the quiet collection room.
And within that metallic rhythm, Steven finally spoke aloud the thought he had buried deep in his heart:
"You once told Wallace that in the Contest arena, you want to show the world the beauty and adorableness of Pokémon beyond battle, didn't you?"
Theo froze for a moment, then nodded frankly.
That was indeed what he had said—and also his genuine wish:
To show the world a side of Pokémon they often overlooked.
"So…"
Steven's voice softened.
"If you choose this Shiny Beldum…
I have only one request:
Bring it onto the stage of the Grand Festival.
"Since the Grand Festival requires two Pokémon to perform together, I hope this Beldum can become one of the pillars of your team, standing alongside your Feebas—and together aim for the highest honor the Contest world has to offer."
He paused briefly.
Steven's gaze returned to the curious, silver-white Shiny Beldum peering out from behind its guardian.
His voice carried pure expectation:
"Design a combination move set just for it.
Shape a performance style unique to its nature.
Let it shine brilliantly on the Contest stage.
"Well?
Do you have the confidence?
Now—
will you choose Dratini?
Or this Shiny Beldum?
The decision is yours."
(End of Chapter)