"Aoki, I lost…"
After parting ways with Tetsuya, Kamizrei looked dejected, feeling guilty for not securing a win for Aoki.
"Don't worry about it. You've only been traveling for a few months, while he's been on his journey for over two years. His Pokémon naturally have an advantage."
Aoki reassured her with a calm voice.
Hearing his encouragement, Kamizrei felt relieved. She had been afraid that Aoki would think less of her for losing.
"Right, Aoki, have you found the Beldum yet?" Kamizrei suddenly asked, recalling Aoki's main objective.
"I have. Let's head there now."
With that, the two of them made their way toward the cave.
Meanwhile, Tetsuya was still searching frantically for traces of the Beldum. Thinking no one was following him, he sighed in relief.
However, he had no idea that Beldum had already been found—by none other than Jirachi.
Jirachi had successfully distracted the Beldum and even managed to win its favor, feeding it high-quality Pokéblocks that Aoki had prepared.
When Aoki and Kamizrei arrived at the cave, he immediately signaled Jirachi with a slight nod.
Jirachi, having already explained things to the Beldum, quickly used Teleport to appear in Aoki's arms, unnoticed by Kamizrei.
Inside the cave, Beldum remained in place, happily munching on the energy cubes Jirachi had provided.
Living alone had made it lonely. If Aoki could continue providing it with such delicious food, perhaps it wouldn't mind staying with him.
As soon as Beldum noticed Aoki, excitement flickered in its eyes.
Aoki stepped forward, smiling, and reached out with his telepathic ability.
"Beldum, would you like to come with me?"
At the same time, he took a closer look at its data.
Pokémon: Beldum
Type: Steel/Psychic
Ability: Clear Body
Level: Advanced
Potential: Elite
Moves: Confusion, Zen Headbutt, Iron Head, Iron Defense
Egg Move: Teleport
Aoki immediately understood why Beldum had managed to elude Tetsuya—it had inherited Teleport.
Good thing he had Jirachi charm it first. Otherwise, capturing it wouldn't have been this easy.
"If you want me to follow you, you'll have to defeat me first."
Through telepathy, Aoki clearly heard Beldum's thoughts.
It was a fair request. Fortunately, Aoki's weakest Pokémon right now was still strong enough to handle Beldum.
"I'll leave this to you, Chansey."
"Chanseyyy!"
Chansey hopped forward, ready for battle.
Beldum wasted no time, charging at Chansey with Iron Head, its body gleaming with a metallic sheen.
"Chansey, use Defense Curl!"
Chansey patted its body, a white glow surrounding it as it curled up, reinforcing its defenses.
It took the Iron Head head-on and barely flinched, though a slight grimace crossed its face from the impact.
"Beldum, use Zen Headbutt!"
Beldum attacked again, but Chansey endured it, regaining a small amount of HP thanks to its Leftovers.
"Now, Calm Mind into Solar Beam!"
Chansey closed its eyes, concentrating as its Calm Mind boosted its special stats.
Beldum tried another charge, but Chansey absorbed the hit without much trouble.
Then, it raised its arms, gathering energy for Solar Beam at an accelerated rate.
With no time to react, Beldum was struck by the blinding blast of solar energy, letting out a cry before crashing to the ground—completely knocked out.
Without evolving, Beldum lacked the durability and move diversity to stand up to a trained Chansey.
"Go, Poké Ball!"
Aoki tossed a Poké Ball, and with a single shake, Beldum was caught.
Another strong Pokémon was now his.
However, since he had a full team, he needed to send one of his Pokémon back.
Greninja was essential—he was on the verge of reaching Elite level and was too valuable to leave behind.
Torchic was his starter and needed continued training.
That left only Sceptile.
Sceptile had recently evolved, so temporarily sending it to Professor Birch's lab would be ideal.
Taking out Sceptile's Poké Ball, Aoki spoke gently.
"Sceptile, I have too many Pokémon with me right now. I want you to train at Birch's place for a while. I'll make sure you get plenty of food."
Sceptile's Poké Ball shook in response, signaling its agreement.
With a few taps on his Pokédex, Aoki initiated the transfer.
Sceptile's Poké Ball vanished into thin air, replaced by the Poké Ball containing Beldum.
Aoki wasted no time in releasing his newly caught Pokémon.
"Come on out, Beldum."
Viridian energy enveloped his hands as he gently placed them on Beldum, healing its wounds.
When Beldum woke up, it felt a warm sensation from Aoki and instinctively floated closer to him.
"Good, you're officially part of the team. Let me prepare some more food for you."
Beldum, being a Steel/Psychic-type, had a similar diet preference to Jirachi.
Aoki already had high-quality Pokéblocks prepared for this type, which he now placed in front of his new partner.
Even though Beldum had eaten earlier, it couldn't resist trying the freshly prepared food, happily devouring it.
"Congratulations, Aoki!" Kamizrei beamed. "You got another Pokémon you really wanted."
She was genuinely happy for him.
A pseudo-legendary, no less.
That, combined with Aoki's Scizor, meant he now had two powerful Steel-types.
Meanwhile, she couldn't help but feel sorry for Tetsuya, who was still clueless.
After all that effort, the Beldum he had been searching for was already captured by Aoki.
Poor guy.
Once Beldum finished eating, it nudged itself closer into Aoki's arms, snuggling against him.
Ralts, who had been watching quietly, frowned.
Her usual spot was now taken.
Even Jirachi seemed annoyed.
What was this?
Was Beldum trying to steal Aoki's affection?
"Alright, Beldum, it's time for us to get moving."
Aoki gently patted Beldum's head and recalled it into its Poké Ball before turning to Ralts.
"Ralts, let's go."
Ralts huffed but nestled back into Aoki's arms as they left the cave, their adventure continuing.
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