Suguru was not surprised that Beldum possessed Clear Body.
After all, this Beldum had been created through the division of his grandfather’s Metagross.
It was only natural that it would inherit the same ability as its parent.
What truly surprised him was the additional note beneath its status.
[Shiny Trait: Damage dealt is increased by 100%.]
In other words, if an ordinary Beldum used Tackle with a base power of forty, then Suguru’s Beldum could unleash the same move with an effective power of eighty.
To put that into perspective, Tackle’s more powerful counterpart, Take Down, only had a base power of ninety.
Thanks to its unique Shiny Trait, Beldum’s most basic attack was already nearly as powerful as Take Down.
Shiny Pokémon were rare color mutations found among ordinary Pokémon.
According to decades of research, Shiny Pokémon tended to possess at least one ability that exceeded the normal limits of their species.
Some had faster reflexes.
Others possessed greater physical strength.
There were also those whose moves were far more powerful than normal.
Was that not precisely the sort of obvious superiority every Trainer desired?
For that very reason, Shiny Pokémon were almost impossible to find on the open market.
The probability of one being born was extraordinarily low.
In most cases, breeders had to produce Pokémon in enormous numbers before even hoping to obtain a single Shiny specimen.
Even breeding two Shiny Pokémon together did not guarantee that their offspring would inherit the mutation.
Metagross was one of the rare exceptions.
Because Metagross reproduced through division rather than ordinary breeding, a Shiny Metagross could pass everything directly to the Beldum it created—
Its aptitude.
Its coloration.
And even its ability.
Among all known species, Magikarp had the largest number of recorded Shiny individuals.
That was mainly because Magikarp were absurdly numerous.
They reproduced rapidly, possessed tenacious vitality, could survive even in muddy and polluted waters, and would eat practically anything.
For fishermen, Magikarp were nothing less than a nightmare.
No matter what bait they used or what rare Pokémon they hoped to catch—
Somehow, a Magikarp would always appear.
Even so, a Shiny Magikarp could still sell for roughly one million yen on the open market.
There was even an aquarium in Shirogane City that displayed ten unusually colored Magikarp, each possessing a different rare coloration.
They had become one of the aquarium’s most famous attractions.
However, a Metagross could only divide a limited number of times throughout its life.
Creating a Beldum consumed not only an enormous amount of energy, but also part of the Metagross’s accumulated foundation.
Suguru’s Beldum had been divided from Gendō Natsume’s Metagross—a Pokémon standing at the very peak of the Quasi-Champion tier.
Moreover, it had perfectly inherited everything from its parent.
Its aptitude.
Its Shiny coloration.
Its ability.
Even its unique natural talent.
The amount of energy and foundation required to produce such a flawless offspring was far greater than normal.
Had Suguru not been his biological grandson, there was no chance Gendō would ever have permitted his Metagross to pay such a heavy price.
The lost energy and foundation could eventually be restored.
But restoration required time.
More importantly, the period of weakness might affect Metagross’s chances of breaking through the final barrier and reaching the Champion tier.
Gendō had risked delaying his strongest partner’s advancement—
All for Suguru’s first Pokémon.
“Thanks to your Perfect Steel Heart, Beldum’s growth rate should be comparable to that of most ordinary Pokémon.”
Gendō’s gaze moved between Suguru and the floating Beldum.
At that moment, Beldum was already displaying an astonishing amount of affection toward its new Trainer.
It continuously rubbed its metallic head against Suguru’s palm, almost as though it were saying—
Hurry up and pet me.
There was not the slightest trace of the pride one would expect from a pseudo-legendary hatchling.
The Pokémon of this world could generally be divided into four broad categories.
The first category consisted of ordinary Pokémon.
Caterpie, Charmander, Geodude, Phanpy, and similar species all belonged to this group.
Even after reaching their final evolutionary forms, they were still classified as ordinary Pokémon.
The second category consisted of pseudo-legendaries.
Dragonite.
Metagross.
Tyranitar.
These were all widely known examples of exceptionally powerful pseudo-legendary Pokémon.
The third category consisted of Mythical Pokémon.
The fourth consisted of Legendary Pokémon.
Among the general public, Pokémon belonging to the third and fourth categories were collectively known as Divine Pokémon.
However, those two categories could practically be removed from consideration.
Even Champion-class Trainers found it extremely difficult to gain the recognition of a Mythical or Legendary Pokémon.
Some Champions could spend their entire lives searching without ever seeing one in person.
Thus, for Trainers seeking the strongest possible partners, pseudo-legendaries naturally became the most desirable choice.
Unfortunately, pseudo-legendary Pokémon were also exceedingly rare.
The overwhelming majority of Trainers would never have the opportunity to own one.
Even those fortunate enough to obtain one faced another overwhelming obstacle.
Resources.
Raising a pseudo-legendary required more than five times the resources needed to cultivate an ordinary Pokémon of the same level.
Their growth during childhood was also painfully slow.
Pseudo-legendaries were the very definition of late-game Pokémon.
This was especially true for Dragon-type pseudo-legendaries.
Dratini evolved into Dragonair at Level Thirty.
Dragonair would then remain in its second form until Level Fifty-Five before finally evolving into Dragonite.
Most Pokémon with two evolutions could reach their final forms sometime in their thirties.
Dragonair, however, needed to reach Level Fifty-Five.
That was a difference of nearly twenty levels.
And Dratini’s evolutionary line was not even the most troublesome one.
Deino evolved into Zweilous at Level Fifty.
Then, only after reaching Level Sixty-Four, would Zweilous finally evolve into Hydreigon.
The time and resources required were several times greater than what an ordinary Pokémon needed.
Even with an abundant supply of high-quality resources, raising a Dratini into a Dragonite normally required eight or nine years.
Raising a Deino into a Hydreigon took more than ten.
The resources consumed during that period would be enough to fully cultivate approximately six ordinary Pokémon.
Compared to Dragon-type pseudo-legendaries, the Metagross evolutionary line was considerably easier to raise.
Beldum evolved into Metang at Level Twenty.
Metang then evolved into Metagross at Level Forty-Five.
Even so, cultivating a pseudo-legendary remained an extremely time-consuming process.
No matter how much money or how many resources a Trainer possessed, there was always a limit to how quickly a Pokémon could digest those resources and transform them into actual strength.
There was, however, one exception.
In this extraordinary world, some Trainers were born with mysterious special abilities.
The most widely known examples were psychic powers and the Power of Aura.
There were also rarer abilities such as the Dragon Heart, Fire Heart, Water Heart, and many others.
These abilities were coveted by Trainers throughout the world.
They were divided into five grades:
Basic.
Intermediate.
Advanced.
Supreme.
And finally—
Perfect.
Suguru had been blessed with the highest possible form of one such ability.
The Perfect Steel Heart.
Throughout Japan’s long history, the Perfect Steel Heart had only appeared twice.
The first person to awaken it had been the ancient founder of the Natsume family, more than a thousand years ago.
With his Steel Heart and a majestic black Metagross at his side, that ancestor had created the foundation upon which the Natsume family’s thousand-year legacy was built.
That was right.
The ancestral Metagross had also been Shiny.
Unlike the silver Metagross of the current generation, however, its body was completely black.
Unfortunately, that black Metagross had never divided.
As a result, the Natsume family had never obtained a second black Metagross.
Gendō’s silver Metagross did not descend from it.
He had obtained his partner through his own strength and extraordinary luck.
When the silver Metagross was still a wild Beldum, Gendō had encountered it at the same time as three Trainers of equal rank.
Even while being surrounded and attacked by those three rivals, he had still managed to defeat them and earn the Beldum’s recognition.
That wild Beldum had eventually grown into the peak Quasi-Champion Metagross standing beside him today.
The Perfect Steel Heart’s second appearance—
Was Suguru Natsume.
Even Gendō, the nation’s strongest Steel-type specialist, possessed only an Advanced Steel Heart.
Among Trainers who awakened special abilities, the vast majority remained at the Basic grade throughout their entire lives.
Intermediate-grade abilities were already exceedingly rare.
Those who reached the Advanced grade could be counted among the finest Trainers of their generation.
As for Supreme-grade abilities, decades might pass before one or two such individuals appeared.
Perfect-grade abilities were on an entirely different level.
For several centuries, not a single Perfect-grade ability had appeared anywhere in Japan.
Suguru, however, had awakened his Perfect Steel Heart the moment he was born.
On the day of his birth, even the Champion-class Pokémon left behind by the Natsume family’s deceased ancestors had emerged from their secluded resting places.
One after another, those ancient Pokémon gathered around the newborn Suguru.
They quietly surrounded him and stared for a long time.
Only after confirming the existence of his Perfect Steel Heart did they reluctantly turn around and disappear back into the depths of the estate.
Even the ancestral black Metagross had appeared.
From that day forward, Suguru became the single most important member of the entire Natsume family.
In terms of pure importance to the family’s future—
He even surpassed Gendō.
The Natsume family had other peak Quasi-Champion Trainers besides his grandfather.
But Suguru was only the second person in a thousand years to possess the Perfect Steel Heart.
There was no comparison between the two.
With such an ability, Suguru was almost guaranteed to grow into a Champion as long as he did not die prematurely.
He might even have the potential to surpass the Champion tier and step into a realm no ordinary Trainer could reach.
For that reason, the Natsume family’s protection of Suguru had reached an almost excessive degree.
The Steel Heart possessed several extraordinary effects.
First, it allowed its wielder to naturally develop an intimate bond with Steel-type Pokémon.
Second, it greatly accelerated the growth of Steel-type Pokémon under the wielder’s care.
A Basic Steel Heart could increase cultivation speed by approximately one to two times.
An Intermediate Steel Heart could increase it by three to four times.
An Advanced Steel Heart could achieve five to six times the normal speed.
A Supreme Steel Heart could reach seven to eight times.
As for the Perfect Steel Heart—
It could increase the growth speed of Steel-type Pokémon by nine to ten times.
That was why Gendō had said Beldum’s growth rate would be comparable to that of an ordinary Pokémon.
Pseudo-legendaries naturally developed far more slowly than common species.
However, the Perfect Steel Heart’s terrifying enhancement was enough to erase most of that disadvantage.
More importantly, the attraction a Perfect Steel Heart exerted upon Steel-type Pokémon was almost impossible to describe with words.
One only had to look at Beldum.
It was meeting Suguru for the first time, yet happiness practically radiated from every inch of its metallic body.
From Beldum’s perspective, Suguru was like an irresistible, max-level succubus created specifically to charm Steel-type Pokémon.
A single glance was enough to make even a proud pseudo-legendary hatchling surrender its heart completely.
Suguru gently stroked Beldum’s smooth metallic head.
A faint smile appeared in his dark eyes.
“From now on, we’re partners, Beldum.”
“Bzz… Bzz…”
A gentle magnetic pulse spread from Beldum’s body.
Its single crimson eye narrowed into a thin, delighted crescent as it pressed its head even more firmly against Suguru’s hand.