Flying on Asterion was very different from watching a Metagross on a screen.
Lucian discovered that during the first few minutes of the journey.
The enormous Pokémon did not beat any wings or produce a mechanical sound.
It manipulated the magnetic fields around its body and moved through the air with a stability that seemed impossible for a creature of its size.
Every change of direction felt like the world gently tilting beneath them.
Alaric sat near the golden cross covering Asterion’s face.
He used neither a saddle nor a harness, but an almost imperceptible layer of psychic energy kept both the elderly man and Lucian firmly secured.
Atlas floated to their right.
The expedition’s two guards traveled behind them.
Adrian Vale, Elena’s father and the breeding center’s head of security, rode a large Corviknight.
The second guard, Rhea Morgan, traveled atop a Skarmory carrying several supply packs secured around its body.
Lucian had known both of them for as long as he could remember.
Adrian was a tall man with brown hair and a serious expression, although he appeared even more severe than usual that morning.
Elena had probably demanded that he protect Lucian before allowing him to leave the mansion.
Rhea, on the other hand, continued smiling even as she checked for the third time that none of the packages had come loose.
“First time riding a Metagross?” she asked as her Skarmory approached.
“First time riding a flying one.”
“Don’t look down during the ascent.”
Lucian looked down.
The mansion had become a small structure surrounded by gardens.
The orchards formed large squares of different colors, separated by paths and irrigation channels.
Beyond them stretched the island’s forests.
“It doesn’t seem so bad.”
Asterion suddenly increased his altitude to overcome an air current.
Lucian felt as though his stomach had remained several meters behind.
Rhea laughed.
“I warned you.”
“You did it after we had already taken off.”
“That makes the lesson more memorable.”
Alaric did not turn around.
“Focus on your barrier.”
Lucian took a deep breath and reinforced the defense around his mind.
The island was filled with life.
From the air, he could perceive countless faint presences: flocks of Pidgey awakening among the trees, herds of Ponyta running across the eastern plains, and Water-type Pokémon moving beneath the surfaces of the lakes.
He could not read their thoughts.
Most were too far away, and their minds functioned differently from those of humans.
However, their emotions formed a constant murmur at the edge of his perception.
Curiosity.
Hunger.
Calm.
Competition.
Fear.
Lucian closed the mental door he had learned to create.
The noise faded until it became distant.
“Better,” Alaric said.
“Can you feel my barrier?”
“Atlas can. He is informing me of your condition.”
Lucian glanced at the Alakazam.
“That seems to make the question unnecessary.”
“I want you to learn how to assess your own condition and communicate it. In a dangerous situation, we will not always have time to wait for Atlas to explain what is happening inside your head.”
“The barrier is stable,” Lucian replied.
“I don’t feel any pain, and I can perceive outside presences without allowing them inside.”
“And the voice?”
Lucian knew which one he meant.
He closed his eyes for several seconds.
The Beldum’s presence was still there, faint and distant.
Since sending his first message, Lucian had not received a clear response.
There had only been a sense of uncertainty accompanied by occasional flashes of recognition.
“It can feel us getting closer.”
“Is it trying to contact you?”
“Not consciously.”
Alaric remained silent.
“Is that good?” Lucian asked.
“It means we do not know whether the bond exists because of the Beldum’s will or some external phenomenon.”
Lucian looked toward the peaks.
The clouds surrounding the Astral Mountains appeared darker than the rest of the sky.
Blue bolts of lightning moved within them, although no thunder could be heard.
“The meteors,” he said.
“That is one possibility.”
“Did you find any?”
“Three small fragments fell along the northern coast. The breeding center’s researchers isolated them during the night.”
“What did they contain?”
“Nickel, iron, and several common minerals. They also emitted a form of energy our instruments could not fully identify.”
Lucian activated the system and opened the Missions section.
[The Call of the Stars]
[Progress: 16%.]
[Distance to the target is decreasing.]
[Energy interference detected.]
[Complete Analysis unavailable.]
No new missions had appeared.
“The system detects energy interference.”
Alaric slightly turned his head.
“Can it identify the source?”
“No. It only confirms that the interference is affecting its ability to analyze.”
“Report any changes.”
Asterion began to descend.
Below them, the trees gave way to rocky terrain.
A small observation post stood beside a path that disappeared between two walls of stone.
Part of its roof was covered in moss and vines, but the antennas and panels installed around the building were modern.
Two guards emerged to receive them.
Asterion landed with no more than a faint vibration.
Lucian climbed down after Alaric.
His legs required several seconds to grow accustomed to solid ground again.
Adrian and Rhea landed nearby.
Corviknight folded its wings while Skarmory watched the mountains with obvious unease.
One of the guards approached them.
“Mr. Starfall.”
She was a dark-skinned woman with short hair, dressed in the gray uniform worn by the island’s caretakers.
A Magneton floated beside her, spinning erratically.
“Report,” Alaric requested.
“Magnetic activity increased during the early morning. We lost contact with the pass sensors for seventeen minutes, but they came back online without explanation.”
“Did any Pokémon cross the boundary?”
“Three Metang descended as far as the outer marker. They remained there for nearly an hour before returning to the mountains.”
Lucian observed Magneton.
Its magnets were trembling.
He activated Analysis.
[Magneton]
[Sex: Genderless]
[Type: Electric/Steel]
[Ability: Sturdy]
[Potential: Blue High]
[Strength: Intermediate Mid]
[Foundation: Solid]
[Physical Condition: Healthy]
[Energy Condition: Disturbed]
[Warning: Its electromagnetic field is being affected by an external frequency.]
[Possible Consequences: Disorientation, temporary loss of control, and energy exhaustion.]
“Magneton is being affected,” Lucian said.
The guard looked at him in surprise.
“It has been restless since last night, but our examinations showed no injuries.”
“It isn’t injured. Its magnetic field is responding to an external frequency.”
Alaric approached the Pokémon and removed a small rectangular device.
He moved it around Magneton’s magnets while studying the readings.
“He is correct. A second pattern is overlapping its natural frequency.”
The guard looked from Lucian to Alaric.
“How did he know?”
“Good observation,” the elderly man replied, offering no further explanation.
“Keep all Steel- and Electric-type Pokémon away from the pass until further notice.”
“Understood.”
Lucian noticed how easily his grandfather concealed information without directly lying.
He would need to learn to do the same.
“Where is the guardian?” Adrian asked.
The woman pointed toward the ravine.
“At the sanctuary. It has not allowed anyone to cross since the meteor shower.”
Alaric picked up his backpack.
“We continue on foot.”
Asterion released a deep sound.
“You cannot enter yet,” Alaric said, placing a hand against one of his legs.
“Your magnetic field could provoke a response from the colony.”
Metagross struck the ground.
A crack appeared beneath his foot.
“We are not discussing this.”
Asterion fixed his red eyes on his Trainer.
Lucian felt as though he were witnessing a far more destructive version of his own arguments with his grandfather.
After several seconds, Metagross looked away.
“You will remain here,” Alaric continued.
“If you receive our signal or detect a threat crossing the pass, you will act.”
Asterion reluctantly accepted.
Adrian left Corviknight beside him while Rhea removed the packs carried by Skarmory.
The Flying-type would not continue either.
The magnetic currents at higher elevations could affect the metal composing its body.
Atlas would be the only powerful Pokémon accompanying them.
The group prepared their equipment.
Alaric carried a communicator, several measuring instruments, and a belt containing six Poké Balls.
Adrian carried medical supplies and a rope coiled over one shoulder.
Rhea distributed water, food, flashlights, and small emergency devices.
Lucian attempted to take one of the larger packs.
Rhea removed it from his hands.
“Your grandfather said you would only carry what you could transport by yourself.”
“I can carry that.”
“For ten minutes, perhaps.”
She handed him a smaller pack.
Lucian placed it inside his backpack without protesting.
They entered the ravine.
The stone walls rose on either side, reducing the morning light to a gray strip above their heads.
Ancient symbols had been carved into different points along the path.
Some depicted stars.
Others showed figures of Metagross, Alakazam, and Pokémon Lucian did not recognize.
“Did the Starfall family make these?” he asked.
“Some of them,” Alaric replied.
“Others already existed when our family arrived on the island.”
“Who created them?”
“That is one of the questions we have yet to answer.”
Lucian wanted to stop and study them, but the group maintained a steady pace.
The ravine grew narrower.
As they advanced, the air became colder.
Small blue minerals protruded from the walls and glowed whenever Atlas passed near them.
Lucian examined one.
[Astral Mineral.]
[Quality: Low.]
[Composition: Iron, quartz, and traces of psychic energy.]
[Properties: Reacts to mental and electromagnetic fields.]
[Potential Use: Training material for Psychic- and Steel-type Pokémon.]
[Warning: Prolonged exposure to high concentrations may alter spatial perception.]
Lucian described the result to Alaric.
The elderly man collected a sample without damaging the rest of the formation.
“These minerals can be found throughout the mountain range. Our oldest records claim they appeared after a meteor shower several centuries ago.”
“Like the one three nights ago?”
“Similar.”
“Then the colony might have arrived with the meteors.”
“Or the meteors may have been attracted by the colony.”
Lucian looked at the blue lights along the wall.
“That does not narrow down the possibilities.”
“Research rarely does at the beginning.”
The path ended in front of a circular structure.
It did not resemble a human building.
Large blocks of dark stone formed an arch around a platform covered in symbols.
Bronze bells hung at different heights, though there were no ropes with which to ring them.
A Bronzong floated at the center.
Its body was covered in green stains and small cracks.
Several vines grew around its arms, as if it had remained in that place for decades without moving.
Lucian activated Analysis.
[Bronzong]
[Name: Oracle of the Pass]
[Sex: Genderless]
[Type: Steel/Psychic]
[Ability: Levitate]
[Potential: Information blocked.]
[Strength: Information blocked.]
[Foundation: Ancient and stable.]
[Physical Condition: Natural deterioration.]
[Mental Condition: Alert.]
[Role: Guardian of Orion Pass.]
[Warning: The target is examining the user.]
Lucian felt pressure against his barrier.
It was nothing like Atlas’s tests.
Bronzong’s presence was slow, heavy, and deep.
Each thought seemed to produce an echo capable of lasting for years.
Lucian reinforced his defense.
All the bells in the sanctuary rang at once.
The sound was not loud, but it passed through his entire body.
Rhea moved a hand toward one of her Poké Balls.
Adrian did the same.
“No,” Alaric ordered.
Both lowered their hands.
Bronzong rotated slightly.
A voice echoed inside Lucian’s mind.
“Blood of the stars.”
His barrier trembled.
Atlas appeared in front of him, but Lucian raised a hand.
“I’m fine.”
Bronzong rang again.
“The closed door has opened once more.”
Alaric stepped toward the platform.
“Oracle, we request passage into the territory of the inner mountain.”
Bronzong did not answer immediately.
Its red eyes remained fixed on Lucian.
“The child hears.”
Alaric maintained a neutral expression.
“He has awakened the gift of his ancestors.”
“He hears that which sleeps.”
A chill traveled down Lucian’s back.
“What is sleeping?” he asked.
One of the smaller bells rang.
An image of a meteorite crossed his mind.
It was not one of the small fragments that had fallen along the coast.
It was an enormous mass covered in violet flames, descending toward the mountains.
Then he saw darkness.
Metallic roots.
A cavern so deep that even the colony did not seem to know where it ended.
Something pulsed beneath the stone.
The vision ended.
Lucian took half a step back.
“A meteorite fell inside the mountain.”
“Long ago,” Oracle answered.
“The thinking stone was chained. The blood of iron built its home above the prison.”
“Is the Beldum colony guarding it?” Alaric asked.
The bells produced a low tone.
“They forgot.”
“What changed three nights ago?”
“The stars called to their sister.”
A new image appeared.
The silver Beldum.
Its body shone inside a cavern while violet currents traveled across the walls.
Something beneath it responded.
Lucian clenched his fists.
“Is the Beldum connected to that meteorite?”
“It was born when the sky sang again.”
“That does not answer my question.”
Bronzong tilted its body.
For a moment, Lucian had the impression that it was amused.
“Complete answers create paths that are too narrow.”
“I would prefer a narrow path to walking without knowing where the cliff is.”
Alaric placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Enough.”
Oracle returned its attention to the elderly man.
“The lord of iron is furious. His children hear voices they do not understand. The solitary star fears that which grows within it.”
“That is why we are here,” Alaric said.
“The child established a connection with it.”
The bells stopped moving.
Even the air seemed to become still.
“A connection?”
“It is not complete,” Lucian clarified.
“I can sense its emotions and send simple messages, but it has not consciously accepted my presence.”
Bronzong descended until it floated in front of him.
Lucian could see the marks left by centuries across its body.
“Extend your hand.”
“Physically?”
“Your mind.”
Lucian closed his eyes.
He maintained his barrier and opened a single door, just as he had practiced.
He sent a small current of psychic energy toward Bronzong.
The response came immediately.
His mind was pulled into a dark space filled with bells.
Lucian felt no pain, but he lost all awareness of his body.
Hundreds of images floated around him: generations of Starfalls crossing the pass, injured Pokémon returning from the mountains, and children training beneath the guardian’s gaze.
He saw a white-haired woman place both hands against Bronzong.
Alaric’s grandmother.
A dark gray Metagross floated behind her.
The woman turned toward Lucian.
She could not see him.
She was only a memory.
Even so, her lavender eyes appeared to meet his.
“Never confuse hearing with understanding,” the memory said.
“A Pokémon’s mind does not need to resemble a human’s to possess equal value.”
The vision disappeared.
Lucian returned to his body and found Alaric holding him by the shoulders.
“What happened?”
“It showed me a memory.”
The elderly man looked at Bronzong.
“Whose?”
“Your grandmother’s.”
Alaric stopped breathing for an instant.
Oracle rose again.
“The door recognizes his blood.”
The sanctuary bells began to move.
One after another, they produced different tones until they formed a slow melody.
The symbols carved into the platform illuminated.
A section of the wall shifted aside, revealing a hidden trail climbing into the mountains.
“You may cross,” Bronzong declared.
“But the child must choose when the star calls.”
“Choose what?” Lucian asked.
“To listen.”
The answer clarified nothing.
Alaric appeared ready to continue questioning it, but Oracle closed its eyes.
The vines around its body stopped moving.
The conversation was over.
“I hate it when ancient Pokémon speak like that,” Adrian muttered.
Rhea looked at him.
“Do you know many ancient Pokémon that speak inside your head?”
“One is enough.”
The group entered the hidden trail.
The wall closed behind them.
The path climbed between twisted trees and large formations of blue crystal.
It did not appear on any of the island’s modern maps.
Atlas moved ahead of Lucian and examined every turn.
Alaric walked beside him.
“What exactly did you see?”
Lucian described the memory.
When he repeated the ancient Starfall’s words, some of the hardness left his grandfather’s face.
“That was something she often wrote in her journals,” Alaric said.
“She believed telepathy could become a form of arrogance.”
“Why?”
“Because some psychics assumed that understanding words or emotions gave them the right to decide for their Pokémon.”
Lucian thought about the mission.
Establish a voluntary bond.
Not capture.
Not dominate.
The system had chosen those words for a reason.
“I won’t force Beldum to come with me.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
“But I won’t abandon it if it’s in danger either.”
“Helping it and claiming it are different decisions.”
“I know.”
Alaric observed him.
“I hope you continue to know that when the moment arrives.”
The trail became steeper.
They walked for almost an hour.
Lucian began to feel the weight of his backpack, but he did not complain.
Whenever his legs weakened, he remembered Elena warning him to return.
They finally reached a plateau.
Rhea raised a fist.
Everyone stopped.
Three metallic figures floated among the rocks.
Metang.
Their claws were covered in psychic energy, and their red eyes watched the group.
Lucian activated Analysis on the nearest one.
[Metang]
[Type: Steel/Psychic]
[Ability: Clear Body]
[Potential: Purple Low]
[Strength: Advanced Low]
[Foundation: Excellent]
[Physical Condition: Healthy]
[Mental Condition: Agitated]
[Warning: External electromagnetic influence detected.]
[Attitude: Territorial.]
The other two displayed similar conditions.
Adrian took hold of a Poké Ball.
“They’re blocking the path.”
“Do not attack,” Alaric ordered.
The Metang separated to surround them.
Atlas raised his spoons and created a transparent barrier around the group.
One of the creatures struck the defense with Metal Claw.
The impact produced a flash.
Another attacked from the left.
Atlas maintained the barrier without difficulty, but the Metang increased their pressure.
“They aren’t thinking clearly,” Lucian said.
“Something is amplifying their aggression.”
“Can you reach them?” Alaric asked.
Lucian stared into the eyes of the nearest Metang.
“I can try.”
“Do not completely open your barrier.”
Lucian took a breath.
He extended his perception through a narrow opening.
Metang’s mind was very different from a human’s.
He found neither words nor organized memories.
There were magnetic impulses, shared images, and a consciousness formed by two cores functioning as one.
He also found pain.
A constant vibration traveled through its mind and confused its sense of direction.
Lucian formed a simple message.
“We are not enemies.”
Metang struck the barrier again.
Its answer arrived as a violent impulse.
Intruders.
Danger.
Protect.
“The colony believes we are a threat.”
“That was already obvious,” Adrian said.
“No. There’s something else. They are trying to protect the young Beldum.”
Lucian sent another message.
“The silver star called to me.”
All three Metang stopped.
Their reaction was immediate.
Confusion.
Recognition.
Fear.
The largest Metang floated toward Lucian until it stopped in front of Atlas’s barrier.
“Open a gap,” Lucian requested.
“No,” Alaric replied.
“It needs to confirm that I’m telling the truth.”
“It can do so from there.”
Lucian held his grandfather’s gaze.
“Oracle said I would have to choose whether to listen.”
“And I remain responsible for keeping you alive.”
“Atlas can close the barrier before it reaches me.”
Alakazam studied the Metang.
Then he nodded.
Alaric clenched his jaw.
“Only your hand. Nothing else.”
Atlas created a small opening.
Lucian extended his hand.
Metang approached slowly.
One of its claws touched the tips of his fingers.
The connection opened.
Lucian saw the colony.
Dozens of minds joined through an electromagnetic network.
Fear, orders, and conflicting signals traveled between them.
At the center was an immense presence struggling to maintain control.
The leader Metagross.
Farther below, separated from the network, shone a small silver light.
Beldum sensed Lucian.
The connection changed.
An emotion passed through all his defenses.
Relief.
Metang abruptly pulled away.
The glow in its eyes weakened.
The other two lowered their claws.
“They know why we’re here,” Lucian said.
“Will they let us pass?” Rhea asked.
The largest Metang turned and began moving between the rocks.
It stopped and looked back at them.
“I think it wants us to follow.”
Alaric kept his eyes on the creature.
“Remain alert.”
Atlas lowered the barrier.
They followed the Metang along a narrow path.
The interference intensified with every step.
Their communicators stopped functioning, and the compasses began spinning without control.
Even the system screen occasionally flickered.
[Distance to target: 1.8 kilometers.]
[Distance to target: 1.2 kilometers.]
[Distance to target: 700 meters.]
They passed through a natural arch.
Lucian stopped.
A hidden valley opened before them within the mountain range.
Hundreds of Beldum floated between stone pillars and crystal formations.
Groups of Metang patrolled at different altitudes, while several Metagross rested upon natural platforms.
Every red eye in the colony turned toward the intruders.
At the opposite end of the valley, upon an elevation covered in blue minerals, rested the leader.
It was even larger than Lucian remembered.
Scars crossed its body, and part of the silver cross on its face was broken.
Its energy was so dense that the air seemed to bend around it.
Lucian attempted to use Analysis.
The screen filled with interference.
[Metagross]
[Classification impossible.]
[Warning.]
[Hostile target.]
The leader’s eyes illuminated.
Terrifying pressure descended over the group.
Atlas raised both spoons.
Alaric reached for a Poké Ball.
The ground trembled.
Metagross’s voice echoed within the mind of every person and Pokémon present.
“Return the one who stole my descendant’s voice.”
Lucian felt every gaze turn toward him.
Alaric stepped forward.
“No one stole anything.”
The leader rose.
Four legs struck the stone simultaneously.
“The human bond has contaminated its mind.”
The creatures throughout the colony began to move.
Dozens of Beldum rose into the air.
The Metang extended their claws.
Atlas reinforced his barrier.
Alaric did not retreat.
“Your descendant was the one who reached out to my grandson.”
“Impossible.”
The pressure increased.
Lucian felt his mental barrier begin to crack.
Behind the leader, a dark entrance led into the mountain.
A silver light shone within its depths.
Lucian recognized that presence.
Beldum.
He wanted to call out to it, but another force moved beneath the colony.
A violet pulse traveled through the valley.
The crystals responded.
Every Beldum cried out at the same time.
The leader lost concentration for an instant.
The wall behind it cracked.
The silver Beldum emerged from the darkness.
Violet currents surrounded its body.
It flew unsteadily, as though something were attempting to drag it back into the depths.
Lucian felt its terror.
He also heard a clear word from its mind for the first time.
“Lucian.”
The creature knew his name.
The leader Metagross turned toward its descendant.
“Stay away from the human!”
Beldum trembled.
The violet energy around its body intensified.
Rocks began to rise.
The mountain shook again.
Lucian understood that the danger did not come from the colony.
Nor did it come from Beldum.
Something beneath them was using their connection.
The system screen appeared, covered in warnings.
[Critical interference.]
[Primary mission has changed.]
[The Call of the Stars]
[Urgent Objective: Free Beldum from the resonance.]
[Prevent the awakening of the unknown entity.]
[Estimated Time Remaining: 29 minutes.]
For the first time, the mission had a limit.
Lucian looked at the colony’s leader.
“If we keep arguing, you will lose your descendant.”
Metagross’s eyes burned.
“And I should trust a human?”
Lucian opened his mental barrier.
Not completely.
Only enough to allow the leader to sense the emotion that had guided every decision he had made since that first night.
Not ambition.
Not the desire to capture a rare Pokémon.
Determination.
“You do not need to trust me,” Lucian replied.
“But he did.”
Another pulse shook the mountain.
Beldum was dragged several meters toward the cavern.
Lucian extended one hand.
The silver creature fought against the force attempting to take it.
The leader Metagross looked at its descendant.
Then it looked at the child.
Twenty-eight minutes.
Alaric stood beside Lucian.
Atlas raised his spoons.
The entire colony awaited its leader’s decision.
Finally, Metagross struck the ground.
“Free him, human.”
Lucian held its gaze.
“That was the plan.”