Chapter 291: Mai's Discovery

After catching Bagon, Rex felt that his journey to Meteor Falls had already been a resounding success. For the rest of their time there, he planned to take it easy and let the days pass without the same motivation as before.

However, Mai wasn't in the same mood. Rex's success in catching a Bagon had soured her mood completely. After a month of hard work, she had nothing to show for it—no Mega Stone, no Bagon, nothing.

She was so frustrated that she barely wanted to speak to Rex, feeling like all her efforts over the past month had been wasted.

Rex, sensing the tension, tiptoed around Mai, being extra careful with his words to avoid setting off the metaphorical landmine of her bad mood.

Still unwilling to give up, Mai mounted her Altaria and flew to the bottom of the cliff, hoping for a last-minute miracle. Unfortunately, her search yielded nothing but wasted time, leaving her even more disheartened.

Reality was harsh—Bagon was a solitary Pokémon by nature, and it was rare to find more than one in the same area. Her hopes were doomed from the start.

With only two days left before their departure, Rex and Mai could leave early if they wanted, but Mai was determined to make one last push to redeem herself.

By this point, Rex had stopped digging entirely. He sat back and watched as his Machoke and Sandslash pounded the rock walls. Each swing knocked off chunks of rock, but the site was clearly running dry. Since arriving at this marked spot, Rex had only found a few rare minerals, a significant drop compared to the other spots they'd explored.

"Uh, Bagon, you really shouldn't jump from this height!"

Rex quickly stopped his new Pokémon, who was preparing to leap off a dangerously high cliff.

The current cliff they were on was several times higher than the one Bagon had jumped from when Rex caught it. If it jumped from here, there was no doubt it would get seriously hurt, if not worse.

"Rawr!"

Bagon hesitated, turning to Rex with a confused expression. It was already mid-takeoff when its trainer's warning stopped it. Being an obedient Pokémon, Bagon reluctantly stayed put.

"Bagon, you're a mature Pokémon now. It's time to start some proper training. I have a task for you: use Headbutt to smash into that rock wall over there. Are you up for it?"

Rex, worried that Bagon might jump while he wasn't looking, quickly came up with a distraction to keep it busy.

"Rawr!"

Bagon enthusiastically pounded its little arms against its chest, signaling its readiness.

It ran to the rock wall, took a few steps back, then charged forward with its Headbutt attack. The impact created a massive dent in the rock wall, sending shards of rock tumbling to the ground.

Despite the force of the impact, Bagon merely shook its head to clear the daze and immediately prepared for another charge. Nearby, Sandslash paused its digging to watch in amazement as the little dragon smashed rock after rock with sheer determination.

Bagon's energy levels were already high, but after being infused with Rex's life energy during the capture, it felt stronger than ever. Every ounce of its body was brimming with energy, and it couldn't wait to let it out.

"Hey, Rex, come here! My Excadrill just dug up something amazing!"

Mai's excited shout snapped Rex out of his thoughts.

Hearing her call, Rex hurried over to see what Mai had found.

"Congratulations, Mai! You found a Mega Stone!"

Rex was stunned for a moment before quickly recovering and offering his congratulations.

"Hehe, finally! I feel like all my hard work wasn't for nothing!"

Mai held up the Mega Stone triumphantly, a wide grin spreading across her face. The joy of discovery seemed to have completely erased her earlier frustration.

The Mega Stone Mai found had a different color and texture compared to the one Rex had discovered earlier. Clearly, the two stones corresponded to different Pokémon.

Although neither of them knew which Pokémon their stones belonged to yet, they had already discussed the possibility of trading if one's stone matched the other's Pokémon.

"So, should we keep digging, or call it a day?"

Rex looked at the Pokémon still hard at work excavating the area and asked Mai for her opinion.

"Let's head out. I'm satisfied with the Mega Stone, and there's no point in staying here until the last minute," Mai said decisively.

Now that she had achieved her goal, Mai felt the same way Rex had when he found his Mega Stone. She was eager to leave the damp, dark caves and find out which Pokémon the Mega Stone corresponded to.

Neither of them believed they'd have the luck to find another Mega Stone in such a short time, so there was no reason to push their luck further.

After agreeing to leave, they quickly packed up their camp. By the time they finished eating a final meal of dry rations in the cave, it was midday, and they began their journey back to the surface.

"Should we check on Beach and John?"

After reaching the first layer of Meteor Falls' inner depths, Rex turned to Mai with the question.

Beach and John were likely still at the second marked excavation site, continuing their work. Rex couldn't help but wonder how they would react when they learned about his and Mai's finds at the fourth site.

After all, Beach and John were the first to discover the cliffside site but had left to investigate the second site when they heard Rex had found a Mega Stone there. If they didn't find anything significant at the second site, they'd probably be kicking themselves for missing out on the fourth.

In the end, Rex and Mai decided it was best to wait for Beach and John outside Meteor Falls rather than risk rubbing salt in their wounds.

The return trip went smoothly. While they encountered a few wild Pokémon along the way, they were quickly dealt with.

They also crossed paths with several groups of trainers. Unlike when they first arrived, the area was bustling with activity.

It was clear that news of the Mega Stone discoveries had spread, drawing trainers from all over to try their luck. And this was likely just the beginning—once the news reached its peak, Meteor Falls would become even more crowded.

This influx of trainers would inevitably lead to increased conflict between them and the wild Pokémon inhabiting the falls. Rex couldn't help but worry about the Sandslash and Aron populations he had grown fond of during his time there.

But such things were out of his control. Meteor Falls was a treacherous place, and the outcome of these clashes would depend on both sides' strength and resolve.

Soon, Rex and Mai exited the inner depths and returned to the outer layer of Meteor Falls, where the noise of bustling trainers greeted them.

After nearly a month in the silent, shadowy caves, the sudden liveliness felt overwhelming to both of them.

(End of Chapter)