Lairon and Aggron

Black smoke trailed across the sky. Warm ashes drifted with the breeze along the open field. Overhead, the mountain lay bleeding, a trickle of lava tumbling down the eastern face. It was never a violent outburst from this volcano. No, always just a quiet lumbering lava flow that scorched the landscape.

Various Pokemon were scurrying about to change their homes. Those sensitive to the ash, fire, or gas rushed to find a new location away from the flow, while those who thrived in such conditions moved in. One of the former was a large iron-clad beast who watched the fire's progress from afar. "And it had just recovered from the last big lava flow," the Lairon said to himself. "That's a shame." He turned and moved on.

Every now and then, he paused to check on the surroundings. The caution paid off, as he felt the vibrations of a rival walking his way. It was a treacherous idea to come this way for a new territory. But he had no choice. Lairon's former land was now being swallowed by the lava flow. And it didn't matter which way he traveled; there was sure to be another of his kind around who wouldn't take the intrusion lightly.

They met across a dip in the landscape. It was another male, one he had fought with over this boundary for years. The black spots dotted across his steel gray armor gave him an identity, if one cared to learn the patterns. "What are you doing in my land?" the rival sneered.

"I"m taking this area for my own again," he replied. Certain other Pokemon might try pleading for pity about the lava flow. But it wouldn't work here. It never did among the Lairon kind.

He snorted and stamped his hoof. "I won't allow it. This is my land!"

"I am not backing down."

"Then I'll prove it to you." He lowered his head.

The wandering Lairon did the same. Good, he was being quick about this. If he kept trying to talk and bluff him out, the debate would stalemate until they did prove themselves. He readied himself, then charged across the dip at his rival, who was doing the same.

The tremendous clash caused by the head-on collision echoed through the mountains and valleys for miles around. Young Pokemon bolted in fright, thinking that the volcano had finally exploded. Older ones, having heard this kind of thing before, just shook their heads.

Although the wandering Lairon gave it his best effort, when he collided with his rival, he got thrown back five feet. As their armors rang in resonance, the rival smirked. "Then that's it. Get out of here.'

"I'll be back," he threatened. But it was an empty threat. Without his own land, he didn't feel as strong as usual. He had to claim something.

But where could he go? He had encountered others of his kind all along his territory. That is, all but up the mountain. It was said that even stronger Pokemon lived on the volcano. But he'd never had any territory battles with other species. Could that work out?

Deciding to try, the wanderer turned towards the volcano. Black smoke continued to loom overhead.

Slopes had always been a hassle to navigate. His whole body lay low to the ground to support the weight of his steel armor fully. If the grade was gentle, the wandering Lairon could handle it. But with it varied, and getting steeper, it was difficult to keep himself from sliding on loose rocks.

But the land here was magnificent. Despite the rough conditions, the grass grew tall and lush. Young trees stood bravely, growing as fast as they could to make up for a shortened life expectancy. Flowers were abundant, of all sorts of colors. One would think, with stronger Pokemon, that there would be more battle scars.

Pausing, he felt a tremble in the ground. Some Pokemon was coming, a large one. As it didn't seem familiar, he readied himself for a possible battle.

When it appeared, he felt stunned. It was a large beast eerily similar to himself, with a bulky body and steel armor plates. But she was bipedal, with a bulky tail to balance herself. She had clawed hands and three large horns sticking out from her snout. The wandering Lairon had heard about her kind, but didn't know there was one living so near him.

He shrank back respectfully. "Master Aggron, I'm sorry. I didn't know I was crossing into your land."

She chuckled and continued to approach until ten feet from him. "It's not a problem, Lairon. Your land was over there?" She pointed towards the fire down below.

"Yes. The lava flow has taken all of it."

"And I would say that it was you and some other that I heard clashing a while back."

"Right again. I could have beaten him before, but without my land, I'm not as strong as before."

"That's not exactly true, but I understand." She tapped a claw against her armor, thinking. "I wouldn't mind you staying until the lava cools, but this isn't good land for you. If you don't mind a short trek, I seem to think that there's an unclaimed meadow on the north side of the mountain."

"Maybe. But, why do you help me?" He had a reason to be suspicious. He knew that his kin (and hers) were not sociable, nor helpful. The only exceptions he could think of were times of dire need and a certain season, but it clearly wasn't either of those.

"You ever meet an Aggron before?"

"No."

"Evolution changes you, often in unexpected ways. This is true for all Pokemon. Thus, I'm not restrained by the behaviors that dictate your life."

Lairon considered that, but it seemed foreign to him. "I see. But what do you do, if you don't fight for your land?"

"I fight for it too, but in different ways." She nodded and spread her claws out. "You see this area? A few months ago, it was burnt to nothing by one of the lava fountains. Once that fire died, I came back to this place, revitalized it. And thus, it now is beautiful."

He looked over at a red-violet flower growing near him. Everything he saw was surprisingly healthy. "This is all your work?"

"Not all; plants have a strong will to survive any adversity. But I assisted them by breaking up the soil and bringing in more seeds and saplings. I am not fighting any other Pokemon. I am fighting the destructive forces of the world."

"But you can't fight a force. You can't strike against it in battle."

"Not fighting in that sense. I am not sure you would understand right now, even if I explained more."

"Right. I think I'll look for that meadow." He was going to head off, but something at the back of his mind nagged at him. He looked up at the Aggron. "If you don't mind... since you seem so wise, would you answer something for me?"

"I'll try."

"Okay. My land is my identity. When it is strong, I am strong. I defend it against any other Lairon who would take it. That's what I know. What I don't know, though, is why this volcano keeps sending lava down to destroy my land. Am I doing something wrong?"

She clucked her tongue sympathetically and shook her head. "No, Lairon, you are doing nothing wrong. You are doing what you can to protect your home. However, this volcano is a force beyond ordinary Pokemon. None of us decides how and when it bursts."

"But why does it?"

"That's the same as asking why you do what you do. You have your instincts that you follow, I have mine, and the volcano has its own. But don't let it get to you. When that lava cools, it will have fresh rocks and iron for you. If it did not regularly flow, our food would run out. It's as simple as that."

"That's simple?" When she didn't respond, he added, "I suppose having fresher rocks to eat will be a blessing. I will just have to be patient."

"That's right." She smiled at some inward thought, then waved to him. "Good luck, Lairon. Work on your body and mind, and you might understand what I have said today in your own time."

"If you say so." The wandering Lairon turned to leave. When he glanced back, the master had already gone.

…

Emerald entry: When two Lairon meet in the wild, they fight for territory by bashing into each other with their steel bodies. The sound of their collision carries for miles.

Sapphire entry: Aggron is surprisingly protective of its environment. If its mountain is ravaged by a landslide or a fire, this Pokemon will haul topsoil to the area, plant trees, and beautifully restore its own territory.

Original post has this note: In this entry, I had a puzzle that anyone working in the Pokemon world in detail might have. If there's creatures that eat rocks and metals, as opposed to none in our world, then how does their food supply keep up with demand? My guess is that the Pokemon world has a lot more volcanic activity than ours. In that case, maybe the trees grow as fast as those in Animal Crossing.