Summer and Weldon traveled to Route 114 near Fallarbor Town for some training, but they were interrupted by Lín Huánglóng, Olive's former Trainer. Summer and Olive battled against Huánglóng and his Sceptile, Zhànshì, but were easily defeated. The Treecko then questioned her progress on the team, so Rocky eased her fears with his personal story of abandonment and growth. The group then heard a shout coming from inside Meteor Falls and found their enemy, Hamestrin. Feeling a renewed energy, Summer and Olive battled the cloaked man and his Manectric again. Will Olive be able to defeat their familiar foe this time?

Chapter 28- Where the Meteors Fell

I watched in awe as the timid Treecko disappeared in the glow of the evolutionary light. In her place was a forest green bipedal Pokémon with a red underside, clawed hands and feet, and dark leaves coming out from her wrists, head, and tail.

[Grovyle, the Wood Gecko Pokémon and the evolved form of Treecko. Leaves grow out of this Pokémon's body. They help obscure a Grovyle from the eyes of its enemies while it is in a thickly overgrown forest.]

"You did it, Olive!" I cheered. "You evolved!"

Manectric roared, angry at the turn of the events.

"My feelings exactly, Manectric," his Trainer, Hamsetrin said with a frown. "Use Thunder."

As the Electric type charged his most powerful attack, Olive raised her arms. The blades suddenly glowed light green like X-Scissor, but it felt different.

"That's Fury Cutter!" Weldon exclaimed. "It increases in power when used in succession."

"I see. Thanks, Weldon." I return my attention to the battle. "Olive, dodge with Quick Attack, then use Fury Cutter!"

She dashed forward at a faster pace than when she was a Treecko. Because of this, she easily evaded the large lightning bolt and swung her right arm at her opponent. Manectric winced in pain and tried to prepare himself for a counterattack.

"Fire Fang."

"Fury Cutter again!"

He opened his mouth, and Olive felt the heat from his fangs. But she persevered and struck the blue Pokémon in the chest. The Discharge Pokémon collapsed onto the ground and tried to stand.

Hamsetrin glanced at the waterfall and gritted his teeth. "It appears our advantage has disappeared once more." He returned his Pokémon and warned, "I will achieve my mission, no matter the obstacle." He threw a Smoke Ball onto the floor. We coughed from the smoky camouflage, and when it dissipated, the man was gone.

"Guess the battle's over." I turned to my newly evolved Pokémon. "How do you feel, Olive?"

She looked at her arms and felt the leaf on her head. "Wow, so this is what happens when you evolve." she said, her voice a little deeper. "I-I feel different, but at the same time, I don't feel entirely different."

I smiled. "Just like we told you."

She returned the gesture. "Y-Yeah, thanks, Summer."

We turned our attention to Huánglóng and Zhànshì, who were regaining their footing.

I walked over, with Olive hiding behind me. "Are you guys okay?"

The teen reluctantly responded, "Yeah… I guess …"

An unknown voice interrupted us. "Ah, it looks like I arrived a tad late."

Startled, I whipped my head towards the waterfall, where a woman was standing. She was tall, with long, light purple hair and dark eyes. She wore a large, beige cape with black scales along the neckline over her red shirt and black knee-length skirt. A long blue band spiraled around her left arm. Although we never met, I felt a strong power emanating from her.

Huánglóng was speechless as she bounded down to meet us. "Y-You're…"

She raised an eyebrow and said in a gentle tone, "Oh, you recognize me?"

"Of course! You're Aster, the current leader of the Draconids!" He knelt in front of the woman. "My name is Lín Huánglóng, and I have come all this way to obtain a Sceptilite from you, Ms. Aster. Do you grant my Sceptile worthy?"

Aster tilted her head. "While I do respect your sincerity, Huánglóng, I do not believe you are ready to achieve Mega Evolution with your Sceptile."

"Wh-What do you-?"

She crossed her arms. "I saw how you acted in front of your former Pokémon. Those actions do not illustrate the proper attributes for a Trainer and a person to be rewarded the gift of a Mega Stone."

Huánglóng sprung to his feet and pleaded, "Please, Ms. Aster! I worked so hard to get here with the perfect Sceptile and-"

A light green Pokémon with large green wings bordered with red materialized from a Poke Ball on her waist. He had a long tail with antennae to match, small arms with sharp claws, and red translucent covers over his eyes.

[Flygon, the Mystic Pokémon and the evolved form of Vibrava. The flapping of its wings sounds like singing. To prevent detection by enemies, it hides itself by flapping up a cloud of desert sand.]

"This will be the last time I ask you to leave peacefully, Huánglóng. Otherwise, I will have Athebyne force you to."

The haughty teen stood up and gritted his teeth. "Very well." He glared at us before he and his Pokémon left the cave.

Aster then turned to us, her demeanor now back to normal. "I apologize you had to see that. I should have come sooner to assist."

After I returned Olive, I waved my hands in front of me. "Oh no, we should be thanking you for checking on us."

The Lorekeeper giggled. "Well then, allow me to properly introduce myself. I am Aster, leader of the Draconid clan and the current Lorekeeper of the Hoenn Region."

"Nice to meet you, Aster. I'm Summer, and this is Weldon. This here is Lightning, my Raichu."

She beamed. "It's nice to finally meet all of you."

I tilted my head. "Did you say 'finally'? Do you know who we are?"

"Yes, and no. I can explain if you allow me to take you back to the entrance. It is the least I can do for arriving late."

"O-Oh, sure, that's fine with me."

Weldon nodded in agreement.

But before we could move, a young girl with short black hair sprinted towards us, her white dress fluttering. A blue Pokémon with small stubby arms followed close behind. He had yellow features on his chin, belly, and cheeks, but the most prominent feature was the three gray ridges on his head.

[Bagon, the Rock Head Pokémon. Although it is small, this Pokémon is very powerful because its body is a bundle of muscles. It launches head-butts with its ironlike skull.]

"Zinnia!" Aster exclaimed. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be with Grandma Marigold!"

"But, sis!" the girl complained. "I wanna see you work!"

"It will be pretty boring, Zinnia. I will just be escorting these two back to the east entrance."

"Come on, Aster! Please?! I'll behave, I promise!"

Sighing, the Lorekeeper patted her sister's head. "All right. But you and Orion need to stay with me at all times."

"Yay! Thank you, Aster!"

My heart felt heavy from watching the heartwarming scene. From the corner of my eye, I thought I saw Weldon react the same way I did.

Aster gave a soft smile. "I apologize for the interruption. Shall we?" As she guided us through the slightly musty cave, she said, "I did not expect both of you to make it here so quickly."

I grew cautious. "What do you mean by that, Aster?"

"I assumed you know of this place. Did you not receive a hint from someone about how to find this place?"

"'Where the meteors fell…'" I muttered. "So that's what she meant."

"Who are you talking about, Summer?" the Kantonian asked.

"O-Oh! I-It was…um…a person, I know."

He looked concerned, but Aster gave me an reassuring nod. "Do not worry, Weldon. Summer must have met my friend."

My eyes grew wide. "How do you know her, Aster?"

"Oh, we have known each other for a long time. After all, we are both descendants of the oldest clans in Hoenn. As, in a sense, are you."

Though I sensed where this was going, I asked, "What do you mean by that?"

She glanced back with a smirk. "I was hoping to meet the new Guardian of the Legendary Beasts while she is traveling throughout Hoenn."

"So…you know of my role."

Aster nodded. "Yes, and it was quite a dramatic event, if I recall. Though in the end, I am pleased to know you became the rightful Legend Guardian." She then observed Weldon carefully. "Just like how you have potential, Weldon."

"Potential? For what?"

The Lorekeeper explained, "My friend has been watching you for some time as part of an ancient prophecy. I am surprised you have not encountered her yet."

He was taken aback. "A prophecy…about me?!"

"Yes. Unfortunately, I am not allowed to disclose any information about it at this time."

"Wh-Why not?" I inquired.

Aster stared at the dark blue waterfall in the distance. "My friend's clan is also observing someone else who may fulfill that prophecy. My clan has…had issues with revealing prophecies to the wrong person, and those consequences reverberate to this day. But rest assured, I believe Weldon will be the chosen one."

Feeling guilty, I sighed. "All right, if that's how that is."

The Lorekeeper stopped in front of the cave opening. "And here is where we part ways."

Although she left me with more questions than answers, I said, "Thanks for guiding us, Aster."

"It was no trouble, Summer," she replied as Zinnia grasped her left hand. "Oh, one more thing. Your Grovyle…I can sense she has great potential. If she decides to evolve again, I believe she will make a great Mega Evolution candidate."

"Really? Why do you say that?"

"Your bond with her, though newer compared to the rest of your Pokémon, is strong. And I know it will continue to grow. That is the main anchor for establishing a mastered Mega Evolution." Aster crossed her arms. "Unlike that Huánglóng person, who only saw his Sceptile as an extension of power. He may be able to attempt the evolution process, but they will never be able to fully master it without that bond."

I touched Olive's Poké Ball, and I felt it shake slightly. "Thanks, Aster. That means a lot, to both of us."

Aster nodded. "I am just stating what is already known. Farewell, Summer and Weldon. I know we will meet again. Come, Zinnia."

"All right, sis."

As they returned to the upper levels of the cave, I crossed my arms. Know? She must be pretty certain if she said that.

I looked at Weldon, who appeared to be in thought.

"You okay, Weldon?"

He adjusted his hat. "Yeah… I was just thinking about what Aster said. Why would anyone think I'm part of a prophecy? I'm not that special…even compared to other battfams."

I chuckled, which confused him. "I thought the same thing when I was selected as the Guardian candidate for the Legendary Beasts. After all, I was never involved with the Kimono Girls or studied the legends in detail until last year. Do you remember Teeni? She knew more than I did back then, yet the Pokémon didn't choose her as the candidate. They told me that I exhibited the attributes of what they considered to be worthy, and that was more important to them than having the right intellectual background. So, I think you're in a similar situation, Weldon." After I uttered those last words, I rubbed my left arm. "You're strong and determined, yet kind and sensitive. And you've changed so much since we first met. To be honest, I-I like you better now than when we first met."

"Th-Thanks, Summer." He rubbed the back of his head. "That…That really means a lot." He cleared his throat and said, "Let's take it easy for training today. We can do some exercises on Route 113."

"Sure, I'm fine with that."

We left Meteor Falls, not knowing that fate agreed with Aster's parting words.

Summer's Pokémon:

Blaze (Blaziken, male): Brave Nature, Blaze Ability, moves: Fire Punch, Flamethrower, Blaze Kick, Sky Uppercut

Errol (Noctowl, male): Rash Nature, Keen Eye Ability, moves: Psychic, Confusion, Hypnosis, Air Slash

Aurora (Dewgong, female): Calm Nature, Thick Fat Ability, moves: Water Pulse, Ice Beam, Aqua Tail, Signal Beam

Lightning (Raichu, female): Adamant Nature, Static Ability, moves: Thunderbolt, Iron Tail, Thunder Punch, Grass Knot

Rocky (Steelix, male): Lonely Nature, Rock Head Ability, moves: Stone Edge, Crunch, Dragonbreath, Iron Tail

Olive (Grovyle, female): Timid Nature, Overgrow Ability, moves: Fury Cutter, Screech, Mega Drain, Quick Attack

Weldon's Pokémon:

Venusaur (male): Serious Nature, Overgrow Ability, moves: Solarbeam, Body Slam, Sludge Bomb, Vine Whip

Fearow (male): Adamant Nature, Keen Eye Ability, moves: Drill Peck, Steel Wing, Fury Attack, Aerial Ace

Golem (male): Bold Nature, Rock Head Ability, moves: Rock Slide, Earthquake, Rollout, Double Edge

Gyarados (male): Sassy Nature, Intimidate Ability, moves: Surf, Ice Fang, Payback, Waterfall

Arcanine (male): Naughty Nature, Flash Fire Ability, moves: Hyper Beam, Extremespeed, Flare Blitz, Fire Blast

Electabuzz (male): Rash Nature, Static Ability, moves: Thunder, Mega Kick, Thunder Punch, Shock Wave

Questions for the Chapter:

What did you think of Olive after she evolved?

What do you think of Aster?

What do you think about Aster said about Summer?

What did you think about what Summer told Weldon?