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The following morning.
Sunlight broke through the canopy and fell across the surface of the lake in long, dappled strips.
Celebi, still drifting in the shallows, stirred at the warmth. A soft green glow began to pulse gently from its body — faint at first, then steadier. Synthesis drawing on the morning light.
Its eyes opened.
"Woo!"
Latias let out a cry of pure relief, rising off the water as Celebi lifted into the air.
"Labii~"
Celebi turned a few slow, happy loops above the lake, and Latias fell in alongside it.
Along the shore, the wild Pokémon who had kept their quiet vigil through the night saw this and seemed to breathe out — small, satisfied expressions crossing their faces as they turned and slipped back into the forest.
Steven had been awake for a little while already. He sat up and watched the two of them play in the morning air, the lake catching the light below them.
He smiled quietly.
"Looks like Celebi's fully recovered."
"Labii~"
Celebi swooped toward him, reached out one of its slender little hands, and took hold of Steven's hand — shaking it up and down with great solemnity.
"There's no need for thanks. It was the right thing to do," Steven said with a soft laugh.
"Labii..."
Celebi held his gaze for a moment, then nodded, and turned back toward the center of the lake. It closed its eyes.
A pulse of green energy spread outward from its body in every direction.
Where it passed, the burned and broken trees from the night before straightened and filled out. Bark knitted itself back together. Leaves unfurled. What had been scarred returned to what it had been, as though the night had not happened at all.
Celebi let out a quiet breath and returned to float beside him.
"I should be leaving soon."
Latias looked at Celebi, and something reluctant moved across her expression.
"Labii~" Celebi looked just as reluctant.
"Already?" Steven asked.
"Mew and I travel together — searching for any trace of our Master. Celebi and the others need to return to their own places." Latias paused. "It is the arrangement we work within."
Steven thought about it.
Latias could bend light around herself and disappear entirely. Mew could take the shape of any Pokémon it chose. Of all the ones who might look for someone who had vanished into time, those two were the most suited to the task.
"Before you go — can I give you a lift somewhere? I don't like just leaving things unfinished."
"If it isn't too much trouble — Hoenn."
Steven had work to check in on. And Skarmory had somewhere it needed to be. After that, he would head back to Sinnoh — he still had the better part of two weeks left, and Cynthia was waiting.
"No trouble at all."
"But first — breakfast." Steven reached into his bag and produced a small tin. "I have energy cubes formulated for Psychic-types, if either of you would like some."
"Labii~"
Celebi immediately began circling him, clearly delighted.
"...I suppose I could be persuaded," Latias said, with an air of gracious acceptance.
While his Pokémon settled in around him and ate, Steven sat with Honedge in his lap and pressed a Steel Gem carefully against the ribbon that served as its arm. Honedge absorbed the energy through the ribbon slowly, steadily — pulling it in like a long, slow breath.
Aggron, meanwhile, had arranged itself against a nearby tree, surrounded by a respectable heap of rare metals and ores salvaged from the previous night. It ate with complete focus.
"Ka-ow~"
Exceptional. Every single piece.
It worked through the pile at speed. Eventually, its searching hand swept across bare ground.
Done.
Aggron sat back. It pressed a claw to its stomach thoughtfully.
Wait.
It counted.
It always counted.
It counted again.
...Two ores short.
Aggron's eyes moved slowly around the clearing.
Skarmory? No. Skarmory had no interest in ore. Same went for Lucario, Empoleon, and Scizor — none of them were ore Pokémon.
Metagross? If Metagross had wanted them, it would have asked directly. Metagross didn't steal.
That red legendary and the small green Mythical — not ore eaters.
That Tyranitar by the lake —
Highly suspicious.
But how would Tyranitar have taken anything without making a sound? That didn't track.
Clack. Clack. Clack.
Aggron went still.
It knew that sound.
That was the sound of something eating stone.
It was coming from the bushes.
Aggron rose very quietly and approached.
Behind the undergrowth, a small, round-bodied Larvitar was hunched over one of the missing ores, tears streaming down its cheeks, biting into it with an expression of absolute transcendence.
"Larvi~~~"
So good. The best stone I have ever eaten in my entire life. I'm crying.
A shadow fell over it.
"Larvi!"
Larvitar did not look up. It was eating.
Poke.
"Lar!"
Whatever it is, later. I'm busy.
Poke.
"Larvita—"
A large hand reached down and lifted the ore away.
Larvitar shot to its feet, fury fully assembled —
"Larvitar! (‵□′)!"
— and looked up.
Aggron looked down.
The small flame of Larvitar's outrage went out completely.
"Lar... ⊙ω⊙"
Oh.
Oh no.
"Agg-ro!" Aggron picked it up by the scruff of its neck, holding it at arm's length.
Young, and already stealing. I count my ores. I always count my ores.
"Aggron, what's going on?"
Steven had noticed Aggron rummaging around in the bushes and came over, Honedge drifting at his shoulder.
Aggron turned, holding Larvitar out toward him with an expression of profound grievance.
It stole from me.
"Larvitar?" Steven looked at the small creature dangling from Aggron's hand, and the situation assembled itself immediately.
Larvitar and Aron had more in common than their general shape — both were large eaters with very specific diets. Aron favoured iron; Larvitar favoured rock and ore. Finding a freshly pillaged heap of high-quality salvage sitting unattended must have seemed like extraordinary luck.
A heavy sound came from the direction of the lake.
Tyranitar, who had been dozing, opened its eyes.
It looked in the direction of the commotion.
It looked at what Aggron was holding.
It looked more carefully.
That's...
That looks like a Larvitar.
That looks like...
Tyranitar got to its feet slowly.
It had a newborn back in its territory. It had left quickly last night — it had meant to check on it this morning. It had been thinking about it on and off since the moment it woke up.
It moved closer and stared at the small creature in Aggron's grip with full, undivided attention.
Every Pokémon knew its own. The bond between parent and child didn't require sight or scent to confirm — it was something older and more certain than that.
Tyranitar stared.
...Oh.
That is my child.