"Tyranitar!"
Let go of my child!
Tyranitar roared and charged.
Metagross stepped directly into its path, absorbing the impact without budging.
Steven looked at the furious Tyranitar, then down at the Larvitar still twisting in Aggron's grip.
Everything clicked.
"That's your child, isn't it?"
"Tyranitar." Tyranitar gave a sharp nod.
"Understood. Aggron — let it go." Steven gestured back without turning. "I'll get you three more ores later."
Aggron's expression brightened immediately. Its grip loosened.
"Larvitar!"
Larvitar dropped to the ground, landed, and immediately reached back to rub its backside.
"Larvitar~"
It scrambled up and ran to Tyranitar, throwing both arms around its mother's leg.
"Here." Steven picked up the ore Larvitar had been working on — still bearing a few small bite marks — and tossed it gently. It rolled to a stop at Tyranitar's feet. "You enjoyed it. Keep it."
He patted Aggron's side. "You'll get yours. I haven't forgotten."
"Aggron!" Aggron pushed its face against Steven's with considerable enthusiasm.
Food first, everything else after.
Larvitar scooped up the ore and beamed up at Tyranitar.
"Larvitar~"
This is the best thing I have ever eaten, by the way.
"Tyranitar!"
Tyranitar dipped its head briefly toward Steven — a short, deliberate bow of thanks.
Then it turned to leave, Larvitar at its heels.
Crunch.
Tyranitar stopped mid-step.
It looked down at the piece of ore in its hand. Looked down at Larvitar.
"Larvitar?"
...Is this actually that good?
Larvitar grinned.
Tyranitar was quiet for a moment.
Then it turned around and walked back.
"Tyranitar..."
Tyranitar came to a stop in front of Steven, set Larvitar down, and scratched the back of its head with one claw. It spoke.
"What's the matter?" Steven watched it, puzzled. The apology had already been given — that wasn't what this was.
"It wants to entrust Larvitar to you," Latias said from nearby.
Steven looked at Larvitar. Then at himself. Then back at Tyranitar.
"...You want Larvitar to come with me?"
"Tyranitar." A firm nod.
"Larvitar?! Σ(っ °Д °;)っ"
Larvitar went rigid. Then it began to struggle — arms flailing, making its feelings on the subject completely clear.
It had spent its whole short life trying to find its mother. It had crawled up out of the ground, crossed an ancient forest, survived a night of collateral damage from a battle between a Legendary Pokémon and a Shiny Metagross, and accidentally stolen from a very large Aggron. All of that, just to get here. And now its mother was handing it to a stranger?
"It doesn't seem willing," Steven said, with a small, wry smile. "Let's leave it."
He meant it. He wouldn't have minded a Larvitar on the team — genuinely. But this one didn't want to go, and that was that.
"Aggron!" Aggron nodded in rapid agreement.
"Tyranitar." Tyranitar shook its head. With the hand holding Larvitar, it pushed it firmly in Steven's direction.
"She says she'll only feel at ease if she leaves Larvitar with you," Latias translated.
"Larvitar!"
Larvitar was still twisting and protesting. Tyranitar looked down at it, patience visibly running low — and delivered a firm knock on the top of Larvitar's head.
It went considerably quieter.
Your mother has found you someone who will actually feed you properly. You can complain later.
Tyranitar set Larvitar down in front of Steven and turned to leave.
Steven watched this, expression somewhere between amused and bemused. He crouched down.
"Is she really your mother?"
"Larvitar!"
Larvitar spun around and called after the already-departing Tyranitar, voice cracking slightly.
"Tyranitar!"
What came back was a single, sharp Roar.
Don't come back to find me until you're stronger.
"Larvitar..."
Larvitar stood there for a moment, blinking hard. Then it turned and looked up at Steven, eyes conspicuously wet.
Steven scratched the side of his face. In his entire career as a Trainer, he had never had a Pokémon physically deposited in front of him by its parent.
"Alright," he said, and reached out to pat Larvitar's head gently. "Your mother entrusted you to me. I'll take good care of you. Don't let her down."
He thought about it as he said it.
After tasting that ore, Tyranitar had made the decision almost immediately. If Larvitar stayed with her in the forest, it would eat what she could find. Following someone whose Aggron had an entire stockpile of high-quality salvaged rare metals — that was a different future entirely. And beyond the food: every Pokémon on Steven's team was exceptionally strong. A parent wanting the best for their child was not a difficult thing to understand.
The wanting-to-let-go part was harder.
From behind a large tree at the edge of the clearing, a small portion of a grey-green face watched, very still.
"Tyranitar..."
Larvitar dried its eyes with the back of its arm and looked up at Steven.
"So," Steven said, "what do you say? If you want to go back to your mother, I'll take you. But if you want to train with us — I'll work you hard, and I'll make sure you have what you need."
Larvitar's eyes sharpened slightly.
"Larvitar!" It held up two fingers.
"It wants to know if it can have two ores before it decides anything," Latias said.
Steven let out a long breath.
Of course it does.
He took out two pieces of stone from his bag and handed them over, then located three more ores for Aggron.
Larvitar sat down and began to eat with exactly the kind of focus that suggested everything else was secondary.
Aggron settled down beside it, working through its compensation ores.
"Aggron~"
After a moment, Aggron spoke, with the air of someone passing down important wisdom.
"In this team, there is one rule that matters above all others."
"You do not take Aggron's ore."
"Aggron is me."
"Larvitar~"
A long, slow sound of comprehension.
"Aggron~"
"You and I were clearly meant to meet. I'll look after you from here on."
"Larvitar!"
Thank you, big brother!
Steven watched the two of them — one vast, one tiny; one whose ore had just been stolen, one whose mother had just sent it away — apparently in the process of becoming the best of friends.
He had no framework for how quickly foodies apparently bonded.
Behind her tree, Tyranitar watched until Larvitar stopped resisting. Until it was laughing — genuinely laughing — at something Aggron said. Until Steven crouched down, said something quiet, and Larvitar nodded.
She watched the Poké Ball close around it.
Then she turned and walked back into the forest, glancing back once every few steps until the trees had taken her entirely.
Steven held the Poké Ball in his hand and looked at it for a moment.
"I came here to deal with Iron-Masked Marauder."
He had not been expecting a Larvitar.
But there it was.
He was going to need considerably more ore.
"Latias — ready when you are."
"I've been ready," Latias said, with the faint impression of mild impatience.
Steven pulled himself up onto her back and looked back toward the lake one last time.
"Goodbye, Celebi. Until next time."
"Celebii~"
Celebi hovered at the lake's edge and waved its small hand.
"Until next time~"
Latias rose into the morning air, banked once, and carried Steven south toward Hoenn.