"This is Sceptile's Mega Stone. Would you like to test it now?" Steven asked.
"That won't be necessary," Gary replied.
"I still recommend it. Mega Evolution isn't guaranteed to succeed; our studies show that a Trainer and their Pokémon need a very strong bond for a stable transformation," Steven explained.
"I understand," Gary said helplessly. "Unfortunately, my Sceptile is still a Grovyle, so I can't test the stone yet."
Steven: "…"
Professor Ward: "…"
He doesn't even have a Sceptile yet, and he's already trading for its Mega Stone? Talk about planning ahead.
"That's a pity," Ward sighed. He had hoped to record the energy fluctuations produced during Gary's Mega Evolution.
According to their research, Mega Evolution released a measurable burst of energy: the greater the fluctuation, the stronger the Pokémon's combat potential. However, if the readings were unstable, the Pokémon could suffer confusion or worse. The more skilled the Trainer, the more stable the energy signature tended to be.
"May I see your Key Stone?" Steven asked.
"Key Stone? I don't have one yet," Gary admitted.
"Without a Key Stone, the Mega Stone can't resonate—so Mega Evolution won't work," Ward reminded him.
"I know. I'll ask my grandfather for one later," Gary said casually.
Given Professor Oak's standing in the Kanto League, acquiring a Key Stone would be easy.
Ward fell silent. With Professor Oak's influence, any research lab would happily provide one.
"Gary, if you don't have a Key Stone, allow me to give you one," Steven offered.
Gary blinked. A Key Stone wasn't as rare as a Mega Stone, but it was still valuable—Steven was being remarkably generous.
Seeing Gary's confusion, Steven explained, "Don't worry. This Key Stone has been modified by Devon to record the energy fluctuations produced during Mega Evolution. We need that data, so consider the stone our payment."
"All right, I accept," Gary said.
"Excellent." Steven turned to Ward. "Professor Ward, please bring the Mega Ring."
"Of course."
Ward soon returned with a sleek Mega Ring, set with a prismatic Key Stone.
"Here you go, Gary. You know how to use it, right?" Ward asked.
"Yes." Gary nodded. Activating a Key Stone was simple: focus on it to resonate with the corresponding Mega Stone—provided the Pokémon belonged to the stone's holder and the bond between them was strong enough.
With the Sceptilite and Mega Ring secured, Gary exchanged contact information with Steven and took his leave.
The next day
Gary didn't leave Rustboro City immediately. Instead, he headed north to explore Meteor Falls.
The area was riddled with caves—many of them treacherous. More than one careless Trainer had lost their life inside.
Gary cycled to the outskirts, then released Latios and flew directly to Meteor Falls, entering through the main cavern mouth.
Shafts of sunlight pierced the ceiling of the upper level, so visibility was good. As he searched for rare Dragon-type Pokémon, Gary recalled that the Draconid tribe—who once worshipped Rayquaza—had lived near the falls. Because of them, Dragon-type Pokémon had inhabited the area since ancient times; even now, the surrounding forest teemed with Swablu.
Any Pokémon with draconic blood instinctively sensed that Meteor Falls was a suitable habitat, so newly born dragons were naturally drawn here. Although their numbers had declined in modern times, the site still attracted Dragon-type specialists.
Besides hunting for Key Stones and Mega Stones, Gary hoped to capture his first Hoenn Dragon-type today.
"It looks like there are no dragons on this level," he muttered after a while. Only Zubat and Solrock appeared on his Pokédex scanner.
Because it was daytime, Solrock were out soaking up sunlight; at night, Lunatone would emerge. Both species replenish their energy by absorbing sunlight or moonlight, so they're relatively easy to keep.
"Rhyperior, do some digging," Gary instructed, releasing his partner.
"Graaah!" Rhyperior roared and immediately began tunneling.
Gary watched from beside the hole. He had tried to find the natural entrance to the lower floor but with no luck, so digging was the next best option.
Meteor Falls wasn't very deep. Sensing the distance to the next level, Rhyperior quickly broke through, and Gary followed him down the makeshift shaft.
Darkness enveloped them, so Gary flicked on a flashlight. The beam illuminated dozens of Lunatone clustered together.
[Lv. 30 Lunatone / Gym]
[Lv. 21 Lunatone / Normal]
[Lv. 33 Lunatone / Elite]
"So many Lunatone!" Gary exclaimed. Strangely, he hadn't seen any upper-level entrance—so how had they all reached this chamber? If they'd used Dig, the ceiling would have collapsed long ago.
"That means there must be another natural passage somewhere below," he concluded.