Zinnia fell silent when she heard Gary's question.
Shelgon had been sneaking out almost every day. Even though it couldn't fly yet, it still longed to see the open sky above Meteor Falls—which, of course, was hidden deep underground.
Zinnia had promised to take it outside once a week, but that could hardly satisfy its yearning, so it kept slipping away on its own.
"Do you come down here often?" Gary asked.
"Live here? Of course not. This is all underground," Zinnia replied a little too quickly.
"Really? Shelgon used that green crystal to heal itself and acted like it knew the place well. Are you sure you don't stay here?" Gary gestured toward the crystal.
"Haha… all right, I do spend a lot of time here," she admitted. Zinnia was still young, and Gary—being about her age—seemed harmless enough, the gentle teasing made her give in at once.
"So the legend is true," Gary said, half to himself.
"What legend?" Zinnia tilted her head.
"They say people actually live in Meteor Falls. Most Trainers think it's just a myth," Gary explained.
Zinnia had heard the rumors, but she never expected an outsider to make it this far. The last stranger to visit had come more than ten years ago—before she was even born.
"So tell me, Gary, did you come only to catch Dragon-type Pokémon?" she asked.
"That's the idea. Are there any around?" Gary replied.
Zinnia hesitated. Meteor Village certainly had Dragons, but this boy had just helped return her Shelgon, she felt she owed him something. "There are Dragons here, but whether you can take one away is another matter. Come with me."
"Gladly."
Zinnia was no ordinary guide. As the current Lorekeeper of the Draconid tribe, she—or rather, her successor—was destined to beseech Rayquaza should Groudon and Kyogre ever clash again.
Gary followed her through a maze of rocky corridors until she stepped straight through what looked like solid stone and vanished.
He stared, stunned. The wall reminded him of the illusory garden hidden inside Alto Mare's cathedral.
"Don't just stand there—walk straight in," Zinnia's voice called.
Gary did, passing through the illusion with no resistance.
On the other side lay a small village lit by the soft emerald glow of countless crystals embedded in the cavern walls. Off to one side yawned an enormous pit—large enough to swallow two villages.
"What happened there?" Gary asked.
"Come on, I'll explain as we walk," Zinnia said.
"A thousand years ago," she began, "a meteorite from space struck here. It radiated incredible life energy. Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre fought over it—a battle so fierce it reshaped much of Hoenn and drove this whole area underground. Rayquaza finally ended the clash, and ever since, the Draconid tribe has guarded the meteorite so it won't be misused again."
"The meteorite is still down there?" Gary asked in amazement.
Zinnia nodded. "It sits at the bottom of that pit, though after a millennium, its outer layer has turned completely to stone."
Gary immediately thought of the Rainbow Meteorite mentioned in later legends. Could that be the very stone below?
"Can I see it?"
"Afraid not. It's buried deep, and any residual energy is gone. All that's left on the surface is solid rock."
Gary sighed. That fit with how other ancient meteorites—like the one beneath the sundial in Anistar City—had long since exhausted their power.
They descended a spiraling ramp to the lip of the crater. The depths were pitch-black, nothing was visible beyond the rim. As Zinnia had said, the exposed layer was fully lithified, but Gary guessed crystals might still lie beneath the rock.
Just then, a middle-aged man stepped in front of them. "Zinnia, who's this?"
In a place where every face was familiar, a stranger stood out immediately.
"Uncle Guido, this is Gary. He means no harm," Zinnia said.
Guido eyed the boy. Seeing he was only a teenager, the elder relaxed a little. Outsiders did appear from time to time over the centuries.
"Why bring him into the village?" Guido asked.
Zinnia squared her shoulders. "I sensed a dragon's aura on him. I thought the elders should meet him."
Gary blinked, perhaps Latios's presence had left a lingering resonance that Zinnia could feel.
Guido studied Gary once more, then stepped aside. "Very well. Take him to the elders."
Meteor Village itself was humble: stone dwellings, vegetable plots, and many Pokémon—Trapinch, Barboach, Baltoy, and the like—roamed freely between houses.