Metagross is an awesome Pokemon and I needed to write a story about it. Of course, when you think of Metagross, you think of Steven Stone, and Steven Stone is awesome. Therefore, let's write a story about both of them.

Recall

It seemed so very long ago, when Metagross's name was Beldum.

Metagross remembered everything of every single miniscule detail, since its evolution from Metang. It had the brain of a supercomputer and not one moment was forgotten, not a single second discarded. But before it evolved, it unfortunately, was not as intelligent—a Metang had half the brainpower of a Metagross, while Beldum had a fourth.

(As a Beldum, Metagross thought it must have been very dull.)

And yet despite the supposed stupidity, Metagross still remembered quite a large amount when it was Beldum. Its first memory was being presented to a small human boy with clear teal eyes and silver-blue hair. The boy had taken it for a walk, speaking elaborately in the human language that Metagross now understood word for word, but heard only as gibberish when it was a Beldum. Still, Beldum had known what the boy wanted and picked up on simple commands like "Use Take Down!" and "Let's go find some rocks," quickly enough.

Beldum had been very good at digging for stones, and that pleased the boy. He would praise Beldum in a tone that was warm and gentle and despite its dullness back then, Metagross remembered that it had relished the boy's praise very much.

The second teammate its master had gotten was an Aron. They had been exploring a darkened cave—the cave Metagross now knew as Granite Cave—searching for a stone Metagross now knew as a Fire Stone. The small steel-plated creature was happened upon when Beldum took it for a rock and brought its master. Using the magnetic forces it employed to grab rocks, Beldum had snatched up the surprised Aron and brought him—squirming and yelping with protest and outrage—to its master. The boy had laughed then, eyes sparkling in the dark, speaking lightly to Beldum.

(It didn't understand the exact words then, but Metagross imagined them to be somewhere along the lines of Well that's not a Fire Stone, but you've found us a teammate.)

The battle Beldum had against him was a furious one, with Aron frantically resisting any attempts to capture it. The poor little metal Pokemon had been terrified, his large round blue eyes wide with fear, as he broke out of Pokeballs with a sense of desperation.

(Metagross didn't remember exactly how many Pokeballs its master had to throw, but it was enough that worry had started to show on the boy's face as his supply dwindled.)

But in the end, the timid Aron was caught. At first he was a severe introvert, cowering inside his Pokeball whenever possible, avoiding company altogether, and often freezing up in the middle of battle. Other Pokemon seemed to terrify him but none more so than Beldum.

(It was only much later that Metagross learned it was its large crimson eye that was so frightening to Aron.)

However, soon the boy's warmth soon won Aron over, and the small metal creature gradually gained confidence. It had taken a little while longer for him to stop retreating into his Pokeball at the mere sight of Beldum, but in the end, that worked out, too.

The memories grew clearer and more detailed upon evolution into Metang. Whole conversations were preserved now, small details like the emotions on its master's face noticed. Metang had learned to recognize its teammates—Lairon and Skarmory—by name and work well with them. It learned the specific names of the stones that it helped its master search for, the names of certain key locations.

It also learned to dislike Luvdisks and Milotics. Metang's master had a human friend, a blue-haired boy who spoke loudly and arrogantly and flamboyantly. Looking back, Metagross still disliked Wallace, because it remembered every word he had said.

"What, Steven, you still got that metal dinner plate with you? You should get some more elegant Pokemon. Look at mine—see how they sparkle in the sunlight and dance like spring rain?"

Wallace's Pokemon were just as airheaded and about as bright as Beldum had been. Luvdisk had spent most of her time looking at the irritating pink blur she called a reflection. Feebas was astonishingly conceited, and was deluded in thinking that she was the most beautiful thing in the world—lies probably fed to her by Wallace who wanted to spur her into becoming the truly beautiful Milotic. Feebas had a habit of using Splash to leap high into the air so that she looked down on everyone, which made feisty, hot-headed Skarmory fume. Metang had to hold him back to keep the metal bird from challenging her.

(That was a long time ago though. Nowadays, although still passionate about battle and daring in soaring the sky's challenging heights, Skarmory had cooled down somewhat.)

They had first met the fierce bird in the place where ash fell like a constant downpour of rain, crying from the sky in crimson flakes. It was harsh terrain, the grass a slumbering shade of rusty tan, the color of the ash that covered everything. Where the rocks rose into ridges and sheer edges, the grass was especially tough, the blades having been sharpened with thorny bushes of brambles.

It had been Aron who had spotted the glint of metal reflected in weak rays of sun hidden by the dust. Thinking it was a rock, he had brought it to Steven. The boy had been surprised and delighted as he beheld the long steel structure, flexible and light but amazingly strong, and shaped like the blade end of a sword. It was a feather.

Metang had found a second steel feather under one of the bramble bushes and upon searching the area around it, they stumbled upon the owner of the shed feathers. Skarmory had been napping at the edge of a ridge, his proud glimmering head tucked back in his sharp plumage, when Aron had tripped over him.

(Metagross supposed it had been its fault, because Aron had been riding on its back at the time. When Metang swerved a little too sharply, Aron had fallen off and subsequently right on top of Skarmory.)

Immediately enraged upon the disturbance and invasion of his territory, Skamory wasted no time in attacking the startled and shy Aron who fled into Steven's arms.

Metang's battle against Skarmory was a fierce and long one, because neither of them could do anything to each other. Skarmory's impressive attacking moveset of Swift and Peck was about as effective as Metang's Metal Claw, Confusion, and Take Down—which was, anything but. After much poking and prodding at its opponent, Metang had managed to painfully whittle Skarmory down enough for Steven to catch him.

(Steven had always been very patient and compassionate and he had understood the immense frustration of the long stall battle Metang had been forced to engage in. Metang had been rewarded for its efforts with a bunch of its favorite Berries.)

While Aron had been painfully shy, Skamory was outright hostile. He possessed a boatload of pride, and was as stubborn as the material he was made out of. He never hesitated to get into a fight with anyone or anything, intimidating Aron on a daily basis and even testing the calm and collected Metang's patience. The only things which kept Skarmory from wrecking complete havoc were Steven's Badges, although the metal bird persisted in maintaining his hotheaded attitude towards all things.

Their Trainer however, never showed any sign of frustration. Steven was as warm and friendly to Skarmory as anyone else, going as far as to offer morning armor polishes—a service which Metang and Aron already enjoyed. Despite getting nipped on the hand more than once, the boy continued to attempt to win Skarmory over.

(Of course, he succeeded, the steel bird becoming a trusted teammate though still with a great eagerness to fight.)

When they had discovered the fossils in Mirage Tower, Metang had not thought much of it. Its job was to search out rare rocks, not lumps of dull sandstone that were once organic. In the large chamber, Steven had paused between the two fossils, cerulean eyes glittering eagerly.

"Which one do you think we should get, Metang?"

The armored Pokemon had shrugged, not particularly interested in which one they chose. Baltoy—newly caught but friendly and eager—had shown interest in the claw fossil. Steven had smiled, told Baltoy what a good choice it had made, and swiftly plucked the forementioned object from its tight crevice. Almost immediately the place had begun to shake violently, causing Steven to trip and fall and a nearby rock to nearly squish a good portion of his head. Metang had to grab both the boy and the Baltoy and fly out as the tower collapsed along with the second fossil, entombing it deep under the suffocating sands.

They had barely escaped the showering debris that hurtled about the sandstorm already raging in the desert, and several times, Steven had nearly dropped the claw fossil from so very high in the air.

(Now that Metagross thought about it, Armaldo still didn't like heights very much, and Cradily was slightly claustrophobic.)

When Metang finally became Metagross, Steven had given it a hug.

(Metagross found this slightly amusing because while he had also celebrated during everyone else's evolutions, Steven Stone was simply not the hugging type of person—understandable, considering his team consisted of Pokemon made of materials that were not too comfortable to snuggle with.)

The Elite Four had been easy to conquer.

Steven had over-prepared his team, spending long months in the depths of dark caves, training vigorously. He denied being a competitive person, claiming that there was absolutely no one in particular that spurred him to challenge the Elite Four—not Wallace, certainly.

Sidney had been defeated by Skarmory alone, and Metagross swept both Phoebe and Glacia's team by itself. As for Drake, his Dragons were struck down with a similar smooth ease, Salamence finished off in two hits by Aggron's Dragon Claw.

The most difficult Trainer was…Wallace. His Wailord was barely defeated by Cradily, and his Tentacruel swiftly dispatched by Metagross's Psychic. Whishcash was effectively walled by Skamory who also easily took down Ludicolo. It had been difficult to switch Aggron safely into Wallace's Gyarados, but upon that success, a single Thunder defeated it. The greatest challenge of all was Milotic who had no secondary typing to take advantage of.

In the end, Steven pitted Metagross against her. Milotic had apparently matured from her time as a deluded Feebas and moved across the battlefield with notable grace and skill. It had been quite a noisy battle, with Wallace shouting commands in the most dramatic ways possible, accompanying them with unnecessary arm movements, and Skarmory screeching in rage from the sidelines.

(He was, to this day, still furious over the fact that Steven had not allowed him to battle what he viewed as the most conceited Pokemon in the world.)

Metagross wasn't one to get emotional or riled up at all. It was a core member of its master's team, the one that the others depended on for both support and leadership. Their master was not one to get very riled up either. Unlike the other squawking, yelling, shouting humans, he was always calm, his voice placid and polite when addressing anyone, person or Pokemon.

That air of tranquility translated easily to the equally calm Metagross, and that snatched for them, the victory.

And so Steven became the Champion of Hoenn.

But he wasn't happy.

Metagross knew that, but it didn't know why, and it had a feeling that Steven did not know why either. With every day that passed, the white Champion's cloak that the boy had to wear seemed to grow a few extra pounds in weight, for Steven sat listless and weary increasingly longer each day. The calm, steely fire in his eyes burned restlessly, his patient stride towards his purpose lost because he had lost his purpose. He would sit in the final room of the Elite Four, the air of tranquility that he once had lost in uncharacteristic impatience.

It was then that Metagross realized just what they were missing. Because they had found what they thought they were looking for, they no longer had the same simple purity of searching. Searching for meaning, searching for victory, searching for rare rocks. Metagross missed the days where the seven of them—Steven and his team—would find a deep, dark cavern in the ground and dig in the wholesome soil of the earth, and chisel at the bountiful cave walls. Those were the days, when they thought of nothing except for that Moon Stone that was supposed to be nearby—the comforting days in the surprisingly friendly dark, with only the sounds of the steady rhythm of digging and the low murmur of Steven's voice.

Steven's Pokemon told him that it was time to start searching again. And so he did.

Skarmory had been the one to grab Steven in his beak and literally carry him into a nearby cave, where the two found a Sun Stone. It was there that the Trainer's spirit had been rekindled and that same day, Steven shoved the accursed white cloak into Wallace's arms.

(Metagross found that whole thing ironic because by persuading Steven to give up his position as Champion and retire, Skarmory had also given up his chance to battle often, something he so loved.)

Steven kept several other Beldum and a few Metangs along with another Skarmory and a second Aggron. Although he had stopped battling seriously, Steven still occasionally trained with a three-man team of Aggron, Skamory, and Metang—different Pokemon from his original team.

(When Metagross looked upon them, it was again reminded of the nostalgic old days, when Skamory had a temper like heated steel, when Aron had been shy and afraid of battle. Back when their master had been less sure about what he did. But that was a long time ago, it seemed.)

When Team Magma had decided to cause trouble at some space facility, Steven had utilized his three-man team to stop them. He came back victorious, and with the story of a young Trainer who had tag-battled with him. That Trainer had apparently been extremely skilled, for they had won with ease.

Metagross first met that Trainer, when Groudon and Kyogre were awoken from their slumber.

He was a boy with unruly white hair, held up hastily by a green headband. Steven seemed to see himself in that boy, because Metagross did not miss the half-wistful, nostalgic fog that descended on his face whenever after he talked to the boy. After the crisis was over, Steven admitted to Metagross that the young Trainer—Brendan was his name—had a lot of potential to become the Champion. Metagross decided to pay attention to that boy from then on, because its master's predictions about these kinds of things were usually correct.

And indeed, Brendan reached the status of Champion. Around that time, Steven had once again become restless in the world of light and noise. He gathered his original team of six, and descended with them, once more, into unexplored depths of a cave—Meteor Falls. Before they went though, Steven took one of his many Beldums and placed its Pokeball, in a rather ceremonious manner, on his desk in his house. Next to it, he placed a brief note. Noticing Metagross's stare, the rock maniac had shrugged and said simply, with a light and sheepish grin on his face. "A lot of people barge into my house randomly, especially while I'm gone. I'm sure he's among them."

(That was true though—Pokemon Trainers had a curious habit of walking into other humans' residencies without knocking, let alone calling beforehand. There were several occasions in which Metagross chased away random people who entered Steven's house at night while he slept.)

Metagross remembered their defeat extremely well. Aggron had just located another Moon Stone, when Brendan found them. The boy's footsteps had echoed loudly and sonorously throughout the large chamber they had dug out. Steven had been genuinely surprised, but at the same time unsurprised, at their discovery.

"Oh wow, Brendan…I'm amazed you knew where to find me."

(Metagross had to disagree with that statement, because personally, it felt that "I'd be willing to climb even waterfalls to find a rare stone" was quite an obvious hint.)

Steven had paused then, his eyes shifting from the unearthed Moon Stone to the row of Pokeballs at Brendan's belt. Metagross spotted then, the old fire blaze up in renewal.

He straightened, stretched, brushed some dirt off the front of his blazer. "Do you, uh…maybe think of me as just a rock maniac?"

Brendan had looked puzzled at the question, his head tilted in a gesture that was neither yes or no.

"No that can't be right. We battled alongside each other at the Sootopolis Space Center. You should have a very good idea about how good I am." Steven had never been an arrogant person—not like the Milotic which Skamory so detested—and even then, his tone had been placid and mild and unaggressive, even as it held a challenge.

The boy had caught the message then, his eyes widening in surprise at the prospect of battling Steven Stone. He glanced at the first Pokeball he had and then, squaring his shoulders with determination, gave a brisk and challenging nod.

Steven smiled, the thoughtful and placid look on his face , as he recalled his entire team, and then plucked Skarmory's Pokeball outwards. "Okay, Brendan, if you're going to mount a serious challenge, expect the worst!"

Metagross thought, had been the one expecting the worst. It was very good at reading humans and it could tell with a glance just how good their opponent was.

The battle was long and tedious and fierce, but the loss was inevitable too. Brandon had come prepared, with several Fire-types and his starter, a Blazikin. Metagross had fallen to a searing Blaze Kick.

After losing, Steven appeared to be in a slight state of shock. He smiled warmly, waved jauntily as Brendan departed, and then sat down with a sigh of complete bewilderment.

"We lost," He had said in a tone that wasn't happy but not unhappy either.

(Skarmory had wearily lifted its head and made a sarcastic noise that could have translated as no, really?)

And then Aggron nosed forward the Moon Stone that had been found earlier, forgotten during the battle. Their master stared at it for a second before picking it up and pocketing it.

"You guys did well. Let's take a break and then keep searching. I'm sure there's more around here."

They traveled to an entirely new region after a while—a place known as "Kanto". There, Metagross encountered many new Pokemon and of course, rare stones. Dawn Stones became its favorite, because of their mysterious, hopeful luminance.

Steven went after the Steel Pokemon of the regions as well. He traded another one of his Beldums for an odd creature called a "Forretress", to a girl whom they encountered a few times earlier. Just like Brendan, she seemed to hold an inner fire, burning with great potential.

Steven never caught her name, though Metagross was curious.

(It wondered if there were many other child prodigies like her and Brendan, people who held the same mastery over Pokemon that Steven did.)

Both Latias and Latios were caught by that same girl, and soon afterwards, they returned to Hoenn.

Nowadays, Steven split his time between caves and aiding his father with their company. The air of tranquility he carried about him breezed airily around. They spent their days digging for stones unhurriedly, traversing familiar routes of the overland and the underworld of caves few were aware of, and occasionally battling one another in sparks of glory from old and new days.

Now all of Steven's Pokemon were well-behaved. He still kept a large army of Beldum whom were not too bright. They hovered about, carrying rocks to and fro, obeying the familiar voice of their Trainer and not thinking too much about anything else. But then Metagross was not one to judge, as he had once been one of those Beldum. And then those memories would come rushing back, memories of battling and exploring and nights spent in comfortable company searching for stones.

(It seemed a long time ago, but there would always be new memories to make.)

Owari

So there we are. I hope that was entertaining. I know Steven's line of "the Sootapolis Space Center" is a mistake in the game, but whatever. I'm sure there's a million other mistakes around, but meh.