"Hehe~ haha~ I finally have a Pokémon too~ Swellow, nice to meet you! My name is Takao—please take care of me from now on!"
Having successfully captured Swellow, Takao—under Liam's help—first healed its injuries and restored its stamina. After that, he let Swellow perch on his arm. As they continued walking toward Meteor Falls, he chatted with it happily, trying to build a bond.
"Swellow~"
Swellow responded affectionately.
As mentioned before, Swellow is a Pokémon with a strong sense of pride—but at the same time, it is also extremely loyal. Now that it had been captured by Takao, even though Takao hadn't defeated it with his own strength, Swellow would still stay by his side without hesitation.
Liam could tell—Takao genuinely loved Pokémon. Under his care, Swellow would surely live well.
Since they were traveling on foot, Liam and Takao weren't moving very quickly. It took them an entire day before they finally made their way out of the coastal forest.
"Look! Liam, look! That's the Meteor Mountain Range! Meteor Falls is somewhere inside those mountains. But from here on, things will get tough."
"We'll have to enter the mountains. The falls are deep inside, so we'll need to cross several peaks. That's not going to be easy—it'll take quite a bit of time."
Takao had clearly been here before and was familiar with the terrain. Upon seeing the endless mountain range ahead, he turned with a bitter smile and explained.
Liam, however, lowered his head slightly in thought.
Previously, Steven had told him that once he reached this mountain range, he could simply use a flying Pokémon to search from above—it would be far more convenient.
So—
"I don't think it needs to be that troublesome. Come out—Aerodactyl!"
"ROAR!!"
With a thunderous cry, Aerodactyl's massive body appeared behind Liam! Its wings spread wide as it roared into the sky!
Night had already fallen. A bright full moon hung in the sky like a jade plate. Under its brilliant light, most of the stars were dimmed, leaving the dark sky dominated by that single glowing moon.
"Rooar~"
Under the night sky, Aerodactyl spread its wings and shot forward!
At this moment, Liam and Takao were both riding on its back. Takao clutched tightly onto the bony spikes along Aerodactyl's back, his face completely pale.
"Mr. Takao? Are you alright? Can you check where we are now?"
Thanks to the bright moonlight illuminating the mountains below, the terrain was clearly visible even at night.
Meanwhile, Liam had already activated his navigation system. A location marked as the entrance to Meteor Falls had just entered its scan range—but to avoid suspicion, he asked Takao first.
"W-wait, let me… let me see…"
Hearing Liam's question, Takao forced himself to open his eyes, nervously leaning forward to glance at the mountains below.
"Huh? This is… we're almost there! It's just ahead!"
After a brief pause of confusion, Takao quickly confirmed their location.
"Oh? Already there? Aerodactyl, slow down—lower your altitude."
"Rooar~"
Liam patted Aerodactyl as he gave the command. Aerodactyl let out a low growl, tilted its body, and descended rapidly!
The sudden drop caused Takao to scream continuously in panic.
Aerodactyl gradually descended from the sky, approaching their destination.
They had now reached what could be considered the very center of the Meteor Mountain Range—and Meteor Falls was right before them.
"Rooar~"
With a low call, Aerodactyl landed smoothly on a mid-mountain platform.
There was a natural platform halfway up the mountain, and the entrance to the interior passage lay right there.
"I—I'm finally on the ground! That—terrified me!"
As soon as they dismounted, Takao' legs gave out. He collapsed to his knees, trembling, his face still pale with lingering fear.
"Uh… are you okay, Mr. Takao…?"
Liam looked at him speechlessly before reaching out to help him up.
"Ahem… Liam, do you see that entrance over there? That's the entrance to Meteor Falls. I didn't expect we'd get here this fast… it was convenient, sure—but I really don't want to experience that again…"
Still weak, Takao pointed toward the entrance not far away, forcing a bitter smile.
"Oh? That's Meteor Falls inside? Then what should we do now, Mr. Takao? Go in and take a look?"
Liam was already itching to explore—clearly unable to wait any longer.
"Uh…"
But Takao' condition clearly wasn't great.
He looked down at his still trembling legs and gave a helpless smile.
"Liam… how about we rest here for tonight? We've already made it this far—there's no need to rush, right?"
Liam: "…"
Looking at Takao shaking all over, Liam felt a bit helpless. He knew Takao wasn't in any condition to continue.
But at the same time—now that he had finally arrived here, there was no way Liam could suppress his urge to explore.
So—
"In that case, Mr. Takao, you rest here tonight. I'll go inside and take a look on my own."
Liam helped Takao sit on a nearby rock before speaking.
"Huh? That…"
Takao immediately looked worried, clearly concerned about Liam going in alone.
"Hehe, don't worry. I'm a trainer—I'm pretty strong. Nothing will happen to me in there."
"And I'm just going in to take a look. If I find any meteorites, I'll bring them out for you."
Liam patted Takao on the shoulder reassuringly.
"…Alright. Then be careful, Liam. Don't get hurt."
After a moment of hesitation, Takao reluctantly agreed.
"Don't worry. I'll be back soon."
Liam smiled and nodded. Then he stood up, recalled Aerodactyl into its PokeBall, and walked straight into the cave entrance alone.