"..."
The atmosphere suddenly became extremely awkward. Liam, Joseph, and Wilma all found themselves at a loss for words, only able to stare at one another in silence.
"Ah… honestly, I really don't understand how someone with your brain manages such a massive business empire. Forget it, forget it. Champion, just pretend you didn't hear that idiot's nonsense. Let's talk about something else instead—like why the Champion came here in the first place?"
Wilma helplessly covered her face and shook her head before turning to Liam with a question.
"Ahem, yes. I'm curious too. Yesterday, Joseph already mentioned that the Champion might come here, but I didn't expect you to arrive this quickly. Is there something you need here? Is there anything we can help with?"
Joseph also asked enthusiastically.
Liam: "..."
Faced with such an obvious attempt to change the subject, Liam ultimately decided to just go along with it.
"I came to Meteor Falls for one reason—the meteorites."
Liam directly revealed his purpose.
"Hm? The Champion is interested in meteorites too? Ah, forgive my rudeness, but may I ask what you intend to do with them?"
Wilma frowned slightly after hearing Liam's answer.
"Hehe, don't worry, Wilma. I'm not planning to use them for anything bad. In fact, I don't even need to take the meteorites away. I simply want this gemstone of mine to absorb a certain kind of energy contained within them."
Liam spoke openly and casually took out the Core Crystal in his hand, showing it to Joseph and Wilma.
"This gemstone? Is there something special about it? I consider myself somewhat of an expert when it comes to stones, but I've never seen anything like this before. And if it absorbs the so-called energy inside meteorites… what exactly would happen?"
Joseph stared intently at the Core Crystal, curiosity evident in his eyes.
"Hehe, that's not something I can really explain. It's my secret, after all. But don't worry—it won't bring any harm to Hoenn."
Liam replied with a smile.
Joseph: "..."
Wilma: "Since the Champion says so, then we won't pry any further. We trust the Champion's word."
Joseph still looked somewhat hesitant, but Wilma immediately expressed her trust.
"Mm, thank you both for your trust."
Liam nodded in appreciation.
"It's simply mutual trust. We believe the Champion wouldn't do anything excessive."
Wilma continued.
"That's only natural."
Liam responded.
"Alright then, we'll leave it at that. Champion, please make yourself at home here. If you need any help, just let us know. We'll be taking our leave now."
As Wilma spoke, Dragonite had already lowered one of its claws. Wilma stepped onto it, clearly preparing to depart.
"Uh… please wait a moment."
Seeing Wilma about to leave, Liam suddenly spoke up.
"Hm? Does the Champion need something else?"
Wilma, halfway onto Dragonite's back, looked down at Liam.
"Hehe, as I said earlier, I came here for meteorites. But as you can see, I've searched around for quite a while and haven't found a single one. You two have been here for some time already—do you know where the meteorites are? If you do, would you mind telling me?"
Liam had spent a long time searching with no results whatsoever. Already somewhat irritated, he finally decided to ask Joseph and Wilma directly.
"This..."
After hearing Liam's question, Wilma hesitated. Then she glanced back at Joseph, who was currently struggling with all his might to climb up Dragonite's tail. A row of black lines instantly appeared across Wilma's forehead before she turned back toward Liam.
"To be honest… despite being here this long, we haven't seen a single meteorite either."
"What? You haven't seen any either? Then where did all the meteorites here disappear to?"
Liam's brows immediately knitted tightly together, anxiety creeping into his voice.
"Champion, we mentioned earlier that Team Magma's meteorite fragment was stolen from a mysterious group living within Meteor Falls. Through our interactions over these past few days, we've learned they are descendants of ancient people. They've lived inside Meteor Falls since ancient times. So… it's very likely that every meteorite that has ever fallen into Meteor Falls has already been collected by them."
After a brief moment of thought, Wilma explained.
"The ancient people? Meteor Falls… Ah! Wait—could it be?!"
Only now did Liam finally remember.
Whether in the games or the manga, there had always been mention of the ancient descendants living within Meteor Falls…
They called themselves the Draconid people—descendants of the meteor folk who had lived peacefully within Meteor Falls since ancient times.
In the blink of an eye, Liam had already spent over two years in this world. After so much time, some of the memories from before his transmigration had gradually faded, whether intentionally or unintentionally.
To think he had failed to recall something this important immediately… it left Liam feeling rather helpless.
"Elite Wilma, Elite Joseph, since you've already had contact with these ancient people, could I trouble you with one thing? I'd like to meet them. Would you be willing to introduce me?"
Having remembered everything, Liam asked sincerely, lowering his posture considerably.
"This..."
Wilma hesitated once again, a trace of difficulty flashing through her narrow eyes.
"Champion, those ancient people are not exactly easy to get along with. Are you certain you want to meet them?"
"I'm certain. Please help me arrange it, Wilma."
Liam answered firmly.
"...Very well then. Champion, follow us."
Hearing the determination in Liam's voice, Wilma said no more. She patted Dragonite beneath her, signaling it to take off while motioning for Liam to follow.
"Thank you, Aerodactyl!"
Hearing Wilma agree, Liam immediately smiled brightly. He quickly released Aerodactyl, flipped onto its back, and instructed it to follow Dragonite through the air.
"Roar!"
"ROAR!"
The two massive Pokémon sped through the enormous underground cavern.
Only while flying did Liam truly realize just how vast this subterranean world really was.
Because of the limited visibility, the cavern still stretched endlessly beyond sight. Compared to the entirety of Meteor Falls, the area Liam had previously searched was probably insignificant beyond measure.
"Rooaar…"
After more than ten minutes of high-speed flight, Dragonite finally began slowing down. Its small wings beat powerfully as it gradually descended toward a hidden platform.
Aerodactyl followed close behind and landed smoothly.
"This is…"
Sliding down from Aerodactyl's back, Liam looked around curiously as he felt the smooth, level stone beneath his feet.
The place before him was clearly an artificially constructed rock platform.
It was also extremely well hidden. Jagged rocks surrounded the outer edges, and without prior knowledge, no one would ever guess such a platform existed behind those strange stone formations.
And on the inner side of the platform—there was actually a massive stone gate.
The gate blended perfectly into the surrounding cliff wall. If not for the strange ancient carvings etched into its surface, Liam might never have noticed it.
"Champion, this is the entrance to where those ancient people reside."
Still standing atop Dragonite, Wilma pointed toward the stone gate as she explained.
Liam: "…Mm. Thank you."
Liam turned and thanked Wilma before stepping toward the stone gate.
And at that moment—
GRRRRKKKKK—!!
Accompanied by an ear-piercing grinding sound of stone against stone—
The massive stone gate before Liam slowly opened on its own.