A Pokemon Problem
(31) - Darwin's Law
How did I become a Metagross?
Simple:
I was sick of being a Metang. It wasn't quite that simple, but that was the gist of it.
Don't get me wrong, being a Metang was a million and a half times better than being a Beldum, but there was still something... lacking. Maybe it was the fact that I had to always be hovering: I could never just stand around and do nothing—I always had to be doing something. Or maybe it was because I was simply jealous of not being the best that I could be, while everyone else had already reached their apex. Hard to say.
Regardless, I wanted an upgrade. I wanted to be a Metagross, and there wasn't anything that could stand in my way.
Well... I shouldn't say that, because something certainly did block access to what should've been a moderately challenging acquisition of one of the rarest metals in Equestria, and instead turned into one of the most frantic fights for survival that I've ever been in.
/\/\/
It took several years of on-and-off research and pondering to figure out why I wasn't evolving. I was well aware that each of us evolved in different ways, such as Seth by being a glutton, Miranda by amount of willpower, and Ryder by—
Never mind. I forgot that we don't talk about him. Moving on...
Anyway, I knew that I evolved by consuming certain types of metals. My transformation from a Beldum to a Metang was due to consuming pure iron ore and a rare type of semi-liquid metal called vilidium. With that knowledge in mind, I searched the farthest corners of Equestria, and even forayed into gryphon territory once to obtain a sample of a very specific metal that I thought would help me evolve.
No such luck.
No matter what I ate, however, I never evolved. Of course, with me being me, I thought that I'd just have to try every single type of freaking metal that existed, and I'd eventually find the magically substance that unlocked the secret to my evolution. I had the time, I figured, so why not use it?
Eventually, through whispered word and by the helpful recommendation by a certain shaman, I found that there was a dragon older than almost any other creature in Equestria and the lands beyond. Apparently, this dragon had overseen the last three Ages, which included Discord's Age of Chaos and whatever the Age before that was called (nobody seemed to remember the name; that's how long ago it was). And, supposedly, this dragon had the last few shards of an ancient meteoric metal in its hoard—the only metal that I hadn't yet partaken in.
So, with me still being me, I threw caution to the wind and made my way to the distant reaches of the Frozen North.
/\/\/
It was really cold there. I'm serious: even I felt the chill through my metallic body. It wasn't so much a cold-cold as it was an energy-draining, lethargy-inducing cold. I felt sapped of energy the moment I entered what the ponies called the 'Deadlands,' which was the vast, empty expanse of ice located between the last of the settled land in central Equestria and the first of the Crystal Mountains.
It was aptly named: not a single living thing was present in that barren wasteland—me included, if you want to get technical.
After passing through the expanse, I floated for what felt like days searching for a massive, unnatural cave hollowed out of the side of one of the tallest mountains in the range. When I actually found the mountain, the word tall did it no justice; it was easily the single most gargantuan thing I had ever laid eyes upon, whether it was on Earth or in Equestria. I was to the mountain what an ant was to a skyscraper.
The cave itself wasn't that hard to find. Even though I was partially blinded by the whipping wind and stinging sleet, the massive, gaping hole in the side wasn't hard to miss. Seeing as how I had made it that far, I was determined to take it all the way.
I flew into the cave without a backwards glance.
/\/\/
I remember the cave being pitch black and unwelcoming. Actually, scratch that: openly hostile was a much better term. With sharp stalactites and stalagmites all pointed towards me, as well as the discarded skeletons of beasts much larger than I dotting the floor, the place screamed danger and may as well have had a sign that said, 'Turn back now if you want to live.'
Should I have turned back? Yes, absolutely.
Did I turn back? Nay, of course not.
Pushing past the pointed calcium deposits and ice-coated remains, I delved deeper. It certainly looked huge on the outside, but it was even bigger on the inside, much like some wholesale warehouse stores. Despite the size, it wasn't a complex interior. In fact, there were no tunnels, side passages, or anything of the sort: the entirety of the cave was a huge, fishbowl-shaped chunk taken from the heart of the mountain.
As I continued hovering, I felt more than saw where my quarry was. Just like all those years ago when I was but a Beldum stumbling around in a cave, I felt an attraction to the metal, like it was calling me. I eagerly accepted the siren's song.
Before long, I came to a clearing. There was a pile of gold, jewels, precious stones, and many other valuable objects that would put Xerxes to shame in a heap maybe a hundred feet tall, and probably double that wide. A chuck of meteorite with veins of glowing, silver metal was located towards the bottom. To me, it glowed like a supernova.
Naturally, there was a dragon the size of Canterlot wrapped around it, dark purple scales gleaming in the low-light conditions.
Now, when I say the size of Canterlot, I mean it: the thing could've used me as a miniature nail file.
When the dragon opened its eye and looked at me, I was paralyzed in fear. If eyes were the gateway to the soul, then the dragon didn't have one, because it felt like I was being pulled into a bottomless abyss. Was I really trying to obtain the single most rare and valuable metal in Equestria from that?! Was I mad?!
And then the dragon spoke. Its voice was like the sound of a thousand waterfalls crashing down on my head combined with the vibrations of nine-point-nine earthquake on the Richter Scale.
"WHO DARES DISTURB MY SLUMBER."
It didn't ask a question, because questions could be ignored; it ordered me to tell it what it wanted to know, and I was powerless to say no.
In the aftermath of the creature's impossibly powerful voice, my mental words were but a whisper in a hurricane.
"My name is James, and I am the one who disturbed your slumber."
My voice was working on autopilot at this point. Good thing I didn't stutter.
"WHY."
"There is a meteorite, a space-rock, that is part of your hoard. I require the metal residing within that meteorite."
I don't know what caused me to be so blatant about it. Maybe it had something to do with having nothing left to lose. Nothing attempted, nothing gained, I guess.
"WHY DO YOU REQUIRE THIS METAL."
"To become better. To grow. To... evolve."
The dragon was silent for a long time after that. During the entire wait, its eye never left me, nor did it blink.
When it did speak, however, I was not prepared for the answer.
"IT HAS BEEN A VERY LONG TIME SINCE ANY BEING HAS COME HERE. MOST SEEK WEALTH, FAME, OR POWER. NOT YOU. YOU SEEK WHAT IS RIGHTFULLY YOURS; YOU SEEK EQUILIBRIUM. TAKE THE METAL. MAKE USE OF IT. DO NOT FALTER WHEN YOU ARE NEEDED."
With that, the dragon closed its eye once more. Shaken and disturbed by what the dragon could possibly mean by such a statement, I grabbed the meteorite and left. Only when I was well out of the Crystal Mountains and back in the Badlands did I consume the metal, space-rock and all.
And that is how I became a Metagross.