"Everyone, come out!"
Feng Che released all the Pokémon currently on his person, with the exception of the sleeping Rowlet and the Ultimate Genesect.
He looked with excitement at the swarming army of Onix. Among them were no shortage of Quasi-Heavenly King and even Heavenly King-rank specimens. To him, this was a massive, walking bundle of experience points. At the forefront, the Super-Giant Onix was a formidable High-Heavenly King-tier beast.
Feng Che's Pokémon were already itching for a fight. The battle erupted instantly.
With a thunderous war cry from the Super-Giant Onix, the swarm surged forward like a tidal wave, fueled by a primal frenzy. The sheer number of Onix in the cavern—hundreds, perhaps a thousand—made for a truly spectacular and terrifying sight as they launched their collective assault.
Ditto's body rippled and split, transforming into two Genesect. It unleashed Mirror Shot, firing six pillars of silvery-white light into the front lines of the charging Onix. A series of deafening explosions followed, and a whole row of Onix was blasted off their feet.
However, this didn't deter the swarm. Instead, even more Onix surged forward, trampling over their fallen kin.
Greninja and Gyarados worked in tandem to activate Rain Dance. Instantly, a torrential downpour flooded the cavern. The Onix, naturally weak to water, began to shy away from the drenching rain, their combat effectiveness dropping sharply.
Incineroar and Ninetales entered a state of burning fury, using their combined heat to liquefy the cavern floor into pools of glowing magma. Onix began falling into the lava like dumplings into a pot. They thrashed and groaned in agony as the liquid fire scorched their stony hides. Before long, dozens of them fainted and sank into the molten lake.
If these Onix can survive the torture of the magma, there's a slight chance they could evolve into Steelix in the future, Feng Che mused.
Corviknight used the steel plating of its wings to reflect and amplify light into a metallic version of Mirror Shot. A rain of silver steel-shards fell across the cave, cratering the ground and knocking out waves of Onix in a single sweep.
Venusaur extended hundreds of vines, each strike precise enough to drop an Onix with a single whip. Sirfetch'd became a white blur, weaving through the rocky giants, its green Leaf Blade carving through stone like butter.
Aerodactyl roared from above, raining down Hyper Beams. Thanks to its ancestral bloodline, it suffered no recharge delay after the massive attacks. Feng Che's Deino unleashed Draco Meteor, calling down a storm of dragon-infused meteors from the cavern ceiling.
The Deino was long overdue for evolution, but Feng Che was suppressing the urge. He wanted this Deino to inherit the legacy of the Tao Trio (Reshiram, Zekrom, and Kyurem), so that its three heads could eventually master the powers of Fire, Lightning, and Frost.
Flygon slammed into the ground with a devastating Earthquake, splitting the earth beneath the swarm. Countless Onix were swallowed by the widening fissures, disappearing into the dark without a sound.
Despite the carnage, Feng Che noticed something strange: the Super-Giant Onix hadn't moved. It sat silently, watching its kin be decimated by Feng Che's team with total indifference. Then, Feng Che caught a metallic glint near the giant's tail.
Super-Giant Onix: Curse you... I am just moments away from my final metamorphosis. I am becoming something greater.
Super-Giant Onix: My kin, hold on for me.
"Metamorphosis? Is it evolving into a Steelix?" Feng Che thought, his eyes lighting up. "Mt. Chamia is rich in Ultra-Pure Iron. If it evolves here, it will be plated in the thickest, purest steel armor imaginable. Now that is a Pokémon worth catching."
Scizor became a streak of red light. Wherever it passed, an Onix would collapse with a distinct fist-print embedded in its skull. Alolan Ninetales summoned a Blizzard, flash-freezing the stragglers into solid ice statues, their eyes the only things still moving. Togekiss used Metronome, which coincidentally rolled into Doom Desire—beams of light rained down, clearing a massive area of the cavern.
Suddenly, the Super-Giant Onix shifted. Huge chunks of rock began to slough off its body.
Underneath the stone was a shimmering, silver-white suit of natural armor. Once the last of the rocks fell away, the giant—originally over a hundred meters long and rivaling Eternatus in scale—compacted itself.
A magnificent Steelix now stood before Feng Che, roughly fifty meters long but infinitely more dense. The cross-shaped scar on its face had vanished, replaced by smooth, polished alloy. Its body was silver-grey, its eyes a predatory red, and its tail ended in a massive, jagged nail. Its jaw, forged by the extreme heat and pressure of the deep earth, looked capable of crushing mountains.
The Steelix opened its maw and unleashed a ferocious Dragon Breath. The purple energy tore through the cavern, causing massive sections of the ceiling to collapse.
"Alolan Ninetales, Togekiss! Front and center! Use Dazzling Gleam!"
The two Pokémon rushed forward, releasing a blinding burst of fairy light. The light collided with the Dragon Breath in a colossal explosion, sending shockwaves through the cave.
"Incineroar, use Precipice Blades!"
Incineroar pulled two massive blades of glowing magma from the earth and hurled them at the Steelix's joints. The giant roared in pain as the liquid fire seared the gaps in its armor.
"Now, Incineroar! Fire Blast!"
Incineroar's belt erupted, firing a white-hot fireball that bloomed into the shape of the kanji for "Fire" (大). The flames filled the upper reaches of the cavern.
The Steelix looked up at the approaching heat and used its immense weight to launch a Heavy Slam.
BOOM!
The resulting shockwave caused the mountain to tremble. Huge boulders fell, crushing what was left of the Onix swarm. The Heavy Slam was so powerful it effectively wiped out its own kin.
Feng Che watched the fallen Onix and began throwing Poké Balls at those with the highest aptitude. Meanwhile, the Steelix began rolling across the floor, attempting to crush Feng Che's team under its weight.
"Hmph. Incineroar, turn this cavern into a Molten Hell!"
Incineroar roared as the Omega Ruby runes flared across its body. The ground beneath its feet instantly liquefied into a flowing river of lava. The magma spread rapidly across the chamber.
The Super-Giant Steelix, caught off guard, plunged into the molten lake with a splash. A deafening scream of agony followed. Even its Ultra-Pure Iron hide couldn't withstand the concentrated heat of the Primal Groudon-infused magma. It thrashed desperately, its body glowing red from the heat.
Every time it tried to climb out, Incineroar would leap up and kick it back down. After several attempts, the Steelix's stamina was completely spent. It let out a final, weak roar before its massive form began to sink.
"Go, Heavy Ball!"
Feng Che hurled the black ball, hitting the Steelix just before it vanished beneath the surface. The giant was sucked in, and the ball bounced back to a piece of solid ground. After a few tense moments, the click signaled a successful capture.
Feng Che has captured the King of Mt. Chamia. Should he now leave the mountain to report the "successful" mission, or use his new Steelix to clear out the remaining hidden "Special Investigators" lingering in the tunnels?