The Psychic wave rippled outward, and the Team Magma grunts' hands froze mid-air.
Their eyes widened with terror.
Steven smiled slightly as he retrieved Scizor's Poké Ball from his waist.
"Go, Scizor!"
A crimson figure darted forward like lightning, leaving several streaks of light through the man-made corridor.
Accompanied by the sound of bodies hitting the ground, the Team Magma grunts collapsed one after another.
Where Scizor stood, unconscious Team Magma grunts lay scattered everywhere.
Clang!
The Metagross beneath Steven reverted from its Mega Evolution.
"Let's conserve our energy for now."
Even with the Trainers stationed outside, Team Magma still vastly outnumbered them.
While Metagross alone could break through their defenses, Steven considered the stamina consumption and chose to have Scizor and Metagross work in tandem instead.
Steven proceeded unhindered through the passage.
After traversing the corridor, Steven arrived at a spacious open area.
Numerous instruments and equipment filled the space, and three figures stood waiting.
It seemed they had been expecting his arrival.
"It's you again!"
One of the three—a heavyset man—shouted at Steven with a face full of resentment.
"Oh! If it isn't the big guy himself." Steven placed one hand on his hip, his expression thoroughly relaxed.
He didn't believe Tabitha's strength would pose any threat to him now.
Even before, it hadn't made any difference.
Among the three, besides the corpulent Tabitha, there was another man and a woman.
"Is this the youngster who made you stumble?" The young man wore a red hooded cloak, his bangs obscuring his right eye.
Courtney smiled slightly.
"That's only because I wasn't using my full power!" Tabitha retorted defensively.
"You weren't using your full power~"
The purple-haired woman in the hood beside him repeated Tabitha's words in a mocking tone.
"Alright, alright, don't let him disturb Lord Maxie."
"Courtney! What are you being sarcastic about?!" Tabitha flared up immediately.
"I'm not being sarcastic." Courtney shrugged, spreading her hands with feigned helplessness.
"Yes, you are!"
Just as Courtney was about to respond again, her expression suddenly turned ice-cold!
She abruptly hurled a Poké Ball forward.
Bang!
A sturdy Camerupt materialized instantly!
BANG—
Courtney's Camerupt was repelled by a single devastating punch from Metagross, sliding over ten meters across the ground until it crashed into the stone wall and finally stopped.
"Well, I saw you two chatting away, so I assumed you were here to be knocked out."
Steven smiled slightly, a hint of mock apology in his tone.
However, it came across more as taunting.
"Alright, let's deal with him first." Courtney stepped forward at this moment, raising the Poké Ball clutched tightly in her hand.
Thump-thump-thump—
Countless footsteps echoed from behind Steven, blocking both his forward and backward routes.
"I'm wondering... in this enclosed environment, can your Metagross and Scizor really hold out?" Courtney began slowly.
"Would you like to find out?"
Steven remained utterly unfazed, his face still bearing a confident and composed smile.
Courtney frowned.
Could he still have hidden trump cards?
Among the Team Magma grunts positioned at the rear, a black-haired girl quietly pulled down her hood.
She subtly retreated to one side of the back line.
Bang bang bang—
Steven listened to the continuous sounds of Poké Balls opening around him, his expression unchanging.
He estimated Wallace would arrive soon.
Indeed, these villains always love to waste time talking.
"Attack!" Courtney commanded!
Steven expertly leaped onto Metagross's head, retrieving a Poké Ball to recall Scizor from the ground.
Metagross rapidly ascended.
The anticipated scene of raging flames never materialized.
Instead, a massive tidal wave surged through the passage entrance!
Engulfing the Team Magma grunts and their Pokémon positioned behind Steven!
"Phew!" Steven released a breath of relief, looking at the elegant figure who arrived riding a Milotic.
Thankfully, Wallace didn't have a habit of arriving at precisely the last second.
On the opposite side, Courtney stood atop her Crobat, supporting both Tabitha and the third executive.
However, Tabitha's large frame proved too much, so Courtney could only ensure he wouldn't be swept away by the water.
"Wallace, the Sootopolis City Gym Leader."
Courtney regarded the newcomer, her expression quite grim.
"Are you alright, Steven?" Wallace arrived and immediately checked on Steven's condition.
"What could possibly happen to me, Wallace?"
Metagross lowered its altitude, positioning itself beside Wallace.
Steven chuckled lightly.
"I still think that was a bit reckless on your part." Seeing that Steven didn't have a single scratch, Wallace smiled as well.
The Surf unleashed by a Champion-level Milotic had knocked out a massive number of opponents in one sweep.
If not for the "human wall" absorbing most of the attack's impact, Courtney's Crobat might have already been floating on the water with swirly eyes.
"Leave the cleanup here to me, Wallace. You go find Maxie first." Steven's smile faded as he spoke seriously.
"Right." Wallace nodded, riding Milotic to bypass the three disheveled executives and continue deeper into the base.
Steven, mounted on Metagross, blocked the cave entrance while smiling at the three bedraggled figures standing in the water.
Wait—no, there were four people.
Steven only just noticed that in a certain corner, another Team Magma member was riding a Salamence, having successfully avoided Milotic's Surf.
That person seemed to pose a far greater threat than the three executives.
Metagross's gaze locked onto that Salamence.
Its expression suggested it was facing a formidable opponent.
"A Mega Stone?!" Steven realized this only after noticing Metagross's reaction.
Around that Salamence's neck hung a Mega Stone!
"When did Team Magma acquire someone like this?" Steven narrowed his eyes, muttering to himself.
Moreover, it was supposedly just a grunt?!
However, from their demeanor, that individual didn't seem to have any intention of attacking yet.
After Milotic departed, the water in the area quickly evaporated and vanished.
Steven summoned Scizor again, intending to quickly dispatch these three executives.
With Wallace's earlier assistance, Steven found it exceptionally easy to handle them.
Regardless of how much damage they themselves sustained, they proved no match for the combined assault of Scizor and Metagross.
After defeating the three executives, Steven shifted his attention to the girl riding Salamence on the opposite side.
"So, what will it be? Are you going to battle me, or not?" Steven broke the tense silence first.
"I don't want to fight you." The girl's voice was cold, devoid of emotion.
"But..."
"Groudon must awaken!"
Steven paused. Why must Groudon awaken?
That reasoning seemed oddly specific...
"Why?"
The only response Steven received was silence.
After a prolonged moment, the girl sighed softly and tore off her Team Magma uniform.
Revealing a black cloak underneath, the Key Stone worn at her ankle began glowing brilliantly.
"Salamence, Mega Evolve!"
As the girl's voice rang out, Salamence's body erupted with white light!
As the white light dispersed, a fleeting rainbow-colored pattern appeared momentarily before Salamence.
Salamence's wings twisted and fused together due to the overwhelming energy, forming a massive crescent-shaped wing.
Its head, neck, and torso became more streamlined, its limbs shortened considerably, and its tail grew long and slender.
It appeared to have evolved into a form optimized for aerial combat.
Mega Salamence's eyes locked onto Metagross intensely—it didn't dare lower its guard.
"It seems this will be a Mega Evolution battle between two pseudo-legendary Pokémon of the Hoenn Region."
Steven was no longer as relaxed as before, his expression turning serious.
Lightly touching the Key Stone embedded on the back of his left hand, he declared in a resolute voice:
"Metagross, Mega Evolve!"