Today, Steven witnessed something he had never seen before.
The moment the wind-infused sand shuriken collided with Mega Metagross's Protect barrier, the razor-sharp cutting force began tearing into the shield violently.
A sharp, glass-like cracking sound echoed through the air.
Steven's eyes widened.
"Impossible…!"
Protect was known as absolute defense.
Was it really about to break?
Seeing Steven's stunned expression, Sam curled his lips slightly.
"The strongest defense is offense," he said calmly. "That's what you taught me, Steven."
Sam had long realized something—
Any technique labeled "absolute defense" usually existed only to highlight the overwhelming power of the opponent's attack.
Protect was no exception.
But Steven's reaction speed was terrifying.
The moment he realized Protect wouldn't hold, he immediately changed tactics.
"Mega Metagross — Zen Headbutt! Strike it head-on!"
If defense failed—
Then overwhelm it with offense.
Mega Metagross surged forward, its steel body wrapped in psychic force. Using the hardest part of its skull, it smashed directly into the incoming sand shuriken.
The collision triggered an explosion.
In an instant—
Blinding light pierced the sky.
The violent energies twisted together, compressing into a terrifying singularity before detonating outward.
A massive crimson sphere formed in midair, glowing like a second sun. It swallowed the sky in red, then shifted into blazing cyan as energy erupted violently from its core.
The shockwave swept across the forest.
Trees were obliterated the moment they made contact with the expanding force, reduced to ash in seconds.
Sam and Steven had already retreated at full speed.
Even so, both wore grim expressions.
They hadn't expected the clash to escalate to this level.
Thunder-like roars echoed across the heavens.
The sky flickered with silver-white arcs of electricity as if the world itself were being torn apart.
When the shockwave finally faded—
The surrounding forest was gone.
Only devastation remained.
Sam and Steven looked at each other.
They were in trouble.
Fuchsia Forest had just been heavily damaged.
If the authorities traced this back to them—
The compensation alone might bankrupt them.
Without another word, they understood.
"Tyranitar, return!"
"Mega Metagross, return!"
The two recalled their Pokémon and fled immediately.
No hesitation.
No farewell.
Just pure survival instinct.
---
Not long after they left—
Koga, the Gym Leader of Fuchsia City, arrived with his daughter Janine.
The earlier explosion had been impossible to ignore.
As the protector of the city, Koga had rushed over immediately.
Janine stared at the ruined battlefield in disbelief.
"Father… what happened here?"
The once dense forest had been erased.
The ground was cracked and scorched.
This was no ordinary battle.
Koga remained silent.
He didn't need to see the combatants.
From the scale of destruction alone, he could estimate their level.
Even he—
Might not win in a head-on confrontation.
He exhaled slowly.
At least the culprits had left. That suggested no hostile intent toward Fuchsia City.
Still…
Restoring this damage would not be easy.
The Fuchsia Gym was about to become very busy.
---
Far away from the forest—
After confirming no one was chasing them, Sam finally let out a long breath.
If he had been caught, he might have spent years paying off damages.
He wasn't foolishly stubborn.
Sometimes—
Running away was the smartest move.
And honestly?
It felt strangely thrilling.
After today's battle, Sam had a much clearer understanding of a true Champion's strength.
Steven's Mega Metagross stood at the very top of the world's combat hierarchy.
Aside from legendary beings like Mewtwo, Deoxys, Ho-Oh, or Lugia—
Mega Metagross could practically walk the world unchallenged.
Yet—
Tyranitar, empowered to its limits, had not been completely overwhelmed.
That meant something.
It meant Sam had finally stepped into the realm of true power.
But he wasn't satisfied.
Steven likely had more than one Champion-level Pokémon.
Compared to him, Sam's team was still uneven.
Tyranitar alone wasn't enough.
The others needed to reach at least Elite level.
He exhaled slowly.
There was still a long road ahead.
---
Arrival at Dark City
Dark City lay between the Safari Zone and Cinnabar Island.
Small.
Remote.
Unstable.
Unlike Saffron City, it couldn't even support two official Gyms.
Yet two Gyms existed there—
Kaz Gym and Yas Gym.
Both were determined to become the city's official Gym and monopolize its resources.
They fought constantly.
Publicly.
Violently.
The residents suffered.
When Sam first entered Dark City, he thought he had walked into an abandoned village.
If not for the weathered sign reading "Dark City," he would have assumed he had taken the wrong path.
The air itself felt heavy.
This place—
Was waiting for change.
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