Aurore suddenly noticed something—
The surroundings had grown brighter.
She turned—
And froze.
The frozen Steelix was now wrapped in a faint golden glow.
Cracks spread across the ice encasing it—
On the verge of shattering.
"Roooar!!"
With another furious roar—
The ice exploded.
What emerged—
Was something entirely different.
A Mega Steelix.
Its body had grown even larger.
Around its neck floated six clusters of metallic fragments, rotating slowly.
Its eyes shifted from red to blue.
Six sharp, fang-like protrusions appeared along its jaw.
The rod-like structures along its body had transformed into crystalline, diamond-like material—
Even its tail gleamed like polished crystal.
And along its segments—
Blue hexagonal patterns pulsed faintly.
"…Self Mega Evolution?!" Aurore gasped.
Her heart pounded.
This—
Was unmistakably Mega Evolution.
And yet—
This Steelix had no trainer.
No Mega Stone.
A Mega-Evolved Steelix could rival Champion-tier power.
And in its current enraged state—
Even a peak Champion might struggle against it.
"Roooar! Roooar!"
Steelix shot Darmanitan a vicious glare—
Then turned and left.
Even in its enhanced state—
It knew.
It was no match for the Mamoswine.
Staying here was pointless.
Meanwhile—
Ethan rode atop Metagross, heading north at high speed.
After over ten minutes—
He finally spotted them.
A group of people.
And with them—
A restrained shiny Onix.
No need to think.
That was Steelix's child.
"Metagross—use Psychic."
"Take back the Onix. Restrain all of them."
No questions needed.
No negotiations.
With poachers—
Talking was an insult to Pokémon.
The moment the group saw Metagross descending from above—
They panicked.
And ran.
But carrying a captured Onix—
There was no escape.
Metagross hovered overhead.
Its psychic force surged—
Locking all of them in place.
Their bodies froze.
Unable to move.
Freed from control—
Onix immediately turned and fled.
Moments ago, it had been happily digging and eating rocks—
Until it was suddenly captured.
Dragged away without even a chance to resist.
It had already begun to think—
It would never see its mother again.
"…Hey. Running pretty fast, huh?"
Ethan followed calmly.
He wasn't in a hurry.
But Onix was.
This human—
Was strong.
Too strong.
Even if he wasn't attacking—
Just following was enough to make it panic.
"Hey," Ethan called out.
"I'm here to help you. Why are you running?"
"If I wanted to catch you, do you really think you could escape?"
Onix slowed slightly.
That…
Actually made sense.
When those people caught it—
It couldn't resist at all.
Compared to them—
This human was even stronger.
"Roooar!!"
Suddenly—
A familiar roar echoed ahead.
Onix's eyes lit up.
Its mother.
It rushed forward eagerly.
Ethan also saw Steelix approaching.
Good.
Problem solved.
Or so he thought.
Because the next moment—
Everything went sideways.
Steelix didn't stop.
It bypassed Onix—
And charged straight at Ethan.
Spinning mid-air—
It lashed out with a massive Iron Tail.
Metagross reacted instantly.
Psychic force surged—
Freezing Steelix in place.
"…Wait."
Ethan narrowed his eyes.
"…It Mega Evolved?"
Now that it was restrained—
He could clearly see it.
This wasn't the same Steelix as before.
This was—
A Mega Steelix.
But that made no sense.
It had no trainer.
No Mega Stone.
"…And it can still Mega Evolve?"
"Roooar!"
Steelix struggled, still growling fiercely.
"Alright, enough," Ethan said calmly.
"I saved your kid—and this is how you repay me?"
"These people—are the ones who took it."
He gestured.
Metagross released Steelix—
And tossed the poachers in front of it.
"Please! Spare us!"
"We'll go with you! We'll accept punishment—just don't—"
They didn't get to finish.
Steelix wasn't interested in mercy.
Its massive steel tail swung down.
BOOM!
The poachers—
And their Pokémon—
Were sent flying.
Their screams faded into the distance.
Whether they survived—
Was anyone's guess.
But one thing was certain—
They had just experienced human flight.
"…Alright," Ethan said, waving his hand.
"Take your kid and go."
"And stop fighting Darmanitan. It's just here for the show."
Steelix let out a low rumble—
Almost like a thank you.
Then turned—
And left with Onix.
Ethan watched them disappear into the distance.
"…What a shame."
That Steelix—
Was incredible.
Not just because it was shiny.
Not just because it was powerful.
But because—
It could Mega Evolve on its own.
Even if temporary—
That wasn't something just any Pokémon could do.
"…If I caught it, I'd have to take the kid too."
He sighed.
Both of them—
Were rare.
But then—
He glanced at Metagross beside him.
"…Forget it."
"I've already got you."
"Maybe they'll find a trainer who suits them better."
And just like that—
Ethan let the opportunity go.
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