After stunning the two members of Team Magma again, hiding in a corner, Aoki and Steven walked into the cave behind them.
There was a gust of hot air blowing toward them.
This cave might be directly connected to the interior of the volcano and could even lead to the magma itself.
They disappeared into the cave.
"Aoki, let's discuss something," Steven suddenly whispered as he walked forward cautiously.
"What's the matter?" Aoki gave him a surprised look.
"Well, can I change coats? This one is a bit small." Steven tugged at Team Magma's coat helplessly.
The two Team Magma members they had just stunned were a man and a woman. Although they were both adults, the woman's coat was obviously smaller than the man's.
The corners of Aoki's eyes twitched slightly. "No!"
Why had he been the first to rush out from behind the rock? Wasn't it to make sure he could grab the man's Team Magma jacket?
Even though Team Magma's jackets were standard, it was clear that the woman's was much smaller.
Aoki and Steven were still wearing their own clothes underneath, with the coats thrown on top, making them feel tight and uncomfortable.
Only a fool would switch now!
Hearing Aoki's response, Steven felt like he had been tricked.
He was so foolish.
Truly.
He should have rushed out first.
Aoki suppressed his laughter. If Steven hadn't mentioned it, he wouldn't have even noticed how tight the coat felt.
But that wasn't important right now. What mattered was figuring out what Team Magma was planning at Mount Chimney!
...
On the other side, after Aoki and Steven sent messages to the League at the same time, an emergency meeting was held, mainly involving the Hoenn branch of the League.
Since Steven and Aoki were two of the most prominent rising figures in the League, their current situation gave some of the higher-ups a headache.
"What is there to discuss now? Just send someone there quickly," someone at the long conference table said directly.
The League had already been keeping an eye on Team Magma but hadn't acted yet, as they hadn't revealed their objective. Making a move prematurely could have disrupted their plans.
With Aoki and Steven discovering them, there was now a chance to uncover their goal.
"Also, tell those two boys to return immediately. This is no joke!" another gray-haired man added.
The person sitting at the head of the table rubbed his temples.
He was Adams, the chairman of the Hoenn League branch.
Every time he held one of these meetings, he ended up with a headache. The people in the room held high positions, yet their discussions always descended into chaos. Maybe he had spoiled them too much.
Clap! Clap!
Adams clapped his hands. "Alright, let's be practical. After those two sent their message, they ignored our response. However, their latest update said that the leader of this Team Magma operation is Butler. He isn't even at the Elite level, so there's no need to worry too much. After all, they are League prodigies; they won't be easily taken down."
Hearing that there were no Elite-level opponents, the people in the room let out sighs of relief.
Aoki was a key figure supported by the Breeder's Guild and also a Gym Leader in Verdanturf Town. His role in solidifying Hoenn's position within the League was crucial, so they couldn't afford to lose him.
Steven's status was even more significant. At the table, the man sitting to Adams' left was a representative of the Stone family, one of Hoenn's most influential families.
But since there were no Elite-level threats this time, the old men in the room were far less worried.
"However, even though there aren't any Elite-level trainers, Team Magma rarely makes moves like this. Their objective this time is crucial. We should still send someone. Any volunteers?" Adams asked.
Silence filled the room.
Most of them had gathered here only because Team Magma had been spotted and two promising League trainers were involved. Now that they knew there were no top-tier threats, their enthusiasm waned.
Adams rubbed his temples again. These people…
"I'll go."
A voice came from the door.
A young man, leaning against the wall with his eyes closed, had spoken. He had fiery red hair and a dramatic cloak draped over his back.
It was Lance.
It seemed he hadn't returned to Kanto yet.
"Lance? Alright. If you're going, then I have no concerns. Even if an Elite-level trainer appears, you should be able to handle it and get those two out safely," Adams said, visibly relieved.
Lance nodded respectfully and left the conference room without another word.
As soon as he was gone, the room became lively again.
"That young man was Lance, from the Kanto region?"
"I heard the Kanto headquarters is planning to groom him."
"With his talent and being from the Dragon Clan, it makes sense for Kanto to invest in him."
Listening to the murmurs, Adams fell into thought.
Lance was already at the brink of the Elite level. With his talent, reaching that rank was just a matter of time.
As the rising star of the Kanto region, Adams was envious.
It was time for Hoenn to cultivate its own representative.
Steven...
Aoki...
There were quite a few candidates in Hoenn.
Sitting beside Adams, the Stone family's representative had remained silent the entire time. Watching Lance leave, he too was lost in thought.
...
Aoki and Steven had already been moving through the cave for half an hour.
The temperature was rising, yet they hadn't encountered anyone.
Slowking and Metang were using their psychic powers to detect any nearby life forms. Normally, humans or Pokémon would be immediately detected if they entered the range of their abilities.
But so far, they hadn't even seen a single wild Pokémon.
It was clear that Team Magma had already cleared out the area when they entered.
On the ground, they occasionally found the corpses of wild Pokémon.
Aoki barely reacted. He had hunted Pokémon before, so this wasn't new to him. But Steven, who had grown up in a privileged environment, looked visibly uncomfortable.
Even when wild Pokémon attacked him, Steven always spared them after a battle.
That had been drilled into him since childhood.