White light radiated from the two Metang.
This was the light of evolution.
Steven's eyes widened in surprise.
He had spared no effort in training these two Metang.
As long as he could obtain various resources from the Stone family and Devon Corporation, he would prioritize giving them to the two Metang.
Being his first Pokémon, Steven had the deepest bond with them. He had poured his heart into their training and even asked Aoki to specially prepare Pokeblocks suited for Metang to help them grow stronger.
In fact, he had known for some time that his Metang had reached this level, but because they needed each other to evolve, the transformation had not occurred.
So, he devoted himself to raising a second Metang with equal dedication.
Not long ago, both Metang reached the same level, yet for some reason, the expected evolution did not happen.
When Aoki contacted him last time, searching for stones was only part of the reason—his real goal was to help the two Metang evolve. This was something Steven had never mentioned to Aoki.
But even that attempt had failed.
Now, after battling and defeating the fire-powered Camerupt, the light of evolution finally appeared.
Naturally, the two Metang moved closer in perfect sync, and their glowing evolutionary forms merged into one.
This was the second time Aoki had witnessed a fusion evolution.
The first had been when Slowpoke and Shellder combined to become Slowking.
But the evolution of Slowking was different from Metang's.
With Slowking, Slowpoke remained dominant, while Shellder acted as an auxiliary.
For Metang, however, their fusion was balanced, equal, and complete.
Then, in a flash of brilliance—
Metagross!
As the dazzling glow of evolution faded, a brand-new silver-white Pokémon emerged in the cave.
Unlike Metang, which had only two claws and a single eye, Metagross had four powerful legs for better balance, and two piercing eyes to track enemies with precision.
A massive white X adorned its face, giving it an air of overwhelming dominance.
This was the completed form of a pseudo-legendary Pokémon—Metagross!
And a Shiny one at that!
Under Aoki's watch, the ace Pokémon of future Hoenn Champion Steven Stone had finally evolved.
A quick scan of his system provided Aoki with Metagross's updated stats.
Pokémon: Shiny Metagross (Blue)
Gender: Genderless
Level: 45
Type: Steel/Psychic
Ability: Clear Body
Held Items: Metal Coat, Occa Berry
Egg Moves: None
Base Moves: Psychic, Metal Claw, Magnet Rise, Take Down, Pursuit, Bullet Punch, Miracle Eye, Zen Headbutt, Scary Face, Psyshock, Agility, Meteor Mash, Hammer Arm
Learnt Moves: Gravity, Thunder Punch, Ice Punch, Zen Headbutt, Magnet Rise, Icy Wind, Signal Beam, Trick Room
TM Moves: Protect, Psychic, Hidden Power (Flying), Hyper Beam, Earthquake, Calm Mind, Shadow Ball, Brick Break, Rock Slide, Substitute, Flash Cannon, Grass Knot
Though it had only leveled up once, its potential had now stabilized at a solid blue-tier ranking.
While there hadn't been major changes to its moveset, that wasn't the real measure of its newfound strength.
Metang's total base stat value was just 420, while Metagross's total base stat value had soared to 600—true pseudo-legendary status.
Looking at the more detailed analysis, Aoki could tell—this was an exceptionally well-developed Metagross, trained to perfection.
In fact, the previous two Metang combined wouldn't have been able to match the raw power of this newly evolved Metagross.
Now that Steven had a bit of time to adjust, his battles would reach an entirely new level.
Metang had been limited before—like a bottle too small to hold all its potential.
Now, the bottle had expanded tenfold, allowing all that hidden power to pour forth.
This moment marked a turning point for Steven.
His ace had evolved, and the path to becoming Champion was now fully within his grasp!
After the evolution, Aoki and Steven finally turned their attention back to Butler, who stood pale-faced and trembling.
Camerupt's defeat had caught him off guard, but now it all seemed inevitable.
Power that couldn't be controlled was never truly his to wield.
Butler still had a Mightyena by his side, but even that wasn't enough to turn the tide.
He gritted his teeth, preparing to make one last desperate stand.
But this time, Aoki didn't even need to step in.
Steven commanded his newly evolved Metagross, and single-handedly took down Mightyena.
Even though Mightyena was a Dark-type Pokémon, Metagross had Miracle Eye, allowing it to bypass type disadvantages, alongside its Steel-type resistance and powerful attacks.
A level 48 Mightyena stood no chance.
It never even had an opportunity to retaliate—Metagross completely overwhelmed it from start to finish.
Thud.
Butler collapsed to his knees.
He had believed that Camerupt's power surge would bring him unexpected rewards, that his status in Team Magma would skyrocket.
For a moment, he had even imagined himself rising higher than ever before.
But reality had crushed him.
To push Camerupt to its limits, he had sent countless Team Magma members to their deaths. He had sacrificed nearly all of his own Pokémon.
And in the end, the very power he had created had gone berserk and sealed his fate.
Of course, the flawless teamwork between Aoki and Steven was also a major factor in his defeat.
Together, they had taken down a pseudo-Elite-level Pokémon.
Then—
Clap. Clap. Clap. Clap.
Just as Aoki and Steven were about to restrain Butler, slow and deliberate applause echoed through the cave.
Both of them instantly tensed, turning toward the source of the sound.
They had been battling Butler for so long, yet someone else had been watching from the shadows without them noticing?
When they turned around, they saw—
A man with spiky red hair and a flowing cape smirking as he applauded.
The future Flying-type… I mean Dragon-type Champion, Lance, had arrived!