A week had passed since the battle with Swellow.
Steven chose to train Skarmory in the wild, encountering two or three rookie Trainers along the way.
Skarmory's overall abilities were still significantly stronger than most unevolved Pokémon.
Combined with Steven's own battling skills, which were entirely different from those novice Trainers, he could win battles with ease.
"Yo?!"
Skarmory, who had been training, suddenly cried out in alarm, catching Steven's attention as he prepared their meal.
Noticing the steel feathers that had fallen to the ground, Steven smiled slightly. "It seems training will have to stop for now. We can only continue once your old feathers have completely shed and new ones have grown in."
Because it had always lived in thorny bushes, Skarmory molted more frequently than most Pokémon, which also contributed to its excellent defensive capabilities.
However, it typically molted once a year, or at most two to three times annually.
"Yo..." Skarmory stared at its fallen feathers with a helpless expression.
"It's alright. You've worked very hard this past week," Steven said, comforting his Steel and Flying-type partner.
Over the past week, Skarmory's abilities had improved rapidly, and two new moves had been added to its repertoire.
They were Metal Claw and Wing Attack.
As long as these two moves were properly mastered and combined, Steel Wing could gradually be learned.
However, with Skarmory's feathers molting, the time frame for learning Steel Wing would have to be delayed.
Furthermore, the timing for challenging the Rustboro City Gym would also need to be adjusted.
"Then it's better to visit Granite Cave in Dewford Town first," Steven decided. He would have to return to this area eventually anyway, and challenging the Rustboro Gym later was still an option.
After lunch, Steven returned to Rustboro City to replenish his supplies before finding transport to take him to Dewford Town by boat.
Steven didn't have Metang fly him back directly. Instead, he strolled leisurely along Route 116, treating it as a post-meal walk.
Whoosh!
A dark purple Energy Ball suddenly descended from above!
Sensing danger, Steven rolled forward, narrowly dodging the surprise attack.
Bang!
The dark purple Energy Ball exploded on the ground, creating a small crater. The residual shockwave caught Steven, sending him tumbling several times across the dirt.
"Who's there!" Steven pushed himself up onto one knee, shouting somewhat disheveled.
"Your reaction speed isn't bad." A figure in a black robe descended from the sky, landing steadily on the ground.
A bird Pokémon covered entirely in black feathers, with a head resembling a gentleman's hat, landed beside the black-robed figure.
This bird Pokémon's chest and facial feathers were white, contrasting sharply with its dark body. The inner portions of its wings and the tips of its tail feathers were red.
"Honchkrow?" Steven immediately recognized the Pokémon that had attacked him.
"Who are you?"
"A Pokémon Hunter," the black-robed figure introduced himself simply, his tone cold and detached.
"Aren't Pokémon Hunters mainly active in the Sinnoh region? Since when did they start operating in Hoenn?" Steven asked, surprised and somewhat wary.
That Honchkrow put considerable pressure on Steven. It was most likely a Pokémon at elite level or higher in strength.
If they truly fought, Metang, with its Psychic typing, would be at a type disadvantage against the Dark and Flying-type Honchkrow.
"That's none of your concern. My purpose for being here is simple—I heard you possess a shiny Pokémon."
When mentioning the shiny Pokémon, the black-robed man licked his lips greedily.
"If you hand over that shiny Pokémon to me now, perhaps I'll spare your life," he said mockingly.
"Will you really spare my life?" Steven asked cautiously.
"I will. Now hurry up and hand over that Pokémon!" the black-robed man replied impatiently.
"Then take it!"
Steven threw a Poké Ball toward the black-robed man.
"Finally showing some sense—" The black-robed man's words cut off abruptly, his eyes widening in shock.
The Poké Ball opened mid-flight, releasing Metang. With its Metal Claw already activated, it charged directly at the black-robed man.
Bang!
Honchkrow moved to block its trainer, dark purple energy covering its wings as it collided with Metang's strike!
The two forces clashed, and the recoil pushed both Pokémon apart.
"Tsk, troublesome." Steven frowned. That Honchkrow's reflexes were incredibly sharp, reacting almost instantaneously.
Otherwise, he might have been able to take down the black-robed man with that surprise attack.
"You cunning brat! You refuse the easy way, so now you'll suffer," the black-robed man snarled furiously. "Kill him, Honchkrow!"
"Ya-woo!" Honchkrow's eyes gleamed with ferocity as its wings became covered in dark purple energy, extending like two large black blades.
Watching Honchkrow attack, Steven immediately called out an order.
"Metang, block it with Metal Claw!"
Honchkrow's move was clearly Fell Stinger, so Metang could only defend using Metal Claw.
"Metang!"
Metang's arms became encased in silvery-gray metal, gleaming in the sunlight.
Clang, clang, clang!
Honchkrow's continuous slashing attacks were blocked by Metang's repeated Metal Claw defenses.
However, Honchkrow's offensive grew faster and faster, and Metang was clearly struggling to keep pace.
Bang!
Unable to match the speed, Metang took a direct hit from Honchkrow to its face.
Metang's entire body was knocked to the ground, bounced once, then flew backward several feet.
It quickly dug both arms into the ground, using them as anchors to stop its momentum.
That last hit had dealt significant damage to Metang, but fortunately, Metang's defensive capabilities were excellent, preventing any severe injury.
"A pseudo-legendary Pokémon from the Hoenn region... and a shiny one at that." The black-robed man's eyes, hidden beneath the shadow of his hat, gleamed with greed.
"Are you alright, Metang?" Steven looked worriedly at Metang as it floated back into the air.
"Metang!" Metang's voice carried strong determination despite the hit it had taken.
At least Metang's condition after the attack was still relatively good.
Steven's mind raced, constantly analyzing possible tactics.
Typically, a Pokémon Hunter wouldn't release just one Pokémon to battle. To overwhelm an opponent directly, they would likely have all their Pokémon swarm together.
After all, Pokémon Hunters didn't follow standard one-on-one battle rules.
So the reason this person wasn't using a second Pokémon was either because his other Pokémon couldn't be released due to special circumstances, or he only had this one powerful Pokémon available.
Many people concentrated their resources on training one Pokémon to be their ace. The advantage was that the Pokémon's strength increased relatively quickly.
But the disadvantage was that if that Pokémon became injured or was defeated, they would have no remaining battle power.
"I've got it." Steven immediately formulated a counterstrategy.
"Metang, use Flash Cannon!"
"Metang!"
Metang raised both arms, and after a brief charging period, fired a silvery-white beam of concentrated energy.
"With such a long charge time, who could you possibly hit?" the black-robed man sneered mockingly.
Honchkrow quickly flew into the air, and Metang slowly adjusted its aim, tracking Honchkrow's movements.
However, Honchkrow's speed was too great, making it extremely difficult for Flash Cannon to connect.
"Who said I was trying to hit it?" Steven grinned, his expression suggesting his plan had succeeded.
"My real purpose was simply..."
Snap!
After snapping his fingers dramatically.
"Metang, use Psychic!"