Not long after, Steelix's massive body collapsed to the ground.
Metagross also let out a relieved sigh—putting everything else aside, that had been a satisfying battle.
Moreover, the unstable energy within its body seemed to have stabilized considerably, and although some discomfort remained, it wasn't a major concern.
"How are you feeling, Meta?"
"Meta~"
Metagross nodded at Steven, indicating it was fine.
"How about firing a Flash Cannon into the sky?" Steven suggested, pointing upward.
Steven felt that even after this battle, Metagross's newly evolved strength still wasn't fully consolidated. So he decided to let Metagross expend more energy—it would be easier to stabilize its power during recovery afterward.
"Meta." Metagross nodded, agreeing with Steven's suggestion.
In the past, when it was still Metang, it wouldn't have questioned anything and would've immediately fired Flash Cannon, but now things were different.
"Maximum power!"
"Meta!"
Metagross used its Psychic power to levitate, opening its mouth wide and aiming skyward. The energy within its body was mobilized and gathered in its mouth.
A brilliant silver-white energy beam shot straight into the sky!
Even the ground behind Metagross began cracking, sending numerous stones flying upward.
Skarmory stared in amazement, yearning for the day when it too would possess such tremendous strength.
Aron didn't have time to be impressed—seeing the scattered debris flying around, its short legs displayed surprising jumping ability in that moment.
It devoured all the airborne stones that came within reach.
Metagross's Flash Cannon lasted for over a minute before stopping, then it turned to look at Steven.
Steven smiled and gave a thumbs up.
"But we need to leave now—that last move attracted way too much attention."
"Meta~" Metagross scratched at its head, looking slightly embarrassed.
Steven returned Aron and Skarmory to their Poké Balls, then stepped onto Metagross's disc-shaped body.
"I hope you still have the energy to carry me," Steven said, patting Metagross with a smile.
"Meta!"
Of course it did!
Metagross quickly carried Steven away from the scene.
Sure enough, about ten minutes later, Officer Jenny from Dewford Town arrived with her team on motorcycles.
Seeing the fallen Steelix, Jenny dispatched officers to search the surrounding area for clues.
Since Metagross had departed by levitating using its magnetic abilities, the team found no traces of its departure.
Officer Jenny and her team applied some medicine to Steelix and only left after it regained consciousness.
Steelix could only return sullenly through the tunnel it had dug earlier.
Steven spent the remaining half-day in his Pokémon Center room, only departing the next day to head to the port and board the ferry.
After one night's rest, Metagross reported that its strength had stabilized considerably.
Steven had no way to examine the energy within Metagross's body personally, but given Metagross's intelligence, it shouldn't have misjudged such matters.
Once they reached Slateport City, he would visit the Pokémon Evaluation Center to assess all three of his Pokémon's strength levels.
If one were to ask why he didn't do this in Dewford Town...
Dewford Town didn't have a Pokémon Evaluation Center yet.
After checking his ticket, Steven boarded the ship.
As the vessel set sail, Steven leaned against the railing on deck, enjoying the ocean breeze while watching the Pelipper and Wingull gliding across the water's surface.
Occasionally, some Pokémon would emerge from the sea, observing the large ship as it passed by.
Suddenly, cheers erupted from the lower main deck.
Steven walked forward and looked down.
Someone was actually battling on the deck.
Currently, Pokémon battles were extremely popular, and most large ships were constructed from durable materials, significantly increasing their load-bearing capacity.
Some ships even hosted Pokémon Contests during lengthy sea voyages.
However, the participants in this particular battle weren't especially strong—it was an entertainment-focused battle where they used moves to create visually impressive attacks.
It resembled the battle style of Pokémon Contests.
Steven's gaze swept through the crowd, but he didn't find the person he remembered.
Suddenly, in a corner of the crowd, a girl in a white dress with long white hair gently swaying in the sea breeze looked up and met Steven's gaze.
Steven's eyes stopped, and he locked eyes with the girl.
Her serene and delicate features, combined with her vivid white eyes, left Steven momentarily transfixed.
"Agh!"
His head suddenly throbbed with sharp pain, and Steven instinctively lowered his head, pressing his hand to his forehead.
As the pain subsided, Steven removed his hand from his forehead.
But the girl in white had vanished into the crowd.
Steven quickly scanned the area but found no trace of her.
At the entrance to the ship's upper deck, the girl in white had appeared there at some unknown moment, watching Steven's back. If one disregarded her vivid eyes, they would only perceive this person as utterly lifeless.
Steven suddenly froze, then sharply turned around to look.
Behind him was nothing but empty space, with only the door panel gently swaying.
"What's happening... I could've sworn someone was standing there just now." Steven glanced down at the Poké Ball containing Metagross at his waist.
At that moment, Metagross's Poké Ball swayed from side to side, indicating it hadn't sensed anyone behind him either.
"A hallucination?"
Steven trusted Metagross's Psychic abilities more than his own instincts.
"Could my sleep quality have been poor lately? That doesn't seem right—I've been sleeping soundly..."
On the ocean, the girl in white stood steadily on the water's surface, the sea beneath her bare feet utterly calm, as if time itself had frozen.
In her vivid eyes, the silhouette of the departing ship was reflected.
Her pale pink lips parted slightly, as if she were murmuring something to herself.
Then she shook her head again, looked down at the sea, and contemplated for a long while.
The girl's figure gradually became ethereal and transparent, finally disappearing from the ocean's surface entirely.
Splash!
Steven looked up at his reflection in the mirror—washing his face with cold water had helped clear his mind.
"What's going on..."
Steven studied his composed reflection in the mirror, pulled out a tissue from the dispenser, and wiped the water droplets from his face.
"Something's not right."
"Could Pokémon Hunters be targeting me again?"
"I keep feeling like someone's watching me. A Ghost-type Pokémon or a Psychic-type Pokémon?"
"But Metagross's detection didn't sense anything unusual."
Steven exited the restroom, his thoughts scattered, so he simply returned to his cabin.
The journey from Dewford Island to Slateport City would take approximately one day, meaning they'd arrive at Slateport City's port tomorrow morning.
"Meta, please keep watch over our surroundings."
"Meta!"
Steven flopped onto the bed while Metagross settled beside him, conducting a "patrol" using its Psychic abilities.
All the strange occurrences had begun after he made eye contact with that girl in white, and combined with the previous Pokémon Hunter attack, Steven unconsciously connected the two incidents.
Besides coveting his Shiny Metagross, Steven couldn't think of any other reason someone would target him.
Steven had been extremely cautious—the only commotion he'd created was when Metagross used Flash Cannon near Granite Cave, which had been somewhat excessive.
"Is this a misunderstanding...?"
Had his gaze disturbed some extraordinary individual, causing them to slightly reprimand him?
If even Metagross couldn't detect it, Steven could only conclude that the opponent's strength far exceeded Metagross's capabilities.
"I don't understand—I completely don't understand!" Steven sighed.
"But as long as I keep a 'low profile,' everything should be fine, right?"