Ariel and Steven stood facing each other.
"Your Beldum has evolved."
Ariel looked at the Metang floating in front of Steven, with its thick arms and crimson single eye, calmly stating the fact.
A hint of a smile appeared on Steven's handsome face:
"Your Sandile probably hasn't been idle either, right? Let me see the results of your progress during this time."
Before he finished speaking, he had already entered his battle state, his gaze focused.
"Here it comes!"
Ariel didn't waste words and threw a Poké Ball.
With a flash of red light, a lithe and fierce-looking Krokorok appeared on the field. It opened its mouth full of sharp teeth and let out a low roar at Metang, carrying the heat and wildness of the desert.
"It really did evolve."
Steven's praise was heartfelt,
"Then, I'll attack first. Metang, Bullet Punch!"
The moment the command was given, Metang shot forward like an arrow from a bow. Its silver-white body drew a straight line in the air, its metallic-glinting iron fist heading straight for Krokorok's face.
It was incredibly fast!
Ariel's pupils narrowed slightly. As expected of a Champion-level upbringing, this Metang's explosive power far exceeded others of its kind.
"Sand Attack!"
Krokorok remained calm in the face of danger. With a sudden swipe of its front claws, a large amount of sand was kicked up, forming a sand screen.
Metang plunged into the sand screen, its speed inevitably affected and its vision obscured.
Now!
"Dig!"
Krokorok's large body moved with incredible agility, instantly burrowing into the ground, leaving only a deep hole behind.
For a moment, only Metang remained on the field, floating in mid-air and warily scanning its surroundings.
Steven's brow twitched slightly, but he didn't panic.
Instead of having Metang blindly attack the ground, he had it stay still and close its eyes, using Psychic power to sense energy fluctuations underground.
This was a manifestation of the tacit understanding between a Trainer and their Pokémon.
However, he miscalculated one thing.
Krokorok's Dark-type gave it a natural immunity to Psychic-type detection.
Steven quickly realized this. He opened his eyes and decisively ordered, "Metang, use Iron Head directly below you!"
A prediction?
Ariel's heart stirred.
Metang's entire body took on a steel-like luster, and like a meteorite, it plummeted straight toward the ground!
But this was the moment Ariel had been waiting for.
"Right there, Crunch!"
A split second before Metang hit the ground, the earth on the other side suddenly exploded!
Krokorok burst out of the ground with the momentum from below. Opening its massive maw, shadow energy gathered between its teeth as it bit down hard on Metang's arm, which couldn't be defended in time due to the descent!
"Creeeeeak—"
A tooth-gritting sound of metal grinding against metal rang out.
Even Metang's incredibly hard armor developed fine cracks under Krokorok's well-planned strike.
"Muuu—"
Metang let out a roar of pain.
"That's it, finish it!"
Ariel pressed his advantage.
"In your dreams!" Steven's fighting spirit was high. "Metang, grab it! Metal Claw!"
Enduring the intense pain, Metang's other intact arm grabbed Krokorok's body. Energy gathered at the tip of its arm, transforming into a sharp claw strike that slammed hard into Krokorok's back!
Boom!
Both sides took massive damage simultaneously and were blown back by each other's force, landing at their respective Trainers' feet.
As the dust settled, both Pokémon were panting heavily, but Krokorok, thanks to the Ground-type's advantage over Steel-type and the edge provided by its Dark-type, ultimately stood a bit firmer.
At that moment, a uniformed staff member walked in to inform Steven that he needed to go backstage early.
"Let's stop here, Ariel."
Steven calmly withdrew Metang. Instead of frustration, a stronger fighting spirit burned on his face.
"Your Krokorok is well-trained, and your tactics are interesting. Next time, I won't let you break through my defense so easily."
Ariel smiled and withdrew his equally exhausted Krokorok.
"Anytime."
...After the battle was the fossil press conference that Devon Corporation had been preparing for a long time.
The venue was set in the top-tier press hall of the Devon Building. Media reporters from all over the world had already packed the place, and the camera flashes were as bright as daylight.
Steven changed into a well-tailored, expensive suit and stood under the spotlight, transforming from a battle-loving Trainer back into the strategic heir of the corporation.
"Distinguished guests, media friends, welcome to the Devon Corporation Fossil Resurrection Technology Achievement Press Conference."
Steven's voice was steady and magnetic, broadcasting throughout the venue via the microphone.
He didn't waste time on pleasantries and went straight to the point.
With his gesture, the giant electronic screen behind him lit up, displaying various fossils of different shapes.
"Devon Corporation's fossil resurrection technology has made breakthrough progress over the past year. We have successfully awakened dormant ancient genes within fossils and brought them back to the world."
As he finished speaking, the curtain on one side of the stage was pulled back, revealing several large transparent ecological tanks.
"Wow!"
A wave of exclamations rose from the audience.
In the ecological tanks, several Pokémon never seen before were moving leisurely.
One with a spiral shell and blue tentacles swimming in the water was Omanyte.
Another resembled an ancient horseshoe crab, with a dark brown shell and dense segments on its underside; it was Kabuto.
Furthermore, a massive Aerodactyl was flapping its wings and roaring softly in the largest tank; it was indeed an Aerodactyl!
The reporters were clicking their camera shutters incessantly.
"Mr. Steven! Will this technology have an impact on the ecology?"
"Will these resurrected Pokémon be available to the public?"
Facing the flood of questions, Steven remained calm and answered them one by one, perfectly showcasing Devon Corporation's positive image and technical prowess to the world.
Sitting below the stage, Ariel watched the effortless Steven and couldn't help but feel emotional.
This was a true favored son of heaven.
After the press conference, Steven saw off Roxanne, the Gym Leader of Rustboro City, and Wallace, the future Master of Lilycove City, who had also come to support him.
He generously gave Roxanne a newly resurrected Kabuto and Wallace an Omanyte, leaving them both overjoyed.
Once everyone had left, the noisy venue finally quieted down.
Steven let out a long breath, loosened his tie, and returned to his casual self. He grabbed Ariel, who was about to leave, and leaned in mysteriously.
"Ariel, we're best buds, so I have to give you something good."
As he spoke, he pulled an exquisite wooden box from his coat.
"Inside are treasures I've collected while mining all over the world over the years. Pick whatever you want, don't be polite."
As Steven spoke, he turned his head and closed his eyes, wearing a conflicted expression that said, "Hurry up and pick, I'll be heartbroken whichever one you choose."
Seeing his arrogant yet pained look, Ariel couldn't help but wonder.
"What the heck? Steven's collection?"
He's a rock fanatic; what good things could he possibly collect? It's not going to be some weird rock dug out of a mine again, is it?
Seeing Ariel's lack of reaction, Steven couldn't help but urge, "Hurry up, don't be polite with me! There's never been a gift from Steven that couldn't be given away!"
Ariel smiled wryly.
Bro, it's not that I'm being polite, it's just that I really don't think much of it!
But seeing Steven's serious expression, he couldn't bring himself to refuse. Ariel had no choice but to brace himself and open the box.
The moment the box was opened.
A soft rainbow light, seemingly containing thousands of colors, overflowed from the box, making Ariel squint his eyes slightly.
He was stunned.
When he adjusted to the light and saw what was inside, he froze in place.
This... this was no ordinary pile of rocks!
This was clearly a mobile treasure trove!
On the velvet lining, various precious stones were spread out.
High-quality Sun Stones and Moon Stones, almost without any impurities, were piled inside as if they cost nothing, emitting a soft glow. There were even several extremely rare Dawn Stones and Dusk Stones!
Taking just one out would be enough to drive the ite merchants on the market crazy!
Even an amateur like Ariel could tell that these stones were priceless!
His breathing involuntarily quickened.
However, as his gaze swept over these brilliant gems, his eyes were ultimately drawn to an inconspicuous stone in the corner.
It was a transparent round stone, about the size of a pigeon egg, with strange spiral patterns on the surface and a deep darkness at the center, like an eyeball staring into the abyss.
Amidst the many radiant ites, it seemed so ordinary, even a bit eerie.
But Ariel's heart skipped a beat the moment he saw it.
That... that was a key stone!
The ultimate key that could connect the bond between a Trainer and their pokémon to trigger Mega Evolution!
Ariel felt his blood boil in an instant!
He forced down the ecstasy and excitement in his heart, making his expression look as calm as possible, even adding a hint of indecisive struggle.
He reached out with a slightly trembling hand, carefully bypassing those priceless ites, and finally pointed to the ordinary round stone in the corner.
"I'll... I'll take this one."
His voice sounded a bit dry due to the deliberate suppression,
"The pattern is quite special."
Hearing this, Steven, who had kept his eyes closed, let out a huge sigh of relief. He opened his eyes, and seeing that Ariel had chosen that strange stone, a smile of relief instantly appeared on his face.
He gave Ariel's shoulder a hearty slap:
"Haha! I knew you had weird taste! I picked up this stone in some ancient ruins. Other than looking a bit nice, I studied it for a long time and couldn't find any use for it. Alright, since you like it, it's yours!"
Ariel clenched the key stone tightly in his palm.
The cool touch of the stone and the strange spiral pattern all served to remind him that this was not a dream.
He looked up at the deep night sky outside the window.
He knew that a brand-new era belonging to him was about to begin.
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