Pokémon: Chronicles of Freedom-Chapter 515 - 514: Serious Steven

Lance, riding on his trusty Charizard, was speeding toward Mt. Chimney.

However, Cain and Steven were unaware of this.

And, in truth, even if they knew, they wouldn't have stopped their advance.

The corpses of some wild Pokémon they encountered along the way had completely enraged Steven, who was usually a very calm person.

After advancing for another half hour in the cave, the passage began to widen.

"There are excavation marks on the walls," Cain observed, noticing some traces on the cave's walls.

"Let's go in and see what's happening, but cautiously," Steven suggested.

"Understood."

The two crossed the last corridor and entered what appeared to be the interior of Mt. Chimney.

The surroundings were covered with reddish rocks, and the uniforms of Team Magma blended surprisingly well with the environment.

Initially worried about being discovered, Cain and Steven found no one once inside.

It was as if... Team Magma wasn't there.

However, the fresh excavation marks in the cave clearly indicated that someone had been there.

After circling a pit from which hot lava flowed slowly and advancing a bit further, they finally spotted some members of Team Magma.

Cautiously, Cain instructed Slowking and Metang to hide.

In this warm environment, both Slowking, a Water-type, and Metang, a Steel-type, felt somewhat uncomfortable.

Before them was an altar that seemed to have been built by humans, upon which rested some strange stones.

In the center was a hand-sized red stone, which at first glance looked like a mineral formed from solidified lava.

On either side were two gray stones with peculiar patterns. Viewed individually, they didn't reveal much, but placed on the altar, they were clearly no ordinary objects.

In front of the altar stood three people. Two of them wore outfits similar to the Team Magma members they had encountered earlier, but the person in the center wore a darker red robe.

Butler!

Why were there only three members of Team Magma left?

Based on the two guards at the entrance, Cain had estimated that at least twenty or thirty people had entered, but now only three remained.

Although Butler was the strongest among them, something didn't seem right.

They were too far to hear what was being said.

Cain dared not move closer.

The Mightyena next to Butler was clearly far superior to the ones the guards outside had.

Any suspicious movement would be detected immediately.

Cain used telepathy to communicate with Steven, asking if they should act.

Steven was visibly furious. The corpses of the wild Pokémon they had seen on their way were undoubtedly the work of Team Magma.

Steven nodded without hesitation and took out another Poké Ball from his belt.

Sometimes, it's not about having many Pokémon in a battle but about properly managing the ones you have. Taking out another Poké Ball signaled that Steven was ready to fight seriously.

Cain, understanding the gesture, also retrieved the Poké Ball containing Skorupi.

He had brought Slowking and Skorupi on this mission, along with Haunter, who remained hidden in the shadows.

Initially, he hadn't expected to encounter significant trouble and had planned to train Aron and his other Pokémon, but meeting Team Magma had changed the situation.

However, with Slowking handling its Water-type moves well, Cain felt they were adequately prepared.

"Follow my lead. If anything goes wrong, use your Pokémon to reach me. Slowking can use Teleport to get us out of here instantly," Cain telepathically instructed Steven.

Steven nodded, confirming he understood.

Cain also issued telepathic orders to Slowking to use some support moves.

Simultaneously, Steven instructed Metang to do the same, preparing for the upcoming battle. It would be a tough fight, and they needed to maximize their defenses.

"When we start, focus on distracting Butler. I'll handle the other two. Although we don't know why there are only two left, this is an opportunity for us. If we can't contain Butler, we retreat immediately," Cain concluded, giving final instructions before initiating action.

Clearly, Butler was the primary threat, but the other two couldn't be underestimated. Cain would face both, a challenging task but necessary to avoid a three-on-two disadvantage.

Taking a deep breath, Cain steadied himself mentally.

"Slowking, use Teleport to appear behind them."

Upon hearing the command, Slowking's psychic power surged. Metang, also a Psychic-type, expanded its own power to help Slowking precisely locate the teleportation coordinates.

"Grrrr!"

Just as Slowking activated Teleport, Butler's Mightyena sprang to its feet, letting out a fierce growl.

As a Dark-type Pokémon, it was highly sensitive to and deeply hated psychic waves.

After all, Slowking had planned to appear right beside it.

Butler's expression changed immediately as he quickly drew a Poké Ball from his belt, throwing it in front of him.

A Camerupt appeared before them.

However, the other two Team Magma members didn't react as swiftly as Butler, clearly demonstrating the disparity in their combat levels.

Arriving via Teleport, Cain and Steven also released their Pokémon.

Cain sent out Skorupi, while Steven revealed a second Metang.

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Two Metang!

Steven at his strongest!

He was serious!

The second Metang was the same one Cain had seen when they first met, but now it had also reached the advanced level, and surprisingly, its potential had improved.

Cain couldn't believe it. How many resources would it take to raise a blue-tier Pokémon to light purple? It required far more effort than buying a light purple-tier Pokémon outright.

And this was a Metang, a pseudo-legendary Pokémon, making the process even more difficult.

Pokémon: Shiny Metang (Light Purple)

Gender: Genderless

Level: 44

Type: Steel + Psychic

Ability: Clear Body

Held Item: Occa Berry

Egg Moves: None

Basic Moves: Confusion, Metal Claw, Take Down, Pursuit, Bullet Punch, Miracle Eye, Scary Face, Agility, Meteor Mash

Learned Moves: Gravity, Thunder Punch, Ice Punch, Zen Headbutt, Magnet Rise, Signal Beam, Ally Switch

TM Moves: Protect, Psyshock, Hidden Power (Rock), Hyper Beam, Earthquake, Psychic, Shadow Ball, Brick Break, Rock Slide, Substitute, Flash Cannon, Grass Knot

Was this the potential of Steven, Hoenn's talented trainer with such a powerful background, and the future Steel-type Champion?

Cain now had to rethink what he knew about these prodigies.

(End of Chapter)