Metagross stacked the defeated Pokémon into a neat pile, then clapped its arms together as if dusting them off.
Steven nodded in satisfaction.
This time was much easier and simpler than the last encounter.
As Steven turned around, he was momentarily blinded by a dazzling light.
The boy's eyes were shining brilliantly, and he kept exclaiming:
"Big brother, you're so strong!"
"What kind of Pokémon are these two?"
"They're so cool and powerful! Just like you, big brother!"
Steven raised a hand to shield his eyes from the intense light, a wry smile on his face.
"It's nothing special."
Saying this, Steven patted the dust off the boy's clothes and asked:
"Why are you out here alone?"
"I just wanted to take it outside for some fresh air." The boy looked down at the Egg in his arms—he hadn't expected to encounter something like this.
Just a moment more, and the little one not yet hatched in his arms would have been separated from him.
"Although I don't know what kind of Pokémon this Egg contains, if they tried to steal it, it must be a very valuable Pokémon."
"So you need to be more careful in the future. While ensuring its safety, don't forget about your own."
"Do you live in Mauville City? How about I walk you back?"
Steven didn't know much about Pokémon Eggs. In his experience, all Eggs looked similar.
Even professional Pokémon Breeder reference books didn't have records of every type of Pokémon Egg.
The boy asked, "Won't that be too much trouble for you, big brother?"
"No trouble at all. I'm heading to Mauville City anyway."
Steven returned all the defeated Pokémon to their Poké Balls, then, dragging the two unconscious Pokémon Hunters, he walked toward Mauville City with the boy.
"Big brother, are you going to challenge the Gym in Mauville City?"
"That's right."
"Then I think you'll definitely have no problem!"
"Oh? Why's that?"
"Because I've seen old man Wattson battle bad guys, and he wasn't nearly as amazing as you, big brother."
Steven chuckled. "Perhaps you're viewing me through rose-colored glasses?"
"No way! I'm telling the truth!"
Steven escorted the boy to Mauville City. After bidding Steven farewell, the boy hurried home.
After experiencing something like this, he would surely be more cautious in the future.
Steven's hands, which had been gripping the Hunters' clothes, loosened, and two heavy thuds echoed on the ground.
The two Pokémon Hunters' heads made direct contact with the pavement.
Steven shook his aching, slightly trembling hands, a pained expression on his face.
"Should've just dropped them earlier..."
Steven had looked at the boy's eyes, filled with admiration and respect, and felt embarrassed to tarnish his image in the boy's mind.
He had forced himself to hold on until the boy left before allowing his arms to rest.
"It seems my training isn't quite sufficient. I need to increase the intensity next time."
Compared to "superhumans" who could punch Pokémon bare-fisted, or Ash who could withstand Thunderbolt without a scratch and lift various Pokémon with his bare hands, Steven was at most an ordinary person with slightly better stamina.
Steven simply called out, stating that the two on the ground were notorious Pokémon Hunters, and soon enthusiastic citizens offered rope, tying the pair to a utility pole.
"Could someone please inform Officer Jenny for me? Thank you!"
Having completed everything, Steven then headed to the Pokémon Center in Mauville City and rented a room to stay in.
With aching arms, he planned to rest for half a day before challenging the Mauville City Gym tomorrow.
He also wanted to let his Pokémon rest properly.
There was Aron, who prioritized eating above all else; Skarmory, the only "normal" member of the team; Metagross, whose mind was filled with studying, almost like a bespectacled scholar; and Scyther, who seemed to have a bit of a tsundere personality.
His team seemed to be missing... a mood-maker.
While it was good that everyone wanted to grow stronger, Steven always felt something was lacking in the atmosphere. Over time, training could become monotonous.
Did he have to be the one to lighten the mood?!
Steven rested for a while, then went for a few walks around the city. He also visited the Pokémon Appraisal Center in Mauville City to assess his Pokémon's current strength.
Metagross: 57%, Scyther: 53%, Skarmory: 30%, Aron: 29%.
It seemed that after Metagross evolved, its power had increased significantly.
Steven had noticed that Skarmory's training progress had slowed recently, but for Skarmory, it shouldn't be a major problem.
Aron was even less of a concern—he just needed to eat more ore when the time came.
Logically, the difficulty of challenging for a third badge shouldn't be too high.
Although the entry requirements for the League Tournament were gradually increasing, they wouldn't be so demanding that the eighth badge would require the Gym Leader's full strength (around Elite level).
Basically, Advanced level would be sufficient.
The strength requirement for the third badge was estimated to be around Intermediate level, roughly matching Aron's strength when challenging the Rustboro Gym.
Steven simply bought some Pokéblocks and some freshly mined iron ore.
After a day of rest, Steven arrived at the entrance of the Mauville City Pokémon Gym.
Upon pushing the door open, Steven found himself stepping onto a conveyor belt.
"What the—?!" Steven exclaimed in surprise.
Forcibly transported by the conveyor belt, Steven was slightly off-balance, but fortunately, he reacted in time and didn't fall flat on his rear.
Then the conveyor belt suddenly stopped—a sharp brake that nearly threw Steven forward.
"Is this some kind of amusement park ride?!"
Immediately, a Pokémon resembling a saber-toothed tiger suddenly appeared before Steven. It had golden fur, powerful limbs, and sharp fangs.
It had a black steel plate on its forehead, covering its forehead, nose, and mouth, with X-shaped whiskers beneath it. Its tail was light blue and shaped like a lightning bolt, with a spark-like tip.
A Legendary Pokémon! One of Ho-Oh's guardians—the Thunder Pokémon, Raikou!
"The Legendary Raikou?!"
"No, something's off."
Steven couldn't sense any overwhelming aura from this Raikou, and its eyes were lifeless, devoid of any emotion.
"Is it a replica?"
Steven was about to walk around Raikou when crackling electricity suddenly surged from Raikou's body.
"Meta!"
"Meta!"
Metagross quickly emerged from its Poké Ball, blocking the incoming electricity with its arms.
Then it swung its arm, punching the mechanical Raikou's head clean off!
Bzzzt—
Watching the wires inside Raikou's body emit sparks and electrical sounds, Steven's brow furrowed.
Such a replica showed great disrespect to Raikou.
"Ah! My Raikou!"
A distressed voice came from behind the broken "Raikou."
Steven walked around the mechanical Pokémon and looked at the plump elderly man with a bitter expression.
"Did you create this mechanical Raikou?"
"Ah, yes, I did! I'm also the Gym Leader of this Gym—Wattson!" Wattson quickly regained his smile and introduced himself to Steven.
"How about it! My Raikou is still pretty cool, isn't it!"
Steven's calm gaze met the smiling Wattson, and he said quietly:
"I don't think your mechanical Raikou is cool, nor do I think creating it was the right thing to do."
"Huh?!" Wattson's smile froze.
"I didn't expect a Gym Leader of an Electric-type Gym to show such great disrespect to a Legendary Electric-type Pokémon."
Steven's cool tone made Wattson pause, and he turned to look at the headless "Raikou."
Perhaps a statue of Raikou would be more appropriate than a mechanical replica.
This mechanical Raikou lacked the majesty of a Legendary Pokémon. It lacked its power.
It could be easily destroyed, which was simply disrespectful.
"Wahahahaha!" Wattson suddenly burst out laughing, leaving Steven confused.
"I didn't expect to be lectured by a young whippersnapper at my age!"
"Well, I suppose I'm just an old fool for creating something like this."
Wattson seemed to realize that his actions had indeed been inappropriate.
"I want to transform Mauville City into a modern metropolis, but my capabilities aren't sufficient! So I can only tinker with these gadgets in my own Gym."
Steven looked at this cheerful old man and slowly relaxed his stern expression.
Wattson was cheerful and straightforward, and it seemed he had recognized his mistake.
"I think Gym Leader Wattson can continue thinking about how to improve Mauville City." Steven smiled gently.
"Who knows? Maybe one day you'll succeed."
After all, in another timeline, Wattson really did transform Mauville City into a modern metropolis!
"You're right! At my age, it doesn't hurt to give it another shot!" Wattson nodded. "Today I've listened to your advice—why not take one more piece?"
"You're here to challenge the Gym, aren't you?"
"Then let's get started right away!"