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Fortunately, since Aron and Skarmory regularly sparred with each other, Steven always kept plenty of Sitrus Berries in stock. The berries could replenish a Pokémon's stamina effectively.
After feeding Metagross two Steel Gems, Steven set out to find the last person. That Weavile had undoubtedly felt like the strongest of the six Pokémon he'd encountered so far.
Moreover, Steven didn't know how many Pokémon his opponent had left. The five hunters might have thought five Alpha-level Pokémon would be enough, so they hadn't released any more. Then, after coming downstairs, they were shocked by the scene before them, which gave Steven the opening he needed to use Psychic.
If he suddenly appeared now, it would prove that the five hunters had already been defeated. Once their leader was on guard, he wouldn't choose to use only Weavile for a fair one-on-one battle with Steven.
Steven arrived on the fourth floor. The moment he stepped onto the ground, Weavile attacked from beside the doorway.
Metagross reacted instantly, using Bullet Punch's extreme speed to intercept Weavile's Assurance attack.
It was fortunate that the doorways on each floor of the Mirage Tower were wide. Otherwise, Metagross wouldn't have had enough time to react.
Clap, clap—
"It seems they really underestimated you." Number Two appeared in Steven's line of sight, slowly clapping his hands.
Weavile jumped backward, landing beside Number Two with a mischievous smile on its face.
Bang!
A Honchkrow materialized beside Number Two in a flash of light.
"Unfortunately, I only have two main Pokémon left," Number Two said with a helpless smile. "The rest of my main team was injured during a mission not long ago."
Steven's eyes locked onto the Honchkrow. It was a true Overlord-level Pokémon! Its aura was far stronger than Weavile's.
It seemed these hunters had arrived in the Hoenn region quite some time ago. Otherwise, they wouldn't have chosen to come here while their other main Pokémon were still injured.
"What's your objective?" Steven asked curiously.
Pokémon Hunters typically received commissions to capture specific Pokémon for their clients. But with such an elaborate setup, Steven sensed that things weren't quite so simple.
"Sorry, but we can't reveal our client's commission," Number Two said with a smile.
Steven didn't understand why the man remained so calm, but he knew he had to stay careful. Number Two claimed to only have two main Pokémon, but if he suddenly pulled out a third, Steven would find himself at a serious disadvantage.
"Are you the only ones who came to the Hoenn region?"
"I can answer that. Yes, only the nine of us came to Hoenn," Number Two replied with a slight nod and a smile.
"Why are you telling me all this?" Steven glanced around at the stone pillars, watching for any sign that Number Two might be distracting him to set up a sneak attack.
"Because my mission is complete, and your ability to handle those five has piqued my interest," Number Two explained. "You don't need to look around—I haven't arranged any Pokémon for a sneak attack."
"Who would believe that?" Steven sneered.
After all, who was it that had launched a sneak attack the moment he'd entered this floor?
"It doesn't matter whether you believe it or not," Number Two said with a shrug.
"Is your mission to enter the Mirage Tower and steal the treasures within?"
"Although I can't reveal the mission details directly, I can explain it differently," Number Two said. "We simply happened to discover the Mirage Tower. And naturally, we're interested in the legendary treasures it's said to contain."
From Number Two's demeanor, he genuinely seemed willing to chat. But that didn't mean Steven could let his guard down. Still, if the man wanted to talk, Steven didn't mind. After all, his Pokémon needed more time to recover their stamina.
"It's not fair if only you ask questions," Number Two suddenly said. Then he asked Steven, "Who are you? That makes me very curious."
"I'm just an ordinary new Trainer," Steven replied.
Pfft...
Number Two clearly couldn't hold back his laughter.
"I can't see how you're either ordinary or new. Just your Shiny Metagross alone is something an ordinary Trainer could only dream of," Number Two said, pointing at Metagross with his finger. "And to defeat my five subordinates in such a short time? Who would believe you're just a new Trainer?"
"No matter how much you doubt it, I'm telling the truth," Steven said with a faint smile, his expression unreadable.
"Then what's your name?"
"Before asking someone else's name, shouldn't you introduce yourself first?" Steven countered.
"Never mind, then. But I've memorized your appearance," Number Two said with an indifferent shrug.
"Do you think you can still leave here?"
"Of course I can. You can't stop me," Number Two said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Want to try?"
"No need. I can leave without even having a conflict with you," Number Two said with a chuckle.
Steven frowned, not understanding what his opponent meant. He was currently blocking the doorway, and the previous battle had shown him that the stone walls of the Mirage Tower couldn't be easily broken. If his opponent tried to break through the wall to escape, it would take considerable time—enough time for Steven to do many things.
"You don't need to doubt me. What I'm saying is true," Number Two said, seeming to see through Steven's thoughts. "If all my main Pokémon were here, I wouldn't even need to think about running. It's unfortunate, really. Otherwise, I would have liked to try killing you."
Steven's expression turned cold at those words. This guy was truly irritating.
"If you still don't believe me, I'll show you," Number Two said with a smile.
"Then try it," Steven said, placing his hand on a Poké Ball at his waist. He whispered to Metagross beside him, "When he tries to break the wall, attack directly."
Metagross nodded in understanding.
"Watch this," Number Two said with a soft chuckle, placing his hand on a stone pillar beside him.
If one didn't look closely, they wouldn't notice a small protruding section on the pillar. Number Two's finger grabbed that protrusion, and with a slight pull, he pried out the protruding stone piece.
"That's...!" Steven's eyes widened in shock.
If he wasn't mistaken, what Number Two held wasn't a stone at all—it was a fossil! Steven had several ancient Pokémon fossils in his collection at home, and the texture was identical to those fossils.
Rumble—
Before Steven could process this revelation, the entire Mirage Tower began to shake violently.
Crack, crack—
Cracks began appearing on the walls inside the tower, spreading rapidly across the surface.
So that was it! With the walls crumbling, breaking through would be effortless!
"Time to say goodbye," Number Two said, recalling Weavile into its Poké Ball. He grabbed Honchkrow's feet with both hands and gave Steven a parting look.
"Dark Pulse!"
Honchkrow unleashed a wave of dark circular energy that blasted a large hole through the fourth-floor stone wall. Strong winds immediately rushed in through the opening.
"Blue-haired kid, I'll remember you," Number Two called out with a laugh as he hung from Honchkrow's talons and flew away.
"Metagross!" Metagross wanted to grab Steven and escape—the tower could collapse at any moment!
But Steven remembered the five hunters on the first floor.
It wasn't that Steven felt merciful about their lives.
It was...
"Damn it! I haven't collected their Poké Balls yet!"