Finally, Lance took the three Team Magma members away, along with the investigators who had arrived later. As an advanced-level investigator for the League, Lance was treated with great respect.
As for the three objects on the altar, Cain had originally planned for Lance to take them, but he received an unexpected response.
"The League doesn't fail its trainers. These items are your trophies—they are yours to use as you see fit," Lance said before leaving without looking back.
Cain and Steven's abilities were already catching up to Lance's, and now he, too, had to carry out his next mission.
Lance left with ease.
Steven was stroking his newly evolved Metagross with great confidence. Although Lance was stronger than him at the moment, with his fully evolved Metagross, Steven was confident that he wouldn't be inferior to Lance in the future.
This was the natural confidence of a prodigy trainer.
As Cain looked at that Metagross, he couldn't help but feel a little envious. As one of the few pseudo-legendary Pokémon that can reach its final evolution at level 45, once it evolves, its power is astounding.
Each Metang has its own mind, with experience in mastering moves and battle tactics. However, upon evolution, those two minds fuse into one.
What happens then to the accumulated experience of each?
According to Cain's estimates and his system's calculations, it was likely that the experiences of both minds also merged, meaning Metagross would master those skills at an even greater level.
This process of fused evolution was terrifying.
It was almost like... a duplication technique?
And that wasn't all. One of the Metang had been stuck at level 44 for a long time, but knowing Steven, he hadn't stopped investing resources into Metang during that time.
Had those resources been wasted? Clearly not. They had just been accumulating within the Pokémon, waiting for the chance to manifest.
After the evolution, that energy stored in Metang finally found a way to be unleashed, which explained its remarkable purple sheen.
This Metagross would advance at an astonishing rate, and if Cain didn't give it his all, he might not be able to keep up.
This Metagross was terrifying for a second reason: the accumulated power in its body, along with Steven's additional resources, would allow it to quickly reach elite level, or even the pinnacle of that tier.
With the amount of Stone family resources invested in this Pokémon, shouldn't it reach elite level by right?
If it weren't for the timing difference in raising the two Metang, this Metagross would probably already be at elite level.
Now, for Steven, reaching that level was just a matter of time; the chains holding him back no longer existed.
The third reason, and perhaps the most terrifying, was that this Metagross was shiny. Following the pattern of his shiny Slowking, Cain suspected that this Metagross would also have its own awakening as a shiny Pokémon.
This was the kind of talent a Pokémon belonging to the future Hoenn Champion should have.
Although Steven's Metagross made him feel inferior at the moment, Cain knew that in the future, his own Pokémon wouldn't be any less powerful.
Torchic, Aron, Larvitar.
Each of these Pokémon had the potential to become champions, and Cain was certain that with the right training, they would be extraordinary.
He had no doubt about his potential and future strength.
Lance and Steven were his benchmarks.
A deep sense of confidence took hold of Cain, matching Steven's natural confidence.
After a few moments of silence, when Lance and his team had completely left, only Cain, Steven, and their Pokémon remained in the sweltering cave.
Steven, still thrilled with his Metagross's evolution, began searching for the strange stones he was so interested in.
However, Cain quickly led him to the altar where Butler had been earlier.
The altar was tall, though somewhat rudimentary. However, the three objects resting on it had always intrigued Cain.
With Slowking's help, the three stones were fully revealed to Cain and Steven.
When Steven saw them, he couldn't take his eyes off the two gray stones on the sides, especially. He couldn't help but touch them.
Cain didn't even have time to stop him.
Fortunately, nothing unusual happened.
However, when Cain took a closer look at those stones, he couldn't help but be surprised.
The stones on the sides were fossils.
Fossils of ancient Pokémon!
If Cain had to guess, those were fossils of Anorith and Lileep, Pokémon from ancient times.
Suddenly, Cain remembered that in the future, when Steven became Champion, his team included an Armaldo and a Cradily.
Was destiny guiding the course of events again? Was Steven fated to find these fossils?
Cain was starting to feel more respect for the hidden rules governing this world.
Seeing Steven completely captivated by the fossils, Cain knew he wouldn't be able to resist.
Steven would undoubtedly keep those fossils.
After a while, Steven, his eyes shining as if he had found treasure, turned to Cain and said, "Cain, could you let me have these two stones? I know it might seem presumptuous since we found them together, but I promise to compensate you generously."
Cain sighed lightly. He knew that even if he obtained those fossils, he didn't have the means to revive them. In the end, they would only be ornaments for him.
He'd rather give them to Steven as a kind gesture.
"These two stones are fossils of ancient Pokémon. The one in your left hand seems to be an Anorith fossil, and the one in your right hand appears to be a Lileep fossil," Cain explained.
"They are species that might be extinct, but if you find someone with the technology to revive fossils, you could bring them back to the world."
Steven's eyes sparkled even more upon hearing that.
However, now that he understood their value, Steven felt slightly guilty about his request.
(End of chapter)