"Haha, don't you know that Dark-type Pokémon are immune to Psychic-type moves?"
The man in the black robe sneered. He had been curious about what countermeasure Steven might employ.
But then Steven called out "Psychic," which he found utterly ridiculous.
Here was someone with a rare pseudo-legendary shiny Pokémon, yet in the end, he was apparently an idiot who didn't even understand basic type matchups.
"You—" The man in the black robe was about to mock Steven further when he suddenly found his body unable to move.
"Who said my target was Honchkrow?" Steven said with a smirk.
The targets of the black-robed man's robberies were all legitimate Trainers who tended to follow the traditional "rules" of Pokémon battles more strictly.
So usually, the Hunter was the one who engaged in underhanded tactics.
In a wild encounter, who adheres to battle "rules"?
This was the first time the black-robed man had been outmaneuvered using his own methods.
"Caw!" Seeing his Trainer caught in Psychic, Honchkrow immediately rushed toward Metang.
"Slam him down!" Steven commanded quickly.
Metang ignored the charging Honchkrow, lifted the black-robed man high into the air with its psychic power, and then slammed him hard onto the ground.
"Skarmory, I need your help!"
After giving that command, Steven didn't remain idle. He threw out Skarmory's Poké Ball.
"Block it with Metal Claw!"
Skarmory's sudden appearance startled Honchkrow, which crashed headfirst into Skarmory's hard steel body.
Bang—clang!
Two distinct sounds rang out in succession.
The black-robed man fell face-first, hitting the ground heavily and losing consciousness temporarily.
Skarmory was also sent flying backward by Honchkrow's headbutt, sliding several meters across the ground before stopping beside Steven.
"Skarmory, are you okay?" Steven rushed to Skarmory's side to check on her condition while simultaneously giving Metang another command.
"Metang, use Bullet Punch repeatedly!"
Honchkrow's movements were sluggish due to the recoil from the collision. Metang immediately closed the distance, delivering a rapid barrage of heavy punches to Honchkrow's abdomen.
Thump thump thump!
Honchkrow couldn't withstand the fast, continuous strikes and was sent flying backward by Metang's assault.
Steven noticed a few more feathers had fallen from Skarmory's wings, and the remaining feathers showed some slight dents.
"Thank you, Skarmory." Steven had no other choice in that moment. It was unrealistic to expect Skarmory to actually fight Honchkrow head-on.
He could only rely on Skarmory's defensive capabilities to create an opening for Metang.
Skarmory's injuries weren't severe—she had merely lost the ability to continue battling.
In comparison, the black-robed man's injuries were far more serious.
"You did well." Steven recalled Skarmory to her Poké Ball, then focused on dealing with the problematic Honchkrow.
"Metang, Flash Cannon!"
"Metang!"
Metang raised both arms and fired a silvery-white beam of concentrated energy.
Honchkrow struggled to stand. Its defensive capabilities weren't particularly strong, and taking Metang's continuous close-range Bullet Punches had severely diminished its combat ability.
Watching the Flash Cannon approach, Honchkrow desperately unleashed a dark purple, pulsing wave of energy.
Dark Pulse collided with Flash Cannon. After a brief struggle, Dark Pulse was overwhelmed and pushed back.
Boom!
The attack struck Honchkrow directly, and thick smoke billowed from the impact.
When the smoke cleared, Honchkrow had lost its ability to battle and lay unconscious on the ground.
"Phew..." Steven exhaled in relief, wiping the sweat from his forehead as he spoke to Metang.
"You did great, Metang."
"Metang!"
Skarmory was definitely the hero of this battle. After spending the past few days together, Skarmory had become quite responsive to Steven's commands.
Otherwise, just moments ago, she could have chosen to abandon the charge and flee instead.
Skarmory understood that while Steven was strict during training, he genuinely cared about her wellbeing.
If it weren't for the defensive training Skarmory had undergone during this period, Steven would never have asked her to block Honchkrow's attack.
Fortunately, Steven's judgment had been correct.
Skarmory wasn't severely injured—she had only barely lost her ability to battle, which was the best possible outcome.
Steven walked forward and pulled off the black-robed man's cloak, revealing his completely ordinary face. He used the black robe to tie the man up securely and found the Poké Ball on his person, recalling Honchkrow into it.
"Take a rest, Metang." Steven pulled a Potion spray from his bag and applied it several times to Metang's injuries.
The black-robed man wouldn't recover from that heavy impact for at least half a day.
The priority now was to hand this man over to Officer Jenny in Rustboro City, then take Skarmory and Metang to the Pokémon Center for treatment.
"Next time, I should be more careful about letting Metang appear in crowded places," Steven said with a sigh.
It hadn't been an issue back in Mossdeep City, where everyone knew he was the young master of the Stone family. The mining expeditions he participated in were also conducted under his family's company.
This time, he had been somewhat careless.
"Do you still have energy, Metang?"
After resting for a few minutes, Steven stood up, ready to leave.
"Metang!" Metang raised both arms, indicating it was perfectly fine.
"Good. Please carry him." Steven pointed to the tied-up man on the ground.
"Metang!"
Metang grabbed the man and followed behind Steven as he jogged back toward the city.
It was still quite a distance to Rustboro City, but fortunately, Steven had trained his body through mining work, so this distance wasn't a problem for him.
Twenty minutes later, a panting Steven returned to Rustboro City.
He recalled Metang to its Poké Ball to rest, then dragged the unconscious man through the streets.
A handsome young man dragging an unconscious person was eye-catching enough on its own.
Officer Jenny received notification from concerned citizens and drove over on her motorcycle.
"What's going on here?"
Officer Jenny performed an impressive drift, her motorcycle stopping stylishly beside Steven as she asked in a serious tone.
Steven released his grip on the man's clothing, and with a heavy "thud," the man's head hit the ground a second time.
"Ah, sorry, my hand slipped," Steven said apologetically.
It was unclear whether Steven did that intentionally or by accident.
Steven explained the entire situation to Jenny, repeatedly emphasizing how cunning and ruthless the man had been, and how fortunately, his own quick thinking had saved the day.
"What's your name?" Jenny asked after recording his statement.
"Steven Stone. I live in Mossdeep City," Steven answered honestly.
"Stone?" Jenny said in surprise, turning to look at the tallest building in Rustboro City—the Devon Corporation headquarters.
Devon Corporation's reputation wasn't just influential in Rustboro City—throughout the entire Hoenn region, few people didn't know of it.
"I understand. Thank you for your contribution to public safety." Jenny bowed respectfully to Steven and secured the man to the back of her motorcycle.
Watching the man being taken away by Jenny, Steven's lips curved upward slightly.
He pulled a completely purple stone from his pocket, which shimmered beautifully in the sunlight.
"Consider this my compensation for the trouble."