The two Beldum attached to Metang's arms began forming another Metang.
Then the two Metang started merging together.
As they became a single entity, the white light gradually dimmed before dissipating entirely.
A powerful shockwave suddenly burst forth, and Steven felt immense pressure wash over him.
"Meta!"
The newly evolved Metagross's body remained silver-white like Metang's, shaped like a disc with thick legs—or perhaps arms—extending from all four sides.
Its two eyes glowed red, and a golden "X"-shaped metal cross adorned its face, with the eyes positioned at the lower corners of the cross.
Moreover, the evolved Metagross now had a large mouth on its underside.
At last, it finally had a mouth!
After evolving into Metagross, its four brains connected to form a complex neural network, earning it recognition as a Pokémon with intellect surpassing even a supercomputer.
"Metang... no, I should call you Metagross now."
"It looks like you've broken through that bottleneck, Metagross!" Steven stepped forward and touched Metagross's disc-shaped body.
"Meta~" Metagross's eyes curved into crescent shapes, clearly delighted.
Steven wasn't sure if it was because of the evolution itself, the dramatic increase in strength, or perhaps because its mind had suddenly expanded.
The most pressing matter now was helping Metagross stabilize the volatile energy it had gained from evolution.
And the best way to consolidate that energy was...
To find a strong opponent for battle!
"A strong opponent..." Steven's gaze shifted toward the entrance of Granite Cave nearby.
He wondered if the powerful Pokémon inside would prove too weak for Metagross now.
Another concern was... if a battle broke out and caused a cave-in, wouldn't that be problematic?
Should he go challenge Brawly to another battle instead?
That seemed like a reasonable option.
"Meta, let me sense your Psychic power."
"Meta?"
Metagross simply blinked, and instantly, a floating blue aura appeared around its eyes.
In an instant, Psychic energy spread outward in all directions, even penetrating deep into Granite Cave.
Steven, standing close to Metagross, could feel the tremendous Psychic power emanating from it!
After evolving into Metagross, its brain activity had increased exponentially, and its mastery of Psychic-type moves was on an entirely different level compared to when it was Metang.
"In that case, facing Brawly will be much easier."
Psychic-type had the advantage against Fighting-type.
"Meta..." Metagross suddenly called out to Steven, who was about to leave.
"What's wrong, Metagross?"
Metagross's gaze was fixed intently on the ground below.
Steven looked down curiously but couldn't see anything unusual.
Rumble...
Suddenly, the earth began trembling.
"An earthquake? No, something's coming up from below!"
Steven lowered his center of gravity, barely managing to maintain his balance.
Skarmory simply took flight, avoiding the tremors entirely.
"Aron!"
Aron was shaken and rolled around, nearly regurgitating the ore it had just consumed.
Metagross caught Aron with one arm and placed it safely on its head.
Then it charged up its fist and struck forward!
Bang—clang!
A massive head suddenly emerged from underground, and the moment it appeared, Metagross's punch sent it flying several meters back!
Only then did Steven get a clear view of the newcomer.
An enormous head, a body composed of irregular stone segments, and a layer of hard metallic coating over its rocky exterior.
This was unmistakably a Steel and Ground-type Pokémon—Steelix!
(T/N Note: Normally in games, Onix evolves into Steelix by holding a Metal Coat during trade. This story follows the Pokémon Legends: Arceus evolution method, where it can evolve simply by using a Metal Coat.)
"It seems Metagross's Psychic just now angered it," Steven observed, noticing the visible irritation marks on Steelix's face—it was clearly furious.
But what Steven didn't realize was...
Metagross had intentionally used Psychic to provoke the creature into emerging for battle.
This way, there would be no need to worry about the fight causing Granite Cave to collapse.
"Aron!"
At that moment, Aron, perched on Metagross's head, suddenly began crying out.
Big brother! It kept stealing my food!
"Meta?"
Metagross was surprised—why hadn't Aron called it "big brother" when it was still Metang?
Nevertheless, it raised its arm to reassure Aron.
Don't worry! Big brother will get revenge for you!
Aron hopped down from Metagross's head and began cheering enthusiastically with animated gestures.
"Steeee?!" Steelix also noticed Aron and became enraged.
You again, you little thief! You stole my rocks while I was sleeping last time! And now you're bringing backup to provoke me!
Although Steven couldn't understand Steelix's words, seeing its aggressive expression made it clear the Pokémon was extremely angry.
In any case, this Steelix was probably slightly weaker than Metagross had been before evolution.
It was likely one of the strongest Pokémon residing in Granite Cave.
"Then let me see what you're capable of," Steven said, crossing his arms with no intention of interfering.
Some time ago, he had tried teaching Metang about autonomous battling, but Metang simply couldn't grasp the concept of fighting independently.
It would just randomly throw out moves.
Now everything was different—concepts that had been incomprehensible before suddenly seemed simple and clear.
"Meta." Metagross beckoned to Steelix with a challenging gesture.
Consumed by rage, Steelix ignored the taunt and immediately charged forward, making the ground beneath tremble violently with each movement.
Steelix's fangs began crackling with flames—Fire Fang.
Since Fire Stones could be found deep within Granite Cave, it made sense that Steelix would know Fire Fang.
Metagross raised its arm, showing no panic despite Steelix's aggressive charge.
It slammed its elbow into Steelix's head, and the powerful impact sent Steelix crashing into the ground, raising a cloud of dust.
This was a new move Metagross had learned upon evolution—Hammer Arm!
Steelix's body was extraordinarily tough, and its defense spoke for itself. Combined with its long residence deep within Granite Cave and the rocky minerals it consumed to nourish its body, Metagross could unleash its full power without holding back.
The fallen Steelix swung its massive body, sweeping its tail horizontally.
Metagross showed no intention of dodging, raising its fist to counter the attack—Meteor Mash meeting Iron Tail head-on!
Clang!
Like two massive pieces of metal colliding, a piercing sound rang out.
Steelix's enormous body was actually forced back a short distance by the unmoved Metagross!
Boom!
Steelix's Iron Tail struck the ground, causing the earth to shake continuously. The area beneath Metagross suddenly transformed into quicksand, causing Metagross's body to gradually sink.
The quicksand carried powerful suction, making escape difficult!
Sand Tomb!
Metagross remained composed, its powerful Psychic energy suddenly erupting and pulling itself free from the quicksand's grip!
A dark gray metallic sheen enveloped Metagross's arms.
Bang bang bang!
Metagross charged directly at Steelix, throwing multiple punches at incredible speed, continuously striking Steelix's body!