"Now!"
The command echoed telepathically in the minds of Gardevoir and Machamp the moment Ron gave the order. Without hesitation, Gardevoir activated Teleport.
Years of seamless teamwork showed—the instant Machamp blinked, the last two targets had already been taken down.
The remaining three were eliminated by Gardevoir's Psychic prowess.
With all five enemies neutralized, Ron wasted no time. He had Gardevoir teleport the team and the corpses away from the scene.
Once the bodies were dealt with, the area surrounding the surveillance room was practically cleared of all Team Magma operatives.
Next, Ron had to navigate deeper into the enemy base.
But then, Gardevoir picked up something new.
"Ron, someone is heading toward the surveillance room—unknown presence, but likely Champion-tier strength."
"Teleport us back to the surveillance room—now."
There was no time to ponder why Courtney was heading that way. The priority was extracting Persian from the room before she arrived.
As for ambushing her with a surprise attack before she could react? Ron didn't even consider it. A place this quiet—she'd immediately grow suspicious. The last thing he wanted was to lose Persian in a careless trap.
While rushing to the surveillance room, Ron opened a comm line to Steven Stone.
"Once we clean up here, this whole area should be clear of Team Magma. I just wonder how Ron's side is doing…"
Just as Steven finished whispering to himself, his vibration-silenced phone began buzzing.
"Metagross, get us back to the surveillance room."
Like Ron, Steven didn't bother questioning why Courtney was heading there. The situation was shifting—plans had to adapt.
"Message from the young master—everyone, move out."
On Mt. Chimney, Uncle Rin received the signal and immediately led his squad toward Team Magma's hidden base.
Nearby Ranger outposts also began their operation—pre-assembled teams mobilized on the spot.
"Let's go."
As soon as Ron's voice reached Persian, the Pokémon dropped its guard and leapt to his side.
With another Teleport, Gardevoir whisked Ron's team away from danger.
Sensing each other's presence, Ron and Steven moved to rendezvous as quickly as possible.
"Ron, I'll take care of Courtney. You go after the rest of Team Magma. Draw their attention if you can—if there's a way into their research lab, I'm counting on you to seize any intel or assets they have."
"I know it's a tough task. Just do what you can. Uncle Rin and the League should arrive soon."
Steven's instructions were clear and confident.
"I've got it covered."
"Then I'll go on ahead. The rest is up to you."
Without delay, Steven and Metagross vanished via Teleport.
Ron didn't waste a second either. With the element of surprise still on his side, he planned to inflict as much damage as possible before the base could react.
Meanwhile, Courtney had picked up on the abnormalities. Suspicious, she immediately triggered a base-wide alarm, putting the entire facility on lockdown.
"Go, Camerupt!"
She released her ace Pokémon and continued advancing toward the surveillance room.
"Metagross—Meteor Mash!"
Following Steven's command, Metagross vanished in a blink.
Sensing danger, Camerupt threw itself between its Trainer and the incoming strike.
Blazing heat surged through the air. The overwhelming sense of threat forced Camerupt to ignore everything else—it had to block this attack.
While Camerupt shielded her, Courtney quickly released her entire team, forming a defensive perimeter.
As the flames subsided, a white, gleaming Metagross stood before her.
"Steven?!"
The moment she recognized the distinct, shimmering Pokémon, Courtney gasped aloud.
"Courtney. Surrender peacefully."
Since his sneak attack had failed, Steven no longer held back. He stepped into view, bold and unflinching.
It was inevitable—there was likely no one else in the entire Hoenn region who possessed a Shiny Metagross of that caliber.
"I didn't expect you to find this place—let alone infiltrate it so easily. I assume everyone in the surveillance room is already dead?"
"Don't waste your breath. Metagross, use Meteor Mash!"
Without a single word more, Steven gave the command.
A brilliant white light enveloped Metagross, and in a flash, it vanished from sight, reappearing in a burst of force as it charged toward Courtney.
"Aggron, Rock Tomb!"
"Armaldo, Rock Blast!"
"Damn it!"
Cursing under her breath, Courtney barked out orders to Camerupt and the others to counterattack.
Just as Steven had suspected, Courtney's plan from the beginning was to stall for time—hoping to escape once reinforcements from inside the base arrived.
The idea of actually killing Steven—champion of the Hoenn League—was pure fantasy. It never once factored into her strategy.
After all, if someone like her, backed only by a few Magma Admins who weren't even Elite Four-level, could take down the Champion, then Team Magma would've conquered the entire Hoenn League by now. There'd be no need for secret bases like this one.
"We need to move faster. Head to the research lab first."
Having just taken down two Magma grunts, Ron turned to Gardevoir after hearing the sounds of battle erupt nearby.
At this point, there was no need for stealth. Gardevoir immediately calculated the shortest route and then teleported Ron directly toward the lab.
"Move quickly! A squad will escort Dr. Kansan to safety. Everyone else, support Lady Courtney!"
Despite the chaos, the Magma grunts showed impressive discipline. They split up and mobilized in two teams without hesitation.
"Who are you?!"
Inside the lab, Dr. Kansan, who had just started transferring data after hearing the alarms, looked up at the sudden appearance of Ron and his team.
"Gardevoir, put him to sleep. Once he's out, copy all the data—two copies. No mistakes."
"Bellossom, stay and guard Gardevoir while she works."
"Machamp, Persian, you're with me. We hold the line."
Thanks to Gardevoir's teleportation, Ron was the first to reach the lab—and he wasted no time setting up their defense.
Just like Courtney hadn't considered killing Steven, Ron wasn't worried about Steven being overwhelmed. He knew backup would come.
Gardevoir's Hypnosis took effect swiftly. Dr. Kansan became like a puppet, moving in complete compliance with her commands.
Outside the lab, Ron saw the first wave of Magma grunts approaching.
"Machamp, Daytime Tiger!"
A snarling white tiger burst forth—his second strike of the day. The battle had begun in earnest.
...
"Young Master said the Magma base is nearby. Find it as fast as possible."
"Yes, sir!"
As Uncle Rin's team began their search, the rangers—already on alert—arrived at Mt. Chimney.
"Seal off all routes around Mt. Chimney. Screen every passing Trainer. If you confirm any Team Magma personnel—engage immediately. Lethal force authorized!"
"Yes, sir!"
Thanks to Steven's early alert, the entire base was encircled within moments by heavy reinforcements.
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