In reality, what Steven was thinking wasn't too far from what Cain had guessed.
As for Team Magma, Steven had learned more about them primarily through some League reports.
When it came to who knew more, it would definitely be Cain.
After all, in his previous life, Cain had experienced firsthand the emergence of both Team Magma and Team Aqua.
As a member of Team Rocket, in order to infiltrate the Hoenn region, he had also made contact with people from Team Magma and Team Aqua. However, at that time, he was more of an enforcer and didn't have the authority to interact with them directly.
Knowing that this was likely related to Team Magma, both of them stopped insisting.
Cain sent a message to his master, Matsuda Takashi, while Steven also sent one, though Cain didn't know to whom. However, he suspected it was either to an expert from the Stone family or someone significant within the League.
"Cain, be careful," Steven warned.
Cain nodded.
Neither of them mentioned the possibility of leaving.
Both concealed their presence.
After climbing over a pile of large rocks, they finally spotted human silhouettes.
Hidden behind a large rock, Cain and Steven observed several people dressed entirely in red in the distance. They wore red hooded vests with hoods over their heads.
On the vests, there was a black emblem.
At first glance, it looked like a small mountain.
Team Magma!
Both Cain and Steven wore grim expressions.
If it were another underground group in the Hoenn region, even if they couldn't defeat them with their current strength, they wouldn't feel as much pressure.
But Team Magma was different.
Although they hadn't fully surfaced yet, ever since a member of the Stone family mysteriously disappeared after getting involved with Team Magma, Steven had thoroughly investigated the organization and had a rough idea of their terrifying strength.
Cain, of course, knew even more. In his past life, both Team Magma and Team Aqua were capable of going head-to-head with Team Rocket, so the strength of these teams was undeniable.
There were several elite-level trainers within Team Magma.
What they didn't know was who was leading the group this time or whether there was an elite-level individual present.
Two members of Team Magma were chatting, but due to the distance and the swift airflow around the volcano, Cain and Steven couldn't hear what they were saying.
There was no choice. After a moment's hesitation, Cain moved closer, using the massive rocks along the way to stay hidden.
Steven watched Cain's movements. Although he intended to stop him, he ultimately decided not to say anything.
Cain crept closer and, using his psychic ability, could barely hear what the two were saying.
The two Team Magma members, a man and a woman, were guarding the entrance.
"I wonder how much longer we'll have to stay here. We've been on this mission for days, and there isn't even a place to bathe," the woman complained.
"Who knows? This mission is pretty simple; we just have to guard the entrance, and we'll receive big rewards. When we return, we can exchange points for supplies to enhance our skills," the man replied.
"Guarding is easy, but I'm curious about what they're doing inside."
"Stop being so curious. This mission is led by Lord Butler. Don't ask questions about things you shouldn't know. Even though his strength is average compared to other superiors, his temper is notoriously bad," the man said nervously.
"I've heard that... Lord Butler only has this position because he's backed by Lord Tabitha," the woman muttered under her breath.
"Shut up! How can you say something like that? Do you want to get killed?"
After that, their conversation shifted to rumors about Team Magma's upper ranks, which Cain wasn't interested in, so he stopped listening.
However, he had learned some important details from their conversation.
Although he didn't know exactly what Team Magma was doing here, at least Maxie wasn't in charge, which gave Cain some relief.
If Maxie were leading, Cain wouldn't even bother looking back before fleeing with Steven.
They were on completely different levels. A confrontation with Maxie would be a death sentence.
As for Butler, Cain didn't recall him being one of Team Magma's high-ranking members.
But the name Tabitha was familiar to Cain. In his previous life, he'd heard of Tabitha as one of Team Magma's important leaders and potentially an elite-level trainer.
At that moment, Steven, who had followed Cain's lead, arrived by his side.
Cain used telepathy to share all the information he had obtained.
"What do we do? Retreat or go in for a closer look?" Cain asked Steven telepathically.
Steven didn't respond immediately, but after some thought, he nodded decisively.
The message was clear: Let's go in!
In truth, Cain had the same intention, but since there were two of them, he preferred to get Steven's agreement.
Cain took out a Pokéball again. To avoid detection, both Skorupi and Lairon had already been returned to their Pokéballs.
This time, Cain didn't use Skorupi's Pokéball but instead brought out Slowking. Steven also refrained from bringing out Lairon and instead used his strongest Pokémon.
This could be life-threatening, so they had to go all out from the start.
Slowking and a completely silver-bodied Metang appeared.
The moment Steven's Metang appeared, Cain obtained its data.
Pokémon: Shiny Metang (Purple)
Gender: None
Level: 44
Type: Steel/Psychic
Ability: Clear Body
Held Item: Metal Coat
Egg Moves: None
Basic Moves: Confusion, Metal Claw, Take Down, Pursuit, Bullet Punch, Miracle Eye, Scary Face, Agility, Meteor Mash
Learned Moves: Gravity, Thunder Punch, Ice Punch, Zen Headbutt, Magnet Rise, Icy Wind
TM Moves: Protect, Psyshock, Hidden Power (Flying), Hyper Beam, Earthquake, Psychic, Shadow Ball, Brick Break, Rock Slide, Substitute, Flash Cannon, Grass Knot
Damn!
That was Cain's first reaction upon seeing that Metang.
Was this the Metang Steven had been hiding? His strongest Metang?
The last time Cain saw a Metang from Steven, it was at a lower level and of lesser quality. This one was far superior.
This Metang had already reached Level 44 and was on the verge of evolving into Metagross at Level 45. But because Steven lacked a second Metang, he had concentrated his training on this higher-quality one.
A pseudo-legendary!
Only after completing its final evolution could a pseudo-legendary Pokémon display its full potential.
This shiny Metang was incredibly strong but wasn't yet at its peak.
Once it evolves into Metagross, its strength will skyrocket.
Steven will reach the level of an Elite Trainer in no time.
Cain also needed to accelerate his own growth!
(End of Chapter)