Steelix's formidable strength took all five of them by surprise. Gritting her teeth through the intense pain, Sophia shouted, "Everyone, attack together!"
"Pyroar, Flamethrower!"
"Hippowdon, Bulldoze!"
"Lucario, Aura Sphere!"
"Manectric, Thunderbolt!"
"Kabutops, Ancient Power!"
The five mid-to-late stage Elite-level Pokémon launched their assaults simultaneously, their overwhelming attacks cutting off all escape routes for Steelix.
Steelix: 'Can't dodge? Then I'll fight.'
Its massive body began to spin rapidly, instantly turning its long form into a high-speed drill, aiming straight for Pyroar.
Why Pyroar and not the other four? Not because Pyroar was the weakest—Steelix simply held a grudge. Since Pyroar had attacked first, it had to be the first to go down.
Drill Run pierced straight through Flamethrower and under Pyroar's horrified gaze, the move struck its back with a sharp whirr and immense force, slamming Pyroar to the ground and cracking the earth beneath it.
"Pyroar!"
Anton never expected Steelix to be this relentless—or this strong. A single strike not only overpowered Flamethrower but also knocked Pyroar out of the fight.
But as the Drill Run ended, the attacks from the other four Pokémon arrived.
Feeling the oppressive pressure closing in from all sides, Steelix showed no fear.
Steelix: 'I should be able to tank this.'
Though its defense wasn't as absurdly high as Aggron's, it was still formidable enough to strike fear into any opponent. Even if it took direct hits from these four mid-to-late stage Elite Pokémon, it wouldn't be knocked out—though it would definitely hurt.
"Meta~"
Just as Steelix braced itself for impact, a voice reached its ears, making it grin. Its tensed body relaxed.
Psychic!
In an instant, all four Pokémon—their attacks and their bodies—were frozen in place by Metagross's psychic grip, along with Sophia and the other four trainers.
The sudden turn of events left the five trainers both shocked and furious.
Especially now that they were completely immobilized—they couldn't even reach for their Poké Balls.
And to make matters worse, Steelix was now staring at them with clear malice, particularly at Sophia. As its massive maw loomed, she couldn't help but wonder if it was about to swallow her whole.
Steelix: 'Weren't you all pretty cocky just now? Well, now my boss is here. Let's see you act tough again.'
None of them had expected Steelix to have such a powerful ally.
Their eyes locked onto the suddenly appearing Metagross—wait… silver? A silver Metagross?!
Sophia's originally despairing gaze suddenly flickered with a glimmer of hope.
The next moment, a voice reached her ears: "Metagross, let them go."
She saw Julian, Pierce, and the others slowly walking out from the other side of the cavern.
Because the cave was dimly lit, Sophia couldn't see their faces clearly at first—but she recognized the language. It was from Drakoria.
Meanwhile, Metagross had already released the five Pokémon and their trainers, including Sophia and her group.
Julian and his group stopped about twenty meters away from them, making no move to approach further.
While Volkaria and their nation were allies, in an environment like this, even siblings or spouses—let alone allies—had to maintain some level of wariness.
The Volkarian team's Pokémon quickly moved to protect their trainers, shielding them while eyeing Metagross warily. That earlier display had made them fully aware of its overwhelming power.
"So it really is our friends from Drakoria," Sophia murmured, finally getting a clear look at the five figures across from her. She let out a sigh of relief.
Her gaze lingered on the silver Metagross nearby. The moment she saw it, she had immediately thought of one person—
Julian.
The grandson of Drakoria's Champion John, hailed as the strongest among the younger generation of trainers.
And now, standing beside Metagross was the man himself—tall, composed, with sharp, cold features. The Steelix from earlier was also at his side, clearly one of his Pokémon.
'Hmm… He's even more handsome than in the photos.'
"Sophia, you thirsty heifer, stop staring at Julian like that. You're almost thirty—don't even think about robbing the cradle," Ember teased as she walked up to Julian.
She had intended to grab onto his arm in front of Sophia—but Julian immediately dodged away without hesitation.
Julian: 'Trying to take advantage of me? Not a chance.'
Ember: 'This guy is doomed to stay single forever.'
Sophia couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh at the scene—only to cough up blood the next second, her face even paler than before.
Earlier, due to the urgent situation, she had forcibly suppressed her injuries. But now that the danger had passed, the internal damage surged back with even greater intensity.
Although the others weren't hurt as badly as Sophia, Anton and the rest had all suffered varying degrees of internal injuries.
"Sophia!"
Anton rushed to her side, panicking as he looked at her pale face and shallow breathing.
They had used up most of their medical supplies—and none of the remaining ones could treat internal injuries.
"Why did your Steelix attack us?" Anton yelled angrily, thinking about how all their injuries were inflicted by Steelix.
Julian's expression immediately turned cold. "You were the ones who attacked Steelix first."
Steelix, standing nearby, nodded vigorously and even put on a pitiful expression—'I was just coming to find you guys, and as soon as we met, you attacked me!'
And now, after getting beaten up, they had the nerve to blame him?
Anton froze. Thinking it over carefully... that really was how it happened.
His face flushed with embarrassment, torn between lingering anger and the urge to apologize.
"Five against one, lost the fight, and still have the nerve to complain," Rowan sneered from the side.
"Hah! And they call themselves the 'Fighting Nation'—more like the 'Getting Beat Up Nation,'" Asher chimed in mockingly.
Naturally, both of them were firmly on Julian's side.
Under their taunts, the awkwardness on Anton and his group's faces was quickly replaced with rising anger.
Sensing the situation heading in the wrong direction—after all, they were here to find allies, not make enemies—Pierce quickly stepped forward and said, "I've got medicine here. Treat your injuries first."
As he spoke, he pulled out some internal injury medication and handed it to Anton and the others.
Anton hesitated for a moment before reluctantly accepting it.
Asher was about to throw in another jab, but Pierce shot him a warning look, shutting him up.
Volkaria had always maintained friendly relations with Drakoria. As a military representative, Pierce stood for both the army and the nation. While Julian and the others could afford to be dismissive, he couldn't.
And since there was no major conflict of interest at the moment, Volkaria, as an allied nation, couldn't be pushed away. So when it was time to smooth things over, he had to.
Besides, they still had a common enemy here… one that would require their combined strength to defeat.
*****
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