Cave Exploration (Final): So This Is Love!

No sooner had Steven finished speaking than he slowly reached out, his fingertips brushing the Poké Ball at his waist.

A dazzling white light suddenly flared up, like a miniature sun rising abruptly from the depths of the cave. The intense glare made everyone instinctively squint.

As the light gradually faded, a steel behemoth far larger than an ordinary Metagross had appeared in the open space of the cave, hovering steadily a few centimeters above the ground and radiating a suffocating pressure.

That was Steven's Shiny Metagross.

Unlike the blue body of an ordinary Metagross, this one's body was a deep, brilliant silver. An unusual gleam flowed across its metallic frame, making it shine in the cave's dim light.

Its four steel claws glinted with an icy edge, while its red gem-like eyes swept vigilantly over the surroundings. It exuded an aura that was both powerful and mysterious.

Merely standing there, this Shiny Metagross displayed an indescribable regal presence—

The pressure forged through countless top-tier battles and refined after standing beside its master at the pinnacle of Hoenn.

Even without using a single move, its mere presence was enough to silence the nearby wild Pokémon. The faint chirping and crawling sounds that had once come from deep within the cave had already vanished without a trace.

Lin Mo's breathing caught. "So this is... a Champion's Pokémon?"

Lin Mo muttered to himself, an unprecedented pressure weighing on his heart as though it had substance.

The Feebas in the inflatable fish tank against his chest seemed to sense that powerful aura as well. It had been happily swimming in circles, but now it quieted down.

Its tiny body curled up at the bottom of the tank, with only its round eyes exposed as it timidly looked at the enormous creature.

Yet even so, it did not seem to have completely retreated. Every now and then, it puffed out its little cheeks, as if encouraging itself.

The livestream chat exploded again the moment Shiny Metagross appeared, densely packed comments nearly swallowing the entire screen:

"Oh my god! Shiny Metagross! Steven's Shiny Metagross!"

"As expected of Steven's ace. That presence—I'm practically suffocating through the screen."

"This makes the streamer's challenge feel even more impossibly difficult... That's Shiny Metagross!"

"Forget hurting it. Can Feebas even last ten seconds in front of it? I have my doubts."

"Even if it's hard, I still want to cheer for the streamer! What if a miracle happens?"

"A miracle? Against a Champion-level Metagross, even miracles probably won't help..."

Steven looked at Lin Mo's slightly tense expression, his tone still calm.

"Are you ready? Metagross won't attack proactively. It will only defend, so you can let your Pokémon use its moves without worry."

That news made Lin Mo relax slightly.

If Metagross attacked on its own, Feebas probably would not be able to withstand even a single hit at its current strength.

But even so, injuring a Champion-level Metagross that was fully focused on defense remained an almost impossible task.

Lin Mo took a deep breath, gently set the inflatable fish tank in his arms on the ground, crouched down, and softly said to Feebas inside.

"Feebas, I'm counting on you next. You're the best. No matter the result, show Champion Steven what we're capable of!"

Feebas seemed to understand Lin Mo's words. It flicked its tail, jumped out of the fish tank, and rubbed its head against him in response to his encouragement.

A trace of determination seemed to appear in those eyes that had once held only fear.

"Alright, then let's begin!" Lin Mo rose to his feet, his gaze sharpening. "Feebas, use Icy Wind first!"

Feebas nodded and abruptly opened its mouth, spraying a stream of white air laced with cold toward Metagross.

Though this Icy Wind was not particularly powerful, it carried a chill that would have been enough to make ordinary Pokémon uncomfortable.

However, Shiny Metagross did not react in the slightest. It simply hovered there silently.

The cold air struck Metagross's body and only formed a thin layer of frost on its surface. Yet a second later, the frost melted under the faint heat radiating from its body, causing no actual damage.

It had no effect at all.

Lin Mo's heart sank, but he did not lose courage.

He had long expected this outcome. Icy Wind was indeed far too weak against Metagross.

"Feebas, use Water Pulse! Give it everything you've got!"

At Lin Mo's command, rings of pale blue ripples began to spread around Feebas's tiny body.

The ripples grew denser and denser, gradually gathering into a ring of water that shot toward the Shiny Metagross not far away.

Compared to Metagross's massive body, this Water Pulse looked utterly insignificant, like a pebble casually tossed by a child.

Shiny Metagross remained unmoved!

Just as Water Pulse was about to strike it, faint ripples of energy spread across its silver shell, forming something like an invisible shield.

With a soft pop, Water Pulse crashed against the energy barrier and instantly scattered into countless tiny droplets that splashed onto the ground, not even wetting Metagross's armor.

The livestream chat grew pessimistic:

"Just as expected... Icy Wind and Water Pulse are nothing but tickles to Metagross."

"I told you. There's no way it can hurt it."

"The streamer already did his best, and Feebas did great too. The opponent is just too strong."

"It's a shame, but that's the gap in strength..."

Meanwhile, Steven's gaze remained fixed on Lin Mo and Feebas, obvious appreciation showing on his face.

When Feebas used Icy Wind, his eyes had quietly lit up. When it followed with Water Pulse, the satisfaction in his gaze deepened, and the way he looked at Lin Mo became even gentler.

Lin Mo, however, was focused on finding a way to break through the situation and did not notice Steven's gaze. He glanced at the total popularity on his panel. Riding Steven's wave of popularity, it had skyrocketed from just over ten thousand to two hundred and twenty thousand.

Should I try an advanced draw and see if I can get an item that might help? Just as Lin Mo was about to try his luck and see whether he could turn the situation around—

Suddenly,

Steven called out softly, "Metagross."

Metagross immediately turned toward its master. Its upright posture shrank slightly as it instantly put on an act of being injured by the move and appearing somewhat weak.

Then Steven, looking delighted and smiling broadly, announced to Lin Mo,

"Congratulations. You passed the test."

Lin Mo was completely confused for a moment. Full of doubts, he hurriedly asked,

"Champion Steven, was this test meant to assess my courage to face a powerful opponent? Or was there some other key point to it?"

Steven could not hold back his smile. He waved his hand and said,

"Oh, neither! I just wanted to make up a test for fun. Mainly, I wanted to tease you. Seeing you all nervous and at a loss just now, frowning as you tried to think of a solution—it was really amusing!"

As Steven spoke, he could not help chuckling again.

After hearing that, Lin Mo froze on the spot. His whole body stiffened for several seconds before he blankly stared at Steven, his eyes full of stunned disbelief that it had all been just to tease him.

Feebas went blank alongside Lin Mo. Its round little eyes looked at Lin Mo, then at Metagross, its tiny head tilting slightly—

Its move had clearly been used ages ago, yet Metagross was only getting "injured" now. It could not make sense of this at all.

Seeing the synchronized blank expressions of one man and one fish, Steven could no longer hold it in. He laughed so hard with delight that even his shoulders shook lightly.

At that moment, quite a few viewers in Lin Mo's livestream instantly turned into Sherlock Holmes. They quickly figured out Steven's meaning, and the chat flooded the screen:

"Love me, love my dog!"

"Hahahaha, I get it too. This damned love!"

"Ahhh, what do you mean? Love? What the hell? Can someone explain it clearly?"

"Yeah, what does that mean? What love and all that? Did the streamer pass the test or not?"

"Master Wallace! Think about it properly!"

"I remember Master Wallace has green hair too, and he uses Water-type Pokémon as well~!"

"+1, I felt it a long time ago! I noticed from the start that the way Steven looked at the streamer seemed a little off?"

"Hahahaha, no wonder Champion Steven still hasn't married... So that's how it is!"

"What does this have to do with Master Wallace? Ahhh, why is everyone talking in riddles? Can't you just say it plainly!!"

"Hahahaha, you're still young. You'll understand when you grow up!"

"..."