The alarm blared, instantly drawing the attention of all Devon Corporation employees and security personnel.
In less than ten seconds, many people had rushed out of the company's front door, but a sandstorm from Gible awaited them! The howling wind whipped up a massive amount of sand. The personnel who had rushed out covered their mouths and noses, but all they could see was a hazy landscape with less than three meters of visibility!
"This sandstorm is a bit strange. It looks like we're under attack."
A woman walked out of the main entrance. After a slight frown, she threw a Poké Ball and commanded, "Lock On!" A Nosepass landed on the ground, its squinted eyes scanning the sandstorm. It quickly locked onto the target within the storm.
"Trying to run? Too late! Spike Cannon!"
Nosepass stomped the ground, and a series of sharp spikes shot out, rapidly rushing towards the target in the sandstorm.
Gible saw the attack coming and instantly pounced forward, digging rapidly with its claws and burrowing underground. The Spike Cannon missed, but it successfully forced Gible to retreat. Without Gible's control, the sandstorm gradually subsided, revealing the scene behind it.
"Who are you?!" The woman, who was actually the Rustboro City Gym Leader Roxanne, frowned and looked at Ace, asking in a stern voice, "Why are you attacking the Devon Corporation?!"
Ace looked at Roxanne and cursed his luck. He didn't expect to run into a Gym Leader here.
"Roxanne, let me handle this. I also want to ask him that question."
Just as Ace was wondering whether to stall for time, a man walked out of the main entrance.
The moment he saw the man, Ace didn't hesitate to recall Gible, who had just emerged from the ground. In the next instant, he released Aerodactyl, which quickly grabbed Ace and flew away.
"Steven Stone is at the Devon Corporation? Did I forget to check my horoscope today?" Ace cursed to himself, urging Aerodactyl to go faster.
However, a Metagross carrying Steven quickly caught up, keeping pace with Ace.
"Metagross, use Psychic to hold it down!"
"Use Agility."
Ace didn't want to get tangled up with Steven. Aerodactyl suddenly accelerated, and Metagross's Psychic couldn't keep up with the sudden burst of speed.
"Flash Cannon!"
Ace's refusal to engage didn't mean Steven would let him go. After all, if someone's front door was blown up, it would be unreasonable not to get a little payback. A beam of energy shot from behind. Ace saw it and knew he couldn't hold back, or he would definitely be left behind!
"You damn outsiders, you will pay for this one day!"
Ace thought for a moment before shouting those words. Then, Aerodactyl was enveloped in energy, and its Mega Evolution began! Aerodactyl's speed surged dramatically, and it swerved, dodging the Flash Cannon. Then, with a flap of its wings, a volley of rocks flew towards Metagross.
"Bullet Punch!"
Metagross quickly threw out a barrage of punches, shattering the incoming rocks, and Ace took the opportunity to make a swift escape.
This time, Steven didn't give chase. He frowned slightly, pondering Ace's words. But in that brief moment of thought, Aerodactyl's speed had reached its limit. In the blink of an eye, Steven could only see a tiny black dot in the night sky.
"Outsiders… pay for this… It seems my father is hiding something from me."
Steven turned around and left, no longer pursuing Ace. He had Metagross quickly return to the Devon Corporation.
When Steven got back to the company, he found his father, Mr. Stone, with a grim expression, directing people to busy themselves. As for Roxanne, although she was a Gym Leader, there were many things she couldn't get involved in.
"Did you catch him?" Mr. Stone asked, looking at Steven.
"No, he got away."
Steven frowned slightly. "The damage shouldn't be too great, should it, Father? What happened?"
"The Fossil Reviver machine was destroyed." Mr. Stone said through gritted teeth. "Its core was stolen. We must find this guy!"
"…I heard him say something about 'outsiders' and that they would 'pay for this one day.'" Steven looked at his father directly, his expression serious. "Father, what are you hiding from me?"
Mr. Stone was stunned by Steven's words. His expression shifted between light and shadow before he finally sighed slightly. "So it's them. Let's just drop this matter. In the end, it was our mistake."
"What exactly happened?" Steven pressed, seeing the look on his father's face.
"Come inside with me. It's time you knew some things."
Mr. Stone said, his demeanor a bit dejected. If Ace were here, he would probably applaud and award Mr. Stone an Oscar for Best Actor. Mr. Stone was a cunning old schemer, and a very arrogant man. Having built the Devon Corporation into such a large enterprise with his own power, Mr. Stone had every right to be arrogant.
Who were these country folk from the Meteor Falls, thinking they could save the world? If these commoners could do something, why couldn't I? Even the noble Dragon God they speak of—wasn't I the one who pulled it down from its pedestal?
With Steven also living up to expectations and becoming the Champion, Mr. Stone had become a bit lost in himself. In his eyes, he was the most outstanding existence. He had created an "empire," pulled a "god" off its pedestal, and trained his descendant into a "final weapon." Any one of these achievements would be enough for an ordinary person to brag about for a lifetime, let alone all three!
That's why Ace was wary of Mr. Stone and called him a cunning old schemer—because he truly deserved the title.
Taking Steven inside the company, Mr. Stone tearfully recounted the old plan to capture Rayquaza. He also mentioned the death of Zinnia's grandmother, who was tragically killed as a result of their actions. He also revealed that the Key Stone he had given Steven to hold onto was something he had "found" on her body and had been "safeguarding." But whether he was truly safeguarding it was something only he knew. If he really was, why didn't he give it back when the Draconids came to ask for it?
Upon hearing of his father's past mistakes, Steven fell silent. At this moment, he was conflicted. On one hand, he was annoyed that his father had kept secrets from him. On the other, he felt a sense of guilt for his father's mistakes. But more than anything, after learning what the League had done, Steven felt an even stronger aversion to his current status as Champion.
"Forget it. Since Wallace is filling in for me, I might as well go back to digging for rocks in peace."
Steven had lost all motivation. After learning the truth, he also realized who the person who escaped was. His father's past mistakes must have angered them. Perhaps, when the two sides met peacefully, his father could apologize, and they wouldn't pursue the matter of the damages.
Steven thought this naively, but when that time came, who could really say what would happen?