Hearing Dawn's call, Ash quickly took Pikachu and Brock and crouched down behind the bushes.
Seeing this, the Team Rocket Trio also scrambled to follow behind Ash, each as quiet as a cicada in winter, fearing they would be targeted by the enraged Steelix if they were a step too slow.
Once Ash and his group were hidden, Dawn immediately approached, her azure eyes filled with curiosity. "Ash, how on earth did you provoke that Steelix?"
Hearing this, Ash immediately pointed his finger indignantly at the Team Rockets huddled in the corner. "It's all because of Team Rockets! They're the ones who enraged the Steelix, and we just got caught up in it."
"Pika pika!" Pikachu also pointed at the Team Rockets angrily, the electric sacs on its cheeks crackling. It was clearly quite upset by the group's reckless behavior.
Feeling everyone's angry glares, the Team Rocket Trio instantly cowered. Jessie clasped her hands together and bowed repeatedly. "We didn't do it on purpose! Who would've thought that when we were digging the pit, we'd stick the shovel right into the Steelix's head?"
James quickly chimed in, "Exactly, exactly! We even lost three shovels."
Meowth also nodded. "That's right, meow! We're the victims here, meow."
"Hmm? You're the ones feeling wronged?" Dawn's eyebrows furrowed, and her azure eyes glared as she put her hands on her hips. The presence she had honed on the Contest stage instantly burst forth. "If you hadn't been digging around, would the Steelix have gone on a rampage? Shinji still has to go through the trouble of cleaning up your mess."
After being scolded by Dawn, the Team Rocket Trio instantly fell silent, shrinking their necks and squatting to the side, not even daring to breathe loudly.
On the other side, in the center of the battlefield.
The Steelix was hit squarely by Ursaring's Focus Blast; fighting-type moves were super effective against Steelix.
In its pain, the Steelix's fierce eyes locked onto Ursaring, instantly shifting all its rage toward the Ursaring in front of it.
It opened its mouth full of sharp teeth, and an orange-yellow energy beam rapidly condensed inside. With a destructive aura, it blasted straight toward Ursaring—it was Hyper Beam!
Shinji's dark purple eyes narrowed slightly as he recognized the move. His voice was cold yet exceptionally steady: "Protect."
Ursaring reacted extremely quickly, immediately crossing its arms in front of it. A pale green energy shield instantly expanded, firmly enveloping its entire body.
"Bang—!"
The Hyper Beam slammed into the pale green energy shield. Brilliant light splattered everywhere, and the powerful impact made the surrounding air tremble, yet it could not penetrate that seemingly thin barrier.
The shield dissipated, and Ursaring stood firmly in place, completely unharmed.
As for the Steelix that had just used Hyper Beam, it fell into a brief state of immobilization due to the move's side effect, its massive body frozen in place, unable to move.
Shinji naturally wouldn't miss this perfect opportunity. His gaze was as sharp as a blade, and his voice was cold and concise.
"Hammer Arm."
"Ba-bear—!"
Ursaring let out a deafening low growl. Its forearms were instantly enveloped in a pale white light, its muscles tensing with explosive power.
It strode forward on its thick legs, rushing toward the immobilized Steelix like a cannonball. The moment it reached the Steelix, it leaped high into the air, raised its arms, and slammed them down hard onto its head!
"Boom—!!!"
A loud explosion echoed through the woods. The Steelix's massive body was slammed into the ground by the blow. The earth instantly cracked, debris flew, and dust filled the air, shrouding the surrounding scene.
Shinji's eyes turned sharp. Without hesitation, he exchanged for a Poké Ball from the system shop and flicked his wrist. The Poké Ball traced a precise arc through the air, flying toward the fallen Steelix.
The Poké Ball accurately hit the Steelix's body. A red light flashed, and the Steelix was instantly sucked into the ball.
The Poké Ball landed on the ground and began to shake violently from side to side. The red light at the top blinked rapidly; clearly, the Steelix inside was still struggling stubbornly.
This time, the shaking lasted much longer than when he caught Aerodactyl. Even Dawn couldn't help but hold her breath, staring intently at the Poké Ball.
Just as Shinji frowned slightly, thinking the capture had failed, the Poké Ball suddenly made a crisp "click" sound. The red light went out, and it stopped shaking completely—the capture was successful.
"That's great, Shinji! You successfully caught the Steelix." Dawn was the first to jump out from behind the bushes, a bright smile blooming on her face as she ran to Shinji's side.
But as soon as she finished speaking, the Poké Ball containing the Steelix vanished into thin air.
The smile on Dawn's face instantly froze, and her azure eyes widened. "Eh? Why did the Poké Ball disappear?" She turned to Shinji and asked urgently, "What's going on?"
Before Shinji could speak, Ash spoke up first to explain, "Don't you know, Dawn? A Trainer can only carry a maximum of six Pokémon at a time. Any extras are automatically sent to the Professor they registered with."
Hearing this, Brock added, "It doesn't necessarily have to be sent to a Research Institute. You can choose the transfer location yourself, like your home or a Nursery."
Dawn nodded in realization. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, her expression changed, and she hurriedly said to Shinji, "By the way, Shinji, you need to quickly take those three shovels off the Steelix's head! It went on a rampage before because Team Rockets stuck them in its head."
Shinji shook his head slightly, his tone calm. "No need to worry. My older brother will handle it."
"Shinji, you have an older brother?" Ash asked, a hint of curiosity flashing in his eyes.
Shinji gave him a cold glance, his voice carrying an unmasked aloofness. "There is no need for me to tell you."
"You—!" Ash clenched his fists in anger at his cold attitude, his face turning bright red.
Seeing this, Dawn couldn't help but chuckle and stepped in to smooth things over. "Alright, alright, Ash, don't be angry. Shinji's brother is a Breeder, just like Brock. He runs a Nursery in Veilstone City, and he's the one who looks after Shinji's Pokémon."
Having traveled with Shinji for so long, Dawn was already well-acquainted with his situation.
"Alright, let's go." Shinji didn't want to get further entangled with Ash and his group. He said a word to Dawn and turned to walk away.
But Ash would not let him have his way. He instantly flashed in front of Shinji to block him, his eyes determined and full of fighting spirit. "Wait, Shinji! I want to battle you. I'll show you the progress my Pokémon and I have made during this time."
"Pika—chu!"
Pikachu also leaped down from Ash's shoulder, landing firmly at his feet. Its cheek sacs crackled with electricity, and golden arcs of lightning flowed through its fur. Its bright black eyes were locked onto Shinji, its fighting spirit high.