"Agility, then Meteor Mash!"
From behind the lingering smoke, Metagross flashed like a streak of silver lightning, zigzagging rapidly across the ground to close the distance with Gengar. Its front legs rose high before slamming forward in a fierce charge.
"Will-O-Wisp!"
Unfazed and focused, Gengar quickly launched a barrage of eerie, violet-blue flames—Will-O-Wisps—that floated unnaturally in midair. Under its control, the ghostly flames moved in unpredictable arcs toward Metagross as it broke through the smoke, making them nearly impossible to dodge or predict.
"Break through it!"
Metagross didn't attempt to evade or defend. Instead, it heightened its psychic energy, enveloping itself with telekinetic force. The incoming Will-O-Wisps were shattered before they could even touch it—smashed apart by the sheer force of the charging Meteor Mash.
Caught off guard, Gengar was struck and sent skidding backward.
"Hypnosis!"
Hovering in the air, Gengar's eyes flashed with pulsing waves of violet as it released a wave of psychic suggestion—Hypnosis—aimed straight at Metagross. If it could land the move, Gengar would turn the tide with its Dream Eater strategy and secure a swift win.
"Psychic!"
But Metagross had no intention of dodging. Rather than move away, it stood its ground and countered with a surge of raw Psychic energy—an intense wave of mental force that blasted outward, disrupting the hypnotic pulses and scattering them.
The leftover power struck Gengar directly, dealing damage and attempting to bind it in place.
"Shadow Ball!"
Feeling the crushing grip of psychic force, Gengar struggled to counter by gathering energy in its hands and hurling a Shadow Ball, hoping to break Metagross' control and push it back.
However, Metagross' eyes gleamed with blue light—it had anticipated this. With a swift shift in telekinetic focus, it redirected the Psychic energy toward the Shadow Ball, forcibly reversing its trajectory.
The Shadow Ball backfired and exploded against Gengar's own body.
With a cry of pain, Gengar was blasted back once again.
It knew its own strength better than anyone—being struck by its own attack was nearly too much to bear.
But Metagross gave it no chance to recover. Another wave of Psychic power slammed into Gengar, keeping it suspended and crushing its body even further.
In mere seconds, Gengar was on the verge of collapse—critically injured and barely hanging on.
"Keep using Psychic!"
For the finishing blow, Paul didn't choose to close the gap with Meteor Mash. Instead, he commanded Metagross to maintain distance and finish the job from afar.
The relentless Psychic continued compressing Gengar, the force squeezing it into a distorted shape—before Metagross flung it away like discarded trash.
"Geh…!"
Once the psychic grip was released, the crumpled purple mass reverted to its original form—Gengar—lying motionless on the ground.
"Gengar is unable to battle. Metagross wins!"
With that official announcement, Gary glanced worriedly at Ash.
Today's match reminded him uncomfortably of his recent battle against Paul—one that could only be described as completely one-sided.
"Their Pokémon levels weren't too far apart, but as a Trainer, Ash is nowhere near Paul's level."
It was then that Professor Oak, who had stepped out of the lab without anyone noticing, spoke quietly from the sidelines.
Back in his younger days, he too had been a powerful Trainer—though that legacy had long been eclipsed by his renown as a Pokémon Professor.
Naturally, he could see through the battle with clarity.
"Then… does Ash even have a chance of beating Paul?" Gary asked softly.
"In this world, nothing is absolute. There's always a chance—some big, some small. It all depends on how things play out."
Professor Oak gave a warm smile, though he didn't provide a definitive answer.
After all, that's the beauty of Pokémon battles: the tide of battle can turn in an instant. No one can ever be sure when the momentum might shift.
However, what Professor Oak didn't say aloud was this—Paul was exactly the kind of Trainer who left no room for momentum to shift. Calm, calculating, and relentless, he was a master of controlling the pace of the battle from start to finish.
Unless something wildly unpredictable or extraordinary happened, defeating a Trainer like that with a comeback strategy could be summed up in one word—difficult.
"Hang in there, Ash."
Gary stopped spacing out and refocused on the match, watching intently.
"Come back, Gengar. Take a good rest."
"Return."
Ash recalled Gengar to its Poké Ball. Before he could decide who to send out next, he saw Paul withdraw Metagross as well.
Without hesitation, Paul tossed out another Poké Ball.
"Hisuian Samurott—battle ready!"
"Chaah~!"
A proud, commanding cry rang out as the stoic, cold-eyed Hisuian Samurott appeared on the field.
"That's the Hisuian form of Samurott?"
Ash had heard Gary describe this particular Pokémon before—and he'd seen some battle footage, too.
It might not have been the strongest on paper, but the Ceaseless Edge technique it wielded came with a stealth hazard effect similar to Spikes, which made it incredibly hard to deal with.
Ash remembered it clearly: a Trainer named Barry had suffered a crushing defeat after Ceaseless Edge inflicted chip damage on nearly every Pokémon that hit the field afterward. That move had singlehandedly set the course for his downfall.
"I have to take this one down with an overwhelming force!"
Ash clenched his fists, gaze locking on the cold-blooded predator before him, whose tusks gleamed with menace.
"Sceptile, I choose you!"
"Scehh~!"
Sceptile wasn't surprised in the slightest by Ash's decision. It calmly stepped forward, ready for battle and poised to charge at its opponent—Samurott.
Ash and Paul's eyes met. In perfect sync, they shouted:
"Leaf Blade!"
"Fury Cutter!"
"Scehh~!"
With a flick of its arms, the blades extending from Sceptile's forearms grew long and razor-sharp. Pushing off with powerful legs, it lunged forward.
"Scehh~!"
Samurott drew both of its arm blades. A brilliant white edge shimmered from their tips as it dashed forward to meet Sceptile head-on—slashing with both blades simultaneously.
BOOM!
Both Pokémon were explosive attackers. In the blink of an eye, they collided at the center of the battlefield. The force behind their clash was so evenly matched, neither side gained the upper hand.
After pushing each other back with raw strength, the two darted forward again. Their blades clashed repeatedly—Leaf Blade striking against Fury Cutter, each trying to break through the other's defenses and land a decisive hit.
But both Pokémon excelled in speed and reaction time. Despite the rapid exchanges, it was hard to tell who was superior—each blow deflected, each strike countered. The battle was dead even.
However, such counterpoise wouldn't last for long.
With evenly matched power, Samurott found it difficult to outmatch Pokémon like Electivire who attacked with both fists, or Ninetales whose nine tails moved independently with deceptive speed.
Most Pokémon fell quickly to Samurott's relentless attacks, unable to adapt in time. But this time, it was different.
After ten seconds or so of fierce exchanges, Samurott began to read Sceptile's patterns. Abandoning Fury Cutter, it switched to other moves that flowed better into successive combos.
Each strike became harder to predict—more punishing. Within moments, Sceptile's body was marked with visible injuries.
Though the wounds didn't look serious on the surface, they each struck vital spots or pressure points. If Sceptile hadn't been so quick to react, it likely would've gone down already.
"This won't do… Sceptile, use Bullet Seed!"
Ash made a snap decision as the situation worsened.
"Scehh~!"
In the midst of their close-quarters exchange, Sceptile pulled back abruptly. It opened its mouth and unleashed a rapid volley of seeds, each one like a bullet, pelting toward Samurott.
(End of Chapter)
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