"Sudowoodo—I choose you!"
True to the challenger's role, Brock was the first to send out his Pokémon.
A creature resembling a stubby tree materialized on the battlefield. If one didn't look carefully, it could easily be mistaken for an actual plant.
But in truth, Sudowoodo was a pure Rock-type Pokémon—it had absolutely nothing to do with the Grass-type, despite appearances.
"Metagross—get ready for battle!"
Without a change in expression, Paul pulled out a Poké Ball and tossed it forward.
"Grroo~!"
The sound of Metagross' cry echoed across the field.
"That aura…!"
The moment Metagross' silvery body landed on the ground, both Sudowoodo, Brock, and Forrest were visibly startled. Their expressions shifted to shock in an instant.
The reason was clear—Metagross' sheer presence and pressure were overwhelming, a sure sign of terrifying power. At the very least, it far surpassed Sudowoodo.
"The battle begins! The challenger takes the first move."
Forrest announced.
"Begin with Power-Up Punch, then use Psychic."
Paul commanded calmly, showing no emotion.
"Grroo~…"
A faint white glow shimmered across Metagross' frame as cosmic energy surged into it. It was rapidly boosting its Special Attack and Defense. Meanwhile, the glowing X on its face shone a chilling blue.
"Waaah—!"
As soon as Psychic activated, a surge of telekinetic force completely seized the unprepared Sudowoodo, lifting it high into the air. The overwhelming energy bore down relentlessly, racking its body with increasing damage.
"Sudowoodo, use Stone Edge!"
Brock gave his command immediately. However, under the suffocating grip of Metagross' Psychic, Sudowoodo couldn't even move, let alone summon jagged rocks for an attack. There was simply no room for counterplay.
Paul watched coldly from the sidelines as Metagross continued to absorb energy and strengthen itself, its Psychic inflicting more and more pressure and damage on Sudowoodo.
"We can't let this drag on…"
With that thought flashing through his mind, Brock shouted:
"Sudowoodo, now or never—Double-Edge!"
"Woooooh!"
Sudowoodo's eyes suddenly sharpened. A fierce white light enveloped its body, and it unleashed 120% of its power in a desperate charge.
That sudden burst of energy managed to break free from Metagross' Psychic, as Sudowoodo charged straight at its foe with everything it had.
As a powerful Rock-type move, Double-Edge could deal serious damage—even to a Steel-type like Metagross.
Yet Paul and Metagross remained calm, showing neither fear nor intention to dodge.
"Hammer Arm!"
Metagross raised its two massive forelegs high, then brought them crashing down onto Sudowoodo with devastating force.
"Boom!"
Sudowoodo was strong—but was a Metagross at Honor Class level any less so?
With just a single clash, Metagross effortlessly shattered the momentum of Sudowoodo's Double-Edge and slammed its Hammer Arm hard into the foe, sending Sudowoodo flying across the battlefield.
It was super effective!
Judging by their respective strength levels and the damage sustained—this strike alone was enough to defeat Sudowoodo.
But just in case, Metagross followed up with a cautious Psychic, ensuring Sudowoodo collapsed the moment it hit the ground.
"Sudowoodo is unable to battle—Metagross wins!"
Forrest declared the result.
"What a powerful Metagross..."
"Come back, Sudowoodo. You did well."
As Brock recalled Sudowoodo, a look of concern crept across his face.
His Sudowoodo was no slouch—it could easily serve as an ace on a Gym Leader's team. Yet in front of this Metagross, it hadn't even managed to put up a fight. Was the gap between them really that vast?
"It's up to you now—Steelix!"
After a moment of thought, Brock sent out his strongest Pokémon without hesitation.
"ROARRR!"
With a thunderous cry, a colossal Steelix emerged onto the field. Its massive body gleamed with a cold metallic luster as it glared across at Metagross.
"Steelix, Mega Evolve!"
Brock swiftly brought out the Key Stone he had obtained during his travels, activating Mega Evolution for Steelix.
In a burst of radiant light, Mega Steelix appeared on the battlefield—larger, more imposing, and visibly more powerful than before.
Its neck was now encircled by rotating metallic shards, slowly orbiting in a clockwise motion. Its eyes had turned a piercing blue and six jagged fang-like protrusions jutted out from both sides of its mouth.
The three rod-like spikes on its body had transformed into dazzling gem-like structures, and even its tail had become tipped with a crystalline diamond shape—fierce, majestic, and regal all at once.
"ROARRR!!"
Mega Steelix radiated sheer dominance. For a moment, it looked as if it might even match Metagross in raw might.
"Interesting." Paul remarked, then gave his next command:
"Tackle it!"
"Grroo~!"
Metagross launched itself forward in a sudden leap, soaring straight at Steelix. The momentum was fluid, the power unmistakable.
"Double-Edge!"
Steelix wasn't about to back down from a head-on collision. It lunged toward Metagross, crashing forward with its full body mass.
Thanks to the boost from Cosmic Power, Metagross' Tackle attack was now just as forceful as Steelix's own charge.
"BOOM!"
The two steel titans collided in midair and recoiled in opposite directions from the impact.
"Dragon Breath!"
"Psychic!"
Steelix quickly adjusted its stance, then unleashed a stream of green flames—Dragon Breath—from its jaws toward Metagross. But before the attack could land, it was shattered mid-air by a powerful psychic shockwave generated by Metagross' immense mental force.
The shockwave cut through Dragon Breath like a knife through paper and crashed straight into Steelix's body, dealing direct damage.
While Steelix boasted exceptional physical defense, its special defense was another story—this hit had clearly taken a toll.
"Hang in there! Use Earthquake, then follow up with Stone Edge!"
Seeing Metagross dropping from the air after its attack, Brock quickly gave the next command.
"Rrraugh!"
Steelix reacted swiftly despite the pain. With a roar, it slammed its tail into the ground, triggering a powerful tremor. At the same time, jagged stone pillars erupted from the earth, all aimed at the descending Metagross.
If Metagross hit the ground, it would be right in the strike zone.
However, Metagross instantly saw through Steelix's plan. With a quick burst of Magnet Rise, it lifted itself into the air at a sharp angle, narrowly avoiding the incoming Stone Edge.
"Meteor Mash!"
Following Paul's command, Metagross focused all its power accelerating with electromagnetic force. It shot through the air like a meteor and crashed straight into Steelix, who wasn't ready to defend itself in time. The impact sent Steelix reeling backward.
"Hammer Arm!"
Before Steelix could recover, Metagross seamlessly followed up with another attack. With brutal force, it slammed its glowing arm down onto Steelix.
BOOM!
The blow hit clean, and Steelix collapsed hard to the ground.
"Dig!"
Seeing the battle slipping away, the badly wounded Steelix tried to use Dig to escape underground and buy some time to recover. But Paul and Metagross weren't about to let that happen.
"Psychic!"
Just as Steelix had burrowed halfway underground, Metagross' Psychic locked on. A shimmering field of psychic energy wrapped around Steelix, applying constant pressure.
Enhanced by cosmic energy gathered throughout the battle, Metagross' special attack had reached an entirely new level. Steelix had no chance to retaliate.
Dragged out of the hole by sheer psychic force, Steelix was slammed violently back onto the battlefield.
"Giga Impact!"
Steelix tried to resist, but Metagross—empowered by the energy of the cosmos—was operating on a completely different level than before.
No matter how hard Steelix struggled, Metagross maintained its unrelenting control, dominating until Steelix could fight no more.
"Steelix is unable to battle. The victory goes to Metagross. The winner of this Gym match is Paul!"
Forrest stood frozen, his face went blank with disbelief as he announced the result. But as he looked toward Paul, his eyes were filled with shock, and he couldn't help but mutter under his breath:
"He actually beat my brother… that easily?"
(End of Chapter)
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