When enemies meet, tensions flare.
Even before the battle began, the air on the field had grown thick with heat.
"Battle, begin!"
The referee's call set the stage.
"Cosmic Meditation."
With arms crossed and silent lips, Paul issued the command via telepathy.
At once, his Shiny Metagross closed its eyes and began meditating in place, its Special Attack and Special Defense steadily rising.
"Don't give it the chance, Hammer Arm!"
Though a bit surprised that Paul could use telepathy too, Anabel didn't waste a second. She responded with her own psychic voice.
"Metaa!"
Her standard-colored Metagross roared and lunged forward with a mighty leap, both forearms raised high as it struck down at its Shiny counterpart.
Just as it completed its Cosmic Power boost, the Shiny Metagross opened its eyes to meet the incoming blow. Unfazed, it raised its own arms and met the attack head-on with Bullet Punch.
BANG!
The clash of steel echoed. Though hastily blocking, the Shiny Metagross was pushed back several meters, but emerged with no real damage.
"Take Down."
Regaining balance mid-air, it suddenly lunged back at its attacker.
"Hammer Arm!"
Anabel's Metagross stood its ground. The two collided.
But this time, the result was different. Upon impact, Anabel's Metagross was sent flying and skidded across the field before stopping.
It lifted its head, only to realize its opponent had vanished.
"Behind you. No dodging this—Iron Defense!"
The voice in its mind urged it to act, and without hesitation, it activated Iron Defense.
At that moment, the Shiny Metagross reappeared behind it, accelerating with a fusion of Electromagnetic propulsion and psychic speed. With a thundering slam, it drove its Take Down attack directly onto Anabel's Metagross' head.
BOOM!
Its body slammed into the ground with a dull thud, limbs splayed out like a turtle flipped onto its shell.
"Now, Stomp!"
The telepathic command echoed in its mind. Without mercy, the Shiny Metagross raised both forelegs and brought them crashing down.
Normally, Stomp targeted the ground to send shockwaves at the enemy. But Paul had no intention of following norms.
He wanted special damage. He wanted physical damage. He wanted it all.
WHAM! WHAM!
With relentless force, each stomp landed directly on its fallen opponent.
"Metaaa!"
Blow after blow, the standard Metagross howled in pain, unable even to rise.
Clearly, this wasn't just a battle. There was personal vengeance in every strike.
Anabel watched anxiously. But the Shiny Metagross' position behind her Pokémon was too perfect, her own attacks couldn't reach it in time.
"Hold on, Metagross—use Psychic!"
Obeying its trainer, the battered Metagross gritted its teeth, eyes glowing blue as it lashed out with Psychic to hurl the attacker away.
But—
"Metaaa!"
BANG!
Its effort was met with an even stronger stomp.
Its Psychic power wasn't weak. But could it possibly compare to a Shiny Metagross trained under Sabrina, boosted by Cosmic Power?
Sensing its foe's attempt to resist, Paul's Metagross countered the mental grip with overwhelming psychic force, slamming down again with a dominating stomp.
Then, as if to end things, it floated into the air above its foe. All four iron limbs gleamed like polished chrome.
Bullet Punch.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
The rhythmic blows sounded like a steel drum, and then—
Silence.
Anabel's Metagross lay motionless on the ground, no longer able to battle.
Its Shiny counterpart drifted back to Paul's side with a satisfied smirk.
Beating up a fellow Metagross clearly helped vent some long-held fury.
"Metagross is unable to battle! Shiny Metagross wins!"
The referee declared.
"Return, Metagross. You did well."
Anabel was undeterred by the first loss. She returned her Pokémon and said with a smile, "Your Metagross is incredible, Paul. I didn't expect you to be able to use telepathy, too."
"Thanks. Give it everything you've got."
Paul replied flatly, not giving much away.
To him, Anabel still seemed dense.
She didn't mind. She grabbed her second Poké Ball and tossed it.
"Go, Alakazam!"
"Zaaaam!"
A powerful-looking Alakazam appeared on the field, holding two spoons.
"Grrooo?!"
Paul's Shiny Metagross flared with rage again.
Within the Saffron Gym, the two Pokémon it resented most were the Metagross that bullied it and the Alakazam that once crushed it.
Beating one and seeing the other show up? Double delight!
"Zaaaam?"
Feeling the intense glare, Alakazam tilted its head in confusion.
'What's with this weird Metagross?'
"Meteor Mash!"
Paul didn't use telepathy this time. He spoke.
"Grrooo!"
Letting out a roar, the Shiny Metagross became a streak of silver light as it charged at Alakazam, crackling with electromagnetic energy.
"You want to go in headfirst? Fine, Focus Punch!"
Anabel and Alakazam locked minds.
With psychic precision, Alakazam locked onto the incoming Metagross, braced itself, and fired a Focus Punch directly forward.
BOOM!
A massive collision shook the arena.
To everyone's shock, Alakazam was flung across the battlefield and slammed into the wall.
With three accelerators—Agility, Magnet Rise, and Telepathy, all syncing into one Meteor Mash… how strong was that punch?
The fact that Alakazam wasn't immediately knocked out was a miracle in itself.
"Psychic."
Paul delivered the finishing order.
"Grrooo!"
Metagross' body flashed with blue light as it responded. In the blink of an eye, a powerful telekinetic force enveloped Alakazam.
Badly weakened, Alakazam tried to resist with sheer psychic strength. But it quickly became apparent not only was its physical power inferior, even its mind couldn't match Metagross' overwhelming force.
After just two seconds of struggle, Alakazam was brutally crushed under the force and collapsed.
"Alakazam is unable to battle. Metagross wins!"
The referee declared the outcome.
"Return, Alakazam. You did well. Get some rest."
Anabel retrieved her Pokémon with a calm sigh, then reached for her final Poké Ball.
"Let's go, Espeon!"
"Mii~!"
The Poké Ball opened with a burst of light, revealing a sleek, violet Pokémon with a gem set in its forehead, graceful like a bobcat and elegant like a fox.
"Grroo?!"
Metagross' eyes widened in disbelief at the sight of its new opponent.
Metagross, Alakazam, and Espeon—these were the three signature Pokémon of Sabrina, the powerful Saffron City Gym Leader. And now, this Trainer just happened to have all three?
Talk about serving a pillow to someone dozing off…
"Calm Mind."
Anabel issued the command via telepathy.
"Mii~"
Espeon mewed softly, focusing inward and attempting to boost its stats to match its formidable opponent.
But before the move could fully activate, Espeon felt its body freeze midair. Looking up, it found Metagross' glowing blue eyes locking onto it—a massive wave of psychic pressure slammed down.
Psychic!
Unlike most Pokémon who simply used Psychic to throw or slam, Metagross applied the move with pure brute force, slowly increasing pressure with surgical precision. Its intent? To crush.
"Zap Cannon!"
Though immobilized, Espeon forced out a desperate counterattack, charging a blast of electricity and launching it at Metagross.
Just as expected, Metagross had no choice but to let go to avoid the attack.
It did so in a flash, dodging at high speed before reappearing overhead. Without hesitation, it brought both arms down in a powerful Meteor Mash.
While it was true that some Espeon could learn Teleport in the real world, not every Espeon could master it.
And Anabel's Espeon was just an average one, no Teleport. All it could do was watch in dread as those massive steel arms loomed ever larger.
BOOM!
THUD!
Two crashing sounds erupted. Espeon was slammed from midair and smashed into the ground below. Agonizing pain coursed through its body.
Strike while the iron's hot!
Paul didn't hesitate.
"Body Slam."
Metagross shifted midair and accelerated downward, its enormous frame plummeting like a mountain toward Espeon.
"Psychic!"
Abandoning all mental focus, Anabel cried out aloud this time.
Espeon forced its battered body upright and unleashed a wave of psychic energy to repel the incoming assault.
But Metagross, already massively boosted by Cosmic Power throughout the match—had sky-high defenses. Espeon's last-ditch effort barely slowed it.
The Body Slam landed clean.
BOOM!
Metagross crashed down like an avalanche, pinning Espeon beneath its bulk.
The entire stadium fell silent. Anabel clenched her fists. Paul, the referee, and everyone watched in tense silence as the dust settled.
"Grroo~"
Sensing the collective gaze, Metagross slowly rose and stepped aside, revealing the battered, barely conscious Espeon beneath.
"Espeon is unable to battle. Metagross wins. The match goes to the challenger—Paul!"
The referee raised his arm.
"Nice work. Much cleaner than last time."
Paul gave a curt nod.
Truth be told, Espeon wasn't weak. It had decent speed and power. If it had come out first against Metagross, it might've had a chance. But by now, Metagross had stacked multiple buffs.
Speed? Not enough to outpace a few Agility boosts.
Strength? Not more than a Metagross supercharged by Cosmic Power and Mind's Eye.
Espeon hadn't even managed a proper Calm Mind. Victory was a fantasy.
Unless Paul had held back or Metagross made a fatal blunder, this was a guaranteed loss.
Metagross knew it too. That's why it didn't give Espeon a single opening.
"Grroo~"
Metagross wasn't thinking that deeply. It was just thrilled to have taken down all three of its past enemy in one go. Its mind felt clearer. The skies seemed brighter. Its psychic circuits sparked with inspiration.
Suddenly, it had new ideas—ways to combine Psychic powers with melee strikes more effectively.
"Return."
Paul recalled Metagross and finally turned to face the approaching Anabel, who had composed herself and walked over calmly.
"You really are as strong as the rumors say. Was your telepathy natural or something you learned?"
She asked out of genuine curiosity.
She had studied a method for cultivating telepathy herself, one that required a pure heart to synchronize with a Pokémon's mind.
"I learned it. Through training and mastering Psychic abilities and the power of meditation."
Paul replied simply.
"Ah, I see."
Anabel nodded in understanding.
In theory, psychic power was limitless. Only imagination and strength set its boundaries. So being able to use telepathy was no surprise.
"Here. The Ability Symbol. It's yours."
Anabel handed over the Battle Frontier emblem.
"Thanks. But…"
Paul took it, his face was expressionless.
"I don't understand why your Alakazam knows Focus Punch."
"What I really don't get is why you choose moves based on your Pokémon's feelings. If it helps them fight better, fine. But when the move is clearly the wrong one, and you still go along with it… what's the point of the Trainer then?"
"Ah… I just wanted them to fight their hardest in the way they like best." Anabel's voice faltered as her face reddened.
"If wild Pokémon of the same level fight in the way they like, how many of them can defeat Pokémon commanded by their Trainers?"
Paul left that final remark hanging, gave the referee a brief nod, and turned to walk away.
(End of Chapter)
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