"Referee, are there any other challengers on this island?"
Nathan turned his head to ask the referee.
If it was just Gurney alone, then he'd be easy to deal with.
"Only him!"
The referee replied with a dark expression.
At the moment, the referee was clearly in a foul mood—and the reason for that was none other than Gurney.
The guy dragged him out of bed before dawn just to challenge someone on the island.
Who wouldn't be pissed off by something like that?
Upon hearing that Gurney was the only one, Nathan let out a sigh of relief.
He was really worried that Fujiwara Taka or someone else with a Champion-level Pokémon would show up specifically to target him.
Losing once wouldn't have much effect on the points in this round-robin system, but it could seriously affect the system tasks.
Losing one point meant losing two points worth of potential rewards!
"Come out, Tyranitar!"
Gurney confidently released his Pokémon. His Tyranitar was a quasi-champion level.
Even though Nathan's Metagross was already at peak Elite level, just a step away from Champion rank, compared to his own Tyranitar, it was still lacking.
No matter how well-trained it was, it couldn't be a match for his Tyranitar.
"That's the Pokémon you're using?"
Nathan narrowed his eyes and stared at Gurney.
"That's right. Let your Metagross fight my Tyranitar!"
Gurney slightly raised his head, almost as if looking down at Nathan.
"Alright then. Since that's your choice... Go, Metagross. Win this battle for me."
A sly glint flashed in Nathan's squinted eyes.
Before the battle even started, Gurney had been planning to mock Nathan with a few snide remarks—
But suddenly, Nathan's unexpected action caught him off guard.
Nathan had walked over to his Metagross and revealed the watch on his wrist.
"Metagross, it's all on you now~"
As Nathan's voice fell, the watch emitted a flash of white light that enveloped Metagross.
Seeing this, Gurney immediately felt doomed.
Nathan had another trick up his sleeve?! How was he supposed to win now?
-------------------
Even without understanding exactly what was happening, Gurney could tell that Metagross was mega evolving.
He had started the challenge brimming with confidence, only to be completely blindsided by Nathan's trap.
"Nathan, you...!"
Gurney stared at him in anger, feeling like he'd been set up.
"Oh? Didn't you look up my profile? This isn't the first time I've done this, you know."
Nathan responded calmly.
Challenging someone without doing your homework—was Gurney just dumb or had water seeped into his brain?
While his Metagross might have looked like it was on the same level as Tyranitar, after mega evolving, it would be in a completely different league.
Gurney now had no choice but to go through with it.
Even if his opponent had a champion-level Pokémon, he would have to bite the bullet.
Meanwhile, other contestants who had previously been challenged by Nathan could barely hold in their laughter.
This whole situation was absurd—like watching a comedy unfold in real time.
Unable to stand the ridicule from the others, Gurney roared, "What are you laughing at? You couldn't beat Nathan either!"
"We're laughing at the fool who arrogantly chose a Pokémon he couldn't beat. What, are you saying you're that fool?"
Naturally, someone clapped back hard.
Being called an idiot to his face, Gurney lost it.
But truthfully, in this moment, he really was that idiot.
A fool who'd walked right into the trap.
"Tyranitar, use Thunder Fang!"
Infuriated, Gurney gave the attack command.
Tyranitar opened its dinosaur-like jaws and unleashed two crackling fangs straight at Metagross.
"Metagross, use Agility!"
Even though Metagross had Mega Evolved, Nathan wasn't taking any chances.
If Metagross lost due to poor command, it would be a huge blow.
Metagross quickly soared into the air, dodging the incoming Thunder Fang.
The attack slammed into the ground, blasting out a large crater.
"Metagross, use Double Team and Scary Face!"
After Nathan issued the command, Metagross created a clone of itself to remain in place while its real body charged at Tyranitar.
From Tyranitar's perspective, Metagross hadn't moved—until it vanished in an instant.
Just as Tyranitar began to look around in confusion, Metagross suddenly appeared in front of it with a terrifying face.
Startled, Tyranitar stumbled back a few steps.
"Now's the time! Metagross, use Metal Claw!"
With Tyranitar shaken, Nathan gave another command.
Metagross struck with gleaming metallic claws.
However, Tyranitar's hide was incredibly tough, and the attack barely made a dent.
"Hmph. That's your mega evolved Metagross? Doesn't look so impressive.
Tyranitar, use Crunch!"
Gurney snorted in disdain.
Each time Tyranitar stomped on the ground, a loud rumble echoed. It charged straight at Metagross, jaws wide open for a bite.
But of course, Nathan wasn't going to let Metagross get caught so easily.
"Metagross, use Light Screen!"
Light Screen, a Psychic-type move, was something Nathan had taught Metagross early on.
A good trainer never underestimated any move—no matter how unimpressive it might seem, it could still be critical.
Before Tyranitar could get close, a barrier of light materialized and blocked its path.
"Damn it. Tyranitar, use Stone Edge—then follow with Ice Fang!"
Gurney cursed under his breath.
Spikes rose from the ground, aiming to skewer Metagross.
Nathan quickly commanded it to ascend beyond the reach of the rocks.
But at that moment, the Ice Fang attack closed in.
After dodging several Ice Fangs, one finally connected, and Metagross was hit.
A thin layer of bluish frost coated Metagross's body.
"Slowed down?!"
Nathan's eyes widened.
"Hmph! Tyranitar, now that it's slowed, use Hyper Beam!"
Tyranitar opened its mouth, charging up a blinding beam.
Metagross was indeed slower now—compared to Hyper Beam, its dodging speed was lacking.
Nathan wished Metagross could learn Shave, but due to its physiology, that wasn't possible.
"Metagross, use Light Screen to defend!"
Out of options, Nathan relied on defense.
But Light Screen was like paper against the force of Hyper Beam—
It shattered in under a second.
Still, the barrier had bought enough time for Metagross to avoid most of the blast.
Only one arm got hit.
The arm struck by Hyper Beam turned pitch black and lost all strength.
"That's it? Is that all your mega evolved Metagross can do?"
Seeing Metagross injured, Gurney became extremely arrogant—
As if he had already won the battle.
"Oh... is that so?"
Nathan fixed his gaze on Gurney.
He had clearly underestimated Tyranitar—
As a pseudo-legendary Pokémon, its power was no joke.
But once he got serious, this battle's outcome could easily change.
"I'll admit, you're strong. Your trained Pokémon is strong, too. But compared to me, you're still lacking."
Gurney sneered arrogantly.
The viewers watching the livestream were furious.
He had hidden himself on the island waiting for Nathan's challenge, jumped out last minute to pick a type advantage—
Now he landed one lucky hit and started acting like he was the superior one?
If they knew where the World Tournament was held, they might just jump into the screen and beat this guy up in his sleep.
"Looks like some people can't be given even a sliver of advantage—
Or they'll boast as if they own the heavens."
Nathan scoffed.
This guy's shamelessness was on full display from the beginning.
And he just kept setting new records for being brazen.
(End of Chapter)