Metang charged directly at Swellow, its right arm raised and glowing with white light as it closed the distance for an attack.
"Screech!" Swellow quickly flapped its wings, its tail feathers trailing white light as it shot upward at incredible speed, evading Metang's strike.
"Quick Attack?" Steven smiled knowingly, then called out, "Metang, pursue and use Metal Claw!"
"Metang!"
Metang rushed straight upward, its silvery-white arms instantly shifting to a dull metallic gray.
"Screech!" Swellow's eyes remained sharp. With powerful wing beats, it generated several Air Slash attacks!
Clang, clang, clang!
Metang raised both arms defensively, deflecting each Air Slash with its metallic limbs.
"Skarmory, take me up," Steven said, turning to his Steel-type companion.
The trees in this Kalos forest were thick and densely packed. Fighting in the air meant Steven couldn't give Metang commands in real time, which would put his Pokémon at a serious disadvantage.
After all, Metang's intelligence was still similar to when it was a Beldum. If it had even half the intelligence of a fully evolved Metagross, Steven wouldn't need to worry so much about directing it.
"Yo?" Skarmory looked startled, tilting its head as it regarded Steven with what seemed like concern.
Are you sure about this? Don't blame me if you fall.
"Come on, hurry!"
Steven climbed onto Skarmory's back. The Steel and Flying-type flapped its wings and began a somewhat shaky, slow ascent.
Steven had experienced Metang's flying before, so this amount of turbulence was nothing compared to that.
However, this was Skarmory's first time carrying a human passenger in flight. It hadn't yet found its balance with the added weight, making the takeoff rather awkward.
Steven pushed aside the leaves above him and spotted Metang and Swellow locked in aerial combat.
Swellow kept using Air Slash to harass Metang, taking full advantage of its natural flying agility.
"Metang, stop defending and charge forward! Use Psychic when it attacks!" Steven commanded quickly.
"Metang!"
Swellow flapped its wings, condensing several pale crescent-shaped energy blades around its body. Metang's arms lost their metallic sheen as it surged forward with determination.
"Screech!" Swellow suddenly beat its wings hard, launching multiple sharp Air Slash attacks.
"Now!"
Blue ripples appeared in Metang's eyes as an invisible psychic force passed through the incoming Air Slashes and enveloped Swellow's body.
Swellow's body went rigid. Its wings became incredibly difficult to move, and a look of shock crossed its face.
Metang was significantly stronger than Swellow in raw power, which prevented the Flying-type from immediately breaking free of the Psychic-type hold.
Boom, boom, boom!
Metang endured the Air Slashes with its steel body, pushing through the smoke from the explosions while simultaneously controlling Swellow's body to pull it closer.
"Bullet Punch!"
Just as the two Pokémon were about to collide, the blue ripples surrounding Swellow faded, and it regained control of its body.
Metang raised its arm and delivered several punches at blinding speed. At such close range, Swellow had no opportunity to dodge.
Bang, bang, bang!
Bullet Punch is an incredibly fast move, especially devastating in close-quarters combat.
Metang's strikes were powerful, and after several consecutive hits, Swellow's condition deteriorated rapidly.
Bang!
One of Metang's punches connected with Swellow's abdomen, and the heavily injured bird plummeted from the sky.
Swellow's physical defense is naturally quite low, making it difficult for the species to endure powerful attacks.
However, after constantly battling in the wild and surviving countless fights, this particular Swellow's endurance shouldn't be too poor.
"Metang, charge up Flash Cannon," Steven ordered, refusing to let his guard down. After all, a Pokémon whose strength was somewhere between advanced and elite level wouldn't be defeated so easily, regardless of its defense stats.
Upon hearing the command, Metang aimed both arms at the spot where Swellow had fallen. Energy began gathering in its appendages.
Two silvery-white spheres of light rotated in Metang's metallic hands, slowly condensing from scattered particles to the size of soccer balls.
"Screech!"
Swellow's cry echoed from beneath the forest canopy. Then, covered in a golden aura, it burst through the foliage and charged fiercely toward Metang.
The golden glow enveloped Swellow's body as its form seemed to transform into that of a giant bird wreathed in energy.
"Brave Bird?" Seeing this, Steven remained calm.
The Brave Bird attack is most powerful when diving from above, where it can reach maximum velocity and impact.
Charging upward from below would consume more of Swellow's stamina, preventing it from channeling its full strength into the move.
Still, Steven hadn't expected the Swellow to be preparing such a powerful attack while falling. If he had been careless earlier, even with Metang's quick Bullet Punch barrage, it might have been caught by Brave Bird.
"Metang, fire!" Steven said firmly.
"Metang!"
The energy spheres in Metang's hands converged. A powerful silvery-white beam of concentrated steel energy erupted from the merged sphere, instantly colliding with the golden energy bird.
Bang!
Initially, Swellow's Brave Bird held strong against the Flash Cannon's impact. But within seconds, Brave Bird's power began to wane as it was gradually overwhelmed by Flash Cannon's sustained blast.
Brave Bird wasn't a continuous attack but rather a high-impact move that dealt massive instantaneous damage.
Boom!
Unable to withstand the Flash Cannon any longer, the Brave Bird energy shattered. Its collapse interfered with the Flash Cannon's trajectory, causing both moves to explode in a burst of energy.
From the black smoke of the explosion, Swellow's body emerged. Its tail feathers and wing tips trailed wisps of dark smoke as it fell from the sky once more.
At this point, Swellow most likely couldn't continue battling.
Just to be safe, Steven still had Metang remain on guard.
Only when he saw the surrounding Taillow beginning to flock toward Swellow's location did Steven finally relax.
At least there wouldn't be some desperate power surge causing Swellow's internal energy to explode, breaking through to true elite level for one last fierce counterattack.
Steven had Skarmory descend, then walked toward Swellow with Metang following close behind.
"Screech!"
The surrounding Taillow immediately became defensive, warning Steven not to come any closer.
Steven stopped walking. Although these Taillow weren't particularly strong individually, Metang wasn't powerful enough to completely block all their attacks if they swarmed together.
Too many opponents could overwhelm even a stronger Pokémon. If Steven angered the flock, escaping would be difficult.
Steven had no choice but to take a Potion from his bag and explain to the Taillow flock, "The battle is over. I don't mean any harm. This is medicine to help heal its injuries."
To demonstrate, Steven even sprayed the Potion into the air a few times so they could see it.
After a moment of hesitation, one Taillow finally made way. When one moved, the others began to follow.
Soon, the Taillow flock had cleared a path for Steven.
Steven approached carefully, examined Swellow's injuries, and sprayed Potion on all the visible wounds.
The injuries weren't too severe—mostly minor damage from the explosion. With the Potion applied, Swellow would recover in a short while.
Only after finishing his treatment did Steven turn and leave.
"How was the battle? Pretty impressive, right?" Steven patted Skarmory's side and asked with a smile.
"Yo?" Skarmory nodded slowly, still processing what it had witnessed.
"Your goal is to catch up to Metang's level, so let's find a good spot and continue your training!"
"Yo!"
After observing the battle, Skarmory felt even more motivated to train harder.
Metang's current strength filled it with determination to improve..