Before long, under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Paul and Dawn stepped onto the battlefield facing each other.
"Paul, don't go easy on me. Show me your full strength!"
Dawn declared boldly as she took her position, determined not to back down.
"As you wish."
Paul responded indifferently, retrieving a Poké Ball from his pocket and tossing it forward.
"Grrooo~"
With a flash of silver light, a massive Metagross materialized onto the battlefield, its piercing gaze locking onto Dawn menacingly.
"Ah... What a terrifying Pokémon to send out right from the start... Wait, why does its color look different?"
Dawn muttered, quickly pulling out her Pokédex to scan it. To her surprise, Paul had sent out a Shiny Metagross.
For a moment, she hesitated, unsure which Pokémon to use.
Togekiss and Mamoswine had a type disadvantage, Cyndaquil was still too young and inexperienced, and her other Pokémon didn't seem like they would fare much better.
"Alright, I've made up my mind—Mamoswine, I choose you!"
After careful consideration, Dawn decided to go with her strongest Pokémon to match Metagross' overwhelming power.
"Roar~!"
A towering Mamoswine even larger than Metagross, stomped onto the battlefield. One look at its imposing stance made it clear—this wouldn't be an easy opponent to deal with.
"Let the battle begin!"
"Mamoswine, use High Horsepower!"
As soon as the referee gave the signal, Dawn wasted no time issuing her command.
"Roar—!"
Mamoswine didn't hesitate. Letting out a deep growl, it charged forward, its body glowing as powerful energy surged around it, forming a barrier-like air current.
Gathering all its strength, it lunged at Metagross with tremendous force.
Metagross, however, remained unfazed, standing still as Mamoswine barreled toward it.
"Agility!"
At Paul's command, Metagross instantly blurred into motion, leaving behind an afterimage as it vanished from Mamoswine's path.
"—?!"
The sudden disappearance of its target forced Mamoswine to slow down, scanning the battlefield in search of its opponent.
"Mamoswine, use Ancient Power!"
Regaining its composure, Mamoswine summoned glowing white energy orbs that coalesced into floating boulders before launching them all toward Metagross.
"Meteor Mash!"
Thanks to Agility's speed boost, Metagross effortlessly dodged each incoming boulder. Then, raising both of its forelegs, it shot forward like a comet, colliding with Mamoswine.
BOOM!
A direct hit—super effective!
The sheer force of the impact sent Mamoswine staggering backward, struggling to regain its footing.
"Flash Cannon!"
Without giving Mamoswine a chance to counter, Metagross immediately fired a powerful energy beam straight at its opponent, striking it head-on.
"Roar—!"
Mamoswine let out a pained cry, clearly suffering heavy damage. Yet, its pride wouldn't allow it to collapse so easily.
Pushing through the pain, it steadied itself, preparing to launch another High Horsepower attack.
"Roar~"
But before it could charge, Mamoswine suddenly realized something—it was floating in midair.
Staring ahead, it saw Metagross glowing with a blue psychic aura, gazing at it coldly.
"It's over."
Paul declared emotionlessly.
"Grroo~"
Without hesitation, Metagross intensified its Psychic attack, crushing Mamoswine with sheer telekinetic force until it fainted. Only then it did casually release its grip, letting Mamoswine drop to the ground.
"Mamoswine is unable to battle! Metagross wins!"
The referee announced.
"Not bad… but it still needs to work on its strength."
Paul muttered to himself. In his evaluation, Metagross should have defeated Mamoswine in two moves, yet it had taken three. This indicated that its power hadn't yet reached his expected threshold.
If it had been Dewott or Ninetales instead… Dewott could have taken down Mamoswine in a single combo, while Ninetales would have needed just two attacks to completely overwhelm it, leaving no room for retaliation.
"Grroo~"
Metagross did not protest, simply accepting Paul's evaluation without question.
After giving his assessment, Paul withdrew Metagross.
"You did great, Mamoswine. Come back and rest."
Dawn recalled her Pokémon, offering words of encouragement before looking at Paul.
"That Shiny Metagross of yours is incredibly strong… it must be one of your best Pokémon, right?"
Paul responded casually before turning to leave.
"Metagross? It's my weakest Pokémon."
Dawn: ...??
Audience: ...??
It wasn't just Dawn, but everyone in the audience was completely stunned, their minds went blank as they collectively processed his words.
Barry immediately shouted, "No way! That's absolutely impossible!"
"Maybe Ninetales could defeat Metagross because of a type advantage, but the rest of his Pokémon? I doubt it. That Metagross was seriously strong..."
Even Lucas found it hard to believe.
No matter how he looked at it, Drapion, Dewott, Froslass… even Gabite—none of them should have been a match for Metagross. So how could it be the weakest?
Of course, no one had an answer to that question.
As the tournament progressed, round after round, it was finally time for the finals. And at last, Lucas understood why Metagross had been deemed the weakest.
The elusive Froslass became nearly untouchable after summoning a snowstorm, using its Snow Cloak Ability to evade attacks with ease. Then, with a relentless Blizzard, it buried its opponents under the icy storm.
Lucas had the distinct feeling that Froslass had yet to reveal its true power, yet it still secured victory effortlessly.
Then there was Gabite. Once it entered Outrage mode, it was like a rabid beast—every attack carried terrifying force. When Lucas faced it in the semifinals with his Rampardos, he suffered a one-sided beatdown.
Gabite traded blows with Rampardos using Outrage and its Rough Skin Ability. In just a few exchanges, Rampardos was forcibly knocked to the ground, securing Gabite's victory.
Such savage battles… Even Lucas couldn't help but felt a chill down in his spine.
And as for the finals…
"We've reached the most crucial moment of the tournament—the finals! The champion will earn the right to challenge the Lord of the Battle Tower, Palmer!"
"Now, let's welcome our finalists—Barry and Paul!"
With the lively introduction from the announcer Johanna, both Paul and Barry stepped onto the battlefield, locking eyes with each other.
"At last! I finally get to settle the score with you, Paul. This time, I'm going to defeat you for sure!"
Barry's excitement was palpable as he imagined the moment of victory over his longtime rival.
"Froslass, get ready for battle!"
Paul wasted no time. Without hesitation, he tossed his Poké Ball, sending Froslass onto the field.
"Eeno~"
Froslass gracefully floated in front of Paul, covering her mouth as she let out a soft teasing laugh.
"Again with Froslass? And you're sending it out first? Damn it, are you looking down on me?!"
The sight infuriated Barry. Without thinking, he instinctively hurled out his own ace Pokémon.
"Empoleon, let's go!"
"Empol!"
Like a true emperor clad in regal armor and crowned with authority, Empoleon emerged onto the battlefield, facing off against Froslass with an imposing presence.
"Why would he send out Empoleon?! Barry…"
Seeing this, Lucas felt very disappointed.
"What's wrong with using Empoleon?"
Dawn, standing nearby, asked in confusion.
"Barry's Rapidash has already mastered Sunny Day. By using it, he could completely negate Froslass' Snow Cloak Ability and counter it with a type advantage. That would've given him a much better chance of winning than using Empoleon."
Lucas explained the situation in simple terms.
(To be continued...)
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