Read advance chapters for both of my work, exclusively on Patreon at - www.patreon.com/Sniperwoof
-----------------
The Muddy Water had some effect, more or less.
The damage was secondary; the main thing was the muddy water obscuring its vision, which reduced Metagross's move accuracy.
—That is, if Metagross hadn't calculated for it.
As a Psychic-type Pokémon with a brain comparable to a supercomputer, given enough time, Metagross could fight an entire battle with its eyes closed.
What was a little muddy water?
Even if blinded, now that Swampert was dealt with, Metagross had plenty of time to clear the mud away during the opponent's switch.
By the time the opponent sent out his second Pokémon, Metagross had long since cleaned its face and was waiting intently.
Thud!
The ground shook slightly.
A dinosaur-like monster clad in crimson rock armor, with spiral-spiked horns on its head, raised its hammer-like, muscular arms and let out a terrifying roar!
"ROAR——!!"
The sound vibrated the air, creating faint, wavy ripples!
Not far away, Metagross watched the extremely cocky Rhyperior, who even dared to roar provocatively. Its crimson eyes widened rapidly, and it opened the large black maw on its underside.
"METTA——!!!" (What the hell are you yelling for!?)
An even more terrifying sonic roar echoed across the field!
The fiercely savage glare and posture, as if ready to tear it to pieces at any moment, made the "cocky" Rhyperior pause, its roar dying down.
Only then did Metagross, satisfied, close its mouthparts.
It couldn't stand outsiders showing off in front of it.
'Brother Incineroar and the others were one thing, but who the hell are you?! Think you're tough just because you're big!?'
"Gah! Don't be afraid! Rock Throw!"
The third-year student gritted his teeth and shouted, swinging his arm down hard!
"Roar!"
Rhyperior raised its arms in response, forming a golden rock in the concave of its palms. Using the surrounding muscles, it squeezed fiercely and launched the rock at Metagross like a grenade launcher!
Thump!
"Dodge with Bullet Punch!"
Li Xiang retreated to the side. In front of him, Metagross raised its arms, letting a strange silver light cover them. Its massive body charged towards Rhyperior with a rumbling sound!
While speeding along, Metagross sharply turned sideways, dodging the golden boulder.
However, just as the rock was about to pass by its body, the thing suddenly exploded with a crack!
Golden light flashed!
Instantly, the flickering electric current on Metagross's surface dissipated, leaving only the silver glow of Bullet Punch as it headed straight for Rhyperior's chest!
Bang!
"Roar!"
Rhyperior let out a howl of pain, then stubbornly endured it, reaching out with its powerful arms to grab Metagross!
Unfortunately, Metagross was very agile. It retreated immediately after landing the Bullet Punch, putting several meters between them and landing on the ground.
Its Magnet Rise state was broken by Rock Throw!
Li Xiang frowned slightly. He hadn't expected the rock to explode, and the timing was so coincidental.
"Protect!"
"Drill Run!"
Rhyperior's spiral nose horn began to spin, entwined with wisps of yellowish-brown energy, emitting a sound like an electric drill. As it charged, it fiercely rammed towards the not-far Metagross!
Thump!
The green shield collided with the yellowish-brown horn, scraping out sparks and flashes of lightning before both dissipated together!
"It didn't break the shield!?"
The third-year student stood frozen, unable to believe that his specially trained shield-breaking Drill Run failed to break through Metagross's Protect.
Could it be that the other side had also specially trained it?
'No matter! It's just right that they're close! Its Protect is used up too. With Rhyperior's physical defense, it won't lose!'
"High Horsepower!" he roared, very straightforwardly choosing to attack again, seemingly very confident in Rhyperior's physical defense.
"Roar!"
Rhyperior roared angrily, raising its hammer-like arms. The yellowish-brown light on them resembled solid earth, condensing further into an intoxicating amber-like luster!
A punch launched!
Thump!
Milky-white shockwaves bloomed like a flower, forming impact waves that crashed towards the surroundings!
In the distance, the wire fence swayed slightly under the strong wind!
This scene alone was enough to prove the power of this High Horsepower!
Unfortunately, although the aftershock of High Horsepower was strong, its main force—that thick arm—was firmly locked in place by a layer of pink-purple light, stuck in stagnation.
Unable to pull back or push forward, caught in a dilemma.
Rhyperior looked at the irregular pink-purple light shield in front of it, its fierce triangular eyes full of disbelief.
'What is this? Another layer of shield? But this shield looks unfamiliar…'
"Psychic Shield!?"
Behind it, the trainer's shout was almost shrill, as if he had seen something unbelievable.
Rhyperior looked up slightly, meeting Metagross's cold gaze. An emotion transmitted from those crimson eyes.
'You're done? Good. My turn now.'
Then, the pink-purple light shield disappeared, replaced by a comet pulling a huge ice-blue tail, its momentum utterly terrifying!
The comet descended from the sky!
"Protect!"
The trainer's shout made Rhyperior raise its hand. Unfortunately, priority +3 was still a step too slow. At such close range, before the green shield could fully form, the comet came crashing down on its head!
Thump!
Stars flashed!
Countless points of light flickered incessantly, occupying Rhyperior's entire field of vision!
Excruciating pain transmitted from the top of its head all the way down to the soles of its feet!
And it, under the impact of this comet, was struck bent at the waist, its chin making the most intimate contact with the ground.
Bang!
The ground cracked like a spiderweb, burying Rhyperior's large head deeply within.
Rhyperior's brawny arms lay powerlessly splayed out.
The outcome was decided.
"Metta."
Metagross contemptuously retracted its silvery-shiny claws, the anger in its heart slightly eased.
Ever since Rhyperior started its shouting and howling, it had been annoyed with this guy for a long time. When it was knocked down from the air, it reached the point of uncontainable fury.
Therefore, the Meteor Mash and Bullet Punch felt exceptionally painful.
However, the opponent obviously couldn't accept the situation before him. A freshman, using a Metagross to defeat his ace Rhyperior?
'How is that possible!'
Rhyperior had the Solid Rock ability! It naturally reduced damage by a quarter. With the endurance he had deliberately trained, it could even withstand physical attacks from Water and Grass types!
A discounted Meteor Mash plus Bullet Punch, how could it possibly take down Rhyperior?
And that pink-purple shield earlier was clearly one of the signature moves of the Psychic Elite Four!
The so-called Psychic Shield, reputed to be harder than Protect!
"Who are you? What grade are you in? Take off your mask!"
This senior who came to smash the low-level pool only to find a prehistoric giant crocodile shouted, his finger trembling as he pointed at Li Xiang.
"First year. Check for yourself after it's over. Hurry up, I'm telling you, the five seconds are almost up."
Li Xiang picked his ear, thinking that Mind Shield was called Psychic Shield in their mouths...
'Well, right, the Psychic Elite's signature technique would be called Psychic Shield.'
The third-year senior's lips trembled slightly. He glanced at the referee teacher, whose expression was turning stern, gritted his teeth, recalled Rhyperior, and sent out a red-haired, short-legged donkey with two small volcanoes on its back.
—Camerupt, Fire and Ground type.
Chances were, it also had the Solid Rock ability.
But Camerupt's endurance wasn't great; Solid Rock couldn't really boost its durability much.
"Protect, charge over!"
"Lava Plume!"
Camerupt cried out loudly, the rock humps on its back erupting with a bang, spewing large amounts of fiery red smoke!
The red smoke was scalding, carrying temperatures difficult for ordinary people to approach, submerging every inch of space around Camerupt!
"Metta!"
Metagross growled low, deliberately controlling the electromagnetic force within its body. Its four arms didn't need to move at all; like a maglev train, it sped forward!
Simultaneously, its body was completely enveloped in green light, utterly ignoring the scorching red smoke, and broke through to right in front of Camerupt!
Camerupt was slightly startled. The humps on its back erupted with even more smoke, trying to push Metagross away!
However, the Protect shield could not only block attribute energy but also eliminate physical forces like impact or inertia.
Lava Plume couldn't knock Metagross away. It could only watch helplessly as this guy got closer and closer.
"Earth Power! Release it at your feet!"
Harming the enemy a thousand at the cost of eight hundred to itself?
Camerupt, seeing Metagross so close, knew it had no other choice.
"Baku!"
It let out another cry. The ground beneath its feet glowed slightly, emitting a furnace-like light!
Then, the moment Metagross approached, it released all the orange-red Ground-type energy!
BOOM——!!
A scene like a volcanic eruption, a thick pillar of fire shot straight into the sky!
The earth roared!
Continuous debris and vibrations assaulted both Camerupt and Metagross above, with a very large area of effect!
Metagross's Protect had just ended. As for Psychic Shield, it wasn't proficient enough to activate as quickly as the opponent could chain moves, and it couldn't envelop its entire body. So, it and Camerupt both took this suicidal Earth Power together!
"Metta!"
Metagross let out a cry of pain. Its previously slightly eased anger surged once again. Under Camerupt's shocked gaze, it stubbornly endured the dazzling light of Earth Power and fiercely charged forward!
'I—want to play video games aaaaaah!!'
Pink-purple light lit up in front of Metagross, making intimate contact with Camerupt's donkey face!
Zen Headbutt!
The longing for video games transformed into the purest psychic force, carrying the Same-Type Attack Bonus, and sent Camerupt flying back violently!
Whoosh!
Camerupt broke through the surrounding, not-yet-dispersed red smoke, swept past its trainer's body, and crashed into the wire fence!
Clang!
The wire fence let out a sharp wail, tilting most of the way, partially collapsing!
Then, it lost consciousness, fully knocked out.
The smurfing senior stood with his mouth open, his ears feeling hot from when Camerupt flew past him, but before he could say anything…
"BEEEP——!"
The referee blew his whistle sharply, announcing the result of the match.
In the field, the scorching red smoke finally dispersed, revealing a slightly tired Metagross with numerous injuries and dents on its body.
Clearly, Earth Power wasn't that easy to take.
"Metta."
Metagross glanced at Camerupt, completely unconcerned about the injuries on its body. It turned, flew to Li Xiang's side, and despite his protests, scooped him up, placed him on its head, and flew out of the arena.
'Let's go, let's go! Gotta hit King rank 500 points today, knock that idiot called [Tofu Fish] down a peg!'
'Dammit, acting all high and mighty with your Bro Metagross! Watch your Bro Metagross slaughter everyone with Kalista!'