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Mismagius had lost the ability to fight. No matter how tough she was, after taking repeated heavy blows, there was no way she could keep holding on.
When she finally heard Luther's shout, Mismagius gathered every last bit of strength she had and made Metagross experience her fury.
It still wasn't enough to send Metagross off the field, but seeing the steel giant's body covered in wounds, she felt satisfied.
She refused Luther's attempt to recall her into her Poké Ball. She wanted to stay outside and personally watch that giant crab collapse.
Luther's mind raced.
Thunder Punch, Agility, Shadow Ball… Metagross still had one final move slot left.
Although Metagross had accumulated a lot of damage, his terrifying physical endurance still allowed him to stand firmly on the battlefield, waiting for the next Pokémon to challenge him.
Luther really wanted to send out Jumpluff, but considering that Metagross might be carrying a Rest move to recover stamina, he gritted his teeth and sent out Azumarill instead. Right now, he needed a Pokémon with a powerful finishing ability.
Azumarill was no longer panting as heavily as before, but the weakness caused by her reduced stamina and accumulated injuries was still affecting her.
"Aqua Ring."
Luther didn't rush to attack. Stamina could be endured through sheer willpower, he believed Azumarill could do that. Healing her injuries came first.
Naturally, Metagross wasn't going to stand there and quietly watch Aqua Ring nourish Azumarill's body and restore her wounds. Moving at incredible speed, he raised his steel arm, crackling with electricity, and smashed downward.
Although Azumarill was sent flying, she relied on her excellent combat instincts to fire a stream of bubbles in midair, obscuring Metagross's vision and forcing him to switch to Psychic power to sense her location.
Azumarill rolled several times after landing, yet Metagross showed no intention of pursuing with another move. That made Luther certain that Dakota's final move was indeed meant for recovery.
He absolutely could not let that happen.
"Brute Force!"
Metagross had to be taken down here. Otherwise, Dakota would definitely use Rest the moment Luther sent out one of his less threatening Pokémon.
Azumarill understood exactly what Luther meant by ordering Brute Force, he wanted her to attack with everything she had.
After using this move, her defensive ability would drop sharply, and given her current stamina condition, she would probably end up completely exhausted as well.
For Luther to call out a move like this meant he had already realized how unfavorable the remaining battle situation was becoming.
"I'm going all in with you!" Azumarill shouted as she charged forward.
Metagross couldn't understand why a girl like Azumarill kept referring to herself as "Grandpa Me," but although he wanted to mock her, the agony from his burns forced him to keep his mouth shut.
Azumarill dodged the incoming Shadow Ball and rushed right up to Metagross. Because of the burn damage, Metagross failed to levitate smoothly, giving Azumarill room to maneuver.
Grabbing one of Metagross's four arms, Azumarill began to strain with all her strength.
Metagross thought Azumarill was like an ant trying to shake a tree. His sheer weight was beyond what this round little blue fatty could even imagine.
As long as his four arms stayed planted in the ground, no matter how hard she pulled, she wouldn't be able to move him even a little.
Metagross slowly turned his head. The Shadow Ball in front of him was already prepared. Although the angle wasn't good enough for a direct hit, blasting Azumarill away would be easy.
Sweat poured down Luther's face at the sight. Once Brute Force had begun, there was no stopping it midway, yet Azumarill's strength still seemed insufficient to shake the massive Metagross.
"Come on!" Luther shouted so hard his voice cracked. Other than those two words, he had no idea what else to yell.
Azumarill could hear the urgency in Luther's voice, but Metagross's arm still wouldn't budge no matter what she did. She simply couldn't lift it…
Lift?
Wait…
Realizing something, Azumarill turned to look at Metagross.
For some reason, Metagross suddenly found Azumarill's smile horrifying.
"Move it… for me!"
Azumarill, who had been exerting force upward the whole time, suddenly changed into a violent pulling motion.
Metagross, who had been resisting her upward strength, failed to react in time. His massive body was actually dragged several steps forward.
Deeply embedded in the ground, Metagross's arm was forcibly dragged across the battlefield, plowing up dirt as chunks of turf were ripped free.
At the same moment, Azumarill's stream of bubbles struck the Shadow Ball. The collision exploded into a shockwave that left Metagross momentarily dazed. In that brief instant of distraction, the arm at his front-right side was pulled completely straight by Azumarill.
"Psychic, control your body, and attack her while you're at it!"
Dakota hurriedly adjusted his commands.
Metagross, whose four limbs were braced against the ground, was actually dragged forward by Azumarill before being hurled away by her unbelievable strength.
Spinning through the air like a frisbee, Metagross used his astonishing Psychic power to seize hold of Azumarill's body and launched her away like a cannonball as well.
Azumarill's immense strength exceeded the limits of what Psychic could properly control. Metagross failed to stabilize his unbalanced body, crashed heavily into the ground, and after a brutal impact, embedded himself directly into the battle arena.
The referee immediately checked Azumarill's condition first.
Then, with great caution, he had his counterpart on the opposite side of the arena confirm Metagross's status.
Metagross shakily stood back up. Dirt slid from his body, and the once-beautiful metallic sheen of his armor was gone. His face and four arms had all been stained a muddy yellow.
Misaki jokingly commented that this was either a battle-worn and slightly damaged Metagross or perhaps a newly discovered shiny variant, drawing laughter even from the Elite Four watching nearby.
"Azumarill has lost the ability to battle. Metagross wins."
Without any same-type super-effective moves capable of truly crippling Metagross, he had endured everything through sheer willpower alone. Wanting to vent all the pain, frustration, and fury inside him, Metagross let out a furious roar while enduring the agony of his burns.
Mismagius ground her teeth in anger, wishing she could jump back onto the field and teach him a lesson.
If Houndoom had already appeared, how could Metagross possibly still be acting so arrogantly?
Mismagius had absolute confidence in Houndoom's battle strength.
Azumarill plopped herself down beside Mismagius and lay flat on the ground to rest.
This time, Mismagius didn't tease Azumarill. Both of them had fought Metagross while already in poor condition, and from what she had seen, Azumarill had actually performed even better than she had.
Luther crouched down and pressed his hands against Mismagius and Azumarill's heads, gently rubbing them.
"You two already did an amazing job. I won't let your efforts go to waste."
"I said I'd take all of you into the finals and win the championship… and I absolutely will!"
For the first time in the tournament, Dakota voluntarily switched Pokémon instead of being forced to.
Metagross left the field, and Dakota's fourth Pokémon, Froslass, entered the battle.
Luther had already lost Azumarill and Mismagius.
Dakota had lost Darkrai and Scizor.
At first glance, it looked like both sides were back at the same starting line, but Luther knew very well that he was at a disadvantage.
"I need to buy Darkrai a little more time. I trust his recovery ability."
Luther took a deep breath and sent Jumpluff onto the field.
(End of Chapter)