Pokémon: I picked up a reborn Eevee at the start of the game

With a loud bang, Da Ye continued, "Drompia unleashed its final Ripple, inflicting a minor but significant blow on Metagross. Metagross didn't give Drampia much of a chance, finishing it off with a Comet Punch, bringing the score to 1-1."

The phrase "minor but severe damage" is strange yet very apt.

While it may seem small, Metagross is far stronger than Dragapult, and its physical defense is incredibly high. While it may seem like it inflicts serious damage, it is also capable of inflicting some damage with the help of three Dragon Dances.

In short, in this contradictory commentary, Xia Chen recalled Draco Messia to reunite it with Draco, and then released his second Pokémon of the match.

A flash of white light appeared, and amidst the gasps of surprise from the audience, a slender, pure white figure made a stunning entrance—it was Gardevoir.

The audience's surprise stemmed not only from why Xia Chen chose the Fairy-type Gardevoir to fight the Steel-type Metagross, but also from the unique yet commonality between these two Pokémon—

These are all shiny Pokémon that make countless trainers envious and jealous.

Especially Shiny Metagross, which is almost the rarest Shiny Pokémon in the world, apart from Shiny Legendary Pokémon. After all, only four Shiny Dumbbells can form such a flawless, shining white-gold color.

…………

"Tsk tsk, interesting. A duel between different colored elves. I wonder if Xia Chen arranged it this way on purpose."

Alder shook his head and sighed, "Although I have to admit I enjoy watching these kinds of competitions, isn't Xia Chen's choice of team composition a bit too audacious? Dragapult, Gardevoir... he must have a lot of faith in his last Pokémon."

That's a pretty clear implication.

Da Ye chuckled, knowingly saying, "Then let's hope Metagross can step up its game and let us see if Xia Chen's last Pokémon is the one we're thinking of... I think this task shouldn't be too difficult for Metagross to complete."

There is no such thing as a "poisonous milk" in this world, at least not now, so the comments section largely agrees with Da Ye's statement, and the vast majority of people are cheering for Daigo and Metagross.

It's not necessarily all Daigo fans, but mainly... everyone is quite curious about whether the last Pokémon in Xia Chen's lineup is that one.

Thus, amidst overwhelming support, the duel between the two rare, heterochromatic elves officially began.

Chapter 289 Xia Chen's Praise Group Leader, Adek (5k)

Frankly, it's not an exaggeration for Da Ye to think that Metagross could easily defeat Gardevoir.

Putting aside the fact that Steven's ace Metagross is stronger than Gardevoir, the type advantage alone makes it extremely difficult for Gardevoir to deal with Metagross.

Metagross, with its Steel/Psychic typing, has double the resistance to Fairy-type moves and quadruple the resistance to Steel-type moves, completely shutting down Gardevoir's two STAB moves. However, its Steel-type moves can easily break through Gardevoir's weak defenses.

But since we've already clashed, there's nothing more to say, let's just get to it!

"Gardevoir, teleport to the left!"

As soon as he threw the Poké Ball, Xia Chen swiftly issued a command.

Without thinking or hesitating, Gardevoir completely trusted her subconscious to carry out Xia Chen's commands.

Energy condensed slightly, causing a strange fluctuation in space, and the slender, tall figure suddenly vanished from the spot.

The instant Gardevoir released Instant Transmission, a silvery-white meteor streaked across the sky, accompanied by a roar like a maglev train tearing through the air. Metagross charged at an incredible speed, almost too fast for a camera to capture, skimming close to the ground.

Bullet Punch!

After thorough training and intensive honing, Metagross seems to be a fraction faster than the "bullet" in its move name. Even when replayed at ten times the speed, it is still difficult for the naked eye to catch its swift movement.

This speed far exceeds the average speed of Metagross, and it is precisely because of his superior understanding of electromagnetic levitation acceleration that Steven's Metagross is able to dominate the battlefield.

But today, it suffered a setback.

It is not easy for a train traveling at high speed to make a turn or brake suddenly.

Naturally, Metagross, which should have crashed headfirst into the target object and dragged it across the ground, not only failed to do so, but also slid across the ground for a long time due to its enormous inertia.

Seeing that it was about to get out of control, Metagross lowered its steel claws, which were originally in an attack posture, and used them as brake pads to brake suddenly. It braked for a while with sparks and lightning, and with a screeching sound like fingernails scratching a blackboard, the platinum steel crab finally stopped.

Behind it, however, were several straight tracks, each tens of meters long, shocking and emitting wisps of heat due to the high temperature of friction.

…………

"Brilliant prediction! Xia Chen read Daigo's mind and used Instant Transmission to dodge Metagross's Bullet Punch. To be honest, even a Champion-level Pokémon would have to take that Bullet Punch, but no matter how fast a bullet is, it can't outrun space distortion. It's just a matter of one step ahead of the other!"

Adek praised Xia Chen's command to the skies, while Da Ye chimed in to add to the praise.

"While the direct damage from a Bullet Punch, whose power is almost indistinguishable from Quick Attack, isn't particularly terrifying, it's actually Metagross's most crucial means of closing the distance with Gardevoir. In other words, if Gardevoir fails to dodge it, she'll be met with high-powered, double-superior moves like Iron Head or Comet Punch. And if Gardevoir takes these hits in succession, given her bulk..."

Da Ye shook his head; his meaning was self-evident.

"Oh! Taking advantage of Metagross's inevitable braking phase, Gardevoir has seized the opportunity to counterattack! Shadow Ball!"

Above the monster on the battlefield, where the steel claws had carved several straight tracks, a small but powerfully concentrated dark purple spherical lightning bolt hurtled toward Metagross's body.

In this situation, Gardevoir hardly needs to aim; it can accurately hit the target simply by following Metagross's gliding trajectory.

So, the instant Metagross came to an abrupt stop, the Shadow Orb followed closely behind and had a close rear-end collision with the Iron Crab's rear end.

Energy concentrated in a volume of only a few tens of cubic centimeters can be released at any moment and explode instantly.

boom--

The explosion was far less loud than the previous commotion caused by Dorgon Messiah, but that doesn't mean the attack was less damaging.

The ghost-type energy within the Shadow Sphere leaked out with the explosion, then spread and permeated Metagross's platinum-gold body like a persistent infection.

Metagross, with its sturdy body, is not afraid of physical impacts. In contrast, subtle, corrosive attacks like Shadow Ball are more effective at breaking through its defenses.

Although its defenses were breached, Metagross, which had just appeared at full strength, was not so fragile. It only trembled slightly before enduring the pain and turning around.

"Meta!"

With a muffled roar, like an engine starting up, Metagross charged towards Gardevoir once more.

This time it did not use the bullet punch.

Although Bullet Punch is fast, it is too difficult to control. Just like before, if it misses, Gardevoir will seize the opportunity to counterattack.

Gardevoir was able to escape using Teleportation even when it was unprepared, let alone now.

While forcing Gardevoir to use Teleport repeatedly and consume a huge amount of energy is a viable strategy, Daigo always felt that Xia Chen was up to something.

Having already suffered a major setback against Dornock, he now prefers to use tactics with a higher margin for error.

Simply put, Daigo chickened out.

…………

"I didn't use the Bullet Punch again; Daigo didn't want to give his opponent any chance!"

Adek's statement showed very high emotional intelligence.

"It was a match we had the advantage in all along, a game we could win by playing steadily. I didn't want any unexpected surprises, even though this kind of play... isn't very Daigo-like."

Steven's Metagross is known for its ferocity and rage. With its incredible speed and powerful impact, it is almost invincible in battles against other Metagross of the same level.

However, given that it was a top-tier stage like the World Youth Championship semifinals, he chose a less aesthetically pleasing but more likely to win playing style.

Da Ye explained the situation on the field, "Although it didn't use Bullet Punch, Metagross's speed is still not to be underestimated. At least Gardevoir can't escape its pursuit with its agility alone. And if it wants to stop and unleash a move to counterattack... then Metagross will definitely not miss this opportunity and will definitely rush in with a Bullet Punch!"

This is Metagross's advantage.

Run, but without teleportation, you can't outrun me.

I can easily beat you with my Steel-type moves. Although your Shadow Ball or Magical Flame are also doubly super effective against them, they are not STAB moves, so they are still a bit lacking.

Furthermore, Metagross has greater durability and stamina than Gardevoir, making this kind of chase battle the perfect rhythm that Steven is looking for!

On the battlefield, Metagross leisurely lingered behind Gardevoir. Although it had the potential to charge in and attack its opponent, it was not in a hurry.

It's not about playing a cat-and-mouse game.

One reason is to secretly mobilize the steel-based energy within the body and concentrate it at a single point.

Secondly, it is an attempt to force the opponent to reveal a weakness by pressing them with a tight stance.

However, Gardevoir possessed remarkable mental fortitude. She also refrained from using her full speed, maintaining a distance of less than three meters from Metagross.

The control of this distance was quite subtle, giving the Metagross following behind the illusion that it could reach out and touch it.

Metagross was waiting for Gardevoir to reveal a weakness, but wasn't Gardevoir also using its own subtle weaknesses to lure Metagross into a trap?

In battles at this level, the shift between hunter and prey can happen in an instant.

The two Pokémon tacitly agreed not to make a move, but this was not a race after all. There was no endless track on the battlefield that could be circled around and around. As they chased each other, Gardevoir had already reached the edge of the battlefield.

There was a completely airtight wall there.

Gardevoir did not choose to turn here and continue playing with Metagross. Her slender figure suddenly stopped in front of the wall, her back to Metagross, looking completely unguarded.

But the more this happened, the more vigilant Steven and Metagross became. Metagross, being a Psychic-type Pokémon, knew all too well that the psychic power of Pokémon was their third eye.

Steven knew that Metagross's every move was completely under Gardevoir's control. His lack of defense was a low-level but effective trap set by Gardevoir.

Charge! Gardevoir will inevitably use Teleport, and Metagross will be slammed against the wall.

Stopping would undoubtedly be a way to make peace with Gardevoir, giving her another chance to regroup.

Daigo made his final decision in milliseconds: to choose between two options.

"Metamorphoses, ram them!"

…………

"Steven boldly chose to continue the attack. This move is quite daring. Given the previous example of Gardevoir brilliantly dodging and counterattacking with Shadow Ball, isn't Steven worried that Metagross will repeat the same mistake this time?"

The question had barely been posed by Da Ye when, from the stands, the audience gasped in surprise as the answer was revealed.

Just as Da Ye predicted, the moment Metagross decided to accelerate, Gardevoir used its second Instant Transmission of the match, teleporting to a few meters behind Metagross.

The distance wasn't long, and it looked as if Gardevoir and Metagross had swapped positions.

Gardevoir, or rather Xia Chen, had a clear plan: lure Metagross into a trap, then position it in a suitable spot to unleash its moves, and then unleash a barrage of attacks on Metagross as it battled the wall, achieving a second victory.

Even now, Gardevoir, having teleported to a safe location, has already gathered energy and is preparing to launch an attack from behind.

This is a very direct and effective, but also quite obvious, a scheme that even the audience can easily figure out.

Obviously, Daigo couldn't possibly have been unaware of such a strategy, so...

"Metamorphosis, Bullet Punch!"

Bullet punch?

The audience was somewhat confused when they heard Daigo's command.

Is Daigo going to make Metagross, who's facing a wall, use Bullet Punch?

Who is the target? The wall in front of us?