At 1:40 p.m., at venue 5, Julian really went to watch Will's match.
"Okay, I'm here! Now you can hurry to the player room," Julian said, noticing Will standing stubbornly beside him, refusing to leave.
Will had dragged him all the way from their hotel room just so Julian could watch his match.
"You guys need to keep an eye on him," Will instructed Han, Zosh, and Shen, who were standing nearby.
"Don't let him run away! Just wait until I show off my power with a string of three victories!"
Obviously he didn't really believe what Julian said
"Come on, let's go! Julian said he's not going anywhere" Shen said, a bit impatiently.
Among the five of them, Julian was the strongest, while Will was considered the weakest.
Yet, somehow, Will was still in the tournament while the others had been eliminated earlier.
Will often jokingly referred to himself as the "Emperor of Luck" and now Shen couldn't help but feel that Will might actually embody that "Luck".
As the clock struck two o'clock, the atmosphere became electric with anticipation.
"Let's go, Charizard!"
Will shouted, sending out his strongest Pokémon.
In open events like this one, the Pokémon used by trainers had to be registered with the event organizers beforehand. For this particular match, Will had registered Charizard, Pidgeot, and Camerupt. That meant he was limited to using just those Pokémon during the match, though he could choose the order in which to send them out.
Charizard emerged from its Poké Ball with a loud roar, spreading its magnificent wings wide. It let out a brilliant flame into the air before landing confidently on the ground, exuding an impressive fighting spirit.
"Heracross!" The opponent called out.
Heracross was a rare and powerful Bug-type Pokémon, boasting a secondary Fighting type, which made it quite formidable. Notably, Heracross could also Mega Evolve, adding to its strength.
Facing Charizard's flames, Heracross didn't seem intimidated at all. Instead, it appeared full of fighting spirit and ready to battle.
Heracross: If I win this match, I'll get a treat of ten jars of honey.
"HERA~"
Heracross's momentum rose sharply, it was obviously a mild-mannered and even a little timid kind of Pokemon, but the aura it showed at this time was close to that of a steroid induced bodybuilder.
"What's up with this guy? Where's Beedrill?" Will murmured to himself, concern creeping into his voice.
He had done his homework on the opponent's team and watched videos of their past matches through the conference organizers.
The opponent had played twice, once with Beedrill, once with Butterfree, and in an individual match, he also used Beedrill And Butterfree, using these two Pokémon to defeat Rival's three Pokémon, in Will's opinion, it was just two rookie trainers pecking at each other
In his mind, Will had thought it would be easy to defeat them with Charizard.
Will believed Bug-type trainers were generally synonymous with weakness, mainly because most Bug Pokémon, even at their final forms, tended to be less powerful compared to others.
There were strong Bug Pokémon out there, but they were quite rare. Most trainers, like the one in front of Will, chose Bug types simply because they were easy to feed and evolve.
He had expected an average trainer, but now he was up against a fierce Heracross instead.
Charizard level 42.
Heracross level 46.
The level difference was clear, and under the Probing Eyes, their stats were laid bare for Julian to see.
"Charizard, use Flamethrower!" Will commanded.
"Heracross, go for a Horn Attack!" the opponent shouted back.
Heracross boldly charged forward, its thick horn glowing with white energy. It collided directly with Charizard's Flamethrower, splitting the flames in two while rapidly maneuvering around the fire.
"Charizard, don't hold back! Let's see how long Heracross can last against you!"
Will was realizing that the opponent had been hiding their strength during the team competition. They clearly wanted to secure a better result in the individual matches.
Charizard unleashed a continuous stream of flames, intensifying its output.
'Ten jars of honey!'
Heracross bellowed, swinging its horn powerfully, smashing through the flames. It flapped its wings and aimed a fierce Horn Attack at Charizard's soft underbelly.
The hit sent Charizard spiraling through the air.
"Use Aerial Ace, Heracross!"
The opponent shouted confidently.
As Charizard finally regained control in the air, it felt the sting of pain in its stomach, as if its insides were twisting together.
"Charizard, dodge!"
Will yelled, urgency evident in his voice.
In that split second, Charizard noticed a flash of white light racing toward it. Then, before it could react, Heracross struck again, landing another blow to its belly.
"Seismic Toss!"
Will commanded, desperation creeping into his tone.
Charizard, feeling intense pain from its stomach, let out a frustrated roar. The red light surrounding its body activated its Fire abilities, allowing it to gather some strength. Charizard's arms wrapped around Heracross, lifting it high into the air.
"Naive fool! Heracross break free!" the opponent taunted, smirking as they watched the struggle unfold.
With its powerful Fighting type, Heracross was naturally strong.
Charizard, despite its size and strength, found it challenging to hold on to its opponent.
"Charizard, use Inferno!" Will ordered fiercely.
As Charizard began to descend rapidly, it opened its mouth to create a swirling vortex of flames that engulfed both itself and Heracross.
Heracross let out a series of pained roars, its strength waning under the searing heat.
"Heracross twenty jars of honey, Bug Bite!" the opponent suddenly shouted, a look of determination crossing their face.
In that moment, the pain from the flames seemed to vanish for Heracross, replaced by the tantalizing thought of twenty jars of honey awaiting it.
For a foodie, nothing was more motivating than food and if there was, it's more food.
"F***, That's cheating!"
Will exclaimed in shock. He hadn't expected his opponent to use food as motivation for their Pokémon.
Under the onslaught of Bug Bite, Charizard's resolve finally crumbled, and its fiery flames extinguished.
Its grip on Heracross loosened.
"Charizard, wake up!"
Will shouted desperately, hoping to rouse his Pokémon as it began to plummet toward the ground.
"Charizard loses the ability to fight, Heracross wins!" The referee's voice rang out, confirming the result.
Charizard crashed heavily to the ground, while Heracross stood tall, covered in burns but with shining eyes that reflected pure determination.
The trainer beside Heracross beamed with anticipation.
"Win the next match, and you'll be rewarded with fifty jars of honey!" the trainer encouraged Heracross.
"Hera~"
Heracross: It's on, hurry up and send your next Pokémon, I'm going to dry it.
Seeing Charizard fall in the stands, Han and Zosh exchanged high fives, their excitement bubbling over. They noticed Shen looking at them with an odd expression and Han sheepishly admitted, "I can't help it, really can't!"
"Don't worry, if he loses this match, we're definitely throwing a feast to celebrate," Shen proposed.
Both Han and Zosh nodded in enthusiastic agreement. Their eyes gleamed with shared anticipation, clearly showing how unpopular Will was among them. With Will frequently being called the "all-talk" it was no wonder they felt this way.
With Charizard defeated, they glanced at Heracross, who still looked full of fight. It was clear that this battle wasn't over yet.
"Well, Pidgeot likes to eat bugs" Will took a deep breath, steadying himself as he sent out his second Pokémon, clearly shaken by Charizard's loss.
Will hadn't anticipated Charizard's defeat, and to make matters worse, he hadn't even left any marks on Heracross.
"Julian, do you think Pidgeot can defeat the other's Heracross?"
Shen asked, a hint of concern creeping into her voice. After all, Will was still their friend. If he lost, it wouldn't just be a casual laugh; would certainly affect them.
"It should be a draw," Julian said, noting Heracross's condition which still exuded fighting spirit.
"A draw? Heracross is burned, yet it's still a draw?" Han shouted.
If he didn't believe in Julian's vision, he would definitely think that the other party was talking nonsense.
Given the burn status, and with the agility of the Pidgeot it should be enough to outlast Heracross.
"Hera~"
Heracross charged at Pidgeot, the horn on its head glowing with a bright light.
"Charge with Steel Wing!" Will commanded.
Zosh was irritated by this command, exclaiming, "What is he doing? Why send Pidgeot forward? Can't it dodge instead?"
"Will tends to confront challenges head-on rather than avoiding them. It's a common trait among many fire-type trainers," Julian explained.
Each trainer has a distinct fighting style; Julian prefers a dominating approach, while Will is more reckless, relying on his and his Pokémon's spirit to overcome adversity.
"Fire trainers really can be reckless," Han scoffed, and Shen nodded in agreement.
Julian really wanted to say, what qualifications do you have to nod your head?—after all, fire and fighting type trainers are the two most recognized types for their recklessness.
But considering the strength of her martial arts technique, he held his tongue.
The two Pokémon fought for more than ten minutes and fought more than a dozen rounds. Each round was a collision between moves, and the explosion of Tackle sounded continuously.
Obviously a mindless battle, but it was also the easiest way to arouse the enthusiasm of the audience.
Each clash sent shockwaves through the arena, igniting the excitement of the spectators who cheered louder with every exchange.
The Trainer of Heracross actually didn't want to engage with Pidgeot directly, but he was very aware of his Pokémon.
Heracross was obviously already on top of the fifty jars of honey at this time in his mind, and he only wanted to defeat the opponent in a direct way as soon as possible.
If he really commanded Heracross to avoid the attack of Pidgeot, it will disrupt the rhythm of Heracross itself, so as a Trainer, he was now cooperating with Heracross, focusing on issuing commands aligned with its instincts.
"Heracross, use Mega Horn!"
"Pigeot, Tackle!"
"HERA~!"
"PIDGE~!"
Both Pokémon roared and their moves collided in mid-air.
With a loud bang, a huge mushroom cloud rose from the field, and the air waves swept around, like a knife shaving off a thin layer of the battle field.
As the dust settled, both Pokémon were knocked back, landing hard on either side of the field, with the protective barrier bouncing them away.
"Both Heracross and Pidgeot are unable to battle, The match is a draw" announced the referee.
As Julian said, the result of the match was a draw.
"Return, Heracross. You'll have fifty jars of honey waiting for you when you wake up," the trainer said, a hint of pain in his voice.
This was no ordinary honey; it came from a special Ruin, each jar costing 100,000 making for a staggering total of 5 million spent for the battle.
"This isn't how it was supposed to go, i don't want to be laughed at by Shen" Will whispered as he clutched his last Poké Ball.
"Camerupt!"
Then, his rival also sent out their second Pokémon.
"Pinsir!"
Pinsir was among the few Bug-types known for its brutal and fierce nature, using its large horns to trap and crush its prey.
"Camerupt, use Flamethrower!"
At this point, the distance between the two sides was still relatively far, and Flamethrower was easily dodged by Pinsir, who is constantly closing in on Camerupt.
"That was the plan, Camerupt! Use Earth Power!"
The ground around Pinsir erupted, surrounding it with rocks and temporarily immobilizing it, taking advantage of Earth Power's chance to lower its special defense.
Earth Power has a certain chance to lower the special defense of the Pokémon it hits.
"Hahaha, I told you I was the Emperor of Luck!"
Will chuckled, shaking off the disappointment of losing two consecutive battles.
"Camerupt, use Flamethrower!" Will shouted loudly.
"Pinsir, use Focus Blast!"
Despite being held in rocks and unable to move, Pinsir was still able to launch an attack from it's mouth.
The Focus Blast shattered the rock trapping it, and Pinsir was free just in time to dodge Camerupt's Flamethrower.
"Now, Bulldoze!"
Will seemed to anticipate the imminent escape. Camerupt closed in on Pinsir, raising its front hooves to stomp down heavily.
"Vise Grip!"
With fierce determination in its eyes, Pinsir's massive horns lunged forward, gripping Camerupt tightly. Yet, Camerupt continued with its Bulldoze attack.
With a loud thud, Pinsir's face contorted from the force of the stomp, but it clung on tighter, driven by the pain.
"Now, use Submission!"
"As if i will let you, Camerupt! Let's unleash Lava Plume!"
A cloud of thick black smoke erupted from Camerupt's chimney-like protrusions, crackling with sparks.
Pinsir finally couldn't take it anymore, and the two big pincers loosened Camerupt, leaving two deep blood holes in Camerupt.
"Pinsir is unable to battle, Camerupt wins."
Camerupt panted heavily, glancing at Pinsir, who lay defeated on the ground. Pain coursed through its body, making its front legs tremble precariously, threatening to collapse at any moment. Despite winning this round, Camerupt's stamina was nearly depleted, and the opponent still had one more Pokémon left to send out.
"Camerupt eat a Sitrus Berry" Will called out.
At Will's command, a Sitrus Berry emerged from one of Camerupt's chimney-like structures on its back. How it managed to hide the berry there without burning itself was a mystery. But after consuming the berry, Camerupt felt a surge of renewed energy.
In Pokémon battles, Trainers can equip their Pokémon with items that offer various advantages. These range from items that give specific boosts—like Charcoal or the Scope Lens—to one-time-use items like berries. Berries, such as Sitrus Berry, can restore a bit of stamina, while others like Pecha Berry or Aspear Berry can cure certain Status Conditions.
However, only one item can be carried into battle, and these items must be registered with the conference officials beforehand. Using an unregistered item could lead to an automatic victory for the opponent.
"Why would Will let Camerupt carry a Sitrus Berry? Does he foresee a tough fight?" Han mused, puzzled.
Berries are single-use, and in terms of practicality, it would have made more sense for Will to have brought Charcoal for a consistent boost rather than a one-time item.
But in critical situations, those berries can prove invaluable. For instance, if a Pokémon is poisoned and carries a Pecha Berry, it can quickly alleviate the problem.
Will's Camerupt has always been carrying Charcoal, why suddenly change it to Sitrus Berry today.
"This guy sold Charcoal due to lack of money" Julian explained with a weird look on his face.
Due to the packed schedule of the conference, Will had no time to go to the Trainer APP to pick up the quests, and to afford his three Pokémon who had been eating and resting this time, his savings were almost exhausted.
He didn't want to borrow money from Julian and so he had to sell Camerupt's Charcoal, exchange it for a sum of money, but he bought a Sitrus Berry in order to compensate Camerupt.
To his surprise, this thing actually came in handy.
"This guy can't really be this lucky, right?" Julian thought, his faith in Will's luck wavering.
After all, the successful use of Earth Power, which had lowered the opponent's special defense, seemed far from coincidental.
"Beedrill!"
The opposing Trainer sent out their third Pokémon, a familiar face from both team matches and the previous individual battle.
This Beedrill had been purposely kept in reserve until now.
"This time, I will burn this bug" Will muttered, determination etched on his face, he really didn't believe this Beedrill had the strength like the two previous Pokémon.
The face of Trainer on the opposite side was also quite ugly, as neither of his two Trump Cards has solved Will, which was beyond his expectations.
And Beedrill's strength was indeed worse than the previous two.
"Beedrill, use Pin Missile!"
Beedrill lifted its Twin needle, launching a rapid-fire barrage of needle-like projectiles at Camerupt.
After consuming the Sitrus Berry, Camerupt had regained some strength, and the bleeding from its wounds had subsided.
"Flamethrower!" Will commanded.
The intense flames engulfed the Pin Missile attack, obliterating it in a blazing sweep.
"Attack with Twin needle!" the Trainer countered.
Beedrill dashed forward, its sharp Twin needle aimed directly at Camerupt. The latter's bulk and low mobility left it vulnerable, and soon enough, Beedrill's stabs found their mark.
"Use Poison Jab!" the Trainer shouted, a glimmer of confidence in his voice.
"Camerupt, use Protect!" Will replied swiftly.
A green barrier shimmered into existence, deflecting the incoming Poison Jab.
"Flamethrower!" Will pressed on.
"Venom Drench!" The Trainer countered.
The two attacks collided, the purple venomous spray clashing with the red flames, resulting in a hiss of vapor as the venom dissipated into a cloud of toxic smoke.
Beedrill's Trainer initially appeared pleased with the unfolding scene. But his expression quickly soured when he realized the Flamethrower had outmatched the Venom Drench, striking Beedrill directly.
"Camerupt, go for the win! Keep using Flamethrower!"
Will seized the moment, eager to capitalize on the momentum.
"Bang"
But in the next second, Camerupt suddenly fell to the ground with purple bubbles popping out of his body. Although the toxins were not as effective as the venom Drench, but the residual effects of the toxic cloud were too much for its already weakened state to handle.
"Finish it, Pin Missile!"
The opponent did not attack at close range, fearing that Camerupt will do a last desperate counterattack, so he chose to distance himself and used Pin Missile.
Under Camerupt's desperate gaze, countless Pin Missiles overwhelmed it.
"Camerupt is unable to battle; Beedrill wins," the referee declared, the sound echoing in Will's ears.
At the end of the match, Will still did not make a comeback.
With a disappointed face, he pulled the fallen Camerupt back to the Poké Ball and muttered, "It's okay, you've worked hard."
Then he gave the opposite Trainer a unfriendly look, not because he was unconvinced, but he felt that the other party deliberately hid two Pokémon, making his previous intelligence work wasted.
"Sure enough, it's not suitable for me to engage in intelligence gathering and so on."
The first time I try this and lose, and I met a Rival who deliberately hid Pokémon.
"How could they make a fool of me like this?" he seethed internally.
Losing was one thing, If you lose, you lose, but now Will's headache was how to deal with Han, Zosh and Shen.
When he walked out of the player tunnel, he saw three people waiting for him at the exit of the tunnel. He didn't see Julian, but Will didn't want to care about it.
Because he saw that these three people had come over with wicked smiles..
"After a hard fight, I still lost," he remarked dryly.
"If I had known I'd lose, I might as well have let the Rival take me out easily, like the three of you did," he added, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
(T/N: how to gaslight someone course 101)
The faces of the three people who were walking towards Will suddenly froze, he was obviously mocking them for losing too fast, even when he had also lost, he dared to take the lead in firing the shots first.
Guess he was too impatient to die.
"Yeah, well, even though I lost, I got early acceptance to Imperial University,"
"Jin University contacted me this morning,"
"The admission officer from the Third Military Academy said they're very optimistic about my rainy day tactics"
Both Jin University and the Third Military Academy are first-class universities. Zosh and Han were valued by the admission teachers of these two universities respectively.
Not to mention Shen and Julian who were accepted early by Imperial College.
In this way, among the five-member team of Lake Middle School, only Will has not been approched by any colleges and universities. Judging from his expression, it is estimated that he has no offers.
Will: The clown turned out to be me.
"Hahaha, Julian, Julian!"
After having dinner in the room, Julian was lying on the bed and scrolling, when there was a knock at the door and Will's excited voice came.
"His brain doesn't seem right, he's so happy after losing"
Julian muttered, and Lucario, who was exercising his Aura, got up to open the door.
"Oh, Lucario it's you"
Will was slightly taken aback upon seeing Lucario open the door, then happily stepped inside the room to find Julian scrolling through his phone on the bed, background music playing.
"Let me introduce myself~"
"I only order milk at a bar even though I'm a cowboy~"
(T/N: some kind of song lyrics after translation)
As soon as Will heard the music, he recognized it as Vibrato's latest viral cross-dressing video, featuring young ladies with great figures, fair skin, and long legs.
'This scumbag'
Will secretly said in his heart.
"Got something to say?"
Julian continued swiping on his phone, not bothering to get up. It's normal for a man to like beautiful and sexy women.
But Julian had always focused more on Pokémon than girls.
With his family background, if he really wanted to find a girl, he could be a scumbag and change his girlfriend every once in a while.
"I came to tell you, I made it to the top 16!"
Will said, the pride on his face was about to overflow.
Now, Julian didn't bother to scroll on his phone, but opened the conference official website, looked at the list of top 16 players, and really saw Will in it.
'This bas***d really is Emperor of Luck!'
"Hahaha, I told you I was lucky, right? You have to admit it now!"
Will beamed, noticing Julian's slightly stiff expression.
After today's matches, which had ended with 15 trainers out of 30, one trainer among the losers would be randomly selected to fill the 16-trainer bracket, ensuring there would be no byes.
All those eliminated early were hoping to be that lucky trainer; many even prayed to legendary Pokémon.
It seemed Togepi merchandise were flying off the shelves.
After all, Togepi was a lucky Pokémon.
"You should've seen Han, Zosh, and Shen when I won the lottery; their faces were priceless! If I hadn't run, I would have been beaten up by Shen!" Will laughed, reveling in his temporary triumph.
The individual competition of the Silver Province High School League spanned two days, with matches from the top 16 to the top 8, culminating to the top 4.
In the end, the top four players emerged: Julian, Nolan, Leo, and Thea.
Will, however, stopped at the top 16.
The matches for the final four would be held at the main venue, which could accommodate nearly 500,000 spectators. Not only would there be hosts, but also special guests to commentate on the later stages of the competition.
While the Yale Provincial High School League was a major event, the contestants were high school students, and their Pokémon were all under pseudo-Elite levels. Many experts considered it more of a Baby Cup.
Therefore, there was no host commentary in the earlier matches; it would only start in the latter rounds.
Julian's semi-final rival was Nolan, also a longtime competitor. The match was scheduled for 8:00 AM, with the second semi-final at 2:00 PM.
By 7:50 AM, Julian and Nolan had already taken their positions at opposite ends of the arena, quietly waiting for the match to begin.
The auditorium was filled with 300,000 eager spectators, with many staff members bringing Pokémon to maintain order and prevent accidents.
Julian stood on the south side of the venue, Nolan on the north, while the hosts and guests for commentary occupied the west side.
This time, the host was Zeke, a renowned figure from Yale TV Station and a pseudo-Elite Trainer. The guest next to him was the president of the Lake City Trainer Association—an actual Elite Trainer.
"Mr. William, with both Julian and Nolan coming from prestigious families, who do you think has the better chance of winning?" the host inquired, a sly smile on his face.
The backgrounds of both trainers were widely known through social media.
Responding to the host's loaded question, Mr. William chuckled, "Julian's strength is evident, while Nolan has only used Pupitar to defeat his opponent's three Pokémon since the competition began. His remaining two Pokémon are still unknown."
That statement was ambiguous at best.
"My husband Nolan is the best in the world!"
"Nolan, I want to give you a little fire monkey!"
"These are all b****** who covet my husband's beauty"
"Where are the Walker family army? Come out and take care of these girls!"
"For those cheering for Nolan, I'll send you a black silk photo!"
"I'm sorry, brothers, I've betrayed you!"
Will looked at the live broadcast comments, his face contorted with rage, then typed, "Nolan, you can do it!" He even took a screenshot to send to someone promising a black silk photo.
Shen, witnessing this whole scenario, couldn't help but scoff, "Julian is your brother, and you treat him like this?"
Realizing the absurdity, Will quickly typed a message to the girl again: "And I also have a brother(Julian), so can you send two photos."
Shen: "⊙_⊙"
"Nicely done hair; hers legs are long and thin, totally worth it!"
Will wiped nonexistent drool from the corner of his mouth, saved the picture, and uploaded it to an online drive, his actions smooth and seamless.
"It's eight o'clock; the match is about to start. I wonder which Pokémon the two players will send out first?" the host announced.
Julian threw a Poké Ball into the arena, and as the white light faded, Metagross materialized, catching the rebounding ball with one hand.
A Poké Ball rebound is a skill every trainer needs; failing to master it could lead to an embarrassing dash to retrieve the ball after a showy throw.
"Pupitar"
Nolan called out, sending forth his first Pokémon with a serious expression.
"Zen Headbutt!" Julian commanded.
Instantly, Metagross transformed into a silver streak, charging towards Pupitar.
"No, Why is it so fast?"
Nolan cursed inwardly. In his eyes, this Metagross was nothing short of unscientific—its speed, defense, and physical prowess seemed to defy reason.
During this time, aside from competing, Nolan had dedicated his efforts to studying Julian's Metagross.
After all, if he could defeat Metagross, he might just stand a chance against Julian.
"The speed of Metagross is really fast. This speed is definitely twice or even more than three times that of a normal Metagross of the same level," Host Zeke said in surprise.
He has hosted many large competitions and even Elite-level events. Naturally, he knows a lot and has seen many pseudo-legendaries.
He has seen more than one or two Metagross, all of them regular blue Metagross, but none of the pseudo-Elite Metagross were as fast as Julian's Metagross.
"This Metagross should have the hidden ability of Light Metal. Most Metagross have the ability called Clear Body, but Pokémon with Light Metal have their weight reduced by half."
William, the president of the Lake City Trainer Association, quickly noticed the difference with Julian's Metagross.
"But even with Light Metal, its speed is much higher than that of a Metagross at the same level. I believe Julian must have given Metagross many items or special resources to boost its speed."
It's not just any speed-boosting item; it's something that enhances all five base stats. Metagross eats a lot, Its food intake is double that of Dragonair, Lucario, and Meltan combined.
This is how Julian trains his Pokémon: focus on Metagross first, then on others.
"Pupitar, use Rock Throw!"
Blocks of boulders fell from above Metagross, as Nolan tried to keep his opponent away.
Metagross can attack both close and from a distance, and Pupitar, which hasn't evolved into Tyranitar, is much weaker in close combat than the four-armed Metagross.
The boulders fell, but Metagross did not stop or dodge; the rocks continued to hit it.
After smashing through seven or eight boulders, Metagross reached Pupitar.
Nolan didn't expect Metagross to come this far, and he quickly shouted, "Pupitar, use Protect!"
Protect is a lifesaving move that almost all Trainers teach their Pokémon. As long as the opponent's moves do not exceed a certain damage level, Protect will hold.
"Meteor Mash!"
Metagross suddenly stopped in front of the shield, glowing with colorful light on its forearm, like a comet streaking across the night sky.
Pupitar's eyelids jumped behind its shield.
Meteor Mash struck the shield, and the energy clashed for a moment. Seeing that the shield didn't break, Nolan sighed with relief.
However, the next moment, he heard a cracking sound, and his face tensed.
In Pupitar's eyes, the shield broke. Metagross' Meteor Mash hit hard, leaving a punch hole in Pupitar's tough shell.
But thanks to the protection of its hard outer shell, some of the power from Meteor Mash was absorbed, so Pupitar wasn't knocked out instantly.
Seeing Pupitar being knocked back while Metagross charged for a follow-up attack, Nolan quickly recalled Pupitar.
A Trainer has one chance to swap Pokémon during a match.
Choosing a more suitable Pokémon at the right time can turn the tide.
If used wisely, it can help regain an advantage.
"Go, Aggron!"
(T/N: don't worry the mc will have one too)
A massive silver beast appeared on the field, with sunlight gleaming off its armor, creating a dazzling shine.
Pokémon: Aggron (Steel/Rock)
Level: 43
Qualification: Green
Ability: Rock Head
Item: Metal Coat
Gender: Female
Moves: Tackle, Harden, Headbutt, Roar, Metal Claw, Rock Slide, Iron Head, Metal Sound, Take Down
Disc Moves: Hyper Beam, Giga Impact, Earthquake, Thunder Wave, Protect, Brick Break, Icy Wind
Genetic Moves: Rock Blast, Stomp, Endeavor
-
Most people know Aggron as a Steel-type Pokémon but often forget it has a Rock-typing too.
The two most famous Pokémon in the Silver Province are Metagross and Aggron, with Aggron often called the Iron Armor Pokemon.
It only takes 4x damage from Ground and Fighting types and double damage from Water types.
Other types deal normal damage, but most only amount for half or even a quarter of the usual damage.
Because of its amazing defensive power, Aggron has earned the name Iron Armor Pokemon.
Most Aggron come from the Walker family during the Aron stage, which is why they have only green qualifications.
The Aron with cyan qualifications aren't enough for the Walker family themselves.
Julian hasn't had any Aron yet because there aren't any with cyan qualifications or above.
Aggron are rare, and breeding them is tough, so finding an Aron with cyan qualifications takes a bit of luck.
Julian's grandfather had a blue-qualified Aggron, and his father had one too. Unfortunately, both were male. If one had been female, their offspring would have at least been cyan-qualified.
Among Julian's Pokémon, aside from Metagross, which came from his grandfather's pseudo-champion-level Metagross, and was born with blue aptitude.
The other three Pokémon weren't directly given to him by his family.
Lucario came from the Smith family, along with the Mythical Meltan, and Dragonair was a gift from the system.
All three had qualifications of cyan or higher.
"Aggron, use Harden!"
For the first move, Nolan chose to boost his defense, likely due to Metagross' strong attack making him feel uncertain.
A flash of silver light appeared, and Aggron's defense received a boost.
"Player Nolan's Aggron has strengthened its defense, and we will see if Metagross can break through it," Host Zeke exclaimed, excited.
Everyone looked forward to this clash between two of the most well-known Pokémon in the Yale Province.
Many shared the same thought.
"This is the battle between the strongest spear and the strongest shield."
"F***, isn't Metagross weak on defense?"
"Honestly, Aggron is better at defense."
"You haven't noticed that Julian's Metagross has unreasonably high stats."
"I'm a pseudo-Elite Trainer, and I can confidently say that Julian's Metagross must have higher base stats than others of the same level."
"Worship the pseudo-Elite boss upstairs"
"Aggron is so scary, how can my husband have such a scary Pokémon"
"Nolan sweety, let's go! Keep it up!"
"Such a shallow fan; aren't we judging based on looks? That one is a pretty boy; I hope Julian wins."
"Brothers, let's support our cause!"