"Ninjask, Metal Claw!"
Surrendering was not an option, so Blackstar had no choice but to fight. With a swift wave of his arm, the Ninjask beside him vanished.
Ninjask's speed was practically the pinnacle among regular Pokémon. In terms of sheer speed, it had no rival within that category. Over short distances, its movement was so fast that it was nearly comparable to Teleport.
Julian's eyes couldn't possibly keep up with Ninjask's movements. With only a few dozen meters between him and Blackstar, at Ninjask's speed, it could end Julian's life in a fraction of a second.
However, Julian wasn't alone—Metagross and Lucario were right by his side.
The moment Ninjask vanished, Lucario disappeared as well, moving with Extreme Speed, which greatly enhanced its speed.
A series of sharp collision sounds echoed through the air as the two Pokémon clashed at a speed beyond what the naked eye could follow.
Ninjask's speed was one of Blackstar's greatest advantages. At the same level, very few Pokémon could keep up with it.
But now, its speed advantage was neutralized by Lucario.
Blackstar's heart sank. As expected, Julian was difficult to deal with.
"Shedinja, Hyper Beam!"
Shedinja, with its signature halo floating above its head, began to gather a golden beam of energy in front of it.
Shedinja's Wonder Guard ability made it immune to all damage except from Rock, Flying, Ghost, Fire, and Dark-type moves.
If hit by any other type, it would take no damage at all.
The Wonder Guard ability was almost unfair—it was like Dragon-type moves being ineffective against Fairy-types. Completely overpowered.
However, Shedinja had a glaring weakness—it only had 1 HP. If hit by any of the five super-effective types, even something as weak as an Ember could instantly knock it out.
As the Hyper Beam came blasting forward, Metagross quickly blocked it with Protect.
It could have chosen to counter the Hyper Beam with an attack of its own, but the resulting shockwave would definitely affect the massive tree behind them.
After all, the Togekiss couple's egg was nestled in that very tree.
Metagross' Protect absorbed the entire Hyper Beam, and in the next instant, it used Teleport to appear directly in front of Shedinja, its fist blazing with Fire Punch, aiming for a decisive blow.
"Shedinja, Endure!" Blackstar snorted coldly.
He was well aware of Shedinja's fatal weakness and had naturally prepared for it.
[Endure: Allows the user to survive any attack with at least 1 HP left, even if the attack would otherwise knock them out.]
Fire Punch struck, but Shedinja withstood it, holding on thanks to Endure.
The next second, a piercing Bug Buzz rang out from Shedinja's vibrating abdomen.
Sound-based attacks didn't differentiate between friend and foe—they were area-wide assaults.
Julian immediately used Psychic to seal his eardrums, blocking out the noise.
On Blackstar's side, Ditto had already transformed into a pair of earmuffs, shielding him from the sound.
The Pidgey flock soaring through the air dropped like stones under the influence of Bug Buzz, falling from the sky as if it were raining birds.
Both Lucario and Ninjask were also affected, forcing their high-speed battle to come to an abrupt stop. The two Pokémon reappeared, each standing in front of their respective trainers.
Bug Buzz had a chance to lower the opponent's Special Defense.
For Julian, that "chance" was as good as guaranteed.
Both Metagross and Lucario had their Special Defense reduced.
Feeling the change in their bodies, the two Pokémon glanced at Julian in unison.
Julian's face turned red at a speed visible to the naked eye. You could insult him, but you couldn't humiliate him like this!
"Aura Sphere!"
"Meteor Mash!"
"Crush it!"
Julian roared.
Lucario immediately dashed toward Ninjask once more.
Meanwhile, Metagross slammed Shedinja straight into the ground with Meteor Mash. Though Meteor Mash was a Steel-type move and not effective against Shedinja, it didn't matter.
Punch after punch, Metagross relentlessly pounded on Shedinja, it was undeniably satisfying to see.
The ground trembled and shattered with each Meteor Mash.
Under rage, Julian completely forgot about the Togekiss couple and their precious egg nestled in the tree behind him.
"Luca~"
A shadow suddenly flew backward at high speed, crashing through several trees along the way. Ninjask slowly emerged from the splintered remains of the broken trunks.
Its once-transparent wings were now tattered and damaged, making it struggle to stay balanced as it hovered unsteadily.
"Aura Sphere, again!" Julian snorted coldly.
Sensing Julian's fury, Lucario formed a light blue Aura Spheres in its palms.
The orbs shot forward, striking the already-crippled Ninjask and sending it crashing to the ground.
'You should've picked on someone else, not my vindictive trainer.'
Lucario stared at the fallen Ninjask with a hint of pity, then shifted its gaze toward Blackstar.
Meanwhile, Metagross was still relentlessly pummeling Shedinja with Meteor Mash, showing no signs of stopping. Since Julian hadn't given the order to halt, Metagross didn't stop on its own.
Otherwise, it might become the next target of its petty trainer.
Being stared at by Lucario, Blackstar subconsciously took a step back, his eyes flickered behind Julian from time to time.
"You're waiting for your Scizor, huh? It probably won't be coming back."
Not far away, Dragonite sat comfortably on the ground, beneath its hefty body was a thoroughly unconscious Scizor. Perched atop Dragonite's head was Celebi, casually munching on a bag of chips.
Celebi: "Why isn't Julian back yet? All that noise over there sounds intense..."
Blackstar was indeed waiting for Scizor to return.
However, Julian's remark made his expression grow even darker. When he thought about the sudden appearance of that Celebi, an impossible thought raced through his mind.
"That Celebi... is it yours?"
"No."
Julian shook his head.
There was no way he would ever admit that the chicken and fries-loving, pot-bellied, and stupid looking Celebi was his Pokémon.
Absolutely not.
"Lucario, finish him off."
"Luca~"
Blackstar had a total of three Elite Pokémon. Now, two were already down, and the remaining one was currently being smashed into the ground by Metagross.
Just as Lucario rushed toward Blackstar, the latter didn't show fear. Instead, a crazed grin spread across his face.
This made Julian's heart skip a beat. Could it be that the opponent had something to back him up.
"Forretress, Self-Destruct! Let's die together! Hahaha!"
Blackstar laughed maniacally. if he could drag a monstrous prodigy like Julian down with him, it would be a worthwhile trade.
A Forretress suddenly fell from the tree behind Julian, glowing with a bright white light.
Ever since entering the wilderness reserve, Blackstar had secretly released Forretress, instructing it to lurk in the trees and tail them. Only he knew about its hidden presence.
"Another f***ing Self-Destruct?!"
Seeing the glowing Forretress right in front of him, Julian couldn't help but curse out loud.
Since becoming a trainer, he had already been caught in Self-Destruct explosions several times. Including this one, it was his fourth experience with the suicidal move.
"Alakazam!"
The pseudo-champion Alakazam appeared, its spoons shimmering. With a single flick of its spoon, the glowing Forretress was instantly teleported away.
*****
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