The third to take the field was Tyler Eldridge. The Eldridge family was known for its strong Psychic-type lineage, and the current Psychic-type Elite was also from their family. However, the Eldridge family didn't have a good relationship with the Walker family.
Why? Because the Walker family's Metagross was a Steel/Psychic-type.
As the top Psychic family in the country, the Eldridge family naturally wanted to obtain a Metagross, and not just any Metagross—but the silver Metagross that represented the Walker family.
To get their hands on that silver Metagross, the Eldridge family had offered an enormous price.
But of course the Walker family refused.
The silver Metagross was a symbol of their family. How could they possibly trade it away just for some benefits? What value could the Eldridge family possibly offer?
Wanting the silver Metagross? Might as well ask for the moon.
Even if the Eldridge family gave them a Legendary Pokémon, they still wouldn't trade.
Eldridge family: 'You're the ones asking for the moon!'
"My dear grandson, beat that little brat from the Eldridge family to a pulp!"
John shouted with an unfriendly expression from the sidelines.
Tyler: (⊙ｏ⊙)
Duke snapped, "That's enough. You're a Champion—what are you doing picking on a kid?"
"Hmph, I just can't stand the Eldridge family."
"If the culprit for the assassination hadn't turned out to be from Babath, I'd have gone after the Eldridge family next," John said.
Eldridge family: 'We really want to thank the culprit for getting caught so quickly. Otherwise, we'd have been the unlucky ones.'
Tyler was under immense pressure.
Even without looking back, he could feel John's unfriendly gaze on his back.
'Being stared at by a Champion—should I feel honored, or should I cry...?'
"If you keep staring at him, even if Julian wins, people will say it wasn't a fair fight," Duke said.
Hearing that, John finally reluctantly looked away.
Tyler let out a huge sigh of relief. That death-stare behind him was finally gone.
Then, he sent out his Pokémon.
A Gallade appeared on the field.
Gallade evolved from male Kirlia using a Dawn Stone. Its dashing appearance made it a mascot of the Fighting type, on par with Lucario in popularity.
Many fangirls even dubbed Gallade their "Poké-husband."
The "Poké-wife" was Gardevoir, though Gardevoir could also be male.
But Gallade were always male.
So if you ever call Gardevoir your "Poké-wife," make sure to check if it's a he or a she.
Gallade fought using elbow blades that could extend and retract at will, and was a master of sword-drawing techniques. The blades extending from its elbows were sharper than even famed katanas.
It was also a Pokémon that placed great importance on etiquette. Like Gardevoir, it was capable of sensing the emotions of others.
Pokémon: Gallade (Psychic/Fighting)
Level: 76
Potential: Cyan
Ability: Steadfast
Held Item: Shell Bell
Gender: Male
Moveset: Night Slash, Teleport, Imprison, Life Dew, Fury Cutter, Sacred Sword, Future Sight, Calm Mind, Slash, Leaf Blade, Double Team, Psychic, Confusion, Aqua Cutter, Swords Dance
TMs: Protect, Low Kick, Hyper Beam, Psybeam, Confuse Ray, Stored Power, Low Sweep, Psychic Terrain, Bulk Up, Psyshock
Egg Moves: Mystical Fire, Brick Break, Hypnosis, Disable
---
"Gallade—Mega Evolve!"
Murphy and Lucian's battles had served as perfect illustrations of how powerful Metagross really was.
Instead of getting beaten up first and 'then' Mega Evolving, it was clearly better to Mega Evolve from the very beginning.
As the evolution finished, an even more dashing and heroic-looking Mega Gallade appeared on the field. Behind it flowed a cape-like extension, and the blades on its arms had grown longer and sharper.
"So cool..."
Julian murmured with genuine admiration.
"Meta~"
Metagross turned to glance at Julian.
Metagross: "What did you just say?"
Julian: "I said 'you' look super cool, Metagross!"
'Damn, I forgot this guy was a jealous type.'
'Hey, don't look at me like that.'
The pressure was overwhelming.
Under Metagross's sharp gaze, Julian tried to maintain his composure.
'As long as I don't panic, Metagross won't notice I was lying... right?'
"Meta~"
Metagross turned back toward Mega Gallade. Its eyes glinted with hostility, and a pressure even more terrifying than before burst out from its body.
Metagross: "Get ready to die."
After speaking, its body vanished from sight.
Mega Gallade: 'Teleport? Yeah, I can do that too.'
The next moment, Gallade used Teleport to escape from its previous position.
At the same time, both Pokémon had completely vanished from the battlefield. They were now teleporting at high speed, making it impossible for the human eye to track them.
With both sides using Teleport, even Metagross found it difficult to land a hit on Gallade for the moment.
Not because Mega Gallade was overly powerful, but because it had high mastery of Teleport, having practiced the move from Ralts all the way to now.
Metagross suddenly dropped out of teleportation. The next instant, a surge of powerful psychic energy exploded from within it, rapidly flooding the entire battlefield.
As a dual-type Pokémon, while Steel might be Metagross's primary type, assuming its Psychic powers were weaker would be a huge mistake.
What did it mean to be an all-rounded warrior? It meant having no weaknesses.
Psychic energy flooded the entire battlefield, and Mega Gallade's Teleport naturally failed, and its body reappeared immediately.
Metagross: 'Found you, bug.'
'Now die!!'
Meteor Mash erupted, and with the Jealous King trait triggered, the move's power hit its maximum.
It felt as though the space around them had solidified—Mega Gallade felt like an entire mountain was crashing down on it. The sheer pressure made it dizzy and disoriented.
It couldn't move its body at all, and even though it could hear its trainer's voice, it couldn't respond.
"Gallade!!"
Tyler watched as the Meteor Mash came crashing down, while Mega Gallade just stood still. Was it seriously trying to throw the match?
"You're a fighter, not a tank! A glass cannon, not built to take a hit like that! Where did you get the confidence to try and take on Metagross's Meteor Mash head-on?"
Mega Gallade: 'Eh? I 'can' move... I just don't 'want' to.'
BOOM!
Just like a sandbag, Mega Gallade was sent flying with a whoosh, spinning through the air with blood trailing behind it.
When it crashed to the ground, its Mega form had already dissipated. Its face was so swollen and deformed it was barely recognizable.
Metagross turned back to Julian: "Now look at it, still think it looks cool?"
Julian: "I 'swear' I was talking about you being cool, Metagross. Not him!"
Don't ask. If you ask, the answer is—I was praising you all along!
Gallade never imagined it would be one-shot KO'd by Metagross, and all because Julian praised it for being cool.
But it was cool! Julian was just being honest—since when was telling the truth a crime?
The match timer stopped at 30 seconds.
Tyler silently recalled Gallade and said to the remaining two challengers, "I'll just be the gatekeeper now. If either of you takes less time than me, I'm seriously gonna look down on you."
The other two: 'Why does it actually sound like you are kinda proud saying that…?'
*****
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