"Snover, your opponent is strong—stay sharp!"
"Snover!"
Candice's Snover looked fired up, its eyes filled with fighting spirit.
Since the battlefield was outdoors and Snover 's Ability was Snow Warning, the skies began to gently fall with snowflakes—along with fine pellets of hail.
"Snover, use Icy Wind!"
"Snover!"
Snover dashed across the battlefield with surprising agility for its size, a chilling wind blasting from its mouth, spreading a cold front of biting frost.
"Use Psychic!"
"Snover—!?"
Metagross's eyes glowed a fierce blue, and without needing to even track Snover 's location, it activated its psychic powers and instantly halted its opponent mid-run, locking it in the air.
Caught off guard, Snover flailed with panic. But Candice wasn't a Gym Leader for nothing—she quickly adapted.
"Now! Use Flail to break free!"
Flail—a move that becomes stronger the less HP the user has. But here, Candice used it ingeniously—not to attack, but to forcibly break the psychic grip!
Freed from Metagross's control, Snover immediately leapt onto Metagross's body.
"Great opening! Snover, Mach Punch!"
"Iron Defense."
Ash remained calm as ever. Metagross hardened its metallic shell with Iron Defense, right as Snover's Mach Punch landed.
The hit finally chipped away at Metagross's health—it was super effective—but due to the fortified defense, the damage was still minimal. Metagross retaliated by throwing Snover off with raw force.
It tumbled to the icy ground, stunned.
"Not bad at all. That Snover even knows Mach Punch... But now it's our turn. Metagross, show them your attack speed—Bullet Punch!"
"Metagross!"
Floating in the air, Metagross's steel arm rocketed out like a bullet—blazing fast!
"Snover, use Agility to dodge!"
BAM!
The ground erupted as Bullet Punch slammed into the icy terrain, sending chunks of frozen debris flying in every direction.
"Now, knock those ice shards toward it!"
Metagross swung its iron arms wide!
Whoosh whoosh whoosh—!
Like a barrage of icy bullets, the shards exploded toward Snover.
There were too many!
Even with Agility, Snover couldn't dodge them all. One shard nailed it on the arm—it winced in pain.
And then—its speed faltered.
The remaining shards all struck in a brutal volley, battering it from every angle.
"Finish it—Rapid Spin!"
It was over.
Ash had complete control over this match. Against opponents clearly outclassed, he didn't even need to go full force—he could dismantle them piece by piece.
Metagross spun like a storm of iron, crashing into Snover with brutal precision.
"Snover is unable to battle! Metagross wins!"
Ash activated the Tenfold Experience Multiplier Card!
Ding! ["Congratulations, host! Metagross has defeated Snover. With the Tenfold Experience Burst Card, it gains 78,500 experience points!"]
Level 46!
Level 47!
Level 48!
Three levels in a single leap!
Metagross roared internally, its power surging—it craved another fight!
"Go, Medicham!"
Candice's brow now glistened with sweat.
This was the first time her Snowpoint Gym had faced such a dominant challenger.
She could feel it—this trainer wasn't someone at the level of a typical Gym challenger. His tactics, his training, his presence… this was beyond the realm of Gym battles.
Still, a Gym Leader has a duty—to test every challenger to the fullest.
Medicham!
Another one with the Pure Power Ability!
"Meta… gross…"
Metagross was already fired up, practically snarling to be let loose.
"Metagross, use Rapid Spin again!"
In the Pokémon world, going up against Psychic-types like Medicham usually means techniques like Psychic or Hypnosis are unreliable—unless your level vastly outclasses your opponent. That's because their own mental energy can repel those effects outright.
"Medicham, use Detect!"
Metagross spun in with brutal velocity—Medicham calmly sidestepped using Detect.
"Now, Calm Mind!"
"Cham!"
Medicham folded its hands, glowing with red psychic energy.
Calm Mind—a move that boosts Special Attack and Special Defense. Combined with Pure Power, which doubles Medicham's physical attack, Candice was clearly trying to buff Medicham into a threat capable of taking Metagross head-on.
"I like that plan," Ash smirked. "Alright, Metagross—hit it with Bullet Punch, nonstop!"
"Metagross!"
Both iron arms shot out again, fists hammering forward like metallic meteors.
"Detect—again! Back into Calm Mind! We're going to win this duel of attrition!"
Candice understood that Ash had already seen through her plan. But even so, she was determined to test Metagross's strength.
If Medicham could stack Calm Mind twice, combine it with Pure Power, she might just have a shot.
By now, this Gym battle had clearly shifted. This wasn't about testing challengers.
In fact… it never was.
Ash's level had far surpassed what a Gym Leader could teach. These battles were now simply his way to temper his newly caught Sinnoh team.
Tactics? Training methods?
Ash already had them mastered.
Metagross's flurry of Bullet Punches continued. Medicham dodged the first cleanly. But on the third attempt—Detect failed.
The move had a high failure rate if used in succession.
And Metagross landed a solid hit.
"Medicham—go all out! Fire Punch, max power!"
"Take it head-on, Metagross—Meteor Mash!"
Boom!Boom!
The two fists collided.
Medicham's Fire Punch burst into flames, engulfing Metagross!
But Metagross's Meteor Mash smashed into Medicham—sending it flying!
Not backing up—flying!
Just like that Sneasel earlier.
"What!? No way!"
Candice's expression twisted in disbelief.
Medicham had used Calm Mind twice!
With Pure Power doubling its physical strength, her Medicham should have hit like a truck.
And yet, it was still sent flying by a single Meteor Mash!?
This—this was the terrifying reality of Ash's platinum-colored shiny Metagross!
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T/N:
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