With the Electric Terrain in place, Tapu Koko could not only sense every move of Mega Metagross but also gain a boost to all its Electric-type moves.
If Mega Metagross hadn't punched Tapu Koko into the sand, causing the grains to tremble and reveal the hidden Electric Terrain beneath the beach, Julian wouldn't have discovered it anytime soon.
"Earthquake."
Now that he knew the Electric Terrain was below, the first priority was naturally to destroy it.
As Mega Metagross's four limbs slammed heavily into the ground, violent tremors surged through the beach, spreading outward and causing cracks to form in the seabed.
Seawater gushed into the cracks, creating several whirlpools of varying sizes on the ocean's surface.
Under the force of the Earthquake, the Electric Terrain was completely obliterated.
Yet, even after the tremors subsided, Tapu Koko remained buried in the sand.
"Metagross, find it," Julian snorted coldly.
Was this cheater too embarrassed to show itself after being exposed?
But that was unlikely—if it had the nerve to cheat in the first place, why would it care about shame?
No, if it wasn't emerging, it was probably hiding in the sand, waiting for a chance to ambush Mega Metagross.
As Mega Metagross's psychic energy swept over the beach like radar, continuously scanning the sand below, Tapu Koko seemed to realize concealment was futile. Suddenly, a massive column of sand erupted into the air, and a blazing spectral bird emerged—Brave Bird.
The spectral bird flapped its wings, sending violent gusts of air sweeping the sand into the sky and forcing the seawater back.
Accompanied by a piercing cry, the crimson bird charged straight toward Mega Metagross with overwhelming pressure.
The fiery red was merely its color, not actual flames.
"Metagross, Flash Cannon!"
A silver-white beam shot from the cross-shaped crest on Mega Metagross's forehead, cutting through the air with a sharp screech.
BOOM!
Brave Bird clashed violently with Flash Cannon, their opposing energies running rampant. The surrounding seawater and sand from the beach sprayed wildly, the grains pelting the nearby forest like bullets, toppling trees one after another.
Pierce and the other three had long since retreated to a safe distance.
The battle involving a peak pseudo-Champion-level Pokémon was best observed from a distance. This way, they could see the full scope of the fight while minimizing its impact on them.
The struggle between Flash Cannon and Brave Bird lasted a full minute—neither side gaining an advantage—until, with a final BANG, both attacks exploded in a burst of energy.
Tapu Koko swiftly retreated in the instant of the explosion, completely unaffected by the blast.
But as it was pulling back, a shadow suddenly burst through the black smoke from the explosion. Four massive, ferocious claws leading the charge.
"Zen Headbutt," Julian said calmly.
BOOM!
With devastating force, Zen Headbutt sent Tapu Koko crashing headfirst into the ocean. Immediately, a towering water column, dozens of meters wide, erupted into the sky.
The next second, the ocean surface split apart, revealing the seabed as Mega Metagross plowed forward, driving Tapu Koko deeper. The ocean itself seemed parted down the middle.
Some unlucky Water-type Pokémon were sent flying out of the water in all directions.
A Magikarp was flung high into the air, its tail flapping uselessly. Just as it glimpsed something—vaguely hearing someone shout something about "evolution"—it was suddenly kicked away with a POW!
Standing atop Moltres, Julian withdrew his "Evolution Foot" and watched the Magikarp splash back into the water. He rolled his eyes in disdain.
"Pathetic. If it had withstood my Evolution Foot, it might've actually evolved. Such a golden opportunity right in front of you, and you didn't even seize it—guess you're doomed to be a Magikarp forever."
He sounded utterly convinced of his own nonsense.
Moltres turned its head with a surprised expression. Its trainer was even more incredible than it thought—he actually possessed the power to make a Magikarp evolve into Gyarados with a single kick?!
It knew full well how hard it was for a Magikarp to evolve into a Gyarados.
"Follow them," Julian said.
By now, the ocean had been split open for over a kilometer and the trench was still extending further.
Moltres spread its wings and chased after them.
Beneath the waves, Tapu Koko had lost count of how many undersea rocks and corals it had smashed into. Even its normally resilient back was now throbbing with pain.
As the force of Zen Headbutt finally began to weaken, it regained control of its body. Intense electrical arcs instantly erupted around it in a furious storm.
Wild Charge!
A pillar of lightning surged upward, engulfing both Tapu Koko and Mega Metagross.
With the Zen Headbutt's momentum gone, the parted sea crashed back down, swallowing them both beneath the waves.
By the time Julian arrived on Moltres, all he saw was a massive yellow glow pulsing underwater, with arcs of electricity dancing across the surface.
Wild Charge's conductivity was amplified by the seawater, making its power even more devastating.
Deep below, Mega Metagross winced in discomfort—but its eyes locked onto Tapu Koko with mocking defiance, as if saying:
"Let's see how long you can keep this up."
Tapu Koko: 'I'll electrocute you into oblivion.'
The power of Wild Charge suddenly intensified, and the electric arcs jumping on the ocean's surface grew noticeably thicker, even generating enough heat to begin boiling the seawater.
This resulted in a large number of Water-type Pokémon in the sea being electrocuted unconscious, floating to the surface belly-up like dead fish.
BOOM!!
An explosion erupted from the depths—and in the next instant, both Mega Metagross and Tapu Koko burst out of the sea.
Tapu Koko's body was covered in wounds, and it was panting heavily as it stared at Mega Metagross.
While Mega Metagross, though also injured, was in much better shape than Tapu Koko.
The sunlight today was brilliant.
Thanks to the Blacklight Core's effect, Mega Metagross's lost stamina was steadily recovering, a fact that Tapu Koko was unaware of.
All it knew was that this steel behemoth seemed to have endless stamina. Earlier, its Nature's Madness should have halved Mega Metagross's HP, making the rest of the battle much easier.
Yet here it was, struggling just to keep up. Mega Metagross's stamina seemed like a bottomless pit.
Every advantage Tapu Koko had gained through tricks and tactics up to this point had vanished, and now it was being completely overwhelmed by Mega Metagross.
Its stamina was almost depleted, while Mega Metagross looked like it could keep going forever.
In a battle of attrition, the Pokémon with greater stamina almost always had a higher chance of victory.
Of course, that wasn't absolute.
But in this case, Mega Metagross and Tapu Koko weren't matched evenly anymore.
Mega Metagross had seized control, and Tapu Koko was barely holding on.
Victory was only a matter of time.
*****
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