Alex saw that Steven waited for the right moment to replace his Pokémon and nodded with approval.

"He immediately didn't switch and decided to use Sandstrom first. Because Sandstorm is on the Expert rank, there won't be a problem for it to stay on the battlefield for several minutes, permanently damaging Wallace's Pokémon. Although the damage from LV 39 Lairon against Elite Pokémon is not that great, it can still make a difference in the long run." ​​

Steven pondered for a few seconds before calling out his next Pokémon.

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Pokémon: Metagross (Shiny)

LV: 48

Type: Psychic/Steel

Abilities: Light Metal (Hidden Ability)

Gender: Genderless

Potential: Diamond

Moves:

- Take Down [E], Confusion, Magnet Rise, Metal Claw, Pursuit, Bullet Punch, Miracle Eye, Zen Headbutt, Scary Face, Psychic [E], Agility, Meteor Mash [E], Hammer Arm

- (Perfect Talent) Earthquake [M], (Perfect Talent) Rock Polish [M]

- (TM) Ice Punch, (TM) Thunder Punch, (TM) Light Screen, (TM) Reflect, (TM) Protect, (TM) Sandstorm, (TM) Facade, (TM) Brick Break, (TM) Rock Slide, (TM) Psycho Cut, (TM) Rest

--------------------------------------------------

Wallace, who saw the appearance of Metagross, made a grave expression for the first time. He had the feeling that his Gyarados didn't have a good chance of defeating this monster.

Before the referee could give the signal, Wallace also chose to call back his Pokémon. It is allowed to replace Pokémon in between the rounds, and Wallace didn't miss the opportunity to use this rule immediately.

But after both have chosen to call back their Pokémon once, it is no longer possible for the rest of the fight.

"Go, Ludicolo. Show your grace."

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Pokémon: Ludicolo

LV: 41

Type: Water/Grass

Abilities: Rain Dish

Gender: Male

Potential: Deep Gold

Moves:

- Astonish, Growl, Absorb, Bubble, Fury Swipes, Fake Out, Water Sport, Bubble Beam, Nature Power, Uproar, Knock Off, Zen Headbutt

- (Innate Talent) Razor Leaf [E], (Innate Talent) Rain Dance [E] , (Innate Talent) Scald [E]

- (TM) Ice Beam, (TM) Hyper Beam, (TM) Swagger, (TM) Focus Blast,(TM) Brick Break, (TM) Protect, (TM) Toxic, (TM) Facade, (TM) Surf

--------------------------------------------

"Wow!! It's really impressive that both trainers have such a good response time. Even without knowing the exact information from their opponents, they judged the difficulty in such a small window of time. Quite astute." Thought Alex when he saw this exchange.

He could see at a glance what Wallace was going to do, and he had to say that he was a little impressed. Wallace has a genuine talent to justify his arrogance.

"3, 2, 1, *WHISTLE*"

"Ludicolo, begin with Rain Dance."

"Metagross, use Rock Polish while also preparing Light Screen."

Alex, who has planned similar future tactics with Scizor, saw for the first time how effective it is to reinforce your Pokémon without disadvantage.

He also knows from experience that Metagross is already faster anyway due to the ability of [Light Metal]. And with its [Rock Polish] on Master rank, it can build up a ridiculous speed.

Once Metagross uses [Rock Polish], it can go as fast as Crobat. Although Crobat is only level 43, its speed is not to be underestimated.

"Wallace is really in a dangerous position."

Ludicolo finished before Metagross and rain started to drizzle in the whole battlefield. Together with the fact that it is on the Expert rank, it can be maintained that way for a long time.

"Ludicolo, boil your opponent tastefully through Scald."

Metagross also finished shortly after Ludicolo and successfully used [Light Screen] while using [Rock Polish] once.

"Metagross, prepare Magnet Rise while using Rock Polish."

Alex, who saw through Steven's tactics immediately, couldn't help but want to applaud.

He went with [Rock Polish] and [Magnet Rise] after he noticed that Ludicolo was not a big worry for his Metagross, who is 7 levels higher than him and has already used [Light Screen].

Ludicolo used [Scald], and a hot water jet flew in the direction of Metagross, who couldn't avoid it because he was preparing two moves, was hit but hardly suffered any damage.

Wallace knew that his situation was bad, but he didn't really have a good counter for this Metagross. He didn't think this Metagross would have a move like [Rock Polish] had on the Master rank.

"Ludicolo, keep up the Scald attack."

He could only hope that he was lucky to inflict [Burn] status effect on Metagross with this move.

Metagross, who was slower, again used two moves at once and started to hover. Only after Ludicolo had prepared half of his new move, was Metagross ready.

But he was floating around really ridiculously fast now.

"Metagross, use Meteor Mash. And don't forget Rock Polish."

Steven hoped that he was a little lucky and able to activate the [Meteor Mash]'s effect and thus increase ATK of Metagross.

Ludicolo was almost finished when Metagross started preparing its moves. Ludicolo didn't wait and sent a boiling hot water jet in the direction of Metagross.

After Metagross was hit again, Alex noticed for the first time a very slight injury on Metagross's body. It seemed that [Scald] on the Expert rank and [Rain Dance] was not completely useless.

Wallace noticed that this couldn't go on and said, "Ludicolo, use Growl for now."

Because Growl is not on the Expert rank and Ludicolo 7 level is lower than Metagross, the effect of Growl is very much weakened. But even with this weakening, it seems more sensible for Wallace to use this move than to continue using [Scald] and hope for luck.

Especially because these move's effect, just like [Scald], depends heavily on the level of the opponent.

If Ludicolo [Scald] is used against a Pokémon under the Elite rank, the chances of activating the effect of the move are much greater than 30%. But if Ludicolo's [Scald] is used against a Pokémon that is a much higher level, the chances are poor.

Metagross finished first and used Meteor Mash when flying in the direction of Ludicolo.

Ludicolo was hit and was thrown 10 meters away. He had a large wound on his stomach, and his painful face displayed his current situation.

He had lost more than 80% HP after this one hit.

Ludicolo stood up with a still existent painful expression and used Growl against Metagross.

"Go, Metagross. End it with another Meteor Mash."

"Ludicolo, use Protect and then Growl."

Metagross finished first and hit the shield of Ludicolo.

Ludicolo tried to block it with [Protect], but his shield was broken, and he was knocked unconscious.

***

[EN]: Light Metal halves the Pokémon's weight in battle.

A Pokémon with Rain Dish will recover 1/16 of its maximum HP during rain after each turn.

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