Although Metagross had been sent flying, Julian was not worried. An attack of this level from Kleavor was still not enough to injure Metagross.
At this moment, a golden Hyper Beam tore through the air from afar, arriving in an instant—in the blink of an eye, it was right in front of Kleavor.
The latter seemed to have sensed it in advance, crossing its axe-like arms in front of its body. The powerful impact of the Hyper Beam forced it to retreat continuously.
Crashing through one tree after another, its feet carved a long trench into the ground. Even after being pushed back hundreds of meters, the Hyper Beam showed no signs of weakening.
Seeing this, Kleavor used its right axe to forcefully block the Hyper Beam while raising its left axe high and swinging it forward. A white arc of energy split the Hyper Beam in two.
Seizing the opportunity, Kleavor immediately moved away from its position. It knew that the earlier Slash couldn't completely break the Hyper Beam—it could only cut away part of it. Once the power of Slash weakened, the Hyper Beam would still continue forward.
"Meta!"
Just as it moved, Metagross's voice suddenly rang in its ears.
Without any hesitation, it instinctively swung an axe toward the direction the voice came from—that was, to its left—but it struck nothing. At the same time, it saw nothing there either.
Kleavor's expression changed slightly, and the next moment, an intense air pressure descended from above its head.
A downward Hammer Arm, carrying overwhelming force crashed down like a falling mountain. The immense pressure caused the ground beneath Kleavor to cave in continuously.
Why was it above?
The voice had clearly come from the left.
There was no more time for it to think. Faced with Metagross's devastating Hammer Arm,Kleavor's body flickered, and suddenly, six Kleavor appeared in its place.
Double Team!
Metagross's Hammer Arm didn't strike any of the clones. Instead, it slammed heavily into the ground.
BOOM!!
An earthquake of magnitude ten or higher erupted as the Hammer Arm landed.
The earth shook violently, cracks spreading like a spider's web in all directions. Countless trees were swallowed and shattered by the fissures, while terrifying shockwaves swept through everything in the vicinity.
The six Double Team clones naturally vanished instantly, leaving only the real Kleavor behind.
Under the violent tremors, Kleavor found it difficult to maintain its footing on the ground, and at the same time the continuous vibrations kept assaulting it, causing varying degrees of damage.
Due to the earthquake, thick clouds of dust enveloped both Kleavor and Metagross, obstructing their vision and leaving them unable to see each other.
However, for Pokémon of their caliber, eyes were often no longer a necessity for tracking enemies.
Even without clear visibility, both could still sense each other's positions.
Kleavor took a deep breath, sharpening its focus even further.
Focus Energy!
"Kle!"
With a low cry, it kicked off the ground, bursting through the smoke. The scattered rubble around it quickly gathered and solidified above, instantly forming a giant stone axe dozens of meters long.
The stone axe swung down, its pressure splitting the surrounding dust and revealing Metagoss below.
Metagross focused its mind, conjuring layers of Light Screen and Reflect mid-air to block the colossal stone axe.
Crack, crack, shatter—
A series of breaking sounds rang out.
Beneath the giant stone axe, the Light Screenand Reflect barriers seemed to offer little resistance, and in an instant more than half of them were shattered.
But the farther the axe descended, the slower it became. Finally, about ten meters above Metagross's head, the Stone Axe came to a halt.
"Kle!"
Kleavor wore an unwilling expression and continued to exert force, but its downward momentum had been exhausted. Relying on brute force alone to break through the remaining Light Screen and Reflect barriers was clearly impossible.
Without hesitation, Kleavor released its grip on the giant stone axe, its body blurring into an afterimage as it swiftly closed in on Metagoss with Agility.
Crossing its arms in front, it formed an X-shape, with a silvery-white glow swirling around the intersection. The air currents emitted sharp, piercing whistles.
Facing the X-Scissor, Metagoss raised its left arm, a multicolored light flowing across it. The surging power made the surrounding space grow dense and heavy.
BOOM!!!
The two attacks collided violently against each other.
Empowered by its King Form, all of Kleavor's attacks dealt double damage.
The moment the two attacks made contact, a vacuum zone instantly formed around them, like a sphere enveloping both Pokémon.
As a point of light appeared within the sphere—resembling nuclear fission—it rapidly expanded, engulfing both of them in the blink of an eye.
Julian and Dragonite were already hundreds of meters high in the air when they saw the white sphere of light below, and an immense sense of crisis surged within them.
Swish—
Before Julian could even speak, Dragonite ascended another several hundred meters higher.
BOOM!!!!
Below, a massive mushroom cloud erupted. Flames, smoke, and shockwaves spread like an apocalyptic force, annihilating everything in their path and continuing to expand.
Five kilometers, ten kilometers, twenty kilometers, fifty kilometers, a hundred kilometers…
It was still continuing to spread.
Fortunately, there were no other Pokémon in the Grandtree Arena. If there had been, this explosion alone would have been enough to claim tens of thousands of Pokémon lives.
Even high in the sky, shockwaves raged violently. Luckily, Julian's position was high enough—otherwise, if he had been at his previous altitude, he would have undoubtedly been caught in the blast.
"Truly terrifying," Julian swallowed.
A battle of this magnitude, if unleashed in human society, could easily obliterate city after city. It was nothing short of a natural disaster.
In fact, even now, human scholars had not fully understood one thing:
In terms of raw power, Pokémon held an overwhelming advantage. Even a level 10 Pokémon could kill a human with ease.
By the time a Pokémon reached the Elite-level, even human nuclear weapons would struggle to eliminate them—after all, they wouldn't just stand still and let themselves be hit.
And once they reached the Champion-level, humanity had no means or weapons capable of killing them.
Yet despite possessing such power, these beings willingly became human partners, allowed themselves to be commanded by them, and fought for humanity—even killing their own kind.
To Pokémon, humans were the outsiders, the foreign species; the other Pokémon species were their own kin.
They clearly possessed strength far beyond what humans could ever reach, yet they were willing to become weapons in human hands.
Some might say it was because humans possessed intelligence.
But in terms of pure intellect, Pokémon like Slowking, Alakazam, and Metagross had IQs that far surpassed those of humans.
Strength, intelligence, and many other attributes—humans fell short in every aspect compared to Pokémon. And yet, Pokémon had nevertheless became human partners and even weapons.
"Dragonite," Julian whispered softly.
Dragonite turned its head to look at its trainer, as if asking what was the matter.
"Why do you listen to me? With your strength, even a million of me wouldn't be your match."
"Because you are my trainer."
Dragonite answered almost without thinking, looking at Julian with some concern, wondering if something was wrong with his mind for suddenly asking such a question.
The biggest reason Pokémon were willing to obey humans was that humans took care of them, gave them a stable environment, food, shelter, and various treasures to enhance their strength.
When it came to emotions, Pokémon were far more sincere than humans. Once they acknowledged a Trainer, it was absolutely a lifelong bond.
And it was precisely because of this bond that humans could command Pokémon whose power far surpassed their own.
As they spoke, the aftermath of the mushroom cloud below had subsided. However, because of the thick dust, Julian still couldn't see Metagross and Kleavor below.
The area covered by the dust was extremely vast. If he waited for it to disperse on its own, it would probably take days.
Bang!
Another collision sounded from below. The shockwave produced by the violent impact blew away the surrounding dust, revealing Metagross and Kleavor beneath.
The two were clashing with their moves again.
"Meta!"
Metagross stared at Kleavor before it, the force of its Metal Claw steadily increasing.
Kleavor's Slash-wielding arm trembled slightly as it looked at Metagross in disbelief. How was this guy's power still rising?
Had it not been using its full strength before?
A thought that even it found absurd surged in its mind.
Just as this thought emerged, its Slash was overpowered by the Metal Claw, leaving three deep claw marks on its chest, and it was sent flying backward.
As it flew through the air, Metagross immediately pursued.
Closing in on Kleavor, a Meteor Mashslammed heavily into its face. Under the tremendous force, its body crashed into the ground, sinking deeper and deeper into the earth.
But it wasn't over yet. A silver-white Flash Cannon shot from the cross-shaped crest on Metagross's forehead, aimed directly into the pit.
BOOM!!
The ground bulged like an inflated balloon. Large amounts of dirt and rubble flew everywhere, and then, like a deflating balloon, it completely collapsed inward.
"Metagross won!"
The words didn't come from Julian but from Celebi perched on his head.
"Not yet."
Julian shook his head.
If it were an ordinary Level 99 Pokémon, even if it didn't faint after taking that full combo from Metagross, it would definitely be severely injured.
But one must not forget that Kleavor, due its King Form, had 50% damage reduction. With such a high mitigation rate, the seemingly devastating combo from Metagross would only deal half the damage to it.
As if confirming Julian's words, the ground below suddenly split in two, and a razor-sharp air blade dozens of meters long shot out from the depths of the earth.
BOOM!!
The air blade struck Metagross. Its sharp, cutting force actually left a gash on Metagross's body, and the powerful impact forced Metagross to stagger back.
Kleavor flew out of the fissure. Despite receiving only half the damage, Metagross's earlier combo had still inflicted significant injuries.
"Meta!"
Metagross gripped the air blade tightly and, with a fierce surge of strength, shattered it.
"Kle!"
At this moment, Kleavor had already arrived in front of it, with basketball-sized rocks condensing around its body.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—
The rocks shot toward Metagross.
Metagross punched one of the rocks—Boom!—and it instantly exploded.
It was Rock Blast.
The explosion from the Rock Blast forced Metagross back once more, while the remaining rocks followed closely after.
Metagross's eyes glowed blue, and under the influence of Psychic, it seized control of the rocks, redirecting them toward Kleavor.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The Rock Blast had been very close to Kleavor to begin with. After being controlled by Metagross, Kleavor was hit by its own Rock Blast detonating in succession.
The violent explosions engulfed Kleavor, flames rising within the smoke.
"Kle!"
However, the very next second, Kleavor charged out of the explosions, emitting a piercing cry from its mouth.
Bug Buzz!
Sound-based attacks were notoriously difficult to defend against, as the sound waves came from all directions.
Metagross responded with a metallic grinding sound from its body.
Using Metal Sound to counter the Bug Buzz.
Kleavor didn't seem surprised and continued charging toward Metagross. Midway, it used Swords Dance, boosting its attack power significantly.
"Meta!"
Metagross let out a low growl, its body transforming into a streak of light. A powerful impact force formed, relentlessly compressing the air ahead.
It was none other than Giga Impact!
Seeing this, Kleavor immediately halted. There was no time to counter, and dodging was risky—if successful, all would be well, but if it failed, the sheer momentum of the move suggested devastating power. A failed dodge could leave it at a severe disadvantage.
In a thousandth of a second, Kleavor made its decision.
A dull yellow glow flickered across its body as it planted itself firmly, crossing its arms defensively in front of itself.
It looked like it intended to directly tank Metagross's Giga Impact head-on.
BOOM!!!
Like a high-speed train colliding with a pedestrian who'd strayed onto the tracks, Metagross sent Kleavor flying the moment they made contact.
The tremendous impact drove Kleavor backward nonstop, slamming it into the ground below and plowing a deep trench through the earth.
Metagross carried Kleavor deep underground, plunging farther and farther down.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Rocks underground were continuously shattered as Kleavor was driven through them.
"Vor!"
Even with 50% damage reduction, Kleavor felt as though its arms were about to shatter. Fortunately, the force of Giga Impact had weakened considerably.
A few seconds later, the power of Giga Impactfinally dissipated.
"Meta!"
Metagross hadn't expected Kleavor to still not faint, and a sense of foreboding instantly rose within it.
The next second, a violent shockwave erupted from Kleavor's body. With a loud boom, Metagross was blasted away.
It was Counter, which it had prepared while bracing for Metagross's Giga Impact.
Counter allowed the user to return twice the damage of a physical attack received—provided it didn't faint from the initial hit.
Giga Impact was undoubtedly one of the peak physical moves. Now, having its power doubled and thrown back at it…
Even though Metagross was a shiny variant with doubled defense, being hit by a doubled Giga Impact via Counter was more than enough to make it suffer.
"Ouch, that must hurt."
Celebi watched as Metagross was sent flying out from the ground. Even from such a distance, it could feel the immense power contained within that tremendous shockwave.
"Metagross isn't going to lose, right?" Celebi said worriedly.
Ever since it had been following Julian, it had never seen Metagross take this long to defeat an opponent. Now, looking at Kleavor, it seemed to be evenly matched with Metagross.
"Metagross won't lose."
Julian's expression remained calm. Even though Metagross had yet to defeat Kleavor and appeared to be struggling after a prolonged offensive, Julian never doubted that Metagross would emerge victorious.
Within the same tier, Metagross would never lose to any Pokémon.
Even if the opponent was a level 99 First-class Legendary, Julian firmly believed that Metagross would win.
This was Julian's confidence in Metagross—an almost blind confidence.
Though he could no longer see where Metagross had been blasted to, Julian and Metagross were already in perfect mental sync. Through Metagross's vision, he saw it had been sent flying to an altitude of 10,000 meters in midair.
"Meta!"
The energy inside its body had just been thrown into chaos by the impact of Counter,leaving it temporarily uncontrollable; otherwise, it would not have been sent flying so high.
Though Kleavor below could no longer see Metagross, it sensed its precise location through perception.
A Hyper Beam tore through the sky, heading toward a specific spot.
At an altitude of 10,000 meters, just as Metagross managed to stabilize the chaotic energy within its body, it saw a golden beam of light rapidly approaching from below. With narrowed eyes, Metagross vanished from its position with a whoosh, and the Hyper Beamshot past where it had just been.
When it reappeared, it was just a dozen meters above Kleavor.
"Meta!"
Its Psychic power erupted, surging toward Kleavor like tidal waves.
Kleavor was shocked that Metagross still had the ability to act after being hit by Counter,and the very next second, it felt an overwhelming pressure bearing down on it.
Under this pressure, Kleavor felt its body restrained by the surrounding space. Though its limbs could still move, its actions were severely limited by the immense binding force.
With Psychic binding Kleavor in place, Metagross's arms began to radiate a silver glow.
Hammer Arm!
Both arms swung down violently. Just as they descended, Kleavor managed to break free from the psychic hold, but it was already too late.
Like two meteors, the Hammer Arms crashed heavily onto Kleavor's shoulders.
BOOM!!!!
Under the devastating blow, Kleavor's body was once again driven deep into the ground.
Earthquake!
As Metagross landed, tremors swept across the entire Grandtree Arena.
For Pokémon trapped underground, the damage from Earthquake was doubled.
So, even with Kleavor's 50% damage reduction, being struck by Hammer Arm and then getting hit by Earthquake was more than enough to make it suffer badly.
Julian didn't know how vast the Grandtree Arena was—even from a high-altitude view, he couldn't see its boundaries.
But he could clearly see the area destroyed by their battle—roughly eight to nine thousand square kilometers, equivalent to over half of Orient City.
BOOM!
A few seconds later, Kleavor burst out of the ground.
For the first time, it looked truly battered.
Its once-gleaming golden exterior was now tattered, and its breathing had grown ragged.
"Kle!"
Staring at Metagross, Kleavor grinned and said, "Outsider, you're strong."
"Meta~"
Metagross: "You didn't need to tell me."
"Then try taking this!"
With a low cry, Kleavor raised its right arm, unleashing an unprecedented, overwhelmingly violent aura.
It was clearly gathering power for a powerful move.
Yet Metagross made no move to stop it.
It wanted to see its opponent's strongest move and test its own limits.
As Kleavor continued to condense its energy, the skies abruptly darkened. The once-clear weather now turned gloomy and oppressive.
"Why isn't Metagross interrupting its attack?"
Celebi was puzzled. Even it could tell that Kleavor was gathering power for a devastating move.
This was usually the best time to disrupt an opponent's attack—not only stopping it but also causing backlash. Yet, strangely, Metagross remained still.
"Since it's a non-lethal battle, Metagross won't do that," Julian explained.
If it had been a battle to the death, it definitely would have interrupted it, and Julian would also have had Metagross Mega Evolve, ending the fight at the fastest speed possible and giving the opponent no chance to counterattack.
But the current battle was a contest of strength, a spar.
You could interrupt the opponent, but doing so would inevitably give others the impression that you feared the opponent, and it would also make the opponent look down on you.
If you were going to win, then win openly and fairly; if you were going to lose, then lose cleanly and decisively.
Of course, Metagross had never once considered the possibility of losing. It wanted to witness Kleavor's strongest move, to crush it head-on and defeat it in a way that left no room for excuses or doubts—a defeat that commanded absolute conviction.
Seemingly sensing Metagross's intent, Kleavor's aura swelled even further. Power surged continuously from within, flowing into its raised right arm.
As its arm lifted, countless fragments of rock, splintered wood, and clumps of earth rose into the air, converging, compressing, and solidifying over and over.
After several tense seconds, they formed a colossal axe over ten meters long.
It was Stone Axe—Kleavor's signature move. While not its absolute strongest move, it was undeniably the move it had mastered above all others.
The stone axe continued to condense. Under the influence of Rock-type energy, its surface became impossibly smooth, with swirling currents refined energy flowing across its surface.
The surrounding space itself trembled along with the appearance of the stone axe. A pressure so tangible it felt solid radiated outward from Kleavor, pressing down on everything around.
Under this immense force, the very air grew heavy and stagnant, and the ground groaned and buckled, sinking further and further.
Already shattered by their battle, the land now fractured anew. From his vantage point high above, Julian watched as the terrain around Kleavor cratered and collapsed, looking as if it had been struck by a meteorite.
'Still not enough!!'
Kleavor roared inwardly, demanding more power from every fiber of its being.
This outsider was undoubtedly a match for any of the Five Kings—perhaps even stronger. And Kleavor knew it was the first among them to be challenged.
It absolutely could not lose. The shame of facing the other Kings in defeat was unthinkable.
'Power—MORE POWER!'
Kleavor relentlessly forced energy from its very core, even though it knew this would leave it exhausted and require a long recovery. None of that mattered now.
Driven by this extreme inner desire, its body, which had already been close to exhaustion, once again burst forth with a brand-new surge of power.
Level 100!
'Damn, it actually broke through?!'
Julian's face darkened as he watched Kleavor ascend from level 99 to level 100, becoming a true peak Champion-tier powerhouse.
Last-minute breakthrough in the middle of a fight—wasn't that supposed to be the protagonist's special privilege?
'This makes my Metagross look like the villain. Have you guys ever seen an antagonist with a lower level than the protagonist?'
Then again, from another perspective, Kleavor's breakthrough was triggered by the immense pressure it felt from Metagross. That pressure was what shattered its bottleneck.
For a Pokémon at the Champion tier, every level gained brought a massive boost in strength, let alone breaking through to the very peak of the tier.
Just as Julian was hesitating about whether to initiate Mega Evolution, Metagross's voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
Even at such a great distance, the link between him and Metagross was not cut off.
"Meta!"
With a low cry, Metagross's aura erupted.
Its level rose from 95 to 96.
"Good!"
Julian clenched his fist and gave a sharp, triumphant swing.
'Last-minute breakthroughs? Don't act like my Metagross can't do that too.'
A flicker of surprise passed through Kleavor's eyes. It hadn't expected Metagross to break through as well. Instead of feeling disheartened, a wave of even greater excitement and fervor surged within.
Only by defeating such an opponent would it be truly worthwhile.
Channeling the very last shred of its energy into the colossal stone axe hovering in the air, Kleavor was now completely drained—utterly spent. Even staying on its feet was already a struggle.
The stone axe, tens of meters long, wasn't overwhelmingly large in size, but the power it carried felt as if it could split the sky and earth itself. A terrifying, crushing pressure intensified as the axe began its descent.
Crack, crack, crack—
The ground beneath began to shatter and collapse, disintegrating into powder.
With a deafening boom, the earth below Metagross directly vanished into nothingness, leaving only a seemingly bottomless abyss.
Yet Metagross remained calmly suspended above this void, its gaze fixed on the axe that seemed capable of cleaving the world itself.
An aura of ultimate sharpness emanated from the blade. As the axe slowly fell, this sharpness sliced through the air, leaving behind a hair-thin, ink-black line in the very fabric of space.
It had actually torn through space itself. Though the rift was minuscule, splitting space was a feat only First-class Legendary were supposed to achieve.
Kleavor's attack could truly be described as a mortal creature rivaling a god.
"Meta!"
A brilliant, multicolored light enveloped Metagross's right arm.
Meteor Mash—this was Metagross's most proficient and frequently used move. Among all its moves, Meteor Mash might not have the absolute highest raw power, but it was the one both Metagross and Julian favored most.
Looking at the stone axe in the air less than twenty meters away, the radiance of Meteor Mash began to bloom around Metagross. Very quickly, within a radius of a hundred meters, everything was filled with the seven-colored glow of Meteor Mash.
"Metagross, Let's go!"
Julian's voice resonated within Metagross's mind. High above, Julian's consciousness merged perfectly with his partner's. They were like a single being.
He was Metagross, and Metagross was him.
'This feeling!!'
Julian was taken aback.
It seemed like the ability Heart's Eye, yet it wasn't... or perhaps it was, but...
[T/N: The one that Shen possesses.]
He could feel the energy within his own body flowing ceaselessly into Metagross.
The Heart's Eye ability didn't have this function, did it?
'Could it be... Bond Phenomenon?'
No, that couldn't be it. Metagross's form hadn't changed. It hadn't transformed into some "Metagross—Julian Form."
Master-level Psychic powers, Master-level Aura abilities, Intermediate Dragon Mastery, the stamina of Mega Pallet Town Physique, and the power provided by the Unowns living within him.
Since Metagross needed it, it could take it all.
Julian allowed every ounce of energy within him to surge toward Metagross.
At this moment, the two were truly indistinguishable from one another.
"Meta!"
Metagross's aura exploded with even greater intensity. The seven-colored glow now expanded to envelop an area a thousand meters across.
"Meteor Mash!!!"
Julian roared in his heart, mimicking a punching motion.
But with all his strength channeled into Metagross, the moment he threw the phantom punch, his legs gave way. He lost his balance and tumbled right off Dragonite's back.
"Ahh!!"
Dragonite: ⊙0⊙
Under Kleavor's disbelieving gaze, the stone axe, forged with its absolute utmost effort, began to dissolve within the multicolored radiance. It melted away like snow under sunlight, steadily shrinking in size and power.
By the time Meteor Mash arrived, the axe was less than half its original mass and potency.
BOOM!!
The stone axe shattered, disintegrating into motes of energy that scattered into the sky.
Looking at Metagross hovering quietly before it, Kleavor let out a bitter smile. "I lose."
Though it hadn't collapsed, simply standing had drained the last of its strength. In contrast, Metagross clearly still had fight left in it.
So it conceded outright.
Its strongest attack had been overpowered. The opponent hadn't resorted to any tricks. It lost, completely convinced.
"Meta~"
"You are strong."
Metagross spoke sincerely.
This was the strongest opponent it had ever faced since the beginning of its journey. The numerous injuries covering its body and its nearly depleted energy reserves were proof enough.
Kleavor was the first to ever push it to this state. Of course, Metagross hoped it wouldn't be the last. How boring life would be without worthy rivals.
"Metagross!"
Carried by Dragonite, Julian arrived before his partner.
He looked Metagross over. Though injured and clearly not in peak condition, it was nothing serious. He finally let out a sigh of relief.
"You won, right?"
"Meta~"
Metagross nodded.
Julian already knew the answer. He asked just to give Metagross a chance to show off a little.
Looking at the proud and happy Metagross, Julian smiled faintly.
Then he turned his gaze to Kleavor. Its once-gleaming golden exterior now seemed dull and tarnished, like gold that had lost its luster.
A pity it could not be captured.
Such a powerful Pokémon naturally stirred Julian's desire to have it on his team. But if it couldn't be captured, he could only admire it from afar.
Then again, the fact that such a formidable opponent had been defeated by Metagross only proved one thing: his Metagross was stronger.
Seeing Julian wearing the same proud, smug look as itself, Metagross half-closed its eyes, a wave of shared joy and satisfaction washing over it from their bond.
"Metagross, you're amazing!"
"Metagross, I really admire you."
Celebi and Jirachi fluttered around Metagross, showering it with praise. After all, compliments were free, and if they could just make Metagross happy enough...
Maybe later, they could get it to secretly hack into Julian's phone and transfer them ten or twenty thousand bucks. Wouldn't that be the life?
"Cos~"
Nebby, having just woken up, had no idea what was happening. But seeing Celebi and Jirachi praising Metagross, it decided that no matter what was going on, it would praise too.
Metagross: ( *￣︶￣ )