Chapter 341: Metagross KO'd by Itself?!
"Milotic's Confuse Ray has caused Metagross to become confused!"
Even after crashing into the ground, the chaos wasn't over.
Metagross's rogue arm was still swinging wildly—at itself.
Its spherical joints allowed for extreme flexibility, and unfortunately, that flexibility now made self-damage too easy.
The harsh sound of metal striking metal rang out again and again, making the spectators—and livestream viewers—collectively wince.
[That sounds painful!]
[How does Metagross even do that to itself…?]
Even Sabrina hadn't expected the Confuse Ray to work this well.
Now, Metagross wasn't just fighting Milotic—it was fighting itself.
Pressure was mounting fast.
Milotic, meanwhile, was already gathering more water around its body—charging up for another strike.
Sabrina knew she couldn't waste any more time.
"Metagross! Use Psychic to restrain your arm! Then go for Zen Headbutt!"
"Metaaaaa!"
With a grunt, Metagross activated its psychic power again, forcibly pinning down its rogue limb.
It then rose into the sky, body glowing with a deep blue aura, and launched itself straight at Milotic.
Zen Headbutt!
But Milotic was already ready.
Its shimmering scales reflected a rainbow under the lights as it raised its tail—summoning a massive wave, even larger than the previous one.
Crash!!
Metagross slammed into the wave with thunderous force.
The stadium echoed with a boom like distant thunder.
And yet… Metagross powered through, cutting straight through the tsunami of water, charging toward Milotic with unstoppable momentum.
Sabrina's fans went wild.
[Let's go Metagross!]
[Miss Sabrina is the strongest!]
[Crush Asahi, go go go!!]
But just as Metagross closed in, Milotic opened its mouth and released another stream of water—not as powerful as Hydro Pump or Surf, but…
This one looked different.
Metagross, struck head-on, winced in pain.
Sabrina frowned. "What was that…?"
"Saltwater," Asahi replied coolly. "I added sodium to the attack."
Salt Cure—when used against injured Pokémon, deals double the damage.
In real-world battles, it's not that exact—but Metagross clearly took more damage than expected.
And to make matters worse…
It lost control of its already-confused arm again.
WHAM!!
The limb, fully charged with force, smashed directly into Metagross's head, short-circuiting its already weakened brain.
It lost all flight stability and fell.
BOOM!
The heavy steel-type hit the ground hard, carving a deep trench through the icy, waterlogged field before sliding to a halt in front of Milotic.
[Metagross is unable to battle.]
"Defeated… by its own fist?" Brandon muttered in disbelief. "That… was unexpected."
No one had seen that finish coming.
[Metagross—the invincible Metagross—is down!! (crying)]
[Unlucky. If that confusion didn't last so long… this battle could've gone either way!]
[Sabrina-sensei, don't lose to Asahi's crazy luck!]
[Wait… is 'Miss Sabrina' her new nickname now? Is this some meme I missed?]
In the stands, Gary stiffened.
Crap. He started that nickname…
…But maybe Asahi didn't hear it mid-match?
On the field, Milotic, victorious and proud, swam gracefully back to Asahi and launched itself at him.
"Wooo~!"
It let out a delighted cry and curled tightly around Asahi, refusing to let go.
Poor Eevee, clinging to Asahi's shoulder, was almost squished flat.
"The bond between Asahi and his Milotic is really something. It's probably that deep connection that allows for such seamless coordination during battle!" Iono exclaimed, genuinely moved.
[I officially declare: Milotic is the most beautiful Pokémon in the world!]
[Blasphemy! This is Gardevoir territory!]
[Uh… is it just me or is Grimmsnarl actually kinda cute?]
[Bro… you need help. Like, medical help.]
...
With one victory secured, Asahi returned Milotic to its Poké Ball.
It wasn't just because it got hit by that Psychic earlier—definitely not because Milotic's clingy personality was overwhelming.
"Let me guess… your next Pokémon is… Alakazam? Or maybe Espeon? Don't tell me it's Mr. Mime…"
Sabrina sighed helplessly.
Asahi was clearly having fun.
Her bond with Asahi was far too close… other than the secretly trained Metagross, Asahi was completely aware of every other Pokémon in her lineup.
Before Sabrina could even speak, Asahi had already thrown out his Pokémon!
"Gongaa!"
Gengar leapt from Asahi's shadow and landed on the field, arms wide, grinning in an exaggerated ghost face, clearly trying to startle the audience!
However…
Faced with wide-eyed curiosity, some amused gasps, and even a few children pointing at him with delighted laughter—yet not a single trace of fear—Gengar felt a wave of defeat wash over him.
All that time he spent honing his scaring skills… and aside from Eevee, he hadn't managed to frighten a single soul, human or Pokémon!
Sabrina looked at Gengar. "You're seriously using Gengar as your second Pokémon?"
It wasn't that she had any particular bias against Gengar—it was just that, in her impression, Asahi only ever treated Gengar like a mobile backpack. He was rarely used in battle.
From what she remembered, Gengar either stayed in Asahi's shadow or spent his time pranking Eevee and Togepi…
His combat capability… well, Sabrina couldn't quite say.
Gengar: "!"
Still reeling from his earlier embarrassment, Gengar was dealt a second psychological blow by Sabrina's words.
Just then, Asahi's voice rang in his ears. "Don't underestimate Gengar—he's strong. Really strong."
Gengar turned his head to look at his Trainer, eyes glimmering with emotion.
"Gongga!"
Reinvigorated, Gengar clenched his fists and waved them at Sabrina.
This is it. Today, he, Gengar, would prove himself!
"Not sure what happened just now, but Asahi's Gengar has reignited his fighting spirit!"
"And Sabrina is sending out her own Pokémon too!"
With twin spoons in hand, Alakazam entered the battlefield.
The moment it appeared, a massive wave of psychic pressure erupted from Alakazam's body, enveloping the field in an oppressive aura!
"What an overwhelming presence! That Alakazam is exceptionally powerful!" Even Brandon's expression turned serious.
If he were standing in Asahi's place right now in a one-on-one… even if he used the Legendary Titans, he wouldn't dare claim victory!
> [That Alakazam's so cool!]
[I heard two positions on the Kanto Elite Four are opening this year. Surely Lady Sabrina has one in the bag!]
[Wait, doesn't anyone notice how Gengar isn't panicking at all?]
Indeed, while Alakazam was projecting a terrifying presence, Gengar looked completely unbothered.
Noticing the surprised glances from the crowd, Gengar puffed out his chest.
Are you kidding me? He had followed Boss Asahi across countless battles, facing all kinds of enemies. You think some Alakazam is going to intimidate him?
Tch… Just a measly Alakazam.
Gengar formed two Shadow Balls in his hands and hurled them suddenly.
Alakazam hadn't expected such a sneak attack. But as Sabrina's ace, its reactions were lightning-quick.
Its spoons crossed in front of its chest, and in the blink of an eye, Alakazam vanished from where it stood.
The Shadow Balls struck the ground it had just been occupying—Boom!—blasting a crater into the arena floor.
Unlike the earlier bout between Metagross and Milotic, where neither side knew the other's style, Gengar and Alakazam were all too familiar with each other. Their battle entered a fever pitch immediately.
Alakazam, having dodged the Shadow Balls with Teleport, reappeared behind Gengar. One of its spoons bent ever so slightly.
A Psybeam burst forth in a brilliant rainbow arc!
Sensing the energy at his back, Gengar didn't even flinch—he'd been waiting for this.
With a flick of his wrist, he launched the Shadow Ball he had held in reserve behind him.
The two attacks collided mid-air, creating a violent explosion!
BOOM!
Both Pokémon were caught in the shockwave.
Alakazam raised a hand, forming a Light Screen to shield itself. In its other hand, the spoon began gathering raw psychic power—
Psycho Cut!
Swish!
A blade of invisible psychic energy tore through the explosion's remnants and slashed toward Gengar, who was still staggering from the blast.
But Gengar reacted just as swiftly!
A dark vortex opened beneath his feet—a portal into the Ghost Realm—and swallowed him whole.
The Psycho Cut struck the ground where Gengar had just stood, carving a deep trench into the stone.
From the sidelines, Sabrina's eyes flashed blue.
> [Psychic Girl Extraordinaire: It's Phantom Ambush. Alakazam, maintain full alert.]
Alakazam: "..."
Ever since his Trainer met that guy, she had become really… strange. What was the point of using a nickname during telepathy?
Still, complaints were one thing—orders were another.
Alakazam's eyes gleamed with precognition, glimpsing the future.
Its body vanished once more.
The next second, a spectral claw burst out from a rift in the air where Alakazam had just been—Shadow Claw—but it grasped only empty space.
Before Gengar could even retract his claw, a Psycho Cut came slicing down, splitting the shadowy limb in half.
Gengar recoiled, face contorted with unease.
That… that was close.
"Gong~!"
With a wicked grin, Gengar let loose a wave of sinister black energy—Dark Pulse!
The pulse blanketed the battlefield. Alakazam had no choice but to raise its Light Screen again to weather the attack.
The Light Screen trembled under the force of the dark energy.
It couldn't completely block it—Alakazam winced in pain.
Seeing his chance, Gengar beckoned mockingly with a finger.
A nameless fury surged in Alakazam's chest.
It gathered all its psychic strength and converted it into a tangible wave—Psychic!
The force of the blast startled Gengar, who yelped and dove back into the Ghost Realm.
Alakazam tried to Teleport again—
But…
Just as its spoons began to glow, the light flickered out—like a candle snuffed in water.
Teleport failed.
> [Psychic Girl Extraordinaire: That was Taunt. Use Psychic on your rear—quick!]
Sabrina reacted instantly, issuing commands via telepathy.
Alakazam immediately acted on her order.
But Gengar reappeared—not from behind, but in front.
Shadow Claw struck Alakazam squarely!
Grunting through the pain, Alakazam countered with another strike, but Gengar once again vanished via Phantom Ambush.
Sabrina's brow furrowed.
> [Psychic Girl Extraordinaire: Use Psybeam—hit everything around you!]
There was no way Gengar could dodge this, right?
Alakazam released Psybeam in a blinding burst that illuminated the entire battlefield.
But this time, Gengar didn't appear from the front, back, or sides—he emerged from directly beneath Alakazam.
"How did Gengar completely read Alakazam's moves like that?" Brandon exclaimed in disbelief.
> [Luck?]
[One time could be luck. But twice? No way—it's definitely a technique.]
[Let's ask the pro after the match!]
Looking at Alakazam entangled in Shadow Claw, Sabrina's eyes widened. "How…?"
She had used telepathy specifically to prevent Asahi from hearing her commands. So how had Gengar predicted them?
Then she saw Asahi pointing at his ear with a smirk.
> [Gardevoir Is Number One: You forgot to switch telepathy channels.]
> [Mew: mew!]
[Adorable Eevee: Eevee Eevee~]
[Gengar: Gongaa!]
"....."
So many voices burst into the telepathic channel all at once—Sabrina was speechless.
She never imagined her strategy would be unraveled because of something so… ridiculous.
And Asahi wasn't done rubbing it in.
> [Gardevoir Is Number One: Honestly, if you'd just yelled your orders out loud, the sound wouldn't travel fast enough for Gengar to react.]
Sabrina's expression froze.
The next second, she kicked Asahi, Mew, Eevee, and Gengar out of the telepathy channel in a fit of frustration.
Then, she raised her hand, revealing the Key Stone on her wrist.
"Alakazam—Mega Evolve!"
Alakazam crossed its spoons over its chest. The Mega Stone hovered in front of it as a rainbow light enveloped its body.
In a flash, Mega Alakazam appeared—floating cross-legged in mid-air, clad in flowing robes, with a ring of spoons hovering before him like a psychic sage.
> [Gardevoir Is Number One: She's mad now!]
[Gengar: Gongga!]
Gengar nodded seriously in agreement.