Unlike the Kanto League higher-ups—who had completely lost it—the Fighting Dojo was tense and silent. The third battle was about to erupt.
Annihilape vs. Metagross. In terms of typing, they checked each other.
Ghost beats Psychic, but Psychic can hit Annihilape's Fighting typing back.
And both of them were close-quarters Pokémon.
This third battle was guaranteed to be a full-on, fists-on-steel brawl!
"Metagross, Zen Headbutt!"
The moment she called it, Caitlin used her Psychic power to lock onto Annihilape, preventing it from slipping out of Metagross's sight range with some kind of sudden "power-up burst."
Annihilape had too few official matches. Up to now, the only time it had really been seen battling on stream was back when it was still Primeape.
Caitlin didn't know it well. She had no idea what kind of tactics Annihilape specialized in under Grey, so she could only rely on experience and make judgment calls.
"Meta!"
Metagross pulled all four arms tight and swept them behind its body as psychic energy flickered across its forehead!
Pink-purple light instantly wrapped around its steel frame. Metagross became a streak of light—floating as it charged—while its four arms fired at once from behind like thrusters, launching it forward in a savage rush!
"Annihilape, use Fire Punch to block!"
Grey's command caught Caitlin off guard.
Caitlin frowned slightly. From what she knew of Grey, when he faced a matchup that countered him, he usually dodged first and countered after.
So why was he choosing to clash head-on this time?
But the order was already given, and Metagross was already streaking in like a comet.
And since Metagross was Psychic-type itself, this was a STAB attack. Caitlin refused to believe Grey's Annihilape could actually turn this into a clean counter.
"Anni—!"
Annihilape bellowed. Its pitch-black arm burst into roaring flames—except the fire wasn't the common crimson. It glowed a ghostly blue, and the "heat" felt like falling into an ice pit, cold enough to raise goosebumps.
Metagross was already there. Its psychic-bright head lifted slightly, crashing straight into Annihilape's swinging Fire Punch!
BOOM!!!
A shockwave surged out, dust and smoke rippling layer after layer. The blue firelight scattered away in the collision, more than half of it snuffed out on impact.
Annihilape was shoved back several steps by Metagross's momentum, its blood-red pupils sharpening into something vicious.
"Hm…?"
Caitlin sensed something wrong.
Annihilape was clearly the one losing the exchange—so why could she feel a power inside it, rising little by little in a subtle but steady climb?
Was Annihilape the kind of Pokémon that got stronger the more it got hit?
Caitlin didn't know Annihilape.
To be honest, even the region where Annihilape was first discovered—Paldea—still didn't have a full grasp on what this Pokémon was truly like.
"Metagross, Psychic Fangs!"
Caitlin didn't dare drag this out. If Annihilape really was the kind that scaled up when it got hit, then she needed to end this fast—and every hit had to be high-power.
Otherwise, the moment Annihilape found a window to strike back, the one who would lose would be her!
Metagross's four arms snapped back to their normal posture. Dense psychic energy surged forward, condensing into a set of energy fangs constructed entirely from psychic power!
"Meta!"
With Metagross's resonant cry, those energy fangs opened like a monster's maw and lunged to bite down on Annihilape!
"Earthquake!"
Grey answered with a high-power move of his own.
Annihilape's feet erupted with brown-yellow energy ripples, and it stomped the ground with a mountain-splitting force!
RUMBLE—!!
The entire battlefield shook violently like a furious beast rolling over. Spiderweb cracks raced outward from under Annihilape's feet, and brutal Ground-type energy became visible shockwaves surging in every direction!
A few seconds later, Psychic Fangs collided head-on with the Earthquake wave.
The energy fangs shattered half the quake energy—and then cracked apart themselves under the impact.
The remaining shockwaves and the shattered psychic fragments tangled together, and in the end, they struck both combatants at the same time!
Metagross's steel body was lifted half a meter off the ground by the leftover quake force, while Annihilape was sliced with countless cuts by the flying psychic shards!
Even.
Elite Four–level Pokémon had far more stamina than ordinary Pokémon. Even after taking two super-effective hits in a row, neither Annihilape nor Metagross felt like they were near their limit.
They could keep fighting.
"Metagross, speed up—Bullet Punch!"
Caitlin's frown deepened. After Psychic Fangs, the energy inside Annihilape had climbed again.
If it had been a tiny spark at first, then now—after taking two hits—its internal power felt like it had grown into a bonfire.
Each boost was multiplying compared to the start.
If this kept going and the fight stayed close, then one punch later, Metagross would practically "owe it a few extra lives."
A real "ten thousand lives still wouldn't be enough" situation.
THUD—HISS!
While sliding back, Metagross suddenly folded all four mechanical arms in front of its chest. Its joints screamed as compressed gas vented like high-pressure jets!
Its body became a silver meteor in an instant, metal claws concentrating a chilling gleam—
Steel-type Bullet Punch!
In just a few seconds, it was in front of Annihilape. All four arms hammered forward at once, silver light weaving a suffocating net in the air!
"Bulk Up."
Annihilape barely got its guard up halfway before sparks exploded across its chest—dozens of metal impacts blooming like fireworks—as the steel torrent drove it backward again and again!
But Bulk Up successfully activated.
"Anni—!"
Annihilape's muscles swelled slightly. Its Attack and Defense rose!
Still, Annihilape wasn't feeling great after taking hit after hit. Its stamina had dipped into a "not healthy" state.
If that kind of relentless assault happened a few more times, it was probably going down.
Grey rubbed his chin, feeling it was about time.
Annihilape had been hit three times. Rage Fist's power had reached 200—and with the Bulk Up boost, its Attack had risen by one stage.
"No…"
Caitlin noticed the change in Grey's expression.
He wasn't worried at all despite Annihilape taking so much damage.
That effortless calm made Caitlin feel like she wasn't facing an Elite Four–level Trainer.
It felt like she was facing a Champion…
Up to now, only Cynthia had ever made Caitlin feel that kind of pressure.
But Cynthia had Champion-level strength.
Grey was a Trainer on the same level as Caitlin.
And yet—
//Check out my P@tre0n for 20 extra chapters on all my fanfics //[email protected]/Razeil0810.