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The outcome was never in doubt. It was almost like a joke.
The moment Incineroar's dark-glowing palm slammed onto Metang's head, the Steel-type wobbled midair before crashing to the ground, knocked out cold.
It now resembled a silver crab, its eyes swirling as it curled its thick arms defensively.
This Metang was, without a doubt, an absolute pushover.
If it weren't so gullible, it wouldn't have fallen for Incineroar's taunts so easily.
According to Corviknight, all Incineroar had said was: "Doesn't it look like a dining table?"
As a shiny Metang with high intelligence—and one that had been taught basic knowledge by its Breeder—how could it not understand such an insult?
Was it its fault for being flat? How dare they call it a table!
"METANG!!"
The hot-tempered Metang roared and swung a Bullet Punch, its silver fist flashing like lightning.
Unfortunately, it did absolutely nothing to Incineroar.
A low-power Steel-type priority move like that was nothing more than a tickle. It couldn't even make Incineroar flinch. Not to mention a Metang trying to fight Incineroar right now was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.
Sure, its psychic waves were a unique golden color, unlike the usual blue or pink ones. When it flew, it shimmered like some mystical Taoist spell.
However, in Pokémon battles, flashiness meant nothing. Practicality was everything.
And so, within its very first hour here, the new recruit had been thoroughly schooled by the veteran.
Hopefully, this wouldn't crush its spirit.
Li Xiang sighed and walked over, patting Incineroar's arm.
The Fire-type had been busy gloating to Riolu and the others about its overwhelming strength. But the moment it felt Li Xiang's touch, its smug grin froze.
After a brief hesitation, Incineroar crouched down with a pitiful whine.
"How many times have I told you? Stop trash-talking your teammates! If it ends up depressed, you're going to be its personal dining table for a month!"
Li Xiang yanked on Incineroar's ear. This guy had a habit of getting way too full of himself. If he didn't keep it in check, it would start forgetting its own name.
Worst of all, it sometimes made stupid mistakes—like underestimating opponents.
As Incineroar itself liked to say: "When a cat is showing off, it has no brain."
Li Xiang agreed. Under normal circumstances, no Pokémon would be dumb enough to underestimate an opponent of similar strength—even if that opponent lost often.
But this blockhead of a tiger had somehow managed it.
"Grrrowl."
Incineroar crouched, whining in protest. It claimed it was just "welcoming" the newbie.
Besides, trash talk was inevitable. Corviknight's insults were way worse! If Metang couldn't handle a little teasing, how would it adapt? It was doing it a favor.
"Caw?!"
Corviknight flapped its wings indignantly. What did it have to do with this?
'Don't drag me into your mess!'
"Grrr!" 'Yes, I will!'
Incineroar shot back, inwardly pleased that its distraction tactic was working.
Unfortunately, Li Xiang had seen right through it.
As the person who knew Incineroar best, how could he be fooled by such an obvious ploy?
"I don't care. If Metang ends up traumatized, you're dead," saying that, he squeezed Incineroar's ear harder.
Defeated, the Fire-type finally admitted its mistake.
Only then did Li Xiang nod in satisfaction, pulling out a notepad and pen to review the information he'd jotted down about Metang earlier.
Pokémon: Metang (Shiny)
Gender: None
Level: 31
Ability: Clear Body
Type: Steel / Psychic
Known Moves:Metal Claw, Confusion, Magnet Rise, Pursuit, Iron Head, Bullet Punch, Zen Headbutt, Iron Defense, Miracle Eye, Gravity, Thunder Punch, Ice Punch, Take Down, Flash Cannon, Psychic
Compared to four months ago, it had learned four new moves: two physical coverage options (Thunder Punch, Ice Punch), Gravity (to ground flying foes), and a special attack (Psychic).
All solid, practical choices.
Li Xiang's next steps were clear:
i) Teach it essential moves.
ii) Focus on leveling it up.
iii) Start using stat-boosting items.
He'd already decided on its stat spread: HP, Attack, and Speed, with Attack as the primary focus.
This was because Li Xiang was planning for its eventual Mega Evolution.
Pre-Mega, Metagross' Speed was painfully mediocre. Investing in it (outside of outspeeding specific threats) was usually a waste.
Better to go all-in on bulk and power, like he had with Incineroar.
But after Mega Evolution?
Everything changed.
Its Speed shot up, its durability improved drastically, and while its Attack boost was modest, its new Ability more than made up for it.
In short, Metang was the only Pokémon on his team that he'd planned around three different stat distributions.
The payoff would come when it finally Mega Evolved.
As he scribbled notes, Li Xiang paused, adding a question mark next to one section.
Maybe he shouldn't rush things.
He'd wait and see what the two Elite Four members had to say. There was still plenty of time.
Tucking the notepad away, Li Xiang turned to Metang, who was finally stirring.
"You're awake? The surgery was a success—ahem. I mean, good effort. You had the right spirit."
He caught himself mid-slip and quickly corrected, patting Metang's head.
"Metang?"
The Steel-type rubbed its head, momentarily confused—until it spotted Incineroar. Then it remembered its humiliating defeat.
"METANG!"
It roared in outrage. This was about dignity! Just because it lost once didn't mean it would lose again!
The silver 'crab' looked ready to charge, but Li Xiang stepped between them.
Thankfully, Metang was obedient. The dominance display had been unnecessary. After apologizing on Incineroar's behalf and explaining the situation, Li Xiang smoothly redirected Metang's attention to something else—
Performance testing.
Their brief scuffle hadn't given him a clear picture of Metang's strengths and weaknesses.
While the store had demo videos, Li Xiang preferred hands-on evaluation, seeing something in person was completely different from watching it on a screen.
So off to the B-Class Training Hall they went.
It had specialized equipment for precise stat measurements—far better than eyeballing things.
Plus, he still had plenty of points left. A few B-Class sessions wouldn't break the bank.
Returning the others to their PokéBalls, Li Xiang kept only Metang out. But as he started walking, Metang suddenly scooped him up and placed him on its head, retracting its arms as it floated forward.
It had volunteered as transportation.
Felt kind of like riding a UFO.
Not the most comfortable experience—Metang's head was cold and hard—but since it was trying to be helpful, Li Xiang endured it.
He'd ask his dad to custom-make a saddle this weekend. Something like the one Sophocles had in the anime.
That'd be easier on his backside.
....
B-Class Training Hall
Swiping his card cost him 5 points—over twice the price of C-Class.
A-Class was another double from there.
As Li Xiang took his card back, he heard a familiar voice, "You're here too? Oh! Testing your new Pokémon?"
Lin Feng stood in front of him, a massive orange dragon looming behind him—its belly round, its expression fierce.
"It evolved? Because of that A-Class match earlier?"
Li Xiang grinned and clapped Lin Feng's shoulder. "Took you long enough."
"Yeah, finally." Lin Feng sighed. His Charizard was the last of their group's starters to evolve—barely hitting the level 39 threshold.
Unusual, considering how early it had evolved the first time.
"Wait, why aren't you in A-Class? Didn't you have enough points?"
Li Xiang frowned. Why settle for B-Class when A-Class was available?
At that, Lin Feng pulled out a PokéBall and released its occupant with a sigh.
"I did. But then I had to buy an Up-Grade for this guy."
Poof!
A duck-like Pokémon made of red and blue blocks materialized—Porygon2.
"The Up-Grade cost 200 points. What was I supposed to do? It's been two years!"
Lin Feng hugged his Porygon2. Two whole years just to get an evolution item.
Li Xiang's eyebrows shot up.
Porygon—a man-made Pokémon developed by the North American research institute—had always been shrouded in mystery regarding its evolutions.
He knew about the Up-Grade, but not how to obtain one.
Who knew a simple piece of "data" would cost 200 points?
If the Up-Grade was this expensive, how much would the Dubious Disc (for Porygon-Z) cost?
After chatting for a bit longer, the two went their separate ways.
Li Xiang headed to the testing room.
The evaluation covered three areas:
i) Move power
ii) Psychic wave intensity
iii) Physical durability
These would give him the clearest picture of Metang's capabilities.
Using Incineroar and the others as benchmarks would be unfair.
"Let's begin."
Li Xiang clapped his hands. Metang nodded firmly.
"METANG!"