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Back in the lobby.
Returning to the front desk, he selected his next opponent.
Li Xiang rubbed the Abra's bald head again.
There were more low-ranked trainers at the Wintercrow Club than expected, and their skill levels varied greatly.
Throughout the entire morning, Li Xiang had battled about five or six people.
He basically steamrolled through all of them.
There was one counterattack, though. When Metang was on the field, it got careless and was reversed swept by an opponent's Magcargo using .Overheat.
But that was only once. Even Honedge got a chance to battle, finishing off an opponent that its seniors had weakened to low health.
It got incredibly excited.
It seemed this sword really hadn't had much experience with battles.
Speaking of which, the opponents were mostly youths in their mid-twenties, occasionally someone in their thirties.
Not a single current student.
Most of these people approached battles with a casual, for-fun mindset. There weren't any who fought with serious, tense intensity from start to finish.
Pretty laid-back. Quite different from the tense atmosphere he felt at Sakura University before.
Maybe the lower ranks were just like this. Insufficient strength, not much ambition, treating battles like a game.
But that was fine.
Li Xiang was here to earn candies anyway. If he wanted to battle strong opponents to hone his skills, he could just pick higher-ranked ones.
Noon.
Huo Li called him, suggesting they have lunch together.
Li Xiang agreed, left the medical room, and took the only injured party, the simple-minded Metang, with him.
If his estimates were correct, this guy was about to level up soon, within three days at most. It might even evolve.
'Metagross... with its outstanding Attack, decent bulk and type combination, and awkward Speed.'
Li Xiang rubbed his chin. The training guide provided by the Steel-type Elite Four member advocated maxing Attack and HP, essentially ignoring Speed.
Just like with Incineroar.
But that was the training method for a regular Metagross.
Originally, without the promise from Mist City, he planned to follow the guide step by step But they said they would fully support him, help him get whatever he wanted as long as he desired it.
So Li Xiang thought Mega Metagross was something worth considering.
In that case, the training direction would definitely have to change. Speed would absolutely need investment.
'Tch, still not enough candies.'
When it came down to it, not being able to have it all was because there were too few candies!
If he could get hundreds of candies every day, why would he be so troubled?
Right now, after Incineroar and the others used their candies, their strength had basically stopped improving.
It was like they'd hit a bottleneck from using candies. Who knew when they would be considered fully candied...
Li Xiang ate his meal, his thoughts fixated on the candies. He was just too short on them.
Afternoon.
He selected low-ranked opponents again.
This time, he didn't need to wait; someone was already waiting. He just grabbed the placard and headed over.
The Abra responsible for teleportation, having been taken advantage of by Li Xiang so many times, was gradually growing numb.
It even proactively offered its head when it saw him.
Absolutely adorable.
The Wintercrow Club in the afternoon was bustling. The queuing hall gradually filled with more people.
The matching windows were jam-packed. Li Xiang realized his biggest enemy in earning candies wasn't the trainers themselves, but this pointless queuing.
When would it be fully computerized? It was still semi-manual.
They needed more advanced technology.
Li Xiang felt somewhat helpless. They had Porygon electronic referees; having a Rotom matching system shouldn't be strange, right?
Unfortunately, they didn't.
In the blink of an eye, the afternoon passed like flowing water.
He barely managed eight battles.
In the last one, considering he wanted to improve Incineroar and the others' battle experience, he chose an opponent ranked Great Ball, tenth tier.
Since Incineroar and the others had battled all day and were relatively tired, the process was slightly more difficult. In the end, two fainted, but they barely managed to win.
In terms of intensity, it felt similar to the delinquent from before, maybe a bit weaker.
After asking the uncle carefully, he found out his Pokémon averaged around level 50. He also remembered the requirement for higher academies was Great Ball rank?
No wonder so many students dropped out every year.
The requirements were really high.
Evening.
He went to Huo Li's place for dinner, thoroughly enjoyed petting the warm, fluffy Camerupt and Talonflame, teased some of the other Pokémon, then leisurely headed back.
He'd come again tomorrow.
Anyway, during these few free months, he needed to quickly train up Honedge and boost Metang's candies.
He didn't expect it to be on par with Incineroar and the others, but at least it shouldn't be as lackluster as now; it should be able to hold its own.
...
Carrying Li Xiang's expectations, in early October, Metang leveled up and was successfully enveloped in the light of evolution.
Li Xiang stood far back, recording the entire process with a camera.
This guy's evolution process was quite interesting. Its Pinocchio-like pointed nose seemed to be hit by a hammer, gradually flattening before turning into an "X" shape.
Immediately after, its two hammer-like metal arms moved to the top of its head, looking at first glance like they had flipped over. The hammers themselves also became longer and thinner.
At the back of its head, two openings appeared. Two new smaller metal arms extended, quickly growing to the same size as the front arms. Its body swelled slightly, enlarging by several sizes. Where its head could previously only seat one person, it could now barely seat two.
It looked even more like a dining table.
Thud!
Metagross landed, reflecting silver light under the sun, the X on its face gleaming brightly, resembling a giant metal crab.
"Meta!"
It let out a deep cry, its crimson pupils coldly scanning the surroundings as if data streams flowed within its eyes. Its icy gaze made it feel less like a Pokémon and more like a computer.
Li Xiang's heart sank slightly.
He almost thought Metagross's personality had changed after evolution, becoming unrecognizable like Charizard.
He didn't dare approach, afraid of getting hurt, until the guy's limbs went slack, and it dropped to the ground with a thud, revealing an "I'm completely spent" expression.
"Meta..."
Metagross groaned on the ground. It had just been pummeled by Incineroar's Fire Punch before evolving.
It really didn't have much stamina left.
Li Xiang breathed a sigh of relief, walked over, and waved his hand at it. "How do you feel?"
"Meta."
Metagross responded lazily, not even wanting to get up.
"It says it feels pretty good, its head is much clearer. It always felt muddled before," Rotom translated in real-time.
It was said that Metagross had four brains, combined into something no different from a supercomputer, perhaps even better.
But when that supercomputer was from wasn't clear. Technology was constantly updating.
"Clearer head... try some math problems? Calculus?"
Li Xiang sat on Metagross's head and gently tapped it.
Then, he felt the Metagross beneath him shudder.
"Hey, hey, hey! Don't you have calculation power comparable to a supercomputer? What are you afraid of?"
Li Xiang didn't really understand what it was scared of.
Metagross silently grabbed him with its claw, set him down, and started heading towards the house, looking like it was going to play games.
"Alright, alright, I didn't say anything, okay? I take it back! Come back!"
Li Xiang chased after it, stopping it from going further. "We're testing moves, testing psychic waves! Let's focus, okay?"
Metagross glanced at him, then slowly turned its body around. Its four stout legs stepped on the green grass, moving forward step by step.
This guy had never walked before. Now, with four legs capable of supporting its body, it was eager to try it out. But since it was the first time, its coordination was poor, so it didn't look very fast.
Well... that's how it started.
Five minutes later…
Li Xiang watched, speechless, as the Metagross moved with bizarrely jerky motions, scurrying tap-tap-tap-tap across the field, even turning nimbly.
"This guy, it's actually getting addicted."
The corners of his mouth twitched. A Metagross that loved walking so much? He was seeing it for the first time.
'What are you, a crab?!'
He let it play for about ten more minutes until it was too tired to move and lay on the ground.
Li Xiang glanced at the sky and sighed.
Testing and all that… would have to be moved to the afternoon.
Might as well go to the Wintercrow Club too.
...
Afternoon.
Wintercrow Club training area.
Li Xiang paid for a private room.
After three hours of rest, Metagross had recovered some stamina, at least enough for testing.
First, they needed to test the new moves it learned.
Li Xiang silently stepped back.
Metagross looked at the familiar target ahead, its right hind leg suddenly pushing off, tilting its entire body sideways. Its front claws lit up with starlight, like meteors, trailing brilliant fiery tails!
Whoosh—!
Its body spun, carrying the terrifying momentum of a falling comet as it threw a punch!
Boom!
The target emitted a terrifying explosive sound!
A shockwave burst out, like a sonic boom cloud!
"Whoa! Not bad, Meteor Mash! That attack power!"
Li Xiang showed a surprised expression. Wasn't this comparable to Corviknight's usual attacks?
And Metagross had just evolved, yet it had this kind of power?
Although Corviknight was built for full bulk, that didn't mean its attack power was weak. After all, it had been consuming candies for a year longer than Metagross; it had definitely eaten some Attack candies here and there.
Metagross had great potential!
Incineroar and Riolu, standing to the side, silently clapped, feeling a bit of sense of crisis.
It was catching up from behind!
However simple-minded Metang was before, that's how strong Metagross's output was now!
Truly worthy of a pseudo-legendary raised with proper training!
Second move..
Metagross raised its front claw again. Once it was covered in a brown-red light, it threw another punch!
Bang!
This time, the sound effect was slightly weaker.
After all, Hammer Arm wasn't STAB.
Next, the target, wrapped in a golden glow, flew around chaotically in the air. The psychic waves didn't leave its body and take form, indicating this was Telekinesis.
The biggest difference from being controlled by Psychic was that a Pokémon maintaining Psychic couldn't use other moves.
Whereas maintaining Telekinesis allowed the use of other moves.
Why?
Because Telekinesis was an added status, like Magnetic Flux.
It was different from attacking moves like Psychic.
After demonstrating this, Metagross used a notoriously infamous skill, swapping positions with the target.
Ally Switch, also known as Alice Go.
Four in total.