Read advance chapters for both of my work, exclusively on Patreon at - www.patreon.com/Sniperwoof
-----------------
In the training room.
Li Xiang stepped forward to stop Metagross, which was having a blast using Ally Switch.
In just half a minute, the guy had switched back and forth dozens of times. It was like playing whack-a-mole—here one second, there the next.
"Don't waste your energy, okay? A few times is enough!"
He knocked on Metagross's iron head.
"Meta!"
The latter responded, then opened its large, dark mouth and let out a sound similar to "Ah—".
"...Used up already? Does it really consume that much energy?"
Li Xiang pulled its mouth open and tossed in a few energy blocks made from Apricorns.
Simple, efficient, and easy to absorb.
Metagross slowly closed its mouth. Without any visible swallowing motion, its expression gradually turned pleased.
It looked as if it had tasted something delicious.
This guy's mouth was huge—Li Xiang could probably hide half his body inside it without issue. The edges were sharp as hell, capable of easily slicing through steel, just like a lathe blade.
Maybe it could be used to crack walnuts or harder Berries. He didn't mind it being dirty anyway.
Now, back to testing Ally Switch. In the games, its effect is to swap positions with an ally.
Unlike the -7 priority of Teleport, Ally Switch has a +2 priority. This means it not only has no long wind-up but even has a significantly shortened wind-up.
That was the most absurd part.
It essentially had near-instantaneous teleportation power, capable of toying with opponents, yet Game Freak still shortened its wind-up.
In the world Li Xiang found himself in, the key factor lay in the definition of "ally."
How is an ally defined?
If I consider an enemy my ally, can I swap positions with them?
The answer is—
There's no such concept as "ally" here.
Here, the principle of Ally Switch is to set a psychic beacon on a teammate in advance using psychic waves. If the teammate doesn't resist, Ally Switch will succeed.
Simply put, when a Pokémon uses Ally Switch, its teammate will feel a pulling sensation.
If they don't resist, Ally Switch succeeds. If they resist, Ally Switch fails.
Suppose a beacon is set on an opponent, and they don't resist—then they can also be affected by Ally Switch.
This is what makes the move Ally Switch interesting.
Of course, few people do this because each use of Ally Switch consumes a considerable amount of elemental energy, regardless of success or failure.
Occasional use might yield surprising results.
After testing the new move, it was time for the old ones.
With a different body, the way moves are used also changes. After evolving, Metagross seemed to have developed a preference for leaping forward before attacking.
Nine out of ten close-combat moves were executed this way.
Like when it used Meteor Mash earlier, it also kicked off with its hind legs, spinning forward to attack.
Clearly, this was a bad habit. Move execution should never be limited to one style; otherwise, it becomes easy to counter.
Speaking of which, the special effects of Meteor Mash were dazzling. When used, Metagross's fists truly seemed to transform into meteors, with long, shining comet tails trailing behind.
Moreover, countless sparkling, glittering points of light, like stars, would appear around its fists. It was a move with special effects maxed out.
But it was completely different from how it was portrayed in the anime.
In XY, when Metagross used Meteor Mash, it would merge its two front claws, envelop itself in blue light, and then charge forward like a high-speed train.
While not as visually stunning as the current version, it had more imposing momentum and could easily intimidate opponents.
Perhaps they could try learning that style.
It might even double as a mobility move.
"Alright, that's enough attacking."
Li Xiang clapped his hands. Next up was testing Metagross's endurance, along with its temper.
Had there been any changes after evolution?
The result—
None at all.
The fierce hothead was still the same fierce hothead, with a temper that ignited at the slightest spark. Especially the words "dinner table."
Just uttering them was like adding fuel to the fire—it would explode instantly.
At most, before, when it got furious, it would become deaf, losing its intelligence and refusing to obey commands. Now, it still followed commands, and its brain was slightly smarter, no longer resorting to suicidal attacks.
In other words, it had evolved from a mindless hothead to a calm hothead.
Though both were hotheads, this situation had its pros and cons.
In a way, rage could actually increase output. As long as it didn't lose its head.
As for damage tolerance, it could only be described as exceptionally outstanding.
Its innate high base stats gave it quite remarkable physical and special bulk. Although the Steel/Psychic typing had four weaknesses, its innate levitation ability allowed it to ignore most Ground-type moves.
It also had numerous resistances, including Fairy, Ice, Rock, and others.
During testing, aside from being unable to withstand Incineroar's moves, Metagross could tank almost everything else. Its Clear Body ability also made it immune to Intimidate.
Quite impressive. No wonder it was Steven's ace.
After testing endurance, it was time for the foundation of Psychic-types: psychic waves.
In the training manual Cheng Xin gave him, there was this move—
Psychic Shield.
A variation of Psychic usage, it materializes psychic waves into a three-dimensional shield placed in front to block opponents' moves.
Somewhat similar to Protect.
But compared to Protect, its advantage lies in its defensive capability growing continuously as the user's psychic power increases, and it can be used repeatedly.
Protect couldn't be used consecutively; three successive uses were probably the limit.
Plus, it was immune to Taunt— it could still be used even when taunted.
Li Xiang was quite fond of this move and felt it had great potential.
In fact, many Psychic-type moves held great potential. If not for the difficulty in raising Pokémon of this type and the challenge trainers faced in establishing empathy with them, perhaps it would be the most popular type.
After a round of testing, the results of Psychic Shield were encouraging. This originally flimsy, paper-thin move that shattered upon contact was significantly strengthened after Metagross's evolution and the substantial increase in its psychic power.
It could now repel many things.
Moves like Flamethrower or Shadow Ball, as long as they were from a distance, could be easily withstood.
"An Elite Four member is still an Elite Four member; they always have things others haven't thought of."
Li Xiang patted Metagross's head, enjoying the pleasant clang sounds.
"Not bad. In another two months, you'll be able to hold your own."
"Meta!"
Metagross raised its claws, responding with a smile.
As a Psychic-type Pokémon, the number of Psychic-type moves it knew was pitifully small—fewer than ten.
Even fewer were practically useful.
In the guide Cheng Xin provided, Li Xiang was advised to focus on practicing Psychic and Zen Headbutt.
The former had variations like Psychic Shield, strong control capabilities, and could also deal damage—a versatile move.
As for the latter, it was a rather special move.
Cheng Xin said in the video that, in terms of power scalability, Zen Headbutt was definitely among the top.
Its principle was gathering the power of longing/emotion from the heart. This also meant that the stronger the power of emotion, the greater Zen Headbutt's power.
What is the power of emotion?
Homesickness, longing for a loved one... any form of missing someone or something could be considered emotion.
Trainers could also become the object of a Pokémon's emotion. The deeper the bond, the stronger the emotion, and naturally, Zen Headbutt's power would increase.
As for how to foster such a bond, that was Li Xiang's personal matter.
Besides these, Psyshock for opponents with high Special Defense but low Defense, Gravity to restrict flying Pokémon.
Telekinesis to immobilize opponents, Ally Switch to annoy in double battles.
Miracle Eye for coverage, Agility to boost speed, etc.
These were roughly the most useful ones. As for setting up shields, there were more suitable candidates for that.
Oh, and Rest, a move that could cure status conditions.
Cheng Xin provided many different applications for various moves. Some Li Xiang completely failed to understand, while others he simply couldn't execute.
Perhaps this was the difference between an ordinary person and a Psychic.
...
Afternoon.
Seizing the opportunity, Li Xiang let Metagross have a battle.
Coincidentally, the opponent was a Dark-type Weavile, extremely fast, almost running circles around Metagross.
Moreover, due to its malicious nature, it constantly taunted Metagross, keeping it in a state of burning rage.
Fortunately, Metagross wasn't new to anger. After getting used to frequent fury, it conversely didn't easily lose its head.
When Weavile stealthily approached, planning to ambush with Night Slash, Metagross, which had used Miracle Eye upon entering, successfully locked onto it. It raised its right hind leg and slammed down with Meteor Mash with a thud.
The ground was punched into a small crater.
Weavile, who barely dodged, was thoroughly frightened and didn't dare approach again, opting to chip away at its health with Dark Pulse.
After all, though called an iron crab, Metagross's four claws were equally agile. While others were ambidextrous, it was "quadrodextrous."
Coupled with psychic waves that could substitute for eyes, no matter where Weavile attacked from, it was impossible for Metagross to be caught completely off guard.
The longer time dragged on, the more opportunities it naturally gave the psychically powerful Metagross.
By the time Weavile had boosted itself to a point where it thought it could one-shot its opponent, Metagross had also prepared for a counterattack.
The former used Ice Shard as cover, rapidly closing in. A feint tricked Metagross's attack, and Weavile confidently planned to end it with Throat Chop.
However, Throat Chop was blocked by a golden light shield. Although it eventually broke through, its power was drastically reduced.
When it hit Metagross, a defensive tank, even super-effective damage couldn't deal much harm.
As for Weavile itself, it was firmly grabbed by Metagross's two claws, as if trapped in a bind, and brutally slammed into the ground.
Immediately after, Bullet Punch was smeared all over its face.
Just two hits, and Weavile, a major glass cannon, was knocked out effortlessly.
The opponent was somewhat stunned, chasing after Li Xiang to ask about the golden shield—how it used a defensive move while taunted, and if he could teach him, get him one too.
Li Xiang could only tell him it was a secret technique given by a top expert, not for dissemination.
The person then looked at him with a lemon-eating expression.
Such special secret techniques often represented the culmination of a trainer's years of research, something countless people desired.
Who wouldn't want to take a shortcut?
In short, Metagross's combat prowess was confirmed—invincible below Rank 5, except against Fire or Ghost-type specialists.