"So it really is Mega Charizard X…"
Ash muttered to himself, unconsciously clenching his fists tighter and tighter.
"Morrison, you have to win!"
Looking at Alain and his Mega Charizard X acting with such overwhelming confidence, as though victory had already been decided from the very beginning, the anger inside Morrison had already reached its limit.
He stopped wasting words and suddenly hurled a Poké Ball onto the battlefield.
"Metagross, it's our turn!"
The Poké Ball hit the ground and burst open with a flash of red light. A massive Metagross landed heavily on the grassy field.
Unlike Theo's shiny Metagross, Morrison's Metagross was the standard deep blue. Its hard metallic body reflected a cold steel sheen beneath the stadium lights.
The moment it appeared, its four thick metallic legs pressed firmly into the ground, leaving shallow dents in the grass. Its crimson eyes locked onto its opponent without wavering.
"Metagross, let them see the strength of Hoenn trainers! Mega Evolve!"
Morrison raised the Keystone high into the air, determination shining brightly in his eyes.
"Meta!"
The Keystone resonated with the Mega Stone embedded within Metagross's body, releasing an equally dazzling light that completely enveloped it.
Its body expanded further within the radiance.
The four metal legs beneath it transformed into four enormous metallic claws, each one unbelievably sharp and aimed directly toward Alain. Behind its body floated four smaller support arms, protecting its rear.
As Mega Metagross shifted its massive body, sharp metallic grinding sounds echoed continuously through the battlefield.
The flames of war had officially been ignited.
Mega Metagross had entered the battle!
"Ohhhh!!"
Commentator Ota instantly raised his voice several octaves, unable to suppress his excitement.
"Both contestants have Mega Evolved their very first Pokémon right from the start! Mega Charizard X versus Mega Metagross!
This is an ultimate clash between two completely different Mega Evolution Pokémon!
Will the combination of Fire and Dragon typing from Mega Charizard X prove superior, or will the Steel and Psychic powerhouse Mega Metagross come out on top?
Let us wait and see!"
As the deafening cheers of the audience erupted throughout the stadium, the battle officially began!
"Charizard, use Flamethrower!"
Alain was the first to issue a command.
Before his words had even fully fallen, Mega Charizard X lightly flapped its wings and rose into the air.
Then it suddenly opened its mouth wide. Scorching blue flames rapidly gathered and condensed deep within its throat.
In the next instant, the flames exploded outward into a massive fan-shaped wall of blue fire, carrying terrifying heat waves as it roared toward Mega Metagross.
Everywhere the flames passed, the grass field instantly shriveled and curled from the heat. The smell of burning vegetation quickly spread through the air.
"Metagross, block it with Light Screen!"
Morrison's eyes sharpened as he reacted immediately.
Mega Metagross raised its four metallic claws slightly. Pale blue light instantly spread around its body, and a transparent psychic barrier materialized in front of it.
Light Screen.
BOOM!
The blue flames slammed violently into the barrier with a deafening explosion.
The Light Screen trembled violently, ripples spreading across its surface like disturbed water.
Under the terrifying impact of the flames, Mega Metagross's floating body was forced downward against the grass as it continuously slid backward, carving deep trenches into the battlefield.
"Crack… crack…"
The sound of breaking glass echoed clearly through the stadium.
Visible fractures began spreading across the transparent barrier at a speed that could be seen with the naked eye.
It was obvious now.
There was simply too great a difference in strength between Charizard and Metagross.
Seeing this, Mega Charizard X's eyes flashed fiercely.
The flames in its mouth intensified once more. The blue fire suddenly surged several times larger, as though fresh fuel had been thrown into an inferno, and the pressure instantly increased by an entire level.
Bang!
With a sharp shattering sound, the Light Screen could no longer endure the assault and completely exploded apart.
Without the barrier blocking its path, the blue flames surged forward like an untamed beast, instantly swallowing Mega Metagross whole and blasting it backward.
"Metagross!"
Morrison's heart jumped into his throat as he shouted anxiously.
The flames gradually dispersed, revealing Mega Metagross once more. Black scorch marks had appeared across sections of its metallic body.
Although Mega Charizard X's Flamethrower had been incredibly powerful, the Light Screen had successfully blocked most of the attack's energy. The remaining damage was still within Metagross's ability to endure.
It had only suffered relatively minor injuries.
Seeing that, Morrison finally let out a small sigh of relief before his gaze sharpened once more.
"If we can't defend from long range, then we'll fight up close! Metagross, Meteor Mash!"
Mega Metagross let out a deep growl. The four giant metallic claws before its body drew together slightly as dazzling blue light erupted from its entire body.
Like a missile ready for launch, it charged directly toward Mega Charizard X with overwhelming momentum.
"A close-range battle? Heh, that's exactly what I want."
A cold smile appeared on Alain's lips.
"Charizard, Flare Blitz!"
"CHAAAR—!"
Mega Charizard X released an earth-shaking roar.
The blue flames at the tip of its tail suddenly expanded violently, spreading across its entire body until it became a gigantic sphere of blue fire.
Its wings beat powerfully as it shot through the sky like a meteor, crashing directly toward Mega Metagross.
Every inch of grass along its path was instantly burned away, leaving behind a blackened trail.
The two Mega Evolved Pokémon, both possessing the Tough Claws ability, collided head-on in a savage close-quarters battle at the center of the grass field!
BOOOOM!
A heaven-shaking explosion erupted as the blue fireball and blue light sphere smashed into each other.
The violent shockwave spread outward in all directions, ripping up the surrounding grass entirely.
Within the swirling smoke and dust, one figure was sent flying backward before crashing heavily onto the field.
It was Mega Metagross.
The scorch marks covering its body had become even more obvious now. Several areas of its metal armor had even caved inward from the impact. Its injuries were clearly severe.
"Metagross!"
Morrison shouted anxiously, panic beginning to seep into his voice.
Mega Metagross struggled to steady itself, its massive body trembling as it barely managed to float back into the air.
But it was obvious that it was already reaching its limit.
Meanwhile, Alain's Mega Charizard X still hovered dominantly above the battlefield. Although the flames around its body had dimmed slightly and some dust clung to its wings, there were almost no visible injuries on its body at all.
The oppressive aura surrounding it remained overwhelming.
"Looks like your strength doesn't quite match the level of your trash talk."
Alain's voice carried undisguised contempt.
Up in the spectator stands, Ash's cheering suddenly stopped.
His eyes widened in disbelief.
"How is this possible? That arrogant jerk's Charizard is actually this strong? Morrison's Metagross can't even fight back…"
As he spoke, Ash could not help glancing sideways toward Theo beside him, secretly muttering in his heart:
'No wonder Theo refused to let his shiny Metagross battle Charizard before. So he was afraid of losing.'
Theo saw every little expression on Ash's face and instantly guessed exactly what he was thinking.
He calmly spoke in a quiet voice:
"This has nothing to do with the Pokémon themselves. The difference is simply too big between the trainers."
(End of Chapter)