The reason Theo had not sent out Metagross was not because he feared Alain's Mega Charizard X.
Unlike Morrison's Metagross,
Theo's shiny Metagross had been raised for a long time under the nourishment of advanced energy orbs. The intensity of the energy within its body simply could not be measured according to the normal training standards of ordinary trainers.
The level of energy contained inside Metagross had already surpassed Charizard's by a certain margin.
And on top of that, it had also undergone enhancement training through Defense and Special Defense boosting vitamins.
Even though Charizard possessed the Fire typing and therefore held a type advantage, it was still nowhere near enough to make Metagross feel fear.
The true reason Theo did not send Metagross out was simply because its attack coverage was not suitable.
Metagross's conventional moveset would have a difficult time effectively suppressing a Fire plus Dragon type Mega Charizard X.
Even if it could ultimately win, it would inevitably have to pay a considerable price and consume a huge amount of stamina.
Theo would never allow his Pokémon to suffer unnecessary injuries merely for the sake of showing off momentary bravado.
He admired Ash's pure and passionate love for battle, but he did not agree with Ash's reckless fighting style.
Of course, if Metagross's level could completely overpower Charizard's, then Theo would not mind doing what Steven had done in the anime from his previous life and use Metagross directly against Mega Charizard X.
This time, the reason he had sent out Milotic was also because the battlefield just happened to be the Water field.
If the first half had landed on either the Rock Battlefield or the Grass Battlefield, Theo would have immediately switched to Tyrantrum and used type advantage to face Charizard.
Still, the Water Battlefield was not bad either.
Although Alain's Charizard had jokingly been called a Pokémon with the "Water Absorb" Ability by people in his previous life, Theo had long since confirmed everything clearly through the system panel.
This Charizard's Ability was the normal Tough Claws, not some Water Absorb nonsense.
The reason its resistance toward Water-type attacks was so strong was likely because its mastery over Dragon-type power had been developed to an extremely deep level.
Theo had already seen this very clearly yesterday during Charizard's battle against Morrison's Mega Metagross, Swampert, and Gliscor.
The reason Charizard had ultimately fallen yesterday was more because it had repeatedly used Flare Blitz and suffered huge recoil damage.
Combined with the stamina consumption caused by Outrage afterward, the double burden had finally exhausted its strength, leading both sides to collapse together.
But Theo did not care about any of that.
As long as it did not possess the Water Absorb Ability, that was enough.
It did not matter even if there was no type advantage.
The reason he usually preferred suppressing opponents through type matchups was simply because he wanted his Pokémon to win easily while suffering the least possible damage.
That did not mean it was the only way to win.
When it came to raw strength, he feared nobody.
With that thought in mind, Theo was the first to issue a command.
"Milotic, first use Scald on yourself. After that, battle freely. Against a weak Charizard like this, I probably won't even need to waste effort giving additional commands."
Naturally, Theo would never tell Alain that Milotic already possessed a mature and fully developed battle style. Even without his commands, it could calmly handle situations on its own.
After hearing such disdainful words, the Charizard across the field became even more furious. The flames within its chest surged violently as it urged Alain to Mega Evolve it immediately.
Alain's face was equally cold as he complied with Charizard's wishes.
In the next instant, dazzling Evolution light erupted brilliantly.
Mega Charizard X appeared.
Within the water battlefield, Milotic gently nodded after hearing Theo's command.
It slightly opened its mouth.
A stream of boiling hot water shot outward.
But instead of attacking Mega Charizard X across the field, the stream gracefully curved through the air before directly pouring onto Milotic's own body.
"Milooo—!"
Milotic released a somewhat elevated cry.
The scorching hot water burned against its body, causing it to suffer a certain amount of damage.
The audience instantly exploded into uproar.
The whispers rapidly transformed into noisy discussions.
Many people had heard Theo's command earlier and thought they had misheard him. Yet Milotic had truly attacked itself.
"What's going on? Why is Milotic attacking itself?"
"Did he give the wrong command?"
"Is it some kind of special tactic? Or is he nervous...??"
Max's face was especially full of confusion as he could not help tugging on Brock's sleeve.
"Big Brother Brock, why did Big Brother Theo tell Milotic to attack itself? Isn't that just getting hurt for nothing?"
Brock did not answer immediately.
His eyes remained fixed upon Milotic's body as it emerged partially from the water.
The moment he noticed a faint layer of red light appearing across Milotic's scales, his eyes suddenly lit up.
He instantly understood Theo's intention and could not help slapping his thigh in realization.
Just as Brock was about to explain things to Max, the host and commentator Ota had already beaten him to it, raising the microphone and loudly explaining everything to the audience:
"Ladies and gentlemen! Dear audience members!
I believe everyone is extremely confused right now about why contestant Theo ordered Milotic to use Scald on itself!
Allow me to explain this incredibly ingenious maneuver in detail so everyone can fully understand this amazing operation!
As we all know, official tournament rules clearly prohibit Pokémon from carrying held items into battle.
And Milotic possesses a very special Ability called Marvel Scale!
When it enters an abnormal status condition, the scales covering its body alter their structure, layering tightly together and becoming far denser and harder, greatly enhancing its physical defensive capability against close-range attacks!
Contestant Theo has brilliantly utilized this exact Ability and perfectly employed the move Scald!
By intentionally placing Milotic into a burn status condition, he has exchanged that condition for a massive increase in defensive power in order to confront contestant Alain's Mega Charizard X, whose Tough Claws Ability makes it incredibly powerful in close combat!"
Then, as though suddenly remembering something, Ota immediately added:
"Of course, I must remind everyone here not to imitate this tactic casually!
Unless your Pokémon's control over its moves has already reached a level of absolute mastery, attempting this could very easily backfire disastrously.
You might fail to trigger the burn condition even after repeatedly using Scald, while only causing severe injuries to your own Pokémon instead, ultimately leading to defeat!
I must say, contestant Theo truly deserves his reputation as a superstar coordinator trainer. His Pokémon's control over their moves is simply incredible!"
"So that's how it is!!"
One realization-filled exclamation after another erupted from the audience stands.
Many spectators even raised thumbs toward Theo's direction.
After witnessing Theo's tactic, Ash rubbed his chin while staring at Milotic with sparkling eyes.
At the same time, he held the Poké Ball of Swellow that he had just taken from his waist while glancing toward Pikachu on his shoulder, clearly thinking about some strange new strategy again.
Brock saw through Ash's thoughts with only a single glance and immediately patted his shoulder.
"Ash, don't start getting weird ideas.
Theo's kind of tactic doesn't suit your style.
You... you're already very strong. Just continue battling in your own way."
Hearing Brock praise him like that, Ash instantly threw away all the random tactics forming in his head and returned Swellow's Poké Ball to his waist.
Then he completely focused his attention on the battlefield, fully immersing himself in the match.
Meanwhile, after seeing Milotic's precise and almost perfect control over Scald, Alain's expression abruptly changed.
The anger that had been hanging on his face moments earlier, along with the faint contempt hidden within his eyes, instantly disappeared.
In their place remained only deep wariness.
As a Pokémon researcher and Professor Sycamore's assistant, he understood better than anyone exactly what Milotic's level of move control represented.
(End of Chapter)