The Barrier Shattered — Metagross's Extreme Rescue!**
"Old Zhou… your son is way too insane, isn't he?"
"That Mega Swampert—are you telling me that's something an eighteen-year-old can raise?"
Inside the VIP box, Donovan Kovsky was still visibly shaken as he recalled Mega Swampert's brutal performance.
Because he could clearly sense it—
If he were to send out his own ace right now, even he wouldn't dare say he had a guaranteed win against Ethan's Mega Swampert.
Victor Stone stared at the battlefield below, where Mega Swampert was still radiating ferocity, and for once, he took a deep breath.
If he used a Pokémon of equal strength…
Victor realized grimly—
He had no clear counterplay.
Swampert was already a near-perfect all-rounder.
Speed had been its only real weakness.
And now?
After Mega Evolution—
With Swift Swim stacked on top?
Victor suddenly felt that even he couldn't fully see through his own son anymore.
Li Yao's Decision
On the battlefield, Li Yao watched as his Ferrothorn was beaten into unconsciousness by pure, savage force.
He felt… numb.
Grass + Steel.
A natural counter to Swampert.
And yet Ferrothorn hadn't even managed to fight back before being turned into a punching bag.
"Rest well, Ferrothorn."
Li Yao recalled it, then slowly reached for a Poké Ball at his waist.
The ball was different.
Silver-white.
Metallic sheen.
Heavy.
"That's Li Yao's main partner…"
In the VIP box, Zuo Shenghui stiffened.
He hadn't expected Li Yao to go this far.
But—
A five-star examiner, a reigning Elite Four, had already lost two Pokémon to a candidate.
Whether Mega Swampert was "over-tuned" or not—
This was a direct challenge to Elite Four authority.
Li Yao had no choice.
The Ultimate Shield Appears
"We've got no retreat left," Li Yao said calmly.
"Aggron—this one's on you."
The Poké Ball burst open.
With a deafening crash, a steel-clad behemoth appeared.
A towering Aggron, over two and a half meters tall, its body plated in dense steel.
But what truly caught Ethan's eye—
Was the silver orb embedded in Aggron's helmet.
A Mega Stone.
Before Ethan could finish his thought—
Li Yao raised his own Keystone.
"Aggron—release your power."
"Mega Evolution!"
Mega Aggron
Light exploded.
Roaring steel reshaped itself.
A larger, heavier, even more oppressive monster emerged.
Mega Aggron.
"1.61… early King-tier," Ethan muttered.
"Mega Swampert—be careful."
"This one's troublesome."
Even as Swampert's morale surged from its earlier victories, its stamina had already been heavily taxed.
Logically, Ethan should have withdrawn it.
But—
Mega Swampert wanted this fight.
It had waited too long to prove itself.
Swampert nodded.
Filtered Impact
Without warning—
Mega Aggron opened its jaws.
A Hyper Beam tore across the battlefield.
Mega Swampert barely dodged in time—rain-enhanced speed saving it by a hair.
Seeing the miss, Mega Aggron snorted disdainfully.
Now rigid from recoil, it couldn't attack again immediately.
Ethan seized the opening.
"Hammer Arm!"
Mega Swampert charged.
But—
Neither Li Yao nor Mega Aggron reacted.
They didn't even flinch.
That alone made Ethan's heart sink.
The punch landed.
Thud.
No explosion.
No shockwave.
Only a dull, muffled sound.
Mega Aggron's armor vibrated rapidly—absorbing the force.
Ethan's pupils shrank.
"…Filter."
A rare Ability.
Damage reduction—especially against super-effective attacks.
Now it made sense.
Hammer Arm should have been devastating.
Instead, it barely scratched Mega Aggron.
"Swampert, pull back!" Ethan ordered immediately.
Mega Swampert retreated at once.
Mega Aggron casually brushed dust from its chest—mockery made flesh.
Finding the Weak Point
"Don't let it shake you," Ethan said calmly.
"That Ability is Filter."
"Your attacks are being dispersed through its armor."
"If we want to win… we need to hit a vital point."
"I don't know where that is yet."
"So I need you to keep engaging."
"Can you do it?"
Mega Swampert nodded without hesitation.
"Good."
"Then—Bulk Up!"
Swampert's muscles tensed, aura surging.
Li Yao immediately countered.
"Flash Cannon!"
The beam fired—
Mega Swampert sidestepped cleanly.
Spear vs. Shield
"Earthquake!"
The battlefield split.
Cracks spiderwebbed across the ground.
Mega Aggron staggered—
But its armor vibrated again, dispersing the shock.
That was just the setup.
Mega Swampert charged in.
Hammer Arm after Hammer Arm.
Fists like cannons.
Mega Aggron didn't dodge.
Didn't defend.
It stood there, trading blows.
One attacking relentlessly.
One refusing to fall.
An ultimate spear battering against an ultimate shield.
Shockwaves slammed repeatedly into the Champion-grade barrier.
Even Aegislash—the guardian of the field—was starting to strain.
But no one noticed.
Everyone was watching the clash.
The Opening
Then—
A punch slipped through.
Mega Swampert's fist grazed Mega Aggron's lower jaw.
No vibration.
No dispersion.
Ethan's eyes lit up.
"That's it!"
"Mega Swampert—everything you've got!"
"Dynamic Punch—straight to the jaw!"
Mega Swampert roared.
Red light engulfed its fist.
With a sharp sidestep—
It drove the punch upward with its full body weight behind it.
BOOM.
The unarmored jaw took the hit directly.
Mega Aggron was launched backward like a cannonball.
Straight into the barrier.
Barrier Shattered
CRACK—!!!
The Champion-grade barrier shattered.
"Champion Li—look out!" the referee screamed.
Too late.
Mega Aggron was already flying toward Li Yao.
The VIP box froze.
For one horrifying instant—
Everyone thought Li Yao was dead.
Extreme Rescue
"META—GROSS!!"
A roar thundered across the arena.
Mega Aggron stopped midair.
Frozen.
Psychic force wrapped around its massive body.
Beside Ethan—
A steel-blue titan descended.
Calm.
Dominant.
Absolute.
Ethan's final safeguard—
Metagross,
Totem-tier, peak level.
The ultimate rescue had arrived.
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