Bang! Bang! Bang!
As Slowbro swept its gaze around, several heavy punch afterimages flashed in rapid succession.
With such crushing blows coming in, Slowbro had no choice but to raise its arms to block.
Even after using Withdraw, under Metagross's continuous heavy hits, it still had to retreat and avoid taking the brunt head-on.
By the end of that exchange, several fresh wounds had opened up on Slowbro's body.
And that last punch—Metagross clearly put full power into it!
Lightning erupted, and Slowbro's vision instantly turned into a sheet of gold.
The moment the fist landed, electricity surged through its entire body.
Slowbro dropped to one knee, gasping in huge breaths.
After repeatedly taking Thunder Punch, its mind had grown hazy and unfocused.
"Slow…" (This Metagross is terrifying…)
Slowbro couldn't help sucking in a cold breath, stunned by Metagross's strength.
It had seen many kinds of Pokémon.
But a Metagross like this… it really hadn't seen many.
"Slowbro, use Slack Off!"
Misty shouted immediately.
Slowbro simply closed its eyes and focused on recovering.
Its stamina began to slowly return.
But at this moment, the lightning around Metagross's arms didn't weaken at all—instead, under its own control, it suddenly surged even harder!
High-voltage current formed a closed-loop circuit between its four alloy arms, producing an ear-grating crackle!
Metagross charged again, and the iron fist wrapped in electricity slammed brutally into Slowbro's abdomen.
Crack!
Blinding sparks shot across the field as Slowbro was launched backward.
Unable to battle.
"Slowbro is unable to battle. Gym Leader Misty, please send out your final Pokémon."
The referee's voice fell without mercy.
A bead of sweat slid down Misty's forehead.
Her Pokémon had just gotten flattened like some random nobody on the roadside…
Grey's overwhelming pressure made it hard for Misty to even breathe.
But the fingers gripping her Poké Ball tightened instead.
Forfeit?
That word didn't exist in her dictionary.
Right—she still had one more!
Misty thought of her Omastar.
If she could send out that ancient Pokémon, maybe she'd have a chance to beat him!
"Oma—"
She was just about to throw the Poké Ball when something suddenly moved at her waist.
"Psy?!"
Psyduck somehow ran out on its own, clutching its head and standing on the battlefield with a blank, confused expression.
Misty's battle plan was instantly thrown into chaos. She stared wide-eyed at the partner who never followed the script.
The ancient weapon didn't come out—what showed up first was the usual deadweight comedian who always picked the worst timing.
"Hahahaha!"
The stands immediately erupted with laughter.
A few Gym Leaders couldn't help slapping the armrests of their seats.
Everyone had been tense and ready, and the Pokémon Misty sent out was… this Psyduck holding its head with a dazed stare?
"Pfft… This is Cerulean Gym's trump card? This kid is hilarious."
Lt. Surge from Vermilion Gym laughed loudly, his shoulders shaking.
"This… Psyduck? Can it really get past Grey's Metagross?"
Muno's eyes flicked back and forth between Psyduck and Metagross.
From the looks of it, Psyduck beating Metagross was basically a fairy tale.
Even the referee almost blew the wrong call—he hurriedly adjusted his hat to hide the grin.
On the field, Psyduck seemed to feel everyone's eyes on it. It tilted its head and let out a "Psy?" so innocently that the laughter spiked even louder.
"…"
Koga, who had seen the terrifying power of this Psyduck before, didn't say a single word.
Even Giovanni narrowed his eyes.
"Seeming foolish… while actually wise?"
"?"
Hearing Giovanni's evaluation, nobody dared underestimate Psyduck anymore.
Seeming foolish while actually wise.
That implied this Psyduck had shocking wisdom.
[Pokémon: Psyduck]
[Type: Water]
[Level: 35]
[Ability: Cloud Nine]
[Moves: omitted]
[Notes: An extremely unusual 'landlubber' Psyduck with notable skill in psychic power.]
"It's Psyduck."
Grey blinked.
If you talked about the "must-savor" Pokémon in the original series, there were a few you just couldn't skip.
Pikachu, Psyduck, Togepi—those three were basically the "big three."
All of them were absurd, bug-level existences.
And now Misty had sent out Psyduck…
Could his Metagross still win?
This was the first time Grey had ever doubted his own Pokémon.
Because Psyduck's impression on everyone was just too unforgettable.
Tch…
Should he bring out Annihilape and solve everything with one move?
That thought surfaced in Grey's mind.
Using an Elite Four–level Pokémon against a "seemingly ordinary" Psyduck would definitely earn criticism.
But honestly…
At the same level, if you truly pushed Psyduck into a corner, you really wouldn't win.
Noticing Grey's movement, Misty's head started buzzing.
What was Grey doing?
Was he actually finding this "gap" of her sending out Psyduck troublesome?
Her Psyduck could power up, sure.
But it only powered up when it had a headache.
Usually it was genuinely just some random nobody on the roadside.
"Forget it. Metagross, take it easy—don't hit too hard."
Grey thought for a moment, then hung the Poké Ball back on his belt.
"Whew…"
Misty let out a breath.
She was truly afraid Grey would drag out his main team just to deal with Psyduck.
Or worse—have Zapdos sweep the whole field.
If he really did that, they'd probably be burning incense for Psyduck this time next year.
"Klang." (Got it.)
Metagross understood.
It could tell that this dumb-looking Psyduck wasn't strong at all.
Metagross figured Grey told it to take it easy because he was worried about sending the opponent to the hospital.
In that case—
It would hit a bit lighter.
"Psyduck… you…"
Misty fell silent.
When Psyduck's head didn't hurt, the moves it could actually use were painfully limited.
"Gym Leader Misty, if you don't make a move, I'm going first."
Grey's voice abruptly turned cold. "Metagross, use Thunderbolt!"
To keep Psyduck from getting a headache, Grey chose a special move.
Cut it off at the source—
so there wouldn't be endless trouble later.
"Klang!"
Metagross's whole body flared with golden light, and a bolt of lightning crashed down onto Psyduck.
"Psy-psy-psy!"
Psyduck couldn't dodge. It started hopping wildly in the electricity, like a ball being kicked around.
Its short webbed feet carved a scorched Z-shaped track across the battlefield, and the tuft on its head stood straight up from the shock.
"? It's not down yet?"
Gym Leaders outside the field frowned.
Psyduck wasn't supposed to be strong.
So why, after taking a Thunderbolt head-on, was it still not down?
It looked lively as ever—
running around everywhere.
Misty's Pokémon… did it turn on cheats or something?
"Psy-psy-psy…"
As it cried out, Psyduck's eyes began to glow with something strange.
"Metagross, stop."
Grey barked the instant he noticed Psyduck's expression change.
Metagross didn't understand why, but it stopped anyway.
But even so—
Psyduck still slipped into its "headache" state!
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