Chapter 40: The Prestige of Metang

"Com-busken!"

At Aron's command, Combusken growled lowly, flames igniting around its body.His speed surged as he dashed forward in a fiery streak, closing in on Swellow in an instant and landing a powerful hit!

Under the effect of his Speed Boost ability, Combusken's speed now surpassed that of Swellow. Unable to dodge, Swellow took the full force of the Flame Charge.

Boom!

The two collided violently in mid-air, raising a thick cloud of black smoke that obscured the battlefield.

As the smoke cleared, Swellow was revealed falling straight to the ground, its eyes now turned into circles.

Combusken stood tall,with a calm look on his eyes.

Seeing this, the referee raised the flag high and declared, "Swellow is unable to battle. The winner is Aron!"

---

In the supervisor's office, Lily Lewis's eyes flickered with astonishment.

"A Pokémon near Advanced level... how did he do it?" she said in disbelief.

"Even with family resources, achieving this level so quickly should be near impossible, shouldn't it?"

She chuckled lightly and added, "A prestigious family of psychics, and yet producing a trainer who specializes in Fire Pokémon? It would be quite interesting ."

Such situations are not uncommon . There had been cases like this before—trainers born into specialist families demonstrating unmatched talent in completely unrelated fields. For instance, a trainer from a lineage of Fire-type experts had once shown extraordinary aptitude for training Water-types, ultimately becoming a Water specialist.

As Lily pondered, Aron and his sparring partner recalled her Pokémon and prepared their next round. Both threw their Poké Balls into the air.

"Go, Metang!"

"Go, Fletchinder!"

A burst of red light revealed Fletchinder, a red bird Pokémon, spreading its black wings as it ascended into the sky with a sharp cry. Its gray-blue belly, black tail, and piercing black eyes gave it an intense, combative presence.

[Pokémon: Fletchinder (Fire/Flying)]

Ability: Flame Body

Potential: Gym Level

Level: 22 (intermediate)]

Fletchinder, commonly referred to as the "firebird," was known for its aggressive nature and rapid bursts of speed.

"Metang!"

Hovering steadily in mid-air, Metang's body shimmered under the sunlight as it used magnetic force to keep itself afloat. Its gaze burned with anticipation.

"Ember!" The short-haired girl took the lead in attacking.

Fletchinder halted mid-air, spitting a small ball of fire from its beak. The flames surged through the air toward Metang.

"Block it," Aron said calmly.

"Metang!"

Metang crossed its arms defensively, allowing the Ember attack to strike directly.

Boom!

The flames exploded on impact, creating a loud blast. Yet, when the smoke cleared, Metang unfolded its arms, its silver body gleaming without a single mark.

"Unscathed…" the short-haired girl murmured, her pupils shrinking in disbelief.

Metang, despite being weak to Fire-type moves, seemed completely unfazed by the attack.Is this Metang indestructible?

Suppressing her shock,she gritted her teeth and called out her next command. "Flame Charge!"

With a shrill cry, Fletchinder spread its wings. Black feathers ignited into flames, engulfing its body in an intense blaze. Its speed surged, turning it into a streak of fiery red lightning that streaked toward Metang at high speed.

"Psyshock!" Aron's eyes flickered, and he commanded.

As soon as the words fell, Metang's eyes glowed with a dazzling blue light, which instantly turned into two bright and substantive psychic waves, attacking Fletchinder at an astonishing speed!

Boom!

The collision created a shockwave that rippled outward. Fletchinder's charge was abruptly halted. Hovering mid-air, it glared at Metang with razor-sharp focus.

"Acrobatics!" the short-haired girl yelled.

With incredible agility, Fletchinder adjusted its trajectory. Its beak gleamed with a sharp white light as it dashed toward Metang, attacking with swift and nimble movements.

Metang was unable to dodge successfully, and suffered pain immediately, but it has excellent resistance to Flying type, so the damage it received was not obvious.

"Thunder Punch!"

Aron's voice echoed through the battlefield.

"Metang!"

Metang roared furiously,Its metallic fists crackled with electricity, delivering a powerful uppercut straight into Fletchinder's chest.

Boom!

The force of the punch sent Fletchinder flying through the air before it crashed hard onto the ground. The Thunder Punch had a devastating effect, exploiting Fletchinder's weakness to Electric-type moves.

"Can you still stand up?"

The short-haired girl raised her willow eyebrows and looked at Fletchinder who was lying on the ground.

This wasn't her Pokémon, so she couldn't rely on a bond of trust or encouragement to push it to continue fighting.

Fortunately, Fletchinder managed to stagger back to its feet, flapping its wings weakly as it rose into the air.

But the girl's expression darkened. Sparks of electricity crackled faintly around Fletchinder's body,which means it had been paralyzed by the secondary effect of Thunder Punch.

This battle was as good as over.

Aron wasted no time. "Finish it with Confusion."

"Metang!"

Metang let out a low growl as it released a weaker wave of psychic energy.

In its paralyzed state, Fletchinder was unable to dodge. The attack struck directly, causing the bird Pokémon to sway unsteadily before collapsing to the ground, its eyes turning into circles.

"Fletchinder is unable to battle. The winner is Aron!" the referee declared.

---

In the supervisor's office, Lily Lewis observed the scene with a thoughtful expression. After a long pause, her lips curved slightly as she remarked, "I underestimated him."

"A Combusken nearing advanced level and a Metang dominating at intermediate level.. it's really scary."

---

On the battlefield, Aron withdrew Metang into its Poké Ball. But before he could continue, the Poké Ball on his waist shook, and a red beam of light shot out.

A tiny Ralts appeared,her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Ralts~!"

I also want!

I want to fight too!

Aron couldn't help laugh when he saw this, so he decided to let this child experience the feeling of battling in advance.