Steven's Claydol had defeated Tetsuya's Zangoose and Weezing in succession. Tetsuya now had his back against the wall, with only Golurk remaining, while Steven still had two Pokémon that had yet to enter the battle…
There was no longer any chance of winning this match, but how long he could continue fighting would depend on what Golurk could do.
'Golurk…'
Tetsuya threw out his final Poké Ball.
Golurk hovered in midair, facing off against Claydol.
"High Horsepower!"
Golurk's explosive power was unquestionably the strongest among all of Tetsuya's Pokémon. With rocket propulsion and overwhelming momentum, it charged toward Claydol with High Horsepower.
Steven also realized that Claydol was in danger and quickly ordered, "Claydol, hide, quickly!"
Without the slightest hesitation, Claydol vanished into another dimension.
…However, this did not stop Golurk's attack.
Golurk could also come and go freely within another dimension, and immediately vanished as well!
In only an instant, Claydol and Golurk appeared at the same time. By then, Claydol had become an iceberg and was already incapacitated.
'Claydol…' Steven recalled Claydol and took a moment to calm himself. After all, everything had just happened too quickly.
He then sent out his fifth Pokémon, Skarmory.
"Autotomize!" Steven had Skarmory use this move right from the start, allowing it to greatly increase its Speed. Steven had seen Golurk's might for himself just now. If Skarmory tried to clash with it head-on, it would have no chance of winning. The only option was to rely on speed and use hit-and-run tactics.
There was indeed nothing wrong with Steven's tactics. Golurk had an enormous body and excelled at fierce assaults. Although its charging speed was unparalleled, what it lacked was agility.
Sure enough, after Skarmory's speed increased, it used moves such as Fury Attack and Drill Peck, striking once before immediately retreating and using kiting tactics against Golurk.
Golurk had terrific brute force but nowhere to use it. While it was left bewildered and at a loss, Skarmory had already struck it five or six times, nearly knocking it to the ground.
'This can't continue.' Tetsuya began calculating his next move.
"Phantom Force. One strike." Tetsuya gave only those four simple words. Phantom Force had the element of surprise, but the more often it was used, the more naturally an opponent would guard against it, greatly reducing its chance of landing. This strike was therefore crucial!
When Skarmory attacked once again, Golurk was nowhere to be seen.
"Skarmory, be careful! That Golurk disappeared into another dimension. It could emerge and attack at any moment, so be ready," Steven warned.
Tetsuya secretly admired him. Great power had to be grounded in vast knowledge.
A person armed with knowledge was often impossible to defeat.
One minute, two minutes…
Time slowly passed. Ten minutes went by without Golurk appearing. Skarmory went from being fully focused to becoming increasingly anxious, seemingly at a complete loss for what to do.
Steven also began having doubts. Logically speaking, Golurk could not possibly remain in dimensional space for this long… that place changed from moment to moment, and the slightest loss of control could make it extremely difficult to return.
Just as everyone was growing restless…
A massive ball of fire descended from the sky and smashed into Skarmory, driving it all the way into the ground!
Booooom!!
"!!!!"
With a tremendous boom, a huge crater formed. The time spent in the dimensional space had given Golurk enough time to gather power. Only by combining the power of Focus Punch and Fire Punch could it unleash such tremendous force!
Skarmory had already fainted.
"That's a very powerful Golurk, Tetsuya." Steven sincerely praised it, closing his eyes slightly.
Steven was truly enjoying this battle. It had been so long… he could no longer remember how long, since anyone had forced him to send out his sixth Pokémon…
"Tetsuya, you're truly strong…" Steven suddenly opened his eyes. "But can you defeat it!?"
With that, Steven threw out his final Pokémon… Shiny Metagross!
This Metagross could be said to be the most familiar of Steven's Metagross. Its silver body and golden claws were exceptionally dazzling, and its mere appearance was enough to amaze everyone.
'It's finally here.'
"Phantom Force." Tetsuya knew perfectly well how powerful this Metagross was. If he did not take the initiative, there was no way Golurk could win with its current strength.
But Steven was no ordinary opponent. He would only fall for the same trick once.
"Bullet Punch."
Metagross's speed was simply like an aurora. Before Golurk could enter dimensional space, Metagross struck it with a punch, directly smashing it to the ground!
Golurk did not hesitate in the slightest. It immediately charged out again with High Horsepower, a Dynamic Punch aimed straight at Metagross.
"Meteor Mash!"
Metagross neither dodged nor evaded, meeting Golurk head-on, and the two were actually evenly matched…
Tetsuya could not help but feel shocked. Golurk's combination move had been powerful enough to conquer the glacier falls in a single strike, yet Metagross had neutralized it with ease!
Golurk's confidence could not help but take a blow…
---◓---
In the clashes that followed, it was at a disadvantage at every turn. Combined with the injuries left over from its battle with Skarmory, it was already overwhelmed and returned to the ground, panting heavily.
Meanwhile, Metagross was still able to hover resolutely in the air.
In truth, the outcome had already been decided.
"You are a worthy opponent, Tetsuya. So, I must show you respect. Metagross, go!" Steven ordered.
Metagross's entire body became wrapped in a metallic sheen. Its steel claws shone, while the cross on the front of its body was shrouded in red psychic energy. Immediately afterward, it charged toward Golurk like a Draco Meteor crashing into the ground.
A combination of Meteor Mash and Zen Headbutt.
Golurk had no way to dodge. It had already been intimidated by the tremendous power of Zen Headbutt, while the psychic power further restrained it. The only thing it could do was wait for the battle to end.
Fear…
Boundless fear…
'...…' Golurk seemed to realize something again. Memories buried deep within its mind were unearthed once more.
Energy surged through its body, then suddenly erupted!
"Gol… Luuuuurk!!!"
Golurk let out a long roar, breaking free of the restraints on its body.
It appeared!
Tetsuya was also alarmed at this moment. The last time something like this had happened was in the forest of Fuchsia City, during that life-or-death battle against Agatha's acquaintance.
Golurk was now just as berserk as it had been then. Its eyes were bloodred, and the seventh layer of energy suddenly enveloped its entire body!
Golurk forcibly endured Metagross's ultimate move head-on!
Baaaaaaang!!!
"Golurk!"
Steven simply could not believe what he was seeing. "Th-this is impossible…"
Neither Pokémon on the field was under its Trainer's command anymore. They fought wildly in the air.
Steven and Tetsuya merely watched them in silence. At this moment, there was no need for any commands. It was simply a direct battle…
---◓---
The fight lasted a full half-hour. The two Pokémon battled from high in the sky to midair, then down to low altitude, until they finally crashed to the ground.
Both lost their combat ability at the same time…