A Metagross capable of using Teleport was undoubtedly a far greater threat. The Dragorainer hesitated to issue any ands, seemingly waiting for Metagross to make the first move.

  "Metagross, Zen Headbutt!"

  Julian wasn't ied in guessing the oppo's strategy—he just wao take down the Dragonite quickly so the tender from the Modu Academy could step in.

  Metagross shot forward like a speeding train, gleaming like a silver streak of light.

  "Dragonite, Air Ssh!"

  Dragoiny wings fpped lightly, geing four or five arcs of sharp Air Sshes that tore through the air.

  "g! g! g!"

  The Air Sshes slowed Metagross down slightly but couldn't stop its charge.

  Dragonite quickly prepared a Focus Bst and hurled it toward Metagross, but this time, Metagross chose to dodge.

  Unlike a straightforward move, Zen Headbutt could ge direid-attack. It was a bination of psychiergy and brute force.

  In the blink of an eye, Metagross evaded the Focus Bst and smmed its Zen Headbutt intonite's round belly.

  Teically, aiming for the head would have inflicted more damage, but Metagross found itself oddly drawn tonite's belly, as if it had a glowing target painted on it.

  The impact left Dragonite visibly distressed, its normally cheerful face torted in pain.

  "Dragonite, Dragon Cw!" the Trainer called out.

  At cle, Dragonite's cws became encased in draiergy, f a spectral dragon cw that sshed at Metagross's back with a loud shrrrip!

  Metagross: 'Huh? Did something just scratch my back?'

  Dragonite froze, staring in disbelief at the unmarred surfaetagross's back. Then it g its own cws, as if questioniy.

  Did I not use Dragon Cw? Am I dreaming? Was I hypnotized?

  The Traioo, was utterly dumbfounded.

  He keel-types had high defenses, but at point-bnk range, Dragonite's Dragon Cw should've done 'something'.

  Instead, Metagross had reacted like it was being tickled.

  "Metagross, Hammer Arm," Julian said with a chuckle.

  His Metagross's defense was truly monstrous. Not only was it a Steel-type, but its shiny variation came with urait.

  In this case, an innate doubling of its defense. And this wasn't a simple 1+1=2 boost.

  On top of that, Julian had ied heavily in its training, using system-provided enhas like stat-boosting potions and items. All of this had elevated its defeo terrifying levels.

  Expeg a move like Dragon Cw to breach Metagross's defense was wishful thinking at best.

  Uhe force of Hammer Arm, Dragonite's belly took yet another heavy blow, and this time, it felt like it might throw up yesterday's dinner.

  "Draaa!!"

  Dragonite: ''t you hit somewhere else?!'

  Metagross: 'Nope'

  "Hammer Arm, Again!"

  "Dragonite, Protect!"

  Dragonite's dition was already dire—if it took another hit, it would undoubtedly colpse.

  But st time Samence had used Protect, only for it to be shattered by Metagross.

  And this Dragonite was in worse shape than that Samence had been.

  The Protect barrier formed and broke almost instantaneously as Hammer Arm smashed through it and struck Dragonite's belly yet again. Dragonite's body was sent flying, its round stomach visibly ed from the impact.

  With a loud 'thud', Dragonite smmed into the protective barrier surrounding the arena before sliding down to the ground.

  "Dragonite is uo battle. Metagross wins!"

  The referee g the unscious Dragos fttened belly evoking a faint sense of pity.

  "Meta!~"

  Metagross returo Julian's side.

  "There are six more left. Stop pying around, okay?" Julian said.

  Giveagross's strength, the battle shouldn't have needed a third move. The match could have been over with the sed hit.

  But Metagross had clearly been toying with its oppo, giving Dragohe ce to endure lohan it should have.

  Metagross: 'I 't help it! That Dragonite's belly was just too tempting—it practically begged me to keep hitting it.'

  Metagross's internal monologue revealed its fondness for the squishy appeal onite's belly. Its reasoning?

  It couldn't py around with its own Drago home, so it might as well enjoy the opportunity with someone else's.

  Julian, hearing this mental fession, decided to let it slide. After all, he himself often found Dragonite's belly irresistible and would casually pat it whenever he had the ce.

  The third tender from the Modu Academy stepped forward. This oroduced himself as Akira Ono, a student from Babath.

  Elite Uies often attracted fn students, especially exge students. The more prestigious the institution, the more diverse the student body.

  "Julian-kun, please take care of me," Akira said with a polite bow.

  Though many from Babath were infamous for their opportunism—flip-floppiween alliances with Drakoria aria—their manners were, undeniably, impeccable.

  "Let's not waste time," Julian replied curtly.

  Julian's blunt attitude didn't sit well with some viewers of the livestream, who criticized him for being rude and bringing shame to Drakoria. However, these critics were quickly drowned out by others defending Julian.

  (T/N: Again i have cut some parts, cause as i said before the author doesn't like Japan, so Julian's attitude toward any of them or you say for any try in not favorable and I will try my best to cut any excess or bad things said)

  Akira's Pokémon was a Goodra.

  Goodra's body redominantly purple and coated in a yer of goo. Among the Dragon-type pseudo-legendaries, it was known to be the most affeate toward humans.

  But Julian wasn't impressed. To him, its appearance left much to be desired—he thought even the "Disgrace of the Dragon ," Druddigon, looked better than this.

  Looking at the Goodra, Julian suddenly realized he might be a "looks matter" type of person after all.

  It was okay to look ugly, but at least be ugly with some fir. Be either 'ugly but cool', 'ugly but fierce', or at the very least, 'ugly but adorable'.

  "Goodra, Dragon Pulse!"

  "Teleport!"

  Both ands were given almost simultaneously.

  But Akira's face quickly darkened.

  He had been outpyed.

  Julian had anticipated his move aed in advance.

  The Dragon Pulse barely left Goodra's mouth before Metagross vanished from sight.

  "Metagross, Icy Wind!"

  A chilling breeze swept in from behind Goodra, and within moments, a thick yer of ice several timeters deep formed on its back.

  Livestream Chat:

  "Question for those who know: why didn't Juliaeor Mash? It's way stronger, and this erfect ce!"

  "Yeah, I was w too! Metagross is insanely strong in close bat; why not finish it there?"

  "Let me expin. Goodra's body is coated in goo. Physical attacks lose a lot of their force because the slime dissipates the impact."

  "Oh, I get it. It's like trying to grab a wet eel with your bare hands—slippery!"

  "Wait, grabbing eels? That...somehow sounds wrong..."

  The power of Icy Wind wasn't immense, but its wide ce made up for it. In just a few seds, most of the battlefield was encased in ice.

  The temperature dropped sharply, plummeting by dozens of degrees until it hovered near zeroodra hadn't fainted yet, but it was clearly on its st legs.

  "Metagross, Ice Punch!"

  With a single, Ice Punch, Goodra was finally down.

  The ge on-types had fallen to the iron fist of Metagross.