Nolan, didn't look as tough as it might suggest. His face was soft and smooth, typical of a 'dreamy boy.' Standing over 1.8 meters tall, he had a striking presence. With good facial features, he was often called a lady killer drawing the attention of many girls around him.
In contrast, Julian wasn't bad-looking either. He shared some of the good looks from his parents, but he was quiet and reserved. He had an aura that made people feel like he was off-limits, which didn't help his popularity.
It seemed this guy was the grandson of a well-known Rock Elite, which added to his mystique.
Nolan was similar to Julian in school when he was just starting out; he was relatively unknown. But once he became a Pokémon trainer, he quickly made a name for himself. His starter Pokémon, a Pupitar, turned out to be a Pseudo-legendary, and his background soon became public knowledge.
"Pupitar!"
Nolan called out, sending his trusted Pokémon.
Pokémon: Pupitar (Rock/Ground)
Level: 45
Qualification: Blue
Ability: Shed Skin
Item: Hard Stone
Gender: Male
Moves: Iron Defense, Tackle, Rock Throw, Bite, Scary Face, Payback, Rock Slide, Stomping Tantrum, Dark Pulse, Crunch, Earthquake, Screech
Disc Moves: Hyper Beam, Protect, Dig, Rock Tomb, Sand Tomb, Substitute
Genetic Moves: Sandstorm, Earth Power, Ancient Power, Outrage
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Pokémon: Metagross (Steel/Psychic)
Level: 50
Qualification: Purple
Ability: Light Metal
Prop: Metal Coat
Gender: no gender
Moves: Tackle, Agility, Steel Beam, Confusion, Metal Claw, Hammer Arm, Bullet Punch, Flash Cannon, Magnet Rise, Psychic, Scary Face, Meteor Mash, Hyper Beam
Disc Moves: Iron Head, Zen Headbutt, Iron Defense, Protect, Light Screen, Psycho Cut, Shadow Ball, Gyro Ball, Psyshock, Icy Wind
Genetic Moves: None
Julian was surprised to see Nolan's Pupitar. Blue-qualified Pokémon were rare and often belonged to trainers from prestigious families.
Most families had numerous descendants, while Julian's family was small, with him being the only male heir. In families like Nolan's, the best Pokémon usually went to the chosen heir, while others had to make do with what they could get.
Nolan must have been the heir of his family, the only one who could handle a blue-qualified Pupitar, especially with his grandfather being a Rock-type Elite. Julian knew that raising such a Pokémon was no easy task. Pupitar evolved into Tyranitar, but it needed to reach level 55 first, which was slow for a Pokémon.
Pseudo-legendaries were known for two things: their slow evolution and their even slower leveling-up process. It took a lot of resources to raise them. For instance, if someone bought a Pupitar for 100 million, they might need to spend at least a billion more to fully develop it into Tyranitar.
While pseudo-legendaries provided immense power in battle, they were also incredibly costly. For example, Metagross, another strong Pokémon, consumed energy cubes worth 100,000 a day. An average family struggled to save that much in a year.
As the match between the two pseudo-legendaries began, the crowd grew. The number of viewers in the live broadcast room skyrocketed from one million to two million and continued to rise.
"Let's go, Nolan!" someone cheered.
"It's only Pupitar now, not Tyranitar!" another chimed in.
"I don't care; I'm cheering for him!"
With its ferocious and domineering appearance and the ability to control sand, Tyranitar has the title of "Desert tyrant". In some movies, he often appears as a monster that destroys the city.
Some time ago, the famous Actor Tyranitar also starred in "Tyranitar Vs King Kong" as the villain but won the support of many audiences, shouting that the evil Tyranitar will eventually defeat the righteous, King Kong.
"Blind guess, Metagross wins" one fan shouted.
"It's the grandson of the Rock Elite against the grandson of the Steel Elite!" another added.
"Pupitar is too ugly; I'm supporting Metagross!"
The two Pokémon faced off, as far as Attributes were concerned, neither of them had an advantage. Although Pupitar's Ground type was strong against Metagross's Steel type, the Steel type also had a good matchup against Rock type.
"Pupitar, use Screech!" Nolan commanded.
"Metagross, use Agility!" Julian countered almost simultaneously.
Nolan wanted to weaken Metagross's strong defense, but Julian had anticipated his move.
"Nolan was read!" a commentator exclaimed in surprise.
Pre-reading was a skill where trainers guessed each other's commands to counter them effectively. Metagross, with its Light Metal ability, and thanks to various enchantment potions had improved speed.
Before Pupitar could unleash its screech, Metagross swiftly crossed the battlefield, covering nearly two football fields in a blink.
"Metagross, Hammer Arm!" Julian shouted.
With two mighty strikes, Metagross slammed its arms down on Pupitar. The impact created a loud bang, cracking Pupitar's armor and sending fragments flying. Fighting-type moves were particularly effective against Rock types, and Hammer Arm was one of the strongest.
But it came with a cost; Metagross's speed would decrease after this move.
However, even slowed down, it would still be faster than Pupitar, which was still in its metamorphosis stage.
"Pupitar, use Dark Pulse!"
Nolan said, clenching his fists. He hadn't expected to be one step behind his rival.
Pupitar unleashed a wave of dark energy, but Julian was ready.
"Metagross, use Light Screen!" he commanded.
A translucent barrier appeared in front of Metagross, absorbing the impact of the Dark Pulse. Metagross stood behind the screen, calm and confident, as if it knew the attack wouldn't break through.
"Metagross, Agility, then Hammer Arm again!" Julian continued, his next moves.
"Pupitar, create a Sandstorm!" Nolan called out, sensing the urgency.
The ground around Pupitar transformed into swirling sands, but it was too late. Metagross had already closed in, its arm glowing brightly as it struck down.
*****
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