Now looking at Natsui's Pokémon, since he already knew what type his opponent would use, Natsui didn't make any further adjustments against this Metagross. Instead, following the strategy he had decided on last night, he directly sent out his Blastoise.
That's right, Blastoise.
For this gym battle, and also to keep his long-unbattled Pokémon from getting rusty, he had specially contacted Koharu at the Pokémon Center last night and had her transfer his Blastoise over.
At this moment, this Pokémon, which had rendered him meritorious service in the Indigo Conference, was going to fight for Natsui again today, to shed blood for its trainer.
The two Pokémon stared at each other, a strong battle intent erupting in their eyes.
In Natsui's lineup, Blastoise's strength could only be said to be above average, not comparable to first-tier Pokémon like Gyarados and Gardevoir. Therefore, facing this Metagross, it was hard to say who would win.
But this match was not without suspense.
After all, although Water-type moves couldn't suppress Steel and Psychic types, Steel-type moves only dealt half damage to Water-type Pokémon.
And this undoubtedly relieved a lot of pressure on Blastoise.
Of course, this didn't mean that Blastoise was guaranteed to win. The specific situation would still depend on the on-the-spot performance of the two Pokémon.
As the referee waved the colored flags, and the match began, Metagross directly charged towards Blastoise.
"Blastoise, use Hydro Pump!" Faced with the menacing Metagross, Natsui calmly gave the order.
Hearing Natsui's instruction, Blastoise lowered its body, and the two cannons on its back began to gather energy. The next second, as the energy reached its peak, both cannons fired at the same time.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
Two thick streams of water shot out from the cannons, heading straight for Metagross.
A powerful Water-type move like Hydro Pump would undoubtedly cause a lot of damage if it hit a Pokémon. Therefore, even without a type advantage, Jasmine didn't dare to let her Metagross take it lightly.
She shouted, "Use Agility!"
Just as the Hydro Pump was about to hit, Metagross's speed suddenly increased, its body accelerating as it dodged to the side, avoiding the attack.
The Hydro Pump missed, but Natsui didn't mind.
After all, the attack method of Hydro Pump was not like a normal cannonball, which would lose its effect after one shot. It was composed of a continuous stream of water. As long as the stream didn't stop, the Hydro Pump wouldn't stop.
Since the opponent had dodged, all he had to do was re-aim.
Blastoise turned its body, and the two cannons on its back also turned in the same direction.
The thick streams of water drew an arc in mid-air, once again closing in on Metagross. And this time, because it was too close to the edge of the battlefield, Metagross couldn't dodge as easily and was hit directly by the Hydro Pump.
Hit by the stream of water, Metagross was unable to move and was held in place.
But after all, a lot of energy had already been wasted, and the Hydro Pump only lasted for a few short seconds before it stopped, not causing much damage.
Just as Natsui was about to order Blastoise to use the same trick again, Metagross's eyes suddenly glowed, and then a psychic blast came, hitting Blastoise.
Blastoise flew high into the air and then fell heavily.
THUD!
Its thick body slammed onto the ground, making a dull sound, and the ground seemed to tremble a little.
As soon as it got up, Metagross was already in front of it.
Metagross raised its two front limbs, its clawed arms as hard as steel, and swung them at Blastoise like a meteor, in a continuous stream.
It was the Steel-type move—Meteor Mash.
Natsui recognized the move but was completely unfazed.
"Use Iron Defense!"
Relying on Blastoise's thick skin, outstanding dual defenses, and the fact that Steel-type moves were halved in power, Natsui was not afraid of such an attack at all. In fact, after using Iron Defense, Blastoise didn't even need to dodge and took the full force of the Meteor Mash.
And as the Meteor Mash's offensive weakened, Natsui keenly seized the opening and decisively launched a counterattack.
"Use Aqua Tail!"
Blastoise turned its body, and its tail, wrapped in water, whipped hard against Metagross's body.
SMACK!
Because its front limbs had not yet been lowered, Metagross lost its footing after being hit and took a few steps back.
But it quickly adjusted and maintained its balance.
In the trainer's box, although Metagross had been attacked, Jasmine's offensive did not stop, and she shouted loudly, "Use Psychic!"
Faced with such a move, Natsui also gave a command.
"Use Protect!"
An invisible, powerful shockwave formed by psychic power arrived in an instant, but at the same time it hit Blastoise, a faint light appeared in front of it, blocking the Psychic attack.
In the spectator stands outside the field, Erika was watching the battle intently, at the same time marveling at how exciting it was.
She never thought that Jasmine's Metagross would be so strong, to be able to fight back and forth with Natsui's Blastoise.
Fortunately, Natsui's Blastoise was also very powerful. It could only be said that, as expected of one of the Pokémon that had helped Natsui win the championship, even though it hadn't battled other Pokémon for a long time, its skill level had been maintained quite well.
And speaking of Natsui…
Her gaze couldn't help but shift to the man.
When commanding his Pokémon in battle, a light seemed to appear in this man's eyes, and his whole person glowed with a different kind of radiance, becoming even more handsome and very attractive.
As she watched, when Erika came back to her senses, she found that she had been staring at Natsui for a long time.
She was surprised by her own change, and then remembered what Jasmine had said before the battle began, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
She pressed her hand against her pounding heart, amazed at her own change.
This is bad…
Could it be… that what people said was true?
In terms of appearance alone, Natsui was undoubtedly outstanding. And after spending time with him, she could also truly feel his wit and humor. If she were to choose a boyfriend, he would indeed fit her aesthetic and temperament very well.
But…
She thought of Sabrina again, and her heart suddenly tightened.
A pity… if only I had met him sooner…
Shaking her head, she cleared these distracting thoughts and refocused her attention on the field.
At this moment, the battle between the two Pokémon was still going on, but their bodies were now covered with several wounds of varying degrees. Clearly, while she had been distracted just now, under the command of the two trainers, the two Pokémon had clashed fiercely again.
But this stalemate was soon broken.
When Metagross charged in again and used Zen Headbutt, this time Blastoise directly used Withdraw, avoiding the damage while also launching a counterattack with Rapid Spin.
Hit by the vibrating attack of Rapid Spin, Metagross stood frozen in place. And Blastoise, its momentum undiminished, bounced high into the air after hitting Metagross's hard body, continued to accelerate its spin in mid-air, and then crashed straight down onto Metagross.
BOOM!
The sound of a heavy object falling resounded throughout the entire battlefield…