"Is that... Shell Smash?"
Up on the viewing platform, Lorelei shot to her feet. She'd barely shown any emotion until now.
She had raised a Slowking herself and knew the Pokémon inside out.
That only made what she was seeing harder to believe.
Could Slowking even learn Shell Smash?
And since when did Shell Smash turn one Pokémon into two?
Slowking evolved through the fusion of Slowpoke and Shellder, but the rules had always treated it as a single Pokémon.
Normally, its shell crown couldn't act on its own. It needed a host to use its powers.
Slowpoke was that host, the one that did the fighting!
Caster's Slowking was clearly different!
Hum!
Before everyone's eyes, the shell crown raised a translucent barrier between Metagross and the uncrowned Slowking.
The invaluable defensive move, Protect!
It could fight without its host!!!
Lance was just as shocked as Lorelei.
But this was a critical moment in the battle. No one stopped to discuss it. They kept their eyes on the field.
"Metagross!!!"
Metagross kept pounding away with all four steel fists, showing no sign of tiring.
The shell crown had used Protect, but its barrier couldn't withstand those crushing blows either. Cracks already covered it.
Thump-thump-thump! Thump-thump-thump!
Just then, a low, rhythmic drumming sounded across the field, like the beating of war drums.
"That sound..."
The tens of thousands of spectators turned toward it, looking past Metagross and the shell crown to the uncrowned Slowking.
The rapid drumming was coming from its belly.
"That's Belly Drum!!!"
Someone recognized the move.
Belly Drum sacrificed half the user's stamina to raise its Attack straight to the maximum.
But such a huge boost was difficult to achieve. The move usually took quite a while to complete.
"Metagross, stop wasting time on the crown!"
The rapid drumming made Zeke feel as though he could barely breathe. "Go around it now! Attack Slowking itself!"
The crown's ability to fight on its own had surprised him, but he knew it was only an attachment. The Pokémon beneath it was the main body.
Defeat the uncrowned Slowking, and the crown wouldn't be able to do much.
But if Slowking finished powering up, Metagross was done for.
Its psychic power was already weaker than Slowking's.
If Slowking surpassed its physical strength as well, how could it fight back?
"Metagross!"
Metagross understood. It stopped punching, fired jets of flame downward from its four limbs, and tried to fly past the shell crown to reach Slowking.
Just then, a blinding light shone from the crown.
BOOM!
A small mushroom cloud rose from the center of the field. The blast shook the entire stadium, and the shock wave sent everyone's clothes whipping around them.
The Normal-type move, Explosion!!!
No move in the Pokémon world was more powerful!
The price was that its user would faint.
To give the uncrowned Slowking time to finish powering up, the shell crown had sacrificed itself.
"Metagross!"
Metagross cried out as the blast hurled it away. Covered in dust, it looked a sorry sight.
Its Steel typing resisted Normal-type moves, but Explosion was simply too powerful. Metagross had been right at the center and taken the full force of the blast.
Even with its tremendous defenses, it swayed, its head spinning.
At that moment, Slowking finished its Belly Drum.
"You're dead!"
Sensing the shell crown's sacrifice through its psychic power, the usually mild-mannered Slowking finally lost its temper.
Its muscles bulged, and its eyes were murderous.
Shell Smash had boosted its Speed. In a few quick dashes, it reached Metagross.
Then a fist the size of a punching bag came crashing down, wrapped in a thick layer of energy.
The Fighting-type move, Drain Punch!
"Metagross!"
Metagross hurried to counter with Meteor Mash, throwing all four fists at a furious pace. The force made the air shriek. Friction wreathed its fists in faint flames, like comets streaking through the sky.
Four fists against two. It had the advantage!
BOOM!
The moment their fists met, Metagross knew something was wrong.
With its Attack at the maximum, Slowking hit with terrifying force.
One punch was enough for Metagross to feel parts of its body break!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The punches kept coming. Metagross couldn't defend itself. Blow after blow dented and battered its steel body.
Its stamina drained away, turning into motes of light that flowed into Slowking.
Metagross grew weaker with every exchange, while Slowking grew more energetic. It seemed to have endless stamina.
"Meta... gross..."
After dozens of punches, Metagross let out a final cry and collapsed, its eyes spiraling.
The ground beneath it had become a crater, with cracks spreading across it in every direction.
Gulp.
Everyone watching swallowed.
Caster's Slowking was absolutely brutal!
"We could have just had a nice contest of psychic power."
Still angry, Slowking snorted at the fallen Metagross. "Why did you have to make me use my fists?"
Then it walked slowly to the center of the field, picked up the shell crown, and carefully wiped off the dust before putting it back on its head.
The moment the crown was back in place, its anger seemed to fade.
Its friendly smile returned. With its belly sticking out and its hands behind its back, it looked as mild as ever.
Only then did the spectators and livestream viewers find time to react.
"Holy shit! That Slowking just beat up a Metagross with its fists? Am I seeing things?"
"Forget what you're seeing! I want to know if that's even legal!"
"Legal or not, what are you going to do about it?"
"Slowking: I prefer psychic power, but if you won't listen, I know a thing or two about punching!"
Caster's livestream filled with jokes.
"He never stops surprising me!"
Up on the platform, Lance was amazed.
He'd thought making Gyarados fly was incredible enough. Apparently, Caster could do much more than that.
Lorelei adjusted her glasses and smiled. "There's no telling what he might achieve!"
"Zeke, please send out your next Pokémon!"
The referee had to prompt him when he failed to act.
But Zeke hesitated.
Slowking's Attack was at its maximum, and its Special Attack and Speed had each risen by two stages. In this state, it was practically invincible.
Whoever he sent out would just be knocked out!
But he had to send someone. This was an official match.
Stall too long, and he would forfeit.
With no choice, Zeke sent out his third Pokémon, a large frog with a spiral on its belly.
Poliwrath, a Water and Fighting type!
"Poliwrath!"
The moment it appeared, Poliwrath clenched its fists and took a fighting stance, sweeping aside the falling rain and surrounding air.
It was clearly quite strong.
It probably had Swift Swim, too. The rain made its footwork quicker and more nimble.
But a Toxic Spike soon pricked its foot. A blackish-purple tinge spread over its face, and it grimaced in pain.
Poliwrath was badly poisoned!
Ordinary Toxic Spikes could only poison an opponent. But before evolving, the shell crown had already reached the Mastered level with Toxic. That potency carried over to its Toxic Spikes.
"Poliwrath!"
Despite that bad start, Poliwrath still wanted to fight.
But with Slowking's stats boosted by a total of ten stages, it was hopelessly outmatched.
With a thought, Slowking caught Poliwrath in its psychic power and held it in place.
A single Psychic followed, knocking Poliwrath out.
"Poliwrath is unable to battle!"
The referee raised his flag and announced, "Three of Zeke's Pokémon are now unable to battle. We will take a five-minute intermission!"
At his signal, the match paused.