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Chapter 191: Bronzor vs. Metang
🕑 Added 2025-09-10 14:35:55 +0000 UTCChapter 191: Bronzor vs. Metang
The next day at high noon, Zane arrived at the summit of Mount Veridian as promised.
Basalt, Bronzor, and the many members of the Bronzong clan were already there, having waited for some time. The moment Zane appeared, a wave of resentment washed over the entire clan; the story of his arrogant words and actions from the day before had spread like wildfire. Because of this, Basalt had spent the entire previous night and morning racking his brain for a strategy, but it had given him nothing but a headache.
Unfortunately, he knew absolutely nothing about Zane or his Metang. All he could do was prepare a strategy based on conventional thinking. He had absolutely no confidence that he could win.
"It's you!"
The moment Zane saw Basalt, he was visibly stunned, his eyes wide as he stared for a long moment.
"That's right, it's me," Basalt replied with a helpless shrug and a bitter smile.
Although neither knew the other's name or specific details, they were both aware of the powerful organizations backing each other and knew their opponent was not to be underestimated.
"The Weather Bureau, is it? Is that the source of your confidence?" Zane said. Though surprised, he didn't seem to take Basalt too seriously. After all, there were levels even among geniuses. Moreover, the difference in raw power between a Metang and a Bronzor was significant.
"Both trainers, please take your positions," the Bronzong from the previous day announced, its voice echoing in their minds as it took on the role of referee.
Meanwhile, Summer and another honest-looking boy named Barry stood off to the side, watching the proceedings with intense focus. It was clear the boy had also passed the first two trials and was now in the final stage.
Basalt and Zane walked to the center of the platform and stood facing each other. Bronzor floated behind Basalt, humming with anticipation.
"Brooonz~ Brooonz~" Before the match even began, the members of the Bronzong clan began to drift and dance through the air, occasionally bumping into one another to create a chorus of clear, chiming sounds—their way of cheering for their own.
"Let the battle commence, Metang!" Zane said, throwing his Poké Ball.
"Whoa! A Metang, the pre-evolution of a pseudo-legendary!" The moment the Pokémon appeared, both Barry and Summer gasped in shock.
A pseudo-legendary was not a Pokémon one could obtain easily. The trainer was either the child of an incredibly powerful family or a once-in-a-generation talent. There was rarely a third possibility. And this wasn't just a base-stage pseudo-legendary; it was a Metang, an intermediate evolution that already possessed significant battle power.
"This is..." Summer was dumbfounded. She had known Basalt was competing today, but she had never considered that he might lose. Now, seeing his opponent, she felt the odds were stacked heavily against him.
"Let the battle begin!"
With the Bronzong's psychic command, the fight officially started.
VWOOM! VWOOM!
At the onset, neither Pokémon made a physical move. They simply hovered in the air, their eyes glowing with a strange light. But the air on the platform began to swirl around them, an invisible psychic storm brewing and growing more intense by the second.
"They're probing each other with their psychic power," Summer and Barry realized, exchanging a look. It was a dangerous, invisible clash of wills. A single misstep in a mental battle of this magnitude could result in severe psychic trauma.
BOOM!
Suddenly, the two psychic forces collided violently in the space between them, creating an unseen tempest.
"Metang!"
"Brooonz!"
Both Pokémon grunted in unison, their bodies pushed back several steps.
"A dead heat?" Summer's eyebrows shot up.
"Your Bronzor's psychic power is surprisingly strong, I'll give you that," Zane said, his eyes narrowing. "But—my Metang's specialty isn't psychic power. It's close combat. Bullet Punch!"
WHOOSH!
The moment Zane gave the command, Metang's two mechanical arms began to spin, and it shot forward, its fist closing the ten-meter gap in an instant and slamming into Bronzor. As a priority move, its speed was simply too fast. Even with the Custap Berry boosting its reaction time, Bronzor couldn't respond in time.
CLANG!
The Bullet Punch connected, sending Bronzor flying backwards. With a single change in tactics, Zane had immediately seized the upper hand.
"Bronzor, Hypnosis!" Basalt commanded, his expression grim as he launched his counterattack. Metang's ability was likely Clear Body, which prevented stat drops, but it was still vulnerable to status effects.
"Brooonz~" Bronzor halted its backwards momentum, its psychic power surging as a golden light shot from its eye.
"Gyro Ball!" Zane commanded, completely unfazed.
WHIRRR!
Metang began to spin rapidly, its metallic body easily deflecting the hypnotic light, nullifying the attack completely.
"Iron Head!" Basalt ordered.
"Take Down!" Zane countered without yielding an inch.
BOOM!
The two Pokémon slammed into each other with a deep, resonant clang, sonic booms erupting from the point of impact. Bronzor was undeniably a heavyweight. After months of growth, its weight had reached a staggering 150 kilograms, nearly three times that of a normal Bronzor, a testament to its incredible density.
But against Metang, it still had no advantage. Zane's Metang was a normal size, but as an evolved Pokémon, its natural weight was over 200 kilograms. In the physical clash, Metang had the clear advantage.
"Brooonz~ Brooonz~" Seeing their champion being pushed back, the clan members cheered even louder.
"Brooonz," Bronzor grumbled, its expression grim. For the first time, it wished it were heavier.
"Rock Tomb!"
"Counter with Rock Tomb!"
As they were both Steel/Psychic-types, their move pools were remarkably similar. Dozens of rocks materialized and collided in mid-air in a perfect, explosive stalemate.
Their eyes locked on each other, the two Pokémon retreated slightly, then, in perfect unison, their bodies began to glow with a brilliant white light.
FWOOSH! FWOOSH!
The light focused into a single point on each of them before erupting in two massive, silver beams that shot towards each other.
Flash Cannon!
"Another dead heat!" Barry said, wiping sweat from his brow, his throat dry. Watching them go all-out, he felt the immense gap between their level and his own.
On the field, Zane's expression was grim. A stalemate was not what he wanted. He needed a decisive, overwhelming victory.
"Thunder Punch!" he commanded, his voice low and urgent.
"Metang!" Its eyes narrowed, sensing its trainer's dissatisfaction.
CRACKLE!
In an instant, its mechanical arms began to spin again, its fists sparking with terrifying electrical energy.
"Charge Beam!" Basalt countered.
BOOM!
The two Pokémon clashed again, exchanging electrical blows, both taking damage.
"Pursuit!"
"Sucker Punch!"
Almost at the exact same moment, Basalt and Zane's voices rang out. It was a case of great minds thinking alike; two trainers with the same type of Pokémon had arrived at the exact same tactic.
BOOM!
They collided once more, and again, neither gained a clear advantage. But while Metang was pushed back a meter, Bronzor was sent flying back three. Metang was stronger, but Bronzor was tougher. Overall, the pseudo-legendary still had a slight edge.
"It seems the Metang is just a bit stronger after all," Barry sighed.
"Looks like I can't win with raw power," Basalt thought, his eyes narrowing. "In that case... Iron Defense!"
Zane's eyebrow shot up. "Trying to stall and win a battle of attrition? Useless."
"Metang, we'll use Iron Defense too!"
VWOOM! VWOOM!
Two flashes of metallic light, and both Pokémon's defenses were sharply raised.
Seeing this, Basalt's lips curved into a smile. "Gravity!"
VWOOM!
Hit with the super-charged gravity field, Metang's own magnetic levitation failed, and its body began to plummet. As a heavyweight, it already weighed over 200 kilograms. After using Iron Defense, its weight had increased even more. Under a four-times gravity multiplier, the pull of the earth was explosive.
This was Basalt's true plan.
"Once you're on the ground, you're mine," he thought with a smirk.
But a moment later, his smile vanished.
FWOOSH! FWOOSH!
As the Metang fell, its two mechanical claws suddenly began to spin, and jets of what looked like rocket exhaust shot out from underneath them, dramatically increasing its ability to hover. Even under the crushing four-times gravity, Metang managed to stabilize its position in the air.
"Crap! How could I forget about that!" Basalt slapped his forehead, a mask of anguish on his face.
