At this moment, both Nolan and his Tyranitar felt confident, casting contemptuous glances at Julian and his Metagross on the opposite side.
Their expression seemed to say: 'You're nothing.'
The protective shield surrounding the battlefield had been activated, preventing the sandstorm generated by Tyranitar's Sand Stream from spreading everywhere. Instead, it was trapped within the boundaries, making the sandstorm even denser.
This gave Tyranitar an initial advantage.
"Dark Pulse!" Nolan commanded.
Through the swirling sand, Tyranitar unleashed a Snarl, followed by a black wave of energy. It pierced through the sand, crossing the battlefield in an instant.
But Metagross had already vanished, dodging the Dark Pulse, which left a crater in the ground.
In the next moment, Metagross reappeared mid-air, unaffected by the storm of sand.
"Metagross, Hammer Arm!" Julian's voice rang out.
Metagross appeared above Tyranitar in a flash. Its arm glowed a brilliant white as it swung down with immense force, cutting through the air so fast that the sand around it turned to dust.
"Tyranitar, use Mega Punch!" Nolan shouted.
Tyranitar roared and swung its fist to meet Metagross's Hammer Arm. The two attacks collided, creating a powerful shockwave that sent sand spiraling in all directions.
Tyranitar's arm buckled under the impact, and the ground beneath it cracked as its body was driven halfway into the earth.
Tyranitar staggered back, its arm hanging limp. It growled in frustration, glaring at Metagross.
But before it could react further, Metagross delivered a Meteor Mash.
Tyranitar was slammed against the protective shield and slid down to the ground, unconscious.
Nolan shouted in disbelief; "Tyranitar"
But he got no answer from Tyranitar.
"Tyranitar is unable to battle! Metagross wins!" the referee declared.
The clock on the scoreboard showed that less than 60 seconds had passed, Exactly 59.
The arena fell silent. Even Julian's classmates were stunned at how easily Metagross had defeated another pseudo-legendary Pokémon like Tyranitar.
The audience in the stands, who had barely started cheering, were now frozen in shock.
The students who were live-streaming, the exchange event between the two colleges stared blankly at their screens, bombarded with comments like:
"Why does this scene seem so familiar?"
"Not again! why did my Nolan lose to this guy again?"
"Metagross: You fell before I even tried"
"Looking at the momentum, Julian's going for at least three wins in a row."
"Nah, I'm betting he'll take out five!"
As the referee's announcement echoed, Nolan snapped out of his daze, and so did the crowd—students from Imperial, Shu, and other colleges who came to join in the fun.
The Imperial College students started buzzing with excitement, while the Shu University side was left in disbelief.
Their starting player had been defeated in less than a minute.
Being chosen as the starter meant Nolan wasn't the weakest. His Pokémon, the well-known desert tyrant Tyranitar, was among the powerful pseudo-legendaries.
When Tyranitar had taken the stage, roaring up at the sky with sand swirling around him, he had looked unstoppable.
But the turnaround came too fast. In less than a minute, Tyranitar was down, unable to stand. The contrast was shocking.
It was like seeing a big, strong man who looks tough but can't even last a minute.
As Nolan walked off in defeat, His head teacher, Zoe, placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "That Metagross has surpassed a typical pseudo-Elite Pokémon."
Nolan wanted to protest—his Tyranitar could also defeat pseudo-Elite level Pokémon—but he couldn't argue with the result.
Zoe turned to the next student, Ryan. "Do your best to push Metagross. Try to reveal more of its strength."
Ryan nodded seriously, although he didn't want to admit it, but judging from Metagross' strength just now, he was indeed not an opponent.
He'd have to be clever, draw out the fight, and give his teammates more insight into Metagross's capabilities.
He stepped onto the battlefield and released his Pokémon.
"Gardevoir, let's go."
Pokémon: Gardevoir (Psychic/Fairy)
Holding: Twisted Spoon
Moves: Dazzling Gleam, Confusion, Disarming Voice, Growl, Charm, Moonblast, Hypnosis, Draining Kiss, Teleport, Psybeam, Life Dew, Calm Mind, Psychic
Disc Moves: Magical Leaf, Thunder Wave, Protect, Light Screen, Reflect, Will-O-Wisp, Imprison, Icy Wind, Power Swap, Trick Room
Genetic Moves: Heal Pulse, Safeguard, Psyshock, Skill Swap
Gardevoir the famous "wife" Pokémon, in some respects, was even more popular than pseudo-legendaries, and its rarity was also comparable to that of pseudo-legendaries.
Gardevoir's elegant form shimmered as she appeared on the field. Even the students from Imperial College couldn't help but cheer when they saw her.
"Whoa! This guy's got a Gardevoir?"
"Metagross better not go too hard on her!"
"I'm switching sides—I'm rooting for my wife Gardevoir now!"
"You might want to first check if she's a he."
Glancing at Gardevoir, Even Julian, a Iron hearted guy appreciated the Pokémon's graceful appearance.
"I don't know if a punch will make it cry"
'Then, let's give it a try.'
"Metagross, Bullet Punch!"
Metagross darted forward, its silver arm gleaming as it shot toward Gardevoir with incredible speed. It didn't give a f**k who the opponent was.
Ryan barely had time to react.
"Gardevoir, Teleport!"
Gardevoir vanished just before the attack could land, reappearing fifty meters away as Metagross's punch hit nothing but air.
"Gardevoir, Psybeam, now!"
The two moves collided mid-air, but Metagross's Steel Beam easily overpowered Psybeam, heading straight for Gardevoir. Once again, she used Teleport to dodge, but Julian was ready.
"Metagross, use Psychic at eight o'clock!"
Without missing a beat, Metagross launched a blast of psychic energy to where Gardevoir had just reappeared. Gardevoir was caught mid-Teleport and frozen in place, unable to move.
"How did you know where Gardevoir would appear?"
Ryan stared at Julian in shock. Even he the trainer didn't known Gardevoir's exact location after Teleporting.
But somehow, Julian did.