Team Rocket's Second-in-Command!-Chapter 392: Team Rocket’s Second-in-Command! []

Dragonite unleashed Hurricane. The raging winds disrupted Metagross, which was spinning rapidly with Gyro Ball, causing it to veer off course.

Under normal circumstances, Metagross' four brains, linked via a neural network, would seamlessly coordinate its movements.

However, the magnetic field supporting Metagross' flight was thrown into disarray by the storm. Subtle differences in the data received by its four brains created a mismatch, throwing its body out of sync.

It was the precursor to confusion.

Steven, as the Champion, had a deep bond with his Metagross. The moment he noticed its unsteady form, he realized the situation was dire.

Without hesitation, he abandoned the Gyro Ball attack.

"Metagross, Light Screen!"

Metagross abruptly halted its rotation upon hearing Steven's command. A shimmering Light Screen materialized before it, shielding it from the relentless storm.

"Roar!" Dragonite bellowed at the sight, its eyes flashing with determination. With a flap of its wings, violent air currents propelled its body forward like a lightning bolt, closing the distance to Metagross.

"Brick Break!"

Crash!

The Light Screen shattered like glass struck by a sledgehammer, scattering into countless fragments.

Dragonite's arm continued its trajectory, slamming directly into Metagross' body.

Boom!

Caught unprepared, Metagross was sent flying through the air.

This time, Dragonite, enraged by Metagross' earlier Meteor Mash, wasn't about to let it off easily.

With another powerful flap of its wings, Dragonite activated Extreme Speed.

Closing the distance instantly, Dragonite grabbed one of Metagross' claws with one hand, yanking it forward. Its other hand clenched into a fiery fist, flames roaring as it delivered a devastating punch to Metagross.

Bam!

The Fire Punch struck directly at the center of Metagross' X-shaped metal face.

The simultaneous fire-type energy and immense force caused three of Metagross' four brains to momentarily shut down.

This, however, highlighted the advantage of a quad-core system.

The sole functioning brain immediately regained control and launched a counterattack.

"Meteor Mash!"

Metagross' solid iron arm smashed into Dragonite's belly, forcing it to cough up the partially charged Dragon Pulse.

Boom!

The close-range explosion engulfed both Pokémon.

"What happened!?"

"Curse this smoke!"

All eyes were glued to the screen, trying to pierce through the thick cloud of smoke and see what had transpired.

Of course, it was futile. Even on the battlefield, only Luo Yuan, with his psychic abilities, could perceive the scene within the explosion.

"Dragonite, pull back!" Luo Yuan's brows furrowed as he quickly issued his command.

Whoosh!

Amidst the howling winds, Dragonite emerged from the smoke, trailing a streak of gray haze as it flew out.

With its escape, everyone finally got a clear view of Dragonite's condition.

It was a mess. Deep claw marks marred its arms, its cheeks were slightly swollen, and bruises and scrapes covered its belly.

What about Metagross?

As if answering everyone's unspoken question, Dragonite flapped its wings fiercely mid-air, dispersing the smoke to reveal Metagross' condition.

Metagross looked even worse. Its body was scorched black from the explosion, its energy significantly drained, now barely a third of what it had been at the start of the battle.

However, its eyes glowed with a dangerous red light.

The blinking red glow resembled the countdown timer of a bomb.

Luo Yuan had sensed this with his psychic abilities, prompting him to order Dragonite to retreat!

Metagross locked onto Dragonite's position and used Agility to charge forward.

"Again!?"

Those watching the live broadcast knew exactly what this meant.

While some grumbled about Steven turning into a "Bomberman," others couldn't help but marvel. Luo Yuan was likely the first person to force Steven to use Explosion twice in just three battles.

In the sky, Metagross chased while Dragonite fled, the two circling relentlessly.

The arena's constraints became increasingly apparent. With its massive size, Dragonite's maneuvering space was severely limited.

Metagross, however, didn't need to consider such things. All it needed was to catch Dragonite!

"Roar! (Stop chasing me if you dare!)"

"Buzz! (Let's go down together!)"

Metagross, heavily injured and aware it couldn't win, was burning the last of its energy to take Dragonite down with it.

The distance between them closed, and the red glow in Metagross' eyes blinked faster and faster.

Finally, as Dragonite was cornered at the edge of the arena, Metagross caught up.

Buzz!

Metagross reared up, spreading its four arms wide. Like a facehugger, it pounced at Dragonite while releasing beams of white light from its core.

Boom!

Metagross used Explosion.

The blast engulfed both Pokémon completely.

"What about Dragonite!?"

It was certain that Metagross had lost the ability to battle. But the real question remained: how was Dragonite?

All eyes were fixed on the smoke, waiting for the outcome.

Suddenly, a gentle breeze blew in through the shattered glass windows, dispersing the smoke.

The scene became clear.

Metagross lay sprawled on the ground, knocked out after its massive explosion. Dragonite, though battered and bruised, stood upright. The remnants of a shattered Protect barrier flickered briefly around it.

At the critical moment, Dragonite had managed to survive using Protect followed by Endure, all thanks to Luo Yuan's quick commands.

"Good thing I played it safe," Luo Yuan thought, glancing at Steven's grim expression.

"Otherwise, he might've swapped things around again."

He couldn't help but inwardly criticize, Who even taught you to fight like this? You're a Champion, not a Bomberman!

"Excellent!"

Chairman Silph clapped his hands. "What a spectacular battle!"

Although he didn't fully understand Pokémon battles, as long as Luo Yuan won, it was spectacular in his book.

In stark contrast, Chairman Devon's face was dark as a scorched pot.

He hadn't anticipated that even after sending out Metagross and resorting to Explosion, Steven still failed to take down Luo Yuan's Dragonite.

By now, Chairman Devon could already foresee the outcome of this duel.

On one side was Steven, whose ace Pokémon had already been defeated. On the other was Luo Yuan, who had only lost one Pokémon so far.

No matter how you looked at it, the scales of victory were tilting toward Silph's side.

"Metagross is unable to battle. Luo Yuan's Dragonite wins!" Lance announced, gazing at Dragonite.

He silently wondered whether his own Dragonite could withstand such an Explosion.

The result was not optimistic.

---

...

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