Chapter 256: The Explosion-Loving Metagross (Part 1)
Cynthia had wanted to come along too—she was curious about the shiny Metagross. But since her current team didn’t include a Flying-type Pokémon, she could only watch as Rio took off first.
"Are they all sleeping inside the mountain?"
Metagross Mountain was a bare, rocky peak. Rio circled it a few times on Charizard but didn’t spot the shiny Metagross—though he did see several Metang and Beldum.
"I could really use a Nosepass right now," Rio muttered. He remembered that Metagross, a pseudo-legendary Pokémon, preyed on Rock-type Nosepass. The moment it spotted one, it would chase it down at speeds of up to 100 kilometers per hour. Clearly, Metagross had a serious appetite for them.
"Charizard—release your full pressure. Let that Metagross feel like its territory is being invaded."
After a few minutes, Rio came up with a plan.
"Roaar~" Charizard spread its wings and let out a powerful roar. Its level-70 Champion-tier pressure radiated across Metagross Mountain. The Beldum and Metang below trembled and scattered in fear.
Deep inside the mountain, a silver-white Metagross snapped awake.
"Bii~" A sharp metallic sound echoed from its body. Its gaze turned cold as it folded its four metallic legs, floated upward, and shot out of its cave. Within moments, it was hovering before Rio.
Rio smiled in satisfaction. See? You just have to use your brain. And the Metagross’s stats looked excellent—no wonder it was the ruler of this mountain.
[Pokémon: Metagross (Shiny)]
[Level: 50 (Time until next level: 1210 days.)]
[Talent: Elite Four]
[Friendship: -5]
[Ability: Clear Body]
[Gender: Genderless]
[Moves: Hammer Arm (48%), Tackle (47%), Confusion (47%), Bullet Punch (47%), Explosion (46%), Zen Headbutt (46%), Magnet Rise (46%), Flash Cannon (45%), Psychic (46%), Meteor Mash (45%)]
[Description: This Metagross was formed from two Metang fused together. It has four brains, giving it intelligence comparable to a supercomputer. However, one of its brains, when it was still a Beldum, was once caught by a human. Later, its trainer found a better Beldum and abandoned it. The Beldum has harbored resentment ever since, influencing the other three brains. Whenever a human enters Metagross Mountain, it will attack immediately upon detection.]
"Elite Four talent—this is a real find," Rio thought, glad he’d chosen to catch it instead of taking a detour. He bet Steven, the world’s richest trainer and rock enthusiast, would want this Metagross too.
On the other side, Metagross’s supercomputer brain immediately issued a red alert:
[Warning! Warning!]
[Opponent detected as overwhelmingly powerful. Do not engage recklessly. Analyzing win probability.]
It sensed that Charizard’s pressure and power were on a completely different level—unlike anything it had ever encountered. The purple flames flickering in Charizard’s mouth, waiting for a command, were already raising the surrounding temperature far more than any Fire-type Pokémon it had faced before.
[Based on all detected data, current win probability: 1%.]
[Since victory is impossible, optimal course of action: Explosion.]
In an instant, all four brains reached the same conclusion. Metagross stared at Rio and Charizard—and without hesitation, charged straight at them.
"Bii~" A sharp screech came from Metagross as its body began to glow white.
"What the hell—are you insane?!" Rio, who had been about to give Charizard an attack command, was momentarily stunned into silence, then burst out cursing.
Damn it—when I caught the three Regis, Regice and Registeel only used Explosion as a last resort. What kind of Pokémon uses Explosion on sight?!
Rio frantically slapped Charizard’s back. This wasn’t the time for a counterattack—it was time to run.
Two seconds later, a deafening Explosion echoed across the mountain, startling people and Pokémon for miles around.
"What happened? What was that?" Cynthia, who had just entered the mountain with Garchomp, was startled. Rocks from the explosion rained down toward her, but Garchomp blocked them.
Once the debris settled, Cynthia looked up and saw Charizard carrying Rio toward another part of the mountain. She tried to call out, but they vanished from sight in an instant.
"Metagross, are you out of your mind?! Who uses Explosion right off the bat?! Did I kill your parents or something? You only have -5 friendship—what gives you the right to explode on sight?!"
On the other side, Rio and Charizard returned to Metagross. The Pokémon was now completely incapacitated, barely clinging to life.
Rio kicked its head in frustration. Because of Metagross’s Explosion, Charizard had sustained some injuries—fortunately, they’d fled fast enough that it wasn’t serious. His ears, however, were still ringing from the blast.
"Damn it—wasting one of my Revival Herbs." He pulled out a Revival Herb and fed it to Metagross. Since a fainted Pokémon couldn’t be caught in a Poké Ball, he had no choice.
Soon, Metagross opened its eyes. Rio immediately threw a Poké Ball.
With a flash of light, Metagross was drawn in—but it broke out after just one wobble. It looked at Rio. Its supercomputer brain issued another warning:
[Warning! Warning!]
[Trainer attempting capture.]
[Opponent’s strength is overwhelming. Win probability: 1%. Optimal solution to current crisis: Explosion.]
Almost instantly, Metagross’s body began to glow with a blinding white light.
"What the hell—are you serious?!" Rio’s eyes went wide. He’d never expected it to use Explosion again the moment it woke up. Even Pokémon with -20 or -30 friendship weren’t this ruthless.
"Roaar~" Charizard let out an enraged roar and quickly took flight, fleeing as fast as it could. This was by far the most frustrating battle it had ever experienced—it hadn’t landed a single move, and it had already been hit by two Explosions. It couldn’t even fight back.
BOOM—
Two seconds later, another deafening explosion echoed through the mountains.
"What is going on in there? Is that Explosion? What is Mr. Rio doing?" Outside the mountain, A-Yuan and the others, who had been chatting with Officer Jenny, muttered in confusion.
If the mountain was destroyed and the road blocked, they’d have to take a detour whether they wanted to or not.