In the central area, the Dowsing Machine indeed displayed a rather large red dot.

    At this moment, the snowstorm had finally stopped.

    Perhaps sensing an uninvited guest in its territory, the Elite-level Claydol had already moved to block Dragonite''s path.

    Pokémon: Claydol (Ground/Psychic)

    Level: 73

    Potential: Cyan

    Ability: Levitate

    Held Item: Light Clay

    Gender: Genderless

    Moves: Hyper Beam, Teleport, Harden, Mud-Slap, Rapid Spin, Confusion, Rock Tomb, Psybeam, Power Trick, Ancient Power, Imprison, Cosmic Power, Extrasensory, Earth Power, Self-Destruct, Sandstorm, Explosion

    TMs: None

    Egg Moves: None

    ---

    Claydol: "Leave my territory."

    Even though Dragonite was also at the Elite level, its Dragon-type pseudo-legendary status made it an intimidating opponent.

    Claydol''s instincts told it that this wasn''t a fight to take lightly.

    If a battle could be avoided, that would be for the best.

    According to the Dowsing Machine, the red dot''s location wasn''t actually inside Claydol''s territory. Instead, it was in Gigalith''s.

    It''s just that passing through Claydol''s territory was the shortest route.

    Dragonite: "Your place is so poor. You think I even want to be here?"

    Since Julian wasn''t using his psychic powers, he didn''t understand what Dragonite just said.

    But judging by Claydol''s reaction, it definitely wasn''t anything good—its eyes even flickered with anger.

    Claydol: "This is your last chance. Leave now."

    If Dragonite hadn''t felt so threatening, Claydol would have attacked already instead of wasting time talking.

    Julian patted Dragonite''s side, signaling it to descend. sea??h thё Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Dragonite landed, and Claydol followed, though its impatience was clear.

    As an Elite Pokémon, Claydol had its own pride. If the opponent was stronger, it could endure for a while. But tolerating it forever?

    Impossible.

    "Melmetal"

    With a flash of white light, Melmetal appeared on the field.

    Pokémon: Melmetal (Steel)

    Level: 70

    Potential: Purple

    Ability: Iron Fist

    Held Item: Black Belt

    Gender: Genderless

    Moves: Harden, Thunder Shock, Headbutt, Tail whip, Charge Beam, Thunder Punch, Acid Armor, Flash Cannon, Thunder Wave, Dynamic Punch, Mega Punch, Double Iron Bash, Protect, Discharge

    TMs: Ice Punch, Hyper Beam, Giga Impact, Thunderbolt, Brick Break, Electric Terrain, Hammer Arm, Brutal Swing, Thrash, Body Slam, Ice Beam, Darkest Lariat, Heavy Slam, Earthquake

    Egg Moves: None

    ---

    "Mel—"

    Melmetal swung its massive arms with a somewhat dissatisfied expression.

    "Alright, isn''t this a good opponent for you this time?" Julian said with a smile.

    When he challenged the national-level Rock Gym, Melmetal hadn''t been sent out to battle, because of that, it had been sulking for days.

    Pokémon were just like humans—they all had their own tempers, and each one had a different personality.

    As a Trainer, understanding each Pokémon''s temperament was an important skill.

    Melmetal looked at Claydol.

    Melmetal: "This guy? Can it even take two punches from me?"

    Claydol''s anger instantly flared.

    "Double Iron Bash," Julian said.

    Claydol:

    Before Claydol could react, Melmetal''s fists swung forward, aiming straight for it, but in a flash, Claydol vanished. Melmetal''s attack struck nothing but air.

    At the same time, Claydol reappeared behind Melmetal, its arms glowing as it fired a .

    Pokémon with  often had unpredictable attack patterns.

    Claydol had been sure its attack would land—but suddenly, Melmetal''s legs extended, making its body grow taller in an instant.

    The Psybeam passed harmlessly between Melmetal''s legs.

    For a split second, Claydol froze in shock, and before it could react—

    Melmetal''s  slammed into it, sending a wave of pain through its entire body.

    With  ability boosting the power of its punches, Melmetal''s fighting style was clear just by looking at its massive arms.

    And because of its unique body structure, opponents who didn''t understand it would often fall right into its trap.

    Claydol had just made that mistake.

    One hit wasn''t enough to defeat Claydol—after all, it was still an Elite-level Pokémon, and both its Defense and Special Defense were among its strongest stats.

    Furious, Claydol charged up a , unleashing a golden energy blast from both arms, the shockwave carved a trench more than a meter deep into the ground as it surged toward Melmetal.

    Melmetal didn''t dodge, instead, it swung its right fist straight into the beam. Then, as it withdrew its right arm, it immediately punched forward with its left.

    Alternating between fists, Melmetal pushed against the , advancing step by step. Each time its foot touched the ground, it left behind a deep footprint.

    And the closer Melmetal got to Claydol, the stronger the force from the  became. Yet, Melmetal held its ground, using its alternating punches to keep pushing forward.

    Claydol stared, dumbfounded for a moment—then, rage took over.

    It was an Elite-level Pokémon, yet this non-Elite opponent was pressuring it this much?

    The frustration wasn''t just aimed at Melmetal. It was angry at itself—angry that its strength wasn''t enough.

    Fueled by this rage, the power of  surged, growing even more intense.

    But even that wasn''t enough to stop Melmetal, its  only sped up, fists swinging so fast that afterimages began to appear.

    Melmetal:

    A rapid barrage of punches pounded against the , at last, Claydol couldn''t maintain the attack any longer. Its energy plummeted, and with it, the power of the  weakened.

    Claydol:

    It tried to hold on, tried to gather more power—but it was too late, Melmetal had already caught its opening.

    Its left fist swung forward—

    was completely shattered, and right behind it—

    The right fist came flying in. To Claydol, it looked like the entire world was swallowed by a massive fist. Then—

    …The fist stopped right in front of its face.

    Claydol stared, confused, Melmetal looked down at it.

    Melmetal: "Ten-minute break. Then we go again."

    It knew very well—if it knocked Claydol out now, it would be unclear when it''d get another fun opponent, so it wanted to keep playing a little longer.

    A wave of humiliation surged through Claydol''s mind.

    Claydol: "F**K YOU!"

    It was one of the rulers of Earth Ridge! How dare this brainless lump look down on it?

    Today, either it fell, or Melmetal did.

    A blinding white light erupted from Claydol''s body.

    Julian''s eyes widened in shock.

    Julian: "Oh, sh—!!"