Chapter 539: Pokemon master of tactics - 539

Chapter 539: Pokemon master of tactics: Chapter 539

In its confused state, Metagross began following a random Crobat from the group it saw. Unfortunately, it followed a fake Crobat instead of heading straight for the real one.

Steven saw this and called out, "Metagross, that’s a fake. Follow a different one."

In its confused state, Metagross heard Steven and followed the command without hesitation.

It followed another Crobat, but that one turned out to be a fake as well.

Steven noticed that Metagross wasn’t exactly following the real Crobat and repeated his command.

Crobat suddenly stopped moving and turned around.

At the same time, he used the Shadow Ball he had just finished preparing.

Crobat was a bit beyond the optimal range of this move—meaning Metagross could normally have dodged the move—but because it was in a confused state, Metagross saw multiple Shadow Balls flying toward it.

Metagross instinctively dodged as many as it could, but the real Shadow Ball clipped it and exploded upon impact.

Crobat didn’t hesitate; it began preparing a new move as it flew toward the edge of the arena.

Metagross’s confusion was fading by the second, and it could better perceive its surroundings.

Although it still saw multiple Crobats, it remembered which Crobat had used the real Shadow Ball.

Metagross simply had to follow the Crobat that had used the genuine Shadow Ball to identify the real one.

It floated directly toward the real Crobat.

Steven saw this and called out, "Good job, Metagross. That’s the real one."

Alex realized his original plan was no longer effective and said telepathically, "Crobat, stop using Shadow Ball outside the optimal range. After this Shadow Ball, change the plan and prepare Protect."

Even though there was a decent chance Metagross couldn’t dodge the move—given its lingering confusion—Alex didn’t want to take the risk.

Alex only employed risky strategies when necessary, not when he was already in such a strong position.

Crobat finished preparing his next move but simultaneously reached the far edge of the arena, leaving him unable to effectively flee from Metagross, who was rapidly floating in his direction.

But since this was already part of the plan, Crobat maintained a calm expression as he quietly watched Metagross move into range.

Both Crobat and Metagross unleashed their moves the moment they were within range.

Psychic struck Crobat, leaving it with less than a fifth of his HP; one more hit like that, and he would collapse unconscious.

Metagross, having been hit by Shadow Ball, was in no better shape; that was the third hit it had sustained, and it had less than a quarter of its HP remaining.

Neither Pokémon hesitated; both immediately began preparing new moves.

Alex glanced at Steven and noticed a faint smile on his face. Unsurprised, Alex smiled back even more broadly.

Steven was momentarily puzzled by Alex’s smile, but the answer came quickly.

The new move Metagross was preparing was Bullet Punch—a move that, like Quick Attack, benefited from a very short setup time.

As soon as the move was ready, Metagross unleashed it; one of its limbs began to glow.

Metagross quickly raised a forelimb and struck the air with it. A fist-shaped projectile of Steel-type energy shot toward Crobat at extreme speed.

Crobat’s move was ready just in time, and he used Protect to block the attack.

Protect also had an extremely fast setup time; while it took slightly longer to prepare than moves like Bullet Punch or Quick Attack, the difference was negligible given a similar level of move mastery.

Alex, who had frequently conducted tests with his Pokémon, knew this; he knew it was possible to block moves like Bullet Punch and Quick Attack using Protect, provided certain factors were taken into account.

Although Protect required a similar preparation time to moves like Bullet Punch, it was still slightly slower, meaning that the time needed to be gained elsewhere.

In this instance, where both Pokémon began preparing their moves simultaneously, that time could only come from the distance separating them.

Having run plenty of tests, Alex knew that as long as a Pokémon wasn’t within ten meters of the attacker, it was possible to block incoming moves like Quick Attack with Protect.

Crobat, positioned more than thirty meters away, had enough leeway to safely block the attack.

Steven looked surprised when he saw Crobat use Protect.

He hadn’t expected Alex to anticipate that he would use Bullet Punch as a finishing blow.

Steven had never used this move against Alex before, nor had he expected Alex to have accounted for it.

While any Metagross would learn the move at this level, Steven couldn’t fathom why Alex seemed so certain that he would use it to finish the match.

Crobat and Metagross both began preparing moves simultaneously once more, but this time, neither Alex nor Steven smiled.

The match ended exactly as Alex had anticipated, with both Crobat and Metagross using Shadow Ball and Psychic again.

Neither Pokémon managed to dodge the opponent’s attack, and both fell unconscious to the ground.

Steven wore a serious expression, while Alex smiled faintly as he thought to himself, "Crobat, you really are the MVP of this match."

-----

If you want to see the next Chapters (40+ Chapters) earlier or just want to support me

https://www.--patreon.com/alex02373