"Not bad, it'll do."
After a brief evaluation, Paul pocketed the Poké Ball.
"Reggie, make sure Gabite and Grotle interact more often. Grotle can gradually teach it some Ground-type moves in preparation for its evolution."
"As for Gabite's bloodline awakening plan, I'll leave that in your hands."
In the games, Grotle doesn't naturally learn many Ground-type moves, but in reality, there's no harm in picking up a few in advance. As long as it's not something too extreme, it shouldn't be too difficult.
"No problem, I'll take good care of them." Reggie replied with a faint smile.
"Alright, that's all. Time for training. Catch you later, big bro."
Paul ended the call.
"Got it. Good luck." Reggie chuckled before hanging up.
After retrieving Metagross' Poké Ball, Paul made his way toward the mountainous terrain in the northeast once again.
No matter how steep the mountains were, there would always be open spaces suitable for training. Besides, the lack of human presence made it all the more convenient.
"Come on out."
After spending some time finding an adequate training ground, Paul tossed out all his Poké Balls.
As the five Pokémon emerged, they took various stances—some standing, some crouching—but all of them had their eyes locked on Metagross.
Though their gazes differed in intensity, none of them were friendly, vividly displaying the squad's so-called camaraderie—filled with brotherly love and mutual respect, of course.
"Grroo~"
Having once ruled as a dominant force in the wild, Metagross was naturally fierce and aggressive. It didn't fear any of the Pokémon here—whether or not it could win was another matter, but fear? That was out of the question.
"I'm Paul, your new Trainer. As the weakest member of the team, you'll have to work twice as hard. Understood?"
Standing before Metagross, Paul spoke with a calm yet commanding tone.
"Grroo~"
Metagross nodded, then hesitated before shaking its head, shifting its gaze toward Dewott, Drapion, and Ninetales.
It accepted Paul as its Trainer—after all, Paul had defeated and captured it.
And if becoming stronger meant hard work, then so be it.
However… it was the weakest on the team?
What kind of joke was that?
Leaving aside the others, that Water-type Dewott and Poison-type Drapion didn't look particularly strong!
Even that Fire-type Ninetales and the Gabite from earlier might not necessarily be stronger than it!
Sensing Metagross' defiant gaze, the three Pokémon immediately felt as though they had been underestimated.
Already prideful and competitive by nature, Drapion's expression grew even colder as it stared at Metagross. Meanwhile, Dewott, despite being tangled up in Ninetales' tails, quietly gripped its scalchops, preparing for battle.
Even Ninetales, usually the least confrontational of the group, straightened up.
They had trained so hard to get stronger, and yet this newcomer—freshly captured—already thought itself superior?
Who did it think it was looking down on?
For a moment, tensions flared. The three Pokémon were ready to express their "concern" for Metagross through some good old-fashioned physical persuasion.
"Since you're teammates, you'll improve together. But first, you need to understand your place in the squad."
"One by one."
Paul made no effort to stop them. Instead, he stepped aside, motioning for Electabuzz and Ursaring—who had been spectating—to spar elsewhere to warm up.
"Wooo~"
The first challenger was Ninetales.
With a burst of Agility, it became impossible for Metagross to even touch it. When Metagross tried to restrain Ninetales with Psychic, it quickly realized that Ninetales' psychic prowess wasn't any weaker than its own.
Metagross' attacks could deal damage, but controlling Ninetales? That was nothing but a pipe dream.
As it evaded effortlessly, Ninetales used Nasty Plot several times before launching a devastating Fire Blast, instantly knocking Metagross out.
"Wooo~"
Glancing at the fallen Metagross, Ninetales let out a smug huff and gracefully trotted back to Dewott, attempting to drag it into its embrace once again.
"Cha!"
Unfortunately for Ninetales, Dewott had no interest in cuddling at the moment. With its focus entirely on Metagross, it decisively broke free from Ninetales' tails and stepped forward, awaiting Paul's signal to heal Metagross.
Though Ninetales had taken Metagross down in a single hit, it had controlled its strength well enough that the injuries weren't severe. Treating them wouldn't take much effort.
After spraying some medicine and feeding it a Berry, Metagross rested for two minutes before it was ready for battle once more.
The moment the battle began, Dewott immediately activated Focus Energy, seeing through Metagross' every move.
"Grroo~"
Learning from its previous mistakes, Metagross opened with Psychic, forcefully lifting Dewott into the air.
However, before it could slam Dewott down, a Hydro Pump shot directly at its face, breaking its concentration. At the same time, Aqua Jet erupted beneath Dewott, propelling it toward Metagross at high speed.
Having already suffered at the hands of Ninetales, Metagross refused to back down from close combat this time. Without hesitation, it swung a powerful Hammer Arm toward Dewott.
But Dewott had no intention of clashing head-on. Just before the attack connected, it nimbly dodged, gliding effortlessly out of the way.
Its scalchops, now coated in a dark aura, slashed relentlessly at Metagross' body. Each strike was a Night Slash, landing critical hits one after another.
Before Metagross could even attempt to use Psychic to fling Dewott away, it was already overwhelmed—every hit was super effective.
With that, Metagross was knocked out once again.
After yet another round of treatment, Metagross finally faced Drapion.
This time, it was more cautious than ever. The moment the battle began, it immediately used Psychic at full force, lifting a mass of surrounding boulders and hurling them at Drapion in an attempt to inflict damage.
Though Metagross was strong, it wasn't overwhelmingly superior to Drapion.
Reacting swiftly, Drapion countered with Hyper Voice and Pin Missile.
The barrage of Pin Missiles perfectly intercepted the incoming boulders, with some even striking Metagross, causing minor damage.
Meanwhile, the soundwaves from Hyper Voice continued to weaken Metagross' Psychic over time.
After two consecutive rounds, even Metagross activating its full power, its Psychic-controlled rocks could no longer block the incoming Pin Missiles.
Seeing that Psychic was ineffective, Metagross decisively launched a Gyro Ball attack, spinning toward Drapion.
However, Drapion remained unfazed, sharpening its claws as it awaited Metagross' strike. At the last moment, it burrowed underground with Dig, completely avoiding the attack.
As it resurfaced at a safe distance, Drapion began setting up with Acupressure and Hone Claws.
This time, luck was on Drapion's side. Its very first Acupressure sharply boosted its Attack stat. Combined with two uses of Hone Claws, its offensive power had now tripled from the start of the battle.
When Metagross charged in with Meteor Mash, Drapion showed no fear. Flames erupted from its three claws as it activated Fire Fang, lunging forward to meet the attack head-on.
Drapion's pincers halted Metagross' Meteor Mash in its tracks. Then, with a powerful swing of its tail claw, it slammed Metagross to the ground.
What followed was an onslaught—Drapion's relentless Fire Fang strikes rained down, each attack enhanced by Acupressure, Focus Energy, and its mastery of Anticipation, ensuring that multiple hits landed as critical strikes.
Three battles and a short rest—altogether, not even half an hour had passed.
By the end, Metagross had finally accepted its ranking within the team. Its earlier arrogance was nowhere to be found.
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