Pokemon: Reborn Rich Alternate Earth

“Hera!”

Heracross was sent flying nearly a hundred meters back, its feet scraping against the ground so hard that it almost sparked a fire. After finally coming to a stop, it let out an unwilling cry toward Metagross.

“Meta~”

Metagross: "You’re not strong enough."

As a perfectly balanced fighter, Metagross was the Pokémon that received the most resources among all of Julian’s team. It was also his one and only ace.

Defeating Heracross in sheer strength was nothing to be proud of.

“Heracross, Hyper Beam!”

Murphy wasn’t a stubborn Trainer. Since Heracross had already lost in raw power, he wasn’t going to keep challenging Metagross in that area.

Besides, Julian had just arrogantly declared that he would end the battle in three minutes. How could Murphy let that happen?

If Julian pulled that off, he’d be making himself look impressive—while Murphy would just be a stepping stone in the background.

A golden Hyper Beam shot out like a bolt of yellow lightning, instantly crossing the battlefield in a flash.

As one of the strongest Normal-type moves, Hyper Beam’s power was well-known.

Not to mention, most Pokémon could learn it.

“Steel Beam,” Julian said calmly.

The cross-shaped marking on Metagross’s forehead gleamed as a silver-white beam of light burst forth.

Steel Beam fired later, yet it reached first.

The golden and silver beams collided in midair. But the moment they clashed, Heracross’s Hyper Beam was completely overpowered.

Heracross: 'That’s impossible!'

Murphy was just as shocked.

Hyper Beam didn’t even manage to slow it down? It was as if the two moves weren’t even in the same league.

Seeing Heracross get engulfed by Steel Beam, he instinctively called out, “Heracross!”

A few seconds later, as the silver light faded, Heracross reappeared, kneeling on one knee in front of Murphy.

It was panting heavily, clearly injured but still standing.

After all, it was a late-Elite stage Pokémon, only a step away from the peak of Elite. Without Mega Evolution, even Metagross couldn’t take it down in a single move.

“Meta~”

Metagross seemed annoyed that it hadn’t been able to knock out Heracross instantly.

Metagross: "Just give up, you’ll fall sooner or later. Do me a favor and drop now."

Heracross: "In your dreams."

With that, Hera Cross slowly stood up from the ground, looking at Metagross with piercing eyes.

Throughout its journey, it had defeated many powerful Pokémon. Of course, it had lost before too, but no Pokémon had ever put this much pressure on it.

And Metagross hadn’t even reached the Elite level yet.

Heracross turned to look at its Trainer.

Murphy gave a firm nod, his expression serious, “Heracross, Mega Evolve!”

“Hera!”

Heracross let out a furious roar as the glow of evolution enveloped its body.

A few seconds later, as the white light faded, a newly Mega Evolved Heracross stood at the center of the battlefield.

After Mega Evolution, Mega Heracross’s limbs had become even thicker, especially its arms, which now held explosive strength. It could now lift objects 500 times its own weight—whereas before, it had only been 100 times.

But the most striking change was its horn. It had grown even more menacing, looking as if it could pierce the very sky.

However, Mega Evolution had also taken away Heracross’s ability to fly. Its wings had disappeared.

“Watch out for its horn,” Julian warned.

After Mega Evolution, Heracross’s Attack stat had reached a staggering 185, making it one of the highest among all Pokémon.

If that horn struck, an opponent of the same level would be as good as finished.

Its horn was its greatest weapon—and a truly lethal one.

“Meta~”

Metagross nodded, its expression growing a bit more serious.

Even it could sense the danger coming from Mega Heracross’s horn.

“Heracross, Brick Break!” Murphy said.

With its newfound power, the pressure Metagross had exerted on Heracross earlier was gone—replaced by overwhelming confidence.

Even though it had lost its ability to fly, Mega Heracross’s leg muscles exploded with strength, leaving a deep crater in the ground.

With a deafening boom, its body vanished from its original spot.

By the time it reappeared, it was already above Metagross, moving so fast it almost looked like teleportation.

As it swung its arm down, the force of Brick Break compressed the air itself, milky-white energy swirling around its palm.

“Meta~”

Metagross’s claws gleamed with a silvery-white light—it was Bullet Punch.

Metagross had never feared close combat. Its incredible defense and immense strength were the foundations of its confidence.

Even if its opponent had Mega Evolved, it had only grown "slightly" stronger.

From late Elite stage to peak Elite.

And 'peak Elite' was still just that.

BOOM!!

A violent explosion rocked the battlefield. The moment they clashed, the sheer force of impact blasted a massive crater into the ground, sending shockwaves sweeping across the arena.

One second. Two seconds. Three seconds.

The two Pokémon were still locked in a struggle.

After Mega Evolution, Heracross’s power had indeed skyrocketed—it had actually reached the point where it could go head-to-head with Metagross.

A smirk crept onto Murphy’s lips. He turned to look at Julian, expecting to see a tense expression.

Instead, Julian smiled at him.

Murphy: 'Still smiling? Wait until I make you cry.'

Boom!!

In the end, Mega Heracross still couldn’t overpower Metagross. Its body turned into a deep blue streak of light before crashing heavily into the protective barrier with a loud bang.

The sheer force of the impact made the entire barrier tremble violently.

Murphy: 'Did I just imagine that?'

"Hera!"

Mega Heracross was surprisingly durable. After sliding down from the barrier, it quickly stood up again. Even though it was clearly in bad shape, the fighting spirit in its eyes burned even brighter.

A Heracross this battle-hungry was truly rare.

Just like humans, Pokémon had diverse personalities—curious, timid, brave, cowardly, aggressive, reckless…

For professional trainers, the most favored traits were naturally a love for battle, bravery, and perseverance. Pokémon with these qualities often performed beyond their level.

On the other hand, timid and cowardly Pokémon that feared battle were difficult to train. If their personality couldn’t be changed, they were essentially unsuited for combat.

Even a Pokémon with Cyan potential wouldn’t be useful in battle if it lacked the will to fight. At best, it could be kept as a companion.

The Heracross species, in particular, was known for being timid and non-confrontational. Fortunately, they had a strong love for honey—and for the sake of honey, they could even change their nature.

Many Heracross trainers used honey as a reward system in training.

'Fight well, and I’ll give you honey.'

'Perform poorly, and I’ll feed your honey to other Bug-types right in front of you.'

This tactic was the ultimate motivation for a Heracross.

Julian couldn’t help but suspect that Murphy had used this exact method to train his Heracross.

Otherwise, why did it look like it had just taken a dose of adrenaline?

*****

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/ReduxMagister