Mega Metagross had gone berserk. There was no doubt about that.
But its rampage was different from Scizor's. Scizor had experienced an energy overload, losing control of its body while its consciousness remained clear, allowing it to follow Chao's commands.
Mega Metagross, however, had lost control of both its consciousness and energy. It looked like a cold battle machine, having even forgotten the layout of the room. It was unleashing moves without restraint, constantly trying to escape.
Where could it go?
Li Xiang crouched behind Aegislash, watching Mega Metagross tear around the room wildly. Incineroar and the others gave chase, occasionally landing hits on it.
Realizing there was nowhere to run—no matter which direction it took, it was blocked—the rampaging Mega Metagross decisively engaged the three Pokémon in a direct confrontation.
But with increased power and no brains, it was no match for the trio.
First came Taunt, then Will-O-Wisp, followed by Parting Shot. Forget Li Xiang's Mega Metagross—even Steven Stone's Mega Metagross would have had its offenses crippled.
Besides, all three Pokémon knew Mega Metagross's strength lay in close combat, so they refused to let it get near. They darted around the room nimbly, attacking from range.
Mega Metagross was undeniably powerful. You could tell by the sparks it created every time it slammed into the walls, grinding against the protective barriers. The screeching noises made you wonder if the barriers would shatter.
But fighting without a brain was ultimately futile. Moreover, Mega Metagross couldn't control the immense energy from Mega Evolution, and the backlash was rapidly draining its stamina.
It probably wouldn't be long before it fainted and was forced out of its Mega form.
But that wasn't what Li Xiang wanted. He needed Mega Metagross to master this power.
So, standing on Aegislash, he kept shouting, trying to break through to Mega Metagross's consciousness.
At the same time, he racked his brain, recalling how Korrina had controlled her Mega Lucario during its rampage. Hadn't she used flower arranging, flower picking, sightseeing, and conversation? And Mega Lucario had even bitten her hand hard in the process.
...Not exactly a helpful reference.
Li Xiang wasn't as tough as Korrina. If Mega Metagross landed a hit on him, it would probably cost him half his life.
Still, using stimulating words to bring Mega Metagross back to its senses was definitely the right approach.
Li Xiang's mind raced as he saw Mega Metagross suddenly grab Incineroar, its cold eyes flickering like a bomb on a countdown.
Oh crap!
It looked like it was actually about to explode!
Li Xiang remembered this guy had learned Explosion!
What now? Just put up a shield and tank it?
Tap tap tap!
Outside the window, Chao and Su Qian were knocking on the glass, trying to get Li Xiang's attention.
He turned his head and saw them pointing at the ceiling. That's when he remembered this training room had a Pokémon restraint system.
He hadn't used it earlier because he'd worried it wouldn't react fast enough. Now, with Incineroar holding Mega Metagross back, it was worth a try.
"Admin! Restrain it, restrain it!"
He shouted at the ceiling. The Mist City University team training facility was directly managed by nine Porygon2 units, incredibly efficient.
No sooner had he spoken than Mega Metagross's body began to glow—
Swish!
A sound of something cutting through the air came first.
Several pale purple beams shot from all directions in the room, like lightning, enveloping Mega Metagross as it transformed into light.
Then they coated its body, like a psychic attack, freezing it in place.
"This is..."
Li Xiang was stunned. He saw Mega Metagross's big self-destruct attempt forcibly interrupted. He looked up at the emitters releasing purple light and said in surprise, "It restrained it that fast?"
Mega Metagross was over level fifty, and with the boost from the Mega Evolution, it could beat level sixty Pokémon. Yet it had been subdued by human technology in an instant.
In the blink of an eye, really.
To be honest, Li Xiang had seen plenty of Pokémon restraints. At conservation bases, there were plenty of aggressive Pokémon wearing "chains" all day.
But an energy-based restraint system was a first for him.
Times really were changing fast.
It reminded him of the device in the Legend of Raikou that drained Raikou's electricity. Or the special aircraft in the movie Giratina and the Sky Warrior that absorbed ninety-nine percent of Giratina's power. And that strange UFO that restrained Mewtwo in Mewtwo Returns.
It seemed humans had always had a special talent for keeping Pokémon in check.
"Roar?"
Incineroar stared at the restrained Mega Metagross, wide-eyed, and slowly backed away.
The restraint system was clearly targeted, so it didn't affect Incineroar.
But the psychological shock it gave Incineroar was even greater than the predicament Mega Metagross was in.
The power of technology was incredible!
It turned to look at the furious Mega Metagross, completely immobilized, only able to roar, and grinned with amusement.
"Roar!"
"Mm-hmm, yeah, impressive."
Li Xiang nodded.
Although it was forcibly restrained, Mega Metagross hadn't given up on trying to break free, using every bit of its strength.
In the end, it succeeded in exhausting the last of its stamina, rolled its eyes back, and fainted.
The Mega Evolution naturally reverted.
"...Sigh."
Li Xiang looked at Metagross and sighed.
When a Pokémon doesn't obey after Mega Evolution, part of the fault lies with the Pokémon itself, but the trainer also shares some blame.
At the end of the day, it came down to an insufficient bond between them.
With a strong enough bond, a single word could have snapped Mega Metagross out of its rampage.
The purple restraining light receded.
"You, you idiot..."
Li Xiang sat down in front of Metagross and lightly tapped its head.
It remained unconscious. It would be at least ten minutes before it opened its eyes again.
Outside, the two of them opened the door and came in, surveying the somewhat battered environment and clicking their tongues in amazement.
"With that much destructive power, it's not inferior to your Scizor, is it?"
Su Qian turned to ask Chao.
Chao nodded honestly. "If we're just talking about raw destructive power, yes."
Mega Metagross was a naturally powerful Pokémon, excelling in speed and all three offensive stats.
And its Tough Claws ability further enhanced its close-combat damage, making its power terrifying.
In comparison, Mega Scizor, due to its ability, relied more on low-power moves. Although the final accumulated damage wasn't far behind Mega Metagross's.
"Junior, you really need to work hard. You have to master Mega Evolution. Then we'll have another trump card."
Su Qian crouched beside Li Xiang and patted his shoulder meaningfully.
Chao crouched on the other side, silent but also patting his shoulder, the intent clear.
"...I'll do my best."
Li Xiang returned the wristband to Chao. Given Metagross's state, there was no way they could try again today.
He himself was mentally drained and in desperate need of rest.
Seeing this, Chao and Su Qian didn't push further. They turned and left. They had their own things to do and couldn't spend all day focusing on Li Xiang.
And so, only Li Xiang and his four Pokémon remained in the training room.
Regarding Mega Evolution, their understanding of it was still pretty vague.
Even though they had fought against Mega Scizor a few more times after the match with Chao, Mega Scizor still couldn't control its energy well, making the battles somewhat comical. They weren't satisfying at all, never able to fight from start to finish.
It also didn't give Incineroar and the others a clear picture of what Mega Evolution really meant.
But when a familiar teammate underwent Mega Evolution and started attacking them, the boost became much more apparent.
After all, they knew exactly how strong that teammate usually was.
Simply put, Mega Evolution was incredibly powerful—almost absurdly so. All four of them, including Aegislash, agreed on that.
Especially Incineroar and Lucario, who had taken the brunt of Mega Metagross's attacks and felt the pain firsthand.
The former had often been hit by Metagross's charges and was familiar with its speed and power. The latter had frequently dodged those charges, using its accelerated vision to track Metagross's movements.
After Mega Evolution, Metagross's attack power had visibly increased, and its hits were agonizing.
Incineroar, as the primary tank, had nearly cried out in pain.
Moreover, Mega Metagross had achieved a leap in sustained acceleration, like a high-speed train engine.
In the past, Metagross would charge in a straight line and stop when it hit something.
But after Mega Evolution, not only had its agility improved, but it could also make sharp turns and even drift at high speed.
It nearly scared Incineroar and the others out of their wits.
So this was how powerful Mega Evolution was.
Incineroar and the others each had their own thoughts. Among them, Lucario was confirmed to have the potential for Mega Evolution. It immediately began to anticipate how strong it would become after evolving.
Lucario glanced at Metagross and thought that if it were the one to undergo Mega Evolution, it would never be as useless as this guy.
If it couldn't even control itself, how could it be worthy of being Li Xiang's Pokémon?
As if hearing Lucario's thoughts, the unconscious Metagross slowly opened its eyes in front of them, looking around in confusion, clearly having no memory of its rampage.
"You're awake? You almost caved my skull in, buddy."
Li Xiang tapped Metagross's head in annoyance.
The simpleton looked confused, pausing for a few seconds before realizing they had been testing Mega Evolution.
Sensing the emptiness inside itself, seeing the chaos around it, and processing Li Xiang's words, Metagross understood.
It had failed. It couldn't hold on to its true self, had been consumed by the power of Mega Evolution, and lost consciousness.
"Meta..."
It drooped its head in disappointment.