"Rain Dance!"
From the very start, Cynthia had Shellos create the environment most suited to it.
"Dori~!"
Shellos stretched its neck with all its might and let out a long cry toward the sky. The clear heavens were immediately blanketed by gathering dark clouds, and rain began to fall, rapidly enriching the surrounding Water-type Energy.
Generally speaking, for Shellos to threaten Metagross, the best approach would be to combine its Sand Force Ability with Sandstorm weather, then target it with Ground-type Moves.
Unfortunately, Cynthia's Shellos had the Water Absorb Ability. Her thinking was simple: since it could not attack effectively, it could use Shellos's own Ability for defense and wait for an opportunity to counterattack.
The rain brought by Rain Dance fell upon Shellos, as though draping its body in a thin membrane. Seeing this, Steven revealed a thoughtful expression and murmured, "Even the weakest Pokémon on her team has developed its Ability to this extent?"
As soon as Steven finished speaking, a silver meteor hurtling in at extreme speed slammed viciously into Shellos. The terrifying speed left even Cynthia and Steven stunned for a moment before they reacted.
As Metagross's Trainer, Steven instantly recalled the name of the Move—Bullet Punch!
But... what was with that speed?
Shellos's soft body was literally smashed into the ground like a puddle of mud by Metagross's two sandbag-sized fists. It looked as though the attack had succeeded, yet Cynthia's expression did not change in the slightest, as if she was not worried about Shellos at all.
Metagross also sensed that something was off. The sensation from its strike was completely wrong. Rather than hitting its opponent's actual body, it felt more like it had struck a sponge, with no feedback whatsoever.
Metagross raised its arms, and Shellos's body directly sprang back into its