Seeing Metagross fall, Jasmine was not surprised by the outcome.
Against a champion, winning would have been ideal, but losing was hardly unacceptable.
Having watched his matches, Jasmine knew full well that the man before her had won the Indigo Conference undefeated. His strength could be described as terrifying.
Besides, her Metagross had not been without room to fight back. It had driven Blastoise into desperate situations several times during the match. In the end, Xia You had simply proved the more skillful, and her Metagross was indeed weaker than Blastoise.
What she did not know, however, was that Xia You's Blastoise had actually gone a long time without battling. Had she known, she probably would not have been able to remain as calm as she was now.
For Xia You, this had not been an easy victory either.
Jasmine's Metagross was genuinely strong, as the wounds covering Blastoise made clear. Had Blastoise not taken half damage from Steel-type moves, it might have been the one to fall in the end.
Of course, that was how Pokémon battles worked: fair, yet unfair. There was no room for so many what-ifs.
In any case, both had acknowledged the other's strength.
Jasmine had already recalled Metagross and taken out her second Poké Ball.
"This one's next!"
She threw the Poké Ball into the distance. A blue light flashed, and a light, agile, gray-blue Pokémon about 1.2 meters tall appeared on the field.
This Pokémon looked somewhat like a real-world dog, though it stood upright. It had a spike on the back of each hand and another on its chest. Its upper body was slender, and it looked rather imposing.
Xia You recognized this Pokémon as well.
It was Lucario!
He had never expected Jasmine's second Pokémon to be Lucario!
This Pokémon was