Magnemite's entire body suddenly erupted with dazzling electric sparks. Riding the propulsion of the flashing electricity, it charged straight toward Beldum at full speed.
Its intention was clear: to rely on the additional paralysis effect of the move Spark and gain the upper hand through direct collision. However, just at the instant when the two Pokémon were about to crash into each other, Beldum's Psychic power activated without warning!
It did not change its forward momentum outright. Instead, it used Psychic power to subtly adjust the angle of its attack.
It was precisely this hair's-breadth deviation that caused Beldum's Iron Head to skim past Magnemite's electrically charged body!
Magnemite clearly had not expected its opponent to suddenly change direction at the very last moment. A trace of confusion flashed through its single eye, and with its target lost, the electric light surrounding its body gradually dissipated.
Meanwhile, taking advantage of the inertia from its turn, Beldum spun like a whirling boomerang and instantly circled around to Magnemite's rear.
Bang!
Another deafening crash echoed across the arena. Beldum's Iron Head struck Magnemite squarely in the back.
This time, Magnemite could no longer hold on. Its round body flipped once through the air before slamming heavily onto the ground.
Its single eye began spinning in circles as it completely lost the ability to battle.
For a brief moment, the battlefield fell into silence—then it erupted into thunderous applause.
The audience cheered wildly at this clean and decisive match. On the referee's platform, Wattson revealed a hint of surprise as he announced, "Magnemite has lost the ability to battle! Beldum wins!"
The livestream chat exploded instantly:
"Total domination! This Beldum is way too strong!"
"As expected of a shiny Pokémon just like Champion Steven's—winning this easily is insane!"
"Is this really a Gym Challenge? This is basically a skills showcase!"
Wattson recalled Magnemite, but instead of disappointment, an excited smile appeared on his face. He clapped his hands lightly and said, "What an incredible Beldum! The way it combines Psychic control with magnetic acceleration pushes its agility to the absolute limit.
Looks like I'll have to show you some real skill."
He reached to his waist, pulled out another Poké Ball, and tossed it high into the air. "Come out, Voltorb!"
"Volt!"
A red flash burst from the Poké Ball, and a Pokémon shaped like an upside-down, oversized Poké Ball landed lightly on the field.
Its body was divided cleanly into white and red, and a mischievous, impish grin was etched across its face.
It was none other than Voltorb.
The moment it appeared, faint electric currents crackled around its body, filling the air with a light scent of burning ozone.
In Theo's mind, its information panel instantly surfaced:
[Pokémon: Voltorb]
Type: Electric
Category: Ball Pokémon
Ability: Static (The Pokémon is charged with static electricity and may paralyze opponents that make direct contact)
Moves: Charge, Eerie Impulse, Magnetic Flux, Rollout, Charge Beam, Electro Ball, Magnet Rise, Explosion, Thunderbolt
"Voltorb… Static ability."
Theo's expression sharpened slightly. Beldum would need to be careful with close-range attacks now.
This Voltorb was completely different from Magnemite. Its speed was terrifying, and it would be impossible to handle it as effortlessly as before.
Fortunately, Voltorb was positioned as a pure speed attacker. Its physical defense and special defense were relatively weak, so as long as Beldum could seize the right opportunity, the odds of victory were still good.
What truly made Theo cautious was the move "Explosion" listed in its move set—a mutual-destruction move with terrifying power.
Even though Beldum was a Steel-type and could resist it to some extent, it was still something that demanded extreme caution.
"Voltorb, use Magnetic Flux!" Wattson commanded.
Voltorb bounced cheerfully on the battlefield, and faint waves of energy rapidly spread outward from its body.
This energy felt different from ordinary Electric-type power—it carried the distinctive quality of a warped force field.
This move was originally meant to work in conjunction with Pokémon like Plusle and Minun, which possessed the Plus and Minus abilities.
Within a specific magnetic field, it could enhance their Defense and Special Defense. But with Wattson using it here, his intentions were clearly something else.
Sure enough, Beldum's body began to sway slightly in midair, as though it were being tugged by an invisible force.
Its previously stable hovering posture became somewhat chaotic, and a flicker of confusion passed through its crimson crystal eye.
"Hahaha!"
Wattson laughed heartily. "I know your Beldum's movement speed is terrifying, but now that I've disrupted the magnetic field of the arena, let's see how you stay so nimble!
Beldum isn't light, you know. Without magnetic assistance, relying on Psychic power alone to maintain high-speed movement won't be so easy!"
However, before Wattson's words had even finished echoing, the Beldum on the field slowly adjusted its posture.
It steadied itself in midair first, then a faint silvery glow spread across its body, as if it were actively resisting the distorted magnetic field.
In just a few seconds, the swaying stopped completely. It even spun lightly in place, as though to say, "This little inconvenience is nothing."
The smile on Wattson's face froze slightly as he stared intently at Beldum, his eyes filled with astonishment.
Theo understood immediately. This was thanks to the iron-nickel alloy personally gifted by the Devon Corporation's chairman—metal extracted from the body of a powerful Magneton.
These metals, rich with high-density metallic energy and magnetic force, not only reinforced Beldum's body but also elevated its control over magnetism to an astonishing level.
Even with the arena's magnetic field disrupted, it could swiftly mobilize the magnetic energy stored within its body to counteract external interference.
The Devon Corporation was a titan in the fields of steel and energy, with no shortage of employee trainers who owned powerful Magneton.
Naturally, when it came to this shiny Beldum, the same rare variant owned by Steven, the resources provided were nothing short of top-tier.
After being nourished by these ores and rare metals, Beldum could no longer be judged by the standards of an ordinary Pokémon.
As expected of a seasoned Gym Leader, Wattson quickly recovered his composure after the brief surprise. "Interesting. To think it can adapt to magnetic interference like that—no matter! Voltorb, Thunderbolt!"
"Vol! Torb!"
Voltorb suddenly expanded outward slightly as blinding lightning erupted from its body.
In an instant, electricity surged violently across the field. Thick bolts of lightning, like silver serpents, crashed down toward Beldum in a relentless barrage, filling the air with the pungent stench of ozone.
"Dodge!" Theo commanded in a low voice.
Beldum had already prepared itself. Even amid the blinding lightning, its red eye remained sharp and brilliant.
With precise Psychic control, its body darted through the gaps between the lightning bolts like an arrow released from a bow.
When there was no way to avoid them entirely, it used Psychic power to form an invisible barrier in front of itself, subtly guiding the lightning's trajectory so that it brushed past its body before exploding harmlessly against the ground in bursts of crackling electricity.
The livestream audience was left dumbfounded:
"Oh my god! Is this dancing ballet in a thunderstorm?!"
"Thunderbolt didn't even graze it once? That's absurd!"
"Beldum is way too amazing—I want to catch one too!"
Simply taking hits without striking back was never Theo's style.
Beldum's brief pause earlier had only been to adapt to the effects of Magnetic Flux. By now, it was already completely familiar with the changes in the arena's force field.
"Beldum, let's go too—keep attacking with Iron Head!"
Theo's command was crisp and decisive.
"Dum!"
Beldum responded instantly. Its silver body once again transformed into a living cannonball, propelled by the dual enhancement of Psychic power and magnetism, streaking toward Voltorb like a silver beam of light.
(End of Chapter)