She wouldn't dock him for it! She's a Roman emperor, after all: battles to the death were all the rage for her and her people. Spirited competitors on both ends, y/n?

Thanks to Metagross being, well... a tank that's smarter than a supercomputer, and due to the speed buff it got from the Agility, Metagross' response, despite being so close is another Protect (really, Archer, you just had to throw that around). Then it'll raise its strength with a Swords Dance and try to hit the Absol again with another Bullet Punch.