"Is that the same Skorupi from before?"
Aaron stared in shock at the towering Drapion standing before him. His memory immediately flashed back to the day he first met Paul, and the brutally strong hyper-aggressive Skorupi that left a lasting impression.
The last time he'd seen this Drapion was during the final rounds of the Pokémon League, when Paul faced off against Tobias. Drapion had charged in with a ferocious assault and taken down Latios in a stunning victory.
And now, that same Pokémon stood directly before him. From the sheer aura it radiated, Aaron knew—it was easily as powerful as his own Drapion, perhaps stronger.
What kind of monster is this?
Paul gave a cold nod. "Yes. It's been waiting a long time to battle your Drapion."
"Draah—"
Drapion let out a chilling growl, its piercing eyes locked on Aaron's Drapion, glinting with battle lust.
Ever since defeating its former master and learning of Aaron's Drapion, Paul's Drapion had longed for this battle—to crush the other and prove its dominance.
And now, it could hardly contain itself.
"Roaaar—!"
Aaron's Drapion immediately bristled. It snapped into full combat mode upon sensing the opponent's ferocity.
Among Drapion, the rule was simple: bigger usually meant stronger.
Aaron's Drapion was powerful, but it hadn't been trained to maximize its size. And now, it stood at a clear disadvantage in stature and pressure.
The battlefield was on edge, tension high. The announcer took the cue and declared:
"Battle, begin!"
"Charge in! Use Pin Missile and then Earthquake!"
At Paul's command, Drapion raised both claws and fired a volley of glinting Pin Missile shots, arcing toward Aaron's Drapion. Simultaneously, it slammed all four limbs into the ground, unleashing a disruptive Earthquake.
A two-pronged attack—one from above, one from below. Nearly impossible to dodge.
"Jump, then counter with Pin Missile!"
Aaron's Drapion didn't flinch. It launched itself into the air and fired back with Pin Missile, intercepting the incoming attack. By leaping, it dodged the tremors of Earthquake as well.
The two streams of Pin Missiles collided midair, exploding in sparks—neither Pokémon gaining a clear edge.
But Aaron's Drapion couldn't fly. No matter how high it jumped, it would eventually have to fall.
As it landed, the aftershock from Earthquake finally struck, dealing some damage and reducing its mobility.
"Keep up the pressure—Pin Missile!"
Paul's Drapion pressed harder, firing more Pin Missiles while stomping continuously to maintain the Earthquake effect. Meanwhile, its venomous tail flicked rapidly across its own pressure points in a move similar to Acupressure, boosting its stats further.
It was attacking, buffing, and disrupting—all at once.
Aaron narrowed his eyes. "Dodge and use Hyper Beam!"
Aaron's Drapion leapt again to evade, then gathered energy in its claws. A powerful Hyper Beam blasted forth, piercing through the cloud of Pin Missiles, aimed straight at Paul's Drapion.
But Drapion had anticipated this. With a small sidestep, it completely dodged the beam.
"Giga Impact!"
Aaron responded swiftly.
"Roaaar—!"
In the air, Aaron's Drapion surged forward with immense force, crashing down toward Paul's Drapion like a meteor. The air itself screamed as the move cut through it.
"Toxic Spikes. X-Scissor!"
Paul's Drapion showed no fear. Its tail jabbed a pressure point glowing with violet venom. Toxic Spikes activated, and it unleashed a devastating X-Scissor, charging directly into the attack instead of dodging.
BOOM!
The two Pokémon collided midair in a titanic explosion.
But it was over in an instant.
Aaron's Drapion strained, overwhelmed. Paul's Drapion had defied all odds and overpowered its opponent midair, slamming it down into the arena with terrifying force.
THUD!
A crater formed where Aaron's Drapion crashed into the battlefield.
"Hyper Beam!" Aaron shouted.
Though battered, Aaron's Drapion was still a veteran—one of the Elite Four's best. It roared as it fired another Hyper Beam through the rising dust cloud, aiming skyward at Paul's Drapion.
"Attack. Spikes. X-Scissor."
Paul responded tersely. Drapion twisted midair and dove claws-first into the beam, its pincers glowing green with energy.
The Hyper Beam split like fabric as the glowing claws sliced through it, then closed in like a guillotine on Aaron's Drapion.
"Roaaar—!"
Realizing it couldn't win in direct clash, Aaron's Drapion sprang up, all three claws glowing with Ice Fang. The two Pokémon clashed in a deafening explosion.
BOOM!
The impact rippled through the arena, warping the air and shaking the stands. Spectators stared, mouths agape.
But just when everyone thought it was evenly matched, Paul's Drapion smirked.
Aaron's Drapion had used all three claws to block, but Paul's Drapion had a fourth.
Aaron's Drapion saw it too late. The tail claw rose ominously and clamped down around its neck.
"Roaaaar—!"
In that instant, Aaron's Drapion's defense crumbled. X-Scissor struck its chest full-force, and pain etched across its face.
Paul's Drapion let out a wild laugh. It didn't need a move, just raw power. With its tail clamped tight, it began a free-fall slam, plummeting toward the ground.
CRASH!
Aaron's Drapion hit first—hard. The shock nearly knocked it unconscious. It saw black for a moment.
But it wasn't down yet.
As expected of an Elite Four's ace, it still had fight left.
Paul knew this. His next command rang out:
"Fell Stinger!"
Drapion released the clamp, then stabbed down with its stinger, hitting Aaron's Drapion right in a weak spot.
Critical hit!
The seemingly simple strike hit dead center. Aaron's Drapion shuddered, then collapsed. No longer moving.
And Drapion… glowed white.
Its Attack stat had maxed out.
The arena fell silent.
Most of the audience had come just to enjoy a good match. No one expected Paul to actually defeat Aaron's Drapion—let alone dominate it.
Was this… too much?
Even the announcer was stunned. He wasn't trained for battles like this, he was just supposed to guide the show. What just happened was beyond expectations.
"Draaah—!"
Paul's Drapion roared triumphantly, its voice filled with joy and hunger for more battle.
It could feel it. With this win, it had grown even stronger.
Fighting another of its kind was the best training it could ask for.
The cry shook the announcer out of his daze. He looked at Aaron, then declared:
"Aaron's Drapion is unable to battle! Paul's Drapion wins the first round!"
The crowd finally snapped out of their shock, erupting into chatter:
"Holy crap—he actually won?!"
"I don't understand! My beloved Aaron, my strongest Aaron.... actually lost!"
"Totally worth the trip. I can't believe I got to witness this moment."
Some Trainers were stunned. Others were devastated. Many gossiped wildly. Yet there were still a few who insisted it was just a fluke—
"Aaron must've underestimated his opponent. No way he was using his full power. It's just a 2-vs-2—he still has one more Pokémon left. Aaron can definitely win."
That remark drew immediate attention. A crowd of Trainers shot skeptical looks his way, eyes full of pity and disdain.
"Win? By how?"
"In terms of strength, Drapion isn't any weaker than Aaron's first Pokémon. And as for advantage, Toxic Spikes has already been triggered. Drapion's power is now multiple times than it was before!"
"Exactly. Which of Aaron's Pokémon can even take two hits from that Drapion right now?"
"If I saw correctly, Drapion also used Acupressure mid-battle. I'm guessing its Speed has been boosted too, probably several times over."
"That's right! What's Aaron gonna fight with—his forehead?"
The crowd grew rowdy. The Trainer who had defended Aaron earlier now stood silent, unable to utter a single word.
"Return, Drapion."
Aaron forced himself to stay calm, holding up a Poké Ball and withdrawing his Drapion.
But no matter how composed he tried to appear, the deepening grim look on his face betrayed his inner turmoil. Across from him, Paul, however, remained as unreadable and composed as ever.
Logically, Aaron should send out his Vespiquen. Even if he couldn't win, using Destiny Bond might allow him to take one Pokémon down with him and level the score.
But for an Elite Four-level Trainer, needing Destiny Bond just to take out one opponent, that was no different from a complete defeat.
Right now, Drapion had surpassed its limits. Aaron had no Pokémon capable of beating it in a direct fight. Not even a Mega-Evolved Scizor could overcome it without tactical play.
After a moment of mental calculation, Aaron threw out his second Poké Ball.
"Yanmega, I choose you!"
"Tiiing~!"
Yanmega flew into the sky, its olive green body decorated with crimson spots. Its fierce red compound eyes locked onto Drapion's every movement.
There was no more room for strategy. Aaron dropped all pretense of composure or Elite prestige. He went on the offensive.
"Yanmega, use Air Slash and Bug Buzz!"
At his command, Yanmega's wings vibrated at high speed, unleashing a fearsome blast of cutting wind and sonic waves toward Drapion. All the while, it darted through the air, leveraging its Speed Boost ability to reposition quickly.
"Dodge it. Then use Pin Missile and Hyper Beam."
Drapion slipped between the attacks, agile and unyielding. Its claws fired a barrage of Pin Missiles, while it simultaneously roared with a Hyper Beam. Its tail continued using Acupressure to boost Special Attack.
"Evade it!"
The wind blades failed to intercept the projectiles. Yanmega immediately accelerated to avoid the onslaught.
But—
Just as it dodged two attacks, Drapion's pincers glinted—and suddenly, all the airborne Pin Missiles shifted course. They swerved mid-air, chasing Yanmega from every direction!
The sudden change caught Yanmega off-guard. It flapped its wings furiously in an attempt to escape, but the missiles now behaved as though they had a mind of their own, predicting Yanmega's movements and surrounding it like a net.
Within two to three seconds, Yanmega was already in grave danger.
"Detect!"
At Aaron's sharp command, Yanmega's compound eyes flickered. It instantly read the trajectories and began dodging more precisely, retaliating with Air Slash.
But—
"Continue."
Paul's voice was cold and direct.
The missiles Yanmega had just evaded didn't vanish. Under Drapion's control, they twisted mid-air and came at it again from different angles.
"Double Team!"
With no other choice, Yanmega's form blurred, splitting into dozens of decoys to confuse the tracking missiles.
"Draah?"
Drapion didn't care. The more decoys, the better.
It kept firing. Kept roaring.
Missiles rained down like a storm.
Within moments, most of the copies were wiped out, leaving only the real Yanmega desperately weaving through attacks using its speed and Detect.
Everyone watching could see—Yanmega was barely hanging on.
Meanwhile, Drapion had been stacking Acupressure boosts the entire time.
With its Attack and Speed maxed out, it was now boosting Special Attack. Once that hit the limit, it would likely raise Focus.
Drapion was thriving, while Yanmega was drained. The scales of victory had completely tipped.
"Now—Cross Poison!"
Suddenly, Paul gave the signal.
"Draah~"
Drapion's claws shimmered with venom as it slashed an X-shaped poison attack toward an empty patch of sky.
Just as everyone thought it had misfired, Yanmega's body shimmered into view—flying right into the attack.
BOOM!
A direct hit!
The move struck a critical point!
Drapion ceased all movement. With its maxed Attack and a critical strike landing, even an Aggron would've dropped.
BANG!
Yanmega crashed to the ground and lay still—completely unconscious.
"Yanmega is unable to battle. Drapion wins. The match goes to Paul!"
The announcer didn't even glance at Aaron, just flatly declared the outcome.
"...Return, Yanmega. Rest well."
Aaron said quietly after a brief silence, withdrawing his Pokémon and scratching the back of his head with a sheepish smile.
"Didn't expect you to grow strong so fast, Paul. I didn't stand a chance."
"I didn't expect you to still be stuck at this level after all this time."
Paul didn't bother sparing his opponent any dignity, he fired back bluntly.
If it hadn't been for the sheer level gap during their first match, he would've crushed Aaron back then too.
Now, after all this time, Paul couldn't see any sign of growth. Same old tricks. Nothing new.
"That's… kind of harsh…"
Aaron froze awkwardly, stunned by the bluntness.
"A true Trainer grows stronger. Stay stagnant, and you'll be left behind."
Paul's piercing gaze burned into Aaron like a mentor's harsh judgment.
"You've disappointed me."
With that, Paul recalled Drapion and walked away—leaving behind the murmuring crowd.
Aaron's heart—shattered.
(End of Chapter)
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