"Thank you for the praise, Leader Norman," Aiden said sincerely, "but I still think I can earn the Balance Badge with my own strength."
Norman didn't know it yet, but Aiden was still holding a true ace.
If that Pokémon stepped onto the field…
Even if the opponent were the Hoenn Champion, Wallace himself, Aiden was confident he could smash him into pieces.
Norman chuckled. "Confident, aren't you? Then show me something even better."
Slaking pushed itself up from the floor. A faint white glow gathered around its right arm—raw power coiling there like a loaded spring.
But as Aiden glanced at Slaking's stats, something caught his attention.
Even though Slaking was fully evolved, Bond Evolution still showed Locked.
Yet Mega Evolution displayed Available (unlockable).
Aiden didn't even have to ask for long—the system answered immediately:
Any Pokémon, once it reaches its final evolutionary stage, can Mega Evolve as long as it obtains the correct Mega Stone. That was why the scan displayed "unlockable." If Mega Evolution had already been unlocked, the system would show the Mega form directly.
Aiden nodded. That made sense.
Their small talk ended, and the battle continued.
"Pidgeotto—again! Use Twister!"
"Slaking!" Norman's voice sharpened. "Show him your strength—Mega Punch! Smash that tornado apart!"
Pidgeotto's Twister gathered into a violent spiral, centered on Slaking and tearing at the arena.
But the level gap was simply too big.
Slaking barely reacted.
At Norman's command, Slaking roared, slammed its fists into its chest, and then punched forward—white energy exploding off its knuckles.
BOOM!
The punch shattered the Twister outright, scattering wind and energy across the field.
Then Slaking's body sagged again.
It flopped down right on the battlefield—lazy, unmoving, wide open.
Truant.
Watching that, Aiden couldn't help the helpless feeling creeping into his eyes.
Slaking was tanky, absurdly so, and the level difference was massive. Even if Grovyle and Pidgeotto came at it together, they still wouldn't be enough.
And the moment Slaking got a real opening—
One hit would decide everything.
"Pidgeotto—full power Air Slash!"
Taking advantage of the Truant turn, Pidgeotto launched wave after wave of razor wind.
But even that damage was… barely a scratch.
Then Slaking roared.
At Norman's command, energy gathered in its mouth.
A beam formed.
Hyper Beam.
The attack swept across the arena like a scythe.
Pidgeotto was caught midair and blasted down.
It slammed into the ground and stopped moving—fainted on the spot.
Aiden recalled it gently. "You did great, Pidgeotto. Rest."
Then he raised Grovyle's Poké Ball.
"Grovyle… fighting someone stronger than you—even losing—can still teach you something."
Red light flashed.
Grovyle appeared, glowing green—its Overgrow activating from low stamina.
"That's it!" Aiden snapped. "Go—Leaf Blade!"
With Overgrow boosting its Grass-type power, Leaf Blade cut far harder than before.
The level gap was still huge—
But when the blade landed, it actually made Slaking flinch.
A deep X-shaped slash opened across Slaking's belly.
Norman's eyes widened.
"Slaking—finish it. Earthquake!"
The arena trembled violently.
Even with Overgrow, even with willpower—
Grovyle was already on its last legs.
The shockwaves tore through it.
And still… even as it faded, Grovyle forced itself forward through the shaking ground.
It lunged again.
Leaf Blade raised—
Only half a step away from Slaking's nose.
Then the green light died.
Grovyle stayed standing… but its eyes turned into spirals.
It had fainted.
Norman exhaled slowly, impressed.
"That battle instinct… unbelievable."
"I've seen countless Trainers. That Grovyle's toughness? Top three, easy."
He looked at Aiden steadily.
"Aiden. Do you still want to continue the third battle?"
"Even if you stop now, I'll still award you the Balance Badge."
Aiden recalled Grovyle and soothed it with a quiet word.
Then—slowly—he took out a ball that didn't belong in a rookie's hands.
A Master Ball.
Norman's pupil—standing in as referee—froze.
Norman himself felt his heart skip.
A Master Ball?
In Petalburg Gym?
From a "new Trainer"?
Aiden lifted his head and smiled.
"Leader Norman… a Trainer doesn't give up until the very last second."
He threw it.
A burst of light erupted—
And Aiden's final Pokémon appeared.
The moment Norman saw it, his brain stalled.
Because what stood in the arena… wasn't just rare.
It wasn't even just legendary.
It was the Hoenn sky's ruler.
Rayquaza.
Even at a reduced size—only five or six meters long—it radiated pressure that made the entire Gym feel smaller.
Norman's face went blank.
"…No."
He blinked.
Then blinked again.
And finally, his voice came out sharp with disbelief:
"Since when does a rookie Trainer carry around a Rayquaza?!"
Aiden grinned. "Yep. Rayquaza—the Sky High Pokémon."
"That's why I said… Trainers don't quit."
Norman's disciple looked like his soul had left his body.
Norman wasn't doing much better.
He dragged a hand down his face, trying to process reality.
"Look… if you're bringing out a Legendary, there's no suspense left."
"I concede."
Then he paused.
But his eyes—those of a true Gym Leader—lit up.
"…Still."
"As a Gym Leader, I want to see something."
He straightened.
"Trainer Aiden. If you've got a Legendary, then let's do this properly."
"Not a badge match."
"A friendly battle."
"Rayquaza… versus my strongest ace."
Aiden thought for a second.
Using Rayquaza to bully a Level 30-something Slaking was kind of pointless.
But facing Norman's true partner?
That would show him how strong "below the Elite Four" really meant.
It would also let him estimate the gap between Gym Leader level, Elite Four level, and Champion level.
Aiden nodded. "Alright."
"Friendly match."
Norman recalled his current Slaking and released his true partner—his starter, his pride.
And yes…
It was still Slaking.
But this one was different.
Pokémon: Slaking
Level: 59
Ability: Truant
Type: Normal
Potential: Gold
Bond Evolution: Locked
Mega Evolution: Available (unlockable)
Moves: Body Slam, Counter, Mega Punch, Hammer Arm, Hyper Beam…
Level 59.
And somehow… it didn't feel lazy at all.
It felt like a monster wearing Slaking's skin.
Norman took a slow breath.
"Slaking… that's a Legendary."
"In my entire life, we may only get one chance like this."
"Slaking, you just finished your idle turn—go all out! Hammer Arm!"
Slaking roared and charged.
Its swing ripped the air itself.
Aiden's voice stayed calm.
"Rayquaza—Dragon Tail."
The green dragon moved.
A single tail sweep—
And Slaking was launched like a cannonball.
The impact blasted straight through the Gym roof.
Then it crashed down outside, defeated before it could even stand back up.
The match was over.
Aiden recalled Rayquaza.
Norman dropped heavily onto the floor, staring up at the broken roof with a bitter laugh.
"…You're insane."
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