After reading Avalugg's status panel, Aaron's eyes narrowed slightly.
So it really was a mutated Pokémon.
And that new Ability was ridiculous.
Avalugg already possessed an absurd 184 base Defense. With Ice Stone Body reducing all incoming damage by another forty percent, its physical durability had reached an almost unreasonable level. Most physical attacks would struggle to do more than scratch that enormous frozen shell.
Aaron studied it for another moment.
What a shame.
It's ugly, and its Potential is only Class Champion.
Otherwise, I might've caught it.
His standards had admittedly become a little unreasonable lately, but that was hardly his fault. His own Pokémon kept getting stronger, stranger, and more exceptional. He even had Zeraora now.
At this point, an ordinary Pokémon—even a particularly strong one—was unlikely to catch his attention unless there was something genuinely special about it.
...
"GRAAARGH!"
The enormous Pokémon below finally reacted to all the noise above.
Its body shifted.
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
Each heavy step sent vibrations through the cavern, loose crystals trembling along the walls. The sheer weight behind its movements made the entire chamber seem to shake.
Aaron looked down at the enraged Avalugg.
This fight was clearly unavoidable.
"Grant, leave this one to me."
Grant looked over.
"You're not beating that thing with your current team."
The words stung a little, but Grant had enough sense not to argue.
Aaron nodded toward the others.
"You, Ryan, and the two technicians should find somewhere safe."
Grant sighed.
"Fine."
He glanced back down at Avalugg.
"Just be careful. That thing's not normal."
Aaron smiled.
"Relax. It's not enough to kill me."
Grant stared at him for a second, then nodded.
After everything he had already seen today, that confidence did not sound nearly as ridiculous as it should have.
Grant, Ryan, and the two technicians quickly withdrew to a safer section of the cavern, leaving Aaron alone at the edge of the shattered glacier.
...
Aaron studied Avalugg for a few seconds.
The thing was basically a living fortress.
Avalugg was pure Ice-type, leaving it weak to Fire, Fighting, Rock, and Steel. Normally, that offered plenty of options.
This one was different.
Its physical Defense was already monstrous, and Ice Stone Body reduced incoming damage even further. Trying to batter through it with physical Fighting-, Rock-, or Steel-type attacks would be an inefficient way to fight.
But Avalugg had one glaring weakness.
Its base Special Defense was only 46.
That made the answer obvious.
Aaron reached for a Poké Ball.
"Charizard."
He threw it into the air.
"I'm counting on you."
A burst of light filled the cavern.
Then a massive Charizard emerged, fiery red scales gleaming beneath the lamps as its wings spread wide.
"GRAAAZARD!"
The flame at the end of its tail surged brightly as it took to the air, its roar echoing through the frozen chamber.
The two technicians watching from a distance immediately perked up.
"Look! It's Aaron's Charizard!"
"So he's finally bringing out the big one."
One of them grinned.
"This should be good."
The other nodded eagerly.
"And that's not even the Pokémon that just erased Sandslash."
Grant's mouth twitched.
His eyes drifted toward Greninja, who had followed Aaron into the cavern and now stood off to the side with his usual half-lidded expression.
If only you knew...
As impressive as Charizard was, Grant had already seen enough to understand that Frog Boss was the truly frightening one.
...
Aaron stepped onto the top of a tall pillar of ice and looked up at Charizard.
"Let's do it."
Charizard turned toward him.
"Mega Evolve—Mega Charizard Y!"
"ZAAARD!"
Light erupted around them.
Rainbow-colored energy surged between Aaron and Charizard, countless strands connecting Trainer and Pokémon as the entire cavern was washed in dazzling brilliance.
Ryan raised an arm against the glare.
"What the hell is happening?"
"Why are both of them glowing?"
Grant stared upward.
"No idea."
Ryan looked at him.
Grant wiped a bead of cold sweat from his forehead.
"This kid has too many secrets. Sometimes it feels like he's cheating."
The light intensified.
Then—
WHOOM!
The glow burst apart.
A transformed Charizard hovered above the glacier.
Its massive body was now nearly four meters tall, covered in hard red scales. Sharp horns swept back from its head, while enormous wings stretched more than ten meters across the cavern.
Its long tail cut through the air behind it, the flame at its tip burning with enough heat to distort the air around it.
"GRAAAZARD!"
The roar thundered through the cavern.
Mega Charizard Y had entered the battle.
...
Grant, Ryan, and the two technicians stared upward in complete silence.
Grant was the first to recognize it.
"Wait."
His eyes widened.
"That's the same Pokémon from the plane incident."
Ryan turned toward him.
"The one that helped pull the plane?"
"Yeah."
Grant stared at Mega Charizard Y.
"So that thing was Charizard too..."
Ryan looked back toward the enormous Pokémon overhead, visibly struggling to process what he was seeing.
"Grant."
"What?"
"Can Charizard... evolve again?"
Grant slowly looked at him.
Ryan gestured helplessly toward Mega Charizard Y.
"I didn't exactly spend my life studying Pokémon evolution. You know more about this stuff than I do. Explain it."
The two technicians immediately turned toward Grant as well.
"Yeah, we'd like to hear this too."
Grant froze.
Four expectant eyes were now fixed on him.
"Ahem."
He straightened slightly and cleared his throat, putting on his most serious expression.
"Actually..."
Ryan leaned closer.
Grant paused dramatically.
"I have no idea."
Silence.
Ryan stared at him.
The two technicians stared at him.
Then all three had exactly the same thought.
Then why the hell did you act like you were about to explain it?
Grant pretended not to notice.
...