He had actually sent out a Pokémon of this caliber as his very first one.
If he really were just a Trainer who had only recently earned one Badge, how the hell was he supposed to fight a level 32 Aggron?
This woman...
"What's wrong? This is only just the beginning. Show me how you'll deal with this—let me see what you're capable of!"
Iron Maiden swung the shovel in her hand through the air, her expression gradually growing excited.
Qiao Ran was increasingly convinced that she only carried a shovel because of weapon restrictions. Otherwise, a greatsword or heavy sword would have suited her perfectly.
"What Pokémon will you send out? A Ground type? Or a Fighting type? Are you thinking of a way to respond now? Or have you already decided to run away?"
"..."
Qiao Ran did not answer her. Instead, he stroked his chin and fell into thought.
Seeing Qiao Ran's expression gradually turn serious, the smile on Iron Maiden's face only grew wider.
"Good... good. Only a Trainer like this is worth crushing!"
"Hurry up and begin, little brother!"
Iron Maiden drove the iron shovel deep into the arena floor.
"The first one I'm sending out is..."
After some thought, Qiao Ran finally took out that aqua-blue Poké Ball.
"Come out! Suicune!"
As the main force on his side this time, Suicune undoubtedly bore the greatest pressure. With both Vulpix and Dianxi being countered by the opponent, Qiao Ran felt the best-case scenario would be for Vulpix and Dianxi to each trade one for one, leaving Suicune to finish things off. Or, more boldly, perhaps Dianxi could withstand the pressure and take down two by herself.
Suicune had already reached level 25. Completing this task was not some impossible dream—as long as the other side did not crazily send out level forty or fifty Pokémon.
If he could, Qiao Ran would definitely have saved Suicune for last. But against an Aggron with Steel and Rock dual typings, Suicune held a double type advantage.
Qiao Ran had to seize that advantage. Otherwise, the battles ahead would become truly troublesome.
"I'm counting on you, Suicune!"
"Awoo—"
At Qiao Ran's call, the embodiment of the north wind appeared on the battlefield. Even indoors, her purple mane seemed to sway in the gentle breeze.
"Oh? A Pokémon I've never seen before."
Looking at Suicune before her, a flash of curiosity and surprise crossed Iron Maiden's eyes. Not only did this Pokémon have an extremely unusual appearance, she even gave her an inexplicable sense of "holiness."
"Strange..."
Simply looking at that majestic figure, she could feel a peculiar pressure bearing down on her.
"...How strange. It's my first time experiencing this feeling... Is this Pokémon somewhat special? Judging by its color, it seems to be a Water type..."
Iron Maiden narrowed her eyes in confusion and covered her head with one hand. Hearing her words, Qiao Ran's heart gave a slight jolt, but he still decisively scratched his head and played dumb.
In this world, Iron Maiden was the first person who had taken one look at Suicune and felt that she was "special." Everyone else had merely thought she was a relatively rare, undiscovered Pokémon.
Could it... have something to do with her bloodline?
Qiao Ran scratched his head.
"What special? I don't get it. I caught this Pokémon in the grass by a small river near Zhenhui Town. Is she really that special?"
"In the grass by a small river near Zhenhui Town... something like this was there?"
Iron Maiden's eyes widened slightly in surprise. Such an obscure little place actually hid a Pokémon like this? Could something also be hiding in the mountain behind her home?
Still, she nodded.
"Fine, let's not discuss that for now. Let's continue our battle! Come at me!"
For Iron Maiden, battle was still what excited her most—especially crushing an opponent head-on until they no longer even dared to think of resisting her.
"The first round, begin!"
Eve stood in the center as the referee and announced the start of the match.
The moment her words fell, Qiao Ran began issuing commands. Suicune was his key to victory; he had to end this battle quickly and preserve more of her stamina.
"Suicune, move!"
"Awoo—"
Without any unnecessary words, Suicune seemed to instantly understand Qiao Ran's intentions and began running toward Aggron.
They did not actually need more words to communicate. As time passed, Qiao Ran had become increasingly accustomed to this kind of battle.
He was Suicune's second pair of eyes, as well as one of the combatants. Only in this state could his thoughts enter Suicune's mind without delay.
"Aggron, use Heavy Slam!!"
Since the opponent had come right to her, Iron Maiden naturally had no reason not to meet her head-on. Moreover, Heavy Slam was a Steel-type move that dealt greater damage the more the user outweighed its target, making it an excellent match for Aggron's astonishing weight.
However, the move's one weakness was its slow startup. The greater the distance, the easier it was for the opponent to evade. But if the opponent came rushing in on her own, then the situation was completely different.
"ROOOOAR!!!"
Aggron's entire body was enveloped in a metallic glow as she charged toward Suicune, the ground trembling beneath her footsteps.
Heavy Slam!
She was practically a metal chariot shaped like a Pokémon!!!
Under that overwhelming power, anything in her way would be crushed into pulp.
Yet, as they watched the scene before them, mysterious smiles rose on both Qiao Ran's and Suicune's lips.
"Suicune, we've already won!"
"This is our road to victory!"
"Awoo!"
"What?"
Iron Maiden had no idea what the sudden words meant. Yet what happened next still shattered her expectations.
—A frigid north wind swept up from where Suicune stood.
The blue Pokémon suddenly leaped high into the air without warning. With the abruptly rising north wind and her astonishing jumping power, she vaulted directly over Aggron's body and darted behind her.
"Now! Finish her off! She definitely can't dodge at this distance!"
"Water Cannon!"
"Awoo—!"
While Suicune was still in midair, she opened her mouth, firing a thick jet of water that struck Aggron's charging body head-on.
"ROOOOAR!!!"
Like a slug doused in salt, Aggron instantly let out a cry of pain. She had no way to evade an attack like this. She was already extremely slow, and while charging, she could not change direction at all.
She had clearly become a huge, living target!
With Suicune's abilities, there was no way she would miss!
"One more time!"
Another Water Cannon blasted forth. Under the doubly effective Water-type attack, Aggron did not even last until her charge ended before her body crashed to the ground.
"Roa..."
Her heavy body slammed fully against the arena floor, covered in all kinds of wet fluids, while her eyes turned into spiraling swirls.
"Aggron has lost the ability to battle! The winner of this match is—Suicune!!"
Eve announced the result immediately. Unlike some professional referees, she did not go over to check whether Aggron was merely asleep. After declaring the result, she quietly winked at Qiao Ran.
"This..."
The battle... was already over??
Looking at the scene that had suddenly unfolded before her, Iron Maiden took a deep breath. To be honest, she still did not understand.
That boy... what had he done?? How had he commanded that Pokémon???
And that wind just now—was it Tailwind, the move that could double speed? When had it been used?? And how had that Pokémon known when she should jump?
She had not heard any command at all. Could it be that he was commanding her through some special method???
If Iron Maiden could see the other side's command gestures, she could at least anticipate some of their intentions. But... in this battle, she had been completely dragged into the opponent's rhythm.
When the opponent approached her, Iron Maiden had thought he had made a mistake in judgment. Yet that had been the opportunity he had wanted to seize all along.
—The disparity in information had left her at a disadvantage.
Iron Maiden was once again astonished by the boy before her.
"This guy..."
Iron Maiden silently recalled the fallen Aggron. If her initial impression of this boy had been nothing but contempt and disdain, she was now somewhat interested in him.
"Eve really did find an interesting guy... He's already developed such a special command style after earning only one Badge?"
"Not bad, but this won't happen a second time!"
Iron Maiden took out her second Poké Ball. This time, she would definitely treat her opponent with even more caution and seriousness—even if he was only a boy.
"Come out! My second Pokémon—Mawile!"
An Enemy for Life
"Good job, Suicune."
Qiao Ran skillfully stroked her head, then recalled her into her Poké Ball amid her contented cry.
With the first battle over, Qiao Ran prepared to switch to another Pokémon.
Even he had not expected this battle to go so smoothly. His coordination with Suicune had been perfect, and they had not taken even a bit of damage from any moves before achieving victory.
That brilliant Tailwind in particular had allowed Suicune to completely overwhelm the opponent in agility. Even if those Water Cannons had not taken down Aggron, Qiao Ran was confident he could have finished her off with other moves.
Qiao Ran even began wondering whether he had underestimated the abilities of these Legendary Pokémon.
—Even with a level gap, where exactly were their limits?
Still, Qiao Ran did not think there was anything wrong with being cautious. Only by respecting his opponents at all times could he avoid stumbling when it mattered most.
He was the most cautious adventurer.
"The second one will be Mawile, huh?"
Looking at the petite humanoid Pokémon appearing on the far side of the battlefield, Qiao Ran stroked his chin and quietly took out Rotom, his tool phone.
Mawile, the Deceiver Pokémon, level... 35.
"Level 35 Mawile. A few levels higher than that Aggron just now."
Under normal circumstances, Mawile was absolutely not as strong as Aggron. Although her typings were decent, her base stat total of 380 limited her strength. However, if she could Mega Evolve, Mawile could display far greater power than Aggron and even serve as a high-bulk physical attacker on Trick Room teams.
However... this world did not seem to have any concept of Mega Evolution yet, so Qiao Ran did not need to worry about Mawile suddenly changing from a single ponytail to twin ponytails before using all sorts of strange moves on him.
"If it's this opponent... then I choose you! Vulpix!"
Qiao Ran threw the Poké Ball in his hand. In a flash of light, a white little beast with six small tails behind her appeared on the field.
To preserve Suicune's stamina, the only Pokémon Qiao Ran had left to use were Vulpix and Dianxi. Altaria, whose level was still too low, could only warm the bench in this situation. And as one of his trump cards, Qiao Ran did not want Dianxi to appear too early. Taking everything into consideration, Vulpix was the only one he could send out first.
"Oh? He actually... sent out an Ice-type Pokémon?"
Watching Qiao Ran send out Vulpix, Iron Maiden found herself unable to understand this boy once more.
An Ice type... was clearly countered by Steel???
Why send out an Ice type??
As a Gym Trainer, nearly every challenger Iron Maiden faced chose Pokémon that countered Steel types. At worst, they chose types that neither countered nor were countered by Steel. This was truly the first time she had ever seen someone voluntarily send out a Pokémon countered by the Gym Leader.
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