When they arrived at the Pokémon Center, Cheng Tian asked the doctor to treat his shoulder injury. A Chansey walked over.
"Lucky~" "This might feel a little uncomfortable. Bear with it," the doctor said. "Chansey, Heal Pulse."
Chansey placed a little hand on Cheng Tian's shoulder and released a gentle pulse. All at once, his shoulder felt as though it were on fire, burning hot.
"Don't move. The heat is normal," the doctor said. After about two minutes, the burning sensation slowly faded, and Chansey withdrew its little hand. "Lucky~"
When Cheng Tian looked at his shoulder, he found that the wound had healed completely, leaving only a scab. "Thank you, doctor." He was about to get off the bed when his legs suddenly went weak, and he nearly fell.
Chansey hurriedly steadied him. Seeing this, the doctor explained, "Heal Pulse is too powerful for the human body to adapt to, so healing you comes at the cost of your stamina. Don't do any strenuous exercise after you get home."
Cheng Tian nodded thoughtfully. Heal Pulse had no side effects on Pokémon because their bodies were strong. Human bodies couldn't compare, so it was only natural that it would consume their stamina.
On the way home, Cheng Tian and his father agreed not to tell his mother what had happened at the mine that day. One feared she would worry; the other didn't want to be nagged.
They also stopped by the Pokémon Shop and bought Aron a food bowl and some Pokémon food.
Aron's food was rather expensive. The clerk explained that it contained large amounts of metallic minerals, which could strengthen the bodies of Rock- and Steel-type Pokémon.
It was almost eight by the time they got home. Seeing them return, Cheng Tian's mother couldn't help frowning. "Why are you two so late today?"
"Cheng Tian brought some things to me at the mine today and caught a Pokémon there while he was at it. We took it for a full checkup and bought some food, so we got back late," his father said, delivering the explanation he had prepared beforehand. Cheng Tian had also changed into fresh clothes to avoid giving anything away.
"A grown man like you, making your son deliver things for you," his mother scolded. "You caught a new Pokémon? Let it out so I can see."
"Oh. Come on out, Aron." Cheng Tian tossed the Poké Ball, and Aron appeared before his mother.
"Yamp?" Seeing such a strange Pokémon, Yamper came over to inspect it curiously.
His mother crouched down as well. "This little fellow's head is made of iron?" As she spoke, she tapped Aron's metal skull.
"Aron." Aron cried out. "Mom, this is Aron. Aron, this is my mom," Cheng Tian introduced them.
His mother nodded and stroked Aron. "Little fellow, you're part of our family now. Let's all get along."
"Aron..." Aron was a little dazed. Family? I have a family again?
"All right, you two, time to eat. We need to give the little ones their food, too." His mother got up to dish out dinner.
Yamper was delighted to have a new member of the household and kept barking.
Because of his shoulder injury, Cheng Tian didn't take a shower. He simply filled a basin with water and wiped himself down with a cloth.
Even if he couldn't shower, he still needed to clean himself. Having grime, sweat, and blood on his body was far too uncomfortable.
Cheng Tian felt much better afterward. When he returned to his room, Froakie was watching Japanese anime with Aron. Every so often, Froakie would croak a couple of times, as though explaining something to Aron.
Although Aron was curious, there wasn't much enjoyment in its eyes. Perhaps it wasn't interested in this sort of thing.
Still, seeing the two little ones getting along so well, Cheng Tian nodded in satisfaction.
Cheng Tian sat on the bed and issued a mental command. Open the quest panel.
The quest panel instantly appeared in his mind, displaying the quest he had just completed.
Ding-Congratulations to the host for completing the quest Second Bloom: catch your second Pokémon. Reward: Sea Incense ×1 (completed)
"Claim."
Ding-Reward successfully claimed!
A blue incense burner suddenly appeared on the desk in Cheng Tian's room. "So this is the Sea Incense?" He picked it up curiously.
It was an ordinary-sized incense burner with a blue exterior, continuously releasing a peculiar fragrance. The scent carried a faint, fresh saltiness, like the smell of an ocean breeze.
"Froak, froak!" Froakie's eyes lit up at once. That smells amazing! "Aron?" Aron smelled the fragrance as well, but all it felt was that it smelled nice. It had no other reaction.
Froakie quickly hopped onto the desk and sniffed the incense eagerly. Cheng Tian patted its little head. "Well? Does it smell good? This incense is for you. It can boost the power of your Water-type moves."
"Froak, froak!" Froakie nodded happily. As it breathed in the fragrance, even its skin seemed to grow moister, as though it could control more Water-type energy.
Soon, however, Cheng Tian ran into a problem. This Sea Incense was rather large. Given Froakie's size, it couldn't carry the thing into battle.
Surely he couldn't get a piece of rope and hang the incense around its neck?
"Damn it. This thing is like a chicken rib-not worth much, but too good to throw away!" Cheng Tian felt miserable. The Sea Incense could indeed strengthen Froakie's Water-type moves, but if it couldn't be carried around, it wasn't particularly useful.
"System, this incense is too big. Do you have a smaller one?" Cheng Tian asked. "Ding-All sales are final. No returns or exchanges!"
"How is this a sale? I earned it by working hard to complete a quest!" Cheng Tian protested. "Ding-The host may also choose to exchange the reward!"
"Oh? What reward?" Cheng Tian asked.
"A personal verbal commendation from the system-" "Enough, enough. I'll keep the incense." Cheng Tian hurriedly interrupted it. Every time this idiot system personally praised him, it called him an idiot. He would have to be a real idiot to choose that reward.
Selling it didn't feel worthwhile either, and Froakie seemed to like it very much. "Sigh. Forget it. Keeping it in the room isn't bad, either," Cheng Tian consoled himself.
The night gradually deepened, but Cheng Tian still wasn't the least bit sleepy. The two little ones gathered beside him were still awake, too.
After thinking for a moment, Cheng Tian took out his phone. "Aron, do you want to watch the World Pokémon League?" "Aron?" Aron was puzzled. The World Pokémon League?
What's that?
Cheng Tian opened Baidu. The World Cup and the World Pokémon League were being held at the same time these past few days, drawing attention from people all around the globe.
The World Pokémon League was where top trainers from different countries and regions around the world competed in battle.
To identify truly outstanding trainers, national governments were not allowed to secure guaranteed places for anyone. Trainers who wanted to compete had to register online within one month after the World Pokémon League ended, then download its dedicated app. The app would automatically match them with nearby trainers who had also registered.
Defeating trainers would improve their ranking. This process continued until May of the following year, when the top 1,500 on the world rankings would qualify to compete.
It had to be said that the league organizers' approach was fair and impartial. It prevented people in certain countries from slipping in through the back door and lowering the standard of the World Pokémon League. Of course, that didn't rule out some countries simply having a lower overall standard.
Still, there were always some differences when this rule was implemented in individual countries. In China, for example, competitors had to be Chinese citizens and rank among the top 3,500 domestically in May to attend the training camp, where they would compete against the others for places in the global top 1,500.
There was no need to worry about artificially inflated rankings. The league organizers had approved China's slight modifications to the rules and would send staff to supervise at that time to prevent anyone from farming points.
Cheng Tian opened the match replays. The round-of-32 qualifiers were taking place these days. As he browsed the match records, one battle quickly caught his attention.
"China's Steel-type Elite Four member Yang Yonggang versus Egypt's Fire-type Elite Four member! A comeback against a type disadvantage!"
Yang Yonggang was one of China's renowned trainers. He specialized in Steel types, was thirty-five years old, and ranked 683rd in the world that year. Cheng Tian had heard his name before.
Cheng Tian tapped the video and began watching. The commentators' voices rang out.
Commentator 1: "Both competitors have now taken the field. On the left is our renowned Steel-type Elite Four member, Yang Yonggang! He's facing a Fire-type specialist from Egypt!"
Commentator 2: "The type matchup puts Yang Yonggang at quite a disadvantage."
Commentator 3: "As a Steel-type specialist, Yang Yonggang surely has ways to deal with Fire-type Pokémon. Let's wait and see!"
Once both competitors entered the wide-open arena, thunderous cheers erupted from the surrounding stands, which could seat thirty thousand spectators.
Yang Yonggang sent out his Pokémon first. A UFO-shaped Pokémon, Magnezone, appeared on the field. His opponent sent out a Torkoal.
The footage was extremely clear. Translation devices could be seen on both men's ears. The tournament supplied these to ensure fairness, allowing them to understand each other's language and identify the moves their opponent called out.
Torkoal made the first move, spitting a huge glowing sphere of Fire-type energy into the sky. It was the weather move Sunny Day, which boosted the power of Fire-type moves.
Magnezone also began moving. Dozens of Magnezone suddenly appeared across the field, each surrounded by several small, spinning magnets.
The next moment, Magnezone swiftly unleashed Magnet Bomb, sending the bombs toward Torkoal. Fire-type energy surged as Torkoal opened its mouth, and a thick Flamethrower blasted out.
The volume and power of this Flamethrower were extraordinary. The camera could even capture the distorted air around it, showing just how hot the flames were!
Flamethrower swept across the field, destroying Magnezone's Double Team copies one after another. The real Magnezone took advantage of the sweeping attack to evade the flames, while the magnets on its body spun madly. Several dark clouds actually gathered above the field.
"There it is! Magnezone is trying to use Rain Dance to weaken its opponent's Sunny Day!" the commentator explained rapidly.
Rain began falling over the field, but the sun centered on Torkoal wasn't extinguished immediately. After all, Rain Dance wasn't a move of Magnezone's own type, so it could only weaken the effect.
Even that was enough. Before long, Sunny Day's energy was completely exhausted, and the sun went out.
Magnezone's red eye suddenly widened. A visible ripple of Gravity radiated from its body, swiftly spreading across the entire field.
Torkoal's body suddenly sank, pressing it flat against the ground. Magnezone seized the opportunity. A massive bolt of lightning pierced the arena, and Thunder struck Torkoal viciously. At the same time, three spinning attacks flew from in front of Magnezone. Tri Attack followed right on cue. Billowing smoke instantly rose over the field.
The Egyptian competitor looked anxious. When the smoke cleared, Torkoal lay on the ground, completely unable to battle. The charred marks on its shell even showed signs of cracking. Just looking at them revealed the power of that last Thunder.
After that, the opponent needed three Pokémon to defeat two of Yang Yonggang's: Magnezone and Scizor.
Now Yang Yonggang sent out his third Pokémon. "ROAR!" A sky-shaking roar rang out as a Metal Beast appeared on the field.
"Aron!" Aron's eyes shone! This was its final evolved form, just like its father!
The Metal Beast, Aggron.
Aggron was a large, monster-like Pokémon, its entire body encased in hard armor. Its thick, powerful tail struck the ground, stirring up clouds of dust and even cracking the surface.
This Aggron's armor was scarred all over, symbols of honor. Aggron regarded the scars on their armor as medals. The one before them bore two savage scars across its chest armor, and every inch of its body radiated a terrifying aura.
Cheng Tian's eyes lit up. A stone marked with a special symbol was embedded in this Aggron's chest armor. He recognized it immediately.
It was a Mega Stone!
Aggron's appearance on the field instantly drew tremendous cheers! Wave after wave of sound rose as the Metal Beast ignited the spectators' enthusiasm.
"There it is! The Steel-type Elite Four member's ace! Aggron!" The commentator was so excited he nearly shouted. This Aggron was Yang Yonggang's ace and appeared at every world championship.
Seeing his opponent send out his ace, Egypt's Fire-type Elite Four member hurriedly sent out his own. An enormous Darmanitan appeared on the field, pounding its chest muscles.
This was a duel between aces!
Darmanitan abruptly puffed out its belly and used Belly Drum, a boosting move that sacrificed half its own stamina to greatly increase its attack. With a base physical Attack stat of 140 already, its offense became even more ferocious.
Flames erupted from its body, and it charged at Aggron, swinging a pair of Fire Punches. Yet Aggron showed no fear. It threw back its head and roared, dense Dragon-type energy churning around it. Using Metal Claw with both hands, it combined the move with Dragon Rush and charged at the approaching Darmanitan.
The two giants clashed. To the opponent's surprise, Darmanitan's strength couldn't match Aggron's, and it was slowly being driven backward.
Aggron roared at Darmanitan, raised its head, and slammed it down.
Head Smash!
Head Smash struck Darmanitan's head, instantly making it see stars. Aggron seized one of its arms. Lightning flashed as a Thunder Punch slammed into its belly.
Darmanitan roared in pain, flames engulfing its body as it rammed Aggron. The close-range Fire-type move: Flare Blitz!
Aggron recoiled in pain, its massive, sturdy legs stamping backward, each step leaving a clearly visible deep crater in the field.
Just then, Yang Yonggang raised his right hand. A radiant, multicolored stone was embedded in his wrist guard.
"Aggron, show them what a Metal Beast really is! Mega Evolve!"
Light streamed from the Key Stone on Yang Yonggang's hand. The Mega Stone on Aggron's chest also shone, linking its light with the Key Stone's. Aggron roared, and white light instantly enveloped its body.
The Fire-type Elite Four member realized something was wrong and ordered Darmanitan to use Flare Blitz again, hoping to interrupt Aggron's Mega Evolution.
Just as Darmanitan was about to collide with it, a pair of thick arms burst out of the intense white light and swung Darmanitan straight to the ground.
"ROAR!" The light faded, and a savage roar echoed throughout the arena. The mysterious symbol of Mega Evolution appeared before Aggron. It had successfully Mega Evolved into Mega Aggron.
The pointed horn on Mega Aggron's forehead had shortened, while a blade-like horn had grown on its nose and a downward-pointing spike had appeared on its jaw. The protrusions on its shoulders had lengthened and curved toward its head. The steel bands on its limbs were noticeably longer, and new spikes extended through holes in the bands around its arms. Its tail had also grown thicker and was encircled by three silver steel bands. When it slammed down, the earth split beneath it.
Mega Aggron suddenly exerted its strength, and the arena began shaking violently. Earthquake waves surged toward Darmanitan, which had yet to get back up.
Seeing this, Darmanitan immediately deployed Protect. Powerful seismic waves battered the green energy barrier again and again, actually forming fine cracks across its surface!
At last, after blocking the final wave of Earthquake, Protect's energy barrier could hold out no longer and shattered completely. By then, however, Mega Aggron was already standing before Darmanitan. Its arm, like a massive beam, flashed with lightning as it smashed toward its opponent.
Unable to dodge in time, Darmanitan could only form a Reflect barrier in front of itself, hoping to reduce Thunder Punch's damage. Crack- Aggron's fist slammed into Reflect and shattered it outright. Thunder Punch continued through and struck Darmanitan.
Darmanitan couldn't withstand the blow. It lost the ability to battle and collapsed.
"ROAR!!!" Mega Aggron threw back its head and bellowed, endless fighting spirit radiating from its entire body.
The opponent's final Pokémon was a Heatmor. Facing Mega Aggron, it seemed rather helpless. A single Earthquake followed by a Thunder Punch sent it out of the match. With that, Yang Yonggang advanced to the round of 32.
After watching the battle, Cheng Tian and Aron couldn't calm down for a long time.
"That was Mega Evolution, Aron. You can become like that, too." Aron was incredibly excited to hear this. The Mega Aggron that had displayed such ferocious might on the phone had left a deep impression: heavy, impenetrable armor, and punches that could crumble mountains and split the earth.
I'm going to be just as strong! Aron set its goal.
The night grew deeper. Cheng Tian looked at Froakie beside him and Aron, which had finally agreed to sleep. For some reason, his heart felt utterly fulfilled.
After a moment's thought, Cheng Tian picked up the cross necklace hanging against his chest. He looked at it for a while, then set it down again, a faint smile touching his lips. Gently stroking the two little ones, he said, "Don't worry. I'll make sure you become the strongest."
The two little ones slept peacefully, even smiling. Who knew what lovely dreams they were having?
The night passed without incident...
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