"Here's my first choice—let's go, Aron!"
Brendan acted like a perfect gentleman, taking the initiative and releasing his Pokémon.
FWIP!
[Lv. 23 Aron ♂ / Elite]
"You actually caught an Aron?"
Gary raised an eyebrow—he hadn't expected Brendan to have one, let alone one with such strong potential.
Zinnia, however, showed no fear. She had encountered plenty of Aron in Granite Cave and had even imagined one as the perfect rival for her own fossil Pokémon.
"Tyrunt, you're up!"
She tossed her Poké Ball lightly, and her prehistoric partner materialized.
FWIP!
[Lv. 17 Tyrunt ♂ / Quasi-Elite]
Gary hadn't checked Tyrunt's progress in two days—reaching Level 17 already was a pleasant surprise. The level gap was real, but not insurmountable. Tyrunt definitely had a chance.
"What Pokémon is that?"
Brendan scanned the newcomer with his Pokédex.
Pokédex: "Tyrunt—the Royal Heir Pokémon. Rock/Dragon-type. Little data is currently available."
Professor Birch's regional Pokédex was still incomplete and lacked detailed information on Kalos fossil Pokémon.
"Tyrunt, Ancient Power!" Zinnia opened aggressively.
Several glowing boulders whirled around Tyrunt before launching toward Aron.
"Block them with Rock Smash, then Tackle!"
On Brendan's command, Aron shattered the incoming stones with a swift Rock Smash, then rumbled forward into a full-body Tackle.
Despite Aron's ferocity, its speed was lacking. Tyrunt sidestepped with ease and struck from Aron's blind spot with Sucker Punch, knocking the Steel-type off balance.
Aron recovered at once, sprang forward, and crashed in with Headbutt.
Tyrunt couldn't dodge in time and met it head-on with Tackle.
WHAM!
The little tyrannosaur was hurled nearly two meters. In a sheer contest of raw power, Aron held the advantage—and Tyrunt still lacked a truly hard-hitting move. Currently, it knew only Tackle, Ancient Power, and Bite.
"Ancient Power, again!" Zinnia commanded.
While skidding back, Tyrunt raised more stones. Aron smashed them apart once again and charged with another Headbutt.
Knowing brute strength wouldn't win, Tyrunt slapped its tail against the ground, sprung lightly, and Aron's Headbutt sailed harmlessly beneath him.
Mid-air, in a single flash, Tyrunt dropped straight onto Aron's back and clamped down with its jaws. The bite didn't pierce Aron's steel armor, but the leverage was enough.
"It's useless—Aron's armor is rock-solid!" Brendan declared.
"Is it?" Zinnia grinned. "Tyrunt, lift him!"
Planting both feet, Tyrunt powered through its hind legs, raised its torso, and with it the Aron still locked in its jaws.
"What?!" Brendan stared in disbelief—Tyrunt had actually hoisted his Aron sky-high.
Aron, terrified of heights, flailed helplessly.
"Throw him!" Zinnia ordered.
Tyrunt spun three full rotations, building momentum, then flung Aron across the field.
CRASH!
The Aron slammed into the turf, the impact alone dealing massive damage. Still, Aron struggled to stand.
"Finish it—Ancient Power!"
A barrage of stones rained down. Too battered to dodge, Aron was buried—and finally collapsed.
"I… lost?" Brendan looked stunned. He'd held every advantage—offense and defense—yet Tyrunt had seized a single opening and turned the tide.
"Tyrunt, great job!" Zinnia cheered.
"Rawr!" Tyrunt roared triumphantly.
Gary had to admit he was impressed.
Back in Littleroot Town, Brendan's Treecko had only been Level 5. Now his Grovyle stood at Level 26—nearly matching Gary's own Grovyle, which had needed Rare Candies to reach Level 30.
The protagonist of the Hoenn saga was leveling up almost as quickly as Ash himself.
"Tyrunt, return," Zinnia said.
Seeing Brendan send out Grovyle next, she knew the matchup was poor—Tyrunt's mobility still couldn't match that lizard's blazing speed.
"Shelgon, your turn!"
FWIP!
[Lv. 37 Shelgon ♂ / Champion]
Shelgon wasn't agile, but the level gap gave Zinnia every chance to win.
Brendan's eyes widened. As a Hoenn native, he understood what Shelgon meant—Salamence, a pseudo-legendary Dragon-type, waited at the end of that evolutionary line.
He had traveled for months without meeting a single Dragon-type—now he was staring at one of the most famous.
Shelgon's popularity in Hoenn owed a lot to Elite Four member Drake, who often kept his own Shelgon out of its Poké Ball during interviews.
Over time, nearly every local Trainer could recognize Shelgon on sight.