"Galarian Moltres? It really doesn't look easy to deal with."
From the audience, Ilene stared at the black-and-red sinister bird, its wings and tail feathers blazing like fire. It was terrifying.
The sense of pressure it gave was even greater than the Galarian Zapdos from earlier.
"I heard Dylan already had Articuno and Zapdos, but I didn't expect he'd also have Galarian Moltres and Galarian Zapdos."
Cynthia's eyes gleamed with excitement; a strong opponent like this stirred her fighting spirit.
"Actually, my brother also has the regular Moltres. As for the Galarian trio, he caught them in the Crown Tundra of Galar."
Lillie explained with a bright smile.
Indeed, back then, after persuading Calyrex to 'temporarily' join his party, Dylan had gone on to capture the three Galarian birds.
Calyrex, having been asleep for so long, truly didn't know their whereabouts—but Glastrier and Spectrier, who wandered freely, had seen them.
And with Clefairy plus Calyrex's sweeping psychic abilities, it didn't take long for Dylan to gather all three Galarian birds.
"So that means Dylan has all six of them now."
"I wonder what Steven will use to fight against that Galarian Moltres."
The group, including Wallace, began to discuss.
"Aggron!"
After a moment's thought, Steven decisively threw out his third Poké Ball.
"Aggron!"
A monster Pokémon clad head to toe in steel armor crashed heavily onto the field before him, roaring at Galarian Moltres.
It was none other than Aggron, the final evolution of Aron!
Beep~ Aggron. Steel/Rock-type, Iron Armor Pokémon.
Ability: Rock Head
Moves: Metal Burst, Double-Edge, Heavy Slam, Iron Defense, Iron Tail, Rock Slide…
Info: It claims entire mountains as its territory. The more scars on its body, the more battles it has endured—never underestimate it.
Dylan sized up the imposing Aggron.
"Not bad at all."
It was a good choice. Rock beats Flying, so Aggron had a type advantage over Galarian Moltres.
And despite its name, Galarian Moltres wasn't a Fire-type at all. It didn't even know any Fire moves—aside from Sunny Day.
"Aggron, Stone Edge!"
Steven launched the first attack, wanting to gauge Moltres' power.
"Dark Pulse—send it back."
Aggron roared, sharp rocks forming in front of it.
Stone Edge!
The jagged stones whistled through the air. Galarian Moltres spread its wings slowly, gathering black energy at its beak.
A dark, pulsing wave shot forward, colliding head-on with the incoming stones.
Boom!
Dark Pulse and Stone Edge crashed together, explosions shaking the field.
But soon, Dark Pulse overwhelmed the stones, pushing forward relentlessly.
"Special Attack is strong."
Steven noted this immediately.
Aggron's greatest strength was its physical defense—but its physical offense wasn't weak either.
Yet even its STAB Stone Edge was suppressed by Moltres' Dark Pulse. That said it all.
Not an ideal matchup. Aggron was better suited to walling physical attackers.
As for why he hadn't used it earlier against Galarian Zapdos?
Aggron was 4x weak to Fighting—sending it out then would've been suicide.
"Come back, Aggron." Steven recalled it.
"Withdrawn? A smart choice."
Dylan chuckled lightly. If Steven kept Aggron out, it really wouldn't stand a chance.
After all, Galarian Moltres commanded the skies, and Dark wasn't resisted by Steel/Rock.
"Metagross!"
Steven threw his fourth Poké Ball.
"Metagross!"
In a flash of white, the blue steel behemoth landed before him, eyes fixed on Galarian Moltres.
"Eh? So soon to use your ace?"
Lillie blinked in surprise. Everyone knew Metagross was Steven's signature Pokémon.
"Not anymore." Wallace smirked, shaking his head.
As Steven's closest friend, of course he knew Steven's team had changed.
"Mr. Steven has already grown so much?"
Ilene was shocked. The ace of a team was the one Pokémon capable of turning a battle around.
Metagross wasn't just Steven's signature—it was his strongest. Even if all his others fell, as long as Metagross stood, he still had a chance to win.
That was Steven's reputation.
But now, he'd raised another to take Metagross' place? Incredible.
"Hmm…" Wallace blinked, not quite sure how to describe Steven's new ace.
Yes, Metagross was no longer the trump card. But Steven's new ace…
"Metagross?"
Dylan raised an eyebrow at the sight.
"Ah~ Dylan, please experience this for yourself."
Steven drew in a breath, lifting a black Tera Orb.
Terastallization!
Brilliant gemlike light enveloped Metagross, sparkling like crystal.
When it faded, Metagross stood shimmering, encased in a translucent crystal sheen.
Tera Steel—Metagross!
"As expected of you, Steven. Even mastering Terastallization." Dylan admired, noting the axe-shaped mark atop its head—the symbol of Tera Steel.
And not Mega Evolution? Interesting.
That meant this Metagross clearly wasn't his ace anymore. So what was?
For even a Legendary to replace Mega Metagross would be difficult.
Was it that one from the anime?
"Falling behind is the same as growing weaker. With so many excellent juniors rising, we have to keep pace."
Steven smiled.
This Tera Orb had been given to him by Ilene. In Paldea, they weren't too rare, so she'd offered one to Cynthia, Steven, and others.
But outside Paldea, with no natural Tera energy, they could only be used once before needing a recharge back there. Troublesome, yes—but still worth using.
After all, Terastallization provided a genuine boost in battle. How could one not use it?
Steven had even obtained both a Dynamax Band and a Z-Ring.
"I may no longer be a boy, but I'm still young."
Steven chuckled faintly. Not the child he once was, but not yet one of the old generation either.
"Hah—then let me see what your Terastallized Metagross can do." Dylan smirked.
"Of course! Metagross!"
Steven's voice sharpened as he gave the command.
The crystalline Metagross roared, bracing itself.
"Bullet Punch!"
Its claws gleamed with metallic light as it lunged forward at high speed.
Steel-type priority move—Bullet Punch!
"Sucker Punch." Dylan remained calm.
Galarian Moltres' eyes flashed darkly, its body streaking black-and-red as it rushed in.
Dark-type priority move—Sucker Punch!
Blue steel and black-red shadows clashed, but the latter was clearly faster.
In an instant, they crossed paths.
Metagross tried to turn, but Moltres was already upon it.
"So fast!"
Steven's face darkened—Metagross couldn't react in time.
Wham!
Moltres' Sucker Punch slammed straight into its forehead.
Metagross groaned, staggering back.
"Fiery Wrath!"
"Cry!"
With a shrill, sinister screech, Galarian Moltres flared with black-red energy.
The next moment, a torrent of power surged upward beneath Metagross, engulfing it completely, forcing its eyes shut in pain.
Moltres' signature move—Fiery Wrath!
Steven frowned tightly. The follow-up was simply too fast.
Boom!
Fiery Wrath exploded, blasting Metagross further back.
"Dark Pulse!"
Dylan pressed the assault.
Moltres raised its head, loosing rippling black waves at Metagross.
"Metagross, Meteor Mash!"
Forcing itself steady, Metagross' claw shone brightly, swinging into the oncoming Dark Pulse.
The Steel Meteor Mash clashed violently with Dark Pulse. Metagross roared, putting all its weight into it—
—and shattered the black energy.
Moltres narrowed its eyes, wings shifting slightly—
Boom!
It struck a Stealth Rock on entry, the shards exploding painfully against it.
"Ugh…" Moltres shrieked, stumbling before steadying itself again.
Rocks were doubly effective. That hurt.
"Quite a powerful Meteor Mash."
Dylan praised. No wonder Metagross had once been Steven's ace—it truly was formidable.
And with Tera Steel boosting its STAB, its Steel moves packed even more punch.
"Still, this won't be easy. Moltres has Sucker Punch to counter Bullet Punch."
Wallace studied the sinister bird—it looked every bit the evil omen, especially with that blood-red hooked beak.
"At least Tera Steel resists Dark. Otherwise, those last two hits would've hurt Metagross even worse."
Cynthia nodded. Normally Steel/Psychic Metagross was weak to Dark. With Tera Steel, it was neutral damage now.
That mattered—otherwise, Sucker Punch plus Fiery Wrath would've been devastating.
"But Metagross has to get close to beat it. And Dylan won't give that chance."
…
"Metagross, Light Screen!"
Steven decided to wall up instead.
Closing in on Moltres wasn't simple. Better to play it slow.
Besides, Moltres didn't seem to have any strong super-effective moves against it.
With Light Screen up, its Dark moves would deal far less damage. And there were still Stealth Rocks in play.
"Taunt!" Dylan ordered immediately.
As Metagross summoned the translucent wall, Moltres shrieked harshly, exuding malice.
But too late—without Prankster, its Taunt couldn't stop the Light Screen in time.
The barrier sank into Metagross, though it was now under Taunt's effect—unable to use status moves for a while.
"Tch."
Dylan sighed. Steven really did want to drag things out. But Dylan wasn't running a stall team.
Now Metagross had Light Screen halving special damage, and Moltres couldn't do much more to it.
So Dylan had Moltres U-Turn, striking once before returning to its ball.
"High defense plus Light Screen—you've given me quite the puzzle, Steven." Dylan tossed another ball.
"Not for you. After all, you've got Reshiram, Kyurem…"
"Ah, but today, I want to give some others their chance." Dylan shrugged.
"Then your third opponent will be—this one."
He threw the Poké Ball.
"Zeraora! Get ready!"
With a low growl, the lightning-fast beast landed before Dylan, eyes locked on Metagross.
"The Mythical Pokémon Zeraora. Steven, be careful—Zeraora's power surpasses even Zapdos and Moltres." Dylan grinned.
"Mythical, huh?" Steven studied the lithe feline carefully.
Beep~ Zeraora. Electric-type, Thunderclap Pokémon.
Ability: Volt Absorb
Moves: Plasma Fists, Close Combat, Wild Charge, Fake Out, Thunder Punch…
Info: It discharges electricity from its paw pads. Wherever Zeraora sprints, lightning and thunder follow.
"This is the first time I'll be using Zeraora in an official battle. But against your Metagross—it's the perfect opponent." Dylan smiled.
"…I should be honored."
Steven twitched. This was Dylan's third Legendary already.
The rotation never stopped. Clearly, Dylan wanted all his Pokémon to 'enjoy' themselves.
What would the next three be? Hard to say.
But one thing was certain—Dylan wasn't planning to use his most broken ones here.
…Probably.
(End of Chapter)