"This… this is just way too strong…"
"I told you, didn't I? How could Lucas, Lance's cousin, possibly be weak? Tell me, how could he be weak?"
"No, seriously though—the main thing is that Iris never expected her Druddigon's attack to have so little effect on that Guzzlord! That's just insane!"
"What's insane about it? Just look at that thing's build! You can tell from its body alone that Guzzlord is clearly a defense-oriented Pokémon. Iris was just too careless."
After a brief moment of silence, the entire internet exploded—viewers watching the live broadcast, forums, and comment sections were all in chaos.
After all, the battle had ended far too quickly.
No one expected it to turn out this way.
It was practically a one-sided domination.
"This Pokémon's strength… it's not normal."
Inside the Opelucid City Arena, Steven frowned deeply as he fixed his eyes on the ferocious-looking Guzzlord.
Its power level was abnormally high—first, its endurance and defense, and then its sheer offensive strength.
.......
To crush Iris's Druddigon in such a brutal and effortless manner… this level of power was beyond what anyone had anticipated.
If you looked carefully, you could tell this Guzzlord wasn't actually any higher in level than Druddigon.
"You're right. No matter how tough its defense is, a direct hit from Dragon Tail shouldn't have resulted in such a weak reaction," Leon said, his eyes narrowing slightly in deep analysis. From an outside perspective, Iris had indeed been careless—
—but was that really the truth?
In reality, Iris's decision had been perfectly sound. Druddigon dodged the Guzzlord's Dragon Claw, then landed a perfect strike with Dragon Tail.
The Guzzlord's typing Dark and Dragon meant Dragon Tail was super effective against it.
By all logic, even if Guzzlord had high defense, it shouldn't have been able to immediately counterattack after taking a direct hit.
And yet, that was exactly what it did.
Who could have possibly expected that?
"An Ultra Beast, huh… let's keep watching," Leon muttered.
At this point, his interest in this particular Ultra Beast was growing. Its power seemed noticeably greater than that of normal Pokémon of the same level.
If Lucas heard him, he would probably just smile. Even though Ultra Beasts' species values and rarity couldn't compare to certain legendary Pokémon,
—they were still classified as legendary-tier Pokémon!
So of course, in terms of base strength, they were naturally stronger than most ordinary Pokémon of the same level.
On the field—
"My Guzzlord has immense stamina, Iris. If you want to go on the offensive, you'll have to think through your strategy carefully," Lucas said with a faint smile.
Indeed, the Guzzlord's advantage was its raw endurance.
In truth, its defense wasn't all that extraordinary—but its stamina far exceeded what most could imagine.
A base HP stat over two hundred—how could that possibly be "ordinary"?
Sure, Druddigon's Dragon Tail had immense power, but when the damage was calculated as a percentage of total HP, it didn't amount to much. No wonder Guzzlord barely reacted.
Lucas knew his Pokémon's strengths perfectly and had deliberately raised Guzzlord as a counterattack-style defender.
"Although it's unfortunate… it seems you'll have to send out your next Pokémon, Iris," Lucas reminded her with an easy smile.
"As expected, I can't underestimate you," Iris exhaled deeply and recalled her Druddigon.
"My next Pokémon will be this one!"
"Aggron! It's your turn!"
After some quick thought, Iris hurled her Poké Ball forward with determination.
"GROOON!"
A deep roar echoed as a massive steel beast slammed down before her. The arena floor quivered slightly beneath its tremendous weight.
Steel/Rock-type—Aggron!
"Aggron, huh? If I remember correctly, one of your main battlers is a Lapras, isn't it?" Lucas asked casually. "Not using it?"
He examined Aggron thoughtfully—it radiated a steady, heavy aura. Clearly, it was well-trained—no surprise, since it was one of Iris's main Pokémon.
But Lucas distinctly remembered that Iris also had a powerful Ice-type mainstay, her Lapras.
Even though Iris hailed from the Village of Dragons and adored dragon-types, among her main lineup, only three were actually Dragon-type Pokémon.
If it were her third rematch lineup from Pokémon Black 2 & White 2, the roster would change slightly but only by swapping Druddigon for Salamence.
Still three Dragon-types in her core team.
"Aggron will be more than enough!"
Iris straightened her expression and declared confidently.
Yes, she did have Lapras but she wouldn't use it now.
Lapras was a trump card reserved for fighting Lucas' other Pokémon later. She didn't yet know what other Pokémon Lucas had beyond his Dragon-types, Guzzlord and Dragonair.
As a member of the Blackthorn clan, his main roster couldn't possibly be limited to just those two.
Keeping Lapras hidden was a strategic choice.
Besides, Aggron's Steel typing gave it natural resistance to Dragon-type attacks.
In terms of typing alone, she still had the upper hand.
"Oh? Confident, aren't you? Then show me what your Aggron can do."
Lucas raised an eyebrow, but he wasn't angry at her words.
He understood this kind of stubborn pride well—champions all had it.
No matter how dire things seemed, people like Iris, Steven, and Leon would never give up. Their will only burned brighter when challenged.
That, perhaps, was what defined a true protagonist.
"Guzzlord, Earthquake!"
"Guzzz!"
The Guzzlord let out a low roar, swinging its hammer-like tail down with a thunderous crash.
The entire arena shook violently. Invisible shockwaves spread outward, surging straight toward Aggron.
"Earthquake!" Iris called sharply.
The simplest way to counter an Earthquake was with another Earthquake!
Aggron lifted one heavy foot and slammed it down.
The two shockwaves collided with tremendous force, then dispersed into nothingness.
—but just then, a sharp whistling sound cut through the air!
Two black shapes shot forward like lightning, wrapping tightly around Aggron's neck—
The Guzzlord's twin claws from its stomach!
"Aggron!"
Iris's heart skipped a beat. She shouted immediately—she hadn't forgotten how Druddigon lost earlier!
Aggron growled deeply, grabbing both claws with its powerful hands and pulling hard, trying to drag Guzzlord closer.
Though being strangled around the neck was uncomfortable, painful even—Aggron was far heavier than Druddigon, and unlike it, wasn't being lifted off the ground.
"Good! Flash Cannon!"
Iris exhaled in relief and gave her next order.
One reason she'd chosen Aggron was exactly this—its sheer weight!
Even though her Aggron didn't have the "Heavy Metal" ability, it was still immensely heavy.
But at that very moment—
"Crunch!"
Lucas's calm voice reached her ears.
The claws gripping Aggron's neck suddenly opened—revealing rows of jagged, razor-sharp teeth, like a monstrous maw waiting to devour.
"Aggron, Ice Punch!" Iris shouted without hesitation.
The black-tinged claws bit savagely into Aggron's shoulder.
Crunch!
A sickening crack echoed—the sound of bone under pressure.
Aggron winced in pain, its tough defense mitigating the blow, but even so—it hurt.
And that pain only made it angrier.
Gripping the Guzzlord's claw tightly, Aggron's other arm flared with a chilling blue aura.
Ice Punch!
The freezing strike landed squarely on Guzzlord's claw, frost instantly spreading over it.
The Guzzlord snarled, jerking its claw back in pain—
Though they looked like claws, they were in fact its tongue!
"Not bad," Lucas chuckled. "But this is only just beginning. Fire Blast!"
"GUUUZZZ!"
The Guzzlord roared ferociously, gathering scorching flames in front of its mouth.
A second later, a blazing fire shaped like the kanji "大" erupted forward, surging toward Aggron.
"Rock Tomb!"
Aggron stomped down hard. A massive wall of stone rose from the ground before it, intercepting the incoming flames.
BOOM!
The fire crashed violently into the rock, flames bursting out from the impact until the stone finally shattered apart.
"Double-Edge!"
Before the heatwave could fully disperse, Aggron roared and charged straight ahead!
Its overwhelming momentum was like that of a tank barreling forward!
"Perfect. You've come right to me!"
"Guzzlord, Dragon Claw!"
Lucas grinned, giving his command.
The Guzzlord met the charge head-on, unflinching, both claws gleaming with azure light as it slashed out to meet Aggron.
Dragon Claw vs. Double-Edge!
The collision sent shockwaves billowing through the air, whipping Iris's and Lucas's clothes about wildly.
Then—Aggron roared, pushing with brute force, slamming its armored body into Guzzlord with full power!
The Guzzlord grunted in pain as its massive form was forced backward a few steps.
Seeing this, Iris's eyes brightened.
"Doesn't this scene look familiar, Iris?" Lucas's voice came again, smiling faintly. "Haven't you already fallen for this once?"
"Grab it, Guzzlord!"
With that, the Guzzlord lowered its head, glaring viciously at Aggron as its claws darted toward Aggron's legs.
Even if Aggron was monstrously heavy, as long as it lost balance—it would be helpless!
"I was ready for that! Metal Sound!" Iris shouted suddenly.
Aggron raised its head slightly, releasing wave after wave of rippling sonic energy.
To normal human ears, it was only a sharp screech—but to Pokémon, it was unbearable agony, a sound that tore through their senses!
The Guzzlord reeled back immediately, face twisting in pain, claws halting midair.
"Ice Punch!"
Without a moment's hesitation, Iris seized the opening.
Aggron stopped its Metal Sound, its right fist glowing cold blue before it swung hard into Guzzlord's torso.
BOOM!
The Ice Punch struck cleanly, frost spreading rapidly across Guzzlord's body.
It roared in pain—the attack was brutally effective.
"Flash Cannon!"
Iris didn't let up.
Silver-white energy gathered in Aggron's mouth and fired point-blank at the staggering Guzzlord.
BOOM!
The explosion echoed through the arena—direct hit!
"Phew…" Iris finally exhaled, her tense nerves relaxing at last. The battle had pushed her to the limit—she could feel fatigue setting in.
Even with all that defense, surely Guzzlord couldn't withstand three consecutive heavy blows like that?
But then—
"…Is it over already?"
A calm, almost cheerful voice came from across the field.
Iris froze, eyes snapping toward Lucas.
"If it's over," he said softly, smiling like sunlight, "then it's my turn."
How—?
Iris stood stunned. After all those attacks… why did he look completely unfazed?
(End of Chapter)