Chapter 96: Aggron Battles Garchomp
The video continued playing.
Byron recalled Bastiodon and stared down at its Poké Ball in silence for a moment.
"Tiana."
Byron planted his iron shovel against the ground with a dull thud.
"You fought beautifully in that round, but what comes next won’t be nearly as easy."
He took out his second Poké Ball and weighed it in his hand.
"Bastiodon is my strongest shield. But the opponent you’re about to face is my sharpest spear."
He threw the Poké Ball, which traced an arc through the air before bursting open in a flash of red light.
An exceptionally large Aggron landed on the battlefield.
Heavy steel armor covered its body, while its hind legs were as thick and sturdy as two pillars.
Most striking of all was the sharp steel horn rising from its head, which gleamed with a cold metallic light beneath the Gym’s lamps.
"Graaaaargh—!!!"
Aggron threw back its head and roared. The sound waves repeatedly reflected and overlapped between the steel walls.
Tiana stood at the edge of the battlefield. The force of the roar swept her short black hair backward, but her mismatched eyes didn’t even blink.
Garchomp stepped forward and released an exceptionally deep, prolonged draconic roar from within its chest.
"Gaarrrrgh—!!!"
Unlike Aggron’s aggressive roar, Garchomp’s voice was steady and powerful. It wasn’t particularly loud, but its penetrating force was extraordinary, cutting directly through Aggron’s sound waves.
The high and low roars collided in the center of the battlefield, making the steel walls hum in resonance.
Several employees beside the field covered their ears simultaneously.
The corner of Byron’s mouth rose slightly.
"Impressive spirit, Tiana. That Garchomp resembles your mother’s."
"Thank you for the compliment, Grandpa Byron."
Tiana’s voice was neither arrogant nor submissive.
"I look forward to learning from you."
The referee looked between them. Seeing that both sides were ready, he raised his flag and swung it down forcefully.
"The second battle begins!"
"Garchomp, use Dragon Claw!"
Tiana issued the first command.
Byron followed immediately.
"Aggron, use Rock Tomb!"
Aggron slammed both fists into the ground, causing the battlefield to crack apart.
Several thick stone pillars erupted from the earth around Garchomp and rapidly closed together, threatening to trap it between them.
Green light surrounded Garchomp’s right claw. It shattered the pillar crashing toward it from the front with one strike, sending fragments flying against the steel walls with a series of metallic clangs.
It immediately twisted sideways and swept its tail across another pillar. The scales on its tail glowed with the same green energy, breaking the pillar on its left cleanly through the middle.
In less than two seconds, Garchomp had shattered every stone pillar with one claw and one sweep of its tail.
Only piles of rubble and several claw marks remained on the ground.
"Aggron, use Heavy Slam!"
Byron gave Garchomp no time to recover.
Aggron kicked forcefully against the ground with all four limbs and charged toward Garchomp like a moving steel fortress.
Each step left a shallow depression in the battlefield, while the surrounding rubble bounced into the air and fell again.
"Use Dig to evade it!"
Tiana reacted immediately.
Garchomp plunged headfirst into the ground, leaving behind only a collapsed ring of earth.
Aggron’s Heavy Slam missed. Its enormous body slid across the battlefield for some distance before barely stopping, leaving two deep trenches behind it.
Byron frowned.
"Watch beneath you!"
The instant he finished speaking, the ground beneath Aggron exploded.
Garchomp burst from the earth directly below it, its right claw glowing with white Fighting-type energy.
Brick Break!
The angle of the attack was exceptionally difficult to defend against, and Garchomp held nothing back.
Its Brick Break struck Aggron’s abdomen, but produced only an extremely dull metallic impact.
Aggron didn’t move an inch.
The attack left only a shallow white mark across its steel armor.
Tiana’s pupils contracted slightly.
Byron smiled.
"Tiana, Aggron’s defenses may not be as strong as Bastiodon’s, but its armor is distributed much more evenly. The same strategy won’t work this time."
He raised one hand.
"Use Iron Head!"
Aggron’s head suddenly erupted with dazzling white light.
Garchomp was still suspended in midair and had no opportunity to evade.
The attack struck it directly, sending its body flying across the battlefield before it crashed heavily into the steel wall at the edge of the field.
A deep dent appeared in the wall.
"Garchomp!"
Concern finally entered Tiana’s voice.
Garchomp slid down from the wall, shook its head, and supported itself with its foreclaws before rising again.
It released a low growl, signaling that it could continue.
Even Byron couldn’t help nodding in approval.
He then issued another command.
"Aggron, use Stone Edge!"
Aggron slammed both fists into the ground.
More than a dozen sharp stone spikes erupted from the battlefield and shot toward Garchomp from every direction.
"Use Dragon Claw and destroy them all!"
Tiana’s voice became steady once more.
Green light surrounded both of Garchomp’s claws.
Its body rapidly twisted and darted between the incoming spikes, its claws leaving countless afterimages as it sliced through one pillar of stone after another.
Fragments struck the steel walls with a series of ringing clangs.
However, there were too many stone spikes. Garchomp’s stamina was being continuously depleted.
Tiana bit her lower lip, but her gaze didn’t waver in the slightest.
"Garchomp, use Dig!"
Garchomp plunged into the ground again.
"You’re trying the same strategy again?"
Byron shook his head.
"Aggron, use Earthquake!"
Aggron raised one forefoot and slammed it down against the ground.
The entire Gym began shaking violently.
The steel walls produced piercing sounds of twisting metal, while the referee was forced to grab a nearby pillar to remain standing.
A dull impact came from beneath the battlefield.
Immediately afterward, Garchomp burst from the ground on the opposite side of the field, a thin trace of blood already visible at the corner of its mouth.
"Dig is no longer an option," Tiana murmured.
Garchomp looked back at her and released an extremely restrained growl.
Tiana stared into Garchomp’s eyes and clenched her fist.
"Garchomp, use Draco Meteor!"
Garchomp raised its head as an orange-yellow sphere of energy formed deep within its throat.
Fortunately, the Gym’s ceiling had already been opened in advance.
The sphere shot through the opening and exploded at the highest point above the Gym, transforming into countless meteors with fiery tails that rained across the entire battlefield.
"Aggron, use Protect!" Byron commanded sharply.
A pale-green barrier enveloped Aggron’s entire body.
The meteors from Draco Meteor struck the barrier, exploding into bursts of orange-yellow fire.
Smoke and flames completely swallowed Aggron.
The attack appeared overwhelmingly powerful, with every meteor producing a piercing impact.
However, when the smoke finally cleared, Aggron remained standing firmly in its original position.
Its breathing was even, and the attack hadn’t caused any substantial damage.
Byron adjusted the brim of his safety helmet.
"You’ve run out of ideas, haven’t you? Aggron, use Rock Slide!"
Aggron threw back its head and roared.
Dozens of enormous rocks materialized in the air and crashed down toward Garchomp from above.
"Dragon Claw!"
Tiana reacted just as quickly.
Green Dragon-type energy surrounded both of Garchomp’s claws.
It struck repeatedly with its left and right claws, shattering the descending rocks one after another.
"Gaarrrgh—!"
"It can still fight?"
A trace of admiration entered Byron’s eyes.
Tiana took a deep breath as she studied the situation on the battlefield.
She understood perfectly that the circumstances were unfavorable.
Aggron’s steel armor was too thick for Dragon-type moves to inflict meaningful damage. Dig had been sealed off, and whenever Aggron used Earthquake, Garchomp had nowhere to hide.
However, she didn’t panic.
Instead, she remembered something Asher had told her while training her before she set out on her journey.
"When you find yourself in a difficult situation, think carefully about your opponent’s weaknesses instead of blindly forcing your attacks. Only by finding an opening will you have an opportunity to turn defeat into victory."
Tiana’s mismatched eyes suddenly lit up.
That was it.
Speed!
Compared with Aggron, Garchomp’s advantage lay in its speed.
Moreover, before she departed, her father had deliberately taught Garchomp one special move!
...
TL: Early Chapters today, I’m reading Demon Slayer fic rn as well.