After Aiden stepped onto the battlefield, he casually tossed a Poké Ball.
"Lucario!"
Lucario materialized, scanning the surroundings before realizing battle was imminent.
But——where was the opponent?
In Pokémon battles, shouldn't both Pokémon appear simultaneously?
"Just wait a moment. This isn't a formal match anyway."
Reading Lucario's puzzled expression, Aiden smiled.
After all—this impromptu 1v1 leaned more toward exhibition than competition. Revealing his Pokémon early mattered little; victory wasn't the priority.
Defeating Leon—the "undefeated Champion" and Hop's idol—in front of his younger brother? That would be socially disastrous!
(Though honestly… Aiden had zero confidence facing a Champion anyway——)
"Since it's Lucario… my choice will be——"
Leon strode to the opposite side, studying Lucario before deciding.
Though he couldn't fathom why this Lucario—trained in Unseen Fist at the Isle of Armor—now wielded a sword…
If comparing "swords," he had the perfect counter.
"I choose you, Aegislash!"
With dramatic flair, Leon hurled a Poké Ball.
A crimson flash revealed a peculiar Pokémon: a golden longsword for a body, a violet gem at the hilt serving as its eye. Silken ribbon-arms held a circular shield—balancing offense and defense.
Aiden recognized it instantly.
Aegislash—Leon's signature lead.
Its Steel/Ghost typing granted exceptional resistances, but true power lay in Stance Change: seamless shifts between Blade and Shield forms mid-battle.
In skilled hands? It was a 720 BST monster. Truly broken.
"Since Teacher Azure waited patiently… I'll strike first!"
Leon's aura ignited—radiating fiery intensity.
"Aegislash—Sacred Sword!"
The floating blade pivoted, slashing toward Lucario with explosive force.
"Lucario—Protect!"
Aiden reacted instantly, mentally grumbling:
Even in an exhibition match, you're playing counters? Upholding that "undefeated Champion" image, huh?
Aegislash was Lucario's absolute worst matchup.
Fighting-type moves? Useless. Steel-type Bullet Punch? Normal-type
Extreme Speed? Also useless. A hopeless disadvantage.
Even with the Sword of Ruin converting Sacred Sword to Ice-type…it was still ineffective.
Meanwhile, Aegislash's Sacred Sword hit super effectively. One slash = massive HP loss——
So calculating!
"Lucario!"
Lucario erected an energy barrier, blocking the strike. Instinctively, it swung the Sword of Ruin—a frigid energy slash slicing air.
"Aegislash—King's Shield!"
Seeing Lucario wield a sword for the first time, Leon played conservatively.
Aegislash raised its shield, deflecting the attack while shifting into Shield Form. Ice shards scattered harmlessly.
Stance Change in action: perfect offense-defense synergy.
"So amazing! As expected of Brother!"
"Teacher Azure, you can do it! You're the strongest Trainer in Gloria's heart!"
"Brother is the strongest!"
"Teacher Azure is!"
The young spectators passionately cheered.
"Feeling Galar's battling passion yet, Teacher Azure?"
Leon grinned. Aiden nodded silently.
This was Galar's spirit. In Gym arenas, cheers would be deafening—raw, vibrant energy unmatched elsewhere.
But——
"Focus on handling Lucario first!"
Aiden's smile vanished.
"Lucario—Extreme Speed!"
Though STAB moves failed, Lucario's "hard work pays off" philosophy meant it had mastered nearly every counter.
"Extreme Speed? Now?"
Hop blinked, baffled.
Extreme Speed was Normal-type—completely ineffective against Aegislash.
But Teacher Azure used it… Surely a Trainer of his caliber wouldn't make such a blunder?
"Hmph! If we could predict Teacher Azure's moves, wouldn't that make them seem average?"
Gloria crossed her arms, wearing an adorably proud expression despite understanding nothing.
"…" Hop fell silent, awaiting his brother's move.
"I see… closing distance with Aegislash?"
Leon's brow furrowed. He'd guessed Aiden's intent.
Lucario was an "honorary graduate" of the Isle of Armor
Planning to abandon the sword up close… and unleash "Wicked Blow" learned from Urshifu?
With Unseen Fist mastery, even King's Shield might not block its finishing blow—
Thus—
"Aegislash—Autotomize! Surpass Lucario's speed!"
Since Wicked Blow always targets weaknesses, defensive moves were useless. He chose the riskiest path.
As Lucario charged, Aegislash polished its body with the shield—shedding metal to drastically boost speed.
But Lucario was already upon it—right hand coiling power, aiming for the hilt.
"Lucario—Wicked Blow!"
"Aegislash—Shadow Sneak! Evade behind it!"
Leon's reflexes were impeccable. The moment Aiden commanded Extreme Speed, he'd envisioned this.
"Lucario!"
Lucario threw its punch—but Aegislash vanished.
Next instant—it reappeared behind Lucario, shield raised to strike its back.
Checkmate.
"Tch——"
Aiden clicked his tongue inwardly.
As expected of Leon—this battle IQ unmatched.
Using priority Shadow Sneak to evade and counter? Brilliant—
But that was against ordinary Pokémon. Not Lucario.
Lucario wielded Aura. A "mind-over-matter" technique. Even if Aegislash hid in another dimension, Lucario could sense it.
Thus—when Aegislash disappeared, Lucario showed zero panic. It locked onto its reappearance point.
Right behind!
"LU-CARIO!"
Lucario kicked midair, twisting its body forcibly. The Wicked Blow transformed into a spinning backfist—striking Aegislash from the side.
Danger!
Leon's mental alarm blared. No normal Pokémon could reverse 180° midair with no leverage——
Yet Aiden's Lucario did.
Thankfully, the battle-hardened Aegislash sensed danger. It abandoned the strike—raising the shield with both hands to block.
BOOM!
Fist met shield. Sparks erupted violently. A shockwave rippled outward, nearly toppling Gloria.
"Whoa—so strong!"
Gloria crouched, clutching her hat.
Beside her, Hop sucked in a sharp breath.
"Brother's Aegislash——its shield cracked?!"
Indeed—Aegislash blocked the punch without being launched.
But caught off-guard, it hadn't shifted to Shield Form. The Sword of Ruin further weakened Defense.
The once-flawless, mirror-like shield now bore a deep dent… cracks spiderwebbing from the center.
Literally cracked.
Even Leon was stunned.
Though less powerful than Master Mustard's Urshifu's full strike… it carried the same essence. Mastery was merely a matter of time——
Moreover, facing Lucario made even Aegislash's defense feel strained.
Are all of Teacher Azure's Pokémon this monstrous?
"Alright—that's enough, Lucario."
Seeing Lucario preparing another punch—determined to shatter the shield—Aiden intervened.
"Lucario?"
Lucario hesitated but retracted its power. Its body dropped heavily, kicking up dust.
"After all, this is just sparring. True victory belongs on future battlefields."
Aiden diplomatically concluded, smiling at Leon.
"Agreed, Leon?"
"Mm. Indeed."
Leon nodded.dddd
Though the shield was breached, Aegislash retained fighting capability. Continuing would escalate into unrestrained warfare—disappointing the young spectators.
Though curious about the outcome——
Aiden was right. Stopping here was best.
Leon approached, shaking Aiden's hand to conclude the match—finally exhaling.
Reluctant as he was to admit it… for a fleeting moment, he'd felt he might lose to Aiden.
Aiden had likely reached Champion-tier strength.
Yet—even bearing the "undefeated Champion" title, Leon wasn't one to fear loss.
Instead, his curiosity and desire to battle Aiden peaked.
Losing to Aiden? That was acceptable.
But if possible… he wished to face him in an official match. They can settle the score properly then!
After the handshake, Leon's eyes held unmistakable, restrained battle lust.
Though was was not the time——
Future opportunities to clash with Aiden would surely arise!
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