"Who… are you?"
At this moment, looking at Aiden Flint's face, Brandon felt a strange sense of familiarity—but couldn't quite place it.
Then suddenly, realization struck.
His expression turned serious.
"You're Aiden Flint—the newly appointed Champion of Hoenn? The one who defeated both Steven and Wallace?"
By now, Aiden's name was no longer unknown.
After saving multiple regions, dominating the Hoenn League, and gaining widespread recognition through global broadcasts, his reputation had spread far and wide.
Add to that his connection with Cynthia—
Aiden had become a name known across multiple regions.
"Yes, that's me."
Aiden met Brandon's gaze calmly.
"So, Mr. Brandon… are you planning to battle me for the right to explore this ruin?"
Hearing this, Brandon immediately realized—
He had just picked a fight with the wrong person.
But even so—
His passion for ruins ran deep.
After missing out on Regirock and Registeel, there was no way he would give up on Regice so easily.
"Only the strong have the right to decide the rules."
"Regirock and Registeel… you captured them, didn't you?"
"I challenge you. Let this battle decide who has the right to explore this ruin!"
Aiden smirked slightly.
Now this was getting interesting.
"Alright. Let's begin."
Truthfully, under normal circumstances, Aiden might have ignored him.
But considering that, in another sense, these Legendary Titans were originally connected to Brandon—
He decided to show a bit of respect.
As Blaziken and Shedinja faced off—
Aiden gave the first command.
"Blaziken—use Blaze Kick!"
"Shedinja—Shadow Ball!"
Both Pokémon moved instantly.
A dark purple sphere condensed and shot forward—
But Blaziken dodged effortlessly, closing the distance in a flash!
Boom!
One kick.
Direct hit.
Shedinja let out a faint cry and instantly lost its ability to battle.
After all—
With only a single point of endurance, once it was hit by a super-effective move, defeat was inevitable.
"Ding! Blaziken has defeated Shedinja. Gained 5,300 experience. Level increased. Current level: Lv75!"
Seeing this, Brandon's expression darkened.
But he wasn't done yet.
As someone capable of controlling the Legendary Titans—
He naturally had more up his sleeve.
"Go—Heatran!"
A massive, red, magma-like Pokémon appeared on the battlefield.
Seeing it, Aiden's expression shifted slightly.
He hadn't expected Brandon to possess a Legendary Pokémon beyond the Titans.
"Ding! Heatran's current attributes are as follows:"
Pokémon: Heatran
Title: Volcano Guardian
Level: 81
Ability: Flash Fire
Type: Fire / Steel
Potential: Red
Bond Evolution: Not unlocked
Mega Evolution: Not unlocked
Moves: Fire Spin, Ancient Power, Iron Head, Metal Claw, Metal Sound, Smog, Earth Power, Heat Wave, Magma Storm…
"Interesting. A Legendary Pokémon."
Aiden raised an eyebrow.
It seemed he had underestimated Brandon slightly.
"Heatran… not bad."
Seeing that Aiden remained calm, Brandon spoke again.
"If you leave now, I won't pursue the matter of Regirock and Registeel."
"Otherwise…"
"Oh? Otherwise what?"
Before Brandon could finish—
Aiden took out a Master Ball.
The next moment—
A colossal dragon descended from the sky, blotting out the light.
Rayquaza.
"So… what were you saying?"
This time—
All confidence vanished from Brandon's face.
Only shock remained.
"That's impossible… you actually have Rayquaza?!"
Seeing his reaction, Aiden couldn't help but think—
In this world, there was a simple way to test a Trainer's strength.
If they were Champion-level or above—
Rayquaza would be the benchmark.
If not—
His regular team was more than enough.
But perhaps unwilling to give up on the Legendary Pokémon so close at hand—
Brandon still gave the command.
"Heatran—Magma Storm!"
A blazing vortex of fire surged forward!
Even the surrounding Sky Team members were forced to retreat under Shelly's command.
"Rayquaza—Hyper Beam!"
At Aiden's command, Rayquaza opened its jaws—
A golden beam erupted forth!
It smashed straight through the Magma Storm, shattering it instantly!
Without slowing down—
The Hyper Beam struck Heatran directly!
Boom!!!
The explosion engulfed the battlefield.
Even a Pokémon like Heatran—
With a body capable of enduring magma—
Couldn't withstand Rayquaza's full-power attack.
With a pained cry, it collapsed to the ground—
Completely unable to continue the fight.
…
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