In the spectator stands,
Grant glanced at Daimon's thunder-dark expression and felt a deep, unrestrained satisfaction.
If he weren't trying to keep up appearances, he might've broken into song right there.
Years of being overshadowed by Daimon finally felt repaid today.
With a slow, easy grin, Grant drawled,
"Oh? So this is Arcanis City's so-called genius?"
"A prodigy from a major city?"
"Not exactly impressive."
"Daimon… you might want to head back before this gets any more awkward."
Daimon's expression hardened further.
He looked like he'd just bitten into something foul.
He replied coldly,
"Isn't it a little early to celebrate?"
"Kieran still has one Pokémon left. His true ace hasn't even stepped onto the field."
Even now, he refused to concede.
Grant let out a low chuckle.
"Careful. You're about to regret those words."
...
"Return… Charizard!"
Kieran took a steadying breath and recalled it.
Then he fixed his gaze on Aaron, eyes narrowing.
"I'll give you that—you're not bad."
"But this ends here."
"Let me show you what real strength looks like."
"Come out… Tyrantrum!!"
As his words rang out, a massive Pokémon over 2.5 meters tall materialized on the field.
It stood like a tyrant of ancient times—its body encased in rock-like armor, jaws lined with razor-sharp teeth, its thick tail radiating brute force.
The Dragon- and Rock-type powerhouse—
Tyrantrum!!
"ROOARRR—!!"
The instant it appeared, Tyrantrum threw back its head and unleashed a thunderous roar.
A crushing aura swept outward.
This Tyrantrum was no joke.
A sharp glint flashed in Aaron's eyes as its attribute panel appeared.
[Name: Tyrantrum]
[Gender: Male]
[Nature: Careful]
[Type: Rock Dragon]
[Ability: Strong Jaw]
[Base Stats Total: 534]
[Level: Elite (Early Stage)]
[Pokémon Potential: Champion Level]
[Known Moves: Tackle (Proficient), Rock Slide (Proficient), Head Smash (Proficient), Bite (Proficient), Dragon Tail (Proficient), Ancient Power (Proficient), Dragon Claw (Basic), Earthquake (Basic), Sandstorm, Protect, Crunch, Thunder Fang...]
[Description: Tyrantrum, the Despot Pokémon and evolved form of Tyrunt. Its enormous jaws are powerful enough to crush steel plates...]
...
In the stands,
Grant felt the oppressive aura rolling off Tyrantrum and frowned slightly before glancing at Daimon.
"So that's what you've been so confident about?"
"Impressive. For someone his age, having an Elite-tier Pokémon is no small accomplishment."
Daimon gave a thin, cold smile.
"The real match starts now."
"I didn't expect your boy to have some tricks—forcing Kieran to bring out his true ace."
Grant let out a low chuckle.
"Easy there. Don't get ahead of yourself."
Inside, he was practically dying of laughter.
Elite level?
Trying to intimidate them with that?
That kid had taken down a Gym-level opponent.
...
Aaron studied Tyrantrum carefully.
Elite level.
And it had the Ability Strong Jaw—boosting the power of biting moves by 50%.
Extremely dangerous.
He hadn't expected to face an Elite-level Pokémon under a high school trainer.
Last year's top exam scorer had only reached Advanced (Peak Stage).
Of course, the real monsters were usually fast-tracked and trained through special channels.
The truly exceptional talents rarely cared about titles like "exam champion."
Aaron had originally assumed this year's top spot would be his for the taking.
But something about this year felt different.
Now he was staring down an Elite-tier Pokémon in the hands of a high school student.
"The match begins!!"
The referee's booming voice snapped Aaron back to the present.
"Tyrantrum… Rock Slide!!"
Kieran made the first move.
"ROAR—!!"
Golden energy surged from its body as the ground trembled violently. Massive boulders ripped free and hurtled toward Greninja.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The battlefield quaked as if struck by an earthquake.
"Greninja… Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
"Move—Power-Up Punch!"
Aaron's voice remained steady.
"Grenin!"
Greninja crossed its arms.
Puffs of white smoke exploded outward—and more than twenty identical Greninja appeared in an instant.
They scattered immediately, dashing in every direction to evade the incoming Rock Slide.
Several clones were crushed, bursting into smoke.
But more than a dozen slipped through the barrage and closed in on Tyrantrum.
Energy flared around their glowing fists as they drove forward with Power-Up Punch.
"Tyrantrum… Dragon Claw!!"
Kieran gambled that only one of them was real. With so many clones, it was a matter of chance.
"ROAAR—!!"
Its claws ignited with brilliant light. Sharp white energy blades formed and slashed outward.
Puff—puff—puff—
The struck Greninja dissolved into smoke.
"Tch… wrong one."
Kieran's brow furrowed.
But in the next instant—
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The remaining Power-Up Punches connected solidly with Tyrantrum.
"ROOOAR—!!"
It roared in pain as its massive body staggered, then crashed heavily to the ground.
"What?!"
"A move with only 40 base power—how is it hitting this hard?!"
Kieran's eyes widened in disbelief.