A Pokémon standing 1.3 meters tall appeared.
Its body was covered in hardened steel and rock, and the front of its head resembled an iron shield.
Bastiodon.
Another Pokémon stood 1.6 meters tall, its entire body wrapped in dark red armor. Sharp blades extended from its arms and head, glinting coldly beneath the sun.
Bisharp.
A strange Pokémon about one meter tall floated nearby, formed from three Magnemite joined into a single body.
Magneton.
Then came a 1.7-meter-tall bird Pokémon clad in gray steel armor, with crimson coloring beneath its wings.
Skarmory.
And finally, a 0.7-meter-tall Pokémon with three heads, each sporting curly yellow hair, its body resembling Diglett.
Alolan Dugtrio.
…
The moment the five Pokémon appeared, a terrifying pressure swept toward the old man like a violent storm.
Fierce gusts kicked up, sending dust spiraling into the air.
Bastiodon and Bisharp had both reached champion-class peak-stage.
Meanwhile, Skarmory, Magneton, and Alolan Dugtrio were all at champion-class late-stage.
"ROOOAR!"
"Bishaaaarp!"
"Skreeee!"
The five Pokémon let out powerful cries one after another.
The old man's face turned pale.
His heart sank.
He only had Scizor with him.
The enemy had six Pokémon.
And every single one of them was terrifyingly strong.
There was no way he could stop them alone.
"Ding~ Triggered Quest: Defeat S-rank Pokémon Hunter, Titan."
"This guy actually dared to show off in front of the King of Show-offs himself. Absolutely outrageous. Please step in, O mighty King of Show-offs, and teach him who truly rules the art of showing off!"
"Ding~ Quest Reward: Battle Core Crystal ×1, Pokémon Candy (Elite) ×1, Energy Cubes ×5."
At that moment, the System, silent for a long time, finally rang in Aaron's ears once again.
By then, Aaron had already arrived beside the old man.
He looked at the five powerful Pokémon in the distance, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"Sir… let me help."
The old man's expression changed instantly.
"What are you doing here?"
His voice was deep and urgent.
"The enemy is too strong. Scizor and I will find a way to hold them back."
"You take Moss and leave immediately."
Determination appeared in the old man's eyes.
"Aaron… I'm leaving Moss in your hands."
"Take him to find his father."
"His father's name is Morian."
"He's a ruins explorer."
After saying that, the old man's eyes reddened slightly, and he immediately shouted,
"Hurry!"
"Take Moss and get out of here!"
Aaron felt genuinely moved.
He had only met this old man today, yet the man was already prepared to risk his life to hold off the enemy so Aaron and Moss could escape.
That alone earned Aaron's respect.
Aaron smiled faintly.
"Sir… what you've seen so far isn't even close to my full strength."
"Leave this to me."
His confident smile shone beneath the sunlight, somehow making everyone around him feel a little more at ease.
The old man froze.
Looking at Aaron's confidence, a thought surfaced in his mind.
Could he be telling the truth?
But the enemy is a champion-class Trainer.
And Aaron is still so young…
The old man's mind was filled with disbelief.
At that moment, Aaron had already taken out his Poké Balls.
A mysterious smile appeared on his face as he threw them forward.
"Come out, everyone!"
"Let's fight side by side again!"
A burst of light flashed.
One Pokémon after another appeared on the battlefield.
Black Greninja stood with its arms crossed, staring coldly at the opposing Pokémon.
The 2.5-meter-tall Snorlax looked plump as always, but its eyes burned with excitement.
An 8-meter-long Gyarados circled through the sky atop blazing clouds, its four claws making it look like a true dragon.
The 2-meter-tall one-eyed Sceptile radiated dense life energy.
The 3-meter-tall Charizard was covered in sturdy crimson dragon scales. Scorching breath poured from its mouth.
The 1.8-meter-tall Infernape burned with golden flames. Golden light flickered in its eyes as it stood proudly on the ground, wild and untamed like a born warrior.
And finally, Beedrill.
Its twin stingers gleamed with a cold, deadly light.
…
After so long, Aaron's Pokémon were finally fighting side by side once more.
"Grenin!"
"Snoor!"
"Scep-tile!"
"Infer-nape!"
"Gyaaaar!"
"ROOOAR!"
"Bzzzzzz!"
The moment Aaron's Pokémon appeared, they let out excited battle cries.
They had been waiting for a fight like this for a long time.
Every one of them was ready.
The old man was completely stunned.
"T-this…"
"What am I looking at?"
"That dragon in the sky… is that really a Gyarados?"
"And Snorlax…"
"Since when could Charizard get that huge?"
"And those scales… are those dragon scales?"
The old man was utterly speechless.
Has the outside world really changed that much?
For a moment, he felt as if his entire understanding of the world had been overturned.
…
Across from them, the burly Pokémon Hunter, Titan, stared at Aaron's Pokémon with overwhelming greed in his eyes.
Then he burst into loud laughter.
"HAHAHAHA!"
"I never imagined I'd get this lucky today!"
"I'm going to be rich!"
"I'll capture every single one of these Pokémon!"
"They're all mine! Hahahaha!"
Titan laughed wildly.
To him, today was nothing less than his lucky day.
He could already see a bright future waiting ahead.