A flicker of surprise crossed Aaron's eyes.
He hadn't expected this big brute to have a brain after all.
But Titan was right.
Now that Titan knew the secret of Mega Evolution, Aaron could not let him live.
If Titan had never learned about Mega Evolution, Aaron might have handed him over to the Pokémon police.
But now, Titan was taking that secret to the grave.
Aaron looked down at him coldly and said,
"You guessed right..."
"But you don't get a prize."
CRUNCH!
Aaron applied a little force and crushed Titan's head beneath his foot like an overripe melon.
With their Trainer dead, Titan's Pokémon became even more berserk.
They abandoned defense completely and launched vicious attacks against Aaron's Pokémon.
"ROOOAR!"
Aggron's blood-red eyes blazed as it let out a furious roar. Its reckless assault left Scizor with several serious wounds.
In the sky, Skarmory grew even more violent. Its sharp attacks tore through Charizard and Gyarados's tough scales, ripping several of them loose and leaving bright red blood behind.
Both of them looked battered.
...
The battle underground was still fierce.
Dugtrio's blood-red eyes flashed as it let out an angry cry.
"Dugtrio!"
Earth-yellow energy surged from its body as it slammed into the surrounding roots.
Earth Power.
The nearby roots were instantly destroyed. Driven completely berserk, Dugtrio's strength had risen to a terrifying level.
"ROOOAR!"
The fifteen-meter-tall giant wooden golem roared toward the sky.
A terrifying pressure swept outward from it in waves.
The massive wooden dragon on its shoulder shot toward Dugtrio and wrapped around it tightly.
"ROOOAR!"
The giant wooden golem raised its massive fist and smashed it down toward Dugtrio.
BOOOOM!
The ground shook violently, and dust exploded into the air.
Earth-yellow energy surged from Dugtrio's body as it stubbornly resisted the attack.
"ROOOAR!"
Seeing Dugtrio still holding on, the giant wooden golem let out a furious roar.
It raised both massive fists like pile drivers and hammered Dugtrio again and again.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Dugtrio had completely lost its reason. It could only rely on instinct to withstand the golem's relentless assault.
One punch.
Two punches.
Three punches.
Nine punches.
Twelve punches.
...
A huge crater had already been punched into the ground.
The giant wooden golem finally withdrew its fists, panting heavily.
Inside the crater, several meters deep, Dugtrio had been smashed to pieces.
All signs of life were gone.
Alolan Dugtrio was dead!!
...
On the other side, Bisharp struggled back to its feet, gasping for breath.
It was badly injured and had lost both arms.
But as a warrior, as long as it still had one breath left, it would not simply sit there and wait to die.
At that moment, a figure appeared beside Bisharp.
CRACKLE! KRAK!
Lightning flashed, and thunder rang out.
"Sage Art: Lightning Release: Chidori."
Greninja's Chidori had already pierced through Bisharp's body.
"Bi.. shar-..."
A look of relief passed through Bisharp's eyes.
It gave a faint cry and showed Greninja a slight smile before collapsing onto the cold ground.
"Grenin..."
Greninja looked at Bisharp's lifeless body.
Then it reached out and gently closed Bisharp's eyes.
It had been an opponent worthy of respect.
Unfortunately, they had stood on opposite sides.
One of them was always going to die.
I'm different from you.
I'll become even stronger and protect Aaron.
Greninja made that silent vow in its heart.
Then it stood again, turned toward the battle between Aggron and Scizor, and vanished without a sound.
...
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
In the sky, dark clouds churned as thunder and lightning raged.
Terrifying bolts of lightning crashed down toward Skarmory one after another.
"SKREEE!"
Dense Flying-type energy surged from Skarmory and gathered around its body, forming a massive blue energy bird.
It looked almost alive, every feather clearly visible.
"SKREEE!"
The giant blue energy bird let out a sharp cry and rushed toward Gyarados, who was circling above the flame clouds.
Brave Bird.
Power: 120.
A physical Flying-type move.
"Gyarados... Armament Haki: Thunder Dragon Claw!"
"Charizard... Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Crimson Lotus Exploding Flame Blade!"
Aaron appeared silently on top of Gyarados's head, his golden hair whipping in the fierce wind.
He looked at the giant bird rushing toward them and gave the command in a low voice.
"GRAAAH!"
Gyarados and Charizard let out deafening dragon roars.
Gyarados extended its savage, razor-sharp claws.
Pitch-black Armament Haki coated them like hardened armor.
Terrifying lightning flashed across its body and gathered into its blackened claws.
CRACKLE! KRAK!
The black dragon claws carried thunder powerful enough to make the air tremble.
Just looking at them sent a chill down the spine.