SHRRAAAK!
A piercing sound tore across the summit.
Under the faceless man's shocked gaze, the colossal green blade cut straight through Armaldo's X-Scissor.
Then it came down on Armaldo itself.
Fear flashed in Armaldo's eyes.
A moment later, the massive blade swallowed it whole.
KRAKOOOOM!
The explosion shook the entire eighth floor.
The golem's blade struck the ground with terrifying force, tearing open a huge fissure across the mountaintop. Smoke billowed upward, broken stone flew everywhere, and leaves whipped through the air like fragments of a shattered storm.
It was as if a giant swordsman had cleaved the battlefield in half.
For a moment, even the faceless man had no words.
He stared at the abyss-like crack left behind by the strike, shock flashing through his eyes.
The smoke slowly cleared.
Deep inside the fissure, Armaldo lay motionless.
Armaldo was unable to battle.
Sceptile had taken the round.
"Scep..."
A faint, exhausted sound escaped Sceptile's throat.
The markings of Sage Mode faded from around its eyes, and the Wooden Guardian began to break apart. Its enormous body collapsed into fragments of wood, scattering through the air before dissolving into drifting leaves.
Sceptile swayed.
Then its body fell backward.
That final Guardian Leaf Blade had drained everything it had left.
Before it could hit the ground, Aaron appeared behind it and caught it steadily in both arms.
For a second, he only looked down at Sceptile.
After Beedrill's defeat, Sceptile had carried two rounds by itself. It had created the forest, controlled the roots, summoned the Wooden Guardian, and forced its way through two ancient Pokémon with Apotheosis-tier moves.
It had done more than enough.
Aaron's voice softened.
"Rest well."
He gave Sceptile a small smile.
"You were amazing."
Sceptile's mouth curved slightly, as if it had heard him.
Then its eyes closed, and it fell asleep from exhaustion.
The faceless man recalled Armaldo, then looked at Sceptile in Aaron's arms.
"That Sceptile is very special," he said. "Train it well. It is truly excellent."
"I will."
Aaron recalled Sceptile into its Poké Ball and looked back at him.
"And thank you."
The faceless man took out his third stone-like Poké Ball.
"Then let us continue."
He tossed it forward.
"The third battle. Come out, Kabutops."
Light flashed.
A Pokémon more than two meters tall appeared on the battlefield.
Its body was earth-yellow and covered in hard outer armor, while both arms ended in razor-sharp scythes. The ancient predator stood there in the rainless air, silent and dangerous, like a fossil that had remembered how to kill.
Kabutops.
And just like the others, it was far larger than any modern one Aaron knew.
The information panel appeared before his eyes.
[Name: Kabutops]
[Gender: Male]
[Nature: Quiet]
[Type: Water/Rock]
[Ability: Swift Swim]
[Base Stats Total: 495]
[Level: Gym (Peak Stage)]
[Potential: Champion-level]
[Known Moves: Rock Smash (Apotheosis), Aqua Jet (Perfect), Waterfall (Perfect), Swords Dance (Mastery), Smack Down (Mastery), Rock Tomb (Mastery), Harden (Proficient), Absorb (Mastery), Rain Dance (Proficient), Rapid Spin (Proficient), Protect (Proficient), Aqua Tail (Proficient)...]
[Description: A Kabutops from two thousand years ago. Its body is enormous, and its scythes are incomparably sharp, capable of slicing through steel armor with ease.]
Aaron's eyes narrowed.
Swift Swim.
So that was the plan.
"Gyarados," Aaron said, raising his head toward the sky. "You're up."
"GRRRAAAOOOH!"
Above the battlefield, Gyarados stepped across Flame Clouds and let out a furious roar. Its enormous body circled once before descending, glaring down at Kabutops with thick fighting spirit burning in its eyes.
"Krrssh..."
Kabutops looked up and gave a low hiss.
The two Pokémon stared each other down.
For a second, sparks seemed to fly between them.
Not romantic sparks.
Battle sparks.
Across from Aaron, the faceless man stared at the Gyarados in the air and fell strangely silent.
Four limbs.
Flame Clouds.
A body far too massive to be reasonable.
For a moment, even he seemed to question the state of the modern world.
Does Gyarados have limbs now?
Has the outside world changed that much?
He took a slow breath and forced his attention back to the battle.
"Kabutops, Rain Dance."
"Kabu-tops!"
Kabutops let out a low cry, and blue energy surged from its body into the sky.
Dark clouds gathered almost instantly.
Then rain began to fall in heavy sheets across the mountaintop.
At the same time, a faint light shimmered over Kabutops.
Swift Swim activated.
Its speed doubled.
Aaron watched the rain fall, and the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
"Gyarados," he said calmly, "Thunder Destruction."
"RRRRAAAAGH!"
Gyarados roared, and its power surged upward into the storm clouds.
Lightning flashed.
Thunder rolled.
KRA-BOOM! KRA-BOOM! KRA-BOOM!
Huge bolts of yellow lightning tore down from the clouds like electric serpents, blasting toward Kabutops below.
The faceless man's expression changed.
In rain, Thunder-type moves were almost impossible to dodge.
And Kabutops was weak to Electric-type attacks.
If it took this head-on, the damage would be brutal.
"Kabutops, Protect!"
Kabutops reacted immediately, raising a transparent energy shield over its body.
The lightning slammed into it.
THRAKOOOM! THRAKOOOM! THRAKOOOM!
Bolt after bolt crashed down, but the barrier held firm, rippling violently beneath the impact.
Aaron's voice rang out again, calm and steady.
"Keep going. Don't stop."
Gyarados continued controlling the storm, calling lightning down again and again onto the same point.
It had already used Dragon Dance twice.
Its attack power had risen sharply, and with the force of Thunder Destruction behind every strike, each bolt carried enough power to shake the platform beneath them.
The shield over Kabutops began to tremble.
Then, finally—
KRRK!
A thin fracture spread across the barrier.
...