"Come out."
Shortly after his three Pokémon departed, Paul tossed two Poké Balls into the air.
"Froslass!"
"Metagross!"
With a flash of white light, two Pokémon—one large and one small emerged from their balls.
Before the glow had fully faded, a snowy-white figure darted forward and leapt into Paul's arms, wrapping her arms around him tightly, snuggling into him with deep affection.
Paul looked down. It was none other than his long-absent Froslass.
"You're back. From now on, we won't be separated again."
He gently stroked Froslass' head as he spoke.
"Eeno~"
Froslass gazed up at Paul, joy sparkling in her eyes but a flicker of doubt soon followed.
She wasn't as naïve or sweet as a certain someone. On the contrary, she was one of the smartest and most perceptive Pokémon on the team.
Paul only had a limited number of Poké Balls on hand. Even if he didn't send her to train with Sabrina, rotating team members would inevitably mean being returned to the Day Care. How could they truly never be separated?
"I have a plan."
Paul's words were few but firm.
He did have a plan, to keep all his Pokémon with him.
No one quite understood why, but modern Poké Balls would automatically teleport excess Pokémon away once the trainer carried more than six.
Standard Poké Balls couldn't override this. However, certain special Poké Balls like those crafted from Apricorns might avoid that issue, as long as their programming wasn't altered.
Of course, it could also be tied to underlying rules of the system.
And if even Apricorn Balls didn't work, there were always Hisui-style Poké Balls.
Paul hadn't forgotten: he had the power to traverse timelines.
He'd visit Hisui someday, gather a batch of Hisuian Poké Balls, and check in on Akari while he was at it, curious how much it had grown.
"Eeno~"
With Paul's reassurance, Froslass stopped worrying. After rubbing up against him one last time, she obediently stepped aside.
...
Nearby, Metagross stood silently, its silver frame grounded as it watched the scene unfold. For some reason, it felt completely out of place.
'Same team, same trainer—why did it feel like such an awkward third wheel?'
Paul finally turned to Metagross, stepping forward and giving its steel arm a firm pat.
"You've powered up. Strong presence too. Not bad."
"Grroo~"
Encouraged, Metagross instantly perked up, grinning widely.
"You broke through to Elite Four level this fast? Then you and Froslass will be handling the upcoming Battle Tower challenges. Let me see how far you've both come."
Though they hadn't reached their next destination yet, Paul had already made his lineup decision.
"Grroo~!"
Metagross gave an excited roar, eyes blazing with determination.
Back at the Saffron Gym, it and Froslass had been near the bottom of the pecking order.
Especially Metagross, Sabrina had her own Metagross at the time. Under that fellow's supervision, Paul's Metagross had endured relentless drills and so-called "training," often harsher than anything it experienced on Paul's team.
Now with a goal in mind, it was eager to unleash all that pent-up drive.
"Huh? I was wondering where that cry came from—turns out it's your Metagross, Paul."
A voice called out from the woods.
"Long time no see! How's your Battle Frontier symbol collection going?"
Emerging from the brush with a polite smile was none other than Calem.
"Long time no see. Just two more and I'll have conquered the Frontier."
Paul answered coolly as he sized up Calem. Sure enough, the Kalos native had his trusty Greninja close behind.
"Two more? Same here."
Calem smiled back. "I heard Anabel is a tough nut to crack. She can sync with her Pokémon and unleash frightening levels of power. I've been training hard in this area to prepare."
As the Battle Frontier trials progressed, he could feel the pressure rising.
The Frontier Brains all fielded Elite Four-level Pokémon. The Tower Tycoon, Palmer, stood just below Champion-tier in strength.
And him? Calem hadn't even fully trained six Elite-level Pokémon yet.
Sure, only three Pokémon were required per battle, but to adapt and counter different threats, a rotating team was essential.
That reality weighed heavily on him. So, he'd slowed his challenge pace, focused on intense training, and sought out strong opponents to sharpen his edge.
"How about a warm-up match? I've got someone here who's been itching to prove their power."
Paul asked casually.
"Grroo~"
Metagross stepped forward, staring down Calem with intense battle spirit.
"Of course! But 1v1 is kinda dull. How about 3v3?"
Calem suggested.
"Sure."
Paul agreed without hesitation. The two trainers then took positions, clearing enough space for the match.
"Greninja, you're up."
Calem made his first move decisively.
Judging by what he'd seen, Paul was likely planning to use Metagross first. Even if not, Greninja could easily pivot or switch out.
"Good. A worthy opponent."
Paul murmured.
"Grroo~"
Metagross gave a nod, its gaze locked on Greninja. Though the type matchup wasn't in its favor, it believed in its own strength.
"Grroo~?"
Just as it braced to step forward, Paul pulled a Poké Ball from his pocket and tossed it.
"Aggron, prepare for battle!"
"Aggrrr!"
With a roar, the massive steel body of Aggron emerged, taking a battle stance right in front of a stunned Metagross.
"Grroo?"
Metagross blinked in confusion. So the one Paul wanted to send out... wasn't it?
"Eeno~"
Behind him, Froslass chuckled softly, having already guessed Paul's plan.
"Aggron doesn't have a type disadvantage, and though not yet Elite-level, it's still a solid matchup."
After a quick analysis, Calem decided not to switch Pokémon.
"Greninja, Double Team and Water Shuriken!"
In a flash, Greninja split into dozens of clones surrounding Aggron. With a quick motion, each clone conjured sharp water shurikens and hurled them toward the steel titan at the center.
"Rock Tomb! Autotomize!"
"Kroah!"
Aggron didn't sit idly. A barrage of massive boulders fell from above, intercepting most of the incoming Water Shurikens while dispelling several clones.
Simultaneously, a silver light glimmered across its body—Autotomize activated. Its friction decreased, speed surged, and it slipped past the remaining shurikens with surprising agility.
WHOOSH!
Suddenly, the Greninja clones launched themselves toward Aggron, limbs glowing white—Brick Break. Dozens streaked in like comets.
"Iron Defense!"
Aggron stood its ground, metal body gleaming. Defense spiked as the attacks rained down. One by one, Greninja clones burst into illusions.
FWIP!
Finally, with a booming thud, one real Greninja broke from the pack, striking Aggron's leg with Brick Break, sending the giant tilting sideways.
"Hydro Cannon!"
No hesitation. Greninja opened its mouth and fired a torrent of pressurized water.
"Metal Burst!"
Aggron's body shimmered white, absorbing the pain and channeling it into its maw. It pushed up and roared the energy burst forth like a destructive beam, blasting straight through the Hydro Cannon and hurtling toward Greninja.
Greninja wasn't fazed. With a flicker, it narrowly dodged and closed in, hurling twin Water Shurikens while preparing its next strike.
But—
"Bloodline Mode. Tackle."
Aggron's eyes flared crimson. A mysterious primal aura surrounded its body.
With a sudden surge, it lunged straight at Greninja, scattering the incoming Water Shurikens with brute force.
Greninja hadn't expected this. It couldn't dodge in time.
In that instant, another Greninja emerged and threw itself in Aggron's path.
Substitute!
BOOM!
The substitute was obliterated, flying back like a cannonball.
But it bought time. Greninja leapt away in a flurry, widening the gap and tossing more Water Shurikens.
"Rock Tomb. Earthquake."
Paul remained calm.
Aggron raised both arms. Rocks rained down like a storm, followed by a seismic stomp that shook the field. The falling rocks blocked the shurikens and boxed Greninja in.
"Double Team! Use the rocks to close in!"
Calem commanded.
Greninja leapt, bounding from rock to rock, it's body twisting into multiple clones again. They swooped in from all directions.
In seconds, Greninja had sealed off every escape path.
Aggron didn't move. Its crimson eyes stared ahead.
"Hydro Cannon!"
The Greninjas raised their heads, aiming to end it.
But Paul smirked. Just one word:
"Detonate."
BOOM!
Every boulder erupted in white light and exploded. The shockwave cleared the clones and threw off Greninja's aim. The real one faltered.
Aggron, despite its bulk, moved like lightning—Autotomize had done its job. It lunged with its stored power, locked onto Greninja mid-air.
"Substitute!"
Greninja summoned another double. It stepped on the clone and launched itself to safety—
But was it enough?
BOOM!
Aggron crashed through the substitute.
"Aggrrr!"
With a mid-air spin, Aggron fired a Flash Cannon directly at Greninja.
Greninja moved to dodge but overhead, more rocks began to fall.
"Water Pulse!"
In hurry, Greninja conjured a swirling orb of water and hurled it. The two attacks collided and detonated, neither overpowering the other.
Knowing the rocks would explode, Greninja dashed for open ground.
But...
BOOM!
The ground roared and trembled. The quake hit Greninja mid-move, disrupting its flow and slowing it down.
"Tackle!"
Aggron bellowed and lunged again.
Autotomize boost.
Earthquake cripple.
Greninja couldn't dodge.
"Cutting Waterfall!"
Nowhere to run, Greninja struck head-on—limbs cloaked in slicing torrents of water. It launched toward Aggron.
BOOM!
The clash sent shockwaves out in every direction.
"AGGRRR!"
Smoke rose, but was immediately blown away by Aggron's roar.
Greninja lay collapsed and defeated.
Aggron stood firm, body bloodied but unbowed.
Now glowing with a strange crimson metallic aura, its entire frame seeped with battle lust. This was Aggron's "Bloodline Mode", a brutal technique it had learned from Garchomp.
Even injured, Aggron's aura continued to swell, its red eyes locking onto Calem.
"Return, Greninja. You've done well."
Calem recalled his partner with a reassuring nod, but muttered to himself:
"What a strange ability…"
(End of Chapter)
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