"Is that...?"
"It's Alex's Magneton, Donphan, and Golem!"
After moving forward a certain distance, the view in front of Ethan Black suddenly brightened.
Then, upon seeing the three Pokémon on the field, his face lit up with joy.
But when he clearly saw who they were fighting against, his expression immediately changed.
That Pokémon had an imposing figure, with a dark gray body. Its head, neck, back, and part of its torso were covered in silver armor. Its limbs were surrounded by steel rings, and a long, thick tail constantly lashed behind it. With a roar, it looked like a fearsome prehistoric beast.
"It's an Aggron!"
Recognizing that Pokémon, Ethan Black was shocked.
This place really was the nest of the Aron species. And besides Aron, there was also an Aggron, its final evolved form!
"This is going to be tricky!"
Ethan Black watched as Aggron was completely overwhelming the three Pokémon on the field, and his face darkened.
However, those three were Alex Baxter's partners. He couldn't just stand by!
"There's no other choice..."
"Cacnea, use Ingrain."
Ethan Black took a deep breath and ordered Cacnea to use Ingrain on the spot, beginning to spread its roots across the ground.
Only with a complete root field and a coordinated attack from his other four Pokémon would there be a chance to defeat this imposing Aggron.
Boom!
On the field, Aggron unleashed a dazzling Metal Claw attack, aiming fiercely at Golem, who was at the front of the battle.
Golem, eyes wide, reacted quickly and counterattacked with Mega Punch, clashing against Aggron's Metal Claw.
Boom!
The impact was so brutal it shook the ground. Golem was sent flying after taking the blow, clearly overpowered by Aggron.
However, seizing the moment, Donphan used the combo of Defense Curl and Rollout, ramming into Aggron and forcing it to stagger several steps to the side.
Right after, Magneton unleashed Thunderbolt, completely covering Aggron in an electric glow.
"GRAAAAR!"
After taking several consecutive hits, Aggron roared furiously. Then, its tail whipped violently and struck Donphan, sending it flying.
At that moment, just as Aggron was gathering energy in its claws to use Metal Claw again against Magneton, Cacnea's roots finally reached their target. Dozens of roots erupted all over its body, wrapping around it completely.
"GRAAAAR!"
Surprised by the roots, Aggron roared and used all its strength, straining its body to the limit, on the verge of breaking free.
But just then, Shellder's Water Gun struck it from behind, making it stagger once more.
"Golem, use Double-Edge!" shouted Ethan Black.
Golem, upon hearing Ethan Black's voice, was startled. Recognizing him, it smiled, and without hesitation charged with Double-Edge straight at Aggron.
BOOM!
The impact was so strong Ethan Black's ears rang.
Aggron, already staggered from the roots and Water Gun, was knocked down by Graveler's impact. Its massive body crashed to the ground, raising a huge cloud of dust.
"Well done! Cacnea, use Absorb! Shellder, keep attacking with Water Gun! Donphan, use Bulldoze! Magneton, use Gyro Ball!" ordered Ethan Black.
Seeing Aggron on the ground, Ethan Black seized the opportunity to launch a full-on assault.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
After a quake that shook everything, Aggron finally lost the energy to keep fighting. Its eyes turned into spirals and it fell into a huge crater, completely defeated.
"Go, Poké Ball!"
When Aggron was down, Ethan Black threw a Poké Ball and successfully captured it.
Aggron struggled inside the Poké Ball for a moment, but finally the button clicked shut, marking its capture.
"This Aggron has incredible power."
"If I can completely tame it, it will be a great force for my team!"
Ethan Black took Aggron's Poké Ball, remembering its fierce figure during the battle, and couldn't help but get excited.
However, this Aggron seemed too strong for Ethan Black to control for now. Moreover, it had been captured through a group attack, so it surely wouldn't obey easily.
"Maybe it'd be better to sell it..."
"Although trading Pokémon outside of the League's system isn't allowed, if I sell it to a powerful organization like the Devon Corporation, they can surely handle it."
Considering that possibility, Ethan Black's eyes gleamed.
After all, Arons were already scarce outside of this place. And having a complete method to breed that species, the Devon Corporation would likely not reject his offer.
Besides, thanks to his connection with Lucas Silver, contacting the Devon Corporation wouldn't be difficult.
"If this deal goes through, I'll have enough funds to train my Pokémon!"
Ethan Black took a deep breath, holding back his excitement, and carefully stored Aggron's Poké Ball in his backpack.
After storing the Poké Ball, Alex Baxter's three Pokémon quickly ran over, clicking and chirping, clearly worried about their trainer.
Cacnea quickly explained the situation in Pokémon language, which made the other three show disappointed expressions.
"Don't worry, Alex will be fine."
"For now, rest a bit. From now on, follow me."
Ethan Black pulled some Pokémon food from his backpack and handed it out with a smile, trying to reassure them.
Upon seeing the food, the Pokémon's eyes lit up like crescent moons and they began eating happily.
"Huh? What's that?"
Just as the Pokémon were resting, Ethan Black noticed that inside the crater where Aggron had fallen, a bright light was starting to glow...
(End of Chapter)