"Flygon, once more!"
Since her opponent remained Aggron and the distance between them was short, Noland sent Flygon back into the field again.
"Dragon Dance!"
"Shaah~!"
As soon as Flygon soared from its Poké Ball, it began to twist and spiral in the air, preparing to use Dragon Dance to gain distance from Aggron—only to be greeted by the all-too-familiar wide-open jaws of its opponent.
"Aggrrrr!"
Aggron let out a thunderous roar.
Flygon was forcibly recalled, and in its place—Rhyperior entered the battlefield!
A repeat performance—an old tactic, reused!
Did you think I'd only pull that trick once?
No way. If it works, why not use it again?
"Body Slam!"
The moment Rhyperior appeared, Aggron lunged at it just like it had done to Venusaur earlier, slamming forward with brutal force.
Aggron had timed the distance with pinpoint accuracy—Rhyperior had no room to dodge. A head-on clash was inevitable.
"Drill Run!"
This time, Noland reacted quicker, thanks to his prior experience. At least he chose a counter move.
"Ryyyah!"
Rhyperior's horn began spinning at high speed, turning it into a living siege weapon as it hurled itself at the incoming Aggron.
Aggron's unyielding alloy armor was like a castle wall, while Rhyperior's spiraling horn resembled a battering ram in full charge.
Under normal conditions, no one could say who would come out on top in a clash like this.
But this time was different—Aggron had already used Iron Defense twice!
Sure, Drill Run is a high-damage, critical-strike move. With relatively equal levels, a perfect hit could potentially knock out an opponent in one blow.
But a "perfect hit" assumes the target doesn't resist.
When both sides are locked in direct combat, if the move fails to completely overpower the opponent's momentum, even a so-called "one-hit KO" is just another powerful move.
And in this case, Rhyperior had finally met its match. The move that once shattered all defenses was now overwhelmed by Aggron's sheer force and momentum. Drill Run barely landed before being deflected by the tremendous impact.
Rhyperior's entire offensive scheme crumbled before the raw simplicity of Aggron's Body Slam.
BOOM!
In the aftermath of the collision, Rhyperior was sent flying, crashing into the arena wall and becoming embedded in it.
Even with the Rock-type's innate resistance reducing the damage, the Fighting-type effectiveness of Body Slam still took its toll—Rhyperior couldn't withstand the hit.
"Rhyperior is unable to battle. Aggron wins!" Sergio announced.
As the victory call rang out, Aggron let out a proud snort and lumbered back to its earlier ambush spot, ready to welcome the next "lucky challenger."
"Come back, Rhyperior. You've done your part."
Having lost two powerful team members for seemingly no good reason, Noland looked down at the battlefield, at Aggron once again standing in its familiar position. With a heavy sigh, he recalled Rhyperior, feeling both helpless and frustrated.
Paul's strategy was simple. Shameless. Brutally straightforward. But the results? Undeniable.
None of Noland's remaining Pokémon were especially fast. At this exact distance, the moment a new Pokémon appeared, Aggron would charge in with Headbutt. Not a single one of his Pokémon could evade or withstand such a sudden and overwhelming blow.
It was an open tactic—yet almost impossible to counter.
"What will you do now?"
Paul stood quietly, watching Noland with calm and calculating eyes.
Noland was no fool—he was a strategist, a symbol of intellect and knowledge. But Paul's current tactics were also based on knowledge.
Using knowledge… to crush knowledge.
If Noland truly had the brains he was known for, then perhaps he'd find a way to break this deadlock. Paul wouldn't mind sacrificing Aggron or switching Pokémon in that case.
But if Noland failed to crack the strategy, then Paul intended to make this point absolutely clear—
If you reveal your team without sufficient power to back it up, be ready for a crushing defeat.
When knowledge falls short, strength is the only thing that matters.
"You're a tough one, kid. So what's your play, Noland?"
Leaning back comfortably in his seat, observer Thorton mused silently to himself.
"You're not going to beat me that easily."
It looked like Noland had finally come up with a countermeasure. He grabbed another Poké Ball and hurled it forward.
"Golduck, let's go!"
"Headbutt!"
As soon as the blue, two-footed Golduck emerged from its ball, Aggron immediately lunged with tremendous force, launching a devastating charge that looked powerful enough to take Golduck out in a single blow.
"Use Psychic on yourself and the opponent—now!"
Without hesitation or even understanding the full situation, Golduck reacted instantly to the command. A wave of tangible psychic energy burst from its body, surging outward in both directions—toward itself and Aggron.
But the psychic wave aimed at Aggron was deflected almost instantly by the intense aura swirling around it—barely delaying it for even a heartbeat.
However, the self-inflicted Psychic had a much more dramatic effect: the force launched Golduck backward like a cannonball, flinging it across the field.
"Earthquake!"
Aggron, having missed its charge, landed heavily and transitioned without pause into Earthquake, unleashing tremors toward the still-falling Golduck.
"Golduck, use Psychic to lift yourself up—now!"
Still airborne from the fall, Golduck's eyes glowed as Psychic energy surged around it, lifting its body just enough to evade the oncoming shockwave, barely halting Aggron's assault.
"Headbutt!"
The Earthquake had failed to connect. Without hesitation, Aggron realigned itself and charged at Golduck once again, Headbutt trailing with devastating momentum.
Empowered by Rock Polish, Aggron's speed now outmatched Golduck's—unexpectedly so.
With no other choice, Golduck launched a desperate Psyshock at its own feet, blasting itself backward to force a momentary retreat.
"Psych Up!"
Mid-air, Golduck quickly cast Psych Up, mirroring its opponent's boosted stats. In an instant, its Defense and Speed skyrocketed.
"Rock Tomb, then Earthquake."
Even with the power shift, Paul showed no signs of panic.
"Aggrrrr—!"
At Aggron's command, countless boulders rained from above, sealing off Golduck's escape routes. Then, with a powerful stomp, the tremors of another Earthquake rippled across the battlefield, steadily tightening the noose around Golduck's survival space.
"Psychic!"
Suspended by its psychic powers, Golduck's eyes glowed with an intense blue-violet hue. The falling boulders around it froze midair. With a wave of its hand, Golduck redirected the entire cluster, hurling the massive stones straight at Aggron.
"Headbutt!"
Paul didn't waver. Aggron surged forward, crashing head-on into the flying rocks. Each boulder shattered on contact—like paper walls torn apart by raw force.
"Evade!"
Now boosted by Psych Up, Golduck's speed was on par with Aggron's. With a few nimble bounds, it widened the gap between them and dodged the follow-up attack with grace.
Headbutt—missed!
"Disable!"
Before Aggron could strike again, Golduck's eyes lit up with a purple glow, casting Disable on its opponent. The aura locked onto Aggron, sealing off its ability to use Headbutt—for now.
"As long as Headbutt is sealed, Aggron can't one-shot Golduck. If I can just find an opening… this round might still be ours—"
"Wait, what—"
Noland's strategy was just forming in his mind when he blinked in surprise.
Without warning, Paul calmly withdrew Aggron back into its Poké Ball—not waiting for another clash with Golduck. Whether he had seen through his plan or simply decided that a drawn-out brawl was unnecessary, he had chosen to preserve his strength.
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