At this point, Aggron had already gone through several rounds of stat boosts, making it monstrously strong—easily on par with any of Calem's other top Pokémon.
After a brief moment of hesitation, Calem tossed out another Poké Ball.
"Chesnaught, I choose you!"
"Naugh~!"
The sturdy, good-natured Chesnaught appeared on the field. While it looked mild and harmless and wasn't quite as strong as Greninja, its level wasn't far behind Aggron's.
"Chesnaught?" Paul briefly recalled their last encounter. He remembered that Chesnaught could use Belly Drum, and promptly decided against attacking just yet.
"Iron Defense. Rock Polish."
Suppressing its rising rage and bloodlust, Aggron focused and began powering up. Its metallic armor gleamed as its defense rose, and then a white glow enveloped its body, reducing air resistance and boosting its speed.
Seeing that his opponent wasn't going for a full-on offensive, Calem showed a flicker of disappointment. He had hoped to bait an attack with Spiky Shield followed by Belly Drum. But now, that plan was ruined before it even started.
Still, powering up was essential.
"Belly Drum. Synthesis."
Chesnaught remained still as it began charging up. After sacrificing half its HP to max out its attack power, Synthesis restored its stamina nearly back to full.
"Iron Defense. Rock Polish."
Paul remained calm, opting to max out Aggron's defense and speed. Once those stats were maxed, even a fully buffed Chesnaught would be nothing more than a toy.
"Earthquake!"
Of course, Calem had no intention of giving Aggron that chance. Just as it began its second round of stat boosts, Chesnaught slammed the ground, sending violent tremors toward Aggron.
No matter how many times Aggron had powered up, a x4 super effective move like that—if it landed would be devastating.
So...
"Body Press!"
Before the attack landed, Aggron was forced to abandon its setup and launched itself at Chesnaught with the full weight of its body like a high-speed steel missile.
"Spiky Shield!"
Just as expected, Calem smirked.
"Naugh~!"
Chesnaught crossed its arms and activated Spiky Shield. Its shell glowed green, forming a full-body shield bristling with thorns.
BOOM!
Aggron slammed into the shield just as it went up, resulting in an explosive collision. The smoke didn't even get a chance to rise before it was scattered.
Though ferocious, Aggron's strike wasn't nearly strong enough to shatter the defense. Instead, it got hurt from the thorns.
"Close Combat!"
Seizing the opportunity, Chesnaught pushed off with its shield, knocking Aggron back. Then it lunged in, fists glowing white, going for a seamless transition into Close Combat.
But faster than its fists was Aggron's roar.
"RAHHH!!"
The roar struck Chesnaught like a shockwave. It froze for a moment, then turned into a beam of red light as it was forcibly returned to its Poké Ball.
Before Calem could even process what had happened, another Poké Ball opened automatically.
A familiar and adorable Jolteon appeared on the field.
The moment it landed, Jolteon's fur stood on end spiking like needles.
A shadow loomed overhead.
"Dodge!" Calem shouted.
Jolteon, ever vigilant, immediately activated Agility and Quick Attack to evade.
However—
"Earthquake. Stomping Tantrum."
As soon as it landed, Aggron stomped the ground violently. The shockwaves surged toward Jolteon.
Calem's Jolteon was built for speed. It could dodge, dash, and even play cute—but it had one fatal flaw: it couldn't fly.
"Graaah!"
Having barely dodged Body Press, Jolteon couldn't avoid the Earthquake and Stomping Tantrum combo. With a pained cry, it took a direct hit and was critically injured.
Could Jolteon defeat Aggron?
Under normal circumstances, maybe. But against a nearly maxed-out Aggron, even in a less-than-optimal state, the odds weren't good.
"Volt Switch!"
Calem made a decisive call. Jolteon spun, turning into a ball of electricity that charged toward Aggron.
"Flash Cannon."
Aggron backed away to create distance, then fired a glowing cannon of energy at Jolteon.
Jolteon clenched its muscles, fighting against the beam with all its might. Electricity surged, and its body strained to break through.
Then, Aggron raised both arms and summoned a massive boulder, hurling it straight at Jolteon.
BOOM!
The two collided. Volt Switch failed, and Jolteon was knocked out.
"Take a good rest, Jolteon. You did your best." Calem said softly, recalling his partner and falling into silence.
He hadn't intended to send Jolteon into this fight especially not against Aggron. But the forced switch from Roar left him no choice.
Now, with no other options...
"It's up to you now, Chesnaught!"
He threw out the final Poké Ball.
"Naugh~!"
Chesnaught returned to the field, but this time, Aggron didn't recklessly rush in. It knew better than to blindly strike a Pokémon that could use Spiky Shield.
But that didn't mean Paul would let Chesnaught act first either.
"Rock Tomb."
Just as Chesnaught landed, it saw countless boulders falling from above, sealing off all escape routes.
"Pin Missile!"
If Chesnaught had used Spiky Shield again, it wouldn't just risk Body Press—the scattered boulders would also hinder its movement.
So instead, Chesnaught's arms and back spikes glowed as it unleashed a barrage of green energy arrows, intercepting the falling rocks and shattering them in midair.
BOOM!
Smoke filled the sky, stone fragments flew.
Down below, Aggron stomped the ground with Earthquake again.
Earthquake, then a screeching roar!
Chesnaught realized too late. It tried to counter with Earthquake, but while it matched the shockwaves, it failed to block the Flash Cannon that Aggron fired from its mouth.
BOOM!
With no room to dodge, Chesnaught took the hit directly. Its whole body was engulfed in smoke and dust.
"Take Down."
Seeing his earlier attack had worked, Aggron wasted no time. With all its might, it lunged forward into the smoke like a cannonball, crashing toward the center of the explosion.
A deafening boom echoed, an even more powerful explosion erupted from within. No one could see what had happened inside, but after a few dull thuds, Aggron's severely battered body was blasted back out from the smoke, skidding along the battlefield.
Paul didn't know exactly what had happened inside, but he didn't need to. What mattered now was choosing the best response.
"Metal Burst!"
The moment it landed, Aggron gathered all the damage it had just taken along with its remaining metallic energy, concentrating them into its mouth. A devastating beam of silver light blasted forward toward Chesnaught.
"Spiky Shield!"
In a split second, a green thorn-covered shield enveloped Chesnaught, just barely blocking the Metal Burst.
But Paul had anticipated this. The instant Chesnaught activated Spiky Shield, he used telepathic direction to command Aggron to follow up with another Take Down.
"Reversal!"
With no time to dodge, Chesnaught gathered all its strength and leapt into Aggron with a fierce counterattack.
Contrary to expectations, Chesnaught wasn't knocked out immediately.
BOOM!
The two heavy Pokémon clashed mid-air and locked together.
Clearly, Chesnaught had used Belly Drum again within the smoke earlier, only that kind of power could meet Aggron head-on.
They remained locked for a tense moment before an energy backlash erupted, flinging both Pokémon apart like hurled stones.
THUD! THUD!
Both Pokémon landed in craters on opposite ends of the battlefield. Neither moved at first, though neither had fully lost consciousness.
"You've got this, Chesnaught!" Calem called out.
"Stand." Paul's voice was sharp and steady.
"Naugh…"
"Aggrr…"
As if responding to their Trainers' voices, both Pokémon stirred and slowly began to rise. Their bodies trembled, but their eyes stayed locked on each other.
Chesnaught's gaze held firm determination. Aggron's eyes, wild and blazing, burned with unrelenting fury.
Though Aggron had spent tremendous energy, it still radiated a terrifying aura.
Aggron's eyes grew more feral, blood surging with emotion despite its near-broken body. That aura intensified.
"Naugh…"
Unable to withstand it anymore, Chesnaught swayed, then collapsed completely, knocked out.
"GRAAAH!"
Aggron let out a thunderous roar. At that moment, something in its body surged. Despite its exhausted frame, a new power was born—
It had broken through.
It had reached Elite Four tier.
"Aggrrr..."
Triumphant in both strength and spirit, Aggron let out one last victorious howl before the glow around its body faded. Limp but proud, it staggered over to Paul.
"Well done. You've improved." Paul praised it calmly.
Aggron's training had always been simple: consume rare metals and battle endlessly, refining strength through experience.
Only recently under Garchomp's guidance, it had learned to awaken its bloodline potential. That—combined with its accumulated battle experience, pushed it through the Elite threshold.
"Aggrrr~"
Hearing the compliment, Aggron smiled. It wasn't just the win, it was the feeling of growth and victory.
Calem, however, said nothing. He silently recalled Chesnaught, eyes lowered.
His mind was filled with just two words: I lost.
He hadn't expected this. All three of his Pokémon were defeated by Paul's Aggron, just one Pokémon.
True, this wasn't a formal match, and neither side had used their strongest teams. This was a sparring session more than anything.
Still—Paul hadn't used his strongest Pokémon, had he?
Calem thought of the two Pokémon behind Paul, both radiating Elite Four-level pressure. If those weren't his strongest… then who were?
What stung more was the fact that even if Paul hadn't used them, his Aggron alone had taken out Calem's Greninja—one of his top four.
Shaped by his parents' influence, Calem had always prided himself on earning strength through training and experience. But now…
All that effort, was this all it amounted to?
Frustration crashed over him. But Calem wasn't one to stagger.
Moments later, he took a deep breath, clenching his fist.
"I lost. Paul, you've become even stronger."
His voice was serious and sincere.
Since their last battle, he'd been training nonstop alongside his team. And yet, the gap had only widened.
"You're not bad. You even made me feel a little pressure." Paul replied with a faint nod.
But Calem didn't take comfort in those words. He murmured to himself:
"Just… a little?"
"This is only the beginning," Paul continued. "The Elite Four, Champions, the Masters Eight, and beyond. That's where I'm headed."
A true powerhouse never looks back, they only look forward.
Having glimpsed to the other Pokémon worlds, Paul now wondered what other champions and unknown legends were out there, waiting to be challenged.
And with Mewtwo now under his command, his pace of improvement would only accelerate.
Mewtwo's unmatched intelligence alone could revolutionize their team's synergy. But more than that, Mewtwo represented a new summit—a peak that Paul's other Pokémon would now strive to match.
That, more than anything, gave him confidence.
"The Elite Four… Champion… Masters Eight… I'll catch up to you. And one day, we'll battle again—at full strength."
Calem's tone was resolute.
"Looking forward to it."
With that, Paul turned and walked into the forest with Aggron and his other two Pokémon by his side.
Calem stood silently in place, fists clenched, and thinking deeply.
A few moments later, he exhaled and headed in the opposite direction.
His journey wasn't over either.
(End of Chapter)
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