Hydreigon had always been very clingy when it came to Alex, constantly vying for his attention. At the same time, she was highly solitary, preferring to remain alone whenever she wasn't with him. It reached a point where Kommo-o would regularly get thrashed for trying to woo her.
Now that she had taken an interest in someone else, Alex was more than supportive. Unfortunately, Hydreigon filled the Dragon type requirement for the defensive team with her powerful Draco Meteors, which meant he would need to find a replacement for her.
'The Goodra have been training hard ever since I added them to the regimen. They could probably serve as solid replacements,' Alex thought.
As part of the home team's defenses, Alex had been training them for ranged proficiency as an experiment, and while they weren't as well trained as the ones from Interpol, they would more than suffice for his needs, especially since he would be adding both of them.
He shook away the distracting thoughts and shelved them for later; for now, he had to make sure Grim's team was filled.
"What do you think, Grim?" Alex asked.
Grim circled Hydreigon once, noting that she was among the more powerful members of Alex's roster, aside from the rat and the dog. She was also far more violent than most of the others, which it appreciated.
"Roar," it said, indicating that she would do.
"Excellent," Alex said. "Now all you need is one more Flying type on the team, and you'd have a powerful aerial hunting group. I happen to have a chance to recruit a Paradox Pokémon like you in this crater, so is there anyone here you'd be willing to team up with? If not, we can always visit a breeder and let you choose."
Grim took on a thoughtful expression before smiling menacingly. As a matter of fact, there was its rival somewhere in the crater, a Pokémon it had never beaten before. If it were to have partners, picking the strongest ones possible was the best choice.
"Roar!" it said, indicating that he should follow before taking off.
"I think we have a lead," Alex said to Penny as he mounted Hydreigon.
"Can I get a ride?" she asked. "I'm an Eeveelution specialist, so I don't have a Flying type."
"Oh…" Alex said, then tapped Hydreigon's neck and asked, "Mind if she rides with us?"
Hydreigon growled menacingly before getting an idea. She took off, then grabbed Penny by the arms and hauled her along.
"This isn't what I had in mind!" Penny shouted.
Alex had the same thought, but given the situation, he couldn't exactly scold Hydreigon, so he shrugged.
"Sorry," he said. "Just hang in there. I don't think it'll be a long flight."
Grim took off, rising past a layer of mist before hovering over Research Station No. 3. It then turned left, ascending a slope with an opening, and slipped inside. Hydreigon followed, carrying Alex and Penny, and led them into a well-lit, secluded cavern.
Sunlight streamed through an opening high above, striking a patch of vibrant grass near a pool where a waterfall crashed down. The cavern felt vast and secluded, the thunderous roar of the falls echoing off the stone walls, while the greenery at its base shimmered in the shafts of light. Apart from this scene, the space was empty, with no Pokémon in sight.
"ROOOAR!" Grim roared, issuing a challenge toward the waterfall.
Suddenly, the waterfall erupted as a lone Iron Valiant bolted toward Grim, its blades glowing with bright pink energy as it used Spirit Break. Grim deftly dodged by soaring high, then unleashed Scale Shot, raining feathers onto Iron Valiant, which swatted each one away with precision.
It then leapt toward Grim, who dodged to the side. Iron Valiant continued soaring until it struck the cavern ceiling, then pounced again, attempting to catch Grim off guard. Grim skillfully evaded while taking every opportunity to retaliate. Their acrobatics carried on as Alex watched, genuinely impressed.
This Iron Valiant was clearly at the halfway point of Champion rank, stronger than any of his own Champions, yet still weaker than Grim. However, because of its typing, Alex guessed that Iron Valiant would win.
Grim had no moves capable of taking it down aside from Fly and perhaps Zen Headbutt, which it hadn't trained. Both of these physical moves required Grim to be at melee range, where Iron Valiant could easily counter with a more devastating attack, such as Spirit Break or Close Combat.
Iron Valiant landed harshly on the ground, swatting away Grim's feathers before shaking its head in disappointment. Then, it looked up at Grim with bright pink eyes and unleashed a radiant light that filled the cavern, forcing Hydreigon to use Protect to shield Alex and Penny. Iron Valiant had used Dazzling Gleam.
With no protective measures, Grim took the hit head-on, nearly fainting. It then retreated behind Alex, a mischievous grin on its face.
'Prepare to be humbled,' it thought.
Alex took that as his cue and stepped forward.
"Hello there," Alex greeted. "I'm recruiting a Paradox Pokémon to join these two as an attack team to fight for me. I provide standard meals, comfortable accommodations, and training to grow your power and teach you how to win fights, if you're interested."
Iron Valiant raised a brow at the offer before pointing its glaive at Alex in challenge.
"Alright, Hydreigon, fight it for me, will you?" Alex said.
Hydreigon stepped forward without hesitation. If Alex thought she was enough to handle this powerful Pokémon, then surely she was.
"Center of the cavern," Alex said.
Hydreigon followed his orders and levitated to the center of the entire cavern while Iron Valiant took its stance.
Without warning, Iron Valiant took off, its glaves glowing pink ready to slash at Hydreigon.
"Protect!" Alex called out, then added. "Thunder Wave, Nasty Plot twice, Protect, Flash Cannon, then Heat Wave"
Hydreigon produced a barrier, absorbing Iron Valiant's slash and completely negating both the damage and its momentum, leaving it to fall helplessly. She then followed up with a pulse of Electric type energy that exploded in a sphere around her, striking the unguarded Iron Valiant and paralyzing it.
As it fell, Hydreigon cloaked herself in Dark type energy, a mischievous look on her face, boosting her Special Attack by two stages. By the time Iron Valiant hit the ground, she had finished a second Nasty Plot, just in time to block with Protect as Iron Valiant unleashed Dazzling Gleam against her.
Immediately, she countered with Flash Cannon, a bright silver beam launching from her mouth. The empowered attack forced Iron Valiant to cancel its second Dazzling Gleam, dodging away from the sheer threat. Before it could fire again, it was suddenly bathed in intense heat as Hydreigon unleashed Heat Wave.
The damage was so immense that Iron Valiant expended all its energy resisting before finally shutting down, fainting from the assault.
"Excellent," Alex said as Hydreigon pounced on him, earning praise and pats.
Meanwhile, Grim and Penny looked on from behind, astonished at the battle that was so easily predicted and dominated from start to finish. It was such an overwhelming victory that Grim couldn't help but be excited to someday do the same under Alex's teachings.
"How… did you do that?" Penny asked, amazed.
"Didn't you see its fight with Grim?" Alex replied. "It's easy enough to tell that Iron Valiant only uses a few moves, like Grim. It basically relies on Spirit Break and Dazzling Gleam against all its opponents. Just predict which move it'll use first, and you can easily come up with a plan."
Alex finished praising Hydreigon before approaching Iron Valiant and using Revive, restoring its energy and allowing it to power back up.
"So? What do you think?" Alex asked.
Iron Valiant nodded, accepting its defeat and allowing Alex to touch it, solidifying their bond. Its energy was roughly on the same level as Grim's but slightly weaker, more than enough for Alex to handle without any problems. Since the bond was still fresh, it would take some time for implicit trust to fully develop between them.
"Do you mind showing me your moves?" Alex asked.
Iron Valiant nodded before performing every move it knew while Alex recorded.
Name: Iron Valiant, Champion
Type: Fairy Fighting
Ability: Quark Drive
Moves:
Basic: Disable, Double Team, Fury Cutter, Electric Terrain, Hypnosis, Feint, Future Sight, Moonblast, Knock Off, Destiny Bond, Wide Guard, Quick Guard
Expert:
(+100% Damage): Shadow Sneak, Dazzling Gleam, Psycho Cut, Night Slash, Leaf Blade, Close Combat, Spirit Break
Description: Iron Valiant, the Paradox Pokémon. Known for its elegant lethality and cold efficiency, this futuristic relative of Gardevoir and Gallade was engineered to be the ultimate combatant. It is said to have been created by a mad scientist's pursuit of the most powerful psychic warrior, resulting in a metallic form that wields a glowing energy blade with mechanical precision.
'This is even worse than Grim,' Alex thought.
Essentially, Iron Valiant only used its most powerful moves during fights, never bothering to be tactical. This was likely because it was so innately strong that it didn't consider other moves necessary in battle. It was a perfect example of an AI overtrained with poor data points, resulting in a hyperfocused strategy that failed when exposed to new information.
"Iron Valiant seems like a mouthful, so how about I give you a nickname?" Alex proposed. "What do you think about Knight?"
Iron Valiant nodded, accepting the designation and waiting for further instructions.
Alex, meanwhile, considered his new attack team, composed of Hydreigon, Roaring Moon, and Iron Valiant. Iron Valiant couldn't fly or use Teleport. At most, it could use Shadow Sneak, which, more often than not, could only be employed on the ground. This meant it wasn't ideal for the aerial offense he had planned for this team.
He looked over at Grim and Hydreigon for a moment before an idea flashed in his mind.
He placed his hand on Knight's shoulder before saying, "You, my friend, will be a dragon knight!"
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