"Hiss..."
When Aaron saw Venusaur's moveset, he sucked in a sharp breath.
This Venusaur was extremely powerful!!
And it was Grass-type, perfectly countering his Frogadier.
Then let the blue fat Snorlax clash with it—let's see who's heavier…
"Come out… Snorlax!!"
Aaron threw out a Poké Ball. A deep-blue, rotund Pokémon appeared on the battlefield.
"Another Shiny Pokémon!?"
Across from him, Zane's expression stiffened as he thought to himself.
"What kind of luck does this kid have!?"
"He's got two Shiny Pokémon, and I don't even have one…"
Zane cursed inwardly, though his face showed nothing.
More importantly, the aura coming from this Snorlax had already reached Advanced Early-stage strength.
After ten days of training, Snorlax's skill levels had clearly improved.
[Name: Snorlax (Shiny)]
(Shiny Effect: HP +10%)
[Gender: Male]
[Nature: Hardy]
[Type: Normal]
[Ability: Thick Fat]
[Base Stats Total: 540]
[Level: Advanced (Early Stage)]
[Pokémon Potential: Champion Level]
[Known Moves: Tackle (Mastery), Defense Curl (Mastery), Power-Up Punch (Mastery), Body Slam (Perfect), Mega Punch (Perfect), Amnesia (Proficient), Gradual Breakthrough (Proficient), Rest (Proficient), Belly Drum (Proficient)…]
[Special Physique: Hito Hito no Mi Mythical Zoan Nika Form]
[Special Abilities: (omitted…)]
...
Although Snorlax's level hadn't increased, both Rest and Belly Drum had reached Proficient level.
For these transformation-type skills, higher levels didn't increase raw power, but greatly reduced activation time.
It was said that once a skill reached Ultimate-tier, it would become pure instinct—usable at will, even eliminating its side effects.
For example, if Rest reached Ultimate-tier, a single thought would restore stamina and cure bodily abnormalities, without inducing sleep at all.
That was the terrifying nature of Ultimate-tier skills.
The lifelong pursuit of every Trainer and Pokémon.
...
"Venusaur… use Seed Bomb!!"
Zane was ruthless and concise, choosing to strike immediately.
"Venuuuusaur—!"
Venusaur roared as countless seeds fired from the massive flower on its back, spraying toward Snorlax.
"Snorlax… use Gum-Gum Balloon. Bounce them back."
Aaron cursed Zane inwardly.
Bullying the weaker one was bad enough—and he even stole the first move.
Absolutely shameless!!
Without wasting words, he issued the command.
"Snorlax—!"
Snorlax inhaled sharply, its belly swelling into a massive balloon.
"Bang, bang, bang…"
Venusaur's seeds slammed into Snorlax's rubbery belly and rebounded straight back toward Venusaur.
"Hm!?"
"What kind of ridiculous move is that!?"
A flicker of confusion flashed through Zane's mind, but he reacted instantly.
"Venusaur… Razor Leaf. Slice them all down!"
Several leaf-shaped blades shot out from behind Venusaur, slicing through the rebounding seeds.
"Boom—boom—boom…"
The seeds collided violently with the blades, erupting in a chain of explosions.
"Snorlax… deflate!!"
"Then use Armament Haki—Gum-Gum Pistol!"
Aaron's voice rang out once more.
"Hiss…"
Snorlax released all the air in its belly, returning to normal.
In the next instant, its right fist condensed with a layer of black, steel-like energy. The arm stretched at terrifying speed, slamming brutally toward Venusaur!!
"WHAT!?"
Zane's pupils shrank, his eyes widening in shock.
What the hell kind of monstrous Snorlax is this!?
Fine—I can accept the belly expanding.
But now the arms are stretching too!?
I can tolerate this, but this is crossing the line!!
In that split second of shock, Snorlax's Gum-Gum Pistol smashed straight into Venusaur's head!!
"BANG—!"
"Venuuu—!"
A dull impact rang out as Venusaur cried out in pain.
Its massive body staggered backward several steps.
The sheer power of the blow was unmistakable.
Gum-Gum Pistol's base power of 60, combined with Same-Type Attack Bonus and Armament Haki amplification, had surged to a full 150 power.
Of course it hurt!!
On top of that, Armament Haki applied to the fist increased attack by two stages.
Applied to the body, it increased defense by two stages.
A +2 attack boost with a 150-power move striking Venusaur—if Venusaur weren't so absurdly tanky, hat hit alone would've ended the fight.
"Venusaur… use Leech Seed!!"
Although Zane's mind was full of questions, now was not the time to dwell on them.
Forcing his thoughts down, he issued the command.
"Venuuuusaur—!"
Several seeds shot from the flower on Venusaur's back, flying toward Snorlax's round belly.
"Snorlax… coat your belly with Armament Haki."
Aaron's voice was calm.
The rhythm of the battle was already slipping into his control, and so he wasn't anxious at all.
He would wait until Venusaur revealed an opening—then end it in one decisive strike.
"Snorlax—!"
Snorlax roared as its belly was instantly coated in a steel-like black sheen.
Venusaur's Leech Seeds latched onto it—but something unexpected happened.
They couldn't take root.
A faint smile flickered across Aaron's eyes.
There had been an element of gambling in his decision, but he had gambled correctly.
In One Piece, Haki was among the highest-tier energy systems.
Its effects were overwhelming. In the anime, no one had ever pierced Armament Haki once it fully coated the body.
So Aaron believed that mere plant seeds wouldn't be able to penetrate it either.
And he was right!!
This was the difference between reality and games.
Anything could happen.
Now was the time to put imagination to the test.
…