Aron’s opponent was a Rhyhorn.
…
Pokémon Status
Name: Rhyhorn
Type: Ground/Rock
Level: 7
Aptitude: Gym Grade
Ability: Rock Head
Held Item: Soft Sand
Gender: Female
Natural Moves: Tackle, Tail Whip, Smack Down
TM Moves: Take Down, Mud Shot, Rock Tomb
Inherited Moves: None
…
Rhyhorn possessed remarkably good potential, having reached the standard of Gym-grade aptitude.
Pokémon with Quasi-Elite aptitude rarely appeared on the public market.
The moment one became available, it would usually be purchased by a powerful family or organization almost immediately.
Because of that, Gym-grade aptitude was effectively the highest level most ordinary Trainers could realistically obtain.
Even then, if the Pokémon had a powerful final evolution, its market price could easily reach around one million yen.
Admittedly, the Rock-and-Ground type combination was somewhat disadvantaged when it came to weaknesses.
It suffered quadruple damage from both Water- and Grass-type moves while also being vulnerable to Ice, Steel, Fighting, and Ground.
However, Rhyhorn’s final evolution was Rhyperior—
An unquestionably powerful Pokémon.
Its typing might be somewhat troublesome before it evolved, but that hardly mattered.
What truly mattered was how strong it could become in the future.
“How long do you think Raku can last against Natsume-sama?”
“Five minutes, maybe?”
One student answered uncertainly.
“Raku’s Rhyhorn looks like it was raised pretty well.
It should be able to hold out for at least five minutes.”
“Five minutes?
No chance.”
Another student raised three fingers.
“Three minutes at most.”
Steel, Ground, and Rock were often jokingly called inseparable brothers.
The three types shared access to many of the same moves, and all were widely recognized for their formidable defenses.
While the surrounding students continued discussing the possible outcome, the battle finally began.
“Rhyhorn, use Take Down!”
Raku Umezaki immediately seized the initiative.
“Rhy!”
Rhyhorn lowered its head and charged.
Its four powerful legs pounded against the ground as it rushed forward like a small truck.
Its speed was not particularly impressive.
A naturally agile Pokémon would have been able to evade it with ease.
However, Suguru’s Aron possessed Heavy Metal.
Aron was already slow by nature, and with its weight doubled by its Ability, speed was certainly not one of its strengths.
“Tackle,” Suguru calmly commanded.
“Aron!”
Aron began moving forward with slow, steady steps.
Its body might have been small, but every footfall carried an astonishing sense of weight, as though its tiny frame contained the force of a mountain.
“I’m not backing down!”
Raku’s gaze sharpened.
Under the concentrated stares of the surrounding students, Aron’s Tackle and Rhyhorn’s Take Down collided head-on.
BOOM—!
The instant the two Pokémon made contact, Rhyhorn released a cry of pain.
Its massive body was hurled backward.
It had charged forward like an arrow released from a bow—
Yet it flew away even faster.
Only after being blasted more than ten meters did Rhyhorn finally crash to the ground.
It lay there motionless, unable to rise.
The result was obvious.
It had already lost consciousness.
Raku stared blankly at his fallen partner.
Was my Rhyhorn made of paper or something?
How did it collapse from one collision?
Take Down possessed far greater power than an ordinary Tackle.
There was only a one-level difference between the two Pokémon.
Moreover, Aron had used a Normal-type move rather than a Steel-type attack, so it had gained no advantage from type effectiveness.
Rhyhorn was also famous for its thick hide and tremendous physical durability.
Yet despite all of that—
It had been defeated in a single blow.
“That’s way too ridiculous!”
“I said Raku would last three minutes, but the battle didn’t even reach one!”
“To be exact, it lasted thirteen seconds.”
“I still want to battle Natsume-sama, but if I’m going to get knocked out instantly like Raku, maybe I should reconsider.
I wouldn’t learn anything, and it’d be humiliating.”
The students around the battlefield erupted into discussion.
None of them had truly expected Raku to defeat Suguru.
They had merely been debating how many minutes he could endure.
However, no one had expected Rhyhorn to be defeated in a single exchange.
Raku did not look particularly angry.
He simply appeared deeply frustrated.
He had never imagined his Rhyhorn would lose so completely.
At this point, he felt as though he had existed solely to make Aron’s debut look more impressive.
Suguru, meanwhile, remained perfectly calm.
Everything had unfolded exactly as he had expected.
He walked over and gently patted Aron’s armored head.
“Well done.”
“Aron?”
The little Pokémon tilted its head.
It looked at Suguru, then at the unconscious Rhyhorn lying in the distance, seemingly waiting for its next command.
“Natsume-sama’s Aron is terrifying…”
A student muttered under his breath.
“We’ll have to be careful if we ever battle him.”
“Careful?
The difference in strength is so large that caution won’t help.”
More importantly, Raku was not considered weak among the class.
He recalled Rhyhorn into its Poké Ball.
His partner had merely fainted and would awaken after resting for a while, so there was no need for immediate treatment.
Suguru also recalled Aron.
However, the little Pokémon looked distinctly unsatisfied when it returned to its Poké Ball.
“Don’t worry.
There are more battles coming.”
Suguru spoke quietly to the Poké Ball.
Of his two partners, Aron was actually even more eager to fight than Beldum.
He was a genuine little battle maniac.
The tournament continued.
One round followed another, and Suguru advanced through every match with Aron alone.
No opponent managed to stop them. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
Before long, they reached the final.
Their last opponent released a Koffing.
…
Pokémon Status
Name: Koffing
Species: Poison Gas Pokémon
Type: Poison
Level: 9
Aptitude: Quasi-Elite
Ability: Neutralizing Gas
Held Item: Poison Barb
Gender: Female
Natural Moves: Tackle, Poison Gas, Smog, Smokescreen
TM Moves: Acid Spray, Psybeam
Inherited Move: Stockpile
…
Although Suguru had successfully reached the final, his opponent’s expression was filled with difficulty.
Poison was an exceptionally troublesome type.
Poison-type Pokémon excelled at gradually wearing down their opponents through toxins, weakening their physical condition and exhausting their stamina before they even realized how much danger they were in.
Many criminal organizations favored Poison- and Ghost-type Pokémon.
Pokémon of those two types were exceptionally suited to assassination.
When used properly, they could even defeat enemies much stronger than themselves.
Unfortunately for Koffing—
Steel types were completely immune to Poison-type moves.
Koffing was still low-level, and most of its current techniques belonged to the Poison type.
It could hardly have encountered a worse opponent.
Of course, type immunity was not truly absolute.
If a Poison-type attack became powerful enough, its corrosive force could still eat through the armor of a Steel Pokémon.
Before overwhelming strength, even the established laws of type matchups could be broken.
But this Koffing was nowhere near that level.
Just as everyone expected, the final battle ended quickly.
Aron charged through Koffing’s poisonous mist and brought down a gleaming Metal Claw.
Clang—!
Koffing was struck from the air and crashed heavily onto the battlefield.
“Koffing is unable to battle!”
“Aron wins!”
“The champion of Class 3-A’s first battle tournament is Suguru Natsume!”
Suguru had taken first place.
Instead of selecting a Steel-type cultivation resource, he chose the two-hundred-thousand-yen cash prize.
After recalling Aron, he lightly tapped the Poké Ball with one finger.
“I’ll buy you a sweet Berry cake after school.”
“Aron!”
A delighted cry came from inside the Poké Ball.
Since Aron had earned the prize money through his own battles, Suguru naturally intended to spend it on him.
Shirogane Steelix High School truly deserved its reputation as an elite private academy.
Even a simple in-class tournament offered a first-place prize worth two hundred thousand yen.
Some ordinary families did not earn that much in an entire year.
Once the tournament concluded, Kōya Natsume stepped forward and looked over the twenty young Trainers.
“I now have a general understanding of everyone’s current ability.”
“In the coming days, I will design specialized training plans according to your individual performances.”
“You are not required to follow them blindly, but you should use them as references when developing your own methods.”
Although Kōya specialized in Steel-type Pokémon, he was still a Quasi-Elite Trainer.
With his experience and insight, giving advice to a group of rookies who had only recently begun their journeys was an effortless task.