Winona's Swellow was different from ordinary Swellow—it was a Shiny Pokemon!
Its normally deep blue feathers had transformed into dark green, while its red feathers had turned bright yellow!
This was the second Shiny Pokemon Steven had encountered, besides his own Metagross.
"Go, Lairon!"
Facing the Normal and Flying-type Swellow, Lairon was undoubtedly the optimal choice.
Steven didn't dare to underestimate his opponent. The aura emanating from that Shiny Swellow was no less impressive than his own Skarmory's.
It was precisely because of this formidable power that Steven planned to use this opportunity to help Lairon break through its bottleneck and evolve into Aggron!
Winona also set aside her smile and entered a focused battle state.
"Go ahead, Steven!"
Winona was offering him the first move. After all, not everyone rushed for the opening attack like a certain elderly Gym Leader.
Steven naturally wouldn't be polite about accepting.
"Rock Tomb!"
Lairon stomped its front foot, and several rocks rose up before flying toward the airborne Swellow.
"Quick Attack to dodge!"
Swellow's figure blurred as it flexibly evaded the Rock Tomb.
Steven glanced down at his Lairon, feeling somewhat concerned.
Lairon could only remain on the ground while Swellow soared through the air.
To give commands effectively, he'd have to speak louder, or Lairon might not hear him properly.
"Rock Slide!"
The rocks that Swellow had avoided earlier suddenly floated back into the air!
"Facade!"
Steven was caught off guard when he spotted a purple orb hanging from the diving Swellow's neck.
A Toxic Orb!
The Toxic Orb had been hidden within Swellow's chest feathers, and only the diving motion revealed its presence.
This meant it was a Guts-boosted Facade Swellow.
However, Normal-type moves were quadruple resisted by Lairon, and combined with Lairon's high physical defense, they wouldn't inflict much damage.
Whether Normal-type or Flying-type moves, hitting Lairon resulted in quadruple resistance.
Even if this Swellow knew Heat Wave, it would only deal normal damage to Lairon—nothing to worry about.
Bang!
Swellow's body collided with Lairon. Although Swellow had the strength advantage, it ultimately couldn't create an overwhelming force.
The attack didn't cause significant damage to Lairon.
But at that moment, the rocks overhead began falling!
Rock Slide!
Swellow desperately dodged through the air. Lairon possessed double resistance to Rock-type moves, and it was currently gritting its teeth to withstand its own Rock Slide.
Swellow was accidentally struck by Rock Slide and fell heavily to the ground.
"Perfect opportunity! Rock Tomb!"
Lairon observed Swellow lying on the battlefield, understanding exactly what to do!
With a fierce stomp, several rocks rose from the ground, trapping Swellow within them!
"Screech!" Swellow couldn't move and let out a pained wail.
"Rock Slide!"
Had Lairon been constantly stomping, or was it waiting to stomp?
Once again, several rocks rose up, leaving the battlefield increasingly scarred.
Rumble—
The rocks fell, though only two or three actually struck Swellow.
The rocks that had initially trapped Swellow shattered as well!
Rock Slide kicked up a massive cloud of dust!
When the dust finally cleared, under the bombardment of Rock-type moves and the continuous damage from the Toxic Orb's poison, Swellow had lost its ability to battle.
Lairon, however, remained in excellent condition.
Steven began to wonder if Metagross would even need to appear in this battle.
"Come back, Swellow. You did well," Winona recalled Swellow to its Poke Ball, speaking to it with an apologetic tone.
The Normal and Flying-type Swellow truly stood no chance against Lairon.
It simply didn't have any moves in its arsenal that could effectively target Lairon's weaknesses.
"Now it's your turn, Pelipper!"
"Peli!"
Pelipper with its large yellow beak appeared on the battlefield, and a surge of energy rose from its body, ascending directly into the sky.
Within moments, raindrops began falling from above.
The Drizzle ability!
Facing these airborne Pokemon, the only move Lairon could reliably use was Rock Slide.
If it could engage in close combat, other moves would become available.
"Rock Slide!"
In this battle, Lairon seemed destined to simply keep stomping its feet.
"Surf!"
Pelipper's physical defense was quite respectable, so enduring one Rock Slide wouldn't be an issue.
However, if Lairon took even one Surf attack, that would be a serious problem.
Rocks ascended into the air.
Water began gathering around Pelipper.
Pelipper flapped its wings, and water poured from its body like a pump, releasing massive amounts of water!
The water gradually formed into a giant wave that rushed toward Lairon!
Steven frowned slightly.
After this battle concluded, he'd need to obtain a Sandstorm TM for Lairon.
It wasn't the World Championship anyway, so having a few weather-setting moves didn't matter. At worst, he could manually establish favorable weather conditions!
He'd acquire a proper weather-setter Pokemon later.
Under Sandstorm's influence, the special defense of certain Pokemon would increase to some extent.
This could be understood as using Sandstorm to absorb some incoming damage.
Rock Slide smashed into Pelipper, throwing it off balance.
The fierce wave crashed into Lairon, nearly overwhelming it completely.
"No way?!" Winona on the elevator platform leaned against the railing in disbelief, staring down at Lairon on the ground below.
Lairon actually withstood a rain-boosted Surf?!
"Wait, you actually gave it a Focus Sash?" Steven was surprised, though a smile crossed his lips.
From the very beginning when he'd first met Aron, this Pokemon had kept standing back up through sheer willpower, all for the promise of a Mega Stone.
Steven had also told it before the battle that as long as it performed well, rewards would definitely follow.
The Surf used by Pelipper—the team's special attacker—in the rain shouldn't have been something that Lairon, which hadn't yet broken through to Oveerlord tier, could withstand.
However, this Lairon was no ordinary Lairon!
"Kuo~!"
Lairon roared, staring intently at the Pelipper that had been knocked down by Rock Slide and was readjusting its flight path.
At the very least, I have to take you down with me!
Otherwise, what kind of outstanding performance would it be to merely defeat a favorable matchup like Swellow?
Crack—
Something seemed to shatter within Lairon.
White light completely enveloped Lairon's body, and its form gradually changed beneath the brilliant glow.
From four legs to two legs.
"I knew you'd keep getting back up for those minerals," Steven said, his prediction proving correct.
Lairon, fighting for the promise of minerals, could break through that barrier as long as its fighting spirit was ignited.
Moreover, this Pokemon had been continuously consuming minerals for quite some time, and its internal energy had accumulated sufficiently.
The white light dissipated, revealing Lairon's true form after evolution!
The evolved Aggron was a large, imposing Pokemon completely encased in hard armor.
Its head was covered in silver armor, with the topmost plate extending outward into a sharp horn protruding from its forehead. There were two pairs of holes on its forehead, with two long, sharp horns extending from the front pair.
Its eyes were sky blue, and there were two nostrils at the tip of its upper jaw, with several sharp, tooth-like protrusions around its mouth.
Its nape and spine were covered in silver armor with protruding shoulder plates, and its limbs were also encased in silver steel rings. It had a thick, long black tail extending from its back.
"Kaaaaoh!" Aggron roared toward the sky.
I can eat even more minerals now!
Steven leaned his arm on the railing, finding the situation somewhat amusing.
"Why does its cry after evolving sound almost like an insult?"
"However..."
"Aggron! Use Rock Slide!"
The battle wasn't over yet.