He recalled Metagross and took out his second Poké Ball.
"Go, Aggron!"
Watching Steven stand up again, Ariel "strugglingly" raised his head and waved at Mega Gyarados, appearing as if he could no longer maintain the form.
As the light faded, Mega Gyarados reverted from its Mega Evolution back into a normal Gyarados. Although its energy was also somewhat wilted, its condition was clearly much better than Metagross's.
This series of actions by Ariel completely confirmed Steven's suspicions.
He didn't lose unjustly, but he lost feeling stifled.
Ariel's performance was naturally not to save face for his friend Steven.
Worldly considerations are worthless on the battlefield.
He was sending a false message to his next opponent, the man standing at the peak—my limit is only twenty minutes.
In the future peak showdown, this insignificant information gap might just become the key weight to tip the scales of victory.
Steven was already destined to lose.
He only had one Aggron in good condition and one Armaldo left.
On Ariel's side, his ace Krookodile hadn't even appeared yet, and he still had a Weavile and a Greninja in his backpack, as well as... a Gyarados that could still fight.
The gap was too large.
But in Steven's eyes, there was not a hint of giving up.
Looking at the armor-clad Aggron before him, brimming with fighting spirit, he smiled calmly.
He had his own pride!
Even knowing he would certainly lose, he had to give it his all and burn out his last ounce of strength!
"Aggron, roar it out!"
"Roar!!!"
The deafening roar echoed through the sky. Like a ferocious beast released from a cage, Aggron charged fiercely toward Ariel's Gyarados with unstoppable momentum!
The battle was not over yet!
Facing the aggressive Aggron, Gyarados, having just gone through a major battle, ultimately lacked the strength.
After a fierce exchange, Gyarados was struck hard by a powerful Double-Edge and fell to the field.
But it also succeeded in leaving deep, bone-visible wounds on Aggron's hard armor.
"Come back, you've done enough."
Ariel recalled Gyarados, his eyes calm.
Then, he took out his next Poké Ball.
A red flash.
A desert overlord with an unruly expression appeared on the field.
Krookodile!
The moment Krookodile appeared, the atmosphere of the entire arena changed.
It just stood there quietly, and an invisible pressure permeated the air, causing the Aggron opposite it to subconsciously take half a step back.
Steven's expression became unprecedentedly grave.
It's here, Ariel's ace!
"Aggron, Iron Tail!"
Steven commanded first; he knew he couldn't give the opponent any chance.
Aggron roared, its thick tail glowing with a dazzling metallic luster, sweeping toward Krookodile with the force of ten thousand tons!
However, Ariel's command was faster and simpler.
"Earthquake."
Krookodile slammed its claws into the ground!
"Boom!"
The entire battlefield shook violently, and terrifying cracks spread wildly around Krookodile!
Four times effective!
The terrifying Ground-type energy erupted instantly, slamming into Aggron and causing it to let out a painful cry, but the momentum of Iron Tail did not diminish in the slightest!
Aggron endured the pain and rushed close to Krookodile, its thick tail lashing out violently!
Now!
Krookodile took the Iron Tail attack head-on, stumbling from the impact, but its eyes didn't flicker at all.
Ariel's cold voice sounded again.
"Counter."
In an instant, an even more violent energy gathered on Krookodile's body; it was the damage it had just taken, now being fully returned!
A red light, moving faster than Iron Tail, slammed onto Aggron's chest!
"Bang!"
The Fighting-type Counter, another four times effective hit!
Two four-times effective moves hit with almost no interval, causing devastating damage.
Aggron's proud, hard armor shattered into pieces at this moment, as if it were made of paper.
Its massive body was blasted away by the immense force, tracing a parabola in the air before crashing heavily to the ground, completely losing the ability to battle.
One-hit knockout!
A clean and decisive one-hit knockout!
A black-red aura rose from Krookodile's body; this was the effect of its ability "Moxie" triggering, increasing its attack power by one stage!
The entire arena was silent.
Everyone was stunned by Krookodile's overwhelming strength.
Too strong!
Steven silently recalled Aggron and took out his last Pokémon.
Armaldo.
He looked at the increasingly ferocious Krookodile on the field, then at the last Poké Ball in his hand, and ultimately chose to release it.
The outcome of the battle was already set.
But this was out of respect for himself, and for his opponent, Ariel.
The final battle had no real suspense.
After stacking one layer of attack from "Moxie," Krookodile held a massive advantage.
After some maneuvering, Armaldo was also taken out directly by a terrifyingly powerful Crunch from Krookodile.
"Armaldo is unable to battle! Since all of contestant Steven's Pokémon are unable to battle, the winner of this match is—"
The referee raised his flag high, pointing in the direction of Ariel.
"Contestant Ariel!"
After a brief silence, the entire stadium erupted into earth-shattering cheers!
In a few corners of the audience, disproportionately huge cheers erupted.
The gamblers who had bet on Ariel's victory had ecstasy almost overflowing from their faces; their eyes, looking at the figure on the field, were as if they were looking at a walking mountain of gold.
Twenty-two times the odds!
As long as Ariel could take the final Champion title, their lives would be completely turned around!
Ariel was long accustomed to this kind of naked gaze, mixed with greed and worship.
He just calmly recalled Krookodile; the Poké Ball was slightly warm in his palm, a remnant of the battle's heat.
The clamor inside the venue was receding like a tide, leaving only hollow echoes and scattered discussions.
Steven walked over; this genius Trainer still carried the scent of battle smoke on him.
His shoulders were slightly slumped, and that pride belonging to a top-tier Trainer seemed to have had some of its sharp edges smoothed away at this moment.
But the unwillingness in his eyes was like a flame that could never be stomped out.
"You guy..."
Steven's voice was a bit hoarse. He wrapped his arm around Ariel's shoulder; his arm was heavy, as if passing on something invisible.
"Don't you dare lose in the finals!"
***************************
Enjoying the story? Don't forget to drop a review, leave a comment, and smash that like button! Every Power Stone helps push the story further—thanks for reading and supporting! 🚀