Bang!
Shelgon kept rubbing against Gary's leg.
Although the scene looked heartwarming, Gary's calf was genuinely sore.
Shelgon's shell was rock-hard, and being nudged by it definitely wasn't pleasant.
"This will help you evolve," Gary muttered, holding Shelgon still as he used seven Intermediate Rare Candies to boost its level to 50.
[LV50 Shelgon / Elite]
As soon as Shelgon hit level 50, its body responded. Cells surged with energy, and it glowed brilliantly with the light of evolution.
Its body began to grow rapidly. The tough shell on its back cracked open and fell away, revealing a pair of large, blood-red Dual Wingbeats. A powerful tail emerged from behind, and its whole form grew more massive and majestic.
Gary glanced at the discarded shell on the ground—Shelgon's former carapace.
It was incredibly durable and rare, often used to forge specialized modern equipment. Because Salamence was already a rare species, Shelgon's evolutionary shell was even rarer, only shedding during evolution. The material could fetch a high price in the market.
"Rooaaar!"
A deep, throaty roar echoed through the space as the white glow faded—Shelgon was no more.
In its place stood Salamence, powerful and proud.
"Rooaaar!!"
Excited by its new form, Salamence flexed its wings and tail, clearly reveling in the transformation. It seemed especially proud of its crimson Dual Wingbeats.
"We'll fly indoors for now—then I'll let you stretch your wings outside," Gary said with a small grin.
"Raar!"
Salamence nodded and immediately soared into the air, nearly brushing the ceiling. It had longed for this day for so long, and now that dream had finally come true.
While Salamence glided around with pride, Gary pulled out his Pokégear and scanned Salamence to assess its current stats.
[Pokémon: Salamence]
[Type: Dragon / Flying]
[Level: 50]
[Potential: Elite]
[Ability: Intimidate – Lowers the opposing Pokémon's Attack stat upon entry.]
[Moves: Leer, Ember, Headbutt, Scary Face, Protect, Crunch, Dragon Claw, Zen Headbutt, Fly, Flamethrower]
[Taught Moves: Shadow Claw, Body Slam, Rest, Rock Slide, Dragon Pulse, Fire Blast, Outrage]
[Friendship: 255 (Max)]
The evolution was clearly a success. Salamence had gained both Fly and Flamethrower, and was clearly bursting with newfound power.
However, Gary knew that Salamence still needed time to adapt. The transition from a slow, grounded Shelgon to a high-flying Salamence was drastic—especially since Shelgon hadn't battled much, having mostly conserved energy until evolution. It hadn't fought in ages.
With only half a month left before the Ever Grande Conference, Gary knew he had to accelerate Salamence's training. At least a week of focused training would be necessary to synchronize with its evolved body.
Gary didn't stop there. He used the rest of his Intermediate Rare Candies to level up the rest of his team—except for Breloom.
Breloom remained untouched for a reason: it only had Gym-level potential, meaning its level cap was 49. It simply couldn't go any higher.
But Gary wasn't worried.
After the Ever Grande Conference, he'd leave Breloom at Professor Oak's lab. With time and effort, it would naturally grow those last few levels.
And in the meantime, level 45 Breloom was still good enough to participate—and shine—in the tournament. Breloom's strength wasn't in raw stats, but in its disruptive abilities. Gary was confident it would perform well.
With the team's levels boosted, it was time to enhance some Abilities.
Gary had already upgraded the Abilities of Slaking and Gardevoir earlier. Now, only Salamence and Aggron remained worthy of enhancement.
He was especially curious about how enhancing Salamence's Intimidate might affect its impact in battle. But first, he turned to Aggron.
Aggron's base Ability was Heavy Metal, which doubled its weight.
Gary wasn't sure what would happen when it was upgraded, but he doubted the result would be just more weight—it had to bring something new.
"Weight gain without size increase means higher density... and that could translate to increased durability," Gary theorized.
He approached Aggron and used an Ability Enhancement Stone.
Ding! Ability Enhancement Successful.
[Pokémon: Aggron]
[Type: Steel / Rock]
[Level: 53]
[Potential: Elite]
[Ability: EX Heavy Metal – Weight is quadrupled. Damage from all moves is reduced by 25%. Speed is halved.]
[Moves: Tackle, Dig, Harden, Metal Claw, Rock Tomb, Protect, Iron Head, Rock Slide, Metal Sound, Take Down, Autotomize, Heavy Slam]
[Taught Moves: Rock Slide, Hyper Beam, Stone Edge, Rest, Shadow Claw, Body Slam, Iron Tail, Dragon Pulse, Thunderbolt, Dynamic Punch, Mega Kick, Fire Blast, Power-Up Punch, Thunder Punch]
[Friendship: 255 (Max)]
"Whoa… it even has a filtering effect," Gary murmured in surprise.
This was incredible.
Unlike the Filter Ability, which only reduced damage from super-effective moves, EX Heavy Metal cut damage from any move—making Aggron an even more reliable tank.
The trade-off was significant: speed halved.
But Gary wasn't too concerned. Aggron wasn't fast to begin with, and its special defense was already its major weak point. Still, if it had a slightly more balanced stat distribution—maybe transferring some physical defense to special—it would've been nearly unstoppable.
But even now, it was close to being the perfect shield.
The only threats it couldn't completely negate were Fighting- and Ground-type moves.
"Arrgoaa!"
Aggron roared, its feet sinking deeper into the floor with its increased weight. Its movements were sluggish, more taxing.
"Too heavy?" Gary asked.
"Arrgo…" Aggron nodded, confirming the extra effort needed to move now.
That kind of resistance was intense. Aggron's armor was denser, but its stamina would drain faster during longer battles.
Still, Gary had a solution.
"Aggron, use Autotomize!"
"Graaa!"
Aggron roared as it activated the move. Its weight began to lighten. After one use, it returned to a manageable load. A second use made it significantly faster.
"Nice!"
This would work. With EX Heavy Metal to tank damage and Autotomize to regain mobility, Aggron had become a powerful wall with burst potential. With its armor, it could afford to take a few hits before retaliating.
"Salamence, your turn!" Gary called out.
"Rooaaar!!"
Salamence reluctantly descended from the air, landing in front of Gary with visible impatience. It pawed at the floor and grunted, eager to return to flying.