Why is Ogerpon considered a stat monster (beatstick)?
The answer is simple:
Ask my Ivy Cudgel!
It looked like that last Ivy Cudgel hit pretty hard, and it seemed Ogerpon had aimed for the weak spot, hitting Great Tusk' relatively soft abdomen directly. This left Great Tusk dazed and confused from the blow.
Its massive body flew backward several meters before finally stopping its momentum, leaving a thick and long trail in the sand.
If the Boss Pokémon hadn't been so large with significantly boosted stamina and resilience, that single full-power strike from Ogerpon might have knocked it out instantly.
Even relying on the powerful energy granted by the secret seasoning, the Boss Pokémon struggled for a while before finally managing to crawl back up.
Seeing this, Steven couldn't help but widen his eyes.
"Be careful, Ogerpon's attack has thoroughly enraged it!"
Even wild Pokémon living in modern times, who are mostly adapted to human society, still retain some primal instincts.
When attacked by humans or other Pokémon, they instinctively retaliate as an act of revenge.
Not to mention this Great Tusk, which survived the great Paradox Pokémon battles in Area Zero.
If the previous attacks were merely warnings and tests aimed at driving away the two uninvited guests who accidentally entered its territory...
Then after suffering serious injuries, Great Tusk, now completely red-eyed, would be driven by its survival instincts and wouldn't stop until its opponents fell.
"Roar—!"
After letting out a powerful roar, Great Tusk slowly raised its foot and then stomped heavily on the ground!
Clearly, it was using Earthquake, an AOE Ground-type move!
In wild battles, this was a very troublesome move.
Because Earthquake indiscriminately struck all creatures on the ground, and wild Pokémon didn't care whether the Trainer could withstand it.
However...
"Teacher Azure, grab my hand!"
Steven quickly reacted, and his Metagross also immediately thought to protect its Trainer by maintaining a hovering state through magnetic force, coming to Steven's side.
Just before the seismic waves started impacting, Steven made an elegant little jump and landed successfully on top of Metagross, extending his hand towards Aiden.
Seeing this, Aiden hesitated not a moment to replicate Steven's stylish move, adding an extra action of retrieving a Poké Ball.
A beam of red light shot out, and Ogerpon standing on the ground quickly disappeared.
Theoretically, Metagross should be weak to Ground-type moves, but in actual combat, many Pokémon can briefly levitate. For example, Steven's Metagross could forcibly take off using magnetic force.
Therefore, Earthquake's damage to them was actually quite limited.
Great Tusk soon noticed its move was completely ignored by the opponent, so it quickly changed tactics.
As the aftershocks of Earthquake gradually subsided, Great Tusk slammed its big head into the ground. As its tusks pulled out from the ground, several huge rocks were ejected.
"Metagross, use Meteor Mash to smash them!"
Seeing the effects of Earthquake dissipate, Steven and Aiden decisively jumped back to the ground, allowing Metagross to focus on dealing with the rocks being hurled at them.
"Metagross!"
Metagross' steel arms were extremely hard, easily neutralizing Great Tusk' attacks.
While Great Tusk paused its actions, seemingly continuing to observe the situation, Steven suddenly smiled faintly and stepped forward two steps.
"Since Teacher Azure has already shown his prowess, let me handle the battle from here~"
"Metagross, show your strongest side!"
As he spoke, Steven slowly raised his right hand, revealing a black finger guard on his fingers.
Aiden's attention was drawn to his movements.
Upon noticing the two spherical gems embedded on the finger guards of Steven's index and ring fingers, Aiden immediately understood his intentions.
Goodness, no wonder he's the eldest son of Devon Corporation; even something as common as Mega Stones, he has two, each corresponding to his two main Pokémon that can undergo another evolution stage...
But, so Steven already mastered Mega Evolution at this point?
The Pokémon world could also be considered a parallel universe, and currently, at least two worlds with completely different paths are known.
The key difference between these two worlds lies in whether mega-evolution exists in the Hoenn region.
Of course, in reality, this difference results from plot discrepancies between the original game and remakes, which could also be seen as retconning...
Since Steven has mastered Mega Evolution, it indicates that there's a high probability we're in the Energy Universe.
That means—
The already disaster-prone Hoenn region, due to two villainous organizations, might suffer again from the Primal Reversion of the Hoenn duo…
Hope everyone stays safe.
However, although Champion Steven often goes missing, he's very reliable in critical moments.
Steven + Wallace, this champion duo only plays key matches; how they turn the tide doesn't need asking!
Aiden silently grumbled in his mind while calmly waiting for Steven to start his performance.
However...
Just as Steven's Keystone on his index finger began to glow, preparing for his handsome transformation, a metallic sound from nearby quickly interrupted his actions.
Steven and Aiden instinctively looked towards the source of the sound.
Then, they both froze.
Another giant beast, similar in size to their opponent Great Tusk but seemingly entirely composed of metal, was rapidly charging towards them.
"That is..."
Steven instinctively raised an eyebrow and looked at Aiden.
If he had heard a bit about Great Tusk earlier, then this iron lump was completely unknown to him, and he had no idea about its information.
But it didn't matter!
Although he didn't know, based on the battle performance just now, Aiden should be very familiar with these Pokémon!
So, just wait for his explanation.
"Iron Treads???"
Upon seeing this metal behemoth, Aiden quickly furrowed his brows.
Iron Treads, corresponding to Great Tusk, similarly resembling Donphan somewhat, but seemingly an individual from the future.
More than a living creature, this Pokémon resembled a mechanical creation...
According to Heath's records, Paradox Pokémon were divided into two branches: the ancient species represented by "Winged King" Koraidon and the future species represented by "Iron Serpent" Miraidon.
The ancient species corresponded to the savagery of primal Pokémon, while the future species foreshadowed the coldness of life.
But one thing was certain: both types were extremely dangerous.
Aiden never expected that the small Asado Desert would hide two Paradox species simultaneously...
False intelligence!
President Geeta, you said only one escaped, how could you deceive your own people!
One Great Tusk was already so tough, what would two be like?
However, just as Aiden intended to command and intercept Iron Treads, he suddenly remembered something, and his hand preparing to lift quickly dropped.
"Wait a moment, the situation seems different from what we imagined."
Hearing Aiden's words, Steven instinctively frowned but quickly relaxed.
If Teacher Azure said so, there must be a reason.
Although the metal behemoth called "Iron Treads" was fierce, Steven still had the confidence to easily defeat two opponents alone.
Moreover, with such a reliable teammate as Teacher Azure, they could indeed observe first.
Thinking this, Steven continued to stay alert while observing Iron Treads' actions along with Aiden.
"Roar—!"
Iron Treads, rolling like Great Tusk, quickly approached a very ambiguous distance, causing Aiden's heart to leap to his throat. His right hand quietly gripped the Poké Ball he had just retrieved Ogerpon into.
If it came any closer, for safety reasons, he would have to make the first move.
However, Aiden's guess seemed correct—
This Iron Treads seemed to bear no hostility towards them; its target from the beginning was Great Tusk, who was battling them.
"Roar—!"
Upon hearing Iron Treads' distinct metallic voice, Great Tusk, whose eyes were previously red and radiating killing intent, instantly broke down, its eyes becoming clear and even showing fear.
Its once powerful legs suddenly went limp, making it difficult to stand steadily, and it could only step backward, instinctively avoiding the approaching Iron Treads.
Seeing this, Aiden's lips twitched, and his tense body immediately relaxed.
"I knew it!"
"I never expected them to have such an absurd relationship..."
After saying this, Aiden sighed deeply.
Steven beside him was still completely baffled, so he proactively asked:
"Teacher Azure, did you figure something out?"
"Hmm... let me think about how to explain it to you."
Aiden slightly frowned, thinking for two or three seconds before slowly speaking:
"You know, many fossil Pokémon and Steel-type Pokémon don't have genders."
"But love, well, sometimes it seems like just meeting the right eyes is enough."
"..."
After Aiden's hint, Steven covered his face with his hands.
He got it!
Actually, since discovering Iron Treads, Aiden had been a bit puzzled—
Generally, ancient and future species were absolute enemies, and whenever they met, they would fight to the death.
However, more than half a year had passed since Area Zero was sealed, and no one knew that two Paradox Pokémon had actually escaped at that time.
And in such a small Asado Desert, these two couldn't possibly have gone half a year without meeting, right?
Isn't that too much of a coincidence?
So, although the truth was a bit absurd, it seemed there was no other explanation...
Watching Iron Treads slowly approach Great Tusk and Great Tusk' obviously guilty expression, Aiden mimicked Steven's gesture, covering his face with a complex expression.
What is this?
The forbidden… love between Paradox species?
He couldn't fully understand, but currently, it seemed there was no other explanation.
No wonder it's the Pokémon world; anything can happen!
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