After a while, the Gala began winding down.
Guests departed in groups. Luxury cars rolled through the estate gates. Conversations faded into the cool night air.
Most of the mansion lights still shone brightly.
But the celebration itself was over.
Meanwhile, in one of the Harmonia Estate gardens...
Steven stood beneath the lantern-lit trees, hands in his pockets.
Across from him stood Ethan.
The rest of the group had naturally gathered nearby.
Whitney already had a bad feeling.
Steven smiled.
"You really want to challenge me to a battle?"
Ethan nodded.
"Yep."
Steven chuckled.
"Very well."
He reached for a Poké Ball.
"My one Pokémon against your entire team."
Ethan raised an eyebrow.
"Cocky much?"
Steven shook his head.
"No."
The Poké Ball expanded in his hand.
"Just experienced."
Click.
"I've already finished my journey."
The ball opened.
A flash of white light erupted into the garden.
BOOM.
Aggron landed with enough force to shake the ground beneath everyone's feet.
Its steel armor gleamed beneath the mansion lights.
Its crimson eyes calmly surveyed the battlefield.
Completely relaxed.
Completely confident.
Whitney immediately pointed.
"THAT'S NOT FAIR."
Steven smiled.
"Life rarely is."
Bugsy stared.
Then stared harder.
Then stared even harder.
"...Are we sure that's one Pokémon?"
"It is."
"It looks like a boss battle."
"Also true."
Falkner folded his arms.
"How strong is it?"
Steven considered the question.
Then answered honestly.
"It was my first partner."
Silence.
Everyone immediately understood.
That wasn't an answer.
That was a warning.
Nearby, Akagi nearly laughed.
Steven hadn't said Aggron's level.
Its battle record.
Its achievements.
Just one fact.
First partner.
Which meant it had traveled with him through his entire journey.
Every Gym.
Every League challenge.
Every victory.
Every defeat.
Meanwhile Ethan released his own team.
One after another.
Marshtomp.
Flaaffy.
Noivern.
Gengar.
Rocky.
Sentret.
The six Pokémon gathered in front of him.
Aggron looked at them.
Then slowly sat down.
Whitney pointed again.
"IT SAT DOWN."
Steven nodded.
"Yes."
"WHY IS IT SITTING DOWN?"
"Because it's comfortable."
Ethan narrowed his eyes.
"That's not your strongest Pokémon."
Steven casually tossed his Poké Ball upward before catching it again.
"No."
"Then why use it?"
A small smile appeared on Steven's face.
"Because I'm going easy on you."
The entire group froze.
Even Aggron looked mildly amused.
Ethan stared.
Steven stared back.
Neither blinked.
Then Ethan smiled.
"Oh."
Steven's smile widened.
"Oh?"
Ethan rolled his shoulders.
"Good."
The air suddenly felt different.
Competitive.
Sharp.
Dangerously familiar.
Akagi immediately sighed.
"Yep."
Kitsu nodded.
"They're related."
"They're not related."
"They're acting related."
Erika covered her mouth to hide a smile.
Sabrina adjusted her glasses.
"The probability of this battle ending peacefully has decreased significantly."
Whitney looked at Ethan.
Then at Steven.
Then at Ethan again.
"...Why do both of them look excited?"
Falkner answered immediately.
"Because they're idiots."
"I heard that."
"Good."
Steven stepped onto the battlefield.
Aggron rose to its full height.
The steel giant towered over Ethan's team.
Moonlight reflected across its armor.
Steven's eyes sharpened slightly.
"Show me something."
Ethan's red eyes met his.
A grin slowly formed on his face.
"Gladly."
For the first time all night—
the real battle began.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the estate...
Lysandre stood beside one of the mansion's balconies overlooking the gardens.
Far below, lights illuminated the battlefield where Ethan and Steven had begun their match.
Lusamine stood beside him.
"You wanted to see this?" Lysandre asked.
"Yes."
Lysandre followed her gaze.
The young Harmonia heir stood across from Steven Stone.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Back at the battlefield...
The moment Steven signaled the start—
Ethan moved.
No hesitation.
No dramatic speech.
Just commands.
"Flaaffy!"
Electricity crackled instantly.
"Electro Web! Wide area!"
"Flaaaaa!"
A massive net of electricity exploded outward across the battlefield.
Not aimed at Aggron.
Aimed at the terrain.
Steven's eyebrow rose slightly.
"Oh?"
"Rocky!"
The Onix immediately understood.
"Stone Edge!"
Jagged rocks erupted from the ground.
Not directly beneath Aggron.
Everywhere.
Creating obstacles.
Creating angles.
Creating cover.
Creating problems.
Ethan's eyes never left the battlefield.
"Vesna!"
Noivern launched skyward.
"Supersonic! Wide area!"
Invisible waves spread across the field.
Not targeted.
Blanketing.
Forcing Aggron to constantly process multiple threats.
"Marshtomp!"
"Water Gun!"
Water erupted across the battlefield.
Not at Aggron.
Across the stone.
Across the dirt.
Across the terrain.
Creating mud.
Creating slippery footing.
Creating unfavorable conditions for a heavy Steel-type.
Whitney blinked.
"...He's not attacking."
Falkner immediately understood.
"He's setting up a battlefield."
Steven smiled.
Now this was interesting.
"Gengar!"
The ghost floated upward.
"Shadow Ball. Low power. Wide area."
Dark spheres began flying throughout the battlefield.
Not strong enough to deal damage.
Just enough to obstruct vision.
Just enough to create uncertainty.
Just enough to become annoying.
Within seconds—
The battlefield transformed.
Electric webs.
Stone formations.
Mud.
Shadow projectiles.
Supersonic waves.
Chaos.
Controlled chaos.
Aggron stood in the center.
Surrounded.
Steven looked around.
Then laughed.
A genuine laugh.
"Hahaha!"
Aggron glanced at him.
Its trainer seemed pleased.
Very pleased.
Steven looked at Ethan.
"You're not trying to beat Aggron."
Ethan nodded.
"Correct."
That answer surprised several spectators.
Steven's smile widened.
"You're trying to beat me."
Ethan pointed at him.
"Exactly."
Sabrina adjusted her glasses.
"He identified the correct target."
Bugsy blinked.
"...The trainer?"
"His decision-making."
Sabrina nodded.
"Steven has vastly superior individual Pokémon."
"So Ethan is attacking information."
Falkner stared.
"That's actually terrifying."
Meanwhile—
Lysandre watched from afar.
His blue eyes narrowed slightly.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Most children challenged strength.
The Harmonia boy challenged systems.
He wasn't asking:
How do I beat Aggron?
He was asking:
How do I make Steven's advantages worth less?
Lysandre found himself smiling.
For the first time that evening—
He understood why Shinku valued his son so highly.
And beside him—
Lusamine smiled too.
Because unlike everyone else—
She had already seen Ethan do this before.
The moment things looked impossible—
He stopped trying to win normally.
And started changing the rules of the game.
Steven looked around the battlefield.
The broken stone formations.
The scattered electrical webs.
The muddy terrain.
The lingering Shadow Balls.
The carefully constructed battlefield.
Then he smiled.
"Your plan is excellent."
Everyone blinked.
Whitney immediately pointed.
"THAT'S NOT WHAT PEOPLE SAY BEFORE DESTROYING SOMEONE."
Steven ignored her.
Ethan groaned.
Because he knew that tone.
That was the tone experienced trainers used right before teaching painful lessons.
Steven continued.
"Against most trainers..."
He glanced across the battlefield.
"This would work."
Falkner frowned.
"What do you mean?"
Steven pointed toward Ethan.
"He's not fighting Aggron."
Then pointed at himself.
"He's fighting me."
Understanding slowly spread across the spectators.
Steven nodded approvingly.
"Field control."
"Information denial."
"Mobility restriction."
"Pressure layering."
He looked genuinely impressed.
"Very advanced for someone who only started his journey recently."
Ethan sighed.
"There's a 'but' coming."
"There is."
Steven's smile widened.
"A very large but."
Several people immediately started laughing.
Whitney nearly fell over.
Bugsy looked confused.
Sabrina pinched the bridge of her nose.
Steven continued as though nothing had happened.
"The problem is..."
His gaze drifted toward Akagi.
"...I've seen this before."
The atmosphere shifted.
Akagi froze slightly.
Steven raised a finger.
"Years ago."
"Someone turned an entire battlefield into a trap."
His smile became nostalgic.
"And then proceeded to embarrass me."
Akagi coughed.
Steven pointed directly at her.
"It was her."
Everyone turned toward Akagi.
Akagi immediately looked away.
"I have no comment."
"You absolutely do."
"No comment."
Steven laughed.
Then his expression sharpened.
"After that loss..."
He looked toward Aggron.
"I learned something."
Aggron lowered its stance.
The steel giant's muscles tightened.
"Never fight the battlefield."
A pause.
"Destroy it."
"Aggron."
The giant Pokémon roared.
"EARTHQUAKE."
BOOOOOOM.
Aggron slammed both arms into the ground.
The entire garden shook.
Not a normal Earthquake.
Controlled.
Precise.
Intentional.
The ground split apart.
Cracks spread across the battlefield.
Stone formations shattered.
Electro Web anchors snapped apart.
Mud channels collapsed.
Shadow Ball trajectories became meaningless.
Everything Ethan had built—
Broke.
Aggron wasn't simply attacking.
It was redesigning the battlefield.
"Depth Control."
The cracks deepened.
"Dirt Manipulation."
Chunks of earth rose and shifted.
"Terrain Alteration."
The battlefield became something entirely different.
Within seconds—
Ethan's setup was gone.
Complete destruction.
Silence filled the garden.
Whitney stared.
Bugsy stared.
Lyra stared.
Even Falkner looked impressed.
Steven calmly adjusted his sleeves.
"Against anyone else..."
He looked at Ethan.
"It would've worked."
Then he smiled.
"But I already lost to that strategy once."
His eyes flickered toward Akagi.
"And I don't lose the same way twice."
Ethan stared at the ruined battlefield.
Then slowly smiled.
Steven blinked.
"...Why are you smiling?"
Ethan pointed at him.
"Because now I know how you think."
That made Steven pause.
For the first time—
Both trainers looked interested.
Because neither one had actually attacked yet.
The real battle had only just begun.
Ethan gritted his teeth.
"Everyone attack!"
Six Pokémon moved at once.
Marshtomp fired a concentrated Water Gun.
Flaaffy's electricity surged forward.
Noibat dove from above, Supersonic screeching through the air.
Gengar launched multiple Shadow Balls.
Rocky crashed forward, Stone Edge erupting around him.
Sentret vanished into a Quick Attack.
For a brief moment—
the battlefield became a storm.
Steven watched it calmly.
"Aggron."
The steel giant didn't move.
"Protect."
A green barrier erupted around Aggron.
BOOM.
Water crashed against it.
CRACK.
Stone Edge shattered against it.
Shadow Balls exploded.
Electricity sparked.
Supersonic waves distorted the air.
Sentret slammed into the barrier and bounced away.
When the dust settled—
Aggron hadn't moved an inch.
The barrier faded.
Not a scratch.
Whitney stared.
"...That's cheating."
Steven smiled.
"It's called experience."
Then his expression sharpened.
"Aggron."
The steel giant lowered its stance.
The ground cracked beneath its feet.
"Maximum output."
Several spectators immediately stiffened.
Even Kurt narrowed his eyes.
Steven pointed forward.
"Iron Head."
Aggron vanished.
For something that size—
it should have been impossible.
One moment it stood still.
The next—
it was a steel missile.
BOOOOOOM.
The impact struck Rocky first.
The massive Onix was launched sideways.
Not pushed.
Not staggered.
Launched.
The giant rock serpent crashed through three decorative hedges before finally stopping.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Bugsy's jaw dropped.
Falkner blinked twice.
Lyra looked personally offended.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT MOVES THAT FAST?"
Steven looked genuinely confused.
"It's an Aggron."
"THAT DOESN'T ANSWER ANYTHING!"
Rocky groaned from the crater he'd just created.
Not fainted.
But definitely feeling it.
Ethan's eyes widened slightly.
Not because Rocky got hit.
Because of how.
'No wasted motion.'
'No hesitation.'
'No opening.'
That wasn't just power.
That was mastery.
Steven glanced toward him.
"You see it now."
Ethan slowly nodded.
"Yeah."
The older trainer smiled.
"Good."
Most people saw Aggron and thought strength.
Most people saw size.
Weight.
Armor.
Power.
But Steven had spent years training this Pokémon.
The real threat wasn't Aggron's body.
It was the precision behind it.
Every movement.
Every attack.
Every decision.
Perfectly refined.
And for the first time since the battle began—
Ethan understood the gap between them.
Not talent.
Not intelligence.
Not potential.
Experience.
Years and years of it.
Steven folded his arms.
"Now then."
Aggron calmly returned to his side.
"Show me what you do when Plan A fails."
Aggron's Protect shattered.
Not because Ethan's attacks broke it.
Because Aggron dropped it himself.
Steven's eyes never left the battlefield.
"Now."
Aggron moved.
And suddenly everyone understood something terrifying.
For something that large—
It was fast.
Very fast.
Flaaffy's Electro Web spread across the battlefield first.
Electric threads shot outward, trying to rebuild the control field Steven had just destroyed.
Steven simply pointed.
"Iron Tail."
Aggron's tail blurred.
WHOOOM.
The steel tail swept through the web.
Every strand shattered instantly.
The attack wasn't just stronger.
It was placed perfectly.
The exact angle needed to destroy the entire net with a single motion.
Flaaffy's eyes widened.
"Flaa—"
"Iron Head."
Aggron was already there.
BOOM.
The impact launched Flaaffy backward.
She rolled across the grass before stopping.
Unable to battle.
Whitney winced.
"One hit..."
Sabrina adjusted her glasses.
"No wasted movement."
Noivern reacted immediately.
"Vesna! Air Slash!"
Sharp blades of compressed air rained down.
At the same time Supersonic echoed from multiple angles.
A classic disruption combination.
Steven nodded approvingly.
"Good."
Then—
"Rock Slide."
Aggron slammed a foot down.
Massive chunks of earth launched upward.
Not at Noivern.
At the Air Slashes.
The attacks collided midair.
BOOM.
BOOM.
BOOM.
The entire attack pattern collapsed.
Noibat froze.
For a split second.
A mistake.
"Flash Cannon."
A beam of silver light erupted upward.
Noibat tried to dodge.
Almost succeeded.
Almost.
The edge of the beam clipped him.
That alone was enough.
Noibat spiraled from the sky.
Bugsy swallowed.
"He predicted the flight path..."
Falkner looked impressed.
"No."
"He's controlling the battlefield."
Marshtomp charged next.
Water Gun exploded outward.
Not a simple blast.
A wide spray.
Multiple angles.
Trying to limit movement.
Steven smiled.
"Very clever."
Then—
"Bulldoze."
Aggron struck the ground.
The battlefield shifted.
Literally shifted.
The water's path changed as the earth rose and sank.
The attack missed completely.
Marshtomp stared.
Confused.
Steven pointed.
"Metal Claw."
Aggron lunged.
CLANG.
Marshtomp blocked with both arms.
The ground beneath him shattered.
For a moment—
It looked like he held.
Then Aggron pushed harder.
Marshtomp was launched backwards.
Unable to battle.
Ethan's eyes narrowed.
Three down.
Rocky roared.
The Onix surged forward.
Stone Edge erupted around Aggron.
Massive stone pillars from every direction.
Finally—
Something large enough to threaten it.
Steven nodded.
"Good use of size."
Then—
"Protect."
Aggron's armor glowed.
Stone Edge struck.
CRASH.
CRASH.
CRASH.
Dust filled the battlefield.
Whitney leaned forward.
"Did that work?!"
The dust cleared.
Aggron hadn't moved.
Not even one step.
Rocky's eyes widened.
Steven calmly spoke.
"Iron Tail."
Aggron spun.
WHAM.
The impact echoed through the garden.
Rocky's enormous body crashed into a decorative fountain.
The Onix groaned.
Unable to battle.
Only Gengar and Sentret remained.
Gengar immediately vanished.
Shadow Balls emerged from every direction.
Trees.
Shadows.
Benches.
The ground itself.
Steven actually laughed.
"Now that's annoying."
Gengar grinned proudly.
Then Steven gave a command.
"Listen."
Everyone blinked.
Aggron closed its eyes.
Shadow Ball.
Left.
Dodge.
Shadow Ball.
Behind.
Dodge.
Shadow Ball.
Above.
Dodge.
Gengar froze.
Steven pointed.
"Now."
Aggron's Flash Cannon fired.
Gengar barely had time to react.
The beam slammed into him.
The Ghost Pokémon emerged from the ground spinning.
Unable to battle.
Silence.
Only Sentret remained.
Tiny.
Fluffy.
Very confused.
She looked at Aggron.
Then at Ethan.
Then at Aggron again.
Then at Ethan again.
"Sent?"
Translation:
"...You got a plan?"
Ethan rubbed his forehead.
"No."
"Sent."
"Fair."
The crowd laughed.
Even Steven chuckled.
But Sentret still stepped forward.
Tail raised.
Ready.
Steven's expression softened slightly.
"She's brave."
Ethan nodded.
"Yeah."
Sentret charged anyway.
Quick Attack.
Fast.
Determined.
Everything she had.
Aggron waited.
Then gently tapped her with one claw.
BONK.
Sentret rolled twice.
Stopped.
Stared at the stars.
And fell over.
"Sent..."
Unable to battle.
Silence filled the garden.
All six Pokémon were down.
Aggron stood in the center.
Not breathing heavily.
Not injured.
Not even tired.
The difference was overwhelming.
Not power.
Experience.
Years.
Thousands of battles.
A completed journey versus a trainer only beginning his.
Steven returned Aggron.
The massive Steel type vanished in red light.
Then Steven walked over to Ethan.
"Disappointed?"
Ethan looked at his defeated team.
Then shook his head.
"No."
Steven raised an eyebrow.
Ethan smiled slightly.
"Now I know what the top looks like."
That answer made Steven grin.
Behind him, Akagi laughed.
"See?"
"I told you he'd react like that."
Steven nodded.
"Good."
Then he looked directly at Ethan.
"The gap between us is enormous."
A pause.
"But."
He pointed toward the six Poké Balls.
"Your opening strategy was excellent."
Everyone blinked.
Steven continued.
"You built area denial."
"Vision control."
"Speed control."
"Disruption."
"And layered pressure."
His smile widened.
"The problem is that strategy only works when your opponent hasn't already solved it."
Ethan nodded slowly.
Understanding.
This wasn't a lesson about strength.
It was a lesson about adaptation.
Steven had already been where Ethan was.
Years ago.
And had learned how to beat it.
Which meant Ethan would have to learn the next step.
And the step after that.
And the step after that.
Far away, watching from beside her father
Lusamine smiled softly.
"He's not upset."
Lysandre folded his arms.
"No."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"That's what makes him dangerous."
To be continue
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