"Damn it! Come out, my final partner!"
As Sam released his last Pokémon, a creature that looked like a Grass-type but was actually a Rock-type appeared on the battlefield.
It was Sudowoodo.
"Ding! Detected Sudowoodo. Current data as follows:"
Pokémon: Sudowoodo
Level: 46
Ability: Sturdy
Type: Rock
Potential: Purple
Bond Evolution: Locked
Mega Evolution: Locked
Moves: Stone Edge, Hammer Arm, Fake Tears, Rock Throw, Sucker Punch, Low Kick, Rock Slide, Counter…
Looking at Sudowoodo, Aiden was slightly surprised. Under Sam's gaze, he calmly recalled Serperior and took out another Poké Ball, throwing it forward without hesitation.
A flash of red light erupted.
A massive Feraligatr, nearly three meters tall and resembling an ancient beast, appeared on the battlefield.
"Roar!"
The moment it emerged from the Luxury Ball, Feraligatr slammed its chest violently and let out a furious roar, its eyes locked onto Sudowoodo.
Its sharp teeth clashed together with a metallic sound, radiating pure menace.
Seeing this, Sudowoodo instinctively tensed up.
"Sudowoodo, attack! Use Low Kick!"
Following Sam's command, Sudowoodo hopped forward toward Feraligatr.
Feraligatr's eyes burned with savage ferocity.
"Feraligatr, use Hydro Pump!"
At Aiden's order, Feraligatr opened its massive jaws, and an extremely thick column of water blasted forward, slamming directly into Sudowoodo.
The overwhelming force crashed down instantly.
Unable to withstand the impact, Sudowoodo was blasted backward, sent flying through the air.
"Good! Keep going—Aqua Jet, charge straight in!"
After knocking Sudowoodo away, Feraligatr roared again and launched a relentless pursuit.
In an instant, torrents of water wrapped around its body as it shot forward like a rocket, rising into the air before sharply changing direction.
Carrying terrifying momentum, it charged straight toward the wounded Sudowoodo.
Seeing this, both Sudowoodo and Sam panicked.
"Sudowoodo, stay calm! Use Counter!"
At that moment, a red glow surged across Sudowoodo's body.
Counter activated.
"Now—cancel the move midair and drop straight down! Use Ice Fang!"
Feraligatr's greatest strength wasn't long-range attacks.
It was its terrifying bite.
Once it latched onto an opponent, it would never let go until the enemy completely lost the ability to fight.
In the next instant, following Aiden's command, Feraligatr burst out of the water column and dropped straight behind Sudowoodo.
Its sharp fangs, infused with icy power, clamped down viciously on Sudowoodo's head.
Even as a Rock-type Pokémon, Sudowoodo felt excruciating pain the moment it was bitten.
"Su… Sudo…"
Its cry echoed across the battlefield.
Because it was being bitten mid-attack, Counter failed to activate properly.
And with its strength and size completely inferior to Feraligatr's, Sudowoodo was like a rag doll in its jaws, violently shaken back and forth.
Moments later, Sudowoodo stopped moving.
It had completely lost its ability to battle.
"Sudowoodo is unable to battle! Feraligatr wins!"
"With all three of Sam's Pokémon defeated, the winner advancing to the Top 64 is—Aiden Flint!"
Only when the referee's voice rang out did Feraligatr reluctantly release Sudowoodo.
Deep bite marks were carved into Sudowoodo's rocky body, clearly showing just how terrifying Feraligatr's jaw strength was.
"Ding! Feraligatr defeated Sudowoodo. Gained 685 EXP. Level increased. Current level: 43."
"Ding! Feraligatr's current data as follows:"
Pokémon: Feraligatr
Level: 43
Ability: Torrent
Type: Water
Potential: Gold
Bond Evolution: Locked
Mega Evolution: Locked
Moves: Ice Fang, Hydro Pump, Aqua Jet, Agility, Dragon Dance, Crunch, Blizzard…
Friendship: 203
Experience: A powerful Feraligatr with overwhelming strength and terrifying bite force. Brimming with energy every day, it never releases its grip once it bites an opponent.
Preference: Loves dancing and battling.
Looking at Feraligatr's data, Aiden nodded in satisfaction.
Feraligatr grinned widely in response.
Thinking about it, the five Pokémon he had raised from the very beginning had all grown into formidable partners.
Only Charizard had yet to appear.
As Aiden secured his victory, cheers erupted from the audience around the battlefield.
"So strong! Aiden is insane!"
"Two instant knockouts and one complete domination—what a dark horse!"
"Didn't you hear? He's Aiden Flint from Littleroot Town! I heard the hero who saved Hoenn was also from Littleroot Town!"
"So that means he has legendary Pokémon too?"
"Aiden! I love you like Pikachu loves rice!"
"Aiden, you're so cool!"
Listening to the crowd's cheers, Aiden smiled faintly and waved back.
Only then did Sam finally come to his senses.
So his opponent really was the legendary hero.
Losing like this… wasn't unfair at all.
After the match ended, reporters from the Hoenn Pokémon League rushed in, eager to interview Aiden and confirm whether he was truly the hero mentioned by Champion Wallace.
Unwilling to attract unnecessary attention, Aiden simply disappeared from the battlefield with Instant Teleportation, leaving the reporters completely lost.
Ironically, this only made him seem even more mysterious.
And thus, his identity as the legendary Pokémon Trainer who saved Hoenn became firmly established in the public's mind.
"Well… that turned out unexpectedly."
When Aiden heard about the rumors later, he couldn't help but sigh.
After checking the match schedule and discovering that his next opponent was a Psychic-type Trainer named Ao from Goldenrod City in the Kanto League, he calmly began planning the lineup for his next battle.
The next round was about to begin.
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