"Trash like you should be grateful," Orion said, arrogance thick in his voice. "I'll show you what a move at its absolute peak really looks like. This is a level you and your Pokémon will never reach in your entire lives."
His eyes turned vicious.
"Now die."
Aaron only glanced at him indifferently, as if he were looking at a clown.
An Apotheosis-tier move?
Sorry. I've lost count of how many of those I have.
...
Tyranitar charged toward Beedrill with terrifying black energy gathered in its jaws.
Apotheosis-tier Crunch had greatly increased the move's activation speed, but Crunch was still Crunch. It was not a ranged attack. Tyranitar had to close the distance and bite its target.
And to Beedrill, a bulky Pokémon like Tyranitar was nothing more than a living target.
"Bzzzz..."
Just as Tyranitar was about to clamp down, purple light flashed across Beedrill's body.
In the blink of an eye, it vanished.
After Agility, Beedrill's already terrifying speed doubled again.
BOOOOM!
Tyranitar's Crunch slammed straight into the energy shield instead.
The impact detonated across the arena.
CRACK! CRACK!
The shield shattered on the spot, breaking apart into countless specks of light that scattered through the air.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
A warning alarm rang through the dining hall.
"Everyone, please remain calm!" the hall manager shouted, sweat pouring down his forehead. "The energy shield will be reactivated shortly!"
He immediately ordered the staff to restart it.
...
On the arena, Beedrill had already slipped past Tyranitar's attack, moving so fast it looked almost like teleportation.
The black assassin had appeared behind Tyranitar, its eerie twin stingers gleaming with a cold, lethal edge.
"Tyranitar, behind you!" Orion shouted, fear flashing through his eyes.
"TYRAAAAN!"
Tyranitar roared and tried to turn, but it was already too late.
Beedrill's twin stingers struck the hard armor on its back, leaving behind a mysterious butterfly-shaped mark.
Then Beedrill vanished again.
When it reappeared, it was already beside Aaron.
The black mist around its body faded, Spiritual Pressure Infusion dispersing as it returned to its original appearance.
That was Beedrill's confidence.
A real stinger did not need to wait for the result.
And a real stinger never looked back.
This battle was already over.
"Bzzzz..."
"Tyranitar...?"
Orion swallowed hard, panic rising in his voice.
The moment he saw Beedrill land a hit, a powerful sense of unease surged through him.
After all, his previous two Pokémon had gone down the exact same way.
"Ty... raaan..."
Panic flashed through Tyranitar's eyes.
A violent wave of weakness swept through its massive body, draining its strength at terrifying speed. A mournful growl escaped its throat as its legs gave out, and then it crashed heavily onto the cold arena floor.
BOOOOM!
Dust burst into the air.
Tyranitar did not move again.
It had lost the ability to battle.
For a moment, everyone in the dining hall rose from their seats.
The entire hall fell into an eerie silence.
No one spoke. No one even seemed to breathe.
Every pair of eyes was fixed on the stage, wide with disbelief.
A common Beedrill had swept three Pokémon in a row.
Two of them were pseudo-legendaries.
And from beginning to end, every opponent had gone down after a single successful hit.
It was so absurd that it felt like watching a Magikarp knock out a Champion's Dragonite with Tackle.
Somewhere in the hall, a wealthy man swallowed hard, cold sweat sliding down his forehead.
"How is this possible...?"
A moment later, the room exploded.
"What kind of joke is this? That was the most ridiculous battle I've ever seen!"
"This has to be fixed. A peak Elite-level Beedrill just one-shot two pseudo-legendaries?"
"Shut up. Are you trying to get yourself killed? You're accusing Orion of throwing a match?"
"Right, right... I misspoke. But this is insane. Is that Beedrill cheating somehow?"
"Terrifying. Who exactly is that kid?"
"He just beat Orion's three trump cards with one Beedrill. He's going to be famous across the capital by tomorrow."
The crowd could not stop talking.
Some were shocked. Some were terrified. Some simply could not accept what they had seen.
In their minds, a Pokémon like Beedrill should never be able to defeat pseudo-legendaries.
To them, a Pokémon like Beedrill beating pseudo-legendaries felt wrong on principle, the same way someone without pedigree, money, or the right family name was never supposed to outshine someone born into the right circles.
That was what made the scene so hard for them to swallow.
...
"Aaron's Beedrill is insane," Blaze muttered, shock flashing through his eyes.
Liora stared at the stage, her eyes sparkling with admiration.
"Aaron is amazing..."
Braveon remained quiet for a moment, blue aura flickering faintly in his eyes.
"That Beedrill's ability..."
His expression turned serious.
"If it lands a clean hit, the battle is basically over."
Then his gaze shifted to Aaron.
A fierce fighting spirit flashed in his eyes.
"I really want to battle you now."
...