Both Pokémon were far beyond the size and weight of an average Pokémon. When two such giants collided, the impact was nothing short of terrifying.
The ground beneath Aggron and Copperajah continued to crack and rise, struggling under the immense pressure of their battle. The arena groaned as if it could no longer withstand their weight.
Julian looked at Copperajah with slight surprise. He hadn't expected it to withstand Aggron's charge without being sent flying. He had underestimated its strength.
Kaide was equally shocked. His Copperajah was not like a typical one—it had an innate talent for raw power.
In terms of strength, it was nearly twice as powerful as a normal Copperajah.
Yet, despite its level advantage, it hadn't gained any ground. No—
Kaide's pupils suddenly contracted, he noticed that Copperajah's thick hind legs were shifting backward.
Aggron: 'You've got strength—but unfortunately not enough'
As Aggron kept applying force, Copperajah's body began sliding back, its massive front legs slowly lifting off the ground.
If Aggron completely lifted its front half, it would slam Copperajah into the ground with full force.
"Copperajah, Rock Blast!"
Kaide saw what was happening and reacted instantly.
Aggron was using both hands to lift Copperajah, leaving it unable to defend itself—
But Copperajah still had its trunk.
With a swift swing, several large rocks materialized in the air.
The rocks slammed into Aggron, each one exploding on impact. A thick cloud of smoke engulfed both Pokémon.
"Why isn't Aggron dodging?"
"It can't. Not in this situation."
"As far as I know, Julian's Aggron has the Heavy Metal ability. It's incredibly slow."
As the smoke gradually faded, the audience saw the scene inside.
Aggron had not been pushed back at all, the Rock Blast hadn't even left a scratch on it. Instead, Copperajah was now fully lifted off the ground.
Copperajah: 'I'm being lifted!? What the—!?'
Under the sunlight, Aggron's armor still shimmered with a brilliant, diamond-like glow.
Julian: 'Worth every penny'
When it came to pure defense, Aggron was second only to Metagross. To break through its armor, an opponent's attack power had to reach at least mid-Elite level.
Aggron hurled Copperajah into the air with a powerful throw, sending it soaring nearly a hundred meters high. From such a height, a Pokémon of Copperajah's massive weight would undoubtedly suffer greatly upon impact.
But Aggron's attack wasn't over yet.
Positioning itself beneath Copperajah's left flank, Aggron opened its mouth and unleashed a Flamethrower, blasting it straight toward its airborne opponent.
"Copperajah, Sand Tomb!"
Suddenly, Aggron felt the ground beneath it soften.
In the blink of an eye, its thighs sank into the ground, causing its balance to waver, the Flamethrower missed its mark, grazing past Copperajah instead of hitting it directly.
The Sand Tomb expanded, and just as Copperajah crashed down, it landed on the soft sand, a massive wave of sand erupted into the air upon impact, scattering in all directions.
The force cleared away the quicksand, greatly reducing the damage Copperajah would have otherwise taken from the fall.
And with the sand gone, Aggron's binding was lifted as well.
"Copperajah, Earthquake!"
The field began to tremble violently as deep cracks spread out, rapidly expanding in all directions, a powerful tremor surged through Aggron.
Being a Steel/Rock-type, Aggron was 4x weak to Ground-type moves.
Despite its incredible defenses, pain flashed across its face as the attack struck.
A massive crack raced toward Aggron, reaching its position in the blink of an eye, the crack widened instantly.
"Copperajah, Fissure!"
A glint of excitement flashed in Kaide's eyes—he was about to win this battle.
Under the devastating Fissure, the ground split open beneath Aggron, swallowing it whole. The crevice stretched nearly thirty meters wide and plunged dozens of meters deep.
Even ten Aggrons stacked together wouldn't be enough to fill the gap.
And the fissure was already starting to close, as if sealing Aggron beneath the earth itself.
"It's over! Aggron is done for! Julian's going to lose this time"
"It took a direct hit from both Earthquake and Fissure—even Metagross wouldn't be able to withstand that!"
"Julian had the upper hand just moments ago! How did things flip so fast? He's actually on the verge of losing!"
"This is what high-level battles are like. No one holds an advantage forever. One small mistake, and the tide can turn instantly."
The entire audience watched the scene nervously, their eyes locked onto the battlefield.
Hannah, overwhelmed with anxiety, gripped her older friend's arm tightly—so tightly that her friend yelped in pain.
"Sorry, sis," Hannah muttered absentmindedly, loosening her grip but never taking her eyes off the battle.
Her friend curled her lips and said, "What are you worried about? Julian won't lose."
Hannah looked at her in confusion, prompting her to explain, "Just look at his expression."
"Can you not see it?"
"Huh?" Hannah tilted her head.
Julian's expression? It hadn't changed at all since the battle started.
"Confidence. Can't you see? His face has been radiating confidence this whole time."
"Just keep watching. You'll understand soon."
Lose? Impossible. At least, Julian wouldn't lose to some foreigner like Kaide.
"Aggron, Mega Evolve."
To be fair, Copperajah was indeed stronger than Bisharp, and Kaide's Sand Tomb maneuver had been exceptionally well executed, catching Julian off guard and turning the battle around in an instant.
But it didn't matter.
Aggron hadn't even Mega Evolved yet.
As the fissure continued closing, a brilliant burst of rainbow light suddenly shone from within the crack.
"Copperajah, more power!" Kaide snorted, attempting to forcefully stop the Mega Evolution.
Mega Evolution wasn't the same as natural evolution.
In official matches, if a Pokémon naturally evolved mid-battle, its opponent was strictly forbidden from attacking. Violating this rule would result in harsh punishment.
However, Mega Evolution was different—it could be interrupted.
Even if stopped, the consequences were minimal compared to disrupting natural evolution, which could cause irreversible damage, sometimes even permanently preventing a Pokémon from evolving again.
Copperajah let out a thunderous roar, surging with ground-type energy that poured into the battlefield, causing the fissure to close even faster.
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