Steven's estate.
"Johan, Lance?" Steven greeted them with a smile as he stepped out to welcome the two, his gaze lingering on Lance beside Johan.
"Oh, so Johan meant Steven when he mentioned an opponent," Lance remarked with a chuckle.
Clearly, Steven and Lance were acquainted.
After all, one was the youngest investigator in the Kanto region and a member of the Dragon Clan, while the other was the heir of Devon Corporation. Both were well-known figures, and even if they hadn't met in person before, it was inevitable that they'd know of each other.
Lance was a little older than Steven, around the same age as Johan.
The two knowing each other made things easier, sparing Johan the need for lengthy introductions. He simply explained the situation to them.
"Aerodactyl?" Steven's eyes lit up with interest.
As a Steel- and Rock-type Pokémon enthusiast, Steven was naturally familiar with Aerodactyl. However, these Pokémon weren't easy to find. Even with the option to extract DNA from fossils to revive them, good fossils were hard to come by.
But that wasn't the focus at the moment.
"Steven, bring out your Skarmory," Johan suggested.
"Alright," Steven replied without hesitation and tossed out a Poké Ball.
Whoosh—
A gust of wind swept past them, and in front of the group appeared a sleek, armored Skarmory, its silvery steel armor gleaming in the light.
Lance's eyes lit up slightly at the sight. "A very impressive Skarmory! It's been trained exceptionally well."
Johan agreed silently. Lance had the experience to judge such matters accurately.
"Kaaa—"
Skarmory landed beside Steven and nuzzled him affectionately. Steven laughed and gave it a gentle pat.
This was Steven and Skarmory's advantage—their bond was much stronger than that between Lance and his Aerodactyl.
Johan glanced over at Gastly, as if saying, Looks like we won't need you to step in after all.
"Ka-kah~"
Gastly exhaled in relief, understanding Johan's unspoken message.
Johan pulled Steven aside to explain what he needed to do.
"So… you want my Skarmory to defeat Lance's Aerodactyl?" Steven asked for clarification.
"No," Johan shook his head. "Not just defeat—Skarmory needs to crush it."
"Crush it?" Steven blinked.
"Remember what you did to Roxanne's Geodude not long ago? Something like that, but not as harsh," Johan explained.
Steven glanced over at Lance and his Aerodactyl with a wary look. Did they somehow offend Johan? he wondered.
"But Johan," Steven said helplessly, "you want me to beat Lance and his Aerodactyl? That I can try, but to 'crush' it…"
Steven was confident in his abilities, but he also knew a bit about Lance's strength. The gap wasn't so wide that he could claim to "crush" him, especially given the current bond between Lance and Aerodactyl.
"Did Skarmory learn the moves I recommended?" Johan asked.
"It did."
"Then use that strategy. You'll be fine."
Steven rubbed his temples. "But I haven't practiced it…"
Up until now, Steven's battle style had mostly relied on aggressive strategies, considering his Pokémon's strengths. With his team, he never needed complicated tactics against most of his peers.
Not having practiced this unfamiliar strategy, Steven wasn't particularly confident.
Losing was one thing, but what if it worsened Aerodactyl's state?
"That's fair."
Habits and strategies in battles aren't something that change overnight. It takes time to adapt.
"How about you take over, Johan?" Steven suggested cautiously.
"Ka-kah?! Σ(дlll)" Gastly frantically shook its head in refusal.
"If that's the case, we'll have to settle for a backup plan," Johan sighed. "Use Metagross instead."
Ideally, it would be better to stimulate Aerodactyl's fighting spirit by using a Flying-type Pokémon. But Steven didn't feel confident enough.
Given their slight age difference, Johan had to adjust.
"Alright," Steven agreed.
The battle commenced between Steven's Metagross and Lance's Aerodactyl.
Two future champions facing off—Johan was excited to see the outcome.
Isn't this a sneak peek at the 'Masters Eight Tournament'? Johan thought to himself.
This is better than those unintelligible matchups, right?
Johan and Gastly settled on a bench nearby to watch the showdown.
"Crunch, crunch…"
Gastly held a bucket of popcorn, looking like it was about to enjoy a great show.
"Where did that come from?" Johan asked, bewildered.
"Ka-kah~~" Gastly glanced over at a nearby Sunflora scurrying away, chuckling mischievously.
I swear it gave it to me voluntarily! Do you believe me?
Johan was speechless for a moment. That's Sunflora, not Popcorn-flora… never mind.
"Hmm, not bad. Next time, a bit more sugar would be great," he commented as he grabbed a handful himself.
"Ka-kah?"
Who do you think will win?
"Steven," Johan answered without hesitation.
How long had Lance had that Aerodactyl? Not long enough to build a strong bond. Besides, with the type disadvantage, it wasn't a fair fight.
"Ka-kah~~"
Oh.
"You have no idea that my plan is killing three birds with one stone," Johan muttered.
Huh?
Lance's Aerodactyl needed a challenge to refocus its drive.
Steven's Metagross needed a confidence boost, and this was a great chance to build that confidence.
That's only two?
"And then there's Steven."
Johan continued, "Steven also needs a rival, one close in strength, or even slightly stronger. This will ignite his passion for training Pokémon."
Finding a rival for Steven among his peers was nearly impossible. But Lance, who was a couple of years older, was just the right fit.
It was also part of Joseph's request to Johan.
"Ka-kah~~" Gastly nodded thoughtfully, giving Johan a thumbs-up made of mist.
Clever!
While they were talking, the battle between Steven and Lance had begun.
"Aerodactyl, Dragon Dance!" Lance called out.
As expected, Lance chose to boost Aerodactyl's stats right away. Given Aerodactyl's disadvantage in type, he needed to start by leveling the playing field.
Following Johan's advice, Lance needed to command Aerodactyl at full strength for the treatment to work.
"Metagross, use Bullet Punch to get close, then Metal Claw!" Steven responded.
Right from the start, Steven and Metagross showed their experience and coordination. Using the priority move Bullet Punch, Metagross seized the initiative.
Its massive claw slashed forward, dealing significant damage to Aerodactyl.
"Roar!!"
Aerodactyl's eyes began to turn red.
"Aerodactyl!" Lance called out. "Stay calm!"
He had expected to lose the initiative temporarily while using Dragon Dance, but he planned to turn the tables once the setup was complete.
"Fire Fang!"
Boom!!
Flames ignited around Aerodactyl's fangs.
Steven smiled confidently, "Metagross, use Ice Punch!"
Ice met fire as Metagross endured the blow from Fire Fang and countered with an ice-coated fist, landing a solid hit on Aerodactyl's wings.
Being close to Metagross nullified Aerodactyl's speed advantage.
And luck seemed to be on Steven's side this time.
Frost spread across Aerodactyl's wings.
"Follow up with another Metal Claw!" Steven ordered.
Lance frowned and gritted his teeth. "Bite it! Then use Fire Fang again!"
Meanwhile, Johan sighed as he observed the battle.
The intense exchange of blows was fun to watch, but Johan couldn't help but furrow his brow slightly.
Steven had the upper hand and was capitalizing on it well, but this wasn't enough.
A few minutes later…
Boom!!
Metagross's Thunder Punch sent Aerodactyl crashing to the ground.
The final blow.
"Krrrooo!"
Metagross roared triumphantly.
Lance rushed over to the fallen Aerodactyl immediately.
Aerodactyl quickly regained consciousness within seconds, its eyes bloodshot as it seemed on the verge of losing control again.
There was a hint of frustration in its gaze, but not enough to mark Metagross as its new rival.
Lance and Steven both noticed this as well.
So it really has to be Skarmory…? Johan pondered. Or should we try again?
Johan turned his attention to Skarmory, who seemed invigorated and eager for another round.
"Johan, it looks like that wasn't enough," Steven remarked as he approached.
"I saw," Johan acknowledged.
He was deep in thought, not noticing the glance Steven and Gastly exchanged.
Since he had taken on Lance's request to treat Aerodactyl, he needed to find a way to help as much as possible.
Can't let my reputation suffer.
"How about… you try, Johan?" Steven suggested.
"Ka-kah?"
Gastly was stunned.
You're still looking at me, aren't you?
"No, what I meant was, why don't you command Skarmory?" Steven clarified. "I'm sure Skarmory would listen to you."
"Ka-kah?"
Gastly looked at Johan with doubt.
Are you up to it?
Johan's eye
twitched, and he stood up slowly.
"It's my responsibility to heal, but first, I'll try to understand Skarmory's capabilities…"
Steven's face brightened with hope, and he exchanged a quick glance with Gastly.
Gastly slyly raised three misty fingers.
Three packs of Pokéblocks, like we agreed.
An hour later…
"Alright," Johan returned with Skarmory.
"Steven, I'll only teach this once."
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