[Pokémon: Onix (Rock/Ground)]
Ability: Sturdy
Level: Lv. 29 (intermediate)]
The strength is infinitely close to the Advanced level, and the attribute restrains Combusken. This Onix is indeed not to be underestimated. It is probably the ruler of this area.
This Onix has developed very well. The average Onix is close to nine meters tall, but this Onix is ten meters tall. Looking up, I feel extremely small.
In fact, it's not just Onix; there are many Pokémon you perceive as normal-sized, but when they really appear in front of you, you will clearly understand their huge size.
"Hooo!!!"
Onix was the first to launch the attack. It looked up to the sky and screamed, and countless rocks appeared out of nowhere in midair, almost occupying half the sky. Then, as if instructed, they began smashing down!
Like falling meteors, the rocks attacked Combusken with astonishing momentum!
"Quick Attack!" Aron calmly spoke without haste.
"Combusken!"
Combusken took a step forward with a light body, and his extremely developed leg muscles made it run at high speed, turning into a white afterimage.
"Step on the rock, and get closer to Onix!" Aron said with a shine in his eyes.
"Combusken!"
Combusken's eyes were fixed as he jumped, lightly landing on a falling rock, and then jumped again, using the rocks as springboards, constantly climbing and approaching Onix!
"Hooo???"
Onix's expression froze, never expecting its Rock Tomb to be dodged so easily.
"This move is called Rock Tomb Blockade," Aron narrowed his eyes and said softly.
In the animation, when Ash confronted Grant, the gym leader of Kalos Gym, he was troubled by Onix's Rock Tomb, and it was difficult to break through the countless falling rocks.
After some special training, Ash's Froakie evaded Rock Tomb by jumping to get close to Onix, which Ash called the "Rock Tomb Blockade."
Combusken has much more muscular legs than Froakie, so he doesn't require special training to achieve the same results.
"Although Ash is a reverse attribute master, he has many classic moves, which can be reproduced one by one," Aron's eyes flickered slightly, thinking secretly.
The well-known one is the Counter Shield, which is definitely the most classic move.
In the field, rocks fell to the ground one after another, creating huge deep pits and setting off waves of dust and smoke.
"Brick Break!"
At the same time, Combusken used the rocks as a platform to jump to the top of Onix's head. His right palm glowed with white light, and it slammed down!
Boom!
As if Onix was severely injured, severe pain spread from the top of its head to its whole body. It let out a furious roar, shaking its head desperately, trying to throw Combusken off.
However, Combusken's stance was extremely stable. Even though Onix shook, he remained motionless like a mountain.
"Facing large Pokémon like Gyarados and Onix, the top of the head is indeed the best breakthrough point," Aron muttered in a low voice.
But what happened next made Aron slightly dumbfounded.
Onix gave up shaking its body and instead began to rapidly spin, as if it wanted to connect its head and tail.
Looking at this scene, Aron immediately understood what Onix was thinking.
This is the Steel-type move Gyro Ball, which involves rapid spinning to tackle the opponent. The slower the user compared to the opponent, the higher the damage.
Obviously, this Onix had very rich practical experience.
As a result, Combusken had to jump to the ground to avoid the attack.
Rumble!
With a huge roar, Onix connected its head and tail while rapidly spinning, rolling toward Combusken with incredible momentum and force.
Facing the menacing Onix, Aron calmly ordered, "Bounce."
"Combusken!"
Combusken's eyes were like torches as he responded. His leg muscles tensed, and he jumped high—leaping over ten meters to avoid Onix's Rollout attack!
Seeing its attack miss, Onix stopped in place and roared at Combusken in mid-air.
At this moment, Combusken fell straight down from mid-air, with its target still... above Onix's head!
"Roar!!"
You're done!
Although Onix wanted to avoid Combusken, the latter was very agile and still landed precisely on top of its head.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Immediately afterward, Combusken swung his claws, leaving shallow marks on Onix's hard body.
Bounce belongs to the Flying-type moves, which are not effective against Onix.
But Aron didn't expect Bounce to do much damage to Onix.
"Continue with Brick Break!" Aron shouted.
"Combusken!"
Combusken received the order, turned his palms into hand-knives, and slashed violently, causing considerable damage to Onix.
"Roar!!"
Onix roared in rage, its massive tail pounding the ground, smashing rocks and causing the earth to shake violently.
"It's almost..." Aron looked up at the angry Onix and murmured softly.
After being hit by two Brick Breaks in a row, Onix, despite its amazing defense, was severely injured and its stamina was significantly depleted.
"Hooo!!"
Suddenly, Onix gave up shaking its body and stretched its tail above its head.
"Still want to repeat the old trick?" Aron's eyes flickered slightly.
The next second, he stretched out his arms and yelled, "Jump up and use Flamethrower!"
"Combusken!"
Combusken responded instantly.he stood tall and leaped, splashing dirt as he avoided the spinning Onix below. Then,he unleashed a powerful Flamethrower aimed directly at Onix.
Boom!!!
The Flamethrower hit Onix in an instant, engulfing its massive body in flames. The heat surged, and the surrounding temperature rose rapidly!
After a long moment, with a heavy thud, Onix's charred body collapsed onto the ground. Its eyes had turned into spirals, signaling its defeat.
Flamethrower had been the final blow to end the battle.
"Beating you with flamethrower is already a shame."
"Look at Ash next door; he just let Pikachu beat you with Thunderbolt," Aron said, looking at the fallen Onix with a wry smile.
In short, after defeating Onix, Combusken's level successfully rose to 29, leaving just one level to break through to the Advanced level.
At the same time, Aron's points increased to 200, and his ranking jumped directly to 78th place.
---
In the period just now, the points of the top rankings had increased to a certain extent.
"It's unreasonable." Aron frowned. "A Level 21 Pokémon gives the same points as a Level 29 Pokémon."
According to the school's regulations, the points awarded were the same for Pokémon of the same level.
After all, most students didn't have a system to accurately determine a Pokémon's specific level.
This meant that the competition relied on luck. If you were lucky, you might encounter weaker Pokémon within the same level range. If you were unlucky, you might face top-tier Pokémon, like Onix, which was far stronger than average.
"Well, our university doesn't really accommodate the unlucky ones," Aron muttered sarcastically.
After venting his frustration, Aron allowed Combusken to rest and recover before searching for more Pokémon.
For over two hours, Aron traversed the rocky terrain. The sun began to set, painting the distant mountain peaks in hues of red and orange.
"Alright," Aron said, looking at the horizon, "it's about time to find a place to camp."
During this period, his luck had been average. He encountered and defeated three Intermidiate-level Pokémon, earning enough points to bring his total to 500. This placed him in 9th rank.
The top two positions remained unchanged.
[ Bryan Lewis: 840 points, Rank 1]
[Clara Angel: 800 points, Rank 2]
"You two are really pushing hard..." Aron sighed. "Have you even stopped to rest?"
The night before the competition, Chris had warned Aron that the rankings would be fiercely contested during the first three days, with frequent changes.
Only after three days, when the point gaps widened, would the rankings stabilize.
It also came down to luck. In the early days, those who encountered many Pokémon gained points quickly, while those with poor luck fell behind.
But what truly surprised Aron was the name in the 21st spot.
[Lian: 360 points, Rank 21]
"Lian?" Aron muttered in surprise. "Could it be Lian from South Riverland City?"
Perplexed, Aron began searching for a suitable campsite.
---
Elsewhere, in another part of the competition area, a young trainer was also looking at the rankings.
"Aron?"
"Could it be Aron from South Riverland City?"
The trainer named Lian stared at the leaderboard displayed on his device, deep in thought.
Beside him stood a Wartortle, its eyes sharp and alert.
"Wartortle!" Wartortle called out, sensing its trainer's contemplative mood.
Lian shook his head. "Smith is a common surname. There must be plenty of people named Aron."
He paused, reconsidering. "But someone with the same name, attending the same school, competing as a freshman, and already ranked this high? This is definitely not a coincidence."
Lian's eyes narrowed. "It's likely him. But if it really is Aron, then his rank feels a bit low. Has he not started taking this seriously yet?"
Lian knew Aron's strength well. A month ago, Combusken was already at an Intermediate level. By now, his power would have grown significantly.
"Although I don't know how strong the top-ranked competitors are," Lian muttered, "I doubt they could surpass Aron."
Lian glanced at Wartortle, then clenched his fist. "Still, we've made great strides over the past month, haven't we?"
His tone softened. "Whether it's really you, Aron, or not, I'll make sure to show you how far we've come."
Turning toward the fading sunlight, Lian said, "Come on, Wartortle. Let's find a place to camp."
"Wartortle!"
Together, they moved forward, silhouetted against the orange glow of the setting sun.