A normal Are typically stands around two meters tall at the shoulder, but Julian's Are had developed exceptionally well—its shoulder height had already exceeded 2.5 meters.
Many bipedal Pokémon weren't even two meters tall, making Are's size rger than most Pokémon. It was undoubtedly a giant among Pokémon.
Are's flowing fur billowed in the wind as it ran, making it look like a spirit of the wind itself.
For this reason, some trainers called it the "Land Cruiser."
It was one of the best choices for a nd mount.
Unfortunately, Growlithe and Are were rare, and very few trainers actually owned one.
Iingly, Imperial Uy had a "Dog Club," where all members owned e Pokémon.
Even Julian art of it—despite never joining any other club, he had joihis one, which had caused quite a stir at Imperial Uy.
The reason?
Back when his Are was still a Growlithe, it threw a tantrum after disc the existence of this club, demanding that Julian join.
It even chewed up the sofa, chairs, and other furniture at home in protest.
Faced with this situation, Julian had no choice but to agree.
In the end, he was honorably he vice president of the club, if he had accepted, he would have been the president as well.
Of course, where there was a Dog Club, there was also a Cat Club—but that was a story for aime.
Meanwhile, Kaide was furious when he saw that Julian's final Pokémon wasn't his ace Metagross or even his Elite-level Dragonite.
It was clear—Julian wasn't taking him seriously.
But after a moment of thought, Kaide realized—maybe Julian had every reason not to. After all, his two Elite Pokémon had failed to defeat Julian's two pseudo-Elite Pokémon.
Maybe Julian uimating him was the logical oute, if he were in Julian's shoes, he might have dohe same.
Before this battle, Kaide had always thought that Julian was overhyped by the people of Drakoria.
Drakoria's stro young trainer? It was just a pseudo-Elite beating ae—big deal. He had dohat too. Nothing special.
Even when Juliaed Fred, a national-level Gym Leader at Elite peak, in a 3v3 battle, Kaide didn't take it seriously, he assumed that Fred had throwch out of respect for Julian's grandfather.
Otherwise, how could Julian have won so decisively?
But now—
It seemed that the foolish one was him, still, the battle wasn't over yet.
No matter what, he had to fight to the very end—win or lose.
Pokémon: Aegissh (Steel/Ghost)
Level: 73
Potential: Blue
Ability: Stance ge
Item: Weakness Policy
Gender: Male
Moves: King's Shield, Head Smash, Aerial Ace, Metal Sound, Ssh, Night Ssh, Retaliate, Iron Defense, Iron Head, Shadow Sneak, Power Trick, Swords Dance, Sacred Sword
TMs: Hyper Beam, Giga Impact, Sor Bde, Screech, Reflect, Rest, Rock Slide, Protect, Shadow Cw, Psycho Cut
Egg Moves: Destiny Bond, Wide Guard, Block, Steel Beam
---
Aegissh stood with both hands gripping its shield, its sword-like body cealed behind it.
This Pokémon was uo Gallia, serving as a symbol of royalty. Non-royal trainers from Gallia had no ce of obtaining one uhey made araordinary tribution to the nation.
As Aegissh appeared, a chilliallic screech echoed through the battlefield.
This was Julian's first time seeing Aegissh in person, and the aura ality it exuded resonated with him.
He had always coveted this Pokémon, and now—it was right in front of him.
The audience's attention was immediately drawn to Aegissh. Like Julian, many of them were seeing it in real life for the first time, making it impossible not to stare in awe.
Are sehe shift in attention, the crowd was no longer focused on him, but on that thing across the field.
Uable.
Are bared its fangs, gring at Aegissh.
Are: "Stealing my spotlight? I'll burn you to ashes."
Bzing crimson fmes erupted from its mouth, instantly raising the temperature of the battlefield. The air distorted, ing uhe sheer heat.
With a single breath, the Fmethrower surged forward, crossing nearly 200 meters in an instant.
The scorg inferno rushed straight at Aegissh.
However—
Aegissh raised its shield, positioning it directly against the ining fire.
Like an unyielding ro the o, the shield split the fmes in half, f them to veer off to the sides.
By the time Fmethrower dissipated, two charred scorch marks remained oher side of Aegissh.
But before the heat had fully faded—
Are charged forward, wreathed in fire—Fre Blitz.
Are: 'Let's see you act tough now'
BOOM!
A deafening sound shook the battlefield as Are's Fre Blitz smmed into Aegissh's shield, sending out a shockwave.
Are, who had been demolishing houses for a long time, had great strength.
The force of the attack was too much fissh to fully withstand—it was sent flying dozens of meters before finally stopping itself.
However, despite the brutal impact, it barely took any damage.
Afterall as long as it remained in Shield Forme, its Defense and Special Defense were absurdly high.
Even though Fire-type moves were super effective, the actual damage was minimal.
Of course, while in Shield Forme, Aegissh's offensive power was also greatly reduced.
If it wao attad defeat Are, staying in Shield Forme wasn't an option.
"Aegissh, use Ssh!"
Instantly, its form ged.
From Shield Forme, where it held the shield with both hands, Aegissh transitioned into Bde Forme, gripping the shield in its left hand while its sword-like body gleamed menagly.
As Aegissh sshed toward Are, a sharp, blinding light followed its motion, even before the attaded, Are could feel a tingliioh its fur.
Extreme Speed! Activated.
A red fsh erupted, and in an instant, Are vanished from its inal position.
CRACK!
Aegissh's Ssh struck the ground—leaving behind a hundred-meter-long fissure, the sheer power of the attack was evident from the gaping chasm it created.
But the moment the strike ended, Aegissh instantly reverted back to Shield Forme.
However, the very sed it pleted the switch, Are smmed into its shield again with full force.
Once more, Aegissh was knocked back, sent flying across the battlefield.
"Fire Bst!"
A massive kanji-shaped fme surged forward, pletely engulfing Aegissh.
Suspended in midair, the Pokémon appeared to be a bzing fireball, swallowed entirely by the inferno.
A few moments ter, the fmes dissipated.
Emerging from the fire, Aegissh's body remained spotless and unscathed, its polished steel glistening uhe lights.
It seemed as though Fire Bst had dohing, but that wasn't the case, if one looked closely, Aegissh's body appeared to be slightly redder than before.
This wasn't a sign of exertion—it was the result of being scorched by intense heat.
Julian noticed this and Kaide as Aegissh's trainer noticed it too.
Kaide: 'Could it be... this Are's shiny trait is reted to its fire temperature?'
*****
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