Aaron's smirk betrayed his confidence. 'With Ludicolo healing with the rain, he's now a tank just like Gladion's Milotic. He doesn't even need to use a move to heal—he'll recover automatically in the rain.'

The Rain Dish ability of Ludicolo was his ace's hidden edge, a trump card he'd kept veiled in prior battles.

Gladion's eyes narrowed, assessing the situation. "Vacuum Wave!" he ordered.

Kleavor's axe-like arm slashed forward, unleashing a blast of pure, concussive air that tore through the rain toward Ludicolo.

"Dodge it and then Bullet Seed!" Aaron countered.

Ludicolo swayed with deceptive agility, sidestepping the vacuum blast as it grazed the sand.

Its mouth opened, firing a barrage of glowing seeds at breakneck speed. Kleavor raised its axes instinctively, shielding its critical areas. A few seeds struck its knees, pinging off its rocky hide with no visible effect. Kleavor stood unfazed, its expression one of stoic indifference.

Aaron's brow furrowed. 'Isn't Rock supposed to be weak against Grass-type moves?' The thought gnawed at him, his knowledge of type matchups thrown into question.

Unbeknownst to him, Kleavor's Bug typing neutralized its Rock weakness to Grass, rendering Bullet Seed far less effective.

Gladion's mind was already three steps ahead. 'It's pointless to chip away at Ludicolo when it can heal in this rain. I need to knock it out in one move.'

"Agility!" Gladion commanded.

The move increased Kleavor's speed.

"Magical Leaf!" Aaron ordered, hoping to capitalize on Grass-type damage.

Razor-sharp leaves, glowing with grassy energy, launched from Ludicolo, slicing through the rain toward Kleavor. The attack was unavoidable, homing in with supernatural accuracy.

"Protect!" Gladion called.

A shimmering barrier materialized around Kleavor, deflecting the leaves with a series of sharp pings.

Aaron's jaw tightened. 'Grass isn't working. He's used Protect now.' His mind pivoted, recalculating. 'Let's try Water-type moves.' "Hydro Pump!" he ordered.

Ludicolo unleashed a torrent of high-pressure water, amplified by the rain, roaring toward Kleavor with destructive force.

"Stone Edge!" Gladion countered.

Kleavor slammed a pincer into the ground, summoning jagged rocks that erupted in a line to meet the Hydro Pump.

The water tore through the stones, shattering them into fragments, but the rocks slowed the torrent's momentum.

When the weakened Hydro Pump struck Kleavor, it pushed the Bug/Rock Pokémon back, soaking its rocky hide. Kleavor grunted, but stood firm, shaking off the water with a defiant shake.

Even thought Kleavor stood straight, Aaron could see that the move hurt Kleavor. He figured out that water types moves would do the trick against Kleavor. But he was too late to figure it out.

Gladion's voice cut through the noise, resolute. "Time to end this. Giga Impact!"

Kleavor's body glowed with radiant energy, a shimmering aura enveloping it as it charged forward. The Agility boost made it a blur, the ground rumbling beneath its feet as if a freight train were barreling across the desert.

The sheer speed and power made the air vibrate.

Ludicolo, caught off-guard, raised its arms in a desperate cross-guard. Kleavor slammed into Ludicolo like a super-speed car, the force sending a shockwave through the arena.

Ludicolo was hurled backward, crashing into the muddy sand, unconscious before it hit the ground. The rain continued to fall, but it couldn't revive Aaron's ace this time.

The crowd erupted, the screens capturing Ludicolo's limp form and Kleavor's triumphant pose. Aaron sighed heavily, recalling Ludicolo with a flick of his Poké Ball.

The weight of defeat settled over him, but his military discipline kept his expression neutral.

The referee announced Gladion's victory with a scorecard of 6-3 to Gladion's favor.

Gladion approached Kleavor, patting its rocky back. "Good job, Craggy," he said softly.

Gladion turned, striding across the l field toward Aaron, his boots sinking slightly into the sand. The rain began to lighten, the clouds parting as the match drew to its close.

"You were not half bad for a Team Aqua grunt," Gladion said, his voice low, inaudible to the cheering spectators. His voice carried a hint of mockery.

Aaron met Gladion's gaze, his voice steady, devoid of the arrogance he'd projected earlier. "You might have defeated me, but believe me, there are stronger trainers in our organization."

Gladion's smirk didn't falter, but he listened as Aaron continued. "Yes, you might be able to defeat even them, but out there, outside of a league-sanctioned battle, it won't be a trainer battle. It'll be a war, kid. So keep yourself in line, because if you don't, we'll hunt you down. It's not a threat. It's a statement." Aaron's tone was matter-of-fact, a soldier's warning delivered without malice.

"Congratulations on your win, kid." With that, he turned and walked off, his steps measured despite the sting of defeat.

Gladion's smirk widened, his voice carrying just enough to reach Aaron's retreating form. "Jeez, what a sore loser."

Aaron's shoulders stiffened as he kept walking, refusing to look back.

Gladion stood alone in the center of the arena. His thoughts turned inward, reflecting on Aaron's words.

'Yes, numbers would have been a concern for me. Ganging up on me and my Pokémon with dozens of strong Pokémon would surely exhaust me and my team. I'd definitely get defeated.'

It a recognition of his limits as a trainer, even one of his caliber. A war, as Aaron put it, wasn't a controlled arena battle—it was cruel. There were no rules out there. No one on one battles. No caring for opponent Pokemons. Heck, You can not only kill opponent Pokemons but target the trainer himself.

But then his smirk returned, 'But I'm no normal trainer, am I? With no normal Pokémon. I have an alpha Tyranitar and two Legendaries. What can hundreds of insects do against gods?'

Two of the three pokeballs on his necklace hummed with him. His big brother and sister would help him if ever he was being threatened with such unfair odds. And the world would see what the rage of legendary dragons felt like.

'Numbers won't matter against them. But I shouldn't just start targeting Team Aqua, either. It'd be a problem if they teamed up with Team Rocket again. It'd be good for me to keep my distance from them for some time.'

-------Author Notes------

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