Pokemon: Gym Leader

"Iron Valiant, huh? Looks like you've raised it well."

Dylan eyed the Iron Valiant from head to toe. Its aura was cold and sharp—proof of how well Selene had trained it.

But that wasn't surprising. Selene had always loved Iron Valiant's cool design—they just clicked.

And with a naturally high base stat total, Iron Valiant was definitely a top-tier battler. With proper training, it could even be a team's ace.

"A Fairy/Fighting-type Iron Valiant going up against a pure Dark-type Mega Absol. Just by typing, Iron Valiant has the upper hand."

In the stands, the older sister scanned Iron Valiant's data. Both of its types counter Dark, and both resist it.

That meant Iron Valiant had quadruple resistance to Dark-type moves.

On paper, Iron Valiant had a massive advantage against Mega Absol.

"Yeah, but battles aren't just about typing. Especially not against Gym Leader Dylan's Mega Absol."

The Psychic-type specialist stared intently at Iron Valiant. It had traits of both Gardevoir and Gallade—it looked amazing.

Too bad it didn't have Psychic typing.

On the field—

"Iron Valiant, Aura Sphere!"

Selene launched the first strike. With a type advantage, there was no reason to hesitate.

Iron Valiant spun its gleaming blade, forming a blue energy orb at the tip before firing it at Mega Absol.

Fighting-type: Aura Sphere!

"Psycho Cut!"

Mega Absol's horn glowed with psychic energy, forming a sharp blade that slashed through the air, cleaving the Aura Sphere in half—it exploded on impact.

With the attack broken, Mega Absol dashed forward on all fours toward Iron Valiant.

"Dazzling Gleam!"

Pink light sparked at the tip of Iron Valiant's blade and shot toward Mega Absol—Fairy-type: Dazzling Gleam!

"Sucker Punch!"

Mega Absol's eyes flashed with dark energy—its body became a blur of white as it sprinted forward with Dark-type priority move: Sucker Punch.

In a blink, it dodged the beam and was already up close.

"Brick Break!" Selene called instantly.

Iron Valiant sensed the incoming blow and slashed behind itself with one arm—Fighting-type: Brick Break!

But Mega Absol was fast. It saw the move coming and ducked.

It didn't need to land Sucker Punch—Dark moves barely scratched Iron Valiant. With that in mind, it focused entirely on dodging.

The deadly blade whistled just over Mega Absol's head.

A strong hit—but it missed. And worse—it left an opening.

"Iron Valiant!" Selene's expression tensed. She hadn't expected Mega Absol to give up the attack.

"Zen Headbutt!" Dylan grinned.

Mega Absol's horn shone with rainbow light—it lunged, headfirst.

Psychic-type: Zen Headbutt.

Iron Valiant stepped back but was too late—it crossed its blades in front to block.

Boom!

Mega Absol's forehead slammed into the crossed hilts, force vibrating down to Iron Valiant's chest.

It grunted, sliding backward. That hit wasn't light—Psychic moves were super effective.

Thankfully, Iron Valiant had decent physical defense.

"Absol, keep going—Air Slash!"

Dylan didn't waste the chance to follow up.

While Iron Valiant was a high-speed burst attacker, Mega Absol… was too.

Absol had always been popular—probably due to its cool, mysterious design and tragic lore.

In Dylan's past life, Absol was well-loved. But competitively, it was kind of a joke.

Aside from its Attack stat, the rest of its base stats were pretty bad. Especially Speed—it was in that awkward mid-zone that didn't work for trick room or fast teams.

Mega Evolution fixed some of that. Speed increased, and both Attack and Special Attack improved enough to build it into a mixed glass cannon.

That's the direction Dylan had trained his Absol in. Even without Mega, this Absol had exceptional agility and reaction time.

But Mega Absol? A different beast entirely.

Its crescent horn glowed white—it whipped it forward, slicing the air.

Flying-type: Air Slash!

"Protect!"

Selene reacted fast. Iron Valiant's green shield shimmered into place, absorbing the blow.

But the moment the shield faded, Mega Absol was already closing in again.

Iron Valiant crossed its arms, blades splitting into two as it extended them from both sides.

Its icy gaze locked on its opponent.

"Play Rough!"

"Close Combat!"

Mega Absol's claws and fangs lit with pink energy. Iron Valiant's twin blades glowed white.

They stepped in.

Mega Absol slashed down—Iron Valiant met the strike with its right blade.

Clash!

Mega Absol's Play Rough had the edge, even with its Attack lowered by Intimidate.

But just barely.

Right arm clashing, Iron Valiant's left blade slashed at Mega Absol's side—

Mega Absol bared its fangs and bit down, stopping the strike mid-swing.

Then—

Iron Valiant raised a leg and kicked it hard in the stomach.

Bam!

Mega Absol tumbled back, skidding to a stop and glaring at Iron Valiant with cold eyes.

That hurt.

"You raised it well," Dylan murmured, satisfied. Selene had clearly poured effort into this one.

Mega Absol still breathing hard, Iron Valiant stepped forward.

Its left arm swept wide—blades gleaming pink like a long katana.

Then—it ran.

Faster. And faster.

"That Iron Valiant is so freaking cool!!"

The Bird Keeper was wide-eyed. That calm, ruthless samurai-like stride—it was captivating.

"How is it this stylish?!"

"Dude, totally agree! It's insane!"

The Psychic-type trainer was starry-eyed.

"And it's strong! It's holding its own in melee against Mega Absol!"

The older sister clicked her tongue. That was no small feat.

Blade met claw, punch met fang—both Pokémon went all out in their close-quarters duel.

This Iron Valiant was seriously strong—against Dylan's Mega Absol, no less!

In just moments, both Pokémon were bruised and breathing heavily.

"Air Slash!"

"Aura Sphere!"

After one more Psycho Cut–Play Rough trade, both trainers issued new orders.

Mega Absol whipped its horn again—Air Slash tore through the air.

Iron Valiant raised an arm and launched a glowing Aura Sphere.

Boom!

The two moves collided, each slamming into their targets.

As the smoke cleared—

Iron Valiant lay motionless.

It had already taken two Close Combats, lowering its defenses. It couldn't withstand another super-effective Air Slash.

Mega Absol, meanwhile, was barely holding on. It collapsed to the ground, chest heaving.

A flash of light—its Mega form dissolved. It had fainted, too.

"Iron Valiant and Mega Absol are both unable to battle."

Leaf stepped in to confirm.

The crowd erupted again.

"Woah! Another double knockout! But that was so epic!"

"Selene's gotten so strong after her journey!"

"She's always been strong—don't forget who trained her!"

"Feels like Boss went easy on her though. That Absol shouldn't have gone down trading like that, even if Iron Valiant was intense…"

"That's normal. You'd know if you watched more Gym battles. Boss always holds back a bit."

This was the second double KO of the match.

But for many in the crowd, it was also the most thrilling round—their exchange of blows, that head-to-head clash of strength and agility… pure adrenaline.

On the field—

"Whew… You did amazing."

Selene returned Iron Valiant, exhaling deeply. She smiled at her Pokémon, proud and grateful.

Even though it fainted, it had brought down Dylan's Mega Absol—that alone was a massive achievement.

Mega Absol was terrifying—massive offensive power, immune to status moves. Not easy to deal with.

"Very strong, Selene. You raised Iron Valiant excellently."

Dylan gave his praise freely. Sure, he had let Mega Absol go toe-to-toe with Iron Valiant...

But the fact that Iron Valiant held its ground that well was all Selene's doing.

"Hehe~ Well, of course! I love Iron Valiant!"

Selene's sweet smile returned, full of pride—and not a shred of modesty.

"Alright then… next up, this little one again."

Dylan smiled, tossing another Poké Ball.

A flash of white light—Umbreon reappeared before him. It stared at Selene, crimson eyes calm and unshaken.

"That Umbreon again..."

Selene frowned slightly. She'd considered sending out Incineroar again, but there was no point using Intimidate on Umbreon.

This thing was just one big tank.

(End of Chapter)