"Volca—!"
The moment Volcarona appeared, its wings beat powerfully, whipping up fierce gusts of wind. Its presence was immediately imposing.
Aaron's eyes sharpened as Volcarona's status panel appeared before him:
[Name: Volcarona]
[Gender: Female]
[Nature: Sassy]
[Type: Bug/Fire]
[Ability: Flame Body]
[Base Stats Total: 550]
[Level: Elite (Mid Stage)]
[Pokémon Potential: Champion]
[Moves: Quiver Dance (Mastery), Gust (Mastery), Ember (Mastery), Thrash (Proficient), Absorb (Proficient), String Shot (Proficient), Amnesia (Proficient), Flame Wheel (Proficient), Heat Wave (Proficient), Flamethrower (Proficient), Bug Buzz (Proficient), Hurricane (Proficient), Flare Blitz (Mastery), Fiery Dance (Mastery)...]
[Description: Volcarona, the Sun Pokémon and evolution of Larvesta, is known as the embodiment of the sun, possessing immense power and speed.]
...
Aaron was a little surprised.
Another Fire-type?
Did she specialize in them?
Still, with its Bug typing, Volcarona had the advantage against Greninja's Dark typing—so it made sense.
Its moveset was stacked.
But what made it truly dangerous was its setup move—Quiver Dance.
A rare technique that boosted Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed all at once.
Even stronger than Dragon Dance.
If it got going, it could easily overwhelm multiple opponents.
Not something he could afford to ignore.
"Volcarona—Quiver Dance!"
Lyra moved first, giving the command without hesitation.
"Volca—!"
A pale green glow wrapped around Volcarona as it spread its crimson wings and began to dance in midair.
"Greninja—Quick Attack! Interrupt it!"
Aaron didn't hesitate.
"Nin—!"
Greninja's eyes locked in. Its body blurred into a streak of black light—
It slammed straight into Volcarona mid-dance.
Bang—!
"Vooool—!"
Volcarona was sent flying, its Quiver Dance cut short.
"Greninja—Water Shuriken!"
Aaron pressed the attack.
"Nin—!"
Several aqua-blue shuriken formed in Greninja's hands, each marked with a small frog emblem.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Four Water Shuriken shot forward like streaks of blue light.
"Volcarona, dodge!"
Lyra shouted, her expression tightening.
Greninja's Quick Attack had been too fast—she hadn't even seen it clearly before Volcarona was sent flying.
Now another attack was already coming.
She reacted instantly.
But Volcarona hadn't even regained its balance.
And Water Shuriken was just as fast.
It had no chance to dodge.
"Vooool—!"
Volcarona cried out as it was struck head-on.
The moment it entered the field, it was already getting overwhelmed.
That black frog's attacks came one after another—
Too fast to follow.
"Greninja—finish it. Flying Thunder God: Water Pulse!"
Before Volcarona could recover, Aaron's calm voice came again.
A shift in the air—Greninja appeared directly overhead.
A sphere of blue energy had already formed in its hand, humming as it spun.
"Nin—!"
Greninja drove the Water Pulse straight down into Volcarona's back.
Boom—!!!
The explosion echoed across the area, sending nearby Pokémon scattering into the air.
Volcarona slammed into the ground, carving out a massive crater as rocks and debris burst outward.
Its eyes rolled back—
Completely knocked out.
Poor Volcarona.
It had barely appeared, just started its dance—only to be shut down instantly,
Then overwhelmed by a three-hit combo from Greninja, never getting the chance to respond before going down.
A frustrating defeat.
For a moment, the battlefield fell silent.
Everyone was stunned.
From the moment Volcarona appeared to its defeat—
Less than five seconds had passed.
What kind of speed was that?
What kind of power!?
Even though Grace, Simon, and the others already knew Aaron was absurdly strong, seeing it play out so cleanly still left them shaken.
"Volcarona is unable to battle!"
"Lyra, please send out your next Pokémon!"
Simon was the first to snap out of it, raising his flag as he called it.
Lyra stood frozen, lips slightly parted, still trying to process what just happened.
She couldn't accept it—her Volcarona had gone down that easily.
"You…"
"How is your Greninja this strong!?"
"It's only Early Elite!"
"How did it beat my Mid Elite Volcarona that easily!?"
Her voice trembled with confusion and disbelief.
Aaron raised two fingers near his lips, calm and steady—like a silent signal before a strike.
"Have you heard…"
"…of the Black Flash?"
"The one you run from the moment it appears."
"The Black Flash of Hualis."
…