Pokemon : The Master of Dragon-Types

Chapter 447 447: 447. Battle

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As November settled in, the temperature dropped sharply. People on the streets had already pulled out their heavy coats, scarves, and thick layers to brace against the chill.

Jacob walked down the street in a blue trench coat, a mask over his face and a cup of Liepard-brand coffee warming his hands, making his way toward the battle arena in Imperial City.

Julia had been pestering him for days about a new Pokémon she had caught, insisting on a battle. At the same time, Kyle — riding high on his recent surge in the class rankings — had been equally loud about wanting a crack at Jacob. On top of that, both Fraxure and Shelgon had been showing clear signs of being close to evolution. Jacob decided to set aside half a day for a friendly spar with the two of them.

"Finally." Kyle spotted Jacob approaching and tilted his chin up, arms crossed, his expression one of theatrical disdain. "I was starting to think you were too scared to show up. Relax, I'll go easy on you."

"First place in the class," he went on, shaking his head with an exaggerated sigh. "Doesn't matter. When you're up against me, even first place crumbles."

Jacob smiled and said nothing. After years of friendship, he had long since stopped taking Kyle's pre-battle trash talk seriously. The guy was all bark — in the best possible way.

Instead, Jacob turned to Julia. "Where's Amira? Kyle's insufferable without someone to keep him in line."

"She had something to take care of. She'll be here later," Julia said, smiling.

It had been that way ever since the dinner a few weeks back, when Jacob and Julia had introduced Amira to Kyle. The two had clicked immediately, and now they seemed to chat constantly.

"Amira's got nothing to do with this." Kyle scoffed, waving a hand. "Even if she were standing right here, one look from me and she'd go quiet. She'd just stand there respectfully and watch."

"Sure she would," Jacob said flatly. "Try not to embarrass yourself before she gets here."

"What was that?!" Kyle's voice jumped up a full octave. "You want to talk? Fine — let's settle this on the field. One-on-one, right now. I'll show you exactly who's embarrassing who."

"Alright," Jacob replied, still smiling. "Show me what this sudden confidence is actually worth."

"One condition," Kyle said, raising a finger. "To keep it fair — you can only use Fraxure or Shelgon. No Mega Evolution, no Z-Moves, and no held items."

Jacob raised an eyebrow, amused. "Very generous terms. Fine. I'll play by your rules."

"Let's go then!" Kyle pumped his fist. "Today you'll see what it means to face a Rock-type Trainer with iron resolve!"

"And you'll see what a Dragon-type Trainer can do," Jacob replied with a grin.

He glanced over at Julia. "You referee?"

"Of course," she said, settling into a seat nearby with a smile, eyes fixed on the field.

"Begin!"

"Fraxure, let's go!" Jacob sent out his Fraxure, watching it land steadily on the field.

"Aggron, your turn!"

Kyle had committed fully to the path of a Rock-type Trainer. Rock wasn't the easiest type to build around — five weaknesses, and on offense, it was resisted by Fighting, Ground, and Steel types. The type had decent coverage against Bug, Fire, Flying, and Ice, but no immunities to fall back on. Rock-type Pokémon had always leaned toward raw offense to compensate.

Jacob's eyes settled on Aggron, and he felt a flicker of genuine envy. Steel-type Pokémon had always been his favorite.

This particular Aggron was one Kyle had caught during a training trip, one that had been sitting on the bench until it finally evolved. Now, fully evolved and sitting at peak Ace-tier strength, it was clearly no pushover — which explained why Kyle had chosen today to finally issue this challenge.

Aggron cut an imposing figure. Few Pokémon looked as formidable at a glance — clad head to toe in natural steel armor, built like a fortress. But in actual battle performance, Aggron had a critical flaw that held it back.

Its typing.

Steel on its own was one of the finest defensive types in the game — only weak to Fighting, Ground, and Fire. But layering Rock on top introduced four additional weaknesses, and two of them — Fighting and Ground — overlapped, creating double quadruple weaknesses. Close Combat and Earthquake, two of the most common and powerful moves in competitive battling, both hit Aggron for four times the damage.

Aggron's exceptional Defense helped soften the blow somewhat, but its Special Defense left something to be desired.

Still — none of that changed the fact that Aggron looked absolutely incredible.

Jacob made a mental note that Steel-type Pokémon had a remarkably high ceiling for aesthetics.

"I'll give you credit, Jacob — Fraxure hits hard," Kyle said, his tone carrying a competitive edge. "But let's see how it handles this. Aggron — Ice Punch!"

Aggron let out a thunderous roar, Ice-type energy crackling around its fist, and charged toward Fraxure with surprising force for its size. Its speed, though, betrayed its bulk — it was slow, each stride heavy and deliberate.

Kyle had gone straight for the super-effective hit. He clearly wasn't here to play around.

Jacob kept his voice calm. "Back up, Fraxure. Use Dragon Dance!"

Fraxure moved fluidly, sidestepping backward to open distance between itself and the charging Aggron. Dragon-type energy began to swirl around it as it raised its claws and broke into Dragon Dance — Attack and Speed both climbing sharply.

Aggron, still closing the gap, didn't wait. It swung hard the moment it was in range.

The fist connected — and Fraxure caught it with its tusks, teeth clamped down, holding the blow. The force was enough to push Fraxure skidding backward, its claws dragging against the ground.

Kyle's expression shifted. The smirk was gone, replaced by something sharper and more focused. He wasn't celebrating. He was watching.

"Now — Heavy Slam!"