Some Pokémon become giants due to natural genetics or fortunate encounters.
But Paul's Grotle? Its immense size was a direct result of his Growth Training Method, ensuring a deep-rooted foundation. This was why, upon evolution, it would become significantly larger than usual.
Right now, Grotle had already reached the threshold for evolution. However, since it had yet to fully master the natural energy cultivated through the training method, Paul deliberately withheld its evolution.
He was merely waiting for the moment when its power was completely ready—so that it could evolve naturally.
"I trust you."
Lucas shot Paul a knowing look, the kind that wordlessly asked; Do you expect me to believe that?
"Suit yourself."
Paul replied indifferently.
Looking back at the battlefield, a large number of Steel-type Pokémon lay unconscious on the ground, unmoving.
Had this been the past, Paul would have captured and scanned every single one of them.
But after observing these Pokémon closely for two days, he found none with particularly outstanding potential. With his Pokémon slots already full, Paul had no interest in capturing them.
Rather than catching Pokémon, Paul was more concerned with finding out who had interfered with his Pokémon's training.
"This is strange. What's going on? These Pokémon just went insane out of nowhere."
Lucas frowned, gazing at the battlefield of fallen Pokémon with confusion.
"There's something wrong with this island."
Paul instinctively began recalling the events related to Iron Island.
Suddenly—
"AHHHH! HELP!"
"Damn it, damn it, damn it! Stop chasing me! This is going to cost a fortune!"
"Damn it all!"
From the distance came a frantic scream.
The next moment, a yellow-haired boy came into view, desperately fleeing—pursued by a pack of Steel-type Pokémon led by a Prinplup.
"Barry... what the hell is he doing? Why is his own Prinplup leading a chase against him? This is embarrassing..."
Lucas groaned and rubbed his forehead.
At this absurd sight, even their Pokémon found it hard to keep watching.
"Buzzz~"
Electabuzz: Yo, isn't that the little yellow-haired idiot? Haven't seen him in a while, and he's still as trash as ever, huh?
"Electabuzz, Charge up and use Thunder!"
Paul, already accustomed to Barry's antics, remained completely unfazed. Without hesitation, he pointed at the rampaging Steel-type Pokémon.
"Buzzz~"
With an eager grin, Electabuzz began gathering energy. Once fully charged, it unleashed a devastating Thunder attack, sending bolts of lightning crashing down upon the pursuing Steel-types.
This Thunder had eight times its usual power.
"BOOM!"
In an instant, the entire group of Steel-types collapsed to the ground.
"Ahh—my... my Pokédollars…"
Barry, still mid-sprint, turned to see his Pokémon groaning in pain before collapsing completely silent. His heart shattered at the sight, and he immediately rushed back to his Prinplup's side.
"Prinplup! Hey, are you okay?!"
After recalling Prinplup back into its Poké Ball, Barry turned to Paul with an exasperated glare.
"Paul! Can't you go easier on them?! Prinplup's badly injured! This will gonna cost me a fortune in treatment fees!"
"Hmph."
Paul scoffed but didn't bother replying. His focus remained on recalling his knowledge about Iron Island.
If his memory served him right, Team Galactic had been using the island's ruins—along with the Lustrous Orb, Adamant Orb, and Meteorites—to search for the Spear Pillar on Mt. Coronet.
If they succeeded, their next step would likely be capturing the Lake Guardians to forge the Red Chain.
In the anime, Ash and his friends—along with Riley—had managed to foil the plan. Riley and his Lucario contained an explosion with Aura before it detonated in the air.
But that was just the anime.
Would an explosion capable of destroying an entire island really be stopped so easily?
Paul didn't think so.
And more importantly—
Is the Pokémon League really this incompetent?
He had already tipped off multiple organizations, yet Team Galactic had still managed to steal several meteorite fragments.
"Barry, what happened?" Lucas asked.
"Prinplup and I were training at the highlands deeper inside the island. I saw you guys approaching, but then... Prinplup just went crazy all of a sudden. And, well, you know the rest…"
As he explained, Barry suddenly recalled something strange.
"Wait! While I was running, I saw a huge depression in the ground that wasn't there before. It looked... unnatural. The color was different from the rest of the terrain, and I think I saw someone down there."
"Could that be the cause of the Pokémon rampage?"
"Very possible." Lucas nodded. "Let's check it out. If we deal with whatever's happening, we can resume training."
"Worth investigating."
Paul agreed.
After all, this wasn't the anime.
For all he knew, Team Galactic could locate the Spear Pillar at any moment and plant explosives before immediately retreating.
Rather than running away, it was better to deal with the problem head-on.
Paul recalled his Drapion and Ursaring—both too large for stealth—before leading the way.
Lucas and Barry quickly followed, Pokémon in tow.
At that moment, deep within the island's newly excavated ruins—
An ancient palace, still partially buried, stood in the depths of the site.
Inside the palace were statues of Dialga and Palkia, their forms frozen in a silent gaze toward the sky.
Beneath them, a massive metallic spire lay buried—its surface engraved with inscriptions yet to be unearthed.
A squad of Team Galactic members was already hard at work analyzing the ruins.
A specialized machine pulsed with low-frequency waves, attempting to synchronize with the metal spire to activate the Lustrous and Adamant Orbs. Their goal was clear—Pinpoint the location of Spear Pillar.
However, the process took time. At least an hour would be needed before the machine could release an energy beam to reveal the Spear Pillar's coordinates.
Yet, despite their progress, Team Galactic's luck had run out.
Paul and his group had already arrived at the ruins' perimeter—observing everything from a hidden vantage point.
"Team Galactic again…"
Lucas muttered in disgust, his voice low.
Clearly, his impression of them was extremely poor.
"Damn it! So, these bastards are the reason Prinplup and the others went uncontrollable?! They should compensate me for this!"
Barry grumbled in frustration.
Paul remained silent, eyes locked onto the situation below.
Above the ruins, dozens of Crobat patrolled the air, striking down any rogue Pokémon and tossing them into a pit.
Among the uniformly teal-haired Galactic Grunts, a red-haired woman stood out—her lavish outfit signaling her as an executive.
Beside her sat a grotesquely oversized Purugly.
"Let's not waste time."
Paul wasn't one to hesitate. After confirming the enemy's strength, he gave his Pokémon a signal.
Immediately, his team began powering up with stat-boosting moves in preparation for an ambush.
"Get ready, everyone."
Lucas followed Paul's lead.
Power up first. Strike hard. Capture everyone. No need for honor against criminals.
"Staraptor, Heracross, you're up too."
Since Paul and Lucas already had a large squad, Barry opted for two aerial Pokémon instead.
Then—
"BOOM!"
"Roooaaar!"
Not even ten seconds into their power-up, a thunderous roar erupted from behind them.
A massive Steelix burst through the ground, charging straight at them.
With so many Pokémon present, there was no reason to let their Trainers get hurt. The Pokémon quickly combined their efforts, each unleashing an attack, successfully bringing the Steelix down.
However, the commotion didn't go unnoticed. Not only did it attract Team Galactic's attention, but it also destabilized the rock wall the group had been clinging to—sending both Trainers and Pokémon plummeting into the valley below.
"Ahhh!"
In midair, Barry screamed as he fell, but he was swiftly caught by his Staraptor, landing safely without injury.
Lucas, protected by Togetic, managed to descend into the valley relatively unscathed.
As for Paul, he skillfully maneuvered off protruding rocks during his fall, leaping from surface to surface until he landed safely on solid ground.
Compared to their Trainers, the Pokémon had a rougher landing—several of them sustained minor injuries.
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