"Question?" Aoki was taken aback.
Steven nodded, hesitated for a moment, then took out a Pokéball and threw it onto the field.
Steven's Aerodactyl appeared with a fierce cry.
"Roar~~" The Aerodactyl let out a low growl as it emerged, its wings spreading wide.
Aoki wasted no time and scanned the Aerodactyl's data with his system.
Pokémon: Aerodactyl (Light Blue)
Gender: Male
Level: 59
Type: Rock / Flying
Ability: Rock Head
Held Item: None
Egg Moves: Steel Wing, Dragon Breath, Roost, Tailwind
Basic Moves: Iron Head, Ice Fang, Fire Fang, Thunder Fang, Wing Attack, Supersonic, Bite, Scary Face, Roar, Agility, Ancient Power, Crunch, Slam, Sky Drop
Learnt Moves: Heat Wave, Earth Power, Dragon Pulse, Stealth Rock, Brave Bird
TM Moves: Toxic, Dragon Claw, Hyper Beam, Earthquake, Flamethrower, Rest, Stone Edge, Rock Slide, Sleep Talk, Substitute
The Aerodactyl's stats were impressive, but not unexpected—after all, it was Steven's ace Pokémon. The Light Blue aptitude was fitting for a descendant of the Stone family.
What puzzled Aoki, however, was why this Aerodactyl had reached Level 59 without Steven ever deploying it in battle before. The system's basic scan couldn't detect any abnormalities, but something was clearly off.
Then, Aoki noticed it.
"This is…"
As he reached out to touch the Aerodactyl's wing, the ancient Pokémon tensed, unused to contact from anyone other than Steven. Aoki's eyes widened.
The texture was wrong.
Aerodactyl's skin, though rough due to its Rock typing, was usually smooth to the touch. But Steven's Aerodactyl had jagged black stones jutting out along its wing muscles—small, sharp protrusions that hadn't been there before.
"These rocks weren't there originally," Steven explained, running a hand along his Aerodactyl's head. "At first, you could only feel them, but now they're visible. I don't know why they're growing."
If Aoki's system were fully operational, he could have analyzed the cause. Without it, he could only speculate.
Black stones emerging from an Aerodactyl's body…
Was this atavism? Or something related to Mega Evolution?
For now, the Aerodactyl seemed unaffected—no pain, no hindered movement. Steven had kept it hidden not out of fear of theft, but to protect it from scrutiny.
"It might just be an atavistic trait," Aoki mused, tracing the jagged edges. "Unless it causes problems, it shouldn't be an issue."
Steven nodded, satisfied with the answer. Whatever the reason, nothing would take this Aerodactyl from him.
This was the same Aerodactyl that had witnessed the Volcarona in the ruins, burning itself into the sun. Perhaps it, too, yearned for greater heights than the Stone family could offer.
The world was its true battlefield.
The next day marked the final round of the Sinnoh Tournament. All Top 64 competitors had gathered, as today's battles would determine the ultimate prize—still undisclosed by the organizers.
The match began without preamble.
Steven vs. Cynthia.
A full six-on-six battle, more intense than yesterday's clashes. Cynthia's team, with its level advantage, dominated early.
But then, Steven's Shiny Metagross revealed its true power—its psychic abilities and Levitate allowing it to evade devastating Ground-type attacks.
In the end, only Metagross and Garchomp remained.
Steel resisted Dragon, but Ground crushed Steel.
Metagross's Psychic powers and Levitate turned the tide.
Exhausted, both Pokémon collapsed—but Metagross stood last.
Steven had won.
Though Cynthia was Sinnoh's prodigy, full-team battles weren't her specialty. Steven's Shiny Metagross had been the deciding factor.
The crowd, though disappointed, accepted the result. Luck was part of strength.
With that, the first Sinnoh Tournament concluded, cementing six-on-six battles as a standard for future League assessments—including those for the Elite Four and Champion rankings.
Now, only one thing remained—the prize ceremony.