"What's going on? This aura..."

  Not to mention Karen or Will, but even champions like Leon and Lorelei felt an astonishing sense of oppression from the Bewear that suddenly emerged from behind Stephen.

  "Go."

  Since he wasn't wearing a hat, Stephen's fingertips brushed the bck-framed gsses on his nose bridge as he pointed at the Garian Articuno soaring in the sky.

  Linlin behind him bent her knees slightly and sprang forward like a coiled spring.

  A sharp, explosive sound like firecrackers bursting echoed in the air.

  In an instant, Linliin had already shot toward Garian Articuno.

  Meanwhile, on the ground behind Stephen, two massive bear footprints, each over ten centimeters deep, were left behind.

  Seeing the rapidly enrging bear head in its vision, Garian Articuno's expression changed drastically.

  At the critical moment, relying on its Flying-type advantage, it fpped its wings desperately, barely dodging the incoming headbutt.

  The momentum carried Bewear past Articuno, taking it even higher into the air.

  A cunning glint fshed in Articuno's eyes beneath its mask as countless pale purple energy spheres formed around its body—

  A move that resembled a purple version of Admiral Kizaru's Yasakani no Magatama.

  "That's Psychic Shock! Hey, watch out!"

  Mustard, seated on his Corviknight, shouted a warning.

  As a master of Fighting-type Pokémon, Mustard naturally understood how devastating Psychic-type moves could be against Fighting-types.

  He also knew that Pokémon without the Flying type would struggle to evade attacks when airborne, as they cked a foothold to maneuver.

  Psychic-types could still use their psychic powers to move in midair, but their agility was inferior to Flying-types—

  Let alone Fighting-types.

  The next moment, the Psychic Shock energy spheres bsted toward Bewear.

  "This is looking bad!"

  Nessa gasped.

  Not only was Bewear unable to defend itself midair, but it was also weak to Psychic-type moves.

  However, what happened next made everyone widen their eyes in shock.

  Faced with the overwhelming barrage of purple energy spheres, Bewear remained eerily calm.

  Just as the first energy sphere was about to strike her face, she swung her right palm violently, as if performing the legendary Buddha's Palm technique.

  Sp!

  A highly concentrated burst of energy erupted from its palm, creating a deafening explosion in midair.

  Using the recoil from this attack, Bewear shifted its body sideways, narrowly dodging the first wave of projectiles.

  Not just the trainers below, but even Garian Articuno was startled.

  What kind of move is that?!

  But in the next second, the legendary bird quickly regained its composure. The faint blue glow in its masked eyes flickered—

  And the energy spheres that Bewear had just dodged suddenly reversed direction, bending at a sharp 180-degree angle to strike from behind.

  And that wasn't all.

  The purple orbs adjusted their trajectory from all sides—above, below, left, right—surrounding Bewear in a 360-degree inescapable attack.

  Let's see how you dodge this!

  Bewear's gaze shifted briefly, locking eyes with Stephen below.

  "Kami-e."

  Upon hearing Stephen utter those words, Bewear took a light breath and completely rexed its body.

  As the endless energy spheres rained down, everyone was startled to see—

  Bewear's body swayed like a piece of paper, like a feather caught in the wind.

  Each time an energy sphere approached, its body would shift by an imperceptibly small margin, dodging every single attack by a hair's breadth.

  "T-That… could it be… Foresight?"

  Lorelei gasped in shock.

  Her old colleague, Bruno, had Pokémon that specialized in this technique—Foresight, a move that heightened concentration to its absolute limit, allowing a Pokémon to dodge incoming attacks instinctively.

  It was an advanced Fighting-type technique.

  However, Mustard, the Fighting-type master, immediately saw through it.

  "No, that's not Foresight."

  Because Foresight required intense focus for a short duration, enabling a Pokémon to evade most attacks.

  But if used repeatedly, the user would eventually make a mistake.

  It was simir to the move Protect—the more you used it in succession, the higher the chance of failure.

  If Bewear were using Foresight, the effect should have already worn off.

  At this moment, Bewear, still cking a foothold, was descending from the sky.

  Surprisingly, Garian Articuno didn't seize the opportunity to strike—

  Instead, it hesitated.

  This bear fights in such a bizarre way… I don't know what to do anymore.

  "Will."

  Stephen suddenly spoke.

  Will was startled awake and, upon noticing Stephen's gaze, remembered—this was his battle.

  "Akazam, Shadow Ball!"

  Taking advantage of Articuno's distraction, Will immediately issued a command to his exhausted Akazam, whose health was already in the yellow, bordering on red.

  Fortunately, thanks to Stephen's invention of the TM, this Akazam—captured less than a week ago—had already learned Shadow Ball.

  Otherwise, it wouldn't even have a move that could hit Garian Articuno.

  That was the major downside of monotype Pokémon—they had a shallow move pool.

  On the ground, the staggering Akazam gritted its teeth and straightened its posture, crossing its two spoons once more to unleash Shadow Ball.

  Just as the Shadow Ball was about to strike Articuno's back, a humming sound echoed—

  A spherical protective barrier materialized, blocking the sneak attack.

  It was the ultimate defense—Protect.

  "The distance was too far! It had time to react!"

  Will gritted his teeth in frustration.

  But the problem was—his Akazam no longer had enough stamina to use Psychic to levitate itself.

  "Screeeech—"

  In the sky, Garian Articuno let out a sharp cry and fpped its purple wings forcefully.

  A howling hurricane descended.

  Hurricane!

  Hurricane was a high-power move, but because of its strength, it was difficult to control, making its accuracy lower than usual.

  However, if combined with the power of a torrential downpour, the accuracy would reach its peak.

  This is also one of the favorite combo moves of Lance.

  But… Garian Articuno has its techniques.

  As it unleashed Hurricane, Garian Articuno's eyes glowed with a faint purple psychic light.

  A stream of light purple energy enveloped the Hurricane, concentrating its power, condensing its scattered force, and striking down!

  It was Psychic!

  Just like in the original movie Ragnarok Battle, where Ash had Mega Rayquaza and Mega Latias & Latios use a Tornado + Psychic combo to block the combined attack of seven Legendary Pokémon.

  Now, Garian Articuno was also using its Psychic power to stabilize the Hurricane, increasing its accuracy and destructive force.

  Swish!

  A sharp gust of wind cut across Stephen's skin beneath his bck-framed gsses and a trace of crimson spttered forth.

  "Not bad power," Stephen remarked, touching the cut on the side of his face.

  "Stephen!"

  Karen called out in concern.

  Leon, Lorelei, and other top trainers also reached for their Poké Balls.

  "Armanent – Megaton Punch."

  Before anyone could act, Stephen spoke again.

  Directly beneath the Psychic Hurricane, Linlin stepped forward with her left foot and pushed her right hand back.

  "Huh!?"

  From atop Corviknight's back, Mustard faintly sensed an unusual aura and locked his gaze onto Bewear's right arm.

  Meanwhile, high above, Garian Articuno, unable to see below due to the Psychic Hurricane, also vaguely felt an invisible pressure.

  From a side angle, Mustard, watching from Corviknight's back, saw Bewear swinging its right arm like a home-run batter wielding a bat.

  Garian Articuno, sensing the powerful energy approaching, momentarily froze, its light-blue eyes losing focus for an instant.

  BOOM—!

  At st, a deafening explosion, like a missile striking the ground, rang out.

  The Psychic Hurricane, reinforced by Psychic, burst apart like a balloon pierced by a bullet.

  A violent gust howled outward.

  Leon's Charizard, Lorelei's Lapras, Rose's Copperajah, and other ace Pokémon had already reacted in advance, jumping in to shield their trainers from the force.

  "Eeek—!"

  Suddenly, a miserable screech came from above.

  The group, who had instinctively shielded themselves from the wind, looked up.

  They saw that Garian Articuno's left wing was visibly bent and fractured, unable to maintain its flight, wobbling like a broken kite as it plummeted.

  Meanwhile, the Bewear remained in its stance, its fist still extended.

  "Did… did it hit?"

  "Was that just now… Megaton Punch?"

  "Such… such power! It shattered Articuno's Hurricane…"

  Looking at the Bewear's back and the now-vanished Hurricane, young trainers like Iono and Nessa were left gaping in shock.

  More experienced trainers, like Lorelei, suddenly realized something.

  "Wait! It used punch to break the Hurricane!?"

  Lorelei's words snapped everyone back to reality.

  That Bewear had used a physical move, shattering a Hurricane with its punch!

  "If that punch had nded directly on Articuno…"

  Chairman Rose gulped as he looked at the now-grounded Garian Articuno.

  Even just the punch wind had crippled a Legendary Pokémon's wing. If it had nded directly… would that masked Articuno have even survived?

  "Will, it's your turn."

  Stephen's words pulled everyone's attention back.

  In the distance, Garian Articuno, its left wing twisted at an unnatural angle, struggled to bance itself after crashing into the ground.

  Will immediately snapped back to focus and shouted:

  "Akazam, let's go!"

  Behind its mask, Garian Articuno's light-blue eyes fshed with cold determination.

  Lifting its gaze, it fired parallel purple ser beams from its eyes.

  This was its signature move—Freezing Gre!

  "Too obvious. Protect!"

  Following Will's command, Akazam materialized a light green protective barrier in front of itself.

  The moment Freezing Gre struck, cracks spread across the semi-transparent barrier, showcasing the stark difference in power.

  But that was enough.

  Within the single second that Protect deyed Freezing Gre, Akazam's pupils contracted and—vanished instantly.

  Snap—

  A second ter, Freezing Gre shattered the shield.

  But it no longer mattered.

  Akazam was no longer there.

  Teleport!

  A chill ran down Garian Articuno's spine as a strong sense of danger surged from behind.

  Turning its head, it saw the bastard had appeared at its back.

  Between Akazam's two spoons, a Shadow Ball was already forming.

  "Fire!"

  Will, who had caught up, shouted excitedly.

  Boom!

  This time, Garian Articuno had no room to dodge.

  The super-effective Shadow Ball smashed against its face.

  Yet even as the smoke and dust billowed—

  A sharp bde of air suddenly sliced through the bck haze, sshing toward Akazam.

  Opposite them, Garian Articuno was raising its right wing in a sshing motion.

  Air Ssh!

  "Legendary Pokémon are tanky…"

  Will couldn't help but sigh.

  Even after taking a direct hit to the face, it could still counterattack.

  Boom!

  Just as the Air Ssh was about to strike Akazam's face, it was forcefully blocked.

  Garian Articuno's expression suddenly changed.

  Upon closer inspection, it was discovered—

  In front of Akazam, at some unknown point, a nearly transparent square wall had been erected.

  That was... Light Screen!

  A barrier capable of halving the power of special attacks!

  Had it been prepared before unching Shadow Ball!?

  "Wow~ that was close, that was close. If I hadn't taken precautions in advance, I might have lost right there."

  Will patted his chest.

  From a distance, Karen crossed her arms over her chest and said coldly,

  "Before this, the people from the Gar League had already worn it down quite a bit, and Stephen even crippled one of its wings for you. If you still can't take it down, you might as well just kill yourself."

  "Shut up!"

  Will retorted loudly, pointing his right index finger toward the target.

  "Final strike—Dazzling Gleam!"

  A pale pink radiance surged forward.

  Garian Articuno attempted to resist, but its body was bsted into the air by the force of the light.

  A few pale purple feathers drifted down.

  "Come on! Luxury Ball!"

  Will took out a Poké Ball—entirely bck with golden embellishments.

  It was something he had specially prepared to capture Garian Articuno.

  The Luxury Ball hit Garian Articuno squarely on the forehead.

  Pop!

  The ball automatically opened, emitting a red light that absorbed Garian Articuno before snapping shut and falling to the ground.

  Wobble… wobble… wobble...

  Will held his breath.

  Everyone else stared intently at the shaking Luxury Ball—even Karen, who usually loved mocking Will, remained silent.

  Click!

  Finally, the Luxury Ball emitted a reassuring sound, signaling that the capture was complete.

  Good thing this was real life and not a game.

  Otherwise, even if the target fainted, unless you had a Master Ball, you'd have to throw at least dozens of Ultra Balls before managing to catch a legendary Pokémon.

  "OH OH OH OH OH!!!"

  Will, overjoyed at his success, didn't rush to pick up the Luxury Ball from the ground.

  Instead, he ran toward Stephen, shouting excitedly like a monkey.

  Seeing this, Stephen opened his arms, preparing for a celebratory high-five.

  However, in the very next second—

  Will jumped up and wrapped his legs around Stephen's waist like a koa.

  This little chubby guy—Stephen almost lost his bance.

  But that wasn't the end.

  The next moment, under the watchful eyes of everyone present—

  Will cupped Stephen's face in his hands and kissed the cheeks countless times.

  "Mwah!"

  The scene erupted into chaos.

  The young women covered their faces, unable to watch—

  Yet they still secretly peeked through their fingers.

  The little girls shook their heads in disappointment. Such a shame…

  If the one clinging to Stephen was a handsome guy instead, they would have been squealing over this moment.

  Iono's big round eyes darted around, thinking that Joker would suit this role perfectly.

  Meanwhile, Mustard, Chairman Rose, and others smiled approvingly.

  What a beautiful dispy of friendship.

  Karen, standing nearby, looked as though her face had been dipped in ink.

  To be honest, if she didn't already know that Stephen's first kiss (of this lifetime) had been taken by her, she would have turned Will into a tree cut down to a stump today.

  Stephen, now covered in saliva, quickly pushed Will off before the tter could nd another kiss.

  Will, who nded on his butt, gazed at Stephen with a face full of grievance.

  Stephen, meanwhile, lifted his sleeve to wipe his face and turned to Rose.

  "Do you have a towel?"

  "There's some on the pne. I'll have the flight attendant bring one over."

  ...

  Five minutes ter.

  Stephen pulled Karen's hands away, signaling that she didn't need to wipe anymore—

  He felt like she was about to rub off a yer of his skin.

  "Chairman Rose, about Moltres…?"

  Rose replied, "Don't worry, Dr. Stephen. I have people searching for Moltres as we speak. I guarantee that you'll receive a perfect answer soon."

  Stephen nodded.

  Rose was not the type to go back on his word.

  As a businessman, his magnanimity was comparable to Giovanni.

  Gotta say the Pokémon world had quite a few good bosses.

  If only the higher-ups in Konoha Vilge could learn a thing or two.

  "Hoho~ Dr. Stephen, your Bewear's performance just now was quite spectacur~"

  At that moment, Mustard jumped down from his Corviknight, stroking his chin and beaming at Stephen.

  "You ftter me, Master Mustard."

  Stephen turned to look at this former Gar Champion—

  The very man who had mentored Leon.

  "The battle just now was an eye-opener for this old man. There were a few techniques… How exactly did you pull them off?"

  Recalling the battle, Mustard couldn't understand some of the finer details.

  The aerial movement—like a feather gracefully dodging attacks.

  And that one earth-shattering punch from Bewear...

  He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination,

  But for a moment, when Bewear struck, its right arm seemed to emit a strange energy.

  As a specialist in Fighting-type Pokémon, perhaps even the strongest Fighting-type trainer of this era,

  Mustard was surprised that he had never seen such techniques before.

  "Oh, that was…"

  Stephen was about to expin when something behind Mustard caught his attention.

  At the peak of Challenge Road stood a deep crimson-bck tower.

  Turning his gaze westward toward the shores of the Isle of Armor,

  He could just barely make out another tower—this one entirely water-blue.

  An idea formed in Stephen's mind.

  Pointing at the bck tower atop the mountain, he asked, despite already knowing the answer:

  "Master Mustard, what is that?"

  Mustard turned to look, then chuckled.

  "Oh ho~ that's the Tower of Darkness. Dr. Stephen, are you interested in it~?"

  "Please, enlighten me."

  Stephen feigned ignorance.

  Mustard was just about to reply when a woman's voice rang out:

  "Dear! Little Leon! It's time for dinner, hurry back to the dojo!"

  Everyone turned to look.

  The speaker was a woman dressed in a green sweater, lightly made-up, appearing around thirty years old.

  Her beauty wasn't on the level of Lorelei or Karen,

  But she could easily score above 80 points.

  She was calling… who?

  Iono and the others wondered silently.

  "Oh ho! Coming!"

  In the next second, Mustard waved at the woman and then smiled at Stephen, saying:

  "Without realizing it, it's already this te. How about coming to this old man's dojo to have dinner and chat?"

  Iono, Will, Karen, and the others were instantly dumbfounded, their gazes shifting back and forth between Mustard, who was clearly over sixty, and the woman, who appeared to be around thirty.

  You two are a married couple!?

  PS: Bewear used Haki and Six Powers from One Piece.