The one who blasted Number Four into the arena was none other than the often-eccentric Everard.
However, this time Everard wasn't alone; he was accompanied by an Alakazam whose whiskers were all bristling, its two spoons crossed over its chest, its eyes flickering with psychic energy, and it was suspended in mid-air.
One could see that this Alakazam had an exceptionally large head, making its limbs appear very slender in comparison.
At this moment, Alakazam's psychic power and Everard's psychic power were completely fused, and the combined impact unleashed by these two individuals, both already possessing exceptionally strong psychic abilities, was something Number Four could no longer withstand.
Even though Number Four had been constantly enveloped in psychic energy due to his nervousness, under this single blow, his eyes rolled back, his psychic energy completely stagnated, and he collapsed in the middle of the arena, his arms and legs struggling to prop him up, his body trembling slightly before he fell to the ground again, on the verge of losing consciousness.
Aoki and Number Five, who were not far from Number Four, were dragged three to four meters across the ground by the residual psychic shockwave, leaving four deep gouges in the ground.
Fortunately, Aoki reacted in time, enveloping himself in psychic energy, otherwise, he might not have fared much better than Number Four. Such a powerful psychic impact, even if resisted, would likely cause severe mental trauma, rendering him unable to use psychic abilities for a long time.
In more severe cases, one might become a fool, and even more severely, a vegetative state with complete loss of consciousness. This was no laughing matter.
Aoki secretly clicked his tongue at this moment, never expecting this seemingly eccentric man to be so terrifying and unbridled when he erupted.
Seeing that Number Four would be unconscious for a while, Aoki put away the item he had been clutching tightly, which could have helped him control Number Four.
This ticking time bomb, which could explode at any moment, saved Aoki a lot of trouble that would have been difficult to handle otherwise.
However, with Everard in a furious rage, coupled with that large-headed Alakazam with its bristling whiskers, the surrounding people slowly retreated to a certain distance. At this moment, it would not be wise for anyone to step forward and try to stop him.
Alakazam's brain cells grow infinitely, so the longer an Alakazam lives, or the stronger an Alakazam is, the larger its head will be.
Therefore, observing their heads is an excellent way to gauge the strength of Pokémon like Alakazam.
Furthermore, Alakazam are natural psychics and are among the most difficult Pokémon to capture in the Pokémon world.
Even some pseudo-legendary Pokémon are much easier to catch than Alakazam, or rather, Kadabra or Abra.
In the Pokémon world, most Pokémon respect strength, so as long as they are defeated head-on and are not disliked, the process of capturing them is relatively simple.
However, some Psychic-type Pokémon are different. Because they can use psychic powers, it means their mental strength is not weak, they possess intelligence comparable to humans, and coupled with their psychic talent, to be honest, they tend to look down on ordinary people.
Alakazam, in particular, is the Pokémon with the highest demands on its trainer among Psychic-type Pokémon. It is best if its trainer is also a psychic and not a "Muggle."
Of course, there are some Alakazam who don't mind this much, but most Alakazam have very high standards for themselves.
At this moment, Aoki didn't even need to scan Everard's Alakazam's data; he could tell its strength was not to be underestimated just by looking at its head.
However, as Alakazam walked past him, Aoki still subconsciously scanned its data.
After all, they might become adversaries in the future, and knowing oneself and one's enemy is always better than knowing nothing.
Pokémon: Alakazam (Blue) — Psychic Boost
Gender: Male
Level: 89 (Level 90)
Type: Psychic
Ability: Inner Focus
Held Item: Twisted Spoon
Egg Moves: Power Trick, Guard Swap, Skill Swap, Psychic Terrain
Basic Moves: Kinesis, Teleport, Confusion, Disable, Psybeam, Miracle Eye, Reflect, Psycho Cut, Recover, Telekinesis, Ally Switch, Psychic, Calm Mind, Future Sight, Trick
Learnt Moves: Ice Punch, Magic Room, Shock Wave, Signal Beam, Magic Coat, Wonder Room, Gravity, Zen Headbutt
TM Moves: Psychic Shock, Light Screen, Protect, Double Team, Rest, Energy Ball, Thunder Wave, Dream Eater, Grass Knot, Substitute
When Aoki saw Alakazam's data, his pupils instantly constricted. This time, he was truly a bit startled.
Indeed, according to Aoki's conjecture, even if many people from the cult had entered this time, and their strengths were all very high, there would absolutely not be a Pokémon that had broken through the second barrier of the Champion level. This was not only Aoki's confidence but also his trust in the Alliance, and his trust in Dialga and Palkia.
If someone with such strong abilities truly entered here, the Alliance would definitely discover it! Or rather, Dialga and Palkia would permit someone with such strong abilities to enter their home.
Even if it was a home they had abandoned, this was one of the reasons Aoki had the confidence to carry out this series of plans, because he believed that even if he was exposed, he would have the confidence to retreat unscathed.
But now, Everard's Alakazam had shattered Aoki's perception.
Alakazam's own strength had indeed not broken through the second barrier of the Champion level, but it was at the peak of the first barrier. With the auxiliary boost from Everard's psychic power, it had actually barely broken through to the second barrier!
The most important thing was that this Alakazam had not yet used the divine power infusion from the cult!
In other words, it still had room for its strength to rise further!
Possessing such strength, it was no wonder that everyone present was awestruck by him. If things went wrong, this was someone who could sweep the entire field!
However, what surprised Aoki the most was not this, but the sheer power of Everard's psychic abilities.
He had fantasized more than once about how powerful Everard's psychic abilities truly were, even comparing him to the strongest psychic he had ever seen, Sabrina. But to enable a Pokémon at the peak of the first barrier to break through to the second barrier, the amount of psychic power required was beyond Aoki's imagination.
From this perspective, his psychic power was probably much more terrifying than Sabrina's!
However, such a powerful psychic had a slightly abnormal mind. This was probably what they called "no one is perfect"; everyone has some flaws.
Just as Aoki was well aware that he was a pessimist, in many situations, this would be the foundation of his survival, but in special circumstances, it would become an impediment to his further progress, and might even become the assistant that pushed him into the abyss!
"Everard, what are you going crazy for again?!" At this moment, Wallace also reacted. His subordinate was attacked directly by the other party like this. Even if there was evidence pointing the culprit towards him, as the person in charge, Wallace had not even given his consent, and Everard had already made his move. This was a blatant disrespect to him.
Houndoom leaped forward, landing in front of Number Four, who was lying on the ground, baring its teeth at Alakazam.
As Wallace's Pokémon, Houndoom had an unusual understanding of Alakazam. The two Pokémon were rivals, but the Dark-type Houndoom had a certain type advantage against Alakazam.
However, Alakazam, in its current state, showed no fear of Houndoom. Its eyes burst forth with a kaleidoscopic glow as it directly used Miracle Eye. Without wasting words with Houndoom, its spoons bent, and three silvery-white Psycho Cuts appeared out of thin air in front of Alakazam, cutting through the air and instantly appearing before Houndoom.
This was a Psycho Cut from an Alakazam whose strength had broken through the second barrier of the Champion level. Even though Houndoom was a Dark-type Pokémon, with Miracle Eye in effect, Alakazam's attack could still hit Houndoom.
Moreover, Houndoom didn't have a psychic boost, nor had it used Mega Evolution. It seemed a bit troublesome for it to withstand Alakazam's attack this time.
But Houndoom was also fearless. A large amount of dense dark energy gathered on its black fur, and the Dark Pulse move was already ready to be unleashed!
There was no time for Aoki and the others to think too much; the two leaders immediately began to fight.
Alakazam's Psycho Cut and Houndoom's Dark Pulse collided in mid-air. The energies, already mutually counteracting, produced an exceptionally intense explosion at this moment, kicking up a large cloud of dust.
Everyone's vision was obstructed, but fortunately, they were all psychics, and relying on their psychic perception, they could vaguely see some of what was happening inside.
Another Pokémon appeared beside Houndoom, and it was precisely because of this Pokémon's appearance that it barely managed to withstand Alakazam's three Psycho Cuts.
A Pokémon that looked somewhat like an octopus and somewhat like a squid stood beside Houndoom.
Malamar!
Perhaps most people wouldn't recognize this Pokémon, but the "well-informed" Aoki recognized it immediately.
Because this Pokémon's typing was very strange, it was a Pokémon with inherently contradictory energy types.
Malamar is a Dark/Psychic type, a Pokémon with a severely counteracting type combination. The Dark type can nullify Psychic-type attacks, and Dark-type energy can nullify Psychic-type energy. Other type advantages, even if they exist, wouldn't be so extreme.
For example, Ludicolo, which is Water/Grass, also has contradictory types, with Grass-type being super effective against Water-type, but this is only super effective, not to the point of nullification.
However, Dark-type nullifies Psychic-type, yet they are combined, which left a deep impression on Aoki regarding this Pokémon.
Other Pokémon with such extremely contradictory types, in Aoki's memory, should only include Stunfisk, which is Ground/Electric, and Altaria, which is nicknamed the "Dragon Traitor" and whose types become Dragon/Fairy after Mega Evolution.
But this also showed that Malamar inherently possessed a type advantage.
Aside from being quadruply weak to Bug-type and doubly weak to Fairy-type, all other types only deal normal damage to Malamar at most, and Psychic-type attacks are even nullified.
Being able to use psychic powers while also being immune to others' psychic attacks, isn't that infuriating?
So Wallace's choice of Pokémon had some method to it. It was no wonder that even with a slight deficiency in his Pokémon's raw power at this moment, he could still contend with Everard's Alakazam.
Pokémon: Malamar (Light Blue)
Gender: Male
Level: 88
Type: Dark + Psychic
Ability: Infiltrator
Held Item: None
Egg Moves: Simple Beam, Power Split, Destiny Bond, Guard Swap
Base Moves: Reversal, Tackle, Peck, Bind, Reflect, Foul Play, Swagger, Psywave, Topsy-Turvy, Hypnosis, Psybeam, Switcheroo, Payback, Light Screen, Psycho Cut, Slash, Night Slash, Superpower
Tutor Moves: Snore, Foul Play, Knock Off, Bind, Telekinesis, Block, Throat Chop, Grudge, Ally Switch, Snatch
TM/HM: Psychic Shock, Calm Mind, Toxic, Taunt, Protect, Light Screen, Thunderbolt, Psychic, Reflect, Flamethrower, Trick Room
This Malamar wasn't as outstanding as Alakazam or Houndoom, but it should also be one of Wallace's main Pokémon.
However, just the Dark/Psychic typing alone was annoying enough, and coupled with the relatively rare Infiltrator ability, which allows it to ignore barriers or substitute-like moves to attack, it could be said that this was a bane for Pokémon like Alakazam, who excel at using barrier-like moves and whose own defense is not very strong.
Because Pokémon like Alakazam rely too much on their own psychic power and various barrier and substitute-like moves.
After seeing this Malamar's types and moves, Aoki somehow felt that Wallace chose to capture such a Malamar specifically to counter Everard's Alakazam or perhaps his other Pokémon.
Furthermore, as a Psychic-type Pokémon, Wallace could also layer his psychic power onto it, which wouldn't waste Wallace's advantage as a psychic himself. Although the boost wouldn't be as great as Everard's, it was still a decent bonus.
Indeed, upon seeing the two Pokémon blocking his path, especially the haughty-looking Malamar, Everard's expression turned a bit sour, though it wasn't particularly good to begin with.
However, Everard was not afraid. With a flick of his wrist, two more Poké Balls appeared in his hand, and he looked like he was about to throw them.
Allowing Everard to summon two more Pokémon would mean that this madman was truly intent on fighting.
At this moment, Wallace felt a headache coming on. He was well aware of Everard's temper and quirks, knowing that once the other party truly went mad, no one could stop him except the Bishop, and he was also someone who would even fight himself when he got into a battle.
Who would be willing to fight with someone who goes crazy and even attacks themselves? They must be crazy, right?
But at this moment, Wallace also had to stand in front of Number Four. Since he had already stepped in to stop him, leaving now would make people think he was scared, and what kind of boss couldn't protect his subordinates? Who would still be willing to follow him?
Even if Number Four was the biggest suspect right now, Wallace had to protect him until it was confirmed. This was to win people's hearts.
So the more this was the case, the more he couldn't retreat, but he truly didn't want to have a showdown with this madman, Everard. It would shorten his life and easily make him die of anger.
Wallace was now in a dilemma, caught between a rock and a hard place. Any slight favoritism he might have had for Number Four had been mentally trampled upon dozens of times by now. If it weren't for Number Four, he wouldn't be in such an awkward predicament.
"Everard, haven't you had enough?!" Wallace couldn't help but shout.
Hearing Wallace's words, Everard not only didn't stop, but the smile on his face became even more sinister and unnerving, like a madman walking down the street, daring anyone who didn't want to die to get out of his way.
Seeing this expression, Everard's subordinates, who were familiar with his personality, began to retreat one by one, simultaneously summoning their Pokémon and adopting defensive stances.
The boss is going crazy! Run!
Sensing the shift, Aokis and others, who were originally Wallace's subordinates, also retreated. While worried, they were also slightly excited. This level of battle was not easily restrained.
"Hahahaha—Wallace, do you want to fight me?! We haven't... fought in a long time!!" Everard cackled loudly, throwing out two Poké Balls. A Gallade and a Gardevoir appeared simultaneously!
Seeing these two Pokémon, Aokis, who probably wanted to see the two fight the most, his eyes lit up.
A Gallade and a Gardevoir appearing together gave a slightly different feeling. Both were evolutions of Kirlia, but Gardevoir was much more common. Aokis had never seen a Gallade before.
If a male Kirlia used a Dawn Stone during evolution, it could evolve into a Gallade. After evolving, it would be very different from a Gardevoir.
The biggest differences were that Gallade was a Psychic/Fighting type, and a Pokémon skilled in physical attack and special defense, practically a killer for Psychic-type Pokémon with high special attack and low physical defense.
Seeing both of them beginning to prepare their trump cards, Aokis, who was on the side, indicated that it would be best if these two fought quickly.
Ideally, they would fight until one was dead and the other severely injured. If they could really eliminate these two, then their group would no longer have to fear the Divine Cult and could confront them head-on.
Although this was a significant deviation from Aokis's plan, if by some miracle they could reach this point, Aokis would absolutely be delighted to see it.
"Come on!! Wallace! We haven't fought in a long time!! Let me see your current strength!!" Everard's madness continued. It seemed that when a madman gained enough power, the terror of his rampage was truly something no one wanted to face.
Because a person like him was capable of anything.
However, compared to Everard, Wallace was much calmer. He knew the consequences of fighting now. If the two truly unleashed their full combat power, they could break through to the second stage of the Champion level, just like the Alakazam Everard was using now.
But once they truly unleashed such combat power, it was highly likely to attract the attention of Dialga and Palkia. At that point, let alone getting what was inside the spatial barrier, even escaping alive would be an unknown.
Furthermore, if his mission wasn't completed, he wouldn't be able to report to the Bishop.
"Everard, that's enough!" Wallace said in a deep voice, but he didn't summon any more Pokémon. He knew that summoning more Pokémon at this moment would only stimulate Everard's nerves further, and then it would truly be unstoppable.
Hearing Wallace repeatedly say "enough," Everard felt very uncomfortable because his emotions weren't being vented.
"Enough! Enough! Enough! All you know how to say is 'enough,' 'enough'! Do you even know what I found?! Huh?!" Everard's eyes were wide, bloodshot, as if something had triggered his nerves, causing him to go mad.
Sensing their trainer's current mood, Alakazam, Gardevoir, and Gallade, the three Psychic-type Pokémon, surged with immense psychic power. The plaza, which had gradually returned to calm, once again churned with turbulent energy fluctuations, and a huge storm vortex appeared in the plaza for a moment.
However, hearing Everard say such words, Wallace actually breathed a sigh of relief.
He was afraid that Everard wouldn't explain the causes and reasons. This indicated that he hadn't completely entered a state of madness and that there was still a possibility of communication.
"What did you find? Show me!" Wallace's voice was loud, barely unaffected by the whirlwind.
Bang—Bang—Bang—
Three Poké Balls were thrown out of Everard's hand again, but this time he threw them not to summon Pokémon. These three Poké Balls were the evidence Everard spoke of.
"See for yourself, hmph!
I found these in his residence. They were hidden quite deeply, but I still managed to find them!"
Number Four, who was blocked behind Wallace, had now regained some mobility. Everard's furious attack earlier, under the combined resistance of Number Four's full psychic power, only caused him to lose mobility for a short time and his consciousness to be somewhat blurry, but he hadn't completely lost it.
He couldn't quite understand why Everard had attacked him directly, and without any warning.
But when he saw the three Poké Balls Everard threw in front of Wallace, his eyes widened.
He was all too familiar with these three Poké Balls. They were the Pokémon that originally belonged to Number Two after he and Aokis had dealt with him. The most representative of them was Number Two's Delphox, which could be seen through the glass surface of the Poké Ball.
Anyone who knew Number Two would recognize this Pokémon.
Number Four, who also saw the three Poké Balls through the gap, widened his eyes with an incredulous expression, opening his mouth as if to speak.
However, he was too severely injured by Everard's previous attack. It was already extremely difficult for him to regain consciousness, let alone speak.
But he truly hadn't expected Everard to find these Poké Balls.
Because he was afraid of being discovered, he hadn't carried any of these Poké Balls with him. Not just Number Two's Fire-type Pokémon, but even Number Six's Pokémon were not on him. He hadn't even kept them in his residence, but instead found a relatively hidden place to bury them, deliberately avoiding Aokis's attention.
But now these three Poké Balls appeared before him.
But why were there only three?!
This question flashed through Number Four's mind, but more than that, he wondered how Everard had found these Poké Balls. He was confident that when he buried them, there was absolutely no one around, and his psychic abilities were not just for show.
Unfortunately, in Number Four's current state, even if he wanted to say something, he couldn't. He could only watch the scene with wide eyes.
Wallace picked up the three Poké Balls from the ground with a grim face. Looking at the Pokémon inside, his already dark complexion became even darker, like charcoal.
As the person in charge of this mission, although Number Two was Everard's subordinate, he also had a certain understanding of everyone's Pokémon. At least he knew what level of strength these people were at, and he also knew what each of their signature Pokémon was, such as knowing that Number Two's signature Pokémon was Delphox, Aokis's was Gengar, and so on...
Holding Number Two's Poké Ball, Wallace glared at Number Two, who was lying behind him. He instantly understood why Everard had been so furious upon his return: he had confirmed that Number Four was the one who killed his subordinate.
The reason for his longer absence this time was because he had specifically gone to Number Four's residence for a look.
If finding Number Four's psychic energy cluster at the explosion site in Number Two's area was a coincidence, then Everard finding these three Poké Balls in Number Four's residence completely solidified the fact that Number Four was the murderer!
An extremely powerful psychic energy also erupted from Wallace's body. Although not as strong as Everard's, it was still much stronger than Number Four's, and at this point, due to Everard's attack, he had long lost the ability to resist.
Wallace's psychic energy was like a thousand-pound weight, pressing down on Number Four. Number Four, who was barely lying flat on the ground, was instantly pressed into the ground, creating a small pit. Number Four lay in it like a dead dog, unable to speak, and even his vision, which could still see a little, was completely blocked.
A mouthful of fresh blood suddenly gushed from Number Four's mouth, but he didn't care at all. He just stared intently in Aokis's direction. Even though he couldn't see Aokis now, he still stared fixedly in that direction.
With events unfolding to this point, he finally understood everything: he had fallen into Aokis's trap!
Aokis had asked him to kill Number Two together, promising great benefits, which made his normally rational self, faced with such immense gain, unable to make an accurate decision for a time.
So, after dealing with Number Two, Aokis found an opportunity to leave his psychic energy cluster on the battlefield. Then, before they came to the Spatial Mountain, he moved the Poké Balls he had buried to another location and put them back in his residence, all with the purpose of framing him!
Even... even when he fought Number Two that day, he had clearly made his Weezing evade Delphox's final attack, yet a huge explosion still occurred. This was to severely injure him, allowing Aokis an opportunity to touch Number Two's Poké Balls, which was how Aokis knew where he stored the Poké Balls!
All of this was Aokis's plan, or rather, in Number Four's eyes, it was Bartram's conspiracy.
He just couldn't understand why Aokis would frame him. Was it for the other Poké Balls?
Aokis, watching this scene coldly from the side, had no expression on his face, which was hidden beneath the psychic membrane, as if it had nothing to do with him.
Actually, Number Four's dying guess, while slightly off, wasn't far from the truth.
From beginning to end, as soon as Number Four agreed to join Aokis in ambushing Number Two, he had already stepped into Aokis's trap.
The explosion was orchestrated to give Aokis an opportunity to touch the Poké Balls, as using psychic energy, which could be easily detected, was not an option for marking.
However, Aokis wasn't limited to just psychic abilities. In a high-tech world, marking the location of a few Poké Balls was incredibly simple.
After the two of them left, according to Aokis's instructions, Brad and Catherine cleverly left his psychic energy signature as per Aokis's plan.
Although Aokis had been almost constantly with Number Four for the past two days, with both of them wary of each other, Aokis had two subordinates he could command at any time.
When they went to the Spatial Mountain together, Catherine, following Aokis's plan, dug up the Poké Balls Number Four had hidden elsewhere and then reburied them in his residence. As long as the person checking was thorough enough, they would definitely discover traces of recently dug earth, and thus find the three Poké Balls Aokis wanted them to see.
The reason there were only three was because three were sufficient. As for the rest, while Aokis wasn't particularly interested, it didn't diminish their value.
Aokis had originally prepared himself that if Number Four was exposed and tried to drag him down, Aokis would do his best to refute it. After all, besides Number Four, there was no other evidence against him. Wallace would tolerate the execution of the clearly guilty Number Four, but he would absolutely not allow Aokis, an "innocent" person, to be framed, even if he might have been involved. But there was no evidence!
Aokis had even considered whether to use some kind of drug on Number Four that would temporarily incapacitate his ability to communicate.
However, events unfolded much more smoothly than he had imagined. Everard's psychic abilities were surprisingly strong, allowing him to quickly find the things Aokis wanted them to find.
Aokis was fully prepared. If his identity were exposed, or if Number Four truly dragged him down, Brad was waiting for him at a certain location beneath the Spatial Mountain, and he had a way to escape. However, the losses in that scenario might be too great for Aokis to bear.
But the mad Everard did Aokis a huge favor by directly incapacitating Number Four. Now, Number Four couldn't even communicate using psychic abilities, let alone drag Aokis down.
As soon as Number Four died, Aokis's plan would be 70% successful.
Although his death now wouldn't cause too much trouble for the Divine Cult, the conflict between Wallace and Everard's two factions would be officially escalated. Moreover, Everard still had a powerful piece of information that hadn't been revealed yet, but he wouldn't be able to keep it hidden.
Once the cause of Number Six's death, as arranged by Aokis, was revealed, the Divine Cult, even if it didn't want chaos, would be thrown into disarray.
This was all planned! The beginning of the Divine Cult's internal strife.