"Uh… you'll take care of it?"
Nanna and the others looked like they wanted to say something but didn't know how. In their minds, Lucas was just a talented newbie. He looked more mature now after some time away, but Tyranitar wasn't something he could just handle.
They couldn't even put a dent in it.
Ryou tried to persuade him. "Maybe… we should still post the emergency request. You can't change the situation alone."
"Post a request? You know as well as I do—around here, you're already the elite Trainers. Anyone who responds to an emergency post in this small town isn't guaranteed to be stronger than you. If we need someone stronger, we're calling them from another city."
"And what happens to everyone facing Tyranitar in the meantime? Will they still be in one piece by the time help arrives?"
Lucas's words were precise and left them speechless.
Yumi stepped forward, eyes full of trust. "Then I'll leave it to you. The site is Mine No. 41 near Dalizapa Passage. I'll send you the exact coordinates."
They had already added each other as friends while chatting, so it was easy to share.
Lucas gave a small nod. A quiet, confident aura rose off him—one that made people trust him without realizing it. "Okay. Leave it to me."
Right there in the Center's wide lobby, Lucas released a Dragonite. Under everyone's astonished gazes, he vaulted onto its back and soared into the sky.
"Was that… Dragonite?"
Someone murmured, baffled.
That broke the dam. The lobby buzzed with chatter. A Dragonite—rare and powerful—was a dream partner for countless Trainers.
"That guy even caught a Dragonite…"
Nanna finally found his voice, a little awed. In his mind, Lucas was still the rookie who used to follow behind them.
Even so, they were still worried. That Tyranitar was really strong, and Dragonite didn't have a type advantage.
Sensing their unease, Yumi smiled softly. "Don't worry. He's our Paldea region's pride—a Champion-rank Trainer. Everything will be resolved perfectly."
With Yumi's coordinates, Lucas and Dragonite reached the site quickly. He already knew the terrain well, and Dragonite's speed was phenomenal.
From inside a cavern even larger than a typical mine, the sounds of fierce battle echoed. The ground vibrated with the shock, a clear sign of how intense things were.
"Drago~?"
Dragonite glanced back at Lucas, asking if it should take the fight.
Lucas hesitated for a moment. "...Let Ceruledge handle this one."
A massive green beast in thick armor bellowed, and jagged rocks erupted from the ground. Every move radiated raw, terrifying power.
The few Pokémon fighting it were already at their limits. Even type advantage only made Tyranitar's face scrunch a little—it just fired it up even more.
A battered Buizel stood between Tyranitar and the humans. All around lay Pokémon who had already fallen, the defensive line on the verge of collapse.
A Trainer who'd been grazed by one of Tyranitar's attacks said despairingly, "Mr. Kimura, maybe we should retreat."
Kimura rasped, "No. If we pull out now, it'll go on a rampage. The mine will be done for."
"If you can't hold, you go. I'll stall it."
But even in the span of that brief exchange, Tyranitar and Buizel clashed several more times. Whether it was the rampaging stones or the roaring Dark Pulse, this Tyranitar was clearly beyond their ability to handle.
Body and mind worn out, Buizel grew slower. In a moment of sluggishness, it failed to dodge in time and took a Dark Pulse head on. It slammed into the rock wall and went limp.
With Buizel down, Tyranitar shifted its hostile gaze to the humans. These little pests had been interfering with it—time they learned a lesson.
They recalled all the Pokémon that had lost the ability to fight and tried to run. But seeing Kimura frozen by Buizel's defeat, they shouted hoarsely, "Mr. Kimura, go!"
"Ah—right!"
Snapped out of his daze by another failure, Kimura fumbled to recall Buizel. Before he could turn to flee, his companions screamed.
A forest of jagged stone pillars burst from the ground, interlaced like fangs, lunging for Kimura. With nothing but a human body, there was no way to dodge.
Kimura's pupils shrank. His body felt like lead. One thought filled his mind—
It's over…
Just then, a violet figure streaked into the center of the battlefield like a gust of wind, armor clanking with each step.
In the next instant, arcs of blade-light flashed. The Stone Edge that had kept everyone on the back foot—so hard to even defend against—was sliced apart like tofu. The smooth cuts said everything about the sharpness of that blade.
Kimura, collapsed on the ground, trembled as his gaze locked with the icy eyes of that violet swordsman. His lips quivered. "Ceru… ledge?"
Ceruledge glanced at Kimura once and then looked away. To it, this man was already a stranger. There were no emotions left to show him. He wasn't worth it.
Ceruledge set its sights on Tyranitar, which had tensed up after its Stone Edge was cut down. The great flame blade in Ceruledge's hand ignited with eerie violet fire. A one-sided slaughter began to play.
That gorgeous sword dance seared itself into everyone's hearts. Everything Tyranitar tried was deflected by flawless technique. Even Bitter Blade—despite not being very effective—carved deep gouges into Tyranitar's armor.
In under three minutes, the once-imposing Tyranitar crashed to the ground.
No one could speak through the shock. The armor that had seemed unbreakable to them might as well have been tofu in front of this Ceruledge. The gap in power wasn't even in the same dimension.
In the dead-quiet cavern, footsteps echoed. The others turned to see who was approaching, then gaped. "Lucas!?"
Unlike the relieved gratitude on everyone else's faces, Kimura stared in disbelief at Ceruledge—who had walked calmly to Lucas's side without sparing him a look.
This Ceruledge… could it be—