The unilateral seal left Kieran drenched in cold sweat.
Neither he nor his Dragonite had much battle experience, so many techniques that Dragonite ought to have mastered remained beyond its grasp—for instance, Dragon Pulse, a signature Dragon-type move.
But a Dragonite was still a true pseudo-legendary. So long as it reached its final evolution, it was a formidable force on any battlefield.
Among all of Kieran's Pokémon, Dragonite was already the strongest.
His plan was simple: unleash Dragonite to crush Haru's momentum. If he could intimidate Haru—the so-called "embroidered pillow," all show and no substance—then it would be far easier to keep him under control afterward.
If executed well, perhaps his Dragonite alone could sweep Haru's entire team of six.
After all, "Ghost" wasn't likely to participate in this battle.
But if even Dragonite couldn't threaten Haru, then with his remaining five Pokémon, he'd be torn apart in no time.
At that point, he wouldn't just fail to capture Ogerpon—he'd lose face entirely in front of his sister and the other girls. That was something Kieran absolutely could not accept.
So… carrying the pride of a pseudo-legendary, Dragonite must not lose!
Believe in your Pokémon. Faith requires no reason! Even if his opponent were a Mew itself, Kieran would never retreat.
A pseudo-legendary and a mythical—wasn't the difference only one word?
Besides, it wasn't as though he was out of options. Dragonite still had moves available.
With that thought, Kieran shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Dragonite! Extreme Speed, up close!"
The seal could only block moves that Mew itself knew. Only then could it suppress its opponent.
Therefore, as long as Mew couldn't learn the move Dragonite used, Dragonite remained unaffected—especially with innate techniques.
Such innate moves were often considered "nobler" than those learned through TMs.
Like Spore, usable only by mushroom-line Pokémon, or Quiver Dance, limited to certain Bug- and Grass-types. On the right Pokémon, those moves could be game-breaking.
Spore paired with Prankster? Just imagining it was sunshine itself.
Dragonite's Extreme Speed was one such exalted move.
In the games, Extreme Speed was a Normal-type move: 80 base power, with +2 priority.
High-priority moves were inherently valuable. Combined with its unusually high power, Extreme Speed was worth its weight in gold—especially in the hands of physical attackers.
Luckily, only twelve Pokémon species could ever learn it—and eight of them were legendaries. The rest were all heavyweights with base stats over 500.
That alone spoke volumes.
And among all Extreme Speed users, the most infamous was, of course, Arceus itself. That divine Normal-type turned Extreme Speed into a death sentence—clip an opponent's HP into the red, and down they went.
Unlike certain flashy megas with bloated stats but no practical moves—forever stuck "on the road to redemption."
Excluding the legendaries, Dragonite and Mega Lucario were the strongest Extreme Speed users. With Tera Normal, followed by Extreme Speed, the damage was no joke.
Against most trainers, Kieran's move might have worked.
Especially after Dragonite's Dragon Dance boosts—both its Speed and Attack were sky-high. Extreme Speed here should have been devastating.
If Dragonite kept pressing forward, how could that pitiful Mew hope to block its advance?
Dragonite became the oncoming storm, breaking free the shackles of cloud and sky.
And just as its claws reached for Hakimeng—
Instantly—gone!
Ice Beams exploded from behind Dragonite, thirty-seven in a row, shredding it as if it had stepped on a field of Spikes. The mighty dragon collapsed on the ground.
The storm-bringer Dragonite was reduced to a frozen husk.
Being Dragon/Flying, Dragonite was doubly weak to Ice. Even without STAB, Mew's Ice Beam still struck for 4× damage—effectively 360 power in game terms. Even with ten thousand lives, Dragonite couldn't survive that.
And this wasn't a game. In reality, the gap was even greater.
Not even Dragonite's Multiscale ability—halving damage from a full-health hit—could save it from thirty-seven icy lances.
When Dragonite fell, Haru only glanced at the defeated Pokémon, then shook his head.
"I've no idea what that Dragonite was just imagining... but whatever."
"This farce is over. I have work to do, and no time to waste here."
With that, he turned his back on Kieran, intending to hand the captured Rockets over to Officer Jenny.
The clash between Mew and Dragonite had ended in a heartbeat, victory decided in an instant.
And it proved beyond doubt: Haru's Pokémon was truly Mew—not a Zoroark, Ditto, or even Latias.
The trainers watching the live stream were left reeling.
"Why have I never heard of this guy before? Someone like him doesn't just appear out of nowhere—he'd at least have to be an Elite Four or a Champion somewhere!"
"A pseudo-legendary and a mythical… am I the fake trainer here? Do real trainers all have legendaries?"
"That Mew's power... scary. And I thought Mew was more about versatility than sheer force."
"Yeah. Against frail Pokémon, one shot's all it takes. And it can rapid-fire?!"
Chat buzzed with disbelief. Ordinary trainers gawked at Mew, firing Ice Beam like a repeating crossbow, while most treated it as a trump card.
But the sharpest eyes—Blue's among them—noticed something else: control.
Mew's mastery of its moves was beyond comprehension. Thirty-seven consecutive high-power beams, yet each was perfectly placed, down to the exact trajectory.
And Haru barely even issued commands.
"How's that possible? What kind of training does he use?"
"It's like Mew has rehearsed this a thousand times before..."
"Maybe it could even fire at humans without truly harming them. That level of control..."
Blue stroked his chin. The boy began to seem like a Pokémon training genius—perhaps even holding some secret technique for raising them.
But just as awe peaked, Kieran's voice rang out again.
"Wait! Don't think you've won yet! You really think beating one Pokémon decides a battle?"
"I still have five more!"
Haru stopped mid-step, tilting his head at Kieran, and shook it slowly.
"Five won't cut it. Even fifty wouldn't save you now."
"If Ogerpon were here, maybe. Five won't do—but she could."
"Who?"
"Never mind. All you need to know is that continuing this fight is foolish. You'll never defeat me and Mew."
With that, Haru cradled Mew and turned away again—until Kieran's next words froze him in place.
"Win against me, and I'll give you Carmine! And I know Lacey from Blueberry Academy—I can get her for you too!"
"Kieran... what are you saying? I'm your sister, not some object to be traded!"
Carmine, silent until now, finally snapped.
Her voice trembled with disbelief. Her little brother might've been eccentric, but he had never crossed this line.
Now he truly saw her as a commodity—dragging even Blueberry Academy's Fairy-type Elite Four, Lacey, into it.
Good grief—did he just assign her to someone? Did the Elite Four even know?!
"Shut up! You two were scheming behind my back, weren't you? Don't think I don't know!"
And suddenly, the innocent bystander, Lillie, became the scapegoat.
What? How did this become that again? Another accusation of an affair?
Kieran, too? And who even was this Lacey?
Why were there always so many girls? Couldn't they target someone else's boyfriend for once?!
Yet Haru, instead of anger, merely crossed his arms and looked down at the unraveling boy with a smile.
"Interesting. What makes you so bold before me? Where does that confidence come from?"
He didn't care what Kieran became—the boy meant little to him.
But the girl Lacey—now she intrigued him.
A member of the Blueberry Academy's Elite Four, Lacey-the granddaughter of the Mossui Town elder, and a master of Loyal Three Pokémon.
Not to mention, she was probably the most popular female character in the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet DLC "The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero".
In Haru's old world, she and her Ogerpon dominated livestreams.
Of course, curiosity didn't mean desire. He had no plans for her—or her Ogerpon.
So when Kieran tried to dangle her as bait, Haru's answer was simple:
"Come then. Let's finish this quickly."
"Don't misunderstand—I've no interest in that Lacey. I only mean to stand in for your sister and give you the beating you deserve."
"Lacey, huh? Doesn't sound half as cute as my Lillie."
Though he had nothing to hide, Haru made sure to clarify his intent.
Kieran didn't care. His head was full of only one thing: defeating Haru.
If one Dragonite couldn't do it, then five more Pokémon surely could. If not victory, then attrition!
He would gamble on grinding Mew down, betting that Haru had no other strong partners.
Win, and everything lost would return—Ogerpon included.
The boy's eyes, now a deep violet, fixed on a Poké Ball. Whispering to it, he hurled it forward.
"It's decided—you're up, the universe's number one, Incineroar!"
The legendary "Tiger God" had arrived.
On entry, its Intimidate dropped Mew's Attack.
A god versus a god, on equal footing.
Hadn't a Caterpie once toppled a Mega Rayquaza? With clever switching and Dark-type moves, perhaps his Tiger God could down this little Mew.
Twenty seconds later...
The invincible Tiger God lay defeated.
But Kieran pressed on. If one fell, the others could still turn the tide!
"Rainy-day brother, Politoed—go!"
...
The unbeatable Politoed collapsed.
Kieran consoled himself.
It was fine. He still had three left. Mew only looked relaxed. It had to be bluffing.
Another push, and surely Haru and Mew would start sweating.
Three minutes later—
The peerless Porygon2, Hydrapple, and Grimmsnarl all fell.
And Haru?
At some point, he and Mew had split a watermelon, each devouring half, movements perfectly synchronized.
"Well? Care to keep struggling?"
Wiping a streak of juice from his lips, Haru met Kieran's hollow gaze.
The boy's eyes had lost all color.
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