What exactly had that masked man come here to do?
The moment he appeared, he displayed power that was almost invincible—power that clearly belonged to a true master. Yet after showing that terrifying strength, he suddenly left without another word.
Did he retreat because he felt that facing everyone present might put him at a disadvantage?
Or had he already accomplished his goal?
Logan could not know for certain.
But deep down, he felt the first possibility was more likely.
Judging from the masked man's cautious behavior, he was clearly someone extremely careful—perhaps even someone afraid of death. At the slightest sign of danger or anything unexpected, he would immediately retreat. Because of that, he had remained hidden extremely well.
Giovanni's reason for coming here was probably connected to that masked man.
Logan had clearly seen Giovanni's expression when the two met earlier. It would not be an exaggeration to describe it as enemies meeting with burning hatred in their eyes.
What kind of past conflict existed between Giovanni and the masked man?
Logan was curious.
But he did not believe Giovanni chasing him alone would end well.
The masked man had retreated because he feared Logan, Lance, and Giovanni might join forces.
If Giovanni alone caught up to him, that was another matter entirely.
If he failed to catch him, that would be fine.
But if he actually did catch him…
Logan suspected Giovanni might even lose his life.
Not only was there a possible gap in strength, Giovanni's body itself was not suited for prolonged combat. Even if Giovanni were stronger, his illness would inevitably hold him back.
"What kind of grudge is this…?"
Logan chuckled and shook his head.
"For someone as calculating as Giovanni to lose his composure and chase after him like that… those two must have quite a story."
Logan had no interest in whatever schemes the masked man might be planning.
As long as those schemes did not involve him, the masked man could do whatever he pleased.
Of course, if that master-level figure tried to drag him into it, Logan would not hesitate to fight back.
Among everyone present, the happiest person after Giovanni and the masked man left was undoubtedly Lance.
He sat on Zekrom's back, staring blankly at the direction where the two had disappeared.
Only when the ice covering Lugia began cracking—shattering under its struggles and scattering shards across the ground—did Lance finally come back to his senses.
Joy spread across his face.
It was as if he had never expected things to turn out like this.
Giovanni—the troublesome obstacle—was gone.
That mysterious man with absurd power was gone too.
Now the battlefield was once again only between him and Logan.
As long as he could control Lugia…
As long as he could defeat Logan…
He had not lost.
His plan could still continue.
"Zekrom—move closer!"
Lance hurriedly ordered Zekrom forward again.
He stared anxiously at Lugia, which was still struggling within the radiance of the badges.
The masked man's earlier attack had inflicted unimaginable damage on Lugia.
Ironically, it had indirectly helped Lance.
Because Lugia had been injured, its resistance against the ancient badge power was weakening.
At this moment, Lance deeply regretted something.
Earlier, in a moment of madness, he had ordered Lugia to use Aeroblast.
That forced command had wasted much of the badge's power.
Because of that, the time needed to fully control Lugia had increased.
His face grew tense.
Before the badge's power fully activated, how could he possibly stop Logan?
With Zekrom, which was already at the end of its strength?
He did not believe the Dragon of Ideals in its current state could defeat Logan anymore.
For a legendary Pokémon with near-endless stamina and an immortal life force to reach this condition…
One could only imagine how brutal the battle had been.
"Lance really refuses to give up…"
Logan sighed.
"Even now, he still thinks he can turn this around."
Yet Logan could not help admiring Lance's persistence.
Earlier, Logan had refrained from acting because Giovanni had been present.
He did not trust Giovanni at all.
But now both Giovanni and the masked man were gone.
At first glance, it seemed like Lance had regained an opportunity.
In reality—
It meant Logan could finally act freely.
"Logan…"
A weak voice called from behind.
Logan turned around.
Red, Blue Oak, and the others were slowly approaching, supporting each other as they walked.
"You guys… are you alright?"
Logan quickly examined them and let out a relieved sigh.
The important thing was that everyone was alive.
Even though they were badly injured, as long as they were alive, modern medicine could fix almost anything—even missing limbs.
"We really caused you trouble this time, Logan…"
Red smiled awkwardly.
His body looked alarmingly thin, as if he had lost dozens of kilograms.
His clothes were torn.
His entire body was covered in dirt.
Through the gaps in his damaged clothing, one could almost see bone beneath the skin.
It would not be an exaggeration to call him skin and bones.
Being frozen by Lorelei for so long had pushed his body close to its limit.
Logan thought to himself that Lorelei's ice techniques were still lacking.
If the masked man had been the one freezing them earlier…
Red and Blue Oak might have emerged from the ice without any weakness at all.
After all, the masked man's ice seemed capable of freezing even time itself.
Red pressed Blue Oak's head down and bowed deeply to Logan.
"Hey! If you want to bow, do it yourself!"
Blue Oak protested angrily.
"Why are you dragging me into this?!"
He hated the idea of bowing.
Even though he was genuinely grateful inside.
Red laughed.
"Logan risked his life to save us."
"What's wrong with bowing to thank him?"
"We almost starved to death in there, you know."
Blue Oak snorted and looked away.
"…Tbh."
But he did not resist further.
"Oh my, you two are so close!"
Green suddenly jumped between them.
Her wound had been treated, and she seemed slightly better.
Grabbing Red and Blue Oak by the shoulders, she grinned mischievously.
"Why don't I act as a matchmaker and arrange your marriage?"
No matter where in the world you went—
Some girls always saw romance everywhere.
Blue Oak shuddered and immediately stepped away from her.
"That's friendship! Friendship!"
Red laughed awkwardly.
"Marriage is impossible."
"But if Blue Oak wants to train together, I'd be happy to."
While they joked around, Cynthia stepped forward.
She handed something to Logan.
"This is your Champion's Cloak."
"You threw it away earlier when saving me."
"When we left the cave I saw it lying there undamaged, so I brought it back."
"This must be very meaningful to you."
Logan accepted the cloak.
Looking at the eight badges embroidered around the collar, he smiled and swung it over his shoulders.
"What about the other members of the Elite Four?"
Logan asked casually.
Cynthia fell silent for a moment before answering with a bitter smile.
"…We lost badly."
"We were no match for them."
"Agatha showed mercy and left."
"Bruno and Lorelei also departed afterward."
"It's over now," Logan said.
"No matter what happened, the result turned out fine."
"If we know we're not strong enough yet, we just need to train harder in the future."
He gently patted Cynthia's hand.
She laughed softly.
"After hearing that, I feel even worse."
"It sounds like we lost because we weren't working hard enough."
Even so—
Cynthia knew it was true.
She had wasted too much time before.
"That Garchomp of yours… completed Mega Evolution."
Her voice carried complicated emotions.
Her pale gray eyes contained both admiration and disappointment.
"Let's talk about that later."
Logan waved it off lightly.
"We can't give Lance too much time to recover."
"I'll finish this first."
He smiled at Sabrina, who stood nearby with folded arms.
She rarely spoke when many people were around.
"You're just giving him hope so you can crush it later."
Sabrina suddenly said coldly.
She knew Logan's personality well.
Logan laughed.
"Some things are better left unsaid."
With a dramatic flick of his cloak, Logan prepared to send Lance into the deepest despair—burying him beneath the very ideals he clung to.
At that moment—
Yellow stepped closer and grabbed the edge of his sleeve.
"What's wrong, Yellow?"
Logan looked down in confusion.
The little girl's face was completely red.
"Big brother…"
She spoke shyly.
"Could you crouch down for a moment?"
"There's something I want to give you."
Logan tilted his head.
Still curious, he crouched down.
Then—
Before anyone could react—
Yellow suddenly leaned forward.
Clenching her teeth as if summoning courage—
She pressed her lips against Logan's Cheeks.
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