Stadium Two.
Unlike the other seven stadiums, where the atmosphere was lively and loud, here it was quiet as a grave. Every spectator stared at the match between Silas and Kyouya below with a mix of shock and growing numbness in their eyes.
The shock was easy to explain: the battle was going way, way too fast. Since Gardevoir had gone down, just three minutes had passed, and in that short time, Mewtwo had already one-shotted Espeon, Lapras, and Milotic—literally one KO per minute, already including the time it took to swap Pokémon. This had already broken all speed records for a Kanto tournament quarterfinal.
The numbness? Well, that was from watching how Mewtwo took out those three Pokémon: so simple and brutal it was almost laughable. It was either Shadow Ball or Hyper Beam, and occasionally a bizarre Psystrike. These attacks left Kyouya's Pokémon zero room to fight back or even react before they were out of commission. The first couple times, it was shocking. But after several KOs in a row, the audience started to go numb.
As he recalled his defeated Milotic, Kyouya just kept chuckling wryly.
He realized he'd seriously underestimated Silas. He'd thought that even facing a monster like Silas, he could at least last a few rounds. But reality had slapped him in the face—even after swapping out his Elite Four–level Pokémon for low- and mid-Champion–tier ones, he still couldn't escape the fate of being instantly KO'd. That kind of power was just incomprehensible.
"Gonna keep going?"
Silas's voice had lost its earlier chill; he'd more or less figured out what was on Kyouya's mind, and honestly, he felt more admiration than annoyance for someone like him.
"Yeah, let's keep going." Kyouya nodded, sending out his final Poké Ball. "All five are down already. What's one more? Maybe I'll walk away empty handed here, but sometimes, growing through despair is its own kind of win. Go—Salamence!"
'Salamence!'
A four-legged, draconic Pokémon burst from the ball with a thunderous roar. Most of its body was blue, its lower jaw a steely grey. Thick scales armored its belly and throat, and red streaks marked its under-tail and the insides of its legs. From the second it came out, it locked its black, wary eyes right on Mewtwo.
High Champion tier...
Silas narrowed his eyes at the Salamence before him.
Even if this Salamence didn't look particularly scary compared to his own team, Silas sensed an aura of bloodlust about it—the kind that only came from countless life-and-death struggles. Pokémon like that were always stronger than their peers.
Salamence's presence even made Mewtwo perk up. The last five fights weren't even warm-ups to him—at least Salamence could make things a little interesting.
"Silas!" Kyouya didn't launch an immediate assault but called out instead, "That's my whole squad, my full strength. I'd like to see what Mewtwo is truly capable of. Would you show us?"
"Aura Sphere." Silas answered Kyouya's request directly—with action.
Upon hearing the command, Mewtwo placed both hands before his chest, and a cerulean sphere began to take shape.
The ball started small, growing larger as Mewtwo poured his vast psychic energy into it, until it was nearly the size of a human fist. As it stabilized, arcs of lightning flickered across its surface, growing larger until the blue ball radiated both a sense of divinity and utter destruction.
While Mewtwo powered up, Kyouya barked an order of his own: "Salamence, charge up your most powerful Hyper Beam!"
'Salamence!'
Salamence immediately started gathering a massive orb of shadowy energy in his jaws, oozing destruction. As he kept pouring in power, the dark ball shimmered with purple streaks, the destructive aura becoming even more terrifying.
"Now—Aura Sphere! Hyper Beam!"
Both Silas and Kyouya shouted out their final commands at once!
Mewtwo and Salamence unleashed their attacks together.
A purple-black Hyper Beam shot down from on high, brimming with energy that threatened to obliterate all in its path. At the same time, Mewtwo's Aura Sphere blazed with blinding blue light and shot forward at impossible speed, hurtling straight toward Hyper Beam—ready to clash head-on.
Hyper Beam versus Aura Sphere!
Any other time, Hyper Beam would've looked like the stronger move. But this wasn't any ordinary Aura Sphere—this was the God of Psychics' attack; the move of Mewtwo, the Legendary Pokémon. Even Silas's Tyranitar's Hyper Beam probably couldn't match this.
In a split second in midair, Aura Sphere completely overwhelmed Hyper Beam—dominated it, crushed it, and barreled straight through with unstoppable force toward Salamence!
So this is a Legendary Pokémon...
As he watched his strongest move get steamrolled in an instant, Kyouya could only manage a bitter smile. If it had lasted even a few seconds, he wouldn't have felt so crushed. But now? He felt like an insect throwing itself against a wheel—totally hopeless.
Boom!
'Salamence!'
Aura Sphere exploded on impact with Salamence, the resulting blast shaking the entire stadium.
Salamence's howl of pain echoed for a long time.
WHAM!
A moment later, his limp body tumbled out of the black smoke, slamming into the ground. Blood seeped from his wounds, and if it weren't for his weak, pained groans, you'd think he was dead.
Seeing this, Kyouya could only shake his head and return Salamence, then turned to Silas: "You're really strong."
"You too," Silas replied calmly, narrowing his eyes. "At least you've got more guts than the cowards who are too afraid to fight at all. I hope we get to battle again someday."
That made Kyouya's eyes light up. "Definitely."
...
Pokémon Center
After the match, Silas followed Kyouya to the Center.
Why? Salamence was so badly injured he needed immediate treatment, and the Pokémon Center inside the stadium was reserved for semifinalists. If Silas didn't go along, Kyouya's Pokémon wouldn't get treatment here.
After handing over his six Pokémon to Nurse Joy, Kyouya turned to Silas with genuine gratitude. "Thanks."
"No need," Silas replied, shaking his head. "If my Mewtwo hadn't gone so hard, you wouldn't need the emergency room."
Kyouya gave a bitter little smile, then changed the subject. "Still, I never expected you could be this strong at just ten. Makes me laugh, thinking back to how I boasted I'd take you down. Ridiculous."
"It's not really that funny," Silas continued, his eyelids lowering. "You said it yourself—I'm just a kid. Who would be on guard against a ten-year-old? But honestly, when real stakes are involved, even you grown-ups would risk it all—wouldn't you?"
Silas's logic left Kyouya momentarily speechless, then drew a rueful question: "Are you really just ten years old?"
"What do you think?" Silas grinned right back.
"Doesn't seem like it." Kyouya shook his head, then added, "In how you speak, in what you say, you're more like—"
"There they are!"
Kyouya was cut off by a rough, booming voice.
Both Silas and Kyouya turned. A squad of uniformed League officials piled into the room, surrounding them. The leader strode forward and announced to Kyouya: "Kyouya the bounty hunter, you're under arrest!"
"What's the meaning of this?" Kyouya frowned, a sense of dread creeping in.
The leader sneered and read off a sheet. "Bounty hunter Kyouya. Wanted for poaching, robbery, and Pokémon slaying in multiple regions, and for plotting multiple major crimes. S-class most-wanted by the League. Upon discovery, you are to be taken into custody at once!"
He raised an eyebrow. "Got it now?"
"Heh…" Kyouya's smirk was ice cold. "So that's it—Indigo League's going to stab me in the back, claim the glory for capturing me, and get my Pokémon in the bargain. How noble."
"Ha!" The officer snorted righteously. "The Indigo League is a force for justice, not your partner in crime. I just can't believe you had the balls to show up for the Kanto tournament! But the law never sleeps; you never had a chance."
"Bastard," Kyouya spat.
The officer just grinned wider, then threatened, "Kyouya, my advice: don't resist. There are a lot of us here, and your Pokémon are in treatment. If you try anything, well, the consequences—"
"What consequences?" Silas's voice cut in, cool as ice.
"Well, obviously—" The man abruptly froze, face twisted in terror as he realized who was standing there. He'd gotten so carried away, he hadn't noticed Silas.
Who was Silas?
The young master of the Oak family. Trainer of a Legendary Pokémon. The strongest rookie trainer in League history. The future Champion of Kanto. Those titles were blinding.
The man scrambled over, bowing and scraping. "Why, Master Silas! What an honor—are you here getting your Pokémon checked? Anything you need, just say the word! I'll do anything for you, anything."
"Heh..." Silas smirked, then asked mildly, "I just want an answer. If Kyouya doesn't do what you say, then what happens?"
The man looked very uncomfortable—it wasn't exactly an official operation, after all. They were only using the League's name as cover, intending to lock Kyouya away and divvy up his Pokémon for themselves.
Normally, they wouldn't dare, but now, with Kyouya's whole team already wiped out by Silas, he was just a defenseless fugitive. With a prize like that, who wouldn't be tempted?
"Scram!" When the man couldn't answer, Silas's voice turned arctic. "Go back and tell whoever sent you—don't overplay your hand. From today on, Kyouya is under my protection. If anyone moves against him, I'll settle all scores—old and new—at once."
The man looked even more pained, stammering, "Silas, there are a lot of powerful families behind—"
"Don't you understand plain English?" Silas cocked his head, eyes narrowing. "Need me to say it again? You really think those so-called 'powerful families' could actually stop me?"
"N-no, of course not!" the man nodded frantically. "We'll leave right away. Leaving now!"
"Hmph." Silas snorted in disdain.
After the goons left, Kyouya smiled wryly at Silas. "Looks like you just became my guardian angel."
"Heh…" Silas's tone had softened, back to normal now. "A bounty hunter really ought to know: in this world, nothing comes for free."
"Oh?" Kyouya straightened, growing serious. "So what do you want me to do for you?"
...
Noon.
Semifinalist Waiting Room.
The so-called "semifinalist lounge" was basically four giant rooms, decked out with all sorts of facilities and food for Trainers and Pokémon. Once he'd finished helping Kyouya, Silas returned there to prep lunch for his team.
Why hadn't he left yet? Because the Kanto quarterfinals and semifinals were held on the same day—Elite Eight matches in the morning, semifinals right after lunch. The Pokémon Center Silas had just visited with Kyouya was set up specially for semifinalists needing quick treatment between rounds.
With lunch prepared, Silas turned to his five Pokémon—currently sprawled out like lazy reptiles, nothing of their usual Legendary air. "All right," he called, "Lunch is ready!"
His words made all five light up with excitement—this was hands down their favorite part of the day!
Mewtwo and Gengar's eyes lit up with blue and violet glow, quickly enveloping Silas's five dishes and floating them to each Pokémon, who immediately dug in with delight.
"..."
Watching his five Pokémon so happily, Silas couldn't decide whether to laugh or cry. Most days, this bunch was so lethargic they could've passed for corpses. Mealtime, though? Suddenly they were full of energy. The contrast was too much!
While Silas was feeling emotionally exhausted, Dragonite's behavior caught his eye.
After a few bites, Dragonite stopped eating, glanced at the others, looked at his own food, and then just sat there gloomily, ignoring the meal. Silas had never seen him like this. He hurried over, asking worriedly, "What's wrong? You feeling sick?"
"No." Dragonite shook his head and remained silent.
Dragonite's silence made Silas even more anxious. He hadn't known the others as long as Charizard, but every Pokémon on his team was family, no matter what. His voice was full of concern: "If you're not sick, why won't you eat?"
Silas's anxious tone made the rest stop eating and stare at Dragonite in worry.
Feeling their concern, Dragonite finally spoke with a touch of frustration: "Am I really that weak?"
You? Weak?
If you're weak, who can count as strong?
Dragonite's self-doubt made Silas roll his eyes, puzzled. "Why would you think that?"
"The matches." Dragonite explained, "Everyone else has gotten a turn, but not me. Is it because I'm too weak?"
Silas almost facepalmed. He distinctly remembered Dragonite hadn't wanted to enter at the start of the Kanto tournament, but now here he was feeling left out because he hadn't battled.
But thinking more, Silas understood. At the beginning, nobody cared about joining, so to Dragonite it hadn't mattered. Now, though, with five out of six teammates having fought, it was only natural for Dragonite to wonder.
He grinned. "So, you wanna compete after all?"
"Yeah." Dragonite nodded, a hint of embarrassment in his tone. "Even though I've lived a long time, you're my first real Trainer. This group's my first true family. I want to battle too, leave my mark alongside everyone else."
Dragonite's sincerity made Silas go silent for a beat. Gengar and Tyranitar, too, fell quiet—they knew that feeling best. Finally, Gengar said, "Master, let Dragonite give it a shot. I get it better than anyone—he's been alone a thousand years, and now he's found family. It's only natural he'd want to make memories with them too."
"For sure." Tyranitar nodded in agreement, his deep voice solemn. "Too many have feared us for our strength. Even though I've had other Trainers before, I never felt like I belonged—until now. If I were Dragonite, I'd want to help this team, too!"
"Let him in!" Mewtwo added. His words were blunt, but full of conviction: "Dragonite is strong—even I wouldn't bet on winning every time."
'Charizard~'
Even Charizard, who could only roar in response, gave out several bellows in support.
Their reactions snapped Silas back. Smiling, he said, "You're in. Absolutely. I was planning to put you in for this afternoon's semifinal anyway. But since you all spoke up, I just got a new idea…"
All five Pokémon watched curiously.
Noticing their interest, Silas laughed even harder. "Tomorrow's finals, right? With Pikachu, all six of you can each battle once in the finals, so every one of you can shine in the championship. What do you say?"
"Yes!" x4
'Charizard!'
All five answered together, faces intense with anticipation. The competition almost didn't matter anymore. What was important was fighting alongside their companions and showing what they could do as a team!
Seeing their excitement, Silas beamed at Dragonite. "Then, I'm counting on you this afternoon."
"Leave it to me!" Dragonite thumped his chest, shining with confidence. "I'll definitely get you that win!"
"Good."
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