Whether psychologically—or in terms of the system's rewards—Oliver was no longer allowed to retreat.
The only path left before him was clear.
Defeat the strongest Pokémon of the Qinglin Secret Realm.
"Sceptile," Oliver said steadily,
"I don't know why you harbor such hostility toward humans. But since things have come to this… are you willing to settle it with a Pokémon battle?"
Deciding the outcome through a formal battle was his best option.
If Sceptile agreed out of arrogance, at the very least it would refrain from directly attacking a Trainer.
Sure enough, Sceptile cast a contemptuous glance at Feebas.
This?
A hideous little fish dares to challenge me?
I'll crush your Pokémon first—then deal with you.
"Chamo!"
"So you accept," Oliver said calmly.
"Then let's begin. Feebas—get back into the water!"
As an aquatic Pokémon, Feebas could only unleash its full strength in water.
Earlier, Scyther had been drinking by the river, so the shoreline was close. With a single Splash, Feebas leapt straight into the river.
Oliver straightened the baseball cap that had shifted during his earlier roll. His expression sharpened.
"The real battle… starts now!"
Sceptile struck first.
Its body turned into a streak of green light, charging toward Feebas at a speed far beyond even Scyther's.
"Dive underwater!"
Feebas reacted instantly, slipping beneath the surface just before Sceptile's Leaf Blade could reach it.
Sceptile was a forest-type Pokémon—but that didn't mean it couldn't fight underwater.
Its abilities would be suppressed, yes, but the sheer level gap was enough for it to ignore environmental disadvantages.
It plunged into the river right after Feebas, arms glowing faintly green.
Fury Cutter.
Fury Cutter grew stronger with each consecutive use. Its initial power wasn't impressive—but once allowed to stack uninterrupted, its damage could become terrifying.
But this was Feebas's home field.
Unlike on land, Feebas moved with extreme agility underwater. With a subtle twist of its body, it dodged the attack cleanly.
"Don't let it chain Fury Cutter!" Oliver shouted.
"Use Whirlpool to restrict its movement!"
Although Oliver stood on the bank, Feebas hadn't gone too deep. He could still clearly see the battle.
"Hu!"
The calm river surface suddenly began to spin.
Borrowing the river's natural flow, Feebas's Whirlpool reached its full potential. Water surged around Sceptile, preventing it from swimming freely.
"Now—Dragon Breath! Three o'clock!"
This was a well-tested combo.
Whirlpool to control. Dragon Breath to deal damage.
It had worked against Scyther—but that had only been a partial version.
This was the true, complete form—executed in water.
Dragon Breath was condensed Dragon-type energy, corrosive by nature. Even underwater, its power remained formidable.
"Chamo—!"
Sceptile crossed its arms and took the hit head-on, letting out a pained roar.
Its eyes turned bloodshot as it glared at Feebas, struggling to break free. But Feebas, now proficient in manipulating Water-type energy, continuously redirected the currents to keep Sceptile restrained.
"Chamo!!"
Realizing it couldn't escape the Whirlpool quickly, Sceptile made a ruthless decision.
It formed an Energy Ball—
But instead of launching it at Feebas, it detonated it directly in front of itself.
Energy Ball was a Grass-type move with 90 base power.
The explosion instantly shattered the internal structure of the Whirlpool, causing Feebas to lose control over it.
Water exploded outward.
Oliver was drenched by the blast from the river—but he didn't care in the slightest.
"Pull back! Feebas—create distance!"
But the explosion had clouded the water. Feebas couldn't clearly see Sceptile's position, and by the time it heard Oliver's command—
It was already too late.
Sceptile swung its massive, leaf-like tail and burst forward at terrifying speed.
Its arm blades lit up again with a green cross-shaped glow.
Oliver's pupils shrank.
"Quick Attack—into X-Scissor!"
At Feebas's level, a direct hit from X-Scissor would knock it out instantly.
Back underwater—
Facing Sceptile's all-out strike fueled by rage, Feebas twisted its body as hard as it could—
But it couldn't avoid it completely.
Slash!
The X-Scissor tore into Feebas's side.
The overwhelming force blasted Feebas straight out of the water. It crashed onto the riverbank and lay motionless.
"Feebas!!"
Oliver sprinted to its side and frantically checked its injuries.
A massive wound—deep enough to expose bone—was carved into its body.
Without hesitation, Oliver did the only thing he could.
He poured every remaining top-tier Energy Cube from the system into Feebas's mouth.
Then he emptied bottle after bottle of healing spray onto the wound, not sparing a single credit.
Feebas struggled to swallow all the Energy Cubes.
It wanted to stand.
It wanted to keep fighting.
But when it tried to move, searing pain tore through its body. It couldn't even roll over.
Am I… going to die?
So this is what death feels like…
I really was useless after all.
Maybe dying isn't so bad. At least I won't be mocked anymore…
But—
No.
I can't die.
In its fading consciousness, Oliver's face appeared.
Like a beam of light piercing the darkness that had wrapped its heart for so long.
He welcomed it as a partner.
He told it they'd work hard together.
He fed it that unbelievably delicious food.
He trained with it every single day.
He showed it that noble, breathtaking Pokémon—and told it:
You'll be even more beautiful.
That Pokémon…
She really was beautiful…
…
At that moment, Sceptile climbed onto the riverbank as well.
Its body was covered in blast scars, and one of the leaf blades on its arm was broken—likely from being too close to its own Energy Ball explosion.
"Chamo!"
A Pokémon so weak—and so ugly—had actually pushed it into this state!
As the strongest Pokémon in the Qinglin Secret Realm, Sceptile had never been this battered.
But now, it was time to end everything.
Both the Pokémon—
And the human who commanded it.
Sceptile opened its mouth slightly. Green Grass-type energy gathered, condensing into a sphere.
Energy Ball.
At that instant—
A blinding white light erupted.
The radiance was sacred.
Pure.
Overwhelming.
Even the unknown existence watching from the shadows couldn't help but gasp.
"Mi—"