"Jangmo-o, end this battle! Charge forward and use Focus Punch one last time!"
Hearing the command, Jangmo-o clenched its fists as thick white light enveloped them. The Dragon-type Pokémon charged forward in large strides toward Poliwhirl.
Several other Pokémon surrounded it, rushing forward as well to give Poliwhirl a "righteous" beat-down.
"Poliwhirl!"
Watching this scene unfold, Hannah shouted anxiously.
As the attacks from the opposing Pokémon were about to land, Poliwhirl had no choice but to use Ice Punch, preparing for its final stand.
Suddenly, a dark energy wave appeared out of nowhere, shooting menacingly across their path.
Among the several charging Pokémon, only Jangmo-o at the very front barely reacted, desperately slowing its steps.
Then, with a thunderous "Bang!" the energy wave exploded directly upon hitting the ground. The fierce blast raised rolling shockwaves that caused everyone nearby to instinctively raise their arms in defense.
Without exception, all the Pokémon that had rushed forward instantly lost their ability to battle, blown aside by the shockwaves.
Only Jangmo-o, which had sensed something was wrong and slowed down, avoided taking the full brunt of the explosion and thus escaped the worst of it.
However, it still sustained considerable injuries.
"What's going on?"
"What just happened..."
The sudden attack seemed to press the pause button on the entire conflict. Seeing this, everyone around—no matter which side they were on—stopped their ongoing battles and looked over in shock.
"What's so precious that you're fighting so fiercely over it? How about I join in the fun?"
As soon as he finished speaking, David made a grand entrance with Zorua and Riolu.
"It's you!"
Josiah exclaimed upon seeing the figure that had suddenly appeared before him.
"You guys are fighting so intensely here—what kind of treasure do you have? Show it to me too!"
Completely ignoring Josiah, David turned directly toward Hannah and the others, his gaze sharp.
"You! Just because you First High students won the Novice Cup doesn't mean you can do whatever you want... I'll admit that in a one-on-one battle, I'm certainly not your opponent. But you should look at how many people we have here. If you want to play the game of snatching food from a tiger's mouth with us, aren't you afraid of breaking your own teeth?"
"Do you have any idea how many First High students we've eliminated over these past few days?"
Josiah, who had been completely ignored, showed a hint of irritation on his face and angrily threatened David directly.
Hannah, seeing the unexpected turn of events, had her eyes flicker slightly before she immediately called out to David.
"Hey! You over there! If you can really take care of them and let me vent my frustration, then what's the harm in giving you this item?"
She held up a small box in her hand and shook it in front of him.
The black box was tightly sealed, with only a Dragon-type symbol engraved on the front lid.
Seeing this symbol, David had a rough idea of what was inside. No wonder Josiah had gone to such great lengths to seize this thing.
"Hey! This is something guarded by an Professional tier Pokémon deep in the core area. Its value is definitely high!"
As if afraid David didn't understand the item's worth, Hannah continued to emphasize its importance.
David saw through her strategy at a glance. This girl intended to make him and Josiah's group fight each other to exhaustion, then she would escape with the item during the chaos.
However, he simply smiled faintly and said nothing, letting her continue her little performance before shifting his gaze back to Josiah.
"You just said I should look at how many people you have. What about now?"
"Now?"
Just as Josiah was still pondering what David meant by those words, a collective gasp from behind him interrupted his thoughts.
"What's happening..."
"Quick, let us down!"
Josiah turned his head, only to discover in horror that, apart from the few people standing directly in front of them, all the others were suspended in mid-air, struggling desperately.
Their Pokémon, unable to find any trace of an enemy, could only stand there foolishly. They wanted to rescue their trainers but were also afraid of accidentally harming them, leaving them flustered and uncertain.
"You did this!"
Suddenly remembering something, Josiah whirled around and confronted David.
"Bingo! You got it right, but there's no prize."
"Kirlia, use Confusion to move these trainers aside. Zorua, use Payback. Riolu, use Aura Sphere."
Looking at the scene before him, David nodded in satisfaction before commanding his Pokémon to attack.
The people floating in mid-air were gently moved aside by the hidden Kirlia, while the Pokémon standing helplessly on the ground were met with Zorua's Payback and Riolu's Aura Sphere.
"Boom!"
With the sound of a massive explosion.
In an instant, Josiah's faction—which had just moments ago been numerous and powerful—was completely wiped out by David and his Pokémon.
Most of these Pokémon, hovering on the edge of Veteran rank, couldn't have withstood the attacks from Zorua and Riolu under normal circumstances anyway.
Moreover, having already battled extensively, they were far from perfect condition.
A complete annihilation was therefore entirely expected.
"Kirlia!"
Under Kirlia's telekinetic manipulation, Poké Balls floated out from the defeated trainers, then shot out red beams of light to recall all the Pokémon on the ground that had lost their ability to battle. The balls were then quietly placed to the side.
Riolu also stepped forward, pulling out a bundle of rope from its backpack and tying up these controlled participants one by one.
Its practiced technique left everyone speechless.
Only Zorua remained by David's side to protect his safety.
But after witnessing the devastating power of Zorua's Payback moments ago, no one dared to make any reckless moves.
"So, how about it? Was having many people useful, as you claimed?"
"You...!"
Josiah was left speechless by David's words, stammering "You, you, you" for a long time without being able to form a coherent response.
David then approached Hannah, extending his hand.
"It's time to hand over the item, isn't it?"
"I'll give... I'll give it to you!"
Hannah, who had been stunned by David's overwhelming display of power, finally snapped back to her senses. As if the box were burning her hand, she quickly handed it over.
She didn't dare play any more tricks, looking as though she was afraid David would have Riolu tie her up as well.
"You all can go!"
After obtaining the box, David examined it in his hand while waving dismissively without looking back.
"You're not going to steal our points?"
The moment the words left her mouth, Hannah quickly covered it. "Oh no! If this guy had forgotten, didn't I just remind him?"
Seemingly understanding her thoughts, David said nothing more and simply told them to leave.
Her companions, afraid Hannah would say anything else foolish, quickly pulled her away from there.
"What about you? Are you going to press the button yourself, or do you want to resist?"
Hearing David's words, Josiah looked at Zorua and the others who were watching him intently, then at his own Pokémon.
Charmeleon, badly injured after taking down Wartortle, and Jangmo-o, affected by the Dark Pulse explosion.
"Alright, I'll do it myself," Josiah said, breathing heavily.
He removed the wristband from his hand, transferred thirty percent of his points to David, and then pressed the rescue button himself.
After that, he sat down and began treating Charmeleon's wounds.
However, his demeanor at this moment made David regard him with a bit more respect.
After clearing the battlefield, David prepared to leave with his Pokémon. Before departing, David said:
"Bye-bye! Better luck next time. I hope I don't run into you again."
Then, in the next second, a Psychic wave flashed, and their figures immediately vanished from the spot.
Only Josiah and the others remained, wearing complex expressions on their faces.