Even though his Trainer is as stubborn and unyielding as a stinking, immovable stone in a public restroom...
Kroxus still couldn't help but feel a little disheartened and aggrieved.
He had possessed him for so long—why didn't he use his power?
Even Kroxus felt a pang of bitterness, like when Arceus once scorned him, used him, and then discarded him like trash.
That prejudice… had only grown heavier.
…
"No matter how many times I see it, that boy still feels more like a monster than a human..."
In the spectator stands, an elderly woman spoke in a raspy but powerful voice, her gaze fixed on the battlefield.
Despite her age, her voice was full of vitality, radiating an aura ordinary people lacked.
"I don't know what that eye of his signifies," said a middle-aged man beside her, shaking his head. "But it doesn't seem to affect him adversely."
Though he said that, the look in his eyes revealed unease—whether it was fear or wariness, it was hard to tell.
After all, Nathan's crimson right eye at this moment didn't look human at all—it was more like some kind of mysterious and terrifying creature.
"Forget it. As long as the boy hasn't defected to the Dark Organization, I've no interest in meddling," the old woman sighed.
Human society was ultimately complex.
And the older one gets, the deeper that truth sinks in.
"That's enough for now," the middle-aged man replied, face heavy with mixed emotions.
Without knowing the Dark Organizations true objective, even he couldn't tell whether Nathan's existence was a blessing or a curse.
What new possibilities did Super Evolution bring to the world?
As a high-ranking official in the League, he had no choice but to worry about such things.
Meanwhile, on the battlefield, all Nathan needed to do was focus on defeating his opponent.
"Metagross, Comet-Enhanced Punch!"
His voice cold, Nathan fixed his gaze on Alakazam and issued the command.
Metagross nodded silently. After Mega Evolving, its iron fists radiated an aura so overwhelming it could suffocate even another Pokémon.
Among all of Nathan's Pokémon, Metagross didn't stand out in raw performance.
At first glance, it seemed to fall short of its pseudo-legendary status, but in reality, it was the most adept at combo techniques.
It had almost perfectly combined the strengths of Comet Punch and Power-Up Punch.
"Alakazam, use Teleport..."
With her arms crossed and voice still timid, Mira gave her command.
She had no intention of letting Alakazam take a direct hit from Mega Metagross—
Not even though Alakazam was also a powerful Psychic-type.
"Alakazam~"
In an instant, Alakazam vanished from where it stood.
A second later, Metagross's punch struck the empty space, carving a deep crater into the battlefield and sending chunks of stone flying—
A sight that sent the crowd's blood surging with excitement.
"Now… use Hypnosis again..."
Seeing Alakazam evade the attack, Mira gave another command, though her blushing face showed visible embarrassment.
"What a sneaky tactic—sacrificing combat capability in other areas just to specialize in Teleport and Hypnosis."
"So sneaky and irritating… but highly effective."
Nathan ignored her words and began analyzing Alakazam's strategy.
No matter how he looked at it, this girl named Mira was far from ordinary.
The next moment, both Nathan and Metagross felt a wave of drowsiness.
It was Alakazam using Hypnosis again.
"If it were just Metagross, or just me alone, I might not have been able to block this…"
Feeling the sleepiness gnawing at his mind, Nathan chuckled softly.
To say Nathan had an attractive smile was an understatement—
But when paired with that ominous crimson eye, his smile made people's skin crawl.
"Metagross, return that power!"
Touching his forehead, Nathan gave the sudden order.
Like hell he'd fall for such a weak trick—
Wait!
Before Metagross could respond, a flood of negative emotions poured into Nathan's mind—
Rage. Jealousy. Hatred. Greed...
It was as if all of humanity's evils had invaded and begun corrupting him from within.
It felt eerily similar to when Kroxus had once acted up—
And yet fundamentally different.
Because no matter how alien Kroxus was, he had still originated from a Pokémon.
Even if that Pokémon was the Creator God.
But this—
Alakazam's Hypnosis seemed to have replaced the drowsiness with pure, human malice!
As if it had been lying in wait, anticipating the moment Nathan synchronized with Metagross!
"I… I've been outmaneuvered again..."
Clutching his glowing crimson eye, Nathan thought bitterly.
As expected—
Compared to those rats lurking in the shadows, standing in the sunlight was a clear disadvantage...
Open attacks are easy to dodge—
But hidden ones are deadly.
This moment was the perfect example.
"I'm counting on you, Kroxus!"
Just as he was about to lose consciousness, and Metagross was on the verge of going berserk, Nathan silently called out in his heart.
Since it had acknowledged him as its Trainer—its Master—
Then surely it could lend him a bit of its strength?
[Of course.]
Kroxus answered in only two simple words.
And then, using the dragon force as a bridge and Synchronization as a vessel—
An enormous wave of power surged into Nathan, flowing straight into Metagross!
Meanwhile, outside—
Before anyone could even react, the purple-haired, violet-eyed girl had collapsed onto the ground, murmuring something incoherent.
At the same time, an overwhelming aura swept through the entire Skyrend arena!
No one—not even Nathan—could have predicted it.
The Dark Organization—Chiyou—
These rats actually had the audacity to launch a terrorist-style attack on the Skyrend tournament grounds!
It was like a criminal gang launching a full-on assault on the capital's Olympics!
But what truly caught Nathan off guard was the fact that Tina, that woman, hadn't received any warning in advance.
The upper echelons of Chiyou were clearly planning a blitz attack—
To capture Nathan in the shortest time possible, and then focus all efforts on reviving Mewtwo!
At that point, no matter how furious the Pokémon League became, Chiyou would have enough leverage to resist!
"…Truly worthy of being Chiyou. That's all I can say."
Understanding their plan, the middle-aged man could only smile bitterly.
Despite being called one of the League's strategic masterminds, even he hadn't predicted Chiyou would act this recklessly.
Or perhaps he wasn't fully aware of Mewtwo's existence—he just had an ominous feeling that Chiyou intended to use Nathan to accomplish something terrifying.
So terrifying that they had endured dormancy only to emerge with a full-scale ambush!
"Would mere Super Evolution really give these rats the courage to go this far?"
The old woman stood up, her seemingly cloudy eyes gleaming with extraordinary sharpness.
She may have looked elderly—
But she refused to believe a group that had managed to survive under the League's relentless pressure for so many years would go insane over something like this.
Insane enough for her to use the dismissive phrase "mere Super Evolution."
"'The tallest tree in the forest is the first to fall'—
Surely you were prepared for this, weren't you?"
"If you weren't, I don't believe for a second you'd keep your childhood friend and your parents away from the capital..."
…
The middle-aged man silently watched Nathan.
At this point, all they could do was hope this young boy would become a turning point—
Not necessarily strong enough to stop Chiyou,
But enough to stall them even a little.
He would take anything—
As long as Chiyou's plan didn't succeed.
"…I feel… a little more clear-headed now. That felt just like a nightmare…"
Holding his head, Nathan suddenly gasped for air.
Although the negative emotions had been absorbed by Kroxus's power,
It was not something he ever wanted to experience again.
It felt like all his reason and intellect had been swallowed whole—reduced to nothing more than a degenerate beast driven by primal urges.
Just thinking about it made his skin crawl.
After all, Pokémon and humans had become the world's two dominant species precisely because of reason and intelligence—
Even if Pokémon couldn't form their own civilization.
"Metagross, return."
Having regained some clarity, Nathan called Metagross back into its Poké Ball.
(End of Chapter)