The pure white wings slowly unfurled, adorned with patterns resembling sunspots—or perhaps more like eyes.
The opened insect eyes shone with a sacred yet somewhat playful shade of sky blue.
Volcarona's body, still moth-like, radiated a divine and breathtaking beauty under the pure white flames.
Of course, this transformation was merely Volcarona's outward change.
Behind its wings, something resembling a circular ring was slowly burning.
It looked vaguely like a hollow gear, but no gear could truly describe either its structure or the way it hollowed out space.
"Is this… really Volcarona?"
Everyone who laid eyes on the evolved form couldn't help but question it in their minds.
Could this still be Volcarona?
Even if someone claimed it was a legendary Fire-type Pokémon, no one would doubt it.
In fact, its visual impact and special effects were even more exaggerated than a real legendary!
Even Nathan's eyes shifted from crimson to a gem-like ruby red—no longer eerie or sinister, but more like a blazing work of art, dreamy and dazzling!
In a sense, Nathan and Volcarona were influencing each other's appearance at this moment.
"Volcarona, capture that Honchkrowed bastard alive. Don't let it get away!"
Feeling his body suddenly warm and energized, Nathan couldn't help but grin.
Whether it was a last surge of life or the power he shared with Volcarona,
One thing was certain—Nathan really needed to vent!
"Vol!"
Responding to Nathan's command, the newly bond-evolved Volcarona immediately flew toward the Honchkrow.
Its flame had turned to a milky white—a holy light tinged with a faint, eerie aura.
Just like how Volcarona now possessed six wings.
"Between Pokémon and Pokémon… between trainers and trainers…"
"Tch. Is this going to be a man-to-man showdown? Not that I care. I just wanna beat the crap out of you."
Nathan strolled calmly toward The Tiger, his smile unwavering.
Paired with those sparkling red eyes, Nathan somehow exerted a pressure that even a veteran of the underground world like The Tiger couldn't explain.
What the hell was this?!
"I'm the sharpest blade in Chiyou's arsenal!!"
But at that moment, some deep-rooted belief inside The Tiger finally shattered.
His eyes bloodshot, he stared at Nathan with deadly intent.
…
"Die, Nathan!!"
At this point, The Tiger had completely forgotten the organization's orders to capture Nathan alive.
All he wanted was to erase this person who denied his existence.
That's right.
To The Tiger, Nathan was the embodiment of his denial.
He had worked so hard, clawing his way through the dark world from childhood.
At just eight years old, he killed a companion and obtained his first Pokémon.
He struggled to survive until now, and with the help of the organization and his own efforts, he'd even trained the Honchkrow to champion level!
But after meeting Nathan, he felt like a total joke.
The more amazing Nathan became, the more unstable The Tiger's emotions grew.
In front of this monster of a kid…
What did he amount to, really?!
"Die, Nathan!!"
Like a demon screaming a curse, The Tiger pulled out a human weapon—
A large-caliber black pistol!
Bang!
With a loud gunshot, Nathan tilted his head slightly.
The bullet grazed past his cheek.
Bang! Bang! Bang! —
Several more shots rang out, but Nathan walked forward casually as if on a stroll.
Instead, it was The Tiger who had turned into a human outline shooter.
The target was getting closer, but he still couldn't land a single hit!
"I thought you'd have something up your sleeve. Turns out you're relying on this kind of thing?"
Finally arriving in front of The Tiger, Nathan spoke with disappointment.
He hadn't even used his psychic powers. The Tiger had already reduced himself to a useless, one-trick brute.
This was Chiyou's so-called dagger?
"Don't look down on me!!"
Just as Nathan was about to vent, The Tiger suddenly threw down his gun and roared.
At the same time, his fist—hard as stones—swung toward Nathan's face!
With his other hand, he pulled out a dagger!
As the sharpest blade in the Chiyou black-ops organization, it was impossible that The Tiger only relied on the Honchkrow's power.
In the dark world,
A powerful trainer wasn't necessarily more useful than a deadly assassin.
And The Tiger was both—trainer and killer. That's what made him Chiyou's dagger.
Even within the organization, the name "The Tiger" held special significance.
The fact that this man had been entrusted with Chiyou's deadliest blade title said it all.
Unfortunately, all blades eventually dull and break.
Even if they lived out their lives, time would still wear them down.
At this moment, The Tiger— the sharpest blade —was finally meeting his end.
Because—
Nathan was his natural nemesis!!
"Too slow."
With that comment, Nathan struck The Tiger's elbow with inhuman speed.
The Tiger's arm bent into an irregular, grotesque shape!
Nathan didn't spare the other arm holding the dagger either—
He disarmed it with his bare hands—then broke it by force!
"You…!"
Seeing Nathan's inhuman actions, The Tiger's eyes bulged in disbelief!
But Nathan didn't give him any more chances.
He kicked The Tiger in the gut—
With such force that The Tiger flew like a cannonball!
"Blaaagh!!"
Before even hitting the ground, The Tiger vomited a massive amount of blood mid-air.
"That boy… doesn't seem like the softhearted type."
"You're not even trying to look good—careful or you'll end up being resented for it."
Watching the scene unfold, the old lady commented thoughtfully.
Joseph could only smile wryly in response.
Even though The Tiger looked pathetic now…
Just moments ago, he was such a big boss that even Joseph and the heavily armed guards didn't dare move.
Now he was being completely trashed by Nathan.
Even the Honchkrow was getting manhandled by Volcarona.
He didn't seem like a champion-level trainer at all.
He hadn't even attempted to use an Elite-level combo attack!
But in reality, champion-level was still champion-level.
Just because Nathan could beat him easily didn't mean the rest of them could.
Even if Joseph wanted to step in and help, he didn't have the strength.
When it came to champion-level fights, neither he nor the guards had any right to interfere.
Simply put—it wasn't that Joseph didn't want to lend a hand.
He couldn't.
"Hey… don't tell me that's all you've got?"
In the arena, Nathan looked down at The Tiger with boredom.
After taking a brutal beating, The Tiger looked like a corpse.
Understandable—Nathan's strength was far from that of a normal human.
In fact, he'd already held back.
Otherwise, with Nathan's power, a normal human would be nothing more than a plastic toy—easy to disassemble.
"Cough… Honchkrow… run… get out of here…"
Suddenly coughing up two large mouthfuls of blood, The Tiger gasped out his plea.
Like a drowning man briefly surfacing for air.
Except The Tiger was far more unlucky.
What should have been an easy job turned into a nightmare just because he ran into a cheat like Nathan.
Seeing his trainer's miserable condition, the Honchkrow seemed to draw power from nowhere—
It suddenly burst forth and managed to overpower Volcarona momentarily!
While Volcarona was briefly distracted, it grabbed The Tiger and flew off into the distance!
Though flying-type Pokémon and armed helicopters tried to stop it,
In the face of a champion-level Honchkrow, their defenses were utterly fragile.
"Ready, Steelix?"
Watching the Honchkrow fleeing into the distance, Nathan grinned.
(End of Chapter)