At his Trainer's order, Charizard immediately aborted its forward dive, snapping around and darting back the way it had come.
But in the split second before it finished the turn—
Vmmm—
A thin rush of air skimmed past their ears.
Charizard's head flared with pain, like something sharp had punched straight through its skull.
"Rrrgh…"
A low growl leaked from its throat. Its body—steady in flight just a moment ago—shuddered violently in midair.
"Hold it together, Charizard!" Alain barked, clutching his own head as he shouted.
Gritting through the agony, Charizard beat its wings hard.
Only after it'd pulled some distance away did the stabbing pain finally start to ease.
Alain shot a wary look at Elias not far away.
If he'd seen that right, it had been a Psycho Cut.
A move a Psychic-type Pokémon would use—thrown out by a human.
All at once, he understood why Lysandre had sent both him and Xerosic.
The good news was…
He scanned the area carefully and found no trace of any Pokémon at Elias's side.
"So you're so strong you don't even bother with Pokémon?" Alain muttered, convinced he'd found the man's weakness.
No matter how strong a human was, they couldn't possibly stand on the same level as a Pokémon.
If this guy really was that arrogant, Alain was still confident he could take him down.
Not far away, Elias watched Charizard retreat, a hint of regret in his eyes.
His psychokinesis still wasn't enough.
If that Psycho Cut had been Gardevoir's, Charizard wouldn't have gotten away without sleeping for three days and three nights.
Worse—after taking that hit, it was clearly on guard now.
Elias narrowed his eyes.
Charizard hovered cautiously in midair, as if it had received new instructions, no longer daring to advance even a step.
Then a massive fireball began to churn and swell in its mouth.
So we're playing long-range now.
The instant Fire Spin came roaring in on a wave of heat, Elias vanished from the clearing.
BOOM!
Blistering flames slammed into the ground, crackling and spitting.
Watching Elias use Teleport, Alain's gaze sharpened. It only confirmed what he'd been thinking.
"Charizard—treat him like a Psychic-type Pokémon."
He snapped the command out at once.
Staring across at Elias, the last of Alain's earlier panic began to drain away.
A human's body—and a human's mind—couldn't compare to a Pokémon's.
It wouldn't be long before he ran himself dry.
That was the strategy Alain had put together on the fly.
...
"Boss, you really could've just loaned me Gyarados…"
Perched on Pyroar as it tore through the forest at full speed, Xerosic's round face was pinched with misery.
Pyroar wasn't slow, but it was still a ground runner.
And with the forest's rough terrain, it couldn't build up any real speed.
Meanwhile, Alain's Charizard only had to flap its wings to leave him in the dust.
With Charizard's strength, by the time Xerosic arrived, the fight would probably be over.
After racing for what felt like ages, he finally heard the distant thunder of impacts.
"Huh?"
He scratched his chin, bafflement filling the eyes behind his sunglasses.
Alain had been there for ages—so why hadn't it ended yet?
Was the enemy actually troublesome?
In an instant, the gloom on Xerosic's face vanished, replaced by a thrill of anticipation.
He'd been looking for a chance to earn back favor—how convenient that one had delivered itself right to him.
And if this intruder hadn't shown up out of nowhere, he wouldn't be in this mess to begin with.
Xerosic's mouth curled, his blood humming with more excitement than he ever felt in the lab.
BOOOOM—
Sure enough, as he pushed closer, he caught a glimpse through the gaps in the branches—Alain's Charizard getting blasted away.
Looked like it had taken an Aura Sphere head-on.
"Lucario, huh?"
Perfect. The boss's Pyroar was Fire-type.
"Pyroar—when the opening comes, take it."
"Try to bring them down in one shot!"
Xerosic leaned close to Pyroar's ear and issued the advance order.
Daring to interfere in the middle of reviving Mr. Elias… this intruder was leaving here today missing more than just dignity.
A cold, vicious smile spread across Xerosic's face.
...
Watching the stalemate drag on and on, Alain's eyes were wide with disbelief.
Psychic power. Aura. And two other forces he couldn't even name.
On top of that, there were techniques—moves that looked tailor-made for battling Pokémon.
Was this really a human?
He was starting to suspect the guy was some special Pokémon in disguise.
And looking closer, Alain realized something else—he was young.
At that age, most people were rookie Trainers who still couldn't even wrap their heads around Pokémon Abilities.
"A monster…?"
Cursing under his breath, Alain had no choice but to order Charizard to fall back yet again.
Watching Charizard slip away one more time, Elias was starting to get fed up.
He was quietly measuring how much control he truly had over Life Energy.
Rather than keep grinding in a deadlock with this Charizard…
He'd much rather haul the Delphox out of the lake and use Life Energy to break its seal.
With that little fox's strength, wiping the floor with a Charizard that was, at best, Elite Four level would be nothing.
Elias was still weighing how feasible it was when—
Suddenly…
"ROAR!"
A deep, rumbling growl rolled in from another direction.
Elias snapped his head around.
A Pyroar, flames spilling from its jaws, was charging straight at him—eyes savage with intent.
It was fast, and every step hit like a hammer.
As it surged forward, it left behind enormous pawprints—blackened and scorched into the earth.
The Pyroar's sudden appearance made Elias freeze for a beat.
Because it looked… familiar.
And in the blink of an eye, Pyroar was already in front of him, fangs wreathed in a blazing Fire Fang.
Following Xerosic's command, it was ready to pounce—tear into the human before it with savage bites.
Pyroar wasn't stupid.
It knew what today was—the day they would revive that human from years ago, the one who used to make its Pokémon food all the time.
The scent on him had always been delicious. The meals had been even better. And he'd helped Pyroar's Trainer more times than it could count.
Pyroar had liked him.
But today… someone had the nerve to come and interfere.
That alone was enough to make Pyroar's already short fuse blaze into an inferno.
Just before it sprang—
Elias's still-dazed face reflected in its eyes.
Huh?
The human who made really good food?!
Pyroar's eyes went crystal clear in an instant.
---
T/N: GOOD FOOD!!
T/N2: HI IM BACK HAPPY 2 YEAR ANNIVERSAY ONLY UHHH 7 DAYS? 8 DAYS LATE!!!
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