"Kraa! Kraa!"
Corviknight appeared beside Aaron and pointed into the distance, its voice echoing inside his mind.
Aaron, I saw an aircraft heading that way, your eyes sharpened.
"Ding~ Congratulations, you have triggered a quest: Capture Aotum."
"That bastard caused this entire mess, almost blew you to pieces, and now he thinks he can just run?"
"Catch him and kick his ass so hard he remembers what happens when you cause trouble in Hualis."
Quest Reward: Skill Card: Ice Teigu — Demon's Extract ×1, Pokémon Candy (Elite) ×2.
The system's furious voice rang in Aaron's mind.
The corner of Aaron's mouth lifted slightly.
Perfect timing.
Aotum wanted to make a mess and leave?
As if Hualis would let him.
Aaron immediately turned to Jian.
"Director Jian, I found Aotum. I'm going after him."
He glanced toward the battlefield below.
"Stay here and help clean up the rest."
Then he shouted toward Charizard in the sky.
"Charizard, let's go!"
After that, he turned to his other Pokémon.
"Help Director Jian clear out the remaining Pokémon army. I'll be back soon."
"Grenin!"
"SNOOOR!"
"Scep-tile!"
"GRAAAH!"
Greninja and the others nodded.
Aaron leaped up, landed directly on Charizard's back, and flew after Aotum in the direction Corviknight had pointed.
"Hey—"
Jian still wanted to say something, but Aaron was already gone.
His mouth twitched.
Could he leave too?
This was awkward as hell.
Aaron had said his Pokémon would help him, but let's be honest. Jian was the one helping them.
No.
Actually, he was mostly just standing there.
...
Several kilometers away from the destroyed Corestone facility, Aotum was flying through the sky in a small aircraft.
A twisted smile hung on his face.
"Hahahahaha!"
"You idiots really thought you could catch me? I blew the whole place sky-high, and you still couldn't stop me."
His eyes burned with arrogance.
"I'm second in line to Corestone Group, one of Ransei's top conglomerates. You Hualis failures can wait."
"I'll be back."
"And when I return..."
The moment Aotum thought of Aaron's powerful Pokémon, greed filled his eyes.
"That brat's Pokémon will all belong to me."
If he had Pokémon like those, the position of first heir would definitely be his.
He had come to Hualis to prove himself. There had been a minor accident, sure, but the research data was safely in his hands. That meant he had succeeded.
This data alone was enough to raise his influence within Corestone.
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
Warning. Flying object detected behind us.
Flying object detected behind us.
Just as Aotum was imagining the life waiting for him back in Ransei, red warning lights flashed across the cockpit.
"What?"
The smile vanished from his face.
He hurriedly turned to look and saw a figure riding a massive Charizard, closing in at terrifying speed.
It was actually faster than his aircraft.
"That brat again..."
"He really doesn't know when to quit!"
Aotum recognized Aaron at once, and his face twisted with anger.
"Go faster!"
"Full speed!"
Hello, pilot.
The aircraft is already operating at maximum speed.
If you would like to go faster, please install a better engine.
The AI answered in a calm, polite voice.
Aotum's face twitched.
"Are you seriously giving me maintenance advice right now!?"
In his rage, he kicked the console twice.
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
Warning. Aircraft malfunction detected.
Crash expected in five seconds.
Pilot, please brace for impact.
Aotum: "..."
His expression turned pitch-black.
"I'm so screwed."
BOOM!
Black smoke burst from the aircraft as it lost control and plunged toward the ground.
BOOOOM!
The aircraft slammed into the earth and exploded, sending thick smoke and flames rolling across the crash site.
Standing on Charizard's back, Aaron froze for a moment.
"What just happened?"
His eyes narrowed.
"Charizard, take us down. Let's get a closer look."
"Graaah."
Charizard let out a low growl, beat its powerful red wings, and descended toward the wreckage.
...
Thick smoke billowed from the crash site.
BOOM!
Suddenly, a powerful burst of energy erupted from within the wreckage, blasting the remains of the aircraft apart.
Two figures walked out through the flames.
One was Aotum, his face dark with rage.
The other was a strange Pokémon.