The moment the Thunderbolt struck, the entire stadium fell silent.
Countless people stared blankly at the dazzling, breathtaking dual-colored lightning.
"That's... that's way too strong!"
No one knew who shouted first.
But suddenly, a deafening roar erupted throughout the arena.
Gradually, all those voices merged into one.
They were all shouting the same name.
"Chen Mo!"
"Chen Mo!"
"Chen Mo!"
...
Sitting among the spectators, William's entire body trembled slightly.
He could feel the heartfelt fervor radiating from the crowd around him.
He could feel the immense respect they held for the young man standing on the battlefield.
No...
It wasn't just respect.
William felt that many of these spectators were beginning to regard Chen Mo almost as a deity.
As a foreigner, William couldn't help thinking that if his own country had someone like this, he would probably be no different from the people around him.
In fact, he was already starting to be influenced by the atmosphere himself.
After all...
This was the Hero of Ideals.
As one of Chen Mo's fans, William still vividly remembered the murals in that ancient ruin from another world.
He remembered the legendary figure depicted there—the man who had single-handedly transformed an entire era of the Pokémon world.
For a brief moment, the figure standing on the battlefield overlapped with the image from the mural.
The man accompanied by the Dragon of Ideals.
Finally, as the chants around him grew louder and louder, William couldn't hold back any longer.
"Chen Mo!"
His sudden shout startled many viewers watching his livestream.
[Why are you yelling so loudly!? It's daytime where you are, but it's nighttime for us! You nearly scared me to death!]
[Looks like the streamer has gotten full of himself. Unfollowed!]
[Honestly, the atmosphere at this tournament is incredible. Even the World Cup probably wouldn't compare. And this guy everyone calls Teacher Mo is absurdly strong. He feels like he's in a completely different league from the other competitors.]
[I came here because of the newspaper articles a few days ago. Serious question: how many trainers like Chen Mo are there in Huaxia?]
[+1. I also found this through the papers. Watching these matches makes it feel like we're living in the Stone Age compared to Huaxia. And this guy Chen Mo and his Pokémon are ridiculous. It feels like he's already transcended what it means to be human.]
Sitting before his computer screen, Davis wore an extremely serious expression.
By the time William had arrived during Chen Mo's battle against Zapdos, the fight had already been nearing its end.
The viewers had only heard William's descriptions afterward.
Legendary Pokémon were powerful.
Teacher Mo's Pokémon were powerful.
But no one had truly understood just how powerful.
Nothing compared to today's battle.
As the comments said—
It was completely outrageous.
Whether it was the Legendary Pokémon Meloetta or Chen Mo commanding Pikachu, both sides had displayed unbelievable power.
Especially Chen Mo.
According to William's explanation, Chen Mo had gained the recognition of a Legendary Pokémon and could use a portion of its power.
That was the most unbelievable part.
If merely borrowing a fraction of its strength could produce such terrifying results...
Davis couldn't even imagine how powerful the Legendary Pokémon called Zekrom would be at full strength.
Could humanity really afford to make enemies of Pokémon?
To oppose beings like that?
And then there was another issue.
Recently, Davis had been dedicating himself to changing society's perception of Pokémon.
Only after attempting it himself did he realize how difficult such a task truly was.
He had contacted many friends for help.
Most had rejected him outright.
In the end, he had spent an entire afternoon persuading a friend working at a newspaper before finally managing to publish an article he'd written.
Even then, the results had been minimal.
Only now did he truly understand how astonishing the achievement in Huaxia had been.
To transform public opinion so dramatically in such a short time...
That was nothing less than a miracle.
Looking at the young man on the screen—
The man many called the source of change and the dawn of a new era—
Davis sighed softly.
If only our country had someone like that...
Unfortunately, it was nothing more than wishful thinking.
Back on the battlefield.
The dust cloud created by Thunderbolt gradually dispersed.
Within the enormous crater blasted into the ground, Banette lay peacefully, having completely lost the ability to battle.
Several colorful symbols resembling musical notes floated above its body.
They glowed with rainbow-colored light as they slowly rotated, seemingly protecting it.
It was obvious.
Most of the Thunderbolt's power had been intercepted by those musical notes.
Otherwise, Banette wouldn't have merely fainted.
"Phew..."
After confirming Banette's condition with Detective Eye, Chen Mo finally let out a breath and relaxed.
Under Overclock Drive, Pikachu's Electric-type energy had been amplified enormously.
The power of Electric-type moves had increased severalfold.
However—
Enhanced Electric energy did not mean Iron Tail had become stronger as well.
That was why Banette hadn't felt overwhelming pressure during its clash between Shadow Claw and Iron Tail.
As for using that collision to launch Pikachu into the air...
Banette's guess had been correct.
Chen Mo had planned it from the beginning.
There were two objectives.
First, to leave Banette temporarily unable to dodge after enduring the impact from Iron Tail.
Second, to send Pikachu high enough into the sky to unleash a full-powered Thunderbolt.
That way—
With Meloetta's protection and Marshadow secretly standing guard—
Banette would remain unharmed.
Most of the Thunderbolt's destructive force would strike the ground.
The resulting shockwaves would then be contained by Meloetta's golden tree.
There would be no danger to anyone outside.
For Chen Mo, this was the best answer he could currently present to Meloetta.
That's right.
Under Overclock Drive, Pikachu had many ways to defeat Banette.
The reason Chen Mo chose Thunderbolt—the most destructive move possible in the current environment—was because of Meloetta.
Compared to ordinary Pokémon, Legendary Pokémon undoubtedly possessed much greater wisdom.
Yet from the Legendaries Chen Mo had met so far—
Marshadow.
Zapdos.
Even Zekrom, the source of the title Hero of Ideals—
They all shared one thing in common with ordinary Pokémon.
They were surprisingly straightforward.
And judging from her behavior, Meloetta wasn't much different.
After all, even the audience could tell she had appeared specifically because of the title Hero of Ideals.
As for Chen Mo, who had been speaking with her face-to-face, the impression was even stronger.
Although Meloetta always addressed him with great respect, he could tell from her challenge and the way she had carefully observed each of his Pokémon beforehand that she was somewhat uncertain about the current Hero of Ideals.
The battle had clearly been a test.
She wanted to see for herself how capable this Hero truly was.
After all...
The previous Hero had been none other than the Chosen One—
Arthur.
"That was a truly magnificent battle."
"Or perhaps I should say... exactly what one would expect from the Hero chosen by Lord Zekrom."
Meloetta gazed at the fading blue markings on Pikachu's body.
A nostalgic expression appeared on her face.
Then she looked up at Chen Mo again.
More precisely—
At the pendant hidden beneath his shirt.
"Ah..."
Suddenly, Meloetta softly uttered a phrase in her own voice.
Sadness filled her expression.
Though they had only just met, Chen Mo somehow understood what she meant.
"So... a thousand years have already passed..."
"So you really did know him."
Chen Mo sighed softly.
Human life lasted less than a century.
Naturally, the murals could never record every detail of a person's life.
Neither the murals nor Arthur's own stories had ever mentioned Meloetta.
And yet...
Judging from her reaction, she clearly recognized this fragment of Zekrom's source power.
She also knew the legendary figure named Arthur.
The man who had long since passed away.
Legendary Pokémon possessed extraordinarily long lifespans.
Even after all this time, merely seeing Zekrom's source power was enough to make Meloetta emotional.
Clearly, Arthur had left a profound impression on her.
Which wasn't surprising.
Despite the dark period in his life, Arthur had been the kind of person whose charisma was simply overwhelming.
A man capable of changing the world.
Just as Chen Mo was about to speak, a familiar voice suddenly called out from behind him.
Turning around, he saw Zhou Yichuan, Hu Chengliang, and a group of Bureau personnel hurrying over.
Behind them, a Chansey was desperately waddling after them on its tiny legs.
"Chansey, go heal Banette and Pikachu first."
"Happy!"
After giving the instruction, Zhou Yichuan finally looked toward Chen Mo.
"You really never know how to do things halfway, do you?"
"You realize how much trouble you've caused this time, right?"
"..."
Chen Mo glanced at Meloetta floating beside him and sighed helplessly.
He knew.
But honestly, it wasn't his fault this time.
At that moment, Hu Chengliang, whose attention had been fixed on Pikachu from the moment he arrived, suddenly spoke up.
"Chen Mo, what's going on with your Pikachu?"
Unlike Zhou Yichuan, Hu Chengliang had already accepted that anything could happen around Chen Mo.
Ever since Meloetta appeared through You You's body, he'd understood that things were destined to spiral beyond anyone's expectations.
At this point, he was used to it.
As someone now heavily focused on Pokémon research, he cared much more about Pikachu's unusual state.
"Overclock Drive."
Chen Mo smiled as he looked at Pikachu.
"You could say it's one of the perks I got from the boss after becoming the Hero of Ideals."
In the original lore, Zekrom possessed a special state known as Overdrive Mode.
In that form, the engine-like tail on its back glowed with brilliant azure light, while various parts of its body emitted blue luminescence.
Chen Mo had only accidentally discovered that Pikachu could achieve a similar state through Zekrom's source power while experimenting on his Pokémon.
Unfortunately—
The source power currently benefited only two of his Pokémon.
Pikachu, who had fused with the source power during evolution.
And Pidgeotto, who had once been acknowledged by that power.
Furthermore—
Only Pikachu could actually enter the Overclock Drive state.
Chen Mo suspected it was because Pikachu was an Electric-type Pokémon.
After all, Overclock Drive amplified Electric energy specifically.
It had little to do with Pidgeotto's own typing.
"So that's the Dragon of Ideals..."
Hu Chengliang withdrew his gaze from Pikachu and looked toward Chen Mo.
"Chen Mo, later on, could you maybe—"
Before he could finish, Zhou Yichuan casually draped an arm over his shoulder and interrupted him.
"Chengliang."
"Take a look around first."
The entire stadium had gone strangely quiet.
Countless spectators were staring eagerly at them.
Everyone looked as though they were waiting for some earth-shattering revelation.
There were many things—
About Pikachu.
About Meloetta.
About the Hero of Ideals.
That simply couldn't be discussed here.
Understanding immediately, Hu Chengliang nodded and said no more.
Amid loud boos from disappointed spectators, the group quickly escorted Meloetta, You You, and Banette away from the battlefield.
The remaining tournament staff were left to handle the crowd.
Inside the staff passageway.
After walking a considerable distance and leaving most of the noise behind, Zhou Yichuan finally turned toward the silent, dreamlike songstress floating beside Chen Mo.
"Hello, Meloetta."
"It's nice to meet you."
"You sought out Chen Mo because there's something you need help with, isn't there?"
"If you don't mind, could we sit in on the conversation?"
"As trainers, we may not compare to Chen Mo."
"But in other areas, we might be able to assist you."
"Assuming you're willing to trust us."
Meloetta slowly lifted her head.
She looked at Zhou Yichuan.
Then at Chen Mo.
Only after seeing Chen Mo nod lightly did she finally speak.
"The reason I specifically sought out the Hero of Ideals is indeed because I need help."
"If you're willing to assist me, I would be deeply grateful."
She paused briefly before continuing.
"You already know that Pokémon like us do not belong to this world."
"And after arriving here, I discovered something very important."
"I seem to have lost something."
"Something extremely important to me."
🌟 60 Chapters Ahead!
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