A large fiery red sphere formed in mid-air and plummeted towards Bisharp's location. Due to its slower speed, Bisharp was still chasing Lian.
Boom!
As Lian maintained distance, he observed the battle closely. The Weather Ball accurately struck Bisharp, causing a massive energy explosion with a deafening roar that sent Bisharp flying.
Having defeated three Pokemon, Lian felt significantly less pressure. Now, he could cautiously engage with Krookodile, but he needed to remain vigilant against its Earthquake move. If Krookodile paused to use Earthquake, Lian would seize the opportunity to finish it off with another attack.
"Charmeleon, watch out for Weavile!" Kalia's warning echoed, as she noticed the revived and healed Weavile while Lian focused on his battle, unable to monitor everything simultaneously.
Lian quickly glanced at the distance, confirming that Weavile had indeed regained its strength and was lurking nearby, clearly preparing for a surprise attack.
Although unsure how Weavile suddenly recovered, Kalia's timely alert prevented Lian from being caught off guard by the sneak attack.
With this warning, the threat from Weavile significantly diminished. Lian swiftly unleashed Flame Spiral towards Krookodile.
He couldn't afford to prolong the battle any further. Although Krookodile excelled at Dig, Lian's Flame Spiral was faster and could be released before Krookodile had a chance to use its move.
Keeping an eye out for Weavile's sneak attack, Lian simultaneously launched Flame Spiral. As the flames erupted from his mouth, they instantly began spinning, gaining momentum with each burst of propulsion.
Krookodile, being intelligent, immediately attempted Dig to burrow underground and evade Flame Spiral. However, just as it started digging, the swirling flames struck its exposed tail before it could fully submerge.
The Krookodile let out a painful howl but tried persisting to dig deeper. Yet, the relentless burning combined with the immense rotational force of the spiral proved too much. Before it could reach the safety of the earth, Krookodile lost strength, falling unconscious amidst visible burn marks and impact injuries on its body.
At that precise moment, a massive fiery red orb plummeted from the sky, striking the Weavile attempting to ambush Lian.
Lian had been closely monitoring Weavile's movements. As it charged towards him, he quickly formed a Weather Ball, releasing it just before Sunny Day expired.
Boom!
The Weather Ball exploded unexpectedly, catching Weavile off guard. Even the Dark Guild member was focused on Lian and Krookodile's battle, completely missing the formation of the Weather Ball overhead.
Weavile felt a sudden wave of heat from behind, intensifying rapidly, followed by the explosive force engulfing it.
The massive burst of Fire-type energy radiated outward from the explosion's epicenter, leaving no chance for Weavile to remain standing.
Lian refrained from further action as the battle had concluded, but his anger still simmered as he glared at the remaining Dark Guild member.
With Sunny Day now over, the weather reverted to its usual cloudy state, accompanied by a gentle, cooling breeze.
Lian swiftly approached the Dark Guild member, who had already lost all their Pokémon. Unhindered, Lian threw a powerful punch directly at them.
Since the Dark Guild is not protected by the League, there were no concerns about holding back; even fatally striking them would have minimal repercussions.
With Kalia nearby, Lian couldn't possibly kill his opponent but still needed to teach him a lesson.
The Dark Guild member, stunned for a moment after seeing all his Pokemon defeated, was about to recall them into Poké Balls and make a run for it when Lian reached him swiftly.
Clenching his claws into a fist, he delivered a simple punch without using any special move. The Dark Guild member took the blow directly to his stomach.
Ugh!
Even as an adult, enduring Lian's punch was excruciating, causing immediate vomiting.
Lian didn't relent, immediately following up with a tail lash that struck the assailant's face forcefully, shattering the mask and revealing a man's face marked by a red welt from the impact of Lian's tail.
"Ouch!" The Dark Guild member cried out in pain, completely unable to resist Lian's attacks. He fell to his knees, clutching his face and abdomen.
Lian stepped on him firmly, halting further action but restricting his movement entirely.
Kalia approached, her eyes blazing with anger. Despite being just a young girl, she understood the dire consequences had Charmeleon not successfully counterattacked.
"Who are you?" Kalia demanded.
The Dark Guild member, pinned under Lian's foot, couldn't move an inch. Turning his head towards Kalia, he scoffed, "Aren't you aware already? I'm from the Dark Guild. Consider this a setback for us. Let me go, and I guarantee that the Dark Guild won't bother you again."
Kalia, being cautious, didn't engage physically but shook her head firmly. "I can't let you go. Since you're with the Dark Guild, do you know where the boy who left with you on the ship recently is now?"
There was no way Kalia would release this Dark Guild member. As part of a large-scale illegal Pokemon trading organization, she intended to hand him over to Ruby City's police for appropriate punishment.
"You mean that brat Julian? Yes, I know where he is. Let me go, and I'll tell you," the guild member revealed, clearly possessing some information.
"Tell me first," Kalia insisted, not falling for his ploy.
"That little brat was rescued by Zapdos. There, I've told you. Can you release me now?" the guild member disclosed.
"Relief, knowing he's safe." Hearing that Julian was saved by Zapdos, Kalia felt reassured. Although Zapdos is a Legendary Pokémon, it possesses intelligence and wouldn't harm humans unless provoked.
As long as Julian didn't fall into the hands of the Dark Guild, Kalia felt relieved and saw no need to search for him further.
"What happened to the Zapdos youngling?" Kalia continued, now concerned about the fate of the Zapdos offspring since Julian was safe.
"The Zapdos youngling has already been captured by us. I've answered your questions, so let me go!" The Dark Guild member grew impatient, attempting to struggle and rise.
Unfortunately, Lian's strength far surpassed that of an average adult, keeping the man firmly pinned without any chance of movement, save for turning his head slightly.
"My apologies, but individuals like you belong in prison. Therefore, I won't be releasing you." Having obtained the information she sought, Kalia decided not to waste more time on him.
"Damn it! You tricked me!" The Dark Guild member erupted in anger, but it proved futile; Lian had no intention of letting him up.
Suddenly, inspiration struck Lian. He extended his claws and began searching through the man's belongings. As an elite member of the Dark Guild, he likely carried valuable items with him.
For instance, earlier, Weavile mysteriously regained its vigor, undoubtedly due to some rare medication.
"What are you doing?" The Dark Guild member panicked as Charmeleon tore open his outer jacket.
With a strong tug, Lian detached a pouch from the Dark Guild member's waist, clearly filled with valuable items.
"Charmeleon..."
Kalia was stunned, watching Charmeleon's actions, unsure if it was appropriate for him to be stealing things like this.
Lian, satisfied, held the pouch and swiftly tore it open. A variety of contents spilled out, including unactivated mini Poké Balls, four or five Move Disks, nutritional drinks, and a white wristband.
What caught Lian's attention was the white wristband; he suspected it might be a Z-Ring.
Although Lian hadn't played later generations of Pokémon games, he was familiar with Z-Moves, and a Z-Ring is essential for unleashing them.
The existence of a Z-Ring in this world implied that there must also be Z-crystals available, yet neither he nor Kalia had ever heard of them before.
He picked up the white Z-Ring, noticing its metallic texture with a groove perfectly sized for inserting a diamond-shaped Z-crystal. It matched his memory precisely—a genuine Z-Ring, no doubt about it.
"What is this?" Kalia asked curiously, examining the wristband. She had never seen such an item before, but since it was mixed with Pokemon-related gear, it likely pertained to them somehow.
"That's mine! Give it back!" The Dark Guild member roared, struggling to get up and reaching out to reclaim the fallen items.
Growing impatient, Lian kicked the Dark Guild member, rendering him unconscious. These were valuable finds, and there was no way he'd let them go—dream on.