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After receiving Eddie's clear orders, the undercover agent quickly ran out of the laboratory.
Eddie's overwhelming strength had completely shocked him, and he was also deeply frightened by witnessing Eddie's Pokémon systematically breaking the researchers' bones. The combination of fear and awe made him unable to do anything but obey Eddie's commands without question.
Frankly, he didn't want to remain alone with Eddie for even a single moment longer, so he left the facility as quickly as his legs could carry him.
"So then, Blaine, how exactly do you plan to prove that you're on our side? I'm in quite a hurry right now, so I'll only give you one minute to prove yourself. If you can't demonstrate your loyalty..."
Eddie watched the undercover agent disappear from view, then turned around to address Blaine directly. However, before he could finish his sentence, both he and all of his Pokémon immediately retreated and quickly established a defensive battle formation.
The reason for this sudden reaction was that as soon as Eddie turned around, he discovered that Blaine had somehow thawed his frozen hands and feet without making a sound. The gym leader was now standing calmly in front of Eddie, completely free from his icy restraints.
Eddie had been keeping focused attention on Blaine throughout their conversation. The only time his vision had been diverted was when the undercover agent was leaving, and that had lasted mere seconds.
Yet somehow, in just those few seconds, Blaine had managed to free himself silently from the ice, and now a fierce-looking Rapidash stood proudly beside him.
Name: Rapidash
Type: Fire
Ability: Flame Body (When contact moves are used to attack Pokémon with this ability, there is a 30% chance of inflicting a burn)
Level: 75 (Elite level)
"How is that even possible? Your Poké Balls are already in my possession! Where did this Rapidash come from?"
Eddie was still holding several of Blaine's confiscated Poké Balls in his hand, which made him naturally shocked about the sudden appearance of this powerful Fire-type Pokémon.
"You appear young, but you're clearly very experienced in battle. Unfortunately, you've never fought against someone like me—someone who is both a skilled Trainer and a dedicated researcher," Blaine said calmly.
He adjusted his distinctive sunglasses with one hand while speaking in a measured tone. Rather than making any threatening moves, he seemed more interested in explaining the situation to Eddie.
"You should be more careful when you encounter enemies like me in the future. We researchers have always been extremely cautious by nature, and we always keep methods available to protect ourselves when necessary. As for my specific technique, well, that's also a professional secret, so it wouldn't be appropriate for me to reveal it to you."
Blaine paused for a moment, then continued with the same calm demeanor. "Now then, tell me something. You obviously have everything under control here, and this entire facility has been neutralized by your efforts. Even if there's some other situation happening elsewhere, you could go deal with it right now. So why do you look so conflicted and troubled?"
Blaine seemed to harbor no malicious intent and spoke to Eddie in a genuinely kind and concerned manner.
This is ridiculous, Eddie thought to himself. How many people in this Pokémon world are actually both skilled Trainers and accomplished researchers? Are you trying to tell me that Agatha is also a master of both disciplines?
The former possibility seemed reasonable enough, but if it were the latter case, Eddie figured he might as well just lie down and give up right now. There would be no point in starting a battle he couldn't possibly win.
Eddie found himself complaining internally as usual, but he didn't allow his guard to drop against Blaine for even a moment. Although this man was supposedly an ally in every version of events that Eddie knew about, many things had already happened in this world that differed significantly from what he remembered. Caution was absolutely necessary.
"I just told you that I don't believe you yet. How exactly are you planning to prove that you're one of us?" Eddie demanded.
Secretly, he instructed Lucario to pay careful attention to Blaine's words and determine whether the other man was being truthful or deceptive.
"You have an Aura Pokémon like Lucario at your side, but you still don't dare to trust me completely? I suppose that makes sense. I am considerably stronger than you, and I'm also a researcher by profession. I understand how Lucario's aura abilities work as well."
Blaine first glanced thoughtfully at Lucario, then suddenly seemed to figure out exactly why Eddie was being so cautious about trusting him. He continued his explanation without prompting.
"You're worried that I might somehow mislead Lucario's aura perception using some research technique or specialized knowledge. That's actually a very reasonable concern on your part."
Blaine maintained his calm expression, but when he took action, Eddie's composure became significantly less steady.
The gym leader took out a Poké Ball and actually recalled his Elite-level Rapidash directly back into it. Then, to Eddie's complete surprise, he threw the Poké Ball straight toward him.
Eddie didn't catch it himself. Instead, Lucario intercepted the Poké Ball and immediately confirmed through aura reading that there was nothing suspicious or dangerous about it.
"You actually recalled your Pokémon and threw it to me just like that. Are you really not afraid that I might destroy it, or do you have other Poké Balls hidden somewhere?"
Even Eddie had to admire Blaine's decisive action at this moment. The man had literally handed over his Pokémon to Eddie without any apparent hesitation or concern.
If Eddie put himself in Blaine's position, he knew he would never dare to attempt such a risky maneuver. It was far too dangerous for both the Pokémon and the Trainer involved in such a gamble.
Even if Blaine still had additional Poké Balls available, the situation remained the same. Eddie could now use this Poké Ball as a hostage to ensure Blaine's cooperation.
Pokémon were unquestionably powerful creatures, but except for some special legendary Pokémon, most Pokémon were completely helpless while contained inside their Poké Balls.
If Eddie chose to freeze the Poké Ball solid and throw it somewhere Blaine couldn't find it, then in order to recover his Pokémon partner, wouldn't Blaine have no choice but to obey Eddie's orders?
Unless Blaine could be cruel enough to abandon his Pokémon entirely—but people with this level of strength typically advanced and retreated together with their Pokémon partners. Except for some particularly ruthless individuals, there were very few truly strong trainers who would willingly abandon their Pokémon companions.
"Even I wouldn't risk the life and safety of my Pokémon to make such a guarantee of trust. If you really are the type of person who would harm innocent Pokémon, then I suppose I'll have to accept whatever consequences come from that."
Eddie repeatedly confirmed the situation with Lucario, who continued to insist that Blaine was genuine and maintained only good intentions toward them.
So Eddie made his decision and directly returned the Poké Ball along with all of Blaine's other confiscated equipment.
After all, if Blaine had really wanted to attack Eddie, he could have done so immediately after freeing himself from the ice. There would have been no reason to waste time talking with Eddie if his intentions were hostile.
"Take this with you right now, and then inject my cells into it. You understand what needs to happen next..."
Eddie pulled out a test tube containing cell tissue that he had prepared long ago and handed it to Blaine, whose expression showed slight concern and uncertainty.
"You want me to inject your own cells into it? Do you fully understand what you're asking me to do? The risks involved in this process..."
"I know exactly what I'm doing. Trust me, I have a method that will allow me to coexist peacefully with it, and I can also resolve any negative side effects that might occur."
After Eddie finished speaking, he began walking toward the stairs leading out of the laboratory. He didn't have much time remaining. Green was still waiting for him to come to her rescue, and now he could only choose to believe that Blaine would help him with this critical task.
Even if Blaine chose not to believe him or follow through with his request, it wouldn't be a complete disaster. If Blaine didn't do what Eddie had asked, at worst the situation would simply return to its original state, which wouldn't represent a major loss for his overall plans.
Eddie still had alternative methods available to solve the problem later, though none of them offered the same level of certainty and success as this current approach.
Of course, before Eddie left the laboratory entirely, he made sure to collect several Poké Balls that were sitting on various test benches throughout the facility.
The Pokémon contained within these Poké Balls were still showing signs of life, and Eddie naturally couldn't leave them behind to suffer. However, given the urgent nature of his current situation, he simply placed them directly into his space bag for now. He would take them out later to properly register them in his Pokédex once this crisis was resolved.
"Oak... this young man is more decisive and formidable than we initially believed possible..."
"Indeed. Since we chose to place our trust in him, it's only right that we do something meaningful to support his efforts. Let me bear witness to this moment... and to the future that lies ahead..."
Blaine spoke slowly after watching Eddie disappear from the laboratory, then turned his full attention to the humanoid Pokémon that was emanating such a terrifyingly powerful aura.
"Mewtwo... perhaps you have finally found the Trainer who suits you best..."