As he adjusted his small round glasses, he heard the unsettling cawing of crows overhead, adding to the eerie vibe. Then something made him turn his head, and he spotted four mysterious figures dressed in black cloaks, moving toward the Sky Arena, the same place Leorio was heading.
But while Leorio was there to help people, these cloaked figures seemed intent on causing harm. Heart pounding, he squinted at them, feeling an inexplicable unease.
Suddenly, before he could react, one of the men struck him with a sword, knocking him out cold.
"What do we do with this guy?" one asked. "No need to kill him. Doesn't look like a hunter anyway," another replied.
Without hesitation, they lifted the unconscious Leorio and threw him into the sewer below.
Meanwhile, in a special reception room at the Sky Arena, Chairman Netero was addressing the audience via live broadcast. "Hello everyone, I'm Netero," he announced.
Biscuit, sitting nearby, looked surprised. "This is unusual," she whispered. "Normally, Chairman Netero wraps things up in just two second." Wing, sitting beside Biscuit and a disciple of her as well as the master of Zushi, nodded in agreement.
"It's a formal event, after all," she said calmly, understanding the importance of the occasion.
"I want to clear something up," Netero said suddenly, his tone turning serious halfway through his usual words of encouragement.
Everyone's attention immediately snapped to him. Clear something up? What was going on?
"Some people believe that Larry's title as 'The Strongest in the World' is baseless and untrue," he continued. "But I want to personally confirm that Larry has indeed surpassed me. I am no longer the strongest in the world."
As soon as Netero finished speaking, his image disappeared from the screen, leaving the audience stunned. Chairman Netero, the man known as the strongest in the world, had just admitted it himself! He openly acknowledged that Larry was stronger than him!
Whether people were watching live or had paid to see the broadcast, everyone was momentarily speechless. Then cheers erupted everywhere, they celebrated wildly, proud that their idol truly was the strongest in the world.
At that moment, nobody doubted Larry's reputation as "The Strongest in the World," especially since it came straight from the [Former World's Strongest] himself.
The crowd shouted "Invisible Larry" and other praises, their excitement filling the air. Watching this, Biscuit and the others exchanged knowing looks, silently marveling at just how powerful Larry's influence had become.
"What do you think when you see all this? That's your guy!" Biscuit teased Menchi, covering her mouth with a hand as she laughed. Most people would feel a mix of emotions seeing their loved one so popular, wouldn't they?
Menchi smiled calmly. "It's fine, because he is Larry. Of course he'd be popular."
To her, this was all perfectly natural. Thanks to everything Larry had done, the audience saw him as a true idol and became passionate fans. As Larry's partner, she accepted it without question.
If you were to rank Larry's biggest fans, she'd definitely take first place, though she doesn't make a big deal out of it. Menchi had come here simply to chat with Biscuit, and thanks to Larry's reminder, she also realized the martial arts competition wasn't going to happen.
In a dark corner, a mysterious man wearing a black robe sneered through gritted teeth, "You're stronger than Netero, huh? Well, he's old too!"
Today, their goal was clear: to get revenge on Netero and the Hunter Association.
Nearby, Shura, whose cold demeanor reminded one of Orochimaru, "Purgatory... it's time."
The little girl named Purgatory flinched at the praise, fear briefly flickering across her delicate face. Shura's chilling words echoed, "See you in Nirvana."
They were part of a four-member revenge team, each with a specific role. Jed was the leader, Gaki handled cleanup, Shura controlled the machines, and Purgatory had the unique, and deadly, ability to imprison people at the cost of her own life.
This was the trick they planned to use on Chairman Netero.
Suddenly, Gaki, Shura, and Purgatory vanished, leaving only Jed behind, who wore a sinister smile. "Netero! Hunter Association! Just wait for our revenge!"
Meanwhile, on the 251st floor, Larry was splashing around in the swimming pool, playing with a dragon. "Woo~" he laughed, and from the dragon's narrowed eyes, it was clear they were both having a great time.
Larry flipped and jumped out of the pool, his aura surging across his body, causing all the water droplets to evaporate instantly. To him, the towel lying nearby was just for show, completely unnecessary.
His eyes caught the big screen on the wall showing that the action was about to begin. Jed and the others were ready to make their move.
Just two days ago, Jed and the team had been Larry's main focus, their experience points his primary goal. But now, things had changed, another new breeding bar had appeared in his mind, shifting his attention elsewhere.
At first, he had assumed that Lucario had already been bred in the Sky Arena and that no new Pokémon would appear. Who would have guessed there actually would be? Probably because of the storyline in this movie version, another Pokémon could be bred.
In the last film, the plot introduced the heaven-defying Ditto. So, what Pokémon would show up this time?
Considering the Sky Arena is mainly for fighting types, and Jed, who's back for revenge, is a resurrected being, he'd likely be a ghost type. There aren't many Pokémon that fit this kind of matchup. Thinking about this, Larry's eyes lit up with anticipation as his expectations began to feel real.
Back in the waiting room, almost all the hosts of the Sky Arena were gathered, warming up before the matches. Some were hitting sandbags, others were skipping rope, and a few were stretching their backs into bridge poses. The only exceptions were Zushi, the first players, who were busy preparing in their own player channels.
"Is this martial arts tournament really necessary? Everyone already knows who the final champion will be, right?" the host said, stretching his slender arms and twisting his body from side to side with a helpless expression. He shared Leorio's opinion that the tournament felt pointless.
"No, this martial arts competition still matters," the frog-like host beside him shook his head firmly.
"First of all, the tournament is the most profitable event in the Sky Arena. Forget the betting, just from selling merchandise and tickets this year, we've made a ton of money.
Second, it's a chance for us to prove ourselves. A lot of people want to see the Invisible Larry actually take home the trophy. So while other competitions can be postponed, this one absolutely has to happen."
Hearing this unexpected insight, the host's small eyes widened in surprise. "What's gotten into you today? You're sharper than usual."