Mars and Jupiter, the two female executives of Team Galactic, were no match for Riku even when they fought together—let alone now that only Mars remained.
Before long, all six of their Ace Trainer-level Pokémon had been defeated by Milotic.
"Haya!!"
Milotic roared to the sky, extremely excited. One against six. Being equally Ace Trainer-level Pokémon, Milotic's victory left even Riku deeply impressed.
Just as he was about to praise Milotic, a system notification finally rang after the battle ended:
Ding—
Milotic's battle experience increased.
Host defeated Mars and Jupiter, executives of the Pokémon local force Team Galactic, possessing six Ace Trainer-level Pokémon. Calculating points...
Ding—
Congratulations to the host for obtaining 60,000 points.
...
Perhaps because the opponents weren't very strong, there was no Lucky Draw opportunity this time. Riku had kept the previous ones and hadn't dared to use them casually. In his opinion, his luck had been pretty good so far, and drawing again later might yield even better results.
He wasn't lacking anything at the moment anyway, and the points needed for a Mega Evolution Stone were still quite far off. Still, receiving only 60,000 points was a bit unexpected. Previously, defeating Shiba had yielded 1.8 million points—proof that Shiba had been on a whole different level.
A bit disappointed with the low point reward but extremely pleased with Milotic's performance, Riku looked at the trembling Mars and Jupiter with mixed emotions.
"You lost."
"Want to consider abandoning the darkness and joining the light?"
"What are you thinking?!" the two women snapped.
"If you've got the guts, then wait right here. Leader Cyrus will definitely come once he sees we've been defeated..."
"Since you're so stubborn, don't blame me," Riku replied coldly, cutting them off as he raised his hand toward the two women.
"Milotic, give each of them a Water Gun. Use just enough strength to injure—don't kill them."
"Haya!"
Milotic, who had long been irritated by the two women, immediately fired two Water Guns.
The moment Mars and Jupiter saw Riku order his Pokémon to attack, they turned to flee—but human speed was no match for Pokémon. Especially not for a Pokémon proficient in Special Attacks. There was no way to escape.
In an instant, the two women went limp and collapsed.
Only after confirming they had fainted did Darkrai emerge from the shadows.
"Haya—"
Milotic was startled by the sudden appearance and prepared to strike, giving Riku time to summon Metagross.
But Riku immediately stopped her.
"Milotic, don't be impulsive."
"This one's on our side... It's a Pokémon. It'll be your partner in the future."
"Haya?"
Milotic blinked, casting a doubtful glance at Riku, then at Darkrai.
Even without being Psychic-type, Milotic could instantly sense Darkrai's power.
Though it didn't emit the traditional aura of a legendary Pokémon, Milotic could tell—if they fought, Riku's Shiny Metagross might not even stand a chance.
After all, Darkrai's current strength hovered between a pseudo-legendary and a true legendary. And being a Dark-type, it had an advantage over Psychic-types like Metagross. No matter how strong Metagross's defense was, it would likely be overwhelmed by Dark-type special attacks.
"Ultra being," Darkrai spoke respectfully.
"I didn't expect you to be interested in catching ordinary Pokémon. With your terrifying aura, catching a tier 2 legendary wouldn't be impossible."
Its words visibly annoyed Milotic and Lapras, both standing nearby, who had been ready to launch a joint strike just moments ago.
Ordinary Pokémon?
Both Milotic and Lapras considered themselves geniuses among Pokémon, thank you very much.
Exchanging a quick glance, the two decided not to warn Darkrai about the situation on the island in advance.
Tier 2 legendary? They'd love to see Darkrai try that and not piss itself in the process.
"Alright, legendary Pokémon and the like are still far beyond my reach," Riku waved his hand dismissively.
"Besides, it already took an Ultra Ball just to catch you. Even if I had the strength, I don't have the money to catch legendaries."
"Come on now."
"It's late—I'm catching you."
"I—" Darkrai seemed like it still wanted to speak, momentarily stunned by Riku's casual words.
But before it could say anything else, Riku simply pulled the Ultra Ball from his belt and tossed it forward.
"Darkrai, come on in."
"Become my Pokémon, and I'll help you seek justice for your ancestors' hatred."
Riku's words calmed Darkrai.
If the great being had promised it, then it would surely happen.
Darkrai had no doubts about that.
"Wobble... wobble... wobble..."
Ding!
Without any resistance, Darkrai was successfully captured by Riku.
Now that it was his own Pokémon, the system could show its attribute table.
Riku knew lingering in Alamos Town wasn't wise. He glanced one last time at the unconscious Mars and Jupiter, recalled Milotic and Lapras, and swiftly made his way back toward the town gate.
---
Pokémon Attribute Table:
Darkrai
Lv: 80
Type: Dark
Item: None
Characteristic: Nightmare
Moves: Ominous Wind, Mean Look, Hypnosis, Night Slash, Nightmare, Double Team, Haze, Dark Void, Nasty Plot, Dream Eater, Dark Pulse...
Base Stats: 600
---
Leaving Eterna City and returning to the presidential suite at the hotel, Riku quickly pulled up the system to examine Darkrai's stats.
When he saw that Darkrai was already at level 80, Riku—who had been moving quickly—was so shocked that his legs tangled and he almost face-planted.
Level 80... That was a whole other realm for Pokémon.
Level 50 Pokémon were already known as Champion-tier. But Darkrai at level 80?
No wonder it had dared to scheme against Deoxys and Dialga. Level 80 was its source of confidence.
Unfortunately... Riku couldn't summon such a powerful Pokémon casually in front of others.
Cynthia, in particular, would be a problem.
Not to mention, the legend of Darkrai from the great battle five years ago was still widely feared and a taboo topic among humans.
Still, Riku now had Milotic, Lapras, and a pseudo-legendary Shiny Metagross.
With that lineup, he could hold his own even against veteran Elite Four members.
Finding the right moment to use Darkrai, however, would be difficult.
"Just treat it as a trump card," Riku thought.
"Haha... not bad."
"I bet if I entered the League Conference with Darkrai, I could win the whole championship."
Smiling, Riku returned to the hotel's presidential suite.
Carefully opening the door with his room card, he sighed in relief when he saw Cynthia still asleep. Quietly, he returned to his own room.
---
The Next Day
When Cynthia woke up, she waited for a while before knocking on Riku's door.
It was already past nine o'clock.
They had gone to bed around eleven last night.
Almost ten hours had passed—and Riku was still sleeping? They hadn't even done anything exhausting the night before!
Awakened by her knock, Riku forced himself to appear energetic, not daring to show any fatigue.
However, while eating the hotel's complimentary buffet breakfast, Cynthia quickly noticed something hanging from his belt—a Ultra Ball.
A powerful trainer like Cynthia had sharp eyes. Spotting a new Poké Ball was easy.
"Where did you get that Ultra Ball?" Cynthia asked, frowning.
"Didn't you say yesterday that regular Poké Balls were enough?"
"Uh... this?" Riku stammered, quickly thinking up an excuse.
"It's just for collection. I hadn't seen this type of Ultra Ball in the Orange Archipelago before."
"But you didn't buy it yesterday," Cynthia narrowed her eyes.
"You were with me the whole time. No wonder you slept so late today—did you sneak out last night?"
"I had some insomnia," Riku replied, trying to sound casual.
"Couldn't get used to the hotel bed, so I went out for a walk around one or two in the morning. I noticed the Poké Mart was open 24 hours. Ended up chatting with the clerk and... got talked into buying a Ultra Ball."
"Really now?" Cynthia looked doubtful but didn't press the issue.
After all, even in her wildest thoughts, she couldn't possibly imagine that Riku had gone out in the dead of night to capture the very Darkrai she had dreamed of finding.
Riku possessing a Darkrai would raise too many questions.
To others, it would seem abrupt—suspicious, even. Especially for someone like Riku, who used to be a black market trainer with no notable reputation in the official Pokémon world.
But Cynthia was different.
As the former Champion of the Sinnoh League, it would be perfectly normal for her to have a Darkrai. No one would question it.
In fact, the current Sinnoh Champion—who also goes by the name Darkrai (coincidentally)—owns a Darkrai of his own.
At the last Lily of the Valley Conference, he even summoned a legendary Latios to battle Ash, right after using Darkrai. With two legendaries on the field, he crushed the competition and claimed the championship.
His strength was terrifying. Some even nicknamed him "The Legendary Man."
Rumors suggest his remaining four Pokémon might be legendaries too. So in comparison, Cynthia owning a single legendary Pokémon was hardly out of place.
It wasn't about power—Garchomp, a pseudo-legendary, could go toe-to-toe with the best of them. But prestige mattered. Symbolism mattered.
That's why Cynthia had been so thrilled when she heard about a Darkrai with no legendary status—one that was free for the taking.
After breakfast, Riku and Cynthia headed to the research lab.
They'd planned to check in with Professor Rowan before moving on to infiltrate Eterna City.
But when they arrived, they found the Professor on the phone, his face tight with a complicated expression.
Seeing them, he hung up and said gravely,
"I have news. I'm not sure if it's good or bad."
"What is it?" Cynthia asked, alert.
"The gray fog over Eterna City… it's gone. I don't know if that Darkrai left or if something happened to it."
Cynthia's eyes widened. "No way—it left?"
After all the effort to track it down, had it really just vanished?
She wasn't about to let a legendary Pokémon slip through her fingers so easily.
They rushed to Eterna City.
Sure enough, the eerie fog that once cloaked the city had lifted. But now, Team Galactic was guarding the gates again—more of them than before.
Cynthia narrowed her eyes. "Riku, what do you think?"
"Should we just charge in?"
Riku blinked. "Charging their base… in broad daylight? Isn't that a bit reckless?"
"At least yesterday we had the fog. Without it, we'll be surrounded in no time."
"I don't care," Cynthia said, already stepping forward. "If Darkrai's still there, I'm not letting it escape again!"
Without waiting for a reply, she dashed toward the city gates.
Watching her disappear ahead, Riku sighed and shook his head.
Even if they wiped out Team Galactic now… it wouldn't matter.
That Darkrai?
It was already his.
-----------More Bonus Chapters!!!!
Every 300 power stones = 1 Bonus Chapter