"Does he really think that just because he's got a Mythical and a couple of Legendaries he's suddenly invincible?"
"So arrogant! Just wait till Blue gives him a proper thrashing—he'll learn humility fast enough."
"Tch, can't believe people are looking down on the Champion like this. Does this guy seriously think Blue raising a fresh team means he can just walk all over him?"
"Heh… only four Pokémon? Even if some of them are Mythical or Legendary, if the Trainer himself isn't up to par, they'll still end up getting flattened."
The moment Haru decided to face Blue with only four Pokémon, muttering voices like these started popping up among the live audience and the viewers watching through their screens.
Though not the majority, there were indeed people who disliked Haru.
Or rather… to be precise, people who envied him.
They couldn't stomach the fact that some nobody suddenly ended up as the Trainer of both a Mythical and a Legendary, and even seemed to have some unexplained connection with Iono.
Not to mention… wasn't he always surrounded by more than a few pretty girls?
Good grief, buddy—did you just collect all the good fortune in life? Why you and not me?
So whenever the chance arose, these people would lash out with malice, venting their jealousy by throwing shade.
And it wasn't only haters—many ordinary spectators were breaking into a nervous sweat over Haru's reckless gamble too.
"What on earth are you thinking? I don't recall you being such a prideful person…"
From the VIP viewing seats, Cynthia rubbed her chin, baffled by Haru's choice.
Beside her were the Cerulean Gym's four sisters and Sonia.
Oh, and of course… that certain dark-skinned kid who once tried to make Mew his starter.
Unlike the others, he was only here because of Mew.
Watching Haru "waste" such a Pokémon filled him with righteous fury—he even had to fight down the impulse to march onto the stage and lecture Haru right then and there.
But… was Haru really getting cocky?
The answer, of course, was no.
This was the guy who'd whip out Arceus' Legendary Plates just to deal with a gym battle. The very concept of "getting carried away" was about as likely as Groudon sprouting wings.
Of course he'd love to field a full six to face Blue—but could he?
Hell no. Despite having traveled through three regions already, even if you included the occasionally-snoozing Mew the Clone Mewtwo No. 2, he only had five Pokémon. He literally couldn't make up a full team.
Forget about those travel-happy Trainers who juggle two or three squads at once.
Five Pokémon? Nope. Not happening.
Still—what he lacked in quantity, he made up in quality.
One Paradox, one Legendary, one Mythical, one Sub-Legendary… and if he added an Ultra Beast, that'd round out almost every category in existence.
Any opponent lucky enough to face such a line-up could brag about it for life.
Granted, his little ghost Flutter Mane wasn't likely to shine here—stage fright from an audience this big made that impossible.
But that was fine. Even with just three viable battlers, Haru had every confidence he could win.
Don't be fooled by Mew's small size—among Mythicals, she really was second only to titans like Arceus or Hoopa.
And beyond that… Haru still had his real trump card in reserve.
---
"Ready?"
Haru casually rolled a Poké Ball in his palm, eyes never leaving his opponent.
Since arriving in this world, he'd already fought plenty of battles.
But aside from Necrozma—who was now one of his Pokémon—Blue was by far the strongest opponent he'd ever faced.
Don't be misled by how Red had once flattened him and dragged him home like a sack of potatoes; Blue's strength was nothing to scoff at.
After all, he was still the former Champion of Kanto. The only reason he lost… was simply because Red was too damn strong.
Take away absurd anomalies like the Hisuian Superhuman who wielded Arceus' Plates, played dodgeball with Arceus, and punched out Arceus' physical body—and Red was almost certainly the strongest Champion across all generations. Blue losing to him was nothing shameful.
And although Blue couldn't use his ace Pokémon this time because of the rules… the Pokémon he'd raised himself were still far from weak.
Not to mention—he had the power of Mega Evolution, closing the gap even further.
Blue closed his eyes for two seconds, then snapped them open. A Poké Ball was already in his hand.
Stretching out his right arm, he leveled the ball straight at Haru.
"Of course. I'm fully prepared."
"There will only be one victor—and it will be me."
One humiliating defeat was more than enough. He'd never let them laugh at him again—certainly not in front of Iono.
He swore it: he'd protect everything that mattered to him.
Haru's smirk slowly faded into calm.
"Good. That smile of mine only goes so far. Now… show me. Show me your strength."
"Ogerpon—prepare for battle!"
At last, Haru tossed his Sweet Ball.
Ogerpon looked awkward, clearly unused to standing on such a massive stage, but once she saw Haru at her side she brightened. With an eager grin, she pulled out her thorned club and swung it twice, trying her best to look "super fierce."
"Ha! So it's that Sub-Legendary. Too bad—I came prepared!"
Blue shook his head, already knowing what was coming, and hurled his Poké Ball.
"Go! Charizard!"
With a blazing arc of light, a massive orange dragon with wide wings appeared in front of him.
It spread its jaws to the sky, releasing a tsunami of scorching heat, radiating overwhelming pressure.
"ROOOAR!!"
The so-called "fake dragon pseudo-mascot" let out a roar that shook the stadium.
And truly, Blue deserved the title of "Trainer of Trainers."
His Charizard was huge, much larger than a wild one, with a savage, feral edge that made it look far closer to an actual dragon.
If this were the games, this would be a Charizard with maxed-out EVs, perfectly distributed stats—ready to sweep the moment it joined your team.
Too bad. No matter how much it resembled a dragon, Charizard was still… well, just Charizard. Not fireproof. Not a real dragon.
But that didn't mean it couldn't become one.
For Mega Charizard X was Fire/Dragon.
His Charizard was more dragon than even Garchomp!
…Well, maybe. In practice, Blue chose the Y form.
Because Drought was just too damn good.
"Charizard! Let's Mega Evolve!"
The Key Stone and Charizardite Y resonated. Flames engulfed the dragon, transforming its body into something slimmer, sharper—reborn.
A third horn grew from its head, flames at its tail roared higher, and its very presence screamed of mythic dragons from Western legend.
Unlike, say, certain palm trees or apple-worms who had the nerve to call themselves "dragons."
And now, fully Mega Evolved, Charizard was brimming with power. Facing a Sub-Legendary? No matter. It would challenge it—and win.
Yesterday's small fry was gone. In its place stood Mega Charizard Y, one of the strongest Megas of all!
Mega Charizard Y's flames blazed as if to consume the arena itself.
"Mega Evolution already? So fast… Blue must really be aiming to sweep with this one Pokémon."
"It's Y Charizard—we're doomed!"
"Even a Sub-Legendary won't be able to stand against that. And isn't that one Grass-type too? Totally countered!"
"As expected of a Champion. Only someone like him could raise a Charizard this terrifying."
The "dragon-obsessed analysts" in the audience went wild, their commentary flying everywhere, as if Mega Charizard Y's mere existence had sealed Haru's fate.
But in truth… they were just talking out of their asses.
Ogerpon wasn't nearly as fragile as she looked. Throw away the frills, and her true strength was terrifying.
And who said Charizard's typing was a natural advantage here?
"Y Charizard, huh? Too bad—I came prepared."
"Ogerpon, Terastallize!"
With a flick of his wrist, Haru tossed the Terastal Orb. A prism of colors engulfed Ogerpon, shattering into crystals as her mask—the one representing "Joy"—swelled and hardened into a dazzling Rock-type crown.
Originally she wore the Wellspring mask, but the moment Blue revealed Charizard Y… she'd quietly swapped it for the Cornerstone mask instead.
Now, some people might be wondering: Wait, is it even legal for Ogerpon to change masks mid-battle?
To which Haru would reply: Legal or not, who cares? You really think it's weird for a Pokémon to just use its own hands and swap accessories?
Don't ask questions—Game Freak did it too. In-game, she could cycle through all four masks with Terastallization anyway.
So, with her Cornerstone mask equipped, Ogerpon's Terastal type became pure Rock.
Sure, Cornerstone wasn't great defensively—it had five weaknesses, all of them common, usually seated at the "ice table of misery."
But crucially, neither Fire nor Flying was among them. In fact, Rock outright countered Charizard.
Which meant the type advantage had flipped completely. Charizard's mighty Fire attacks were halved, while Ogerpon could smack it with a 4x effective hit.
Had Blue gone with Mega Charizard X, things might have been different—at least Dragon wouldn't take super-effective damage from Rock.
But Y? Y was doomed.
"So that's it—using Terastallization to cover weaknesses…"
Blue immediately understood what Haru was doing. But he also knew something else: Terastallization only changed typing. It didn't give Pokémon new moves.
Meaning, unless Ogerpon already knew a Rock-type move, her advantage was theoretical at best.
The upper hand was still his.
…Or so he thought.
Haru, catching his thought process, slowly shook his head.
"No… Terastallization does more than dodge weaknesses. With the mask, Ogerpon also gains her special ability."
"Mask of Reflections! Her defense rose a stage."
"And that's not all… Let Blue see the power of your thorned club, Ogerpon!"
Ogerpon bounced forward, clutching her now earth-toned cudgel. She aimed straight at Charizard's head, clearly intending to snap off its biggest horn.
And honestly, Haru couldn't shake the feeling that his Ogerpon had a very particular fondness for smacking people in the skull…
Blue narrowed his eyes. "That move… I thought it was Grass. Meaning I resist it…"
But as the club swung down, his expression twisted.
"No—that move changes with typing?!"
"Of course. A signature move, fitting for a Sub-Legendary. Ridiculous power!"
"Charizard! Take to the skies! Dodge it with Fly!"
He made the right call. Reality wasn't like the games—Pokémon here could pull off all sorts of creative maneuvers. And fliers naturally had the advantage.
Ogerpon's swing was lightning fast, but at the last second Charizard surged skyward. Her club only grazed its scales, leaving shallow scratches.
"Dodged, huh? Then go with Plan B—throw it!" Haru called out.
"If it can fly, then it can fall. Charizard's no exception."
Ogerpon was used to this. Haru's training—often alongside Mew—involved all kinds of bizarre "special exercises." Many of them strangely included whips, vines, and sticks.
When she'd asked Mew why, the only answer was: You'll understand in… special situations.
Whatever that meant, it worked. Ogerpon had gotten really good at hurling her weapon skyward.
A makeshift anti-air cannon, if you will.
"Just a stick? Easy to dodge."
Blue wasn't surprised—Haru had used this trick before on streams. He ordered Charizard to evade.
"Now, smoke it out! Use Smokescreen to blind the field, then rain down Flamethrowers from above!"
In the games, Smokescreen just lowered accuracy. But here, Blue was using it as literal cover—obscuring Ogerpon's vision while Charizard bombarded her from high altitude.
And Flamethrower? That was Charizard's bread-and-butter.
With Mega Y's sky-high Special Attack and the sun boosting Fire moves by 50%, even a glancing hit would leave Ogerpon as roasted as one of Miss Mira from Unova's infamous overcharged fireballs.
Except this time, Charizard wasn't spitting one fireball. It was sweeping the whole field, purging everything in cleansing heat.
Type disadvantage? So what? He'd make a miracle happen anyway.
But when the smoke cleared… Ogerpon wasn't there.
The crowd gasped. Where did she—?
And then they saw it.
Right above Charizard's head, a shadow loomed. A shadow with a wicked grin, thorned club raised high.
Her target? The dragon's skull.
If this blow landed, even ten lives wouldn't save it.
WHAM—
Charizard never even saw it coming. The club slammed into its head with bone-crushing force, sending the mighty dragon plummeting like a certain "Little Boy" unwelcome visitor from overseas, crashing violently into the ground.
"GWAHH!!"
The once-mighty Mega Charizard Y roared in pain as it hit dirt, the entire stadium shaking from the impact.
Charizard Y took a nasty blow this time—so much so that even the sound it made while falling had turned oddly distorted.
Yes, the one who swung that bat wasn't anyone else, but none other than Arceus's jester—Ogerpon.
Just seconds before, as Charizard was about to unleash a map-wide bombardment over the entire battlefield, the earthbound Ogerpon had also made its move—Stomping Tantrum.
Ordinarily, that was nothing more than a Ground-type attack.
But the small, wiry Ogerpon cleverly used the recoil of its own stomp to launch itself into the air, smashing down with its club straight onto Charizard—who had tried to mimic Miss Mira's overwhelming style, but simply lacked her level of power.
"How unexpected… more troublesome than I thought."
Even though his Charizard had taken a brutal hit, Blue didn't show the slightest sign of panic.
And the dragon itself hadn't been knocked out outright. Still, its condition was clearly far worse than before.
Ogerpon's Rocky Helmet didn't come with a guaranteed Attack boost, true, but when you stack a STAB, four-times-effective, 100-power move on top of its already solid stats… if this were the games, that Charizard would have been OHKO'd, no question.
Unless, of course, someone had conveniently patched in a new ability for it—something like Rock Battery or whatever.
"You've done well, Charizard. Return for now."
Blue recalled Charizard into his Ultra Ball, and immediately pulled out another.
With the type matchup this poor, switching was the only option.
This match didn't restrict switching Pokémon, but doing so carried its own risks—an opponent could seize the chance to strike mid-switch, meaning you had to be careful at all times.
If a Pokémon wasn't focused enough, it might come out of the ball dazed, only to get wiped instantly before it even realized where it was.
That's why the safest move was usually to wait until you'd knocked out an opponent's Pokémon, then switch at the same time as them.
If he could, Haru wouldn't have minded trying to punish Blue's switch here—but Ogerpon had a short landing lag after its jump, making it difficult to chain another attack right away.
Not that it mattered much.
If Blue could switch, so could he. Which meant the next phase was essentially rock-paper-scissors.
Except—while Blue was limited to rock, paper, or scissors, Haru had the option of pulling out a dump truck…
Aside from Ogerpon and Flutter Mane, his other two Pokémon were genuine heavyweights.
"You're switching with me, huh…? Then are you planning to send out Mew?"
"Or are you going to go back on your word and bring out Mewtwo?"
Haru had only brought four Pokémon. In Blue's eyes, that meant his plan was simple—either Mew or Mewtwo would be sweeping.
If it was Mew, that could still be managed. Mythical Pokémon weren't invincible; at worst, he could throw two or three Pokémon at it for a hard trade.
As long as he could bring it down, it wouldn't be a loss.
After all, Haru only had four Pokémon total.
But if it was a Mega-Evolved Mewtwo… that would be a whole different story.
Blue knew perfectly well that Mega Evolution wasn't something you could master in just a few days. But something about Haru always felt… uncanny.
As if nothing that happened around him could ever be considered out of the ordinary.
And when pressed, Haru only gave a deliberately vague response: "Why don't you guess and see?"
"…Fine then. Let's settle it head-on."
Blue shot him a look and tossed his chosen Poké Ball forward.
"I choose you—Incineroar!"
How do you fight back against a lineup of legendaries and mythicals?
That question had been gnawing at Blue for a long time. He'd racked his brain, but no answer ever satisfied him.
In the end, he decided to focus on typing.
No matter how powerful legendaries and mythicals were, at their core they were still Pokémon—with types, and therefore, with weaknesses.
So the question became: what checks Grass and Psychic?
After some thought, his mind landed on Alola's Incineroar.
And the more he researched it, the more he realized… this thing was seriously good.
Its raw damage wasn't top-tier, but it was versatile, with plenty of nasty utility moves.
And its Dark/Fire typing? A perfect counter to Psychic and Grass.
Not to mention, it had its own signature Dark-type Z-Move for burst damage.
Yes, Blue had even gone as far as mastering Z-Moves for this battle.
Just how desperate do you have to be, to force yourself through the ridiculous Z-Move dance?
Blue already knew the answer.
The dance might look awkward as hell, but at this point, Blue would use anything to claim victory.
For Blue, victory was the only thing worthy of respect. Whether the dance was cringe or not—who cared?
"?"
Seeing his choice, Haru couldn't help but grin.
Now this really felt like a battle from the old days—even Incineroar had shown up.
What next? Were the Thievul and Pangoro tag-teaming in too? And maybe Calyrex in both Black and White Rider forms, just for good measure? Bring the whole lot out already.
"How amusing. Truly amusing."
"Well then, since you're so determined to target my weaknesses… I'll make sure you have all the weaknesses you could ever want."
With that, Haru hurled his own Poké Ball.
"Come, Necrozma. This will be our first real battle together. Show that other Alolan Pokémon just what you're capable of."
"N-Necrozma?"
The name alone was enough to leave Blue—and every other Trainer present—stunned.
What in the world was that supposed to be?