"Oh my, an unexpected development!"
On stage, Iono held up the mic and kept commentating.
"Contestant Haru has sent out a completely unknown Pokémon, and even claims it comes from Alola, just like Incineroar."
"Facing such a mysterious Pokémon, can Blue possibly turn the tables?"
At this, she leaned closer to the mic, lowering her voice deliberately:
"Let me tell you a little secret—actually, Iono has seen this Pokémon before."
"She's really good at sucking things up. How exactly she does that... well, I won't say more."
"If you want the full story, make sure you follow Iono Nya~, give Iono a thank-you nya~, and Iono's reports will always spin you a very satisfying answer, Nyaa!"
At the very moment Haru announced that name, Cynthia, who had been calmly seated in the VIP box, suddenly shot to her feet.
She locked her gaze onto the Poké Ball Haru had just thrown, her heart unable to settle.
Ever since meeting Haru, he had shown her far too many extraordinary things:
ancient mysteries no one should know, unheard-of Mega Evolutions, legendary beings beyond ordinary classification, and even the long-vanished Mew.
Everything about him screamed "special."
Cynthia had thought she'd already seen most of his secrets. But now... apparently not.
This man's secrets eclipsed even the First Legion's—by countless times over.
She dared not even imagine what else Haru might know.
Unova's myths? Kalos's legends? Perhaps even Galar's?
Or secrets even deeper, things no one in the world knew? All of it seemed possible.
After all, this was the man who had brushed shoulders with the secrets of Arceus itself.
"Necrozma? Sounds like a Legendary's name, doesn't it?"
From the back, Misty tilted her head, cradling her Togepi.
Aside from Ho-Oh and Lugia's immediate underlings, most Legendary names always sounded pretty weird.
So, if a Pokémon had a strange-sounding name that no one had ever heard of, the odds of it being Legendary were… well, a lot higher.
Could the Pokémon Haru summoned really be a Legendary?
That thought crossed more than a few minds.
True, the odds of Haru possessing another Legendary seemed slim… but considering his "criminal record," the probability suddenly felt much higher.
Sonia, for one, had already whipped out her notebook and camera, ready to document every second.
Even though her main focus was Galar's Sword and Shield legends, this could be a brand-new Legendary. Totally worth the record.
She could even show it off to her grandmother, Professor Magnolia.
(Not that Magnolia might not already be watching the livestream anyway.)
As for Blue...
The moment he heard the name, an uneasy chill crawled down his spine.
His instincts screamed: This is bad. This is really bad.
If Haru had brought out Mew, that would've been fine—he'd already prepared countermeasures.
But a Pokémon named Necrozma? One he'd never even heard of? That rattled him far more.
Wait, wait… maybe Haru just made up the name?
What if it was just some totally normal Pokémon with a fancy title?
…But no. Reality hit him fast.
Because from that Poké Ball didn't emerge a Pokémon at all—
—but a black-haired girl in a dark kimono, her porcelain face flawless as if sculpted.
Haru had released a person from a Poké Ball!
"???"
"Bro, what the hell—why's there a girl in that Poké Ball? And why is she so pretty?"
"Wait, are humans allowed to take the field in a Pokémon battle? Is this real life?"
Everyone was dumbstruck.
Had Poké Balls advanced to the point where you could catch humans now? That had to be illegal!
Was Haru insane, trying to pit an actual human against Pokémon?
But then someone remembered Haru's very first appearance in public.
He'd once used Pokémon moves with his bare body—and actually beaten an opponent like that.
Was history about to repeat itself?
Since when did humans capable of defeating Pokémon in direct combat start popping up everywhere?
It was over—the age of Trainers commanding Pokémon had ended. Next up, the age of superhuman martial artists.
But not everyone jumped to that conclusion. Some faces grew darker.
Because they could already tell: what stood before Haru wasn't a girl at all.
It was a brand-new Pokémon in human form.
Last time, when Haru "fought" using Pokémon moves, it was clearly because a Ghost-type had possessed him, channeling its powers through his body. Dangerous, yes—but possible.
This, however, was entirely different. This was a genuine Pokémon that had taken human shape.
Normally, Mew was the expert in that sort of thing. But judging by Haru's demeanor, this one wasn't Mew.
After all, Haru had said it came from "Alola."
And Iono had teased that it was very good at "sucking fun"… which only made things more mysterious.
At least it clearly wasn't Ditto or Mew.
"What on earth is this Pokémon?"
Blue, cautious, didn't attack immediately. Instead, he demanded an answer from Haru.
But of course, Haru wasn't about to hand over free intel. Instead, he gave his order:
"Necrozma, before they can react—Stealth Rock!"
The girl—Necrozma—smiled faintly. With a casual wave of her hand, sharp rocks sprouted all around Blue's field.
Every switch, every movement near them, would draw blood.
Stealth Rock. Annoying in singles, less common in doubles—but devastating if timed well.
Of course, when you used it, it was brilliant. When the opponent used it, it was evil incarnate.
Like Amoonguss: your own mushroom wall is justice; your opponent's mushroom wall is hellspawn.
"??"
So that's how it is. You're not even gonna play fair, huh? I wanted to chat things out, but you just went straight for the throat.
Seeing Haru show no mercy, Blue had no choice but to order:
"Incineroar, Fake Out!"
The legendary intimidator, the tiger king himself, lunged forward at once.
Fake Out—only usable the first turn, but guaranteed to flinch the target. A superb opener in doubles.
Incineroar's mighty paw shot forward—
—only to be blocked.
"What?! Blocked?"
"Protect," Haru said coolly. "Fake Out may be fast, nearly unavoidable, but it isn't hard to guard against.
"And besides… how dare your Incineroar get this close to Necrozma!"
He raised a hand, giving the command fans of ground-types loved most:
"Necrozma, Earth Power!"
Incineroar froze. Beneath its feet, energy surged violently—ground energy.
Unlucky. Incredibly unlucky.
BOOM!
The arena shook. The earth split open like the maw of an ancient beast, roaring with fury.
Cracks slashed across the battlefield, dust and stone flying.
The audience screamed as the tremors rattled even the VIP seats.
This wasn't just Earth Power—it was something far beyond.
Incineroar stared wide-eyed. At the last second, it gave its Trainer a weak wave—
Bye-bye.
"Damn it, Incineroar, don't give up! Use Snarl!"
Blue's last-ditch effort—Snarl wouldn't deal much damage, but it would weaken Necrozma's Special Attack.
Not much, but better than nothing.
Still, he hadn't expected Incineroar to endure.
When the dust settled—it was down, kneeling, battered—but still conscious.
It had not lost yet.
It was the self-proclaimed "Number One Pokémon of the Universe." It couldn't just give up.
Blue's voice roared across the arena:
"Stand up! You can do it, Incineroar! Don't you dare lose to one measly Necrozma!"
Incineroar shot him a bitter glare. One measly Necrozma? This thing's an Alolan god! What do you want me to do, evolve again?
Still, groaning, it forced itself upright.
The crowd erupted.
This was the spirit of Pokémon battle—the unyielding will to fight on.
Blue's heart pounded. If there was ever a chance to win, this was it.
There was only one option left.
"Z-Move," he whispered. His ace in the hole.
Meant for Mew, yes—but desperate times.
"Incineroar, let's show them… the resolve to slay gods!"
He rolled up his sleeve, flashing his hidden Z-Ring.
And then… he danced.
Oh yes. The Z-Dance.
If a girl did it, it might look cute.
But Blue doing it? Excruciating.
His face contorted in despair as he flailed through the steps.
But he had no choice. No dance, no Z-Move.
On the other side, Haru stood motionless, watching with a straight face. Out of respect, he didn't attack.
(Though secretly, he had his phone out, recording every second for future use.)
What Haru didn't know was—he wasn't the only one.
Up in the organizer's VIP box, Red had a professional-grade camera trained on Blue, recording everything with Blaine coaching him on angles and focus.
As Blue's "friends," they'd make sure this precious memory was saved for eternity.
But embarrassment aside, the Z-Move was ready.
Power radiated through Incineroar, cloaking it in Z-Energy.
Its eyes locked on Necrozma.
The time had come.
"Malicious Moonsault!"
Incineroar leapt skyward, dropping like a pro wrestler from the heavens.
But all it met was Necrozma's mocking eyes.
You dare use Z-Power against me? Against the source of Z-Power itself? Foolish tiger.
The impact came—yet Necrozma barely flinched. She swatted Incineroar aside like an insect.
Then, somehow, she produced a twig out of nowhere—poking Incineroar on the forehead with it.
"Hey. Still awake in there?"
"…"
"Oh, so that's how it is. You used your Z-Move… and I just siphoned away most of the energy."
A Legendary who absorbed a Z-Move not only without injury, but to recharge herself.
Blue smiled emptily. His face then twisted—into a meme-worthy expression of despair.
And then, unbelievably… he started dancing again.
…Screw this.