Staring at the nearly five-meter-long Dragapult floating before him, Chen Shi felt pure excitement rising again.
Shadow Force, Giratina's exclusive move, was nothing like ordinary Phantom Force.
On the surface the animations looked similar—
but in practice, the difference was night and day.
Shadow Force had:
Far greater power
Much faster activation
Shorter charge time
And it ignored defensive moves entirely
For Dragapult, that last point barely mattered—
his Infiltrator ability already let him bypass barriers like Protect and Light Screen.
But the first three advantages were already outrageous.
A move that was stronger and faster and harder to dodge?
Combined with Infiltrator?
It might as well be a guaranteed hit.
And its utility wasn't just offensive—
Shadow Force was also a top-tier escape skill.
The more Chen Shi thought about it, the more thrilled he became.
"Dragapult, use Shadow Force once. Hit Garchomp for me."
The moment he said it—
Garchomp froze.
Why me??
He was just standing there enjoying the moment!
How did he suddenly become the test dummy?!
Chen Shi scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"Brother Shark, please help me out. I'll buy you two bottles of liquor later."
Garchomp's eyes gleamed instantly.
He slapped his chest proudly.
"GARCHOMP!"
(Little brother, go ahead. Hit me as hard as you want!)
Chen Shi's excitement flared again.
"Alright! Dragapult—Shadow Force!"
"Baruyaa!"
Dragapult narrowed his eyes—
And vanished.
Two seconds later, his silhouette flickered back into existence behind Garchomp—
ghost energy spiraling around him—
BOOM!
The impact slammed into Garchomp, forcing him to take a step back.
Garchomp inhaled sharply.
If he hadn't already broken through to Champion…
that hit might've actually left a mark.
Chen Shi's eyes shone like stars.
"Amazing, Dragapult!!"
"Baruyaa~"
Dragapult drifted back proudly, tail vibrating with joy.
On his head, the two tiny Dreepy chirped excitedly, whispering something to him.
Dragapult hesitated.
Chen Shi immediately understood.
"Dragapult—shoot a Dragon Darts into the sky."
Dragapult relaxed, raised his head—
And the two baby Dreepy lit up with Dragon energy, launching upward like draconic missiles.
Chen Shi could've sworn he heard their excited squeals echoing as they soared.
A moment later, they fluttered back down, buzzing with delight.
Chen Shi smiled warmly.
"Alright, Dragapult—and everyone—let's head back. I'm going to Kanto soon."
"Swampert, tell your parents what's happening and come back tomorrow morning."
"Swamp~!"
Swampert grinned and dashed off.
Chen Shi turned to Garchomp next.
"Grandma insists I bring you with me. So tomorrow, you're coming to Kanto."
Garchomp nodded instantly.
Traveling with Chen Shi?
Plus promised liquor?
Perfect.
"Good. Head home first—I'll see you tomorrow."
When Chen Shi stepped into the house, he noticed a silver-haired boy sitting on the sofa chatting casually with his grandparents.
Steven Stone.
"Steven! Why are you here?"
Chen Shi brightened and hurried over.
"I brought you stones!" Steven grinned.
From his backpack he pulled out a heavy pouch—
packed with dozens of shimmering Mega Stones.
"Take a look. I collected these privately—
thirty-two in total. Your half is sixteen."
Chen Shi froze.
Then realized—
The Bringer of Fortune had arrived.
He inspected them one by one.
Many were Mega Stones for different species—
not ones he needed personally, but perfect for trading resources later.
Then—
One stone caught his eye.
He picked it up, examined it, and exhaled softly.
"Your luck is unbelievable."
He tossed the stone back to Steven.
"Keep this one. Don't lose it.
A stone of this caliber… you won't find many in the entire world."
"If I didn't already have one from the Meteor Tribe, I wouldn't have given you this one."
Steven's pupils trembled.
He understood the weight of those words—
and carefully placed the stone into a secure case.
To Steven, Chen Shi never exaggerated.
If Chen said it was priceless, then it truly was.
What Chen Shi didn't know was that the stone he returned—
Was Metagrossite.
A pseudo-legendary Mega Stone.
Extremely rare.
Chen Shi then tossed him another gemstone.
"Here—this is for you too. How's the Scyther I asked for?"
Steven caught the Scizorite and chuckled.
"There was a great Scyther available, but I still haven't found a good Mawile."
He looked disappointed.
After Chen Shi had hinted at Mawile's future potential, Steven had been searching nonstop—
but no suitable ones appeared.
"Mawile will be important for you. Keep looking.
She won't disappoint."
"…Alright." Steven nodded.
Grandpa finally spoke up.
"Good thing you came today. Tomorrow, you might've missed Shi'er entirely."
Steven blinked.
"Why?"
"I'm heading to Kanto tomorrow," Chen Shi said.
"I'm not sure how long I'll be gone."
"You're going to Kanto?"
"Yeah—Pallet Town. Meeting Professor Oak.
There are things we need to discuss."
Understanding dawned in Steven's eyes.
"That explains it. I saw the forum. Safe travels."
He stood.
"I still have work to do—so I'll head back. See you next time."
Chen Shi walked him to the door.
Steven waved, summoned his Skarmory, and soared into the night sky.
Chen Shi watched him disappear, smiling faintly.
Tomorrow… it's my turn to leave too.
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