"Mo~ Mo~ Dasumo!!"
Just as Liam was completely off guard—
The round stone beside him suddenly let out a loud roar!
The next instant, the "rock" rose straight up from the ground, floating into the air—with little N still lying on top of it!
"Pff! Cough, cough! What the—?! What is that?! Huh? A Darmanitan?! Seriously?! That's actually possible?!"
Only then did Liam realize that the "stone" sitting beside him all this time wasn't an ordinary rock at all.
It was a Darmanitan in Zen Mode.
Drawn by the smell of the food, the Darmanitan had awakened from its deep slumber. Still carrying the sleeping little N on its head, it slowly floated above Liam.
"Pido! Pido!"
The Pidove that had been dozing on little N's head was startled awake. It flew around the Darmanitan, chirping loudly as though scolding it.
But then—
"Dasumo!!"
A flash of blue light burst from Darmanitan's body!
A powerful wave of psychic force slammed into Pidove, smashing it headfirst into the sand.
The poor bird's eyes immediately turned into spirals as it fainted.
"...Sigh, that's our Pidove for you. Always finding new ways to be the comic relief."
"Come out, Zorua! Go! Use Dark Pulse! Aim for Darmanitan's feet!"
The corner of Liam's eye twitched as he glanced at the unconscious Pidove before quickly releasing Zorua.
A beam of white light flashed from behind him, and Zorua landed neatly on Liam's outstretched arm.
Opening its mouth, Zorua immediately fired a Dark Pulse that struck Darmanitan squarely in both feet.
Boom!
"Dasumo!!"
The attack exploded on impact, sending Darmanitan spinning uncontrollably through the air.
As it spun, little N—who had been sleeping peacefully on its head—was flung off.
"Zorua! Keep attacking!"
The instant little N fell, Liam tossed Zorua into the air.
Zorua opened its mouth and fired another Dark Pulse, while Liam rushed underneath and caught little N securely in his arms.
"Hm...? What's going on? Did something happen?"
Only now did little N slowly wake up. Rubbing his sleepy eyes, he looked at Liam in confusion.
"Dasumo!!"
Before Liam could answer, Darmanitan let out another roar from above. A massive tide of blue psychic energy crashed down toward the ground.
Seeing this, Liam immediately shouted,
"Zorua! Block it!"
"Chi chi chi!"
With a sly grin, Zorua dashed forward without hesitation, using its tiny body to intercept the incoming psychic attack.
Although Darmanitan's Psychic struck Zorua head-on, Zorua was a Dark-type Pokémon and naturally immune to Psychic-type attacks.
No matter how overwhelming the psychic force was, to Zorua it felt little different from a light scratch.
The moment Zorua completely blocked the attack—
"Chi chi chi!!"
It opened its mouth again and unleashed a continuous barrage of Dark Pulse attacks.
Floating helplessly in midair, Darmanitan had nowhere to dodge. It became the perfect target, battered back and forth by one Dark Pulse after another.
Finally, with a mournful cry, Darmanitan crashed back into the sand.
"Alright! Now's the time! Go, PokeBall!"
The moment Darmanitan landed, Liam threw a PokeBall.
The ball struck Darmanitan directly, easily drew it inside, and after landing on the sand, it didn't even shake once.
The capture was an immediate success.
Smiling, Liam walked over, picked up the PokeBall, then—under little N's astonished gaze—placed it into the boy's hands.
"Little N, this one's for you."
Little N: "!!"
"I don't want it. You're the one who caught it, you big meanie. Besides... I don't like putting my friends inside PokeBalls. The time with Purrloin couldn't be helped, but this time... I can't accept it."
After capturing Darmanitan, Liam and little N returned to the shade to rest.
Little N cradled the exhausted Pidove in his arms, firmly refusing Liam's gift.
However, Liam had expected this response and wasn't surprised.
"Little N, I understand how you feel. But are PokeBalls really just tools for imprisoning Pokémon?"
"It's true that there are people in this world who use PokeBalls to bind their Pokémon, but they're only a small minority."
"For me—and for most Trainers—a PokeBall is more like a bond. It's a tool that connects people and Pokémon together."
"A PokeBall is actually an incredible invention. It allows humans and Pokémon to travel together much more closely."
"You have to remember that many Pokémon are enormous. Without PokeBalls, traveling together with them would often be nearly impossible."
"And PokeBalls can also help prevent an injured Pokémon's condition from worsening. When a Pokémon is hurt, placing it inside a PokeBall is often the best choice."
"My partners have always traveled with me inside their PokeBalls. They've accompanied me through countless places, and I'm grateful for every moment we've shared."
"The bond between us is incredibly strong, and something as small as a PokeBall could never break it. So whether or not a Pokémon stays inside a PokeBall doesn't determine how close the Trainer and Pokémon are."
"What truly matters... is how the Trainer treats their Pokémon."
"Little N. I remember you once said that every Pokémon is your friend. You want to become friends with every Pokémon. So... are you really going to let something as simple as a PokeBall stop you?"
As he finished speaking, Liam smiled and once again held the PokeBall containing Darmanitan out toward little N.
This time...
Little N stared blankly at the ball.
His eyes were filled with uncertainty as he quietly lost himself in thought.
Several minutes later, he finally looked back at Liam. The confusion had disappeared from his eyes.
He nodded firmly...
...and reached out to take the PokeBall.
"Come out, Darmanitan!"
"Das... mo..."
A flash of white light appeared.
The exhausted Darmanitan materialized—
—and immediately face-planted into the sand.
"Darmanitan, from now on we're friends! Please take care of me!"
Little N hurried over, using all his strength to help Darmanitan back upright before speaking earnestly.
"Das... mo..."
Darmanitan's only response was another weak, lifeless murmur.
Little N: "...Big meanie... did you beat Darmanitan so badly that it became stupid?"
Liam: "...Ahem. No, no. I think it's just hungry. Here—feed it this."
Cold sweat instantly formed on Liam's forehead. He hurriedly took out a can of Pokémon food and handed it to little N.
Still somewhat skeptical, little N carefully fed the food to Darmanitan.
As soon as Darmanitan swallowed the Pokémon food...
Its spirit immediately returned!
"Dasumo!!"
The Darmanitan that had looked like nothing more than a stone suddenly transformed after eating its fill!
Its Zen Mode disappeared, changing into its normal form—
A massive, fiery-red gorilla-like Pokémon. And suddenly, it became incredibly energetic!
Stretching out its powerful arms, it grabbed little N—the one who had fed it—and joyfully lifted him high into the air.
Meanwhile...
Little N, who was being held aloft by Darmanitan...
...had already gone completely stiff.
His eyes were blank, his mouth hung wide open, and he looked utterly petrified by the sudden turn of events.