"Cosmog, Cosmog!"
Cosmog, who had originally been sitting quietly in Lillie's arms, suddenly became unusually restless.
"Huh? Nebby, what's wrong?"
Lillie stroked Cosmog's head, then looked toward Grey, who had just met up with her, her eyes full of pitiful helplessness.
"Grey, do you know what's going on with Nebby right now?"
"Let me see."
Grey took Cosmog from Lillie's arms.
He used his Aura to check its emotions.
Then he realized something.
Cosmog seemed to be afraid of something.
"Cosmog, Cosmog!" (A huge mosquito is coming!)
Cosmog cried a few times, then hurriedly burrowed into Grey's arms.
"A huge mosquito? Where?"
Grey had never seen this so-called huge mosquito before.
He looked around, trying to see where the mosquito was.
"Cosmog, Cosmog!" (A huge mosquito is nearby! It's coming!)
Cosmog trembled, the frequency of its shivering gradually increasing, as if some truly dangerous existence was approaching.
"Hmm... Oh? There really is a faint energy fluctuation."
Grey actually found a few clues.
He looked toward the entrance of the Indigo Plateau.
"Bug and Fighting types... and an aura that doesn't belong to this world... Pheromosa? Or Buzzwole?"
Grey immediately thought of Ultra Beasts.
They were Pokémon from beyond this world.
Existences that belonged to another dimension.
Necrozma was one of them.
Grey glanced at Cosmog in his arms. If it was coming for Cosmog, then everything made sense.
However, an Ultra Wormhole had opened directly at the Indigo Plateau?
"Lillie, I'm going to take a look up ahead. You and Cosmog find a safe place to hide. I'll be right back."
There were still many tourists nearby. To prevent any accidents, Grey took the initiative to search for the Ultra Beast's location.
Fortunately, the system was reliable.
It immediately found the relevant information.
[Pokémon: Buzzwole]
[Type: Bug, Fighting]
[Level: 65]
[Ability: Beast Boost]
[Moves: Omitted]
"What an adorable level..."
Level 65. Elite Four-level strength.
For ordinary tourists, if they ran into it, they would have to raise both hands and surrender immediately.
But for Grey, level 65 was something his second team could handle without a problem.
"Perfect. I'll let it get some practice, then. There's another new battle to deal with tomorrow."
Grey remembered something Damalanchi had told him.
Before the Indigo Conference officially began, there was still an exhibition match to be held.
This had been mentioned before.
It was his battle against Moltres.
It was just that...
Grey had almost forgotten about it.
Even so, Grey gladly accepted.
Moltres itself didn't really matter.
What mattered was completing the bond of the "Kanto Legendary Birds."
Otherwise, catching only two of them while leaving one bird uncaught would feel strange.
Back to the matter at hand.
Grey directly sent out Zapdos. After leaping onto its back, he rushed straight toward Buzzwole's location.
My name is Buzzwole.
I am an existence skilled at absorbing nutrients from Pokémon.
I like fighting powerful Pokémon. Only the victors can keep growing stronger.
And defeating powerful Pokémon allows me to absorb even more energy.
But the place I came from is no longer enough for me to grow stronger quickly.
Taking advantage of the moment when the hole opened, I came to this unknown place.
Everything here is unknown, but I sensed an extremely weak yet extremely pure source of energy.
I came here, searching aimlessly.
Very soon.
I encountered my first creature...
"Buzzwole!" (You two-legged creature who looks like a blend of Blacephalon and Pheromosa, you look so weak you could fall over in the wind. Hurry up and get out of my way! I, Buzzwole, never absorb the weak. Since you're the first creature I've encountered in this other world, you still have time to leave!)
Buzzwole was arrogant.
Grey, who was sitting on Zapdos's back, fell silent.
This Pokémon's words were way too cocky.
A mere Elite Four-level rookie actually dared to throw threats at him like that?
Grey felt as though the world had changed.
"Looking at you, I doubt you'll let anyone finish talking anyway."
Grey sighed. As soon as he finished speaking, he released his Aura, trying to intimidate Buzzwole.
"Buzzwole!" (Oh, I didn't expect such a tiny creature to possess this much energy! It seems this world is not as pathetic as I imagined! Hah! Take this!)
"Hm? Starting a fight the moment we don't see eye to eye?"
Looking at the muscular creature before him, Grey chose to land on the ground. At the same time, he called out, "Zapdos, Thunder Wave!"
If it were a head-on collision, Grey was confident he could take down Buzzwole in one move.
But the affected area would be far too large.
Grey didn't want to draw attention.
It was best to avoid unnecessary trouble.
"Zapdos!" (Heh, heh, heh. I haven't appeared for so many chapters. This battle had better let Grandpa Zapdos enjoy himself!)
Zapdos expressed that recently, every time it appeared, it was either acting as a mount or patrolling. It hadn't had many chances to fight properly, so today, no matter what, it wanted to get a few moves in.
Grey naturally satisfied this small request of Zapdos's.
See? He started with Thunder Wave and didn't even order any attacking move.
"Zapdos!"
Zapdos cried out again. The sharp feathers across its body emitted a faint electric current, which spread toward Buzzwole!
Buzzwole was reckless.
It didn't dodge after encountering Thunder Wave. Thinking it was some weak beginner's move, it chose to attack head-on with Brick Break.
A brown aura burst out.
Buzzwole's momentum was magnificent, releasing the unique pressure of an Ultra Beast.
"Your strength isn't bad, but your battle IQ is a little low."
Grey felt somewhat helpless.
Buzzwole had something going for it, but not much.
If it were trained a little, it might be usable.
"Buzzwole!" (Hah! A mere weak electric current. It isn't even as strong as Xurkitree's Thunderbolt. You dare fight me with a move like this?!)
Buzzwole realized that Grey was insulting it.
In its opinion, insults were nothing more than the disguise of the weak.
It, Buzzwole, would let the humans of this other world know today what it meant for power to reign supreme!
Buzzwole charged.
Then.
Buzzwole was paralyzed.
"Buz... Buzzwole..." (D-Damn it... Why does my whole body feel wrong? I can't even move...)
Buzzwole's pupils shrank. It thought Grey had used some kind of dark magic on it, causing its whole body to feel as though electric currents had pierced through it, making movement difficult.
"Hey, do all of you in that world never use status moves? Do you fight every battle by throwing fists and smashing into each other head-on every day?"
Grey held his forehead.
He had thought this battle would drag on for two days again.
In the end, Buzzwole had been dealt with this quickly.
Wasn't this too easy?
"Buzzwole? Buzzwole!" (Status moves? Hmph, mere cheap tricks, and you dare show them off in front of me? Status moves are only used by the weak! Truly strong fighters would never stoop to using status moves to win! Even if they win, we would scorn them to death!)
The moment it heard "status moves," Buzzwole's expression changed drastically, and it started cursing.
Every word was filled with contempt for status moves. It felt that Pokémon who used status moves were all freaks and were unworthy of participating in Pokémon battles!
Grey: "..."
This Buzzwole was completely one-track-minded!
Way too stubborn!
"Phew..."
Grey let out a breath, looked at Buzzwole, and slowly said, "In other words, you don't accept the result of this battle?"
"Buzzwole!" (That's right. A victory obtained through status moves is completely unworthy of being called a victory. If you have what it takes, defeat me fair and square! I can sense a very powerful Fighting-type energy from you. Don't tell me someone who uses Fighting types doesn't dare face me head-on!)
Buzzwole's tone was agitated.
"You're right. I do use Fighting types. So..."
Grey sent out Annihilape. "Annihilape, crush it!"
"Annihilape!"
Annihilape unleashed Rage Fist.
With one punch, it knocked Buzzwole unconscious.
The matter was over, easy and effortless.
To prevent Buzzwole from waking up and causing destruction, and also because Buzzwole had the Fighting type, Grey became interested in catching it.
"Hmm... It's reddish, so I'll use a regular Poké Ball."
It was very difficult to catch an Ultra Beast with an ordinary Poké Ball.
But since this Pokémon had already fainted, even if it was difficult, it shouldn't be that difficult, right?
After all, Buzzwole had already lost consciousness. Catching it under these circumstances did feel a little lacking in sportsmanship.
However.
He had defeated Buzzwole head-on. Catching it wasn't unreasonable.
Grey successfully convinced himself.
He took a few empty Poké Balls from his pocket.
Then...
Thud!
The Poké Ball struck Buzzwole and instantly pulled it inside.
"Nice!"
Grey snapped his fingers.
Bang!
The Poké Ball burst open.
"Damn."
Grey threw another.
It burst again.
This repeated dozens of times, until Grey's hand felt a little sore.
He gritted his teeth and took out his last Poké Ball. This time, he even used Aura. After aiming at Buzzwole's weak point, he threw it fiercely!
Just like before, Buzzwole was drawn into the Poké Ball, which shook wildly.
Local Poké Balls had far too weak a hold on Ultra Beasts.
Unless it was an overwhelmingly powerful Ball like a Master Ball, they were all the same.
Grey narrowed his eyes and gradually walked forward. At the same time, he released his Aura, soothing Buzzwole's subconscious inside the Ball.
He had figured it out. Buzzwole's subconscious would resist the Poké Ball's restraints, and that was why, after entering the Poké Ball earlier, it had been able to burst the Ball open so quickly and escape.
As long as he soothed Buzzwole's emotions, even the most ordinary Poké Ball could catch it.
Sure enough, just as Grey had expected.
He used Aura to soothe Buzzwole's emotions.
Once Buzzwole's emotions calmed down, the Poké Ball slowly stopped moving.
Capture successful.
After catching Buzzwole, he naturally had to go register its information.
Grey weighed the Poké Ball in his hand and walked toward the Pokémon Center.
After finishing the registration, everything was safe and sound.
"Grey, what happened just now?"
When Grey found Lillie, she poked her head out and looked him up and down, making sure Grey hadn't lost anything after handling the situation.
"Just now? Just an uninvited guest arrived. But I took care of it easily."
Grey rubbed Lillie's blond hair, then took Cosmog from her arms.
[Pokémon: Cosmog]
[Type: Psychic]
[Level: 40]
[Ability: Unaware]
[Moves: Omitted]
Hmm...
It was only two levels away from evolving into Cosmoem.
It would probably happen within the next two days.
Grey looked at Cosmog for quite a while.
Only then did he put Cosmog back in Lillie's arms, but he continued staring at it.
"Grey, is something wrong with Nebby?"
Seeing Grey look at Cosmog for such a long time, Lillie thought something had happened.
"It doesn't have much to do with it. I'm wondering whether I should have you do some weighted training with me."
Grey's words left Lillie completely confused.
Huh?
Why did he want her to do weighted training?
Could it be that Grey really considered her part of the dojo now?!
If that was the case, then she had to work hard, too!
Yes!
Do your best, Lillie!
Lillie cheered herself on in her heart.
She looked forward to truly integrating into the dojo and becoming one of its members, instead of just being there for decoration.
"It's nothing much. I'm just wondering whether I can fast-track you into lifting something that weighs 999.9 kilograms."
Grey wore a smile on his face.
Lillie: "???"
999.9 kilograms?!
If she wasn't careful, that could crush someone to death, couldn't it?!
"Grey, you're... joking, right?"
Lillie looked at Grey expectantly.
"You'll understand when you're older."
Grey kept rubbing Lillie's head.
"Huh?!"
After hearing Grey's answer, Lillie even imagined herself covered in lean muscle, being jokingly called the female version of Bruno...
Waaah.
Anything but that!
"All right, I'm joking. Still, getting some exercise occasionally is a good idea. Otherwise, if you run into a Pokémon you can't beat in the wild, being able to run away is important."
Grey withdrew his hand, took out the Poké Ball containing Buzzwole, and looked into the distance.
First Necrozma, now Buzzwole...
Kanto really wasn't peaceful.
"Well, it is what it is. No matter what monsters and weirdos show up, if they come to Kanto, they'll have to sit down and behave."
"Grey, you're so cool!"
"Ahem. I'm all right, I'm all right. Only third best in Kanto."
A day passed.
The next day arrived as usual.
"Gym Leader Grey, do you have any thoughts about today's battle? This is a battle against a Legendary Pokémon. I wonder if you're as excited as the audience imagines?"
Before the exhibition match began, a reporter came to the players' room and asked a question.
"Hmm... It's all right. Mainly, I've dealt with Legendary Pokémon a lot, so when something like this happens, I feel pretty used to it. As for how this battle differs from my usual battles, the only difference should be that this is an exhibition match."
Regarding the battle with Moltres, Grey maintained a casual attitude.
However.
Since he was already here, he might as well go big.
With that thought in mind, Grey walked step by step toward the main venue. Facing the Sacred Flame, he swept his thumb forward and declared, "Moltres, you're the challenger!"
Everyone: "???"
"Whoa, Gym Leader Grey is that domineering?"
"So cool, so cool, so cool! I feel like we're going to witness the final piece of the Legendary bird trio being completed today!"
//Check out my P@tre0n for 30 extra chapters on all my fanfics //[email protected]/Razeil0810.