"This time… I'll have to trouble you, Urshifu!"
The moment that voice fell—
Chen Shi felt something streak past him like a gale.
Before he could even react—
a deafening explosion erupted.
The Camerupt that had been standing there just moments ago—
was gone.
In the distance—
a massive crater had been blasted into the cavern wall.
And at the spot where Camerupt once stood—
a black-and-white, bear-like Pokémon stood upright—
still holding its punching stance.
Chen Shi's pupils shrank sharply.
"Urshifu?!"
He instinctively activated his system scan.
Pokémon: Urshifu (Single Strike Style)
Level: 99 (Legendary Peak)
Potential: Sub-Legendary
Ability: Unseen Fist
Gender: Male
Moves: Wicked Blow, Sucker Punch, Rock Smash, Leer, Endure, Focus Energy, Aerial Ace, Scary Face, Headbutt, Brick Break, Detect, Bulk Up, Iron Head, Dynamic Punch, Counter, Close Combat, Focus Punch, Fire Punch, Ice Punch, Thunder Punch, Protect, Dig, Rock Slide, Facade, U-turn, Payback, Acrobatics, Revenge, Body Slam…
Chen Shi's heart trembled.
How could he not recognize this Pokémon?
It was one of his favorites.
Powerful.
Cool.
And—
divided into two styles:
Rapid Strike and Single Strike.
Most importantly—
this was a legendary Pokémon with a lineage.
Urshifu wasn't just any legendary—
it had a known evolutionary line.
Chen Shi stiffly turned his head toward Leon.
"Your master… is Mustard?"
Leon looked at him in surprise.
"You actually know my master?"
Even in Galar—
very few people knew that name.
Yet Chen Shi, from Hoenn, recognized it instantly.
Chen Shi sighed inwardly and casually replied:
"My teacher told me about him."
Urshifu slowly withdrew its fist.
Its gaze swept across Chen Shi—
then lingered briefly on the Jirachi in his arms…
the Eevee on his shoulder…
and the Poké Ball in his hand.
From all three—
it sensed danger.
Especially—
the Eevee and the Pokémon in Chen Shi's arms.
Tabitha, on the other hand—
was completely frozen.
His eyes were wide as he stared at Urshifu.
"W-What… is that thing?!"
One punch.
Just one punch—
and his carefully raised Camerupt was gone.
No trace.
No resistance.
That level of power—
was beyond Elite Four.
It had already stepped into another realm.
He had seen Maxie's Camerupt fight before.
He knew exactly how terrifying that level was.
Which meant—
today—
he was finished.
Only his leader could deal with something like this.
What he didn't know—
was that even if Maxie himself came—
he'd be taken down just as easily.
…
"Holy—Leon, you've been hiding this all along?!"
Lance couldn't help but curse.
He had been ready to fight for his life—
but Leon simply pulled out an unknown Pokémon—
and ended it instantly.
Leon smiled.
"My master always says—when you're out there, you need a trump card."
"So he lent me one for protection."
Then he looked at Chen Shi.
"By the way… mind telling me who your teacher is?"
"Professor Oak," Chen Shi replied calmly.
Leon nodded in realization.
If it was him—
then knowing Mustard made perfect sense.
Cynthia observed Urshifu curiously.
"What Pokémon is this?"
The more time she spent around Chen Shi—
the more unfamiliar Pokémon she encountered.
Leon avoided the question.
"We'll talk about that later. Let's deal with Team Magma first."
"Urshifu—please capture them. These people are criminals."
Urshifu nodded.
Its figure flickered—
and before anyone could even follow its movement—
all the remaining Team Magma members collapsed to the ground.
Unconscious.
Moments later—
Urshifu returned, carrying a pile of Poké Balls, and placed them in front of Leon.
"Thanks, Urshifu. You can return now."
After receiving its consent—
Leon recalled it.
…
The group walked toward the captives—
untied them one by one.
"Thank you…"
After being freed, Lorelei thanked Phoebe softly.
Then—
she turned her icy gaze toward Lance.
There's a saying—
better offend a villain than a woman.
Because women remember everything.
Lance noticed her gaze and scratched his head, grinning.
"Lorelei, you owe us a big favor this time!"
Lorelei smiled gently—
but her eyes were cold.
"I know."
"I'll definitely repay you… properly."
Lance waved it off.
"Ah, no need to take it so seriously. Just helping out."
Chen Shi sighed inwardly.
This guy… his path just got narrower.
…
There were over twenty captives.
Soon, all were freed.
Each of them looked like they had survived a disaster.
They immediately began thanking Chen Shi and the others.
"Thank you so much! We don't know what those people would've done to us!"
"Yeah! I heard they wanted to trade us to the League for benefits!"
"They even took our Pokémon and all our belongings!"
At that—
everyone suddenly reacted.
Their Pokémon!
They quickly stood up.
"Right! We have to get them back!"
Lorelei pointed toward a nearby makeshift cave.
"I saw Tabitha store all our belongings in there."
"We should be able to find them inside."
Her expression grew tense.
Her Pokémon had already been heavily injured in the battle before.
She didn't know—
what condition they were in now.
…
Read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon → [email protected]/lucarioTL (replace @ with a)