Brutus swallowed hard.
If that was true, the implications were terrifying.
Although Brutus looked like nothing but muscle, his mind was sharp. He immediately understood the horrifying potential behind Dr. Dov's research.
If Dr. Dov were allowed to continue unchecked…
He might one day turn the entire world upside down.
Dr. Dov took a slow, deep breath.
His cold gaze moved across Brutus and the six Pokémon standing ready for battle.
"You insects could never comprehend the greatness of this power."
"One day I will grow even stronger… strong enough to surpass even the Legendary Pokémon."
"What a magnificent achievement this research is."
"In this world, I alone possess such power."
"Now… let me show you just how strong I truly am."
As he finished speaking, a crushing aura erupted from his body.
A violent surge of energy burst outward.
A powerful whirlwind tore across the ground, ripping up dirt and shattered stone.
Dr. Dov raised his massive arm as dark energy churned wildly around it.
In the blink of an eye, a gigantic sphere of black energy condensed in his palm.
The pressure alone split the ground open.
Deep fissures spread across the earth like trenches.
Every tree within a hundred meters was sliced clean in half, leaving behind a vast clearing.
Super Shadow Ball.
Dr. Dov looked down at Brutus with cold indifference.
"Die."
His voice was ice-cold.
Then he hurled the enormous Shadow Ball downward.
The crushing pressure alone shattered the ground into fragments.
Brutus's forehead was drenched in sweat. His knees bent slightly as he struggled just to stay on his feet under the overwhelming force.
"This time… I really screwed up…"
He looked up at the massive Shadow Ball descending from the sky like a meteor, a bitter expression crossing his face as he muttered quietly.
"Macha!"
At that moment, Machamp roared and rushed forward—followed instantly by the other five Pokémon, all of them throwing themselves in front of Brutus to shield him with their bodies.
A fierce determination burned in their eyes.
They turned and nodded to him.
Brutus froze for a moment.
Then his gaze hardened.
With a trembling voice, he shouted,
"Everyone… we fight together!"
"Use Protect—give it everything you have!"
Brutus's eyes blazed with renewed fighting spirit.
His Pokémon hadn't given up yet.
How could he, their Trainer, lose his will to fight first?
Even if death awaited them—
They would fight.
"Machaaamp!"
"Pan—goro!"
"Yamaaa!"
The three Fighting-types roared as all six Pokémon unleashed a surge of violent energy.
They raised their arms together.
A massive, transparent barrier instantly formed, enclosing Brutus and his Pokémon.
At that moment, the enormous Shadow Ball descended like a meteor.
It slammed into the glowing barrier.
Crack—
A sharp, glass-like fracture echoed through the air.
Under the crushing force of the Shadow Ball, the barrier began to splinter.
In the next instant—
The shield shattered completely.
BOOM!
A massive explosion ripped across the battlefield.
Violent shockwaves surged outward like a tidal wave.
Members of the Symbiosis Society and soldiers of the Four Defense Corps alike were blasted off their feet by the devastating aftershock.
At the center of the explosion, a colossal mushroom cloud surged into the sky.
The clouds above were blasted away, leaving a vast clearing in the heavens.
Soldiers scattered across the battlefield stared in stunned silence at the devastation.
No one could speak.
Faced with an enemy like this, how could they possibly win?
A deep sense of despair settled over them.
Meanwhile, Lilith—still battling the four commanders of the Symbiosis Society—was also shaken by the explosion.
Startled by the explosion, Lilith turned toward Brutus's position.
But the only figure she could see in the sky was Dr. Dov.
Below him, thick smoke blanketed the battlefield.
Brutus was nowhere to be seen. A terrible feeling tightened in her chest.
Activating her psychic power, Lilith instantly teleported into the smoke.
She waved her hand.
A surge of psychic energy swept across the area, dispersing the smoke.
Then she saw them.
Her pupils shrank sharply.
A massive crater had formed in the ground, like the impact site of a meteor.
At the center of the crater lay Brutus and his six Pokémon, all collapsed.
Brutus's body was drenched in blood.
One of his arms had been completely torn apart.
Machamp had lost two of its four arms.
Heracross's horn had snapped in half.
Pangoro and Hariyama were burned black from head to toe, their bodies scorched beyond recognition.
Primeape and Hitmonchan were covered in blood.
Neither showed any signs of life.
Under the devastating explosion, they had fallen.
They were only Champion-Class Pokémon, and they had even diverted part of their power to protect Brutus.
They simply could not withstand the full force of that attack.
But they had no regrets.
Their Trainer was still alive.
That was enough.
Brutus slowly forced his eyes open.
When he saw the condition of his Pokémon, unbearable pain flashed across his face.
Then his gaze fell on Primeape and Hitmonchan.
His pupils shrank sharply.
Using his only remaining arm, he slowly dragged himself forward.
His trembling hand reached out and touched the two lifeless Pokémon.
At that moment, his tears could no longer be held back.
"Primeape!!"
"Hitmonchan!!"
Tears streamed down his face, mixing with the blood running from his wounds.
This iron-willed man—strong as steel—now cried like a child who had lost his family.
"AAAAAAHHHH!!"
His anguished cries echoed across the battlefield.
Dr. Dov hovered in the sky, calmly watching Brutus below, his face streaked with blood and tears.
He spoke slowly.
"Does it hurt?"
"Do you feel despair?"
"Good."
"Then savor it."
"Savor the same helplessness I once felt."
"Hahahahaha…"
...