That night, Aaron and Greninja lay on the rooftop, gazing into the dark sky.
A bright full moon hung high above, while countless stars shimmered faintly.
A trace of longing appeared in Aaron's eyes.
He wondered how his family back on Earth was doing now.
Were his younger brother and sister studying hard? Were they listening to their parents?
Were Mom and Dad grieving over his disappearance?
And the girl he once loved so deeply... had she already moved on?
...
"Ah..."
Aaron let out a quiet sigh, melancholy flickering in his eyes.
"Grenin..."
Beside him, Greninja reached out and patted Aaron on the shoulder, clearly sensing something was wrong and trying to comfort him.
"It's a good thing I still have all of you."
"Greninja."
Aaron turned toward the worried Greninja.
He reached out, rubbed Greninja's head, and said with a faint smile,
"I'm fine. Thanks, Greninja."
"Grenin..."
At that moment, Greninja's eyes shifted subtly toward a nearby corner.
Aaron narrowed his eyes, stood up, and said,
"Greninja... come on. Let's take a walk up the back mountain."
With that, he jumped down from the roof with Greninja and headed toward the mountain behind the house.
…
On the back mountain, the place was deserted.
Under the bright moonlight, visibility was still clear enough.
Aaron and Greninja walked along the path before suddenly stopping.
Aaron turned toward a large tree and said calmly,
"Come out."
"I already know you're there."
The forest remained silent.
Only Aaron's own voice echoed back.
Awkward.
Aaron cursed inwardly.
Why aren't you following the script?
At a time like this, shouldn't some villain step out and ask in disbelief,
"How did you find me!?"
Then I'd reply coolly,
"I could smell your stink from miles away."
Then the villain gets mad, tries to kill me, and I crush him.
Scene over.
But now you're not saying anything?
You think I'm bluffing?
Aaron frowned and looked at Greninja.
"Greninja... drag that coward out."
"Use Water Pulse!"
"Grenin-ja!"
Greninja let out a sharp battle cry.
Disrespect my trainer, and you disrespect me.
Get lost.
Blue light burst from Greninja's hand.
A sphere of watery energy rapidly formed, swelling to the size of a basketball before being hurled toward the tree deep in the forest.
BOOOOM!
The thick trunk exploded into splinters, and the entire tree crashed backward.
CRASH!
A thunderous impact rang out, kicking up clouds of dust.
Then, from within the dust, a beam of energy suddenly shot forward.
Its speed was terrifying.
Even with Aaron's current physical abilities, he couldn't react in time.
And the beam was aimed straight at him.
Aaron's pupils shrank.
Too fast.
He couldn't dodge.
WHOOSH!
At the critical moment, the Flying Thunder God mark Aaron had secretly kept on himself as insurance activated.
A black figure appeared beside him and instantly yanked him aside.
The fatal strike narrowly missed.
BOOOOM!
The beam struck a giant tree behind him.
A horrifying explosion erupted.
The massive tree was instantly reduced to dust.
Nothing remained.
WHOOSH!
Aaron and Greninja reappeared a short distance away.
Aaron's back was drenched in sweat as he breathed heavily.
Looking at the tree that had been obliterated, shock flashed through his eyes.
"Huff... huff..."
"Damn... I almost died right there."
"I got careless."
Then he turned toward the source of the beam with a grave expression.
He knew this enemy was dangerous.
"How interesting..."
"An Elite-level Pokémon actually managed to dodge my Pokémon's attack."
"No wonder that useless man lost to you."
At that moment, a sharp voice slowly echoed from the darkness.
Step. Step. Step.
Footsteps approached.
A man in a black robe emerged from the shadows. Strange insect patterns were embroidered across the robe.
But what truly shocked Aaron was the Pokémon standing behind him.
Its body was covered in a purple-and-gold metallic shell.
A cannon-like launcher was mounted on its back.
Its shape resembled an upright ant.
Aaron's pupils contracted.
"Genesect!?"
That's right.
It was Genesect, the Pokémon infamous in the games and anime as the World-Destroying Bug.
Aaron never expected this world to have one too.
And judging by its appearance, it had been modified as well.
It seemed this Hive Organization was the group responsible for altering these Pokémon.
What made the World-Destroying Bugs truly terrifying was their numbers.
They swarmed like ants and obeyed their leader's commands without hesitation.
Like a perfectly drilled army.
Wherever they passed, devastation followed.
An extremely dangerous species.
...