At that moment, Moss walked over.
He stopped in front of Aaron with a faint smile.
"Aaron… I lost."
"You're really strong."
"I accept this defeat completely."
Even so, his eyes still burned with determination.
"But Scizor and I are going to keep training. We'll keep getting stronger until we beat you!"
Aaron smiled brightly.
"You're strong too, Moss."
"Among the people our age I've met, you might be the strongest Trainer so far."
"I really enjoyed that battle."
Aaron was not exaggerating.
Among the younger generation he had met so far, no one had truly matched Moss's strength.
Of course, that did not include the top names on the Hidden Dragon prodigy list.
Hidden Dragon's No. 1 prodigy, Braveon.
No. 2, Blaze.
No. 3, Liora.
Those three were currently the most dazzling young geniuses in Hualis, at least on the surface.
But Aaron had not battled them yet, so he still did not know their true strength.
Even so, anyone who could reach the top three of Hidden Dragon had to be exceptional.
After meeting Moss, Aaron felt that Hualis might still have plenty of hidden monsters out there.
Some might be living deep in the mountains.
Others might simply have no interest in appearing on a public prodigy ranking like Hidden Dragon at all.
Hearing Aaron's praise, Moss smiled.
"Really?"
"Then are there a lot of strong Trainers outside?"
Aaron nodded.
"There are countless strong Trainers out there."
"But among Trainers of our generation, very few have strength like ours."
Moss scratched his head, a little embarrassed.
At that moment, the old man also walked over with his Scizor.
He looked at Aaron with a complicated expression and slowly said,
"It seems we really have shut ourselves away for too long."
"Perhaps my son was right. If we keep staying here, we'll only end up buried by time."
He glanced at Moss.
A trace of sadness appeared on his face before he spoke again.
"Moss… you've grown up."
"It's time to let you leave this place."
"Staying here has limited your growth."
Moss froze.
Then surprise and joy burst across his face.
"Really, Grandpa!?"
"I can really go outside!?"
He was overjoyed.
He had longed for the outside world for years.
But his grandfather had never allowed him to leave, so he had always buried those feelings deep in his heart.
Now that he could finally go, how could he not be happy?
The old man nodded.
Then he looked at Moss seriously.
"But you have to promise me one thing."
"Unless your life is in danger, never use Mega Evolution in front of outsiders."
"Do you understand?"
Moss quickly nodded.
"I promise, Grandpa!"
A relieved smile appeared on the old man's face.
"Congratulations, Moss."
Aaron was happy for him as well.
"Hehe… now I can finally travel like you."
Moss grinned at Aaron.
The old man was just about to say more when—
"Scizor!"
Scizor suddenly let out a warning cry.
The old man's expression changed.
At that moment, a terrifying beam of energy shot out from the forest, firing straight toward Aaron and the others.
"Scizor, use Protect!"
The old man immediately shouted.
"Scizor!"
Scizor stepped in front of everyone.
A powerful surge of energy rose from its body as it raised both pincers.
A transparent shield instantly formed around them.
BOOM!
The energy beam slammed into the shield.
The impact thundered across the clearing, shaking the ground as thick smoke rolled upward.
Fortunately, the shield held.
"Who's there?"
The old man stared coldly toward the forest, his expression grave.
"Old man… didn't expect you to have some skill."
A rough voice came from the trees.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Heavy footsteps echoed through the forest.
A figure slowly walked out.
The man wore a black trench coat marked with a striking letter "H"
Hard muscle bulged across his body, making him look like a small giant.
Behind him followed a Pokémon over two meters tall, covered in hard steel armor and shaped like a dinosaur.
Aggron.
…
The moment Aaron saw the "H" symbol, his pupils shrank.
He blurted out,
"Pokémon Hunters!?"
The burly man grinned, revealing a terrifying smile.
"Didn't expect you to know a thing or two, kid."
"Aaron… what are Pokémon Hunters?"
Moss could not help asking.
"They're a criminal organization."
Aaron's expression turned serious.
"They specialize in capturing rare wild Pokémon and stealing Pokémon from other Trainers."
"In Hualis, they're one of the major groups the authorities have been trying to wipe out."
"So he's here to steal our Pokémon!?"
Moss was startled.
"But how did he know we were here?"
A sharp look crossed Aaron's face as he stared at the burly man.
"If I'm not mistaken… your target is me, right?"
"Hahahaha!"
The burly man burst into laughter.
Then greed filled his eyes as he looked at Aaron.
"That's right."
"And thanks to you, I discovered something worth far more than I imagined."