Hikaru did a quick stretch, his joints crackling.
"When we talk about field moves, we're not talking about some specific named attack. We're talking about the effect produced by using an elemental move—an effect that blankets an entire area, or wipes out a fixed target point."
"Rangers use these moves to complete missions and requests, and to capture Pokémon that are hard to encounter. These field moves come in two types: Map Moves and Area Moves."
"Of course, a field move is really just a Pokémon's enhanced application of a technique—pushing its power fully through an area, or focusing it onto a single point!"
"Training field moves can also improve the accuracy and effective range of other moves."
"And right now, Great Tusk has entered a special state."
"Even while captured, it's still furious."
"In other words… it's the Aggressive Phenomenon."
Aggressive.
Among Rangers, this is a natural state a Pokémon can enter—and you can also think of it as a way to describe a wild Pokémon's condition.
In the games, when you get within a certain distance of some Pokémon, an exclamation mark appears over their head, showing they've noticed you.
At that point, the Pokémon will stay put and stare you down.
If you leave, it returns to normal.
If you approach again, an exclamation mark appears again, and it rushes you to start a battle.
And the next step beyond that is the posture where it initiates combat on its own—Anger!
As a Ranger, you're constantly dealing with Pokémon in Aggressive and Anger states, and you'll often have to take their moves head-on with your own body.
Like Blastoise's Skull Bash, Electrode's Explosion, Muk's toxic sludge impact, or Slugma's Flamethrower.
Because Fiore, Almia, and Oblivia have ecosystems that are just as rich—and just as primitive—Pokémon there frequently launch surprise attacks on humans. But the locals aren't as scared as the people of Hisui were. If anything, they live pretty laid-back lives.
Some residents have even said that the Fiore Region is more suitable for living than the Kanto Region, and that their whole family moved from Kanto to Fiore.
…Yeah. Honestly, if you look at the ecology and natural environment, Fiore should be more dangerous.
It's just that there's no massive villain organization like Team Rocket running around. And Fiore's villain groups aren't very strong.
"Great Tusk, this might hurt a little—try to bear with it, okay?"
Hikaru spread his hands at the sight of Great Tusk getting worked up again, its face practically screaming dissatisfied.
And the elephant was already charging.
Great Tusk thought: Fine. We did connect hearts earlier, so I'll hold back a bit. I won't gore you to death.
Let's use the weakest move: Horn Attack.
Power 65. Honestly, sorry. If I'm using these huge tusks, I don't have anything weaker than this!
"Guu-don!"
The elephant thundered forward!
Hurry up and admit you've lost—give up the Herba Mystica seasoning! You can't handle it! Let me handle it!
Hikaru: "You're a level 45 Quaking Titan—literally the weakest of your kind. What right do you have to show off?"
"The level 57 False Dragon Titan already went down! You won't be any harder than it was!"
Move aside—let the two Ground-type heavy hitters step up!
Hikaru snapped into a sudden sidestep. Great Tusk's attack missed, kicking up nothing but a shockwave storm!
The mammoth elephant was stunned by this tiny human's speed. It locked its eyes on Hikaru, who had sprinted aside, and hurriedly tried to redirect its assault—
And in Hikaru's hand, psychic power gathered.
A violent psychic impact spread across Great Tusk's entire body in an instant, knocking the Titan—taller than Celesteela—back more than ten steps!
The ground beneath it erupted with a massive blast!
Psychic Power — Extrasensory!
"Guu-don?!?!!"
Great Tusk's eyes went wide.
Holy— A human used psychic powers! Extrasensory, base power 80—double effectiveness on Ground/Fighting—IT'S SUPER EFFECTIVE!
Do you also get STAB?!
What the hell—are you even human?! Is this legal?!
[Great Tusk flinched!]
Hikaru: "Mm… that actually raises a pretty confusing question. Do Psychic humans count as Psychic-type? If so, would they get STAB?"
"Then… would my Extrasensory be power 120?"
Some people think humans might be a kind of Pokémon too.
Or maybe they're life born from a different evolutionary path—separate from Pokémon.
N-sensei's origins can vaguely support that idea.
But in truth, the one who proposed that abstract theory was the new Viridian Gym Leader—Blue—also known as the 'five-minute Champion,' one of the battle legends, and a master of raising Pokémon.
Supposedly, in HeartGold/SoulSilver, if you register Blue's phone number on the Pokégear, there's a chance you'll trigger an event.
Blue calls the protagonist and talks about the conclusions from his recent field observations.
[This is Blue.]
[Whenever I see Pokémon, I get this strange feeling.]
[Some are round, some are square; some fly, some swim;]
[some burn, some freeze; some glow, some dwell in darkness.]
[And sometimes I wonder.]
[Could humans be a kind of Pokémon too…?]
Yeah—this was Blue's conclusion back in the HeartGold/SoulSilver era.
Which means he must have only written it down fairly recently!
Could he toss it out at the next academic summit?
He really is Professor Oak's grandson—always pushing new ideas forward in research. Honestly, it's something to look forward to.
"Great Tusk, I'm coming!"
After the psychic hit came a Fighting-type Aura attack!
"Guu-don-don?!?!!"
Great Tusk was genuinely spooked. Just now, a distant force slammed into its tusks, and its whole body tingled and buzzed. It stared in shock at the temporary companion—no, the temporary enemy—standing in front of it.
I get it now!
You're not human at all! You're a Legendary Pokémon wearing human skin!
My base stat total is only 570!
You're at least 600!
And it wasn't just Great Tusk spiraling into wild thoughts.
The other Pokémon who'd been traveling with Hikaru were whispering among themselves too.
Riolu and Torterra even murmured to each other.
"No wonder Trainers keep calling Deoxys their partner."
"This guy really is as strong as an alien…"
Torterra: "Tort— (He's just missing the ability to survive in outer space.)"
Riolu: "Rrwoof— (I heard there are space suits that can do that.)"
As for Kubfu, Charcadet, and Victini—
Those three, who had no clue what was going on, simply entered a bloodthirsty state!
Yes! Like this—push through in one go! Wah—this rules!
Now this is a human master! Fighting a hill-sized monster in a sandstorm—who can stop that kind of power?!
Kubfu: "Ku! (If I get crushed watching Sensei fight, it's worth it!)"
Charcadet: "Kadon! (Sensei, hurry and use Bulk Up! Bulk Up!)"
Victini spat sand—pfft, pfft—then opened its mouth wide.
Victini: "Tini! (Captain's finally showing his real power!)"
As it spoke, energy surged from Victini's body. The others, who'd thought Victini was just tagging along for fun, were baffled by the sudden power fluctuation—
But in the next instant, that power flowed straight into Hikaru's body!
It was infinite Victory Energy!
In the movie, Ash borrowed Victini's power and, in one burst, soared over a vast cliff—pulling off something beyond human physical limits.
Tepig, boosted by Victini, used Ember with an effect like Overheat, instantly KO'ing a fully evolved Samurott!
"Victini is the Pokémon that brings victory. They say any Trainer who carries Victini will win any battle!"
"It can generate infinite energy inside its body—and share that energy with anything it touches."
"If you receive Victini's endlessly generated energy, your whole body fills with strength!"
Hikaru planted his hands on Great Tusk's tusks—and with that infinite energy amplification, performed a feat of pure superhuman force—
He shoved the Quaking Titan backward in a single push!
At that moment, the mammoth elephant was truly scared.
Damn— I'm not the Quaking Titan… YOU'RE the Quaking Titan!
It took me this long to shake the earth, but you're small and you can shake ME! By that logic, you're the real boss here!
Great Tusk's fear surged, and Hikaru seized the opening created by that hesitation and gave his command:
"Field Move Destruction — coordinated assault!"
"Of course, when I say destruction, I mean we're going to wreck this whole area. But this is the Asado Desert. Even if we tear it up, it doesn't matter—sandstorms will fill everything back in."
"Torterra, use Frenzy Plant to bind it!"
"Wo-Chien, use Fissure on Great Tusk!"
So that feeling just now… that was the strength boost from Victini?
I just got to enjoy the 'mini-superhuman' treatment once, huh?
Hikaru thought that to himself.
And when Wo-Chien saw Hikaru push the Quaking Titan back, it was shaking in fear.
I told you! The power creep in this game's numbers has reached the point of no return! A human pushing a Quaking Titan—how could I even dream something like that?!
This world's creator can't balance anything.
A thousand years ago, the legendary tamers at least needed legendary spells plus holy stakes to trade blows with us!
A thousand years later, legendary tamers have nothing left but pure stats!
Have spells fallen out of the meta in this era?
…Doesn't seem like it!
And this guy in front of me—he's got both mechanics (psychic powers) and stats (raw strength)!
"Wo-chen!"
Even Wo-Chien had to say it.
This is insane!
Your opponents can summon disasters—avalanches, magma, blight, fissures—four ultra-beasts of catastrophe. They can absorb resentment and grow stronger!
You only have brute force.
And this proves it: having enough stats is a mechanic by itself!
And if you're bringing Victini along, those stats are basically flying into the sky!
"Tort—!"
Torterra's roar snapped Wo-Chien out of its daze.
Fine. Fine!
As the so-called 'super moose,' one of the main forces that destroyed the Paldean kingdom, I can't let a legendary tamer look down on me!
My super-wisdom gives me the answer!
Now is the time to use super strength!
With a deep rumble, countless thorns burst from the desert sands, trapping Great Tusk!
The Grass-type ultimate move Frenzy Plant—with a base power of 150—under STAB, reached a terrifying effective power. Ultimate moves like this could hit with a single-strike force of 225!
The dinosaur-era mammoth elephant thrashed violently, bound by enormous thorn-vines, trembling with fear—while it watched the weird metal-crowned "moose" fling its head—
Wo-Chien poured all its strength into it.
Earth—collapse for me!
A colossal rift, more than fifty meters deep, split open in the Asado Desert!
Fissure hit!
One-hit KO!
At the same moment, the blue-and-yellow crystal on Hikaru's chest lit up again for the first time in a while.
The crystal—formed from a legendary prince's tears—reacted to the Capture Styler, and helped empower it for enhanced captures.
Normally, that process required loading an "impossible program" to let the crystal amplify properly.
But Hikaru's Styler was illegal.
If you didn't follow the proper procedure… maybe anything was possible?
The Capture Styler's light washed over the nearly unconscious Great Tusk once more.
"Second Capture—begin!"
"Under the crystal's protection, may your heart find peace!"
And not far away, behind a rock—
A timid dragon-like Pokémon was peeking at everything with pixel-like eyes.
Seeing Great Tusk's eyes turn into dizzy spirals as it dropped in a single blow, even the desert's roaring storm seemed to quiet down a little.
At first, when it saw Hikaru use a Capture Styler to capture Great Tusk, confusion plainly appeared in its eyes.
But when it saw Torterra and Wo-Chien team up and delete the big guy in one hit, its eyes filled with shock!
And then it looked closer.
That human in the red vest, spinning that top… looked kind of familiar?!
Wait—wasn't that the superhuman who'd shown up in the future city?! The one who beat the professor's AI with his bare body?!
A metallic lizard shining with gold-and-violet electricity hid behind the rock, mouth hanging open. Watching the Titan that countered it get obliterated, the first thing Miraidon thought was—
The Herba Mystica seasoning is finally secured!
No—no, no!
It hurriedly shook its head.
I only snuck out of that giant pit because it was too chaotic in there. When the Quaking Titan broke through its cage, I slipped out too. And after coming to this era, I've been suffering from total culture shock and living miserably!
Now I finally ran into someone familiar.
Mm… but he doesn't seem to have met me. Can I still freeload a meal here?
"A-gas!"
Thinking back to what it had seen back then, Miraidon suddenly shivered.
This human… didn't he have a thing where he could disassemble Future Paradox Pokémon and then rebuild them?
I thought time-traveling would mean meeting familiar faces, but I ran into some unfamiliar professor instead—ranting about some paradise beginning, and then charging straight at us!
And there was that red-skinned big lizard freaking out and smashing everything. Add those rampaging Pokémon on top of it… Good thing we Future Paradox Pokémon were united. Under Iron Treads, the boss, we all worked together and barely drove back the Ancient Paradox riot.
That female professor also said something like the Future Paradox Pokémon are an "incorrect" Futur… and system backdoors…
I don't get it!
Whatever. First things first—let's get acquainted!
"Who's that behind the rock with the strong electromagnetic signal—Iron Treads?!"
Hikaru's Capture Styler reacted.
One of the Styler's major functions is that it can interfere with wireless signals. It's the highest-tech masterpiece of the Ranger Union. Even though Hikaru's was a future-tech "counterfeit," it still had every function it was supposed to.
Hikaru looked toward the massive rock in the sandstorm—and among the restless Pokémon, the bloodthirsty little vanguard Kubfu moved first!
It sprinted at high speed through the blowing sand, and explosive aura gathered around its fist!
Come out, you coward hiding behind the rock!
Take this punch!
"A-gas!"
A chunk of the giant rock exploded—blasted clean off—and the Pokémon behind it flailed in panic, scrambling aside. Then it stood upright and let out a roar that was unmistakably intelligent—
But the meaning of that roar was: requesting a ceasefire!
"Huh? You are…?"
When the violet, metallic, electronic dragon appeared, Hikaru froze for a moment. Kubfu swung a couple of practice punches, then noticed the Pokémon looked a bit like Iron Valiant, so it stared up and down warily.
Hikaru hadn't expected to see this guy here.
"The hidden model from the future city—the legendary Pokémon that, in future stories, turns the land to ash with lightning."
"Miraidon?"
This was the Asado Desert. How was this thing here?
Time, place, people—none of it matched. Not a single piece of the timeline lined up!
In theory, the other Pokémon hiding in the storm should've been the alien weapon Iron Treads, right?
He'd even been hoping to analyze some alien tech on the side.
Come to think of it, Iron Treads and Iron Moth should be in the same camp—apparently Future Paradox Pokémon, but actually part of the alien faction.
"Mm. This is supposed to be a Scarlet-version timeline. You're a Violet-version Legendary—did you come to the wrong place?"
If the Violet-version Legendary arrived in a parallel timeline dominated by Scarlet—
Then somewhere, a Violet-version protagonist would be missing his—or her—good, obedient ride.
(End of Chapter)
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