Meanwhile, while Haru was still cruising across the ocean, things weren't looking too good for the so-called "Legendary Endurance King" — Blue.
Ever since Haru stomped his pride into the ground last time, Blue had been seething. Fueled by frustration and humiliation, he swore to train harder than ever before — a full-on grind session for revenge.
After all, as a former Champion, there was no way he'd let himself lose to someone who wasn't even an Elite Four member yet.
He didn't always show it, but deep down, Blue's blood burned with the thirst for victory.
To make sure he crushed Haru next time, he'd already decided on the next battlefield — Galar.
That way, he could freely use Dynamax and even Gigantamax during battle.
According to the intel he'd gathered, Haru had never used Dynamax before. Heck, the guy probably couldn't even tell the difference between regular Dynamax and Gigantamax. That alone was Blue's first tactical advantage.
And in a proper battle, those Dynamax moves could be vital...
Especially—well—Max Strike, Max Knuckle, Max Anything, really.
While he was at it, he planned to make a trip to Paldea to snag himself a Tera Orb.
Sure, Terastallization was a little trickier to handle than Dynamaxing, didn't boost durability, and honestly looked kinda goofy…
But anyone would admit it gave a massive edge in battle.
For example, if his legendary tank of a Charizard Terastallized into a Water-type, it could easily patch up most of its weaknesses — no more getting one-shotted by a random Rock-type move.
And if it learned a move like Tera Blast, it might even counter Rock-types for once.
After all, Water beats Rock.
On top of that, Blue could layer in Gigantamax... and even Mega Evolution.
Stacking all those forms together would turn his Charizard into a true heavyweight contender.
At that point, who cared if Haru had a few Legendaries or Mythicals on his team? Blue was convinced he could still win.
Hell, one good Charizard blast might just burn a hole straight through Haru's entire lineup.
And this time, he wasn't holding back. No more "testing" or "taking it easy."
Next battle, he was opening with his ace right from the start.
I mean, come on — the guy's running around with Legendary Pokémon. And Blue's supposed to not use his full strength? Yeah, right.
As for that so-called "Mewtwo" Haru kept bragging about — the one supposedly capable of Mega Evolution...
Blue wasn't exactly shaking in his boots.
For one, who knew if that thing could even Mega Evolve? And even if it could — so what?
It's not like Haru could have magically found Mewtwo's Mega Stone, bonded with it, and mastered Mega Evolution all in just a few weeks.
What a joke! What did people think Haru was, Arceus?
Blue remembered clearly — Haru hadn't even known Mewtwo for a month yet.
No way in that short time could they have built any kind of serious trust.
Even if Haru was Mewtwo's father, it'd still be impossible.
Realistically, he was probably still in the "trying to make Mewtwo like me" phase.
Blue knew Mewtwo's type — aloof, proud, impossible to tame.
You don't just "train" a Mewtwo. Not without years of grinding respect points.
And that exclusive Mega Stone? Yeah, forget it.
That thing might as well not exist yet. Mewtwo's brand new — where on earth would Haru even find one?
He wouldn't.
So Blue figured he didn't have to worry about fighting a second-tier god. At most, he'd be up against the usual suspects — Necrozma, Mew, maybe Ogerpon.
He'd already seen those in action last time. This time, he wouldn't be caught off guard again.
As long as he played the intel gap right, his odds of victory were better than Hypnosis landing on the first try.
With that thought, some of the weight on Blue's chest finally eased.
He'd been stewing over that last loss for days. If he couldn't redeem himself this time, his confidence as a Trainer might just shatter for good.
Losing to Red was one thing. Losing to Haru twice? That'd be unforgivable.
Lately, whenever he lay awake at night staring at the ceiling, he'd find himself wondering…
Had he really just sucked that bad back then? Was that why he set the record for "Shortest-Reigning Champion" in history?
I mean, seriously — no other region had ever had a Champion dethroned in less than a day.
Still, maybe he was just overthinking it. He wasn't that bad.
After all, the guy who took his title wasn't some random — he was Red, the literal GOAT, the god-tier Trainer of all time.
If Blue lost fast, well… that just made sense, didn't it?
Comforting himself with that thought, Blue pulled out a Poké Ball and pointed it toward the center of the practice field, where an orange dragon stood waiting.
"Come back, Charizard. It's time — Iono's going live."
A flash of light, and his ace Pokémon vanished back into its ball.
Charizard moved fast — almost too fast — as if it was more hyped to watch Iono's livestream than Blue himself.
Tucking the ball away, Blue turned to head home and boot up the stream.
But just as he was about to leave…
He felt a presence behind him.
The former Champion spun around — and there stood a young man in a red cap.
The guy's face was stoic, expression stiff, the very definition of "cold and distant."
"Red? You actually came down from Mt. Silver?"
Blue recognized him instantly — and was just as shocked.
From what he knew, Red never left the mountain. The guy's whole life was basically a training arc.
Sure, every once in a while he'd descend to battle someone, but those occasions were rare.
And yet here he was — not even a week after beating Blue into the dirt last time.
What, was he bored already?
"…"
Red didn't answer. He just pulled out a Poké Ball, silently pointing it straight at Blue. His intent was obvious.
"A battle? Now?"
Blue sighed. "I literally just finished training today… but fine. Since you made the trip, I'll show you what I've been working on."
He knew Red too well — the guy was a battle junkie. If he didn't fight him now, Red would just keep hovering until he gave in.
And honestly? Blue wanted to test his upgrades anyway — to see just how much stronger he'd become with all these new forms.
Maybe, just maybe, he could finally surpass Red this time.
Maybe he'd finally get his long-overdue revenge.
With that fire burning in his chest, Blue threw out his Poké Ball.
His Charizard roared, ready for a Terastal–Mega–Gigantamax combo.
But when he saw what Red sent out… Blue froze.
Because Red had called out… a Charizard too.
Only, it wasn't a normal Charizard.
It was tiny.
A short, chubby, yellow dragon — with no wings.
It looked… ridiculous. Like something out of a kid's cartoon.
How was that supposed to battle?
And yet… the aura coming off that thing was terrifying — way too powerful for its size.
"You're seriously using that thing against me?"
The longer Blue stared at it, the more absurd it looked.
Sure, he knew it was technically still Red's Charizard, but what the hell was this aesthetic choice?
Wasn't the winged dragon form cool enough?
And if you really hated the base form, there's always Mega Charizard. But this? This "Milk Dragon" look? What was he even thinking?
And wouldn't that weaken it?
For the first time ever, Blue actually thought — maybe he could win this one.
Spoiler: he could not.
Reality hit like a truck.
That "Milk Dragon" Charizard might've been smaller, but its reflexes, speed, and raw power far outstripped its previous form.
Red hadn't lost his mind — he'd optimized it.
That goofy dragon was stronger.
Blue just stood there, dumbfounded.
Really? He lost to that?
Well… he was used to losing to Red by now. Losing again wasn't new. Losing like this though… that stung.
Maybe he'd try the "Milk Dragon" look himself next time. Who knew — maybe it'd make his Charizard stronger too.
As for losing to Red again… whatever. As long as he could beat Haru next time, that was enough.
Besides, there was a big tournament coming up in Galar — the perfect chance for redemption.
Sighing, Blue recalled his Charizard and muttered to himself,
"One day, man. One day…"
On the other side, Red seemed more than pleased with his new Charizard form.
He didn't care how it looked — strength was all that mattered.
If Pikachu had to turn into an otter mid-fight to win, so be it.
Because to Red, victory was everything.
---
Riding high above the clouds on the back of a Lugia, Haru looked down at the world below.
The afternoon sunlight streamed through gaps in the clouds, scattering golden beams across the shimmering ocean. The waves rolled in gently, their white crests flashing in rhythm like the sea's steady breathing.
A few Wingull glided lazily through the open sky, swooping down from time to time to snatch fish from the water, sending up glimmering sprays in their wake.
Further out, Haru could make out the faint ripples of Wailmer surfacing and diving again in the distance.
Since Haru had mentioned finding a shipwreck survivor, Lugia — whose mind had been in disarray until now — finally seemed to regain a bit of focus.
Just moments ago, she had been preparing to launch her third assault on Alto Mare, but that had been little more than a desperate reaction to being cornered by Team Rocket.
Under normal circumstances, Lugia, much like Ho-Oh, was fundamentally a benevolent Pokémon.
Now that they'd encountered someone in need, she had no reason not to lend a helping hand.
As for whether being seen carrying a human on her back would harm her dignity as a Legendary Pokémon…
That might've bothered her once, but at this point, it hardly mattered.
Half of Alto Mare had already seen her being ridden by a human — no point pretending otherwise.
The most she could do now was stop Haru from doing anything reckless. The rest was out of her control.
Still, once she rescued her daughter, she would have to get her far away from Haru immediately.
Something deep in Lugia's instincts warned her that leaving her daughter anywhere near Haru would lead to something… catastrophic.
As Lugia dove toward the sea's surface, the form of the "drowning" girl came into sharp view.
Her damp blue hair shimmered like waves under moonlight, several strands clinging to her cheeks, tracing the sharp, youthful outline of her face — softened only by the faint upward tilt of her sapphire eyes.
Those half-open eyes glimmered like captured sunrises beneath the sea, holding a defiant, flickering light within them.
Droplets trailed down her slender neck, rolling past the teardrop-shaped pendant resting against her collarbone. The pendant caught the evening light, scattering starlike reflections across the water.
Her cropped athletic top clung tightly to her frame, revealing a taut, toned waistline — her sun-kissed skin faintly visible beneath the soaked fabric, like the proof of countless days spent between sunlight and surf.
But what stood out most was the translucent, ice-blue crystal encasing her.
It wrapped around the girl like a massive cocoon, trapping her in place — she looked more like a figure sealed within a block of shimmering amber than a person pulled from the sea.
From Haru's observation, he was almost certain this was Nessa, the "Raging Tide" Gym Leader from the Galar Region.
Among Galar's Gym Leaders, Nessa's strength ranked somewhere in the middle — capable of holding her own against a few local peers, but not the strongest by far.
Still, no matter how "average" she might be in battle, she was still a professional Water-type Gym Leader. Someone like that simply didn't drown.
And yet, Haru couldn't immediately discern what the crystalline substance encasing her actually was.
At the very least, he could tell that she was alive — the crystalline shell hadn't taken her life. Not yet.
Lugia and Haru swooped low, skimming just above the waves. When they drew close enough, Haru reached out and pulled the unconscious girl firmly into his arms.
…Purely for rescue purposes, of course. Nothing else.
But the moment he lifted Nessa out of the water, the once-calm sea erupted — a deafening roar shattered the air.
"ROOOOAAARRR!!!"
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