"Whoa! Xiaobai, are you okay!"
As a Golden Ring suddenly appeared out of thin air in the lab.
Hoopa poked its head out, staring at the utterly tragic scene around it, its little face full of shock. Pointing at the researchers lying all over the floor, it asked, "Dead?"
"Dead my ass, they're not that fragile."
Baimu angrily reached out to twist its face. "Hurry up and use your Strong Mental Will to move them out!"
"Ooh~~"
Hoopa, its voice distorted by its twisted cheeks, tilted its head and curiously looked at Pachira, who was staring down Mega Aggron not far away, then asked, "That one an enemy too?"
"Nonsense. Someone we don't know popping up in a place like this is ninety percent an enemy!"
Baimu nodded, then said to Pachira with some surprise, "You're not gonna try to run?"
Pachira raised an eyebrow and shifted her gaze away from Mega Aggron. "Kid, did you just tell a member of the Four Heavenly Kings to run away?"
"Four Heavenly Kings…"
He subconsciously glanced at the panting, battered Mega Houndoom.
Seemingly sensing that "contemptuous" gaze, Pachira laughed in anger. "Taking the results of a sneak attack as your true strength… that's not the mark of a good Trainer."
"My respect is only for opponents who face me fair and square. Besides, it's already a fight to the death—still expecting others to follow some unspoken rules? You're the one being naive here."
Baimu knew very well that most people in the Main Series Regions had pretty high moral standards. Sometimes even on the brink of death, they'd still sit there and watch the other side power up using some method or another.
But for an ambitious group like the Flashing Flame Team to play by that set of rules—isn't that a bit too ironic?
"Fair and square… Hmph, fine, let's say you're right."
Pachira's expression dimmed for a moment. She recalled Mega Houndoom into its Pokeball, picked up the handcuffs on the ground, and silently put them back on. "At a time like this, arguing with words is meaningless."
She leaned back against the wall as if resigning herself to her fate.
Self‑sacrifice?
In truth—
The moment she saw Hoopa, she understood that running would be pointless. No matter how fast she ran, she couldn't beat someone who could just open a door with a Golden Ring and drag her back.
No wonder these guys had arrived so quietly and so fast. Fladari probably never imagined there was someone in this world who could find a Pokémon like Hoopa to use against him, right?
Unless they managed to escape this time, Fladari would likely develop some kind of countermeasure.
Pachira's thoughts were a complete mess.
Or rather, ever since she learned that Fladari was using the pretext of building a beautiful world to trick countless people into helping him carry out his insane plan to destroy the world, she'd fallen into a spiral of self‑doubt.
She did long for and like Fladari, that much was true, but that didn't mean she wanted to fully accept his ideology.
What does it even mean to create a Utopia with no conflict or struggle?
As long as life exists, competition can never disappear. Fladari's idea would only cause every living thing in the world to slowly die out, including those who thought they'd live better in his new world.
"You actually make some decent points."
Baimu recalled Mega Aggron into its Pokeball, but didn't cancel the Super Evolution. There might still be more battles coming up.
He ran over to where Kuselloski was. The fat guy was still unconscious, and Z1 stood behind him, quietly calling out to the gradually awakening Z2.
"Why… are you here? Could it be that…"
Z2 stared blankly at Z1, then noticed the wrecked lab around it, and the unconscious Kuselloski—the one who had done nothing but bring it pain.
"Why…"
"This is the work of humans. We came specifically to save you! Fortunately, we made it in time!"
The dog‑shaped Z1 said excitedly, "Are you unharmed?"
"Some discomfort, but I am fine."
Z2 raised its head slightly, looking at Baimu standing right in front of it. It took a few cautious steps back and said seriously, "Humans are not to be trusted!"
Z1 immediately retorted:
"They are! Humans differ from one another!"
"'Twas but a moment of carelessness. Thou hast grown fo—" Z2 was just about to argue back when Baimu suddenly crouched down and lightly pressed his index finger against its head.
Verbal communication was way too inefficient. At a time like this, he had to whip this thing out!
Divine Heart!
The condition for activating Divine Heart was sincere emotion, unhidden affection.
Who doesn't like Legendary Pokémon?
Besides—
You're a dragon too!
"What dost thou intend?" Z2 was startled, and Z1 beside it was also baffled.
But very soon, a golden wave of light that calmed them both began to ripple from Baimu's fingertip.
Z2, as if suddenly drowsy, slowly closed its eyes.
Not far away—
Watching this scene, Pachira's eyes trembled. "This is… Superpower?"
In her understanding, any type of power a human could wield was lumped into the category of Superpower, and she had never expected Baimu to possess such a mysterious ability as well.
For some reason, Pachira's faith in Fladari's plan grew even shakier.
And through the successfully activated Divine Heart, Baimu and Z2 had arrived in the Mind Space. Z2 still retained its Core form, but behind it were three phantoms, corresponding to the three forms created by the concentration of its cells.
Dog, serpent, Giant.
"Humanity isn't only one‑sided darkness and evil. There is also light, greatness, and sacrifice."
Baimu poured all the memories he believed could move another's heart into Z2.
There were his experiences and encounters in Pyrite Town, there were scenes of humans and Pokémon living together in harmony, and above all, there were grand images from his memories symbolizing humanity's unyielding defiance against fate.
At the end, he sealed it with one final gesture of goodwill.
There was no need to shock Z2's heart too violently—he only had to let it know that humans were a complex species, and ask it to leave a little room for hope and tolerance for the kind ones.