After spending seven full days on Mandarin Island and watching the Mandarin Cup finally crown its first champion, Lorelei personally presented the winner with a trophy crafted from pure gold.
This was the Orange League's very first major tournament.
With time, its popularity would undoubtedly continue to grow.
Seven days later—
Aiden and Lorelei set out once again toward their next destination.
Truthfully, even Lorelei herself, despite being born in the Orange Archipelago, didn't know every island hidden among the countless seas.
So where exactly they would go next—
Even she couldn't say.
...
Two days later—
A mountainous island covered in dense forests appeared before them.
Curiosity immediately got the better of both trainers.
They stepped ashore together.
The moment Aiden landed on the island—
A familiar figure lazily emerged from his shadow.
Mewtwo.
"I sensed something interesting ahead."
"It seems to be a fairly powerful little fellow."
"Using your human classification..."
"A prehistoric fossil Pokémon."
"Probably."
Aiden's eyes immediately lit up.
Because Mewtwo hated remaining inside the System Space all the time, Aiden usually allowed him to remain outside.
Most of the time—
The Psychic Pokémon simply hid within Aiden's shadow.
Of course—
Whenever Aiden and Lorelei wanted private time together, Mewtwo was immediately sent back into the System Space or blocked out entirely by Aiden's psychic powers.
After all—
Some boundaries still needed to be respected.
"Oh?"
"A fossil Pokémon?"
"What kind?"
Mewtwo casually projected an image directly into Aiden's mind.
A moment later—
A creature appeared before him.
A brown-and-white body.
A hard prehistoric shell.
Two enormous scythe-like arms.
The moment he saw it—
Aiden recognized it.
"Kabutops."
Interest immediately appeared in his eyes.
Among all fossil Pokémon, Kabutops was easily one of the coolest.
Perhaps second only to Aerodactyl.
If Aiden had encountered a living Kabutops earlier, he would have captured one long ago.
Although most fossil Pokémon in the modern world could only be revived through fossil restoration technology—
The Pokémon world was full of exceptions.
Living fossil species still survived in hidden corners of the world.
The ancient Aerodactyl of Kanto's Great Canyon was proof enough.
Likewise—
The Orange Archipelago contained islands where Kabuto populations still thrived.
If a living Kabutops existed here—
There was a good chance this island belonged to such a colony.
With curiosity growing, Aiden and Lorelei followed Mewtwo's psychic guidance toward a cave hidden within the mountains.
"Kabutops is a Water-type Pokémon."
Lorelei smiled.
"If you find a good one, I might catch one myself."
Although she was known as the Ice Queen of Kanto—
Many of her Pokémon also possessed Water typing.
Calling her an Ice-and-Water specialist wasn't inaccurate.
Naturally—
A powerful Kabutops would fit perfectly onto her team.
"If there's a particularly outstanding one..."
"I wouldn't mind."
Following the psychic trail deeper into the cavern, they finally arrived twenty minutes later.
There—
Sleeping peacefully in the darkness—
Was a Kabutops.
Ding! Kabutops Status
Pokémon: Kabutops
Level: 66
Ability: Swift Swim
Type: Rock / Water
Potential: Gold
Moves:
Slash, Night Slash, Giga Drain, Ancient Power, Aqua Jet, Mud Shot, Swords Dance, Rest, Icy Wind...
Relationship: 0
Background:
A Kabutops that has survived since ancient times.
The strongest member of the local Kabuto colony.
Currently in deep hibernation.
Likes:
Sleeping.
Fighting.
After checking its status, Aiden simply used his psychic powers to wake it up.
The prehistoric predator slowly opened its eyes.
For a brief moment—
Confusion filled its gaze.
Then—
It noticed Aiden and Lorelei.
ROAR!
A furious scream erupted.
The next instant—
Kabutops swung its twin scythes and charged.
"Scizor!"
"I'm counting on you!"
A flash of light appeared.
A crimson figure stepped forward.
Scizor.
The evolved form of Scyther.
A master swordsman in its own right.
Clang!
Kabutops' scythes collided directly with Scizor's metallic pincers.
Sparks erupted.
The sound of metal striking metal echoed throughout the cave.
Both Pokémon slid backward one step.
Each immediately realized—
Their opponent was no ordinary foe.
Still—
If raw strength was considered—
Scizor held the advantage.
When Aiden first captured it within the Distortion World, it already possessed Elite Four-level strength.
Now—
It had reached Level 68.
Slightly stronger than the Level 66 Kabutops before it.
Aiden himself owned more Pokémon than ever now.
Yet he still tried to ensure every member of his team received opportunities to battle.
After all—
He originally captured them because he genuinely liked them.
And thanks to the vast System Space, he never needed to worry about having room.
His dream remained unchanged:
Capture every Pokémon and Legendary he loved.
Which naturally included Kabutops.
"Scizor!"
"Metal Claw!"
At Aiden's command, Scizor exploded forward.
A crimson blur.
Like a bolt of red lightning.
It instantly closed the distance.
But Kabutops reacted immediately.
"Swords Dance!"
Its twin scythes spun rapidly.
Whirling like rotating blades.
The prehistoric warrior transformed itself into an impenetrable storm of steel.
Clang!
Metal Claw failed to break through.
Aiden couldn't help smiling.
"This Kabutops really has centuries of combat experience."
"Its battle instincts are incredible."
"In that case..."
"Scizor!"
"You use Swords Dance too!"
"Let's settle this head-on!"
Scizor nodded.
The next second—
A crimson whirlwind erupted around its body.
And then—
Two masters of blade combat charged directly toward each other.
The decisive clash was about to begin.
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