Every Pokémon present turned solemnly toward the rear courtyard of the Lin family estate.
"That pressure is…"
"What is that?!"
A dragon's roar tore through the sky, shaking the air so violently that it seemed to rattle the entire city of Lake City itself.
An orange blur streaked past, and in the space between the Lin family members and the League investigators, a Dragonite appeared.
He Quan muttered under his breath,
"I heard that after the former Lin family head passed away, he left behind a Champion-tier Dragonite. It never appeared all these years… so it was true."
Dragonite released its Dragon-type威压 without restraint, its fury pouring out freely.
Unlike the Champion-level Pokémon Oliver had once encountered in the Treasure Pavilion, this Dragonite made no attempt to suppress its aura—it radiated pure, violent rage.
Several people groaned simultaneously, instinctively taking two steps back under the pressure.
Only one person remained unmoved.
He Sheng stood exactly where he was, a trace of disdain flickering across his face.
"So the League hasn't dealt with powerful families in over a decade," he said coldly,
"and you've all forgotten what happened back then."
Dragonite turned toward the speaker, instinctively preparing to fire off a Dragon Breath—
Then it froze.
The face before it felt familiar.
Too familiar.
Its pupils shrank violently, memories surging to the surface.
Sixteen years ago, there had been a man who shook all of Xia Country.
No aristocratic family, no entrenched power dared challenge him.
The Investigation Department under his command held authority over everyone—from League officials down to criminal Pokémon.
The great families were no exception.
While he was still around, no family dared act out of line.
But after news spread that he had vanished inside a secret realm, those same families gradually grew bold again.
What they didn't expect was this—
The three men who had once lived in that man's shadow were monsters in their own right.
After his disappearance, those three launched a ruthless purge across the nation, wiping out corrupt forces with terrifying efficiency.
Only then did the world realize that their strength rivaled his.
It was precisely because of that great cleansing that Xia Country enjoyed such order today.
Otherwise, the major families would be far more arrogant than they already were.
Back then, the Lin family—under its previous head—had still been at its peak.
Even so, when that nationwide purge began, the Lin family immediately kept a low profile, acting with extreme caution.
That was how they barely survived.
...
Returning to the present, Dragonite stared at He Sheng, its body trembling.
It finally recognized him.
One of the three men who had once led the League's iron-fisted purge.
The scar on his face had delayed the recognition—but now there was no doubt.
Panic flooded Dragonite's heart.
How could the descendants of my master be this reckless?
How did they dare provoke this man?!
"Ro… rooo…"
Dragonite's demeanor changed completely.
The overwhelming dominance vanished, replaced by something almost pitiful as it cried out toward He Sheng, as if trying to explain itself.
He Sheng casually dug a finger into his ear, then flicked his pinky.
"They are your master's descendants, after all," he said indifferently.
"Have one bout with me. That much, at least, will honor your master."
A flash of red light.
A Weavile appeared.
This Weavile bore a scar eerily similar to He Sheng's, giving it an even more vicious appearance.
It tilted its head slightly, sharp claws gleaming with icy light, its gaze growing increasingly dangerous.
It had been a long time since it tasted dragon blood.
When Dragonite realized its opponent was a Weavile—known as a Dragon-type executioner—its expression darkened.
It glanced back at the Lin family members behind it, then let out a long, helpless sigh.
"Roar!"
Let's fight. Even if I lose, at least I'll have done my duty.
The moment Dragonite braced itself, Weavile vanished.
In the blink of an eye, it reappeared directly in front of Dragonite, claws raised high, a thin layer of ice coating their edges.
As a high-speed assassin-type Pokémon, Weavile's velocity was terrifying.
Dragonite's mind reacted—but its body did not.
Slash!
The claws tore across Dragonite's right forearm, blood spraying into the air.
Dragonite hastily took flight, using its aerial advantage to create distance.
It lowered its head to look at the wound—already tinged blue and covered in frost.
"ROAR!"
A fierce Flamethrower blasted downward toward Weavile.
At the same time, Dragon-type energy surged around Dragonite's body, forming a ferocious dragon-shaped phantom that dove straight down.
Weavile zigzagged across the ground in a sharp "Z" pattern, effortlessly dodging the flames—then leapt upward directly into the descending dragon phantom.
Its claws glowed white as countless snowflakes materialized around its body, whipped upward by the violent airflow.
A lethal fusion of Night Slash and Blizzard-type power.
BOOM!!!
The collision sent shockwaves ripping through the sky, dispersing the clouds above.
Had this clash occurred on the ground, at least a quarter of Lake City would have been reduced to ruins.
The onlookers below stared in utter disbelief.
Lin Quan had believed that once his father's Champion-tier Dragonite appeared, everything would be resolved.
He never imagined that the scarred man's Pokémon alone could fight it head-on.
If Dragonite could hear his thoughts, it would have retorted angrily:
Do you even understand what "evenly matched" means?!
High above, a dark figure plummeted rapidly toward the ground.
Everyone strained their eyes, desperate to see who had won.
The investigators merely glanced upward once—calm, unconcerned.
BOOM!
From dozens of meters above, the body smashed into the ground.
The luxurious stone tiles shattered instantly, debris flying everywhere as even the earth itself collapsed inward.
As the dust slowly settled—
Dragonite lay unconscious in the crater, frost covering its body.
Weavile crouched atop Dragonite's round belly, crimson eyes locked onto the Lin family, its killing intent still unspent.
Lin Quan collapsed backward onto the ground, eyes vacant.
It was over.
Completely over.
Even a Champion-tier Dragonite had lost.
What kind of monsters had the League sent this time?
"Take them all," He Sheng said coldly.
"Bring them back for interrogation—one by one."
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