"So you're just a Pokémon researcher," one of the men sneered.
"Who do you think you are, spouting nonsense like that?"
The moment their Pokémon lunged toward Oliver, something strange happened.
Less than a meter away from him, both Pokémon slammed into an invisible barrier—
as if they had crashed headfirst into solid glass.
"Ce—!"
A soft cry sounded.
A small, pale-green Pokémon floated out from behind Oliver.
"What… what is that thing?"
Neither of them had ever seen this Pokémon before.
Was this the confidence behind Oliver daring to show himself?
"Cofagrigus, Shadow Ball!"
A dark-purple sphere of energy screamed through the air toward Oliver.
Celebi yawned lazily.
The Shadow Ball abruptly curved mid-flight and smashed straight into the other Pokémon instead.
"…What?!"
The scene was far too familiar.
The two Creation Society executives instantly understood everything.
"So it was you all along!"
The Gengar trainer snarled, teeth grinding.
"Celebi," Oliver said calmly,
"end it."
Celebi hesitated for only a fraction of a second—
then acted.
It disliked these two as well.
They had ravaged the forest with their battle,
drawn human authorities into its home,
and forced it to hide within its own secret realm.
"Ce!"
Two overwhelming psychic blasts erupted simultaneously.
The Champion-level Pokémon of the two men were struck head-on and sent flying—
defeated before they could even react.
The two executives stared in disbelief.
Even injured, their Pokémon were still Champion-level.
And yet they hadn't lasted even a single exchange.
That small body…
was hiding an incomprehensible amount of power.
"…Champion rank."
An eighteen-year-old researcher—
guarded by a Champion-level Pokémon.
Oliver's voice turned icy.
"I'll give you one chance.
I want information about the Creation Society."
The one-armed executive spat on the ground.
"Dream on. If I'm dying here, I'm not saying a word."
Oliver released Garchomp.
One strike.
A claw pierced straight through the man's chest.
Oliver didn't even look back as he turned to the other one.
"He wouldn't talk.
What about you?"
The Gengar trainer stared at his companion collapsing in a pool of blood.
His pupils shrank to pinpoints.
A Creation Society executive—
dead.
Killed by a teenager.
In many small nations, merely hearing the name Creation Society was enough to cause panic.
Its executives operated freely, above law and consequence.
This wasn't the first time executives had died—
during the siege on the former League Investigation Director, nearly ten had fallen—
but this was the first time he had watched one die right in front of him.
And unlike the one-armed man,
he wasn't deeply tied to the Society's inner circle.
He hesitated.
The better a life someone had lived,
the more reluctant they were to die.
Oliver saw the hesitation and smiled faintly.
"You're tempted. Don't hide it."
"I only want the information I care about.
Talk—and live.
Refuse—and die."
The man's voice was hoarse.
"…I'll talk."
An hour later.
Oliver patted the man's shoulder, satisfied, and turned to leave.
The man exhaled deeply, the weight finally lifting from his chest.
Shhk.
A blade pierced flesh.
Garchomp withdrew its claw from the man's heart and flicked the blood onto the ground.
Oliver never intended to let him live.
Between him and the Creation Society, there could be no coexistence.
And someone who knew about Celebi could never be allowed to leave alive.
Letting him relax at the end
was Oliver's final mercy.
Celebi had already left before the killing blow.
It was a kind Pokémon and disliked witnessing death.
It knew it couldn't stop Oliver—
so it chose not to watch.
Also…
Oliver had paid very generously.
Celebi reappeared a moment later, hugging a Psychic-type Energy Cube, chewing happily.
"I'm only helping you this once because we're friends," it said smugly.
"Don't expect it again."
"Got it," Oliver replied.
As he searched the bodies, he asked,
"By the way—do you know what those beads they used were?"
Celebi shook its head.
"I've never seen one before, but I felt a trace of Palkia's power on it.
Very weak—just enough to connect to a random nearby location for instant teleportation."
Oliver straightened.
The bead wasn't on the bodies—
they must have had only one, and it had already been used.
"So the Creation Society is researching Palkia's power…"
Palkia—
the Legendary Dragon of Space,
one of the three Pokémon created by Arceus itself.
Even its name echoed creation.
The more Oliver learned,
the more he realized how far he still had to go.
This tournament was the perfect opportunity to grow stronger.
He would not miss it.
Mu Xue remained inside the secret realm, waiting for intelligence.
A League investigator ran up urgently.
"Report, Champion Mu Xue!
Two bodies were discovered—matching the Creation Society executives you described!"
"They're dead?" Mu Xue was shocked.
"Take me there."
At the scene, she confirmed it immediately.
The two men who had fought her to the brink of exhaustion—
were now corpses.
Their Poké Balls were untouched.
She released her Pokémon and sensed the lingering aura.
"…Champion-level."
Combined with reports of a mysterious intruder and the strange events throughout the night,
Mu Xue reached a conclusion.
A hidden League powerhouse must have intervened—
tracked the fleeing enemies down
and executed them cleanly.
As for where that expert was now—
Mu Xue assumed they had already left without a trace.
"Clean this up," she ordered.
"Dawn is almost here."
Meanwhile, the so-called mysterious expert…
…was hiding deep within the secret realm.
If Oliver left now, investigators would notice him immediately.
The only flawless exit—
was to leave later
as a competitor.
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