Chapter 250: The Death of the Researcher, a Full Serial!

A golden coffin monster appeared, swaying its four jet-black arms as it let out a malicious laugh, attacking Shieldon under Asura’s command!

Kojirō misled the public with words, while other sages sought to liberate Pokémon through force; Asura believed force was necessary—this man was formidable, and if his movements weren’t sealed first, the Plasma researchers would soon face dire peril.

This man’s ideals clashed with N’s, a division mirroring the founding legends of Unova; if he truly were another hero, matters would become exceedingly difficult.

Thus, acquiring the method to enter dreams was essential—manipulate people’s dreams, make them wish to abandon Pokémon, and imprint upon their hearts the greatness of Plasma and the beauty of the new world!

“Shadow Ball!”

Analysis revealed this massive Sword Pokémon was Ghost-Steel type!

This was the conclusion drawn by Akroma’s Dusclops!

Therefore, Ghost-type attacks would be devastatingly effective!

“That massive shield doesn’t look like decoration—if the previous move was a defensive skill, such skills generally cannot be used twice in succession.”

The chance of a double-guard is low; though not impossible, Asura had his own plan—Death Coffin has four arms!

“Dark Pulse!”

Shadow Ball and dark lightning struck Shieldon from front and back; it raised its great shield and activated Royal Shield again!

The golden shield blocked the attack, while Leafeon leapt up from Shieldon’s back!

Dark Pulse!

This time, no imitation was needed—Leafeon had learned the cosmic version of Dark Pulse from Deoxys, and with the Star Badge and Star Aura’s boost, this Dark Pulse was no ordinary move!

In an instant, boundless dark space seemed to surround them; Leafeon’s body radiated a ferocious aura—the destruction wave from the stars swallowed Death Coffin’s Dark Pulse and pushed back with greater force!

“!!!”

Asura hadn’t anticipated this—he hastily ordered Death Coffin to use Protect, but as he’d said, Death Coffin only had four arms.

After using two moves in succession, it couldn’t summon another arm for Protect!

This hit its vital point!

“Ugh! Death Coffin… did my judgment fail? How could that Leafeon radiate such evil energy? For a moment, I saw endless dark cosmos—could such malevolent energy truly influence minds?”

“Could this really be a Pokémon held by a hero?”

“Come out, Symbol Bird!”

Asura opened another Poké Ball—a lone-eyed flying bird, like an ancient totem, floated out and, under Asura’s command, used Psychic.

Symbol Bird had one blue eye and trident-shaped ear-like structures on both sides of its body. It had a pair of wings and a tail resembling wings, each with four feathers bearing blue and red stripes.

It was said to have once been the guardian deity of an ancient city, retaining memories of protecting it; others believed it was the messenger of the guardian deity!

Leafeon was struck by Psychic and flung hard, but immediately Shieldon glided over to protect its partner!

“Without Pokémon protection, now is the chance…”

“Not a chance!” Guang Tai grabbed a massive concrete slab nearby and hurled it at Asura!

The special knowledge gained from the Three Pillars—Brute Force—proved useful here!

In that instant, Asura’s soul nearly fled—he retreated hastily, barely escaping death thanks to Death Coffin’s timely intervention!

Asura was stunned: “Such strength! He’s practically a superhuman!”

Guang Tai ignored him and instead used Heal Bell on Dr. Juniper and the others, while tossing out a crucial item!

Wave Shield!

The harmful information was instantly blocked—a pale yellow light barrier appeared.

At this moment, Dr. Juniper gradually recovered; seeing the researchers and their Pokémon charging toward her, she immediately fought back, releasing two fully evolved starters!

A red Infernape and a blue Empoleon!

“Fire Pact, Water Pact!”

“A Fusion Move!”

Fire Pact attacked with a pillar of flame; Water Pact attacked with a pillar of water; combined, their power increased, turning the surroundings into a rainbow field and making additional move effects more likely to trigger!

The researchers’ Pokémon totaled six, now locked in fierce battle with the two starters!

Two Simipour, Sawk, Dragonite, Scrafty!

At the center of the struggle, Dream Eater showed a pained expression, as if having a nightmare—human desires and ambitions were a form of dream; when such dreams appeared near Dream Eater, they caused its power to spiral out of control, turning nightmares into reality!

It began spewing black dream smoke; Zhi Zi and Zhen Gu also regained their strength and immediately released their Pokémon!

“Hmm, these people’s Pokémon are strong—are they really researchers?”

Zhen Gu looked at Zhi Zi, who was equally astonished; after careful scrutiny, she recognized familiar faces among the researchers, and one of the opposing researchers shouted:

“What Plasma does is right! To liberate Pokémon, we’ve conducted countless studies, poured in endless effort, and finally found the correct way!”

“Zhi Zi, Zhen Gu, your research only further harms Pokémon—abandon it and join us, that’s the right path!”

“This guy’s insane.” Zhi Zi adjusted her glasses, lips pressed tight in frustration; Zhen Gu pulled a device from her lab coat pocket and mounted it on her hand!

“Quick, use Power Blocks—we’ll use this! Miracle Emitter!”

The device, resembling a battle disk, was worn by the two female researchers; they activated Power Blocks to temporarily restore their Pokémon’s strength—but as they prepared to fight further, Guang Tai’s Poké Balls opened automatically!

Miss Fortune and Turtwig entered the battlefield!

Leaf Blade’s strikes precisely knocked away both Simipour; Turtwig used Headlong Rush—ground-type close combat’s value needed no explanation—Scrafty was hit head-on and fainted instantly!

“Damn it, so strong! How did you raise your Pokémon to this level? How many people have you defeated? How many Pokémon have you harmed?”

The researcher screamed in desperation; Guang Tai simply threw him a stone, nearly giving him a heart attack!

“The look in a Pokémon’s eyes as it grows strong is pride, not fear. True harm is taking away a Pokémon’s choice—not growing together. You who don’t understand this relationship are truly pitiful.”

“You who close your hearts—let me free you!”

The blue crystal pendant on Guang Tai’s chest began glowing—its light was warm and gentle; in an instant, Plasma researchers felt an unprecedented warmth in their hearts, followed by intense pain.

Like ideal and reality tearing at each other, their inner echoes questioned whether their actions were right—temporarily losing control of their Pokémon; Guang Tai raised his hand, preparing to use Mind Crush!

But Asura’s Pokémon interfered again!

“Hmm, I don’t know what you’re doing, but my instinct tells me that motion was dangerous.”

“You used a special device to block the dream-wave—could you be a scientist too?”

Asura breathed heavily—his Symbol Bird used Illusion Ray on Guang Tai, forcing him back a step.

At this moment, Shieldon and Leafeon each faced Death Coffin and Symbol Bird!

Leafeon’s Dark Pulse blasted Symbol Bird from the ceiling; Shieldon’s shield glowed!

Cannon Blast!

In his mind, Guang Tai warned Shieldon!

Don’t use contact moves on Death Coffin—its ability is “Mummy”—it transfers its ability to any Pokémon that touches it!

If Shieldon loses its “Battle Switch” ability, it can’t use Royal Shield!

Moreover, Death Coffin and Symbol Bird are special Pokémon—they’re like tomb guardians, unafraid of “Royal” power!

“Whoa, the battle’s about to collapse the ceiling!”

Zhen Gu had equipped the Miracle Emitter, but the intense battle caused rocks to fall from above!

“Hmm, too strong… come out… my other friends!”

Asura saw his Pokémon nearing defeat—especially since even that Leafeon couldn’t be subdued; it was just a baby Pokémon!

With no other choice, he opened his cloak—beneath were several Poké Balls!

Those who don’t use the Storage System can carry more than six Pokémon, and Plasma carried a staggering number!

Ten Poké Balls!

“Come out, liberated Pokémon!”

At Asura’s command, the Poké Balls opened automatically—some Pokémon had been harmed by humans, others forcibly liberated and then controlled and driven by Kojirō’s followers!

Cofagrigus, Weavile, Mismagius, Toxicroak, Throh, Dustox, Scyther, Nuzleaf, Noctowl, Tyranitar!

A swarm of Pokémon surged forth, yet they sensed the Royal aura on Shieldon and grew slightly fearful—only those harmed by humans overcame this fear, attacking Shieldon in a frenzy!

“Guh…” Shieldon stared at Death Coffin—the monster hid among the Pokémon, planning to use contact moves to strip away its ability! But Shieldon couldn’t ignore the wounds on the charging Pokémon, so it couldn’t fight at full strength!

【Pokémon, stop attacking—they’re using you!】

Shieldon tried to make them stop; only a few slowed their assault—the rest continued their mad, violent attacks, for to them, even a Royal Pokémon following humans must be defeated!

Even if they didn’t fully understand what a Royal Pokémon was!

Shieldon realized—the badge given by Arceus, which boosted Pokémon’s confidence and power, had become a negative buff.

Because the confidence of these harmed Pokémon was firmly aligned with Plasma!

A Royal should not distinguish among its subjects—if it truly loved them, it must accept even their darkness.

“As a Royal, I cannot ignore the suffering of my subjects.” Asura began his speech: “Nameless Sword Pokémon, in this situation, even you are powerless!”

“If they refuse to hear your call, no matter how strong your power or ideals, they cannot empathize with you—you cannot persuade them, only make them angrier!”

“Guh… (You’re right… then let the King bear it all!)”

A powerful golden light surged from Shieldon—and before everyone’s stunned gaze, it transformed!

Golden light enveloped Shieldon’s body, making it grow larger!

“Is this… the Royal Form?!”

“That’s a Royal Pokémon?!”

Asura and Dr. Juniper gasped in unison; Shieldon planted its great shield firmly on the ground!

Royal Power: Defense!

In Royal Form, it ignores attack recoil and reduces all incoming damage by 50%!

But if the Defense state is weakened by “Crown” or “Pokémon Battle,” it loses defense, and all incoming damage increases by 50%!

【Come then, Pokémon who wish to defeat me—attack me freely! I’ll show you who is right! If even the voice of the Pokémon King cannot reach your hearts, where else will your anger be spent?】

The voice of Shieldon transmitted into the hearts of the Pokémon, abandoning battle switching and directly activating King’s Defense! This way, it no longer needed to fear contact with Death Casket!

Guang Tai understood Shieldon’s feelings.

If one is a king, one must bear certain burdens.

Then, let the warrior handle the battle!

At that moment, Litleo leapt into the air, and the Starry Psi began to manifest!

Psi Bullet!

A Psi Bullet struck directly at Asura, targeting the Trainer—this was the most effective outcome. Litleo’s fury toward Plasma Group was plain to see!

At the same time, the two Poké Balls at Guang Tai’s waist began to vibrate; their inner emotions reached Guang Tai’s heart and burst forth as white light!

Sprigatito and Axew!

They too were furious at Plasma Group. If they had once been deceived by these people, now was the time for revenge!

Separation from their Trainer, the possibility of never seeing them again—all the memories, like shattered mirrors, could never be mended. This sorrow and bitterness now transformed entirely into the fire of vengeance!

“So that’s how it is! Let’s go together!”

Body Slam + Dragon Claw!

Energy Ball + Crunch!

Self-Destruct + Ultimate Impact!

The two Pokémon fought with exceptional ferocity, unleashing everything they had against the Pokémon controlled by Plasma Group. The battlefield was in utter chaos—when, in that instant, a flash of cold light shot toward Guang Tai, aiming to knock him down!

Night Slash!

A Scizor emerged from the shadows, striking Guang Tai with one blow. Without hesitation, it dashed straight toward Dream Eater!

“That thing just ambushed us!”

Though Guang Tai had various buffs and brute strength, barely qualifying as a Super Divine Human, that Scizor’s growth level was extremely high—Night Slash’s power was extraordinary!

By the way, Scizor itself never cared about honor. After evolving into Scyther, it gained a move called “Servant’s Slash,” known as the “Sliding Knee Slash.”

Guang Tai saw more and more nightmare phantoms surrounding him; reality itself seemed to twist, indistinguishable from illusion!

Meanwhile, Dream Eater was seized by Scizor, who intended to immediately drag it away. Simultaneously, from the shattered ceiling above, a shadow appeared!

The blue crystal pendant emitted brilliant light!

“That pendant…”

The hidden figure whispered, then blew a retreat whistle!

The intruder was, of course, “Darkness,” who had been trailing Guang Tai from afar!

Asura, seeing an “ally” come to his aid, nodded in understanding. He was under immense pressure—this young man’s Pokémon were impossibly strong; only by forcing his controlled Pokémon to their limits could he hold them at bay!

He relied on numbers to overwhelm quality, but the researchers on the other side were also collapsing!

Since the item was secured, retreat now!

“You coordinated well. That man is the one who’s been following me… I hadn’t sensed his presence lately—I thought he’d fled in fear.”

Guang Tai took a deep breath, entered a mental link, then pulled out a Master Ball!

Please, partner! Retrieve that Dream Eater!

The ceiling, shattered by battle, had fully collapsed. The ninja-like figure now appeared in Guang Tai’s line of sight, hurling the Master Ball high into the air—this act drew every eye!

“That Poké Ball… is a Master Ball!?”

Asura stared at the Master Ball—he recognized it well. The precious ball, developed long ago in Kanto, said to capture any Pokémon, was usable only by League scientists!

Then, what Pokémon was inside that ball?

Wait—this young man had a seventh Pokémon on him too?

No!

The Master Ball snapped open, a blinding light erupting from within and shooting skyward!

Before Scizor could drag Dream Eater from the ground, the light engulfed it entirely—and within the radiance appeared a Radiant Warrior, immediately using a move that countered it!

Attack Form: Brute Force!

Unleashes incredible power against the opponent. Attack and Defense decrease.

Want to wrestle with Ultraman? Arm strength: 120,000 tons!

Hmm, it wasn’t literally Ultraman himself with 120,000 tons—but the punch’s force was still immense!

Psychic-type moves are normally ineffective against Dark-type Scizor—but Fighting-type moves deal quadruple damage!

“Now!” Dr. Zhen Gu raised the Miracle Launcher, launching a round, medal-like object into the light!

Miracle Launcher, Accuracy Boost!

Greatly increases the Pokémon’s accuracy in battle!

Scizor tried to dodge, but Deoxys’s accuracy was boosted by six levels by the Miracle Launcher—this punch would not miss!

Boom!

Scizor was nearly knocked unconscious by the punch. Instinctively, it raised a hand to use Iron Defense—but still, it was blasted away, spinning wildly, crashing through the upper platform of the research ruins!

Above, the ninja-like figure—one of the Iron Triangle’s “Darkness”—stared in shock at the scene!

His Scizor was incredibly powerful, forged through years of training and discipline—it shouldn’t have been instantly defeated by a Pokémon that looked like a Psychic-type!

Yes, though the Pokémon glowed, he could still sense it clearly: it was a “Psychic-type!”

Darkness himself was a Psychic, possessing special powers to imprison others and teleport—thus, he was hypersensitive to Psychic energy!

“What Pokémon is that!? How could it possess such power!?”

The battle wasn’t over!

The radiant Pokémon, adorned with blue crystal lamps, condensed a massive, golden sphere crackling with electricity!

Electromagnetic Cannon!

Darkness was startled—he instantly teleported away. The Scizor buried in the rubble seized the chance to flee!

Meanwhile, Asura saw Dream Eater reclaimed—he knew the operation had failed utterly. But at least he brought back one vital piece of information: the Dream World might be real!

For Plasma Group, this was an invaluable clue. Though this capture failed, if they found a second Dream Eater, the research could continue!

“Lord Asura, I’ll take you away!”

Darkness teleported behind Asura, grabbed him, and vanished in a flash—giving Guang Tai no chance to pursue. The Pokémon were left behind; only then, as they turned back, did they realize their controller had abandoned them once more.

【Understood? If they truly cared for you, why abandon you at the critical moment? You’re merely tools to complete their mission!】

Shieldon seized the moment to preach. The controlled Pokémon’s spirits began to collapse.

They ceased attacking, their eyes dimming as if life itself were fading. Arms and heads drooped in despair; some even fled outright!

“.” Deoxys, holding Dream Eater, descended from the sky. In just that moment, its blue crystal lamp began to flash red.

Dream Eater awoke in its arms. The Radiant Dream within Deoxys brought it comfort and joy; the black smoke above its head returned to pink.

Reality had nearly been dragged into nightmare—but Deoxys, once saved by Guang Tai, now rescued a new Pokémon from the nightmare.

【My condition is still insufficient. Battle drains my energy. I need further growth.】

【But being able to fight—I’m happy.】

Deoxys handed Dream Eater to Guang Tai, then dissolved into red light and returned to the Master Ball, settling back into Guang Tai’s palm.

For Deoxys, the way to understand connection and seek the meaning of life was through travel and battle!

“Phew… defeated…”

Looking at the fallen enemy Pokémon, Professor Redwood collapsed onto the ground. She hadn’t commanded such intense Pokémon battles in a long time.

Fortunately, Guang Tai’s Pokémon joined the fight and swiftly crushed the enemy Pokémon. The researchers also broke and fled—Guang Tai’s side had no strength left to capture them.

After all, Turtwig and Skitty couldn’t use Vine Whip. In truth, very few Pokémon can learn it. Though the move’s power is low, it’s still notoriously hard to master!

“The Death Casket and Symbol Bird are gone…” Guang Tai noticed those two key Pokémon were missing. Naturally, the Sage treated other Pokémon differently from his own—this was only human.

“To other Pokémon, they’re tools and means. To their own, they’re partners.”

“Thank you, Dr. Zhen Gu.”

“Oh, no need! It was your Pokémon that saved Dream Eater!” Dr. Zhen Gu rubbed the back of her head, smiling shyly. But soon, her eyes sparkled as she stared at the Master Ball.

“What Pokémon is inside that Master Ball?”

“Deoxys,” said Professor Redwood, standing up and wiping sweat from her brow. “A Pokémon from the Celestial Heaven—not of our world.”

Dr. Zhen Gu’s curiosity was instantly ignited, but right now, the priority was obtaining Dream Smoke.

After the battle, Dream Eater had already awakened. It looked left, then right—many hearts around it brimmed with pure, clean dreams, making it float joyfully in midair.

Yet, if one had the most dreams—

“Huh? This child is approaching on its own…”

“Ah, be careful!”

Seeing Dream Eater’s movement, Guang Tai suddenly recalled a familiar character—and sure enough, the next moment, Dream Eater slipped over Dr. Zhen Gu’s head like a hood, as if “eating” her whole!

“Waaahhh! A Pokémon’s eating someone!” Zuo Zhi screamed!

Watching this oddly familiar scene, Guang Tai thought of Black from the Special Edition—his Dream Eater had done exactly the same: slipping over Black’s head and devouring his dreams.

As a Dream researcher, Dr. Zhen Gu’s mind overflowed with countless dreamlike ideas—hence why Dream Eater was drawn to her, rushing over for a free feast.

“She’s fine. Dream Eater will come down soon—it’s consuming dreams,” Guang Tai explained. Under Professor Redwood’s worried gaze, Dream Eater swiftly devoured Dr. Zhen Gu’s dreams, then floated away, satisfied.

Dr. Zhen Gu looked like ash after burning out—completely dazed. After a long while, she snapped back to life and leapt up!

“Amazing! Amazing! I’ve never felt my thoughts so clear before!”

This was Dream Eater’s power: by consuming dreams, people became focused on thinking. Though terrifying for artists, it was beneficial for most.

“Dream Eater seems to like you. Now’s the perfect chance to catch it,” Professor Redwood noted, seeing how affectionate the Pokémon was toward Dr. Zhen Gu—likely because of her abundance of dreams.

Guang Tai, however, stared at the spot where Asura the Sage had vanished.

I never expected one of the Seven Sages would be here—just now, that hidden voice called him Asura?

Researching in the Ruins of Dreams? I vaguely recall that in the game, he eventually appeared in the Ruins of Dreams as well.

But they don’t know about the C Device—even if they captured a second Dream Eater and obtained Dream Mist, it wouldn’t affect human minds. But what if Achroma… wait, he should’ve debuted in Black 2 and White 2—is he already linked to Plasma Group now?

Hmm, in both the anime and manga, Achroma was indeed researching with Plasma Group from the start—he was their collaborator.

I hope they develop the C Device soon, otherwise I really don’t want to see Achroma cobble together some weird machine.

Achroma can even build a dimensional transfer device—something Team Deoxys spent years trying to master—and yet in Sun and Moon, he just pulls one out like it’s nothing. It’s ridiculous.

Compared to Team Rocket’s trio, Achroma’s creativity is no less impressive.

The Plasma Group researchers fled; Zhen Gu successfully captured the Dream Eater, and the abandoned Pokémon emerged once more, following Shieldon. Guang Tai used a Vitality Potion on them—they seemed to trust humans a little more now.

On the way back, there was an unexpected surprise.

“These researchers ran out in disarray, so we figured they were up to no good and captured them all.”

“And we don’t know them—they sneaked out from the deep zone. Isn’t that suspicious?”

The three psychics pointed directly at the bound Plasma Group researchers, who all felt they’d hit bad luck:

“We ran into psychics… and not just one—three of them.”

“I forgot—there are psychics training here.”

Guang Tai thanked the three psychics, then turned to Dr. Zhen Gu and said:

“These researchers must have deep knowledge of dreams. Capturing them means we’ve acquired vital research data!”

Dr. Zhen Gu: “Ah, that’s true—but how do we make them talk?”

“Like this!” Guang Tai raised his palm toward one of the researchers.

“Oh! Here it comes—Mind Shatter!” The psychic’s eyes lit up.

One researcher: “What? Shatter? What are you doing? No, no, please!”

The next moment, the dark corners of his mind shattered like a mirror!

Death of the Dark-Minded Researcher: An Ongoing Serial!

————

On the other side, Asura, fleeing in disarray, gazed from afar at the Ruins of Dreams. Almost none of his fellow researchers escaped, leaving him to sigh repeatedly.

Moreover, he’d just felt a subtle shift within himself—the blue crystal’s glow refused to fade from his heart.

What exactly was going on?

That self-questioning thought still swirled in his mind, as if loudly condemning his past actions—but wasn’t all of this done to liberate Pokémon? Wasn’t that right?

Should he report the Ruins of Dreams and Dream Mist? No—why make a choice? Isn’t this obvious?

Carrying his doubts, Asura gradually vanished into the distance, while darkness remained nearby. Watching his retreating figure, the figure recalled the blue crystal pendant—and once more, its light shone upon him.

“Psychic abilities… troublesome indeed. But we gathered plenty of intelligence—not entirely without gain. Still, we must be more careful from now on.”

(End of Chapter)