Chapter 1018: Star, Cassiopeia

Nemona.

Current Student Council President of Naranja Academy.

Lives in Cabo Poco, has won more than lost since becoming a Trainer, and has achieved Champion-level all the way.

Since then, she has rarely lost.

Her combative personality made even the Top Champion shy away, repeatedly rejecting her battle invitations on the grounds of being busy with work.

Because she was labeled a "genius" by others, she was troubled by the fear of battling herself, but there was nothing she could do.

Actively nurturing juniors, hoping that there would be a second "her" in the world, so she could regain the fun of battling.

Who knew it instead aggravated the awe and alienation others had for her.

Nemona felt exhausted.

She just wanted a few hearty, magnificent battles; everyone is a Trainer, shouldn't they be happy about this?

Really no one can satisfy her wish?

The first month of the year.

Nemona saw a possibility.

At the moment Skeledirge was blown away, when Mega Mawile dodged the Tera Fire Torch Song.

Her heart blossomed, she couldn't control herself.

Long-lost fighting intent filled her mind; Nemona waved her right hand wrapped in red arm guards, and the green hair on her forehead flew.

"Stand up! Skeledirge! Heat Wave!"

"Ske—ledirge!"

The severely beaten Skeledirge roared with all its might; the passionate emotions of the Trainer turned into the power to rise again. It suddenly shook off the sand and stones on its back and lunged forward staggeringly with four claws.

In an instant.

The crystal candle crown on its head shone brightly.

Skeledirge was wrapped in flames, as if possessed by surging lava, angrily releasing orange-red flame currents and sparks, setting off a rolling heat wave that covered the sky and earth.

Boom——!!

The air distorted and trembled violently; the world turned into a terrifying black-red hell in an instant.

It was as if an endless flame wind swept across the wilderness; wherever it passed, blue smoke curled, and the soil scorched, as if it were going to destroy the world!

Compared to the previous fire bird, it was like a minor wizard compared to a major wizard!

In mid-air.

Mega Mawile, who was about to finish it off, changed its expression slightly, applied attribute energy changes, and completed the move change quickly.

Rumble!!

A booming sound like tide hitting the shore.

A fluorescent blue spherical light shield appeared in front of it, like a solid high wall, forcibly dispersing the red heat flow.

However, it didn't resist for long before the seemingly tough light shield trembled violently, and spider-web-like cracks appeared on the surface.

"Blaze?"

All Baimu, hiding behind a rock, moved slightly in his heart.

When Skeledirge insisted on getting up and didn't fall down, this move successfully triggered its ability.

【Blaze】.

When stamina drops to a certain range, it significantly increases the power of Fire-type moves.

Ash's Infernape once relied on this ability to successfully counter-kill Paul's Electivire in the semi-finals of the Lily of the Valley Conference.

Of course.

Infernape's Blaze is a bit special.

But the effect is the same, with no difference in the amplification ratio.

In addition, although 【Torch Song】 didn't fully hit Mega Mawile, even if it only grazed the edge, it was enough to trigger the additional effect of increasing the user's Special Attack.

Doubled and significantly enhanced, the power of Heat Wave was enough to be on par with Entei's Sacred Fire, surpassing most moves All Baimu had ever seen!

Can't block it!

Mega Mawile in mid-air sent a signal.

The effect of 【Protect】 is minimally affected by level increases and requires extra training to increase its "thickness."

And Mega Mawile usually trains offense more than defense, so the shield is relatively thin.

"Use Giant Jaws!"

Just after passing the information.

Bang!

The light shield shattered, and the manic scorching heat flow rushed straight to Mega Mawile's face!

Fortunately, it was fast enough, the double giant jaws resisted the roaring heat wind, forming a second shield.

The giant jaws were transformed from the steel horn, with fewer pain nerves, and were the thickest part of its whole body, enough to make it persist after Protect shattered.

A few seconds later.

The heat wind finally dissipated.

All Baimu emerged from behind the scorching rock, finding that the area around the arena had all become black-gray scorched earth.

The affected range was hundreds of meters, comparable to an entire regulation football field.

This was still under the premise that Heat Wave was mainly released into the air.

Champion-level strength is well-deserved!

However.

That's it.

All Baimu's gaze narrowed.

"Blocked it? How amazing!"

Nemona's face was mixed with excitement and surprise.

She knew best how powerful Skeledirge's Heat Wave was just now; even Geeta's Pokémon might not be able to block it, and Mega Mawile really gave her one surprise after another.

At the same time.

She also understood that the top priority was not to be happy, "Do it again! Heat Wave!"

Skeledirge's state was very poor; even if it used Slack Off, it might not be able to recover to its original state in a short time, so it was better to attack fiercely until the last moment.

Anyway, Mega Mawile had just used Protect, and the success rate of repeated use was extremely low.

"Ske—ledirge!"

Skeledirge leaned back, the crimson heat flow rolled up again, but this time, just as it blew out, several giant stones flew through the air!

Boom! Boom!

The heat flow shattered the flying stones, turning into sky-high rubble and smoke to block the line of sight, but was quickly blown away by the strong wind.

"Behind you! Quick, use Dig!"

Nemona's voice came coldly; Mega Mawile, who should have been in the air, was indeed gone!

Terrible!

Skeledirge's heart sank, and it desperately dug into the soil under its feet, but it was too late.

Thud!

With the severe pain of breaking like a tail, a thick stone thorn suddenly rose from the cave it dug, straight to the top of its head!

【Stone Edge】!

Bang!

The stone thorn shattered, dust flew.

"So fast!"

Nemona whispered, and then showed an expression of regret; she had already understood the final result.

With Skeledirge's stamina state, it was unlikely to withstand this move.

All Baimu was also very surprised.

He thought that a battle fan like Nemona would be a hot-blooded Trainer who often used the three-word mantra.

Unexpectedly, she was a "rationalist"?

The smoke gradually dissipated.

Skeledirge fell to the ground, its crystal skin and light bulb crown shattered, turning into crystalline debris all over the sky.

"Ske—ledirge..."

"Ah~ Skeledirge has been defeated~"

Nemona dropped her long sleeves powerlessly, and then cheered herself up, saying: "But it doesn't matter! What is a small crisis? Everyone, cheer for me quickly!"

Countless cheering barrages flew by.

She withdrew it with satisfaction and said softly: "Thank you for your hard work."

In an instant.

A new Poké Ball flew out!

Bang!

"Kee!"

A sturdy seabird with black and yellow feathers and a fat chest and abdomen rose with the wind!

Kilowattrel, the Frigatebird Pokémon.

It looks pot-bellied, but the bulging part of its chest and abdomen is its throat pouch, which has the function of storing electricity.

All Baimu had seen two on the sea during the day, but unfortunately, they were too far away at the time.

The distance was close now.

"Return."

"Mao Jie-hee-hee-hee~"

Mega Gengar sank into the ground, then popped its head out beside him, and returned to its original state.

The onlookers were very puzzled, why did he withdraw the Pokémon?

It wasn't over, right?

They soon got the answer.

"Go."

Bang!

"Rumble—"

Accompanied by a low hum, the Regidrago, which looked like a giant dragon skull, appeared. The Y-shaped dot matrix shone with azure light, floating up to look at Kilowattrel at eye level.

Countless onlookers in the outer ring boiled over instantly!

"Mom, look! A giant!"

"Dragon-type Regidrago! It's the one that defeated Heatran!"

"He really has it?"

Not everyone knew Regidrago; unlike the three giants that existed in many regions, the Dragon Pillar and Electric Pillar currently only had relevant records in Galar.

But looking at the similar appearance and listening to what the people around said, basically everyone could figure out what this thing was.

Iono blinked and looked at the number of online viewers in the live streaming room.

Broke, broke five hundred thousand!

Still rising! Still rising!

She was so happy that she couldn't calm the arc of her mouth, pretending to be afraid and saying: "Legendary giant? Iono is so scared... No! Must cheer up!"

Her tea-flavored words

"No, I have other business."

"Is there anything I can help with? I know everything about the Paldea region!"

"No need, thanks for the offer."

"Don't be so formal! I'm the student council president, it's my responsibility to look after new underclassmen!"

"..."

All Baimu stopped in his tracks and stared straight at the young girl who claimed to be his senior, saying nothing.

Under his oppressive gaze, Nemona's smile gradually stiffened, and she quickly admitted defeat.

"I-I'm sorry, it's just that I haven't had a proper battle with anyone in a long time. Everyone calls me a 'genius,' and even when they battle me, they won't take it seriously. Even when I use newly raised Pokémon, they just give up so easily..."

She said this with extreme resentment, poking her index fingers together.

The content wouldn't exactly make listeners weep with sorrow, but at the very least, it made countless Orange Academy students grit their teeth and denounce her as inhumane.

Listen to that! Listen!

What does she mean by "giving up easily"?

She catches someone and battles them ten times in a row—who can handle that? Who can stand it!?

But the wonderful thing about this world is that no matter how strange an idea is, there are always one or two people who can empathize.

As it happens.

All Baimu is one such person.

He was often labeled a genius back in Orre, and he needed battles to cool down the simulator, so he was also viewed by others as a battle maniac.

Although his situation wasn't as exaggerated as Nemona's, the things he occasionally heard were indeed not very pleasant to the ear.

Mawile looked at Nemona's dejected expression and quietly tugged at its Trainer's hem.

Seeing this, All Baimu spoke up: "I understand."

"I know you might not be able to understand even if I say this, eh?"

Nemona was stunned, then her eyes lit up, "You can understand? Then let's battle—"

All Baimu said with a straight face: "I refuse."

Nemona immediately wilted again.

"Just as I said before, time is tight today, so we can only do a one-on-one. As for the rest, once I get to school, I can accompany you to battle to your heart's content," he added.

Nemona looked up slightly, her eyes full of hope, "Really?"

All Baimu nodded, "Really."

"To my heart's content?"

"To your heart's content."

"Yay!"

The tan-skinned girl was overjoyed.

Being able to battle a Champion an infinite number of times was simply her dream come true.

Playing the victim really works!

Nemona was smug, unaware that anyone else would only be angry at this point.

She watched All Baimu walk away and waved energetically, looking forward to the wonderful life after returning to school.

On the other side.

All Baimu was talking to Mawile.

"You also think battling her is helpful?"

"Mawile."

"That's true, a battle is a battle regardless of who it's with."

"Mawile~"

After Nemona's Champion-level strength was confirmed, a more suitable sparring partner than Calyrex had appeared.

Even if she didn't want to battle, All Baimu would find a way to battle her once he reached Orange Academy.

It's just that he needs to go find the Titan Pokémon now.

And as for traveling, he prefers to move forward alone rather than with others.

—

East Province (Area One), Grassland.

All Baimu walked and stopped with his sketchbook, occasionally letting his Rotom Phone come out to take a photo.

Mawile had a flower crown on its head and was skipping along happily.

"There are so many wild Pokémon~"

He sighed with emotion.

He didn't notice it during the simulation, and he didn't notice it while wandering around the outskirts of Mesagoza earlier.

Only when he truly went deep into the wild did he realize that the number of wild Pokémon in Paldea is truly high.

In groups of three or five, swaggering through the streets.

The Paldea region is truly wonderful.

At least two or three hundred!

If it were any other region, only a wild preserve would likely have this kind of density.

Orre? There were some before the Pokémon Park disbanded, but not anymore.

Mount Silver doesn't even come close.

What he found more concerning was a Pokémon called Nymble; it looked like stationery and was the size of stationery, and he almost stepped on it several times.

He couldn't imagine how small it must be in the game; hunting for a shiny would probably blind him.

"The evolution is quite cool, though."

All Baimu glanced at Nymble's evolution, Lokix, in the Pokédex, and inexplicably felt a sense of déjà vu like a Kamen Rider.

Could it be because of the mechanical locust appearance?

He tapped on his sketchbook, his gaze sweeping over a Cyclizar running away by the roadside.

Bang!

An explosion suddenly came from afar.

Is someone battling?

All Baimu and Mawile looked at each other and decided to go over and join in the fun; it was on the way anyway.

And after they got closer, they realized it was a group of students wearing motorcycle helmets and riding Cyclizar—

Should be students?

He always felt that this group of people looked more like hoodlums...

"Team Star!"

All Baimu suddenly remembered that when he was simulating the Dancer earlier, there was such a group of people.

Seeming to hear someone calling them, Team Star turned their heads one after another.

"Who's calling us!?"

At the same moment.

All Baimu spotted a Vaporeon and Sylveon surrounded by many Houndoom and Houndour, along with a young girl with short blue hair and red-dyed bangs.

Are the hair colors of Paldean girls all so colorful?

He had been in Paldea for three days and had met three girls whose hair was a mix of two colors.

"Mawile!"

Mawile stepped forward seriously.

It really couldn't stand seeing people being bullied.

Seeing this, All Baimu also said: "Hey, isn't it a bit uncool for you guys to bully the few with the many?"

"Bully the few with the many?"

The Team Star members looked at each other and laughed: "This is called a team charge! If you want to see our boss, how can you do it without some strength?"

Team charge?

Bullshit!

This was the first time All Baimu had heard of this kind of battle, and he couldn't help but look at the little girl.

"Do you need help?"