Chapter 777: The First Z-Crystal

The egg-sharing ended.

Bai Mu prepared to retreat.

"How long will it take to finish the machine?" he asked Kojiro, who still looked unsatisfied.

Kojiro pondered, rubbing his chin. "Three days... no, two days should suffice. Why? You want to leave? I advise you to give up as soon as possible; Bewear is still awake!"

This runaway young master of a wealthy family chuckled.

Musashi wiped her mouth and said, "Bewear isn't in the nest every single second. You can wait until it goes out before you leave."

"Musashi!" Kojiro looked at her in surprise.

He didn't quite understand why his companion was being so kind today.

Musashi pulled him aside and whispered, "Idiot! Our secret base is right above the nest! Do you want that to be exposed?"

"You're right!" Kojiro suddenly realized.

Thus, the three members of Team Rocket began to devise a "covert escape" plan for Bai Mu, and soon Meowth and Wobbuffet joined in.

Bai Mu remained silent, and under the stunned gazes of the Team Rocket trio, he walked straight toward Bewear and said, "I'm off. I'll come visit you again next time."

So direct!?

The Team Rocket trio stared in shock; what nerve! How could Bewear possibly agree to that?!

Just as they expected.

"Gugu!"

Bewear suddenly extended its pink paw, as if to tuck him under its arm and carry him back into the nest.

Bai Mu retreated with lightning speed, stepping just out of reach of the paw.

The grab missed.

Bewear paused for half a second before stepping forward to try again, and he retreated once more, as if he had eyes in the back of his head, completely unaffected by the terrain.

The two began to advance and retreat, their pace quickening.

Bewear's paws swept through the air with a whistling wind, moving so fast they became a blur, while Bai Mu didn't use any high-frequency movements, merely shifting his upper body slightly to dodge the captures.

The Team Rocket trio watched, their eyes dazzled.

"Such agile movements, meow!"

"What kind of person is that guy?"

"Look! Bewear is getting angry because it can't catch him!"

In the woods.

Unable to catch him, Bewear stopped and slapped a nearby large tree in half with one blow; the poor tree collapsed with a piercing creak.

"Gii—!!"

It let out an angry, high-pitched shriek.

Bai Mu's expression remained unchanged. "I appreciate your desire to look after me, but I'm an adult; I can take care of myself. I'll come to see you again, and we can eat something delicious together next time."

The stubborn Bewear didn't care what he was saying; it stomped its right foot and charged straight at him!

"Gii—"

Just in the nick of time.

A blurred black shadow struck from afar, intercepting the charging Bewear and carrying it into the thicket until it crashed through another tree, stopping only when it hit a slope and kicked up a cloud of grass and dust.

Bam!

Creak—

The tree groaned and fell, the thunderous impact causing many bird Pokémon in the canopy to shriek and take flight.

"Bewear!"

The Team Rocket trio screamed; they had built a deep bond with Bewear during their time here and couldn't bear to see it hurt.

Fortunately.

Despite crashing backward through a tree, Bewear showed no signs of pain on its face.

"Gugu."

It stood up slowly, facing Mawile, who was not even half its height.

"Chiduo!"

Mawile's eyes gleamed with eagerness.

Bewear's technique for splitting the egg had been exquisite, and this mastery of power was exactly what Mawile was striving for.

Not only that.

It had felt nearly half the force of its tackle being neutralized and silently dissipated.

Ability? Technique?

Mawile leaned toward the latter, thinking that if it were a technique, it might be able to learn it.

It craved every opportunity to grow stronger.

Bai Mu looked at the no-longer-scowling Bewear and said, "Let's fight in an open area. Mawile and I will prove that we possess 'adult' strength."

There was only one way to gain the recognition of a Pokémon, no matter how maternal it was—

Beat it!

For a Pokémon as famous for its violence as Bewear, one had to possess great strength to even hold a conversation with it; otherwise, one would end up like Team Rocket, simply submitting to its whims.

Right now.

It was the perfect time to test the mettle of the "Bear God."

Bai Mu and Mawile were full of fighting spirit, and even without triggering Mega Evolution, an invisible ripple of energy swirled between them.

And all of this was seen by Bewear.

"Gugu..."

After the Team Rocket trio rushed over, Bai Mu followed Mawile and Bewear toward an open area.

Kojiro looked confused. "What happened? Where are they going?"

Musashi said, "He isn't trying to catch Bewear, is he?"

The three were shocked: "Huh!?"

Catch Bewear?

That's impossible!

Meowth said worriedly, "It's possible, meow. That Mawile doesn't look like an ordinary Pokémon at all."

Wobbuffet: "Wobbuffet!"

"We can't let him succeed!"

Kojiro gritted his teeth and shouted, "Even though we are the villains of Team Rocket, we are villains who repay kindness!"

Musashi, Meowth, and Wobbuffet all agreed and chased after them without hesitation.

——

On the rocky beach with a wide view.

Bewear crossed a clear stream and turned to face Bai Mu and Mawile.

"Gii—"

Its dark eyes shone like incandescent bulbs, and a terrifying aura of intimidation swirled around its body!

"Mega Evolve!"

Bai Mu didn't hesitate, nor did he dare to. He gripped his Key Stone and ordered, "Iron Defense!"

"Chiduo!"

Mawile's body erupted in a stunning blue light, and its massive jaws shielded it like a shield.

At the same moment.

Bewear vanished from where it stood, leaving only a wisp of smoke.

"Gii!"

Bam!

A deafening roar!

A blinding white light collided with the metallic glow, exploding into a rolling wave of air.

"It started!"

The Team Rocket trio stared with wide eyes.

The first thing they saw was Bewear charging forward like a flash, violently unleashing its energy.

And what shocked them was that Mega Mawile had actually blocked it!

Bai Mu: "Flamethrower!"

"Chiduo!"

Mega Mawile suddenly opened its fierce giant jaws, and a raging fire surged out.

Bewear didn't have time to retreat, blocking the flames that bloomed like a flower with its arms.

Boom!

Fire filled the sky!

But this move clearly couldn't take it down. Bewear retreated quickly, exiting the smoke, though the flames clung to its fur like maggots.

"Gugu!"

Bewear stood in place, spinning its arms like propellers until it shook the flames off.

Bai Mu realized: "It's the Fluffy ability, as expected."

The Fluffy ability significantly reduces damage from contact moves, but increases damage from Fire-type moves.

However, Bewear's punch...

He had been prepared for Mega Mawile to be sent flying, but it had been easily blocked by Iron Defense.

Logically speaking, a Normal-type move hitting a Mawile under Iron Defense having that much power was already quite impressive.

But how could Bewear be judged by common sense?

It only meant one thing.

That was just a probing strike.

He said loudly, "You don't have to hold back for our sake, Bewear! Show us your full power!"

You can fly, burrow, and walk on water—you shouldn't be limited to just this!

Mega Mawile felt the interest in its trainer's heart, its face turning stern and ready. "Chiduo."

"Gii—"

Hearing Bai Mu's words, Bewear's eyes flashed with cold light. As if provoked, it leaned forward and charged, its massive paws glowing with a brownish-red light as it swung with all its might!

Bai Mu: "Magnet Rise!"

Mega Mawile leaped into the air, narrowly avoiding the terrifying heavy punch. The rock behind it suffered the consequences.

Boom!

The giant rock shattered! The wind howled!

That wasn't the end.

Bewear effortlessly grabbed a rock larger than itself—weighing at least twenty or thirty tons—and hurled it at Mega Mawile in mid-air!

Rumble!

The sound of the rock tearing through the air was dull and heavy.

Fortunately, Mega Mawile reacted quickly enough, the ions of Magnet Rise swirling around it to dodge the flying boulder.

Crash!

The rock fell in the distance in front of the Team Rocket trio, the shattering debris making them tremble in fear.

They all knew Bewear was strong, but they hadn't expected it to be this absurdly powerful.

Meowth's teeth chattered: "Bewear looks so angry, meow..."

Wobbuffet: "Wobbuffet!"

Kojiro's face turned pale: "Is there really any room for us to intervene?"

Musashi said nothing.

Bewear didn't look like it needed their help at all.

In mid-air.

"Chiduo..."

Mega Mawile blinked.

Such overbearing brute force!

Bai Mu was not surprised; it would be strange if the "Bear God" didn't have such means.

Although Mega Mawile could do it too, it didn't have the Huge Power ability. As a wild Pokémon, its strength was truly rare in the world.

The evaluation that it rivaled ordinary Legendary Pokémon was no exaggeration.

After two failed rounds of attacks.

Bewear remained calm on the surface, but launched even more violent attacks, unleashing a frenzy of punches and kicks with unbelievable mid-air mobility.

Every punch and kick was fierce, sounding like booming cannonballs.

And Mega Mawile seemed to be completely caught in its rhythm, only defending and dodging throughout.

Of course.

Dodging was by no means just dodging.

"Swords Dance."

Semi-transparent blades of light swirled with Mawile's dance. Bewear's vision was obstructed by the blades, and its punches missed one after another as it fell toward the ground.

Bai Mu sighed inwardly.

Many situations in the anime proved that Bewear didn't lack sharp combat awareness, but right now, it was acting entirely like a wild Pokémon following its primal instincts.

Why?

Mega Mawile felt equally disappointed. It wanted to see the exquisite micro-control Bewear had used when splitting the egg, but now, aside from its mid-air mobility, it was just using brute force.

"Chiduo!"

It couldn't help but shout at the falling Bewear.

Bewear said nothing.

In the distance, Kojiro and Musashi looked at Meowth.

Meowth said in surprise: "Mawile is asking Bewear why it isn't using the precise power control it showed earlier in the fight."

"What does that mean?" Musashi didn't understand.

Kojiro lowered his head to ponder, but before he could figure it out, Mega Mawile finally stopped defending and launched an active attack.

It charged straight at the falling Bewear, brownish-red light clinging to its clenched fist, shining like a star!

"Gii!!"

Bewear swung its fist with equal fearlessness!

Bam!

Where the two fists collided, a visible shockwave exploded, sending countless sand and stones flying in all directions.

Bai Mu casually brushed away a stone flying toward his face, while the Team Rocket trio in the distance ran around in pain.

But soon, a significant discovery made them stop.

Bewear had been knocked back!

On the rocky beach.

Mega Mawile remained in place, orange-red light rising from beneath it.

Bewear had retreated several meters, its feet plowing two shallow trenches into the ground, with gravel and sand piling up behind its heels.

The winner of the clash was obvious.

It looked at its own fist, then at the composed Mega Mawile, its shriek much softer than before: "Gii..."

The Team Rocket trio gasped.

"Bewear is losing!"

"That move just now was Power-Up Punch, right? A Fighting-type Pokémon being suppressed by a non-Fighting-type Pokémon using a Fighting-type move, meow!"

"Meowth, what kind of tongue twister are you saying?"

"Wobbuffet!"

The situation was exactly as they said; Bewear had given too many chances.

Mega Mawile and Bewear were not far apart in strength to begin with, and Mega Mawile might even be stronger. After multiple boosts, Bewear could no longer compete with Mega Mawile.

Bai Mu held up one finger: "One move."

In an instant.

An unprecedented sense of crisis surged in Bewear's heart. It hurried to strike first, but a swirling storm of heat suddenly loomed larger and larger in its eyes!

【Fire Fang - Whirlwind Dance】!

The raging flames turned into a terrifying storm, slamming into Bewear's abdomen. Bewear didn't have time to block, and was sent flying backward!

Bam!

Bam!

Bam!

It crashed through two giant rocks before slamming into a rising hillside, kicking up a cloud of grass and dust.

Bewear stopped, but the flame storm didn't. The spiraling Mega Mawile covered Bewear's entire body in flames.

The intense pain of the burn made Bewear unable to maintain its calm expression any longer.

"Guma..."

The Team Rocket trio finally reacted, scrambling to pull out their capture rocket launchers to stop Mega Mawile.

"Stop!" x2

"Don't hurt Bewear, meow!"

"Wobbuffet!"

However.

Before Kojiro could pull the trigger, Mega Mawile retreated first, spinning its jaws to summon a biting cold wind that extinguished the flames that had been burning on Bewear's fur.

"Huh?"

The strange scene made him forget to pull the trigger.

Musashi tried to grab it to fire, but someone—or something—was faster, suddenly popping out of the shadows and forcibly snatching the rocket launcher away with a cackle.

Meowth screamed: "Gengar! It's the one from Jarvis!"

The next second.

The three were restrained by Gengar's 【Mean Look】, unable to move.

"Hmm?"

Bai Mu looked at the restrained Team Rocket trio with confusion; how did Meowth still remember Gengar?

But he quickly turned his attention back, walking toward Bewear.

"I think I've proven it, right?"

He met Bewear's dark, round eyes and reached out to brush off the fur that had been singed by the flames—only the thinnest outer layer.

In fact, the opponent still had fighting strength left.

However.

He had already proven what he wanted to prove and seen what he wanted to see; continuing to fight was meaningless.

"Gii—"

Bewear slowly extended a paw.

Bai Mu's expression was calm as he met its gaze.

A long pause.

Bewear's cry suddenly softened as it patted him on the head. "Gugu~"

Mega Mawile stepped forward, still not understanding why Bewear had used such crude power in the fight.

It was like two different bears.

"Perhaps it only subconsciously unleashes its true power when it's protecting its family," Bai Mu mused, shaking his head with a sigh.

He didn't know if his guess was correct, nor did he know if Bewear had been holding back.

In any case.

This battle was a bit regrettable.

How could one force out the potential of a Pokémon that channeled all its strength into protection by fighting it under other pretenses?

Just as Bai Mu felt a bit melancholy, Bewear stood up.

It glanced at the restrained Team Rocket trio, then looked at the shadow on the ground with deep eyes.

Gengar broke the restraint, sweating profusely.

The three breathed a sigh of relief: "Saved!"

Seeing Team Rocket was safe, Bewear called out to Bai Mu: "Guyugui!"

Then.

It rushed into the woods and vanished.

What did it say?

Meowth said in surprise: "Bewear told you to wait a moment, meow."

"Wait a moment?"

Bai Mu and Mega Mawile exchanged a look, then turned to Kojiro and Musashi, smiling: "Were you guys planning to attack me just now? You've got some nerve!"

Musashi was quite tough, shouting: "We just didn't want you to catch Bewear!"

Kojiro, emboldened by the support, added: "That's right! Bewear has been kind to Team Rocket, and we repay kindness!"

Meowth was about to speak but was interrupted by Bai Mu.

"Who told you I wanted to catch it?"

He looked at the Team Rocket trio with confusion: "Didn't you see the whole thing? It wouldn't let me leave, so we fought; if I win, I can leave. Besides, if I wanted to catch it, why would I come all the way here?"

Kojiro, Meowth, and Wobbuffet quickly turned to look at Musashi.

"Wh-why are you looking at me? Meowth said it was very likely!" Musashi retorted stubbornly.

Meowth jumped up: "I only said it was possible, meow! Kojiro, why did you assume it was true?"

Kojiro pointed at himself in disbelief: "This has nothing to do with me, right?"

Meowth and Musashi suddenly formed a united front, blaming Kojiro: "It has everything to do with you!"

Infighting again...

Bai Mu sighed; as expected of the trio that had a breakup scene every season, their scapegoating skills were top-tier.

He couldn't be bothered to argue with these guys and turned toward the rumbling sound.

It was Bewear returning.

It stopped in front of Bai Mu and opened its pink paw, where a Normalium Z crystal lay quietly.

"For me?"

Bai Mu was very surprised.

Bewear nodded. "Gugu!"

It stood still in front of All Baimu and spread out its pink-padded bear paw, with a Normalium Z resting quietly inside.

"For me?"

All Baimu was very surprised.

Bewear nodded, "Guma!"