BOOM—
Gladion was sent flying by a sudden punch from Gengar, who had emerged from underground.
Ever since the warehouse doors had slammed shut earlier, Hoshino had made sure to have Gengar hide, just in case, preparing for an ambush.
What he hadn't expected was for Gladion to show up—let alone with a Type: Null. That complicated things. But no matter, he just had to take down this opponent first.
However, before he could process what had just happened, the Team Skull grunts who had been reaching for their Poké Balls suddenly collapsed to the ground, completely unconscious.
A chilling presence crept up behind him.
Hoshino's pupils shrank. His instincts kicked in, and he ducked just in time to avoid a fatal sneak attack.
Glancing sideways, he caught sight of a large gray fox with red fur markings, its lips painted with dark red lipstick and eyeshadow—Zoroark!
At some point, it had silently appeared behind him!
"So this is the 'only truth' you were talking about, huh…"
Now Hoshino understood why Gladion had said those words earlier. They were both thinking the same thing—unofficial wild battles? Just take down the Trainer directly.
But knocking out his own grunts? That part didn't make sense. Why not just gang up on him?
Was there some hidden reason behind it?
Either way, this fight had suddenly escalated. Hoshino had avoided Zoroark's strike, but that didn't mean he was in a good position.
That said, the situation wasn't much better on the other side.
Gladion, looking battered, got up from the ground—his face was swollen from Gengar's punch.
"A sneak attack…"
"…You seriously have the nerve to say that to me?"
The two glared at each other, exchanging insults.
Meanwhile, Cyclizar, who had been pinned down by Type: Null, suddenly flipped forward and swung his tail at his opponent.
But Type: Null didn't even try to dodge. Instead, it blocked the attack with its head—the control mask on its face, designed to suppress the AR System's rejection, was unbelievably sturdy. Even Ceruledge hadn't been able to damage it.
CLANG!
The impact sent a shockwave outward.
Seeing an opening, Hoshino dashed toward Cyclizar with the little mouse.
Zoroark noticed and immediately gave chase.
"Jump over!"
"Cycli!"
Cyclizar responded instantly. Using Type: Null's head as a springboard, he pushed off with his tail and launched himself forward—straight at Zoroark at incredible speed!
"Dodge it!"
Gladion shouted, but Zoroark was nowhere near fast enough.
Before it could react, Cyclizar slammed into its body, sending it flying into a steel pillar.
BAM!
It collapsed on the spot, completely knocked out.
Seeing this, Gladion gritted his teeth and recalled Zoroark.
Cyclizar was far stronger than he had expected. He had underestimated him. Despite his goofy appearance, his reaction speed was terrifying.
With the battle turning, Hoshino let out a small sigh of relief before smirking.
"Alright, you've got two choices—either release all the Pokémon, or I'll do it for you."
Gladion clenched his fist and snapped back coldly, "You think you're leaving after seeing that Pokémon?"
"Huh? You mean this Type: Null?"
Seeing the sheer hostility in Gladion's eyes, Hoshino was confused.
Was this why he had knocked out all the grunts?
Then why even release Type: Null in the first place? Just to look cool?
Obviously, Gladion wasn't going to explain.
And at this point, a fight was unavoidable.
"Gengar, you and tandemaus go find where they're keeping the Pokémon. We'll handle things here."
"Gengar!"
Gengar picked up the little mouse and flew off. Gladion didn't even try to stop them.
When Hoshino said "Type: Null," a flicker of shock flashed across his face. Then his expression darkened.
"Attack! Crush Claw!"
At his command, Type: Null leaped forward.
Hoshino took a step back, still calm.
That mask severely limited its speed. Cyclizar, even without any moves, had the advantage in agility.
"Dodge left, then charge straight in! Avoid the mask!"
"Cycli!"
Cyclizar sidestepped the incoming Crush Claw and lunged forward—
But instead of counterattacking Cyclizar, Type: Null suddenly changed direction—
And rushed straight at Hoshino!
"???"
Hoshino froze.
Was Gladion actually trying to kill him?
Just for seeing Type: Null?
Or was there something else going on with this guy?
But it was too slow.
Before the attack could land, Cyclizar tackled Type: Null from behind, slamming it to the ground!
No one who tried to hurt Hoshino would be spared.
Cyclizar immediately bit down on Type: Null's head—
His favorite thing to bite was skulls. Iron or not, he'd just break through it!
Seeing this, Gladion didn't hesitate.
He sent out Lycanroc, aiming to attack Hoshino while Cyclizar was occupied.
"Tch. You think having more Pokémon makes you special?!"
Hoshino hadn't expected this rich kid to be even worse than him—shameless, unrefined, and completely lacking in honor.
Was this really Lillie's brother?
The personality difference was insane.
But just as he was about to have Cyclizar fight them both—something unexpected happened.
Instead of breaking, the mask—
Popped right off.
It fell away with a soft plop, revealing a gray, birdlike head with a feathery crest—somewhat resembling a cockatiel.
"???"
Hoshino stared in shock.
Just like that, it had evolved into Silvally?!
But why was it gray?
And its eyes—now glowing blood-red, filled with uncontrollable rage.
Gladion, too, was stunned.
He hadn't expected the mask to come off.
His expression immediately shifted into alarm.
Realizing what was happening, he reached for Silvally's Poké Ball—
But before he could recall it, a surge of violent energy erupted from the Pokémon, disrupting the red beam.
"Damn it… The AR System is going berserk!"
Panic flooded Gladion's face.
And then—
Silvally, in its uncontrolled fury, sent Cyclizar flying with a single claw swipe!
BOOM!
The impact shattered the warehouse wall.
Cyclizar rolled across the ground, crashing into the berry fields outside.
He didn't move.
He was knocked out.
"Cyclizar… What kind of power is this?!"
Hoshino's expression grew serious.
Just removing the mask had doubled Silvally's strength?
Cyclizar had been taken out in one hit.
The last time that had happened was against Kommo-o's bear hug, and that was a special case.
Now, this Silvally—no, this rampaging Silvally—had truly reached the level of a pseudo-legendary Pokémon!
"As expected of a little alpaca…"
As he muttered, Silvally turned its sights on Lycanroc.
With a furious roar, it fired a Multi-Attack Cannon—instantly one-shotting Lycanroc.
But it didn't stop there.
The energy beam blasted through the warehouse wall, slicing upward like a lightsaber, illuminating the entire orchard in silver light!
The old warehouse shook violently, on the verge of collapse.
Meanwhile, Gengar and the little mouse had found the caged Pokémon—
But his partner wasn't among them.
That only made him more anxious.
Silvally continued its rampage, attacking everything in sight.
After recalling Lycanroc, Gladion grimly retreated, realizing the building was about to collapse.
But the moment he moved—
Silvally locked onto him.
A triple-combo of Ice, Fire, and Electric energy blasted straight toward him!
"…What?"
Gladion froze.
The attack was about to hit—
But then Hoshino tackled him to the ground, dodging it just in time.
"You…"
"Let me kick your ass first before you die!"
Hoshino dragged him deeper into the warehouse for cover.
No way was he letting this guy die before explaining Type: Null.
Meanwhile, Silvally roared—charging a Hyper Beam.
But just then—
A figure rushed in from outside—slamming straight into Silvally!
Hyper Beam veered off course, exploding the warehouse ceiling.
Hoshino turned and grinned.
Cyclizar had gotten back up.
But then his smile faded.
Cyclizar's black eyes…
Had turned into a bright, futuristic OLED display.
And beneath his feet—
A purple electric current spread across the entire warehouse.
"Wait… is this Quantum Drive?!"
Gladion, shocked, muttered, "What the hell is going on…? This Cyclizar can actually match a berserk AR System…"
Hoshino just laughed.
"How nice—you use a Legendary, I cheat."
[TN: paradox poke?]
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2ch/day from now on