“What can I even say, kids…”
Mishiro was pinned in Drapion’s iron grip.
With time running out during the crisis, he had focused entirely on finding the fastest way to turn the tables, without giving a single thought to his own safety.
Still, he wasn’t surprised by the outcome.
His opponent was a Pokémon Hunter, after all; from the moment he chose to cross them, he had prepared himself for the worst.
At that moment, Greninja seemed frozen in midair.
It was torn: should it abandon an opportunity that might never come again to turn back and save Mishiro, or throw everything into one desperate gamble and take down Hunter Z below with Night Slash?
“Naturally, I’ll take both!”
As if reading its mind, Hunter Z smirked.
In the split second Greninja hesitated, Hydreigon lunged forward.
Its main center head clamped onto Greninja in midair, and with the full weight of its massive body, slammed the Ninja Pokémon brutally into the ground.
With a heavy crash, the battle was over.
There was no dramatic twist.
To Hunter Z, this had been nothing more than swatting a few annoying fleas.
A mere brat trying to stand against her simply had no idea how cruel the adult world really was.
Holding the “sword,” Hunter Z sauntered over and poked Greninja sharply on the head with the tip, delivering her victory speech.
“Go ahead, keep squirming.
Squirm all you want now, because once you’re a taxidermy specimen, you won’t get another chance.”
She gave a cruel laugh and jabbed harder.
However, the sword formed by Squishy possessed no actual sharp edge and caused no damage.
She didn’t even understand what kind of Pokémon this was, so she planned to take it back and see if professional Pokémon research organizations—like Team Rocket—could identify it so she could sell it for a fortune.
Watching this unfold, Mishiro, still clamped securely in Drapion’s pincer, curled his lips into a confident grin.
As if victory had been in his hands all along, he shouted, “Now!
Grab the sword!”
The moment the words left his mouth, the white blade of Squishy’s sword form suddenly blazed with a dazzling turquoise light.
Reflexively shielding her eyes, Hunter Z let go.
Below her, Greninja didn’t hesitate.
Trusting Mishiro without a shadow of a doubt, it seized the “Z-Sword” and poured every last shred of its remaining strength into a single, sweeping strike.
In an instant, brilliant teal light burst forth.
As the swung sword struck Hydreigon, the blade shattered.
Countless razor-sharp green hexagonal fragments erupted outward like a Claymore directional mine, peppering both Hydreigon and Drapion.
The fragments pelted them like a torrential storm, rippling against the two Pokémon.
As the scattered shards dissolved back into glowing green cells and faded into the sewer mist, the massive bodies of Hydreigon and Drapion collapsed heavily to the ground, unconscious, alongside the starlight-like dispersal of Zygarde Cells.
Standing closest, Hunter Z was unable to escape either.
Several flying Zygarde Cells struck her squarely in the head, knocking her off her feet once again.
“Zygah!”
*Leave it to me!*
Because this had only been a partial, abnormal form, it hadn’t consumed much energy, leaving the tiny creature lively and energetic.
“Brilliant job!”
Mishiro pried himself free from Drapion’s pincer and caught Squishy as it leaped into his hands.
The plan had worked flawlessly.
This was a tactic he had deduced after researching Squishy earlier.
He had realized that while in this sword form, Squishy only possessed a single move—Thousand Arrows—yet couldn’t trigger it on its own.
That left only one possibility: another Pokémon had to apply enough power through the blade to break the structural cells apart.
In essence, it acted as a one-time, universal “Thousand Arrows” that any Pokémon could wield!
That was why he had thrown Squishy earlier as his ace in the hole against Hunter Z.
Even if Thousand Arrows couldn’t be triggered, undoing the cell assembly would still unleash a barrage of ricocheting cells as an ambush.
At the time, Greninja hadn’t trusted him enough to pick up Squishy on command, but Hunter Z, driven by greed, was guaranteed to pick up the mysterious sword.
It had been a battle of minds all along.
“Still, that was way too close.
I’m way too weak.”
Mishiro shook his head, then rushed over to check on Greninja’s injuries.
While Thousand Arrows hadn’t harmed the Ninja Pokémon, Hydreigon’s brutal slam had taken a heavy toll.
“Hold on a second, I’ll fix you up.”
With the Hunter, Hydreigon, and Drapion all down, Mishiro finally had time to tend to Greninja.
As a Breeder with the Novice Breeder talent, basic medical care and first aid were second nature to him.
Crouching beside the still-breathing Greninja, he pulled out medical supplies from his satchel.
He had bought these when restocking earlier—after all, keeping a Pokémon at home meant always being prepared.
Yet just as he began administering treatment, a figure stumbled to her feet behind him.
Hunter Z, clutching her badly bruised face, hadn’t been knocked unconscious after all.
In her hand was the Poké Ball that had been knocked away when Squishy struck her arm earlier.
“Looks like…
you’re two steps behind, brat!”
“What?!”
Mishiro whipped his head around, genuine shock flashing across his face for the first time.
He never expected anyone to stay conscious after taking that many heavy blows to the head.
What kind of monster was she?!
And right now, he had no counters left.
Just as Hunter Z was about to hurl the Poké Ball, an Excadrill charged in from the side.
Clasping the steel blades of its arms together, it slammed into her with a fierce Drill Run, sending Hunter Z flying into the wall with a loud thud.
The Poké Ball dropped to the ground.
As Hunter Z finally blacked out, the Pokémon inside remained unreleased.
“Awesome!
That’s my…
wait, huh?”
Relieved to be saved, Mishiro began to cheer, only to freeze.
This Excadrill wasn’t his!
As he stood perplexed, Taro, who had left earlier, stepped back into view.
Her lips were pouted slightly, her cute face set with absolute gravity, as if she had just made a monumental decision.
“I knew it!
I just couldn’t leave you alone!”
“You…”
Mishiro was at a loss for words.
Looking at the serious girl in front of him, he realized he had underestimated her resolve.
Just then, with a loud rumble, the sewer floor burst open.
Another Excadrill popped excitedly out of the hole, smugly bragging about its heroic one-versus-three victory.
However, the mood in the room had suddenly turned oddly awkward.
“Exca?”
…
Siren wails echoed above the collapsed sewer.
Officer Jenny and her team arrived on the scene, apprehending the severely injured Hunter Z along with her three accomplices buried in the dirt.
Not wanting to waste time, Mishiro and Taro had already given Greninja emergency first aid and left the area.
They headed to a Pokémon Center near the main entrance gates in Lumiose City’s Jaune District so Greninja could receive proper medical attention.
Neither had said a word since their walk back.
Now, they sat silently in a corner of the Pokémon Center lobby, waiting for Nurse Joy’s update on the surgery.
Fortunately, a sudden chime from a smartphone broke the bizarrely awkward silence.
“Uh oh…
how did she know it was me again?”
Mishiro stared at his Rotom Phone.
Officer Jenny from two days ago had sent a message—she already knew the takedown of Hunter Z’s gang had something to do with him and stated she would send officers over to take his statement.
“Busted at last, huh?” Taro crossed her arms, feigning gloating amusement before taking a deep breath.
Perhaps trying to dispel the residual awkwardness, she looked down at the clothes she had just bought yesterday in Lumiose City, now completely covered in dirt, and finally couldn’t help venting: “My clothes and hair are filthy and reek of sewer water!
What am I supposed to do now?
If I go back to school looking like this, I won’t even know how to explain it!”
“Hmm…
How about coming to my place?”