Was Haru really about to unleash a move only an Alpha-rank Legendary Pokémon like Urshifu could perform—Darkest Lariat—as a mere human?
…Of course not.
Even with Flutter Mane sealed within his body, Haru—or rather, Flutter Mane—still had to obey the basic laws of move usage.
There was indeed a Pokémon in this world capable of mimicking the signature moves of many Legendary Pokémon, but that Pokémon's name was definitely not Flutter Mane.
Just now, Haru had simply relied on Flutter Mane's incredible descent speed—far surpassing that of Sky Drop—to launch a surprise attack, following it up with a plain old punch to Faba's face.
Granted, Faba hadn't expected this mysterious young man to charge in out of nowhere and sucker punch an old man—in the face, no less.
Crack—
Before Faba could even process what was happening, Haru's punch had already landed.
Though just a human, Haru—empowered by Flutter Mane—could exert strength easily nine to ten times the normal limit.
Faba's face immediately contorted, folding into wrinkles under the force of the blow, and the impact sent him flying.
That said, human durability in the Pokémon world really could only be described as mysterious. Even after taking that brutal hit, Faba somehow managed to stay conscious… though his glasses were shattered.
"Gahh! Son of a—!"
Faba exploded with rage.
To him, this wasn't just a simple punch.
The real blow was the timing—he had just moments ago started a livestream to the Aether Foundation's headquarters.
Which meant Lusamine and the others were likely still watching, witnessing him now in a state of disgraceful disarray—like some mangy mutt.
For a man who aspired to greatness, how could this possibly be tolerated?
"Hypno! Use Hypnosis on him—now! Show him what we're made of with your secret weapon!"
Even Hypno was stunned. Who would've thought a mere human could explode with such speed? It hadn't even had time to block the attack for its Trainer.
But given the new command, it rushed to make up for its earlier failure.
"Hyp-no... Hypno..."
Hypno started swinging its pendulum, trying to lull Haru into a deep sleep.
If they could just put him under, everything else would be up to them.
But Hypnosis was never a guaranteed hit, and Haru seemed to have predicted this. He instantly withdrew, moving faster than the range of the hypnotic waves.
After smoothly evading the high-accuracy Hypnosis, Haru suddenly brought his hands together in a familiar pose—like the opening stance for Kamehameha.
Invisible power began rapidly converging between his palms, as though some vortex was pulling everything into a stormy center.
Everyone—Faba and the other Aether grunts alike—could feel it.
Something's coming. Could it be the high-powered Moonblast they'd seen in earlier intel?
No, definitely not.
Though it was also a spherical energy blast, this one clearly lacked the shimmering glow of a full moon. Instead, it radiated a deep darkness—like the soul of a stall team player in Singles format.
The move was called—Shadow Ball!
Maru-rraaa!
As they watched that dark, deadly orb hurtle toward them, Faba and Hypno felt their hearts go as cold as a 2.5% IV Solgaleo's stat spread.
Just like Moonblast, Shadow Ball was a high-damage move.
But unlike Moonblast, Shadow Ball was a Ghost-type attack—and Ghost-types had a type advantage over Hypno's pure Psychic typing.
If that Shadow Ball landed, Hypno wouldn't survive it even with a hundred thousand HP.
And more importantly… why did this mysterious Pokémon radiate such terrifying presence when attacking?
It was like an Ultra Beast—no, even stronger?
No way. That couldn't be!
"Dodge it, Hypno! Don't let it hit you!"
In desperation, Faba used his secret technique: Panicked Dodge Order.
Unfortunately for him, Hypno belonged to a category of Pokémon best described as slow as molasses. No matter how hard it tried, it just couldn't escape the incoming attack.
"Hyyyaaaa—"
The fearsome Shadow Ball struck Hypno head-on, incinerating it in an instant and releasing a shockwave that echoed like Fat Man and Little Boy.
When the dust finally cleared, only one thing remained in front of the two: a Pokémon with swirling eyes.
And so ended the legend of the doujin king—Principal Hypno, defeated in utter disgrace.
Seeing things go south fast, the Aether grunts immediately screamed:
"Minister! We're coming to help!"
But they didn't send out any Pokémon to battle Haru. Instead, they all turned tail and sprinted away like ten thousand serial killers were chasing them.
Some, afraid they wouldn't be fast enough, even summoned Flying-types to carry them off faster.
Are you kidding me? If it had been Master Wicke or Lady Lusamine in danger, maybe they'd lend a hand.
But now? The one who provoked this terrifying mystery Pokémon was that annoying old coot. Why the hell should they risk their lives for him?
Besides, they'd already done plenty of heavy lifting in the earlier expedition. Now it was time to slack off.
Yes, even within the Aether Foundation, Faba was decidedly unpopular.
So in this moment of crisis, their top priority was obvious: run, not rescue.
"We're retreating to preserve our strength! Once backup from HQ arrives, everything will be fine!"
With that, they tossed Faba one last "encouraging" line before fleeing.
It only made things worse.
Already boiling with rage, Faba now entered Overheat mode and triggered his Anger Shell ability.
"THAT'S IT! I'M TAKING YOU DOWN WITH ME!"
Fueled by sheer fury, Faba charged at Haru with all his strength and speed, vowing to show this damned Pokémon what real pain felt like.
Surely, if he kept going, if he could just land his fist on Haru's face…
KO'd.
Not even bothering to dodge, Haru simply lifted his leg and kicked the charging Faba away—barely avoiding sending him into orbit.
"..."
Through a surveillance feed still running, Lusamine—the glamorous blonde—witnessed everything.
At first, she assumed Haru was just hiding a Pokémon inside his body and using that Pokémon's moves through trickery.
Why? Probably because the Pokémon itself was too weak, so this man had to rely on smoke and mirrors to scare off that ridiculously strong "Delibird" in the last broadcast.
But now, her thinking had shifted.
If the Pokémon was simply hidden inside him, how could this man wield its moves so flawlessly? As if he were one with it?
And with this kind of power, why would the Pokémon bother hiding? Why not just come out and beat Faba openly?
Then… could it be possible?
Could this man actually be a Pokémon himself?
Even Lusamine let out a soft gasp.
As someone with a deep obsession for Pokémon, such a unique and enigmatic being was irresistibly enticing.
Capture him. She had to capture him.
And then…
Add him to her collection.
Within Lusamine's heart, a new ambition began to burn.