Acapulco.
The battle was coming to an end—actually, it was as good as over!
It was just that the giant Tentacruel was so absurdly tough that Dragonite had turned it into a sparring dummy for Charizard, letting Charizard practice controlling its new strength. That was the only reason the battle had dragged out this long.
"What are they doing?"
Watching Dragonite and Charizard dominate but failing to wrap things up, Officer Jenny—who'd stuck close to Silas—couldn't hide her frustration. "Is something wrong with them?" she pressed Silas anxiously.
"Nope." Silas shook his head. He was a little puzzled, too, about why they hadn't finished things, but the system had already issued him a Top-grade Fire Crystal as a reward, which meant Charizard and Dragonite had already subdued the giant Tentacruel. Clearly, they were just stalling for some other reason. So Silas reassured Jenny, "Don't worry. Tentacruel can't make any more trouble."
"I know." Officer Jenny could only force a bitter smile. "It's just—for Acapulco, every second this fight drags on is costing us. I just wish it'd end faster."
"Heh…"
Silas just smiled noncommittally at her concern.
While the two of them made awkward small talk, Charizard and Dragonite finally returned to them with the giant Tentacruel in tow. The Tentacruel's massive body was scorched and blackened all over. Even from two or three meters away, both Silas and Officer Jenny could catch a whiff of roasting meat—it actually smelled good. If Tentacruel hadn't followed Dragonite and Charizard back of its own will, they'd honestly believe it was already barbecued…
"Charizard~"
Charizard was the first to return to Silas's side, gleefully showing off like a kid expecting praise.
"All done." Dragonite was much steadier, reporting, "We wasted some time at the end, I was letting Charizard practice. Sorry for roughing Tentacruel up a bit."
A bit?
Dragonite's "bit" made Officer Jenny's eye twitch. Tentacruel was practically grilled—"a bit roughed up" was a massive understatement!
"Good work."
Silas patted both Pokémon on the head and smiled: "You guys need to rest in your Master Balls for a while?"
"Raaawr!"
"No need." Charizard and Dragonite both shook their heads. Dragonite kept a wary eye on the battered Tentacruel, explaining, "That thing has no fight left, but even one stray hit could still kill you. Charizard and I better stay close, just in case."
"Thanks, guys."
Silas nodded, then walked right up to Tentacruel and spoke in a grave voice: "Tentacruel, I know why you came. I can help fix your living environment. But you've got two choices: either you come with me, or you die here today."
No sugarcoating.
Silas's words were blunt, offering Tentacruel no third option.
The giant Tentacruel weakly lifted two tentacles—Charizard and Dragonite immediately tensed, but Silas just shook his head, signaling them to stand down. The tentacles reached Silas's temples, and the two gems on Tentacruel's head glowed red.
Suddenly, soundwaves flooded Silas's mind, condensing into human words.
"Human… can you really fix our habitat problem?"
"Yes. I can."
"But only if I follow you?"
"No…" Silas shook his head firmly. "It was humans who were at fault to begin with. That means it's on us to fix it. I'll help, whether you go with me or not."
Silas's conviction was absolute, and Tentacruel had no doubt he meant it—it could feel truth directly in his mind.
Tentacruel went quiet and thought for a while, and Silas didn't rush it. This was about its entire future—careful thought only made sense.
"Human," Tentacruel finally decided, "I'll go with you."
As soon as it finished, Tentacruel withdrew its tentacles. Charizard, Dragonite, and Officer Jenny all jumped in surprise, but Silas just pulled out a Master Ball and offered it to Tentacruel. "Come on in. I'll get you somewhere safe to heal."
Tentacruel stretched out a tentacle, tapped the Master Ball, and let itself be caught.
Seeing the giant Tentacruel safely stored, Silas finally relaxed. If Tentacruel had refused, he really would have gone for the kill.
It wasn't that Silas was some tyrant—the situation was just that extreme. The League would never let a monster like Tentacruel walk free. If they'd captured and dissected it, discovered the secret of its mutation, and figured out how to replicate it… well, the whole world could change overnight. He couldn't let that happen.
Tucking away both the Master Ball and Charizard, Silas hopped onto Dragonite and said, "Officer Jenny, with everything settled, I'll be heading out now."
"Mm." Officer Jenny nodded reflexively, then tried to say more—only to realize Silas was already gone, vanished without a trace.
...
An hour later.
After transferring Tentacruel to Grandpa Professor Oak, Silas returned to their campsite.
By now, all three girls were up. Suzie was prepping lunch, Lorelei lounged with a book and sunglasses, using Tyranitar as a backrest, and Giselle was playing with Pikachu—occasionally joined by Gastly, who kept jump-scaring them for fun. It was peaceful and lively.
Silas's return didn't escape their notice. Suzie, stirring lunch, greeted him with a bright smile: "Perfect timing! Lunch will be ready in about twenty minutes. You should get washed up and ready."
"Sorry about that," Silas apologized quickly. "I was supposed to make lunch today, actually…"
"No worries." Suzie waved it off. "You were busy, so lunch is on me. Besides, if my memory's right, your cooking skills aren't exactly stellar. Last time you made lunch, we nearly had to recover for three days!"
"She's right!" Giselle chimed in for backup. "Do you even make food that's edible?"
"Totally agree." Lorelei, not even looking up from her book, delivered another savage blow: "Some guys can cook, sure—but Silas, you are not one of them."
"…" Silas could only laugh in disbelief. His cooking wasn't that bad—in fact, in his last life, he'd even taken a whole month's culinary training to impress his wife!
But he had more urgent things to do. "Fine, fine, my cooking sucks. But I've got some stuff to deal with, so you guys go ahead and eat. Don't wait up for me."
"That urgent?" Suzie frowned, a little concerned.
"Yeah." Silas nodded, then turned to Tyranitar: "Come with me."
"Tyranitar!"
Tyranitar answered crisply, hauling itself off the grass, massive body rumbling as it followed Silas out.
...
Deep in the forest.
Silas and Tyranitar stood silently, staring each other down.
After a long pause, Tyranitar finally spoke. "So, what's up?"
"Yeah." Silas nodded, then asked, "Want to get stronger? Strong enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with Dragonite and Charizard!"
"What do you mean?" Tyranitar sounded genuinely confused.
The explanation was immediate—Silas held up a crystal, earthy yellow and radiant!
Seeing it, Tyranitar's breath went ragged, staring fixedly at the crystal. Deep inside, it knew—if it got that crystal, Legendary Pokémon level was within reach!
"Do you want it?" Silas asked calmly.
"Yes." Tyranitar nodded hard, not even hesitating.
"Can I trust you?" Silas pressed, meeting Tyranitar's gaze.
That stopped Tyranitar in its tracks. It knew exactly what Silas was asking—and after a long silence, answered seriously: "You can. The League may have raised me, but I don't owe them. I've already spent a century serving them—I've done more than enough."
"Then go ahead." Silas tossed the Top-grade Rock Crystal to Tyranitar, and without a second thought, Tyranitar swallowed it up!
Immediately, everything changed.
Tyranitar was engulfed in a surge of blinding white light, an overwhelming aura blasting out and nearly tossing Silas off his feet! Even Charizard and Dragonite burst from their Master Balls instinctively, throwing themselves in front of Silas on reflex.
"He's… breaking through?!" Dragonite was shocked, voice trembling with disbelief.
"Yeah." Silas nodded, but frowned a little. "But this feels weird. Charizard slept through its breakthrough, but Tyranitar's is crazy loud and flashy. Doesn't… doesn't it need to go into a coma to evolve?"
"Nope." Dragonite shook its head, quickly explaining, "Charizard needed to 'digest' that special food you gave us, so deep sleep was required. But Tyranitar's foundation is rock solid—he can just blast right through. And now that he's made it, his power might even surpass Charizard's!"
Surpass Charizard?!
Silas stared, wide-eyed. He'd only wanted Tyranitar to catch up to Charizard—surpassing him hadn't even crossed his mind.
While Silas was still reeling, Dragonite watched the breaking-through Tyranitar with growing curiosity: "Wonder what he'll look like after this…?"
"What he'll look like?"
Silas blinked. "Breakthrough isn't the same as Evolution… is Tyranitar really going to change?"
"Oh yeah!" Dragonite nodded, gesturing to Charizard. "That's why Charizard looks the way he does now. My bulk too—it's all from breaking through. When you hit Legendary Pokémon level, you fuse elemental power into your very body. In the end, your entire form transforms into pure element!"
That got Silas's eyes sparkling with anticipation—and he stared eagerly into the blinding light around Tyranitar…