Inside the battle zone, Bai Chen was performing the most fundamental drills.
Although he currently couldn't utilize the vast majority of his power, his physical and mental endurance remained intact. Training for several days without sleep or rest was, for him, only as taxing as skipping a short afternoon nap.
After three or four hours, Bai Chen completed today's basic training. He took a deep breath to steady his somewhat ragged breathing, closed his eyes, and began a mental simulation. He rested the Great Sword at his waist, his right hand gripping the hilt tightly.
In the world of Monster Hunter, various schools of swordsmanship existed. As far as Bai Chen knew, there were many named styles, including a unique school created by the Field Master. The Master had even shared some of those teachings with Bai Chen before.
"The Master's style isn't necessarily flashy, but it constitutes the most essential foundation. If I can merge my own moves into it..."
Bai Chen suddenly drew his blade, the edge tearing through the air. He let out a soft exhale and sheathed the sword back at his waist.
"Iaijutsu is about speed and precision. Activating [Focus] allows me to lock onto an enemy's vitals."
Since obtaining the power of Aura, the speed at which Bai Chen could use Focus to lock onto vitals had increased significantly. Focus solved the problem of precision perfectly. Next came speed.
"[Extreme Speed] accelerates the body's dash. If I concentrate the power of the move into my right hand, the speed should increase even further. Additionally, since this is a style meant to fuse moves, I need to consider weaving in other energies—like Nature Power or Psychic."
Zing—!
Bai Chen slashed once more. This strike contained no special techniques; it was merely a basic draw. Bai Chen repeated this horizontal slash over and over, tirelessly building muscle memory.
At 10:00 PM.
Outside the battle zone, Lillie arrived with Serena. As they reached the entrance, the sound of the blade cutting the air reached them. They peeked inside and saw Bai Chen deep in practice.
Serena whispered, "Mr. Bai is so diligent. I didn't expect him to still be practicing at this hour."
Lillie nodded absently. She had noticed several strange things over the past few days. Despite spending every day with Bai Chen, she hadn't seen him use his psychic or other abilities once. Even his signature armor and Great Sword were nowhere to be seen.
Seeing Lillie's distracted look, Serena asked, "What's wrong? Did you have a fight with Mr. Bai?"
"No, no." Lillie waved her hands hurriedly. Knowing they were within range of Bai Chen's senses, she pulled Serena away to a quiet spot.
They found an empty battle zone. Lillie had originally come to accompany Serena for her Pokémon Showcase training.
Serena, seeing Lillie's cautious behavior, became even more curious. "What exactly is going on?"
"I suspect Mr. Bai is hiding something from me."
"No way? Does he like someone else?"
"It's not that. I just find it strange how quiet he's been. He hasn't used any of his powers. I'm worried that the battle from a few days ago left him with serious aftereffects."
After all, Bai Chen was the last person to touch the Giant Rock. The energy that had gone berserk was observed to be powerful enough to destroy all of Kalos.
"I see." Serena thought for a moment and suggested, "If you're worried, why not take him to a hospital for a check-up?"
Lillie shook her head. "You know how he is. His uniqueness makes him dislike going to hospitals for examinations."
Serena recalled Bai Chen's borderline monstrous abilities. If she were him, she wouldn't want people poking and prodding her body either. "If he won't go to a hospital, why not just ask him directly?"
Lillie had already tried that. "I asked him, but he keeps saying his body is fine. Yet, no matter how I look at it, he seems to be in trouble."
"That really is unsettling," Serena agreed. If the person she liked hid something that important from her, she would be just as worried. "Since he won't talk, why not ask Indeedee or the others? They would definitely know if something was wrong with his health."
Serena's suggestion hit the mark. "You're right!"
Lillie didn't rush to find Indeedee immediately. Instead, she fulfilled her promise to Serena first—helping her brainstorm ideas for her performance in a few days. It wasn't until midnight, when the training ended, that Lillie arrived at Indeedee's door. She had already confirmed that Bai Chen was still at the battle zone.
Knock, knock.
Indeedee's curious voice soon came from inside: "Fu?"
Once Lillie identified herself, Indeedee used psychokinesis to open the door. The room was a standard twin-bed setup shared by Valstrax, Indeedee, and Nebby. Nebby was fast asleep, and Valstrax was currently out playing somewhere.
Indeedee welcomed Lillie and instinctively went to brew tea. Lillie stopped her and got straight to the point. "No need for tea. I just have some questions. Is there something wrong with Mr. Bai's health?"
Indeedee thought for a moment. Bai Chen hadn't given her a gag order. As an Emotion Pokémon, she could feel Lillie's intense worry and anxiety. She explained Bai Chen's current physical state in simple terms.
Lillie's eyes widened. She hadn't expected the situation to be this severe. "How long will this last? Will it get better in a few days?"
Indeedee shook her head helplessly. "Fu..."
She didn't know how long it would last. She had only heard Bai Chen mutter that after several days, his progress had only increased by 0.2%.
"Then won't it be very dangerous for Mr. Bai when you guys go back next time?"
Indeedee wasn't actually that worried about his safety. In this state, Bai Chen's damage resistance and healing were top-tier; he just couldn't fight. Moreover, Nergigante would always be with him to protect him.
Hearing the explanation, Lillie said, "But as far as I know, his physical toughness alone can't withstand attacks from true powerhouses, right?"
Bai Chen usually relied on [Protect] to block lethal blows. Without activating [Bulk Up] or [Aura Hardening], his raw physical defense was still relatively fragile.
Indeedee nodded, not denying it. Now was indeed Bai Chen's most vulnerable time. She comforted Lillie, saying everyone would find a way to protect their master.
Lillie knew this, but Indeedee's words didn't lift her spirits. After sitting in thought for a while, she said her goodbyes.
On the way back, she sighed deeply. She understood why Bai Chen hadn't told her. The most direct reason was that telling her wouldn't change anything—she couldn't help him at all.
At this moment, she desired to become stronger more than ever. At the very least, she wanted to be capable of helping the person she valued, rather than being treated like a rescue target, waiting in a shelter, and hoping for their safe return.
"Sigh..." Lillie let out a faint breath.
"29,312 times."
Early the next morning, Bai Chen was still practicing his basic Iaijutsu. Despite a night of training, he was covered in sweat, but his face showed little fatigue. After finishing the last set, he sheathed his sword and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Today, he had promised to help Ash with special training. Ash's Frogadier had already reached Level 40; it would likely evolve soon. He needed to make the most of their time.
Bai Chen looked at the sweat-stained ground, then at Nergigante and Velkhana sleeping side by side near the edge of the field. To be precise, Velkhana had shamelessly squeezed herself against Nergigante.
Bai Chen walked over and scooped up the sleeping Nergigante. Without her pillow, Velkhana's head hit the ground with a thud, and she woke instantly. She watched Bai Chen walk away, shook her head, and hurried after him.
Bai Chen's movements were gentle enough that Nergigante didn't wake up. Back in the room, he headed straight for the bathroom. It wasn't until the hot water hit Nergigante that she snapped awake. Acting as if she'd encountered a nightmare, she tried to bolt out of the bathroom.
However, Bai Chen had grabbed her tail. While he couldn't use much strength, he knew her weak points—a gentle tug on a specific scale caused her to lose all strength.
"It's been so long, shouldn't you be used to this by now?"
"Ao!" Nergigante roared in protest. But soon, the roar turned into a wail.
Outside, Velkhana heard the wail and rushed in to the rescue. A blast of extreme cold breath instantly froze Bai Chen along with the water heater. Nergigante's eyes lit up; she had never found Velkhana so adorable until now.
But before she could offer praise, her confidence wilted. Indeedee had appeared outside the bathroom holding a pile of clothes.
"Fu..." Indeedee's expression was very dark.
Nergigante shivered and hid behind the Bai Chen ice sculpture. Her raw strength was the highest in the team, but in this group, strength wasn't everything.
The consequences of provoking Indeedee were far worse than provoking Bai Chen. Indeedee was the designated chef and logistics manager; even the proud Zinogre never dared to cross her.
Velkhana, being a newborn calf that didn't fear the tiger, hadn't realized the gravity of the situation. It wasn't until Indeedee caught her with psychokinesis and lectured her for several hours that she understood the true pecking order.
Nergigante silently prayed for Velkhana: If you provoke Bai Chen, I can still save you. But Indeedee... Sorry, I'll share a bit of my lunch with you later.
Indeedee called Moltres to thaw Bai Chen, finally ending the morning farce.
Later that morning, Bai Chen found it odd that Lillie wasn't up yet. With her healthy routine, she should have been awake. He went to find her but was met with a rare "closed-door" treatment.
"What's wrong with her? Did I do something wrong?"
After asking Indeedee, he learned that Lillie had come to check on his health last night. Bai Chen scratched his head and soon stopped worrying. "I guess she's just mad because I hid it from her. I'll explain it when she cools down." He didn't take it to heart.
Two days passed quickly. It was the day of Serena's Pokémon Showcase. The group attended as spectators, watching as Serena earned her Princess Key. Once finished in Coumarine Town, they immediately set out for Anistar City.
Bai Chen's original reason for going to Anistar City was to investigate the Sundial, which had an energy wavelength similar to the Giant Rock.
Now that he had absorbed 80% of the Rock's energy, the Sundial held little attraction. The main reason he stayed with the group was Ash's Greninja. If everything went as expected, Frogadier would evolve in Anistar City.
Meanwhile, at the Anistar Gym...
A group of robed apprentices were resonating with their Psychic Pokémon, floating in mid-air using telekenisis. Above them was a starry night sky. At the top floated a lady with long purple hair, flanked by two Meowstic. She was the Gym Leader, Olympia.
Suddenly, a shooting star streaked across the sky. Olympia's eyes snapped open. She gasped, "I see it!"
The apprentices stopped their work and looked up at her. Anyone familiar with her knew that when Olympia said she "saw it," she was seeing the future.
Olympia spread her arms, her starlight cloak billowing despite the lack of wind. Green energy flew from her body, forming a television-like screen in the air. Her eyes were filled with fear and despair.
"I see it... I see the scene of the world's destruction, and the disaster beast that follows him!"
"Where he goes, calamity follows. Under his influence, the world is gradually heading toward its end."
The image shifted, gradually revealing the face of Bai Chen and the form of Nergigante.
The apprentices recognized him instantly. Bai Chen was the one who had brought disaster to Lumiose City only a week ago! Now, Olympia had prophesied that he would bring disaster to the entire world.
How could they not be nervous?
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