On the bow deck of the Royal Unova, cries and screams filled the air, mixed with the sound of children wailing in panic.
"Mommy, w-wah...!"
"Get inside the cabin! Grab my hand!"
"What the hell is that thing?!"
"It hurts... it hurts so bad!"
"Is this the end of the world? What's happening to the sky... and the ship?!"
The bizarre sky and the violently tilted ship were sights these people could never imagine. None of them had ever witnessed Dynamax before. To these passengers, what they were seeing was nothing short of hell itself.
Peony floated silently beside his Bronzong, ignoring the terrified people below. After confirming that no other ships were nearby, he had Bronzong seal the entire area with a psychic barrier.
A faint pink glow spread across the ship, turning eerie under the crimson light. The Royal Unova was now encased within a psychic barrier, like being trapped inside a glowing red sphere.
In the next instant, Peony and Bronzong vanished from the air and reappeared directly inside the captain's cabin.
Captain Norton froze where he stood, his body rigid with fear, still leaning against the wall. The situation had already gone far beyond his control. The man who could alter the sky and stop a moving cruise ship using his Pokémon and some unknown means… his power was unimaginable.
'This strength... it must be on par with the Champion of Kanto League,' he thought, trembling.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a faint pink shimmer appear in the corner of the cabin. A moment later, the same man who had blocked the ship appeared there with his Bronzong.
"Where is he?" Peony asked coldly, tilting his head slightly.
'He?' Norton's thoughts spun into chaos. He immediately recalled the strange orders from his superiors, the confusing Professor Rowan, and that Galar professor, the one he was told to pick up.
So this man... he must be looking for that person. That professor.
It dawned on him then. He had been forced into a political struggle between the upper ranks of different regional Leagues, and the key figure was that professor.
But…
"I…I really don't know who you're talking about!" Norton stammered, nearly breaking down into tears.
He hadn't even seen a picture of the person he was supposed to meet here. Other than the name of that professor and the vague instructions from Rowan, he knew nothing else.
That's right!
"Professor Rowan! Professor Rowan!" Norton fumbled for his communicator. He remembered he was still in a call with him and it hadn't been disconnected yet.
"Hmm?" Peony grunted, glancing down at the small device in Norton's hand. The screen was black.
He frowned impatiently and gave an order. "Hypnosis."
Before Norton could even explain, Bronzong's eyes flashed with a ghostly light, and the captain fell into a daze, unconsciously spilling everything he knew.
Moments later.
"Professor Rowan from Sinnoh... and Shiro? You're not sure if he's on board? Could be, could not be... maybe he ran when he saw me," Peony muttered to himself, thinking aloud.
After a brief pause, he led Bronzong to begin a full search of the ship, checking every hallway and cabin. Even if it took some time, he had to confirm that his target, Shiro, wasn't aboard.
His brother Rose and Oleana had both emphasized how important the thing in Shiro's possession was. Even if he had to kill the man in a critical situation, he had to retrieve the item intact.
The only ship near Galar today was the Royal Unova. If he could confirm that Shiro wasn't on board, it would mean he was still somewhere near Hulbury.
* * *
Meanwhile, behind the Hulbury Gym, at the edge of the outdoor training field, Shiro leaned against the railing. After staring toward the distance for a while, he quietly entered the gym through the back door, taking his time to look around.
Peony was probably still searching the ship. It would take him a while.
He had never planned to escape in one move anyway. His preparations included two layers of backup, and this time, the one the company had sent to deal with him turned out to be none other than the former Champion, Peony.
That Copperajah... was truly terrifying.
He still remembered its data after it had Dynamaxed:
[Name: Copperajah
Type: Steel
Level: 68 (63)
Ability: Sheer Force
Held Item: None
Moves: Heavy Slam, Tackle, Growl, Rollout, Rock Smash, Bulldoze, Stomp, Iron Defense, Dig, Strength, Iron Head, High Horsepower, Protect, Rock Tomb, Fling, Sandstorm, Zen Headbutt, Body Slam…]
Even before Dynamaxing, it was already a Champion-level Pokémon. After transforming, its power had skyrocketed even further. Just standing in the water, its overwhelming pressure was unlike anything an ordinary Pokémon could give off.
Shiro could sense that there was a subtle difference between a Champion-level Pokémon and an Elite-level one, though he couldn't quite put it into words.
The difference between Elite and Gym levels was clear: raw strength, energy, and endurance. But the Champion level seemed to demand something beyond that.
As he pondered about it, he walked through the gym's corridors, taking several turns before finally finding the exit.
When he stepped through the wide-open entrance, the area outside was empty, save for piles of filming equipment stacked on both sides.
Checking the time, he saw it was half past ten, about an hour since his battle against Nathan, the Hulbury Gym Leader. Everyone was probably still watching the next match inside the central arena.
Unhurried, he walked over to a shaded spot near the entrance, unfolded a chair from his bag, and sat down to rest.
Then he pulled out the company's communicator and sent a message to Marvin: "I just saw a red dome over the sea near Hulbury. Looks like someone used Dynamax again..."
If Oleana was still monitoring him, the message would've been flagged the moment he sent it.
Sure, a cruise ship might have appeared nearby, but he had never left the Hulbury Gym, or the town itself at all.
According to the company's schedule, once Nathan and Lina's father-daughter match ended, a filming crew would move out from the gym toward Route 5's western entrance, just outside town, to capture Lina's roadside battle against Nessa.
All he had to do now was wait patiently and then casually follow the crew later, pretending to be just another bystander watching the show.
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