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"Damn it! Houndour, quick—use Roar!"
The previous clash had lasted no longer than a few blinks of an eye. Yet in that fleeting moment, the once-confident Kaz had already begun losing his team.
"Trying the same trick again? You won't get the chance this time! Scizor—Bullet Punch!"
"Scizor!"
At Liam's sharp command, Scizor appeared beside him in a blur, its twin steel pincers glowing with metallic light before it slashed through the air. In the next instant—after a red flash of electricity—two Houndour and a Poliswine were sent flying backward, crying out in pain before hitting the ground. Within seconds, all three were completely knocked out.
"W-What?! Poliswine! Poliswine, wake up—please!"
Kaz's eyes widened in disbelief as his Poliswine landed right in front of him. His voice trembled.
"H-how is that possible?! That's Teacher's Poliswine! How could it be taken down in a single blow? Who the heck is this guy!?"
Sham—who had already collapsed to the ground earlier—lost the smug grin on her face. Now, she stared in horror at the fainted Poliswine, her lips trembling. "No way… I don't believe it…"
"Hmph. You got lucky this time. Everyone, return! Let's go, Sham!"
Realizing the tide had turned against him, Kaz gritted his teeth and hastily recalled his Pokemon. Then, dragging Sham up by the arm, he started running toward the forest.
"My Meowth! My Meowth!"
Even as Kaz half-dragged her away, Sham looked back in distress. Her three Meowth were still paralyzed and unable to move, left behind on the field. Tears welled up in her eyes. With a sudden push, she shoved Kaz away, clutching her PokeBalls, and ran back toward them.
"…Scizor. Restrain them. But—go easy."
Watching the girl's stubborn return, Liam's cold gaze softened slightly. With Scizor's speed, neither of the two children could possibly escape anyway. And seeing Sham risk herself to rescue her Pokemon—Liam couldn't help but feel a flicker of respect.
"Sciz…"
At his command, Scizor lowered its head, glancing at its own massive, steel-like pincers. Then it looked at the small, frail girl—and for a moment, it hesitated. Liam's "go easy" order suddenly felt a bit difficult to follow.
"Ugh! Idiot! This is all your fault! Now neither of us can get away!"
Kaz shouted angrily from the forest's edge when Sham collapsed again after recalling her Meowth. Despite his irritation, he didn't run. Instead, he stepped forward, standing protectively in front of Sham, glaring at her with mock annoyance.
"Y-you…"
Sham looked up at Kaz in surprise. Though his tone was harsh, her heart felt oddly warm.
"Tch… suddenly I feel like the bad guy here," Liam muttered, sighing. "Forget it. These two clearly have something going on. Let's secure them for now. Morty, go alert Officer Jenny. Axu, Eusine—find some rope."
Liam rubbed his temple in mild exasperation. The boy Kaz was clearly someone who'd been trained from a young age—he had spirit, if nothing else.
"Yes, sir! I'll go right now!" Morty nodded and sprinted off.
"Got it, I'll find some rope," Axu said, pulling Eusine along as they hurried away to search.
"Ahem. You two—what exactly are you doing out here? You're barely ten years old, and you're already committing crimes? Do your parents even know what you're up to?"
Having recalled Steelix, Liam stepped closer to the two kids, his tone cold as he questioned them.
"Hmph! We're orphans! We don't have any parents!"
It was Sham who answered, gripping Kaz's hand tightly as she stood up, glaring back at Liam without a trace of fear.
"If you think you can get information from us, forget it! We'll never talk! But I'll tell you this—our teacher is nearby, and he's really strong! You don't stand a chance against him! So you'd better release us now before he shows up—or you'll regret it!"
This time, it was Kaz who spoke—his expression calm and steady, far more composed than one would expect from a boy under ten.
"Heh. Your teacher, huh? Now that does make me curious," Liam chuckled softly. "If he's really nearby, then let him come. I'd like to see just how strong he is. As for you two, I'm not interested in questioning you—it's too much trouble. I'll just wait here for Officer Jenny to arrive and hand you over. My job will be done."
Liam had already anticipated their stubbornness. He didn't take the "teacher" threat seriously, either. After ordering Scizor to keep watch, he turned toward the direction of the legendary Burned Tower.
But just then—
"Baaa-ga!"
A sharp cry echoed from the forest.
The next instant—a blizzard erupted out of nowhere!
Caught off guard, Liam barely reacted before Scizor spun around and lunged forward, grabbing him and leaping clear of the storm's range. When the fierce wind subsided, Scizor turned its cold gaze toward the fading snowstorm, its eyes glinting with a dangerous light.
"What incredible power… That blizzard's force was terrifying."
Even though it had lasted only seconds, half the clearing and a section of the nearby woods were left utterly devastated. Kaz and Sham, who had been standing by the treeline, were gone—clearly rescued amid the chaos.
"Liam! Sir! What happened here?!"
Axu and Eusine returned, ropes in hand, staring in shock at the frozen, white wasteland where the forest had been.
"Heh. Seems we ran into a real expert. I let my guard down for one moment, and they snatched the kids right out from under me."
Liam's tone was calm, but Axu's face paled at his words.
He knew full well how strong Liam was—Champion-level strength. For someone to take captives from him… that meant the opponent's power was the real deal. The realization sent a chill through Axu's spine, though he wasn't sure if it was from the snow—or pure fear.
Meanwhile, deep in the forest, a red-and-white Delibird was darting swiftly through the trees, gripping Kaz and Sham tightly in its claws as it flew.
"Delibird?! What are you doing here? Weren't you supposed to be with Teacher?"
Kaz looked up at the bird carrying them, confused.
"Baa-ga!"
Delibird didn't look back. It called out briskly, wings beating as it flew deeper into the woods.
…
Ten minutes later, near the Burned Tower, several police cars were parked outside. Liam and his group stood nearby, watching as the captured members of the Hunter Group—now bound with ropes—were escorted into the vehicles.
"Well, they're in custody now. I'll be heading off. Eusine, if possible, I'd like to bring Delia over for a Gym battle sometime soon. Can we arrange that?"
With everything settled, Liam prepared to leave, though he paused to ask about the Gym challenge first.
"Hmm… all right," Eusine said after a moment of thought. "Since the previous battle wasn't an official match, I'll allow it. You're welcome anytime."
"Haha, great! Thanks—you're a good kid."
Pleased by his answer, Liam reached out to pat Eusine's head—but he quickly batted his hand away.
"Er… hehe. All right, then. I'll be going. See you later."
Liam withdrew his hand sheepishly, smiling as he waved goodbye and turned to leave.
Jingle… jingle…
"Hmm? What's that sound?"
Just as he was about to depart, Liam suddenly heard a crisp, melodious ringing coming from the east. He frowned, lifting his gaze—then his pupils contracted sharply, his face flashing with astonishment.
In the distance stood a newly built, towering structure. On each corner of every level hung an enormous bronze bell, all swaying gently in the wind—the very source of the ethereal sound.
But what truly left Liam speechless wasn't the tower itself—
—it was the magnificent, multicolored bird soaring at its peak, wings spread wide as it cried out in a voice that seemed to pierce the heavens.
A Ho-Oh!—its radiant feathers gleaming in the sunlight—was singing atop the Bell Tower!