Isn't This Illegal?

At this moment, Darkrai was waiting under a large tree, its head throbbing. Perched on a branch right above its head was the Murkrow, Little Mimi.

Little Mimi had thought about escaping, but every time she made a move, Darkrai would immediately seize her with Dark Void, leaving her with no chance at all.

Gradually, she stopped trying to escape.

Since she couldn't run, she stood on the branch, cursing incessantly, bringing her sharp tongue to full play.

"You little punk, only know how to use dirty tricks! And you dare threaten Angie? Just you wait, when Angie gets here, he'll blow your head off! I'll be laughing so loud when that happens..."

Murkrow were known to be one of the smartest Pokémon, and after being exposed to the internet and a wealth of knowledge, Little Mimi had only grown sharper. Up until now, she hadn't repeated a single insult.

"Darkrai~"

Shut up!

Darkrai finally couldn't take it anymore and raised its head to roar angrily at Little Mimi.

However, Little Mimi yelled back even louder.

"So what if you have a loud voice, you white-haired freak! Do you think dyeing your hair white makes you cool? Lame! Super lame! Look at me, dressed in black—this is what true fashion looks like! You don't know anything about style. Ever heard of the dazzling shades of black? Black is the ultimate beauty..."

Saying this, Little Mimi struck a glamorous pose.

Darkrai felt as if a hundred flies were buzzing around its ears, and its temples throbbed painfully.

It must have been cursed to have captured such a hostage—no, Pokémon hostage!

Just as Darkrai felt it was reaching its limit, it suddenly sensed a powerful presence approaching.

Even from sensing the aura alone, it felt a shudder run through its entire being.

What was going on? Who was it?

Recognizing the aura of Yveltal, Little Mimi excitedly hopped up and down on the branch.

"Hahaha~ You little punk, your reckoning is here! I can't wait to see you get thrashed!"

What did she mean? That human is coming? Little Mimi's words made Darkrai freeze for a moment.

Impossible. That human definitely isn't this strong; last time he was so scared he tumbled away in a panic.

What should it do? Should it escape? As the dangerous aura drew closer, Darkrai hesitated.

"Hahaha~ You scared now, aren't you? I knew it! I suggest you get down on your knees and beg for forgiveness now, and maybe I'll put in a good word for you!"

Having been around Yveltal for so long, Little Mimi didn't take Darkrai, a Mythical Pokémon, seriously at all. She scolded it the same way she scolded other Pokémon on the plateau.

But right now, Darkrai was lost in thought, completely ignoring Little Mimi's chatter.

No, it absolutely could not leave. It had to take Komala with it! Komala was its and no one could stop it!

Darkrai's expression gradually hardened, and its eyes began to flicker with a determined light.

As these thoughts solidified, Angie and his companions gradually appeared in Darkrai's line of sight.

Darkrai did not hide but stood boldly under the tree, waiting for Angie's arrival.

"Murkrow~ Murkrow~~"

As Angie and his group approached, Little Mimi excitedly flapped her wings and flew over. However, just as she left the branch, Darkrai grabbed her with a Dark Void.

"Murkrow~ Murkrow~"

Damn it, this trick again! Just you wait!

Little Mimi, feeling the pain, started cursing again.

"Honchkrow~"

Little Mimi!

"Murkrow~ Murkrow~~"

It's Little Mimi!

Honchkrow and Murkrow called out anxiously.

"Murkrow~ Murkrow~"

Boss, Little Pecky, Angie, Lord Yveltal! Please, save me!

Little Mimi struggled while shouting.

Angie took a step forward and said, "Darkrai, I'm here. Let Little Mimi go!"

"Darkrai~ Darkrai~"

Give me Komala!

Darkrai spoke under pressure.

Although it was speaking to Angie, its gaze was fixed on Yveltal and Xerneas, especially Yveltal.

"No way!" Angie firmly refused. "Today, you won't be taking either Little Mimi or Komala!"

"Darkrai~ Darkrai~"

Komala is mine!

Darkrai roared angrily, its pale hair flowing in the wind, and the dark aura around its body surged like flames.

"You're wrong! Komala belongs to no one; it belongs to itself!" Angie retorted.

"Darkrai~ Darkrai~"

Nonsense! Komala is mine, mine!

Darkrai grew even more furious at Angie's words. With a wave of its hand, a Dark Pulse shot toward Angie.

"You're asking for it!"

Volcanion was enraged. One of the arms on its back aimed at the Dark Pulse, while the other aimed at Darkrai.

Two streams of water gushed from Volcanion's arm pipes. One successfully neutralized the Dark Pulse, while the other shot straight toward Darkrai.

However, Darkrai swiftly dodged to the side.

With a loud crash, the tree behind it was reduced to splinters by the Water Gun.

Darkrai was about to launch another attack when the Komala on Angie's shoulder suddenly rolled off and landed directly in front of Darkrai.

"Komala!" Angie called out.

Komala didn't respond to Angie and continued to face off against Darkrai.

Having spent a hundred years together, Darkrai and Komala knew each other very well. Darkrai immediately understood Komala's intentions.

"Darkrai~ Darkrai~"

You want to challenge me?

Hearing Darkrai's words, everyone looked at Komala in surprise.

Komala slowly sat up straight and placed its log beside it, adopting a battle-ready stance, confirming Darkrai's guess.

"Darkrai~ Darkrai~"

You couldn't beat me before; do you think you can now?

Darkrai laughed loudly.

Komala remained unfazed by Darkrai's mockery.

Indeed, it couldn't defeat Darkrai in the past, but things were different now. After living with Angie and eating his specially prepared food every day, its strength had reached a new level!

This was the confidence Komala had in challenging Darkrai.

"Darkrai~ Darkrai~"

Fine, fine! If you can defeat me, I'll release Murkrow! But if you lose... you'll have to come with me obediently and never try to escape again.

Darkrai casually tossed Murkrow aside, suspending it upside down on a tree with a shadow.

Angie frowned and asked, "Komala, are you sure about this?"

Hearing Angie's words, Komala turned its head. Although its eyes remained closed, the expression on its face was unusually determined.

Angie instantly understood that this battle was inevitable.

Suddenly, he came up with an idea and waved at Komala, saying, "Komala, come over here. I need to discuss something with you."

Murkrow rolled over to Angie's feet, and Angie bent down to pick it up, then stepped aside to mumble something.

After a long while, they returned, and Angie loudly addressed Darkrai, saying.

"Darkrai, we agree to let Komala battle you, and I accept your terms. But our condition is not just that you release Little MiMi!"

"Darkrai~"

What other conditions?

Angie continued, "Since Komala has to obediently follow you if it loses, then if you lose, you have to obediently follow us, and from then on, you must listen to Komala's commands!"

His request directly corresponded to Darkrai's, and it was not unreasonable at all.

Darkrai hesitated for a moment but eventually nodded in agreement.

Lose? It couldn't possibly lose to Komala! Besides, the situation left it no room to refuse. The opponents were clearly stronger, and if it refused, it couldn't guarantee that the two other Pokémon, who looked dangerous, wouldn't intervene.

"Then let the battle begin!"

With that, Angie placed Komala on the ground, and it rolled swiftly to the opposite side of Darkrai.

At that moment, Xerneas took a small step forward, and pink light radiated from its body.

It activated its Fairy Aura, which boosted Fairy-type moves, and Fairy-types were naturally strong against Darkrai.

At the same time, Darkrai also activated its ability, Bad Dreams. Under the effect of Bad Dreams, the sleeping Komala would continuously lose HP.

The Bad Dreams ability and the move Nightmare gave Darkrai the confidence it needed to defeat Komala.

After a brief standoff, Komala launched the first attack on Darkrai.

It leapt into the air like a cannonball, causing cracks to form on the ground from the force of its landing.

The Komala's trunk glowed with pink light as it slammed down on Darkrai.

It was using the Fairy-type move Play Rough.

Darkrai quickly dodged.

Boom~~

With a loud crash, the ground was smashed by Komala, creating a large crater, and dirt and grass flew in all directions.

How could it be so strong?

Darkrai was shocked. The last time they fought, Komala hadn't been this powerful.

However, there was no time to think further, as Komala attacked again, and Darkrai quickly used Nightmare to retaliate.

For a Pokémon with the ability to fall into a deep sleep like Komala, nothing worked better than Nightmare.

Purple light emerged from Komala and was absorbed by Darkrai.

Nightmare not only dealt damage to the opponent but also restored the user's health. The damage wasn't insignificant, as long as the opponent was in a sleep state or had the ability that made them prone to sleep.

After being affected by Nightmare, Komala showed pain, but its movements didn't falter, and it relentlessly attacked Darkrai.

Boom~

Darkrai was sent flying and collided with several large trees behind it.

Pain! So much pain!

For the first time, Darkrai felt how painful it was when Komala hit.

Seeing Komala attacking again, Darkrai's eyes flashed with a gleam, and just as Komala was about to use Play Rough, it suddenly found it couldn't use the move.

Darkrai had used the move Mean Look, which prevented the opponent from using moves that could counter it, such as Play Rough.

Komala wasted no time and immediately switched to another move, using Wood Hammer.

Wood Hammer had a high power of 120, but the downside was that it would deal recoil damage to the user.

However, Komala didn't care about that; it was charging in headfirst.

Darkrai countered with Dark Pulse, but it was easily shattered by Komala's Wood Hammer. So Darkrai used Nightmare again.

Boom~~

Darkrai was blasted off again, while Komala endured the recoil damage from Wood Hammer and the effects of Nightmare, making its injuries even worse.

Komala, however, had developed great physical strength from constantly eating dishes made by Angie with spicy bean paste, and for now, it could still endure.

Watching the desperate Komala, Diancie and Magearna exchanged concerned glances.

"Munchlax~ Munchlax~"

"Pawmot~ Pawmot~"

While Munchlax and Pawmot kept throwing punches to cheer on the Komala, it continued to strike Darkrai with its wooden mallet, each blow causing more and more damage.

Darkrai, while evading, kept increasing the distance between itself and Komala. It was skilled in Special Attacks, and those were often ranged attacks, so close contact with Komala was not wise.

Seeing Darkrai rise higher and higher, Komala swung its tree stump down toward the ground. In an instant, countless clumps of earth rose up, forming small earth platforms. Komala jumped from one platform to the next, soaring into the air.

Darkrai didn't expect Komala to have such a move and was caught off guard, being hit by the wooden mallet.

However, it also activated its Dream Eater ability.

Both Pokémon screamed in pain as they fell to the ground.

Dream Eater helped Darkrai recover some of its energy, so despite taking multiple hits from Komala its injuries didn't seem too severe.

In contrast, Komala having been repeatedly drained by Dream Eater, was suffering from recoil damage and the effects of the Nightmare ability. It was now on the brink of collapse.

Seeing this, Darkrai sneered, thinking, Let's see how much longer you can hold on!

After all, how could it possibly lose to a Komala? It had even been worried earlier.

But just then, Komala pulled out a bottle and, after removing the cork, started drinking it quickly. When it finished, it casually tossed the bottle aside.

A glow rose from Komala's body, and its injuries seemed to almost completely heal in an instant.

The bottle contained Moomoo Milk. In the blink of an eye, Komala was fully revitalized.

Darkrai's jaw almost dropped in disbelief.

This works?

Wait, where did it pull that milk bottle from?

Unlike Darkrai's shock, Angie's face showed a smug grin, clearly pleased with his trick.

Earlier, he had called Komala over to hand over all the Moomoo Milk he had on him.

After all, Komala had a system backpack, so it could carry as much as it needed.

As long as Komala felt it was on the verge of exhaustion, it could drink the milk to recover its energy. It could even drink several bottles in one go until it was fully restored!

This was a crucial battle for the future, so of course, every trick had to be used. As for fairness and trainer ethics... those were nonsense.

And besides, he wasn't even a trainer!

Diancie and Magearna, who hadn't known about Angie's little scheme earlier, now watched this scene with speechless expressions.

This is… this is a little bit… illegal…

At that moment, Komala was once again attacking Darkrai.

The two Pokémon continued their back-and-forth.

As time went on, Komala had been repeatedly drained by Dream Eater. Though it was painful, the constant supply of Moomoo Milk allowed it to maintain a high-intensity attack rate.

When the effects of the Bind move wore off, Komala used Play Rough, receiving a subtle boost from Xerneas' Fairy Aura ability, and launched a counterattack against Darkrai.

As for Darkrai, while Dream Eater replenished its energy, the recovery was limited and inconsistent, so it grew increasingly exhausted as the battle wore on.

After an unknown amount of time, Darkrai was once again knocked to the ground by Play Rough. Its body was now covered in wounds.

Komala dragging its tree stump, slowly approached Darkrai, pulling out the milk bottle and drinking it again.

In the blink of an eye, one bottle was finished, and Komala's energy was fully restored. It once again lifted its tree stump and brought it down on Darkrai.

Darkrai wanted to dodge, but it was simply too tired to move.

I'm so tired! So tired!

How did it come to this? I'm supposed to be stronger than that Komala! Why am I the one losing?

Darkrai watched helplessly as the tree stump in Komala's hands grew larger in its vision before finally slamming into its forehead.

Darkrai fell into the pit, completely unconscious.

We won!

Komala stood dazed beside Darkrai, realizing it had actually won. It had defeated Darkrai!

"Komala!" Angie shouted excitedly.

"Munchlax~ Munchlax~"

"Pawmot~ Pawmot~"

Munchlax and Pawmot danced joyfully.

"Komala, you beat Darkrai!" Angie shouted again.

Komala finally snapped out of its daze.

Angie!

It was Angie who had helped it defeat Darkrai!

Without any hesitation, Komala ran toward Angie and dove straight into his arms, even forgetting to pick up the tree stump that had fallen to the ground.

Angie gently stroked Komala's back.

Komala's body trembled, its paws tightly gripping Angie's clothes.

Until now, Angie didn't know what kind of past Komala and Darkrai shared, but he knew very clearly that defeating Darkrai must have had a significant meaning for Komala.

Feeling Komala's grip tighten, Angie hugged it even more tightly, offering it emotional support.

After Darkrai fell unconscious, the shadow that had been restraining Murkrow automatically disappeared, and it flopped to the ground, landing face-first.

"Murkrow~ Murkrow~"

It flapped its wings in anger and stomped on Darkrai twice before flying back to its leader, Honchkrow.

After some time, Komala's emotions began to calm, and Angie helped it clean its fur, tend to its wounds, and retrieve its tree stump.

Perhaps from exhaustion, it didn't take long before Angie heard a soft snoring sound coming from his arms.

At this moment, Komala's expression was completely relaxed.

"Sleep well," Angie said softly.

Then, he walked over to Darkrai, pulled out a Poké Ball, and threw it at it.

This Poké Ball wasn't an ordinary one, but one of the Master Balls he had received as a reward for his achievements.

Earlier, he had thought the Master Ball was useless, but now, it had come in handy far sooner than he expected.

With the Master Ball's containment, Darkrai couldn't avoid its fate, even if it had no intention of following through on its promise.

After a brief flash, Darkrai was successfully captured in the Master Ball.