Chapter 217: Awakening

Back on land, Gardevoir continuously used Teleport, rapidly consuming the Psychic power it had just recovered with the aid of Fighting Aura.

Gardevoir felt as if thousands of needles were piercing its head.

Even so, it refused to give up, squeezing out the last bit of its strength just to take Ron further away.

Beneath the water, the corpse of Gyarados had been torn into several pieces, and Nakar and his Alakazam had disappeared.

Attracted by the scent of blood, fish and wild Pokémon soon began to appear.

On land, Gardevoir could no longer hold on, and Blaziken took over the escape.

Utilizing Agility alongside its Speed Boost ability, combined with Shave, Blaziken's speed had reached its peak.

Meanwhile, emerging from the water, Nakar's expression was as dark as ever.

First, he had been struck head-on by Gyarados's desperate final attack. Then, Gardevoir—who had been critically wounded and should have lost the ability to fight—somehow recovered and managed to use Teleport.

These two factors combined had delayed Nakar and Alakazam by a few seconds, leaving them with only the last known direction in which Gardevoir had vanished.

However, Nakar did not believe his target would flee in a straight line. A change in direction was inevitable, especially with the knowledge that pursuers were on their tail. This meant that Ron's precise whereabouts were now lost.

The only silver lining was that Alakazam had managed to land a direct hit on Ron before he escaped.

A strike from a quasi-Elite Four level Pokémon—by all logic, Ron should be dead. Yet, for some reason, unease still gnawed at Nakar.

After a brief attempt to track them, Nakar, lacking an exact direction, chose to abandon the chase and report the situation to Mathias Agdestein.

Of course, he would alter some details, omitting the fact that he had initially toyed with Ron instead of finishing him off immediately. Instead, he would claim that Ron's Pokémon had sacrificed themselves to shield him.

In his version, Ron had barely escaped because Nakar had held back in an effort to retrieve vital training methods.

But before that, Alakazam had successfully struck Ron, meaning he should already be dead.

After carefully reviewing his fabricated report for inconsistencies, Nakar sent the message to Mathias Agdestein and remained in place, awaiting further instructions.

Ron's situation was far from optimistic. Even without Psychic powers, Blaziken could sense that Ron's breathing was fluctuating wildly.

At times, it was steady, like that of a normal person. Other times, it was so weak that Blaziken feared Ron might stop breathing altogether at any moment.

Despite its exhaustion, Blaziken did not dare to stop running. Even as its body reached its absolute limit, it pushed forward, fearing that Nakar and Alakazam might catch up.

Time passed uncertainly. Sensing that it could not go any further, Blaziken found a dense treetop, concealed Ron within it, and prepared to rest briefly before continuing their escape.

Leaning against the tree branches, Blaziken fell into a deep sleep almost instantly.

Its feet were a bloody mess, torn apart by the relentless strain of Shave.

Even so, the sheer depth of its exhaustion allowed it to sleep, proving just how far it had been pushed.

Meanwhile, Ron, now unconscious, found himself in a vast expanse of thick, gray fog.

There was nothing around him—only endless, swirling mist.

His memories returned—he was being hunted. He recalled Gyarados launching a desperate attack on Nakar before everything went black.

Clarity struck him.

He didn't know where he was, but he knew what he had to do: leave this place and return to his Pokémon.

Even if this was the afterlife, he refused to stay here.

To Ron, there was only one option.

With no other guidance, he began clawing at the fog, tearing into it desperately.

Again and again, he repeated the action, without fatigue or hesitation.

Machamp, Blaziken, and the others were waiting for him. Gyarados had given its life to protect him. He had to return to save them.

Gradually, a crater formed where he tore into the mist, large enough to hold his entire body.

As time passed, he forgot the passage of time, forgot himself—forgot everything.

Only one thought remained: tear through the fog.

"AHHHH!"

At some unknown moment, Ron let out a furious roar.

The gray mist vanished.

In its place were tree branches and vibrant green leaves.

Next to him, Blaziken lay sound asleep.

Like a tidal wave, memories surged back into Ron's mind.

Reaching out, he grasped Blaziken's arm. Fighting Aura surged through him, rapidly healing Blaziken's wounds.

As he felt its breathing stabilize, Ron then released Machamp and the others.

Alakazam's Psycho Cut had left wounds so deep that their internal organs were visible. If not for the life-supportive effects of Poké Balls, they would never have survived long enough for treatment.

The most difficult case was Gardevoir, who had severely overused its Psychic power.

Unlike the others, when Fighting Aura entered Gardevoir's body, it felt like a stone sinking into an ocean—vanishing without a trace.

Only when Gardevoir regained a sliver of Psychic energy did Ron suddenly feel an inexplicable connection between them.

He didn't dwell on it.

All that mattered was waking Gardevoir up.

 Everything else could wait.

...

"Understood. Return for now."

Looking at the short reply from Mathias Agdestein, Nakar couldn't tell if he was angry or not.

After a moment of thought, he decided to drop it and headed back with Alakazam.

At League Headquarters, inside Mathias Agdestein's office, he hesitated over whether to inform Klaus Nyland and the others.

With Nakar involved, there was no way Ron should have escaped. Yet, somehow, he had.

More importantly, Mathias could tell that Nakar was hiding something. However, given Nakar's impending breakthrough to Elite Four level and the influence of his older brother, Mathias chose not to punish him—for now.

Everything depended on whether Ron was truly dead.

Until results were confirmed, Mathias would hold off on any action.

Even if punishment was necessary, it would not be his responsibility.

Nakar and his brother, though aligned with one of the Five Great Families, ultimately answered to Klaus Nyland.

Mathias still held deep respect for Klaus, though as the years passed, his thoughts had begun to shift.

This incident might just be an opportunity.

...

Under the nourishment of Fighting Aura, Gardevoir slowly opened its eyes.

Feeling its Psychic power gradually recover, its gaze toward Ron changed.

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