Ding Yue and Li Xiaoyu came to an abrupt halt.
"Uh… why isn't this Pokémon running away?"
The two exchanged a look. Ding Yue cautiously waved her hand in front of it.
"Hello?"
"Hello?! What are you doing?" Li Xiaoyu snapped, glaring at her. She already had her hand on a Pokéball, ready for action.
There was good reason to be wary.
Baby Pokémon were usually adorable. For example, many Pokémon in three-stage evolutions looked cute at first—but the cuteness often faded with evolution. By the time they reached their final form, most of them looked nothing like their original sweet selves.
Like Wang Tao's Torterra, Liu Yunlan's Infernape, or even Ding Yue's Talonflame—none of them could be called "cute" anymore.
But the Pokémon in front of them?
It looked… like a bizarre old man.
Its entire body gleamed golden. Its chest and shoulders were covered in what looked like brown armor plating.
Its head was ridiculously large, almost comically so—sitting atop those shoulders like a misfit crown.
Long golden mustache.
Two spoons—yes, actual spoons—gripped in its hands.
When Ding Yue first saw it, she thought she was hallucinating.
Who the heck carries spoons into battle?! That's human tableware!
"Hu-hu~ Huuu~~"
The mysterious Pokémon let out a couple of low sounds.
Suddenly, a strange force pulsed outward from its body.
It began to float gently off the ground, spoons raised—each one pointed directly at the two Trainers.
Ding Yue and Li Xiaoyu exchanged a serious glance and nodded.
A flash of light—Pokéballs opened.
Their Pokémon materialized, taking defensive stances.
"Great. Just great," Li Xiaoyu muttered. "We really don't have time for a fight right now."
"Ding Yue! I'll have Umbreon support you. Let's end this quickly!"
Ding Yue nodded. Talonflame spread its wings and soared into the sky.
"Talonflame, use—"
Before she could finish the command, a sharp voice echoed from the Pokéball terminal.
"Stop!!"
Inside the Pokémon Center, Su Bai—who had been watching the screen intently—let out a sigh of relief as the girls froze.
"This Pokémon is no pushover. If you fight it now, you'll be too drained to join the main battle."
He quickly picked up his communicator.
"That Pokémon is Alakazam—a Psychic-type with powerful telekinetic abilities. If you go head-to-head, you'll be stuck here all day."
"Alakazam doesn't attack humans for no reason. If it's blocking your path, it must have a reason."
Ding Yue bristled.
She was a seasoned Trainer—just a lone wild Pokémon, not even a Legendary or Mythical one.
How could it possibly hold her back that long?
Still, Su Bai's orders weren't to be ignored.
"What's its deal, anyway? Is it really that strong?" she grumbled.
"And what if it won't let us pass?"
She pointed to the distant snow-covered mountain.
"If we wait any longer, we're going to miss everything!"
Su Bai frowned.
Alakazam might not be a Legendary, but in the Pokémon world, it held a special status.
And that was because of one reason:
It's insanely smart.
There was a popular claim—though exaggerated—that every Alakazam had an IQ over 5000.
Its brain cells never stopped multiplying, not even in death. It could remember everything.
Its physical strength was negligible—but in exchange, it possessed overwhelming psychic power.
The more powerful the Alakazam, the larger its head would be—literally the embodiment of brain over brawn.
And this Alakazam… its head was so large it looked ridiculous. Clearly, it was top-tier.
Fighting it would be a nightmare.
Not only was it likely stronger than the girls—Alakazam could also calculate and adapt mid-fight with terrifying precision.
And if it Mega Evolved, it could even predict the future in limited ways.
Taking on an opponent like that wouldn't just be difficult—it would be brutal.
"But… Ding Yue has a point. Even without Alakazam in the way, they're already the slowest team. If they don't get moving soon…"
Ding Yue and Li Xiaoyu's combat strength was crucial.
They were already facing Articuno, a second-tier god.
Every Trainer counted.
If they lost two of their strongest now, it could doom the mission.
"Alakazam… what are you really up to?"
Just as Su Bai muttered, trying to decipher its motives—
"Hu-hu!"
Alakazam gave a low cry.
The spoons twisted sharply in its hands, and a surge of psychic energy shot out—wrapping around Ding Yue and Li Xiaoyu's Pokémon!
The entire group—humans and Pokémon—began to float into the air!
"Waaah! What's happening?!"
"Didn't you say it doesn't attack humans?!"
Li Xiaoyu flailed in the air, the sensation of weightlessness unsettling.
"If this keeps up, I'm gonna fight back!"
Despite Su Bai's warning, the sensation was too eerie to ignore.
Even Ding Yue was panicking. Her newly caught Ponyta had never experienced anything like this—its hooves were tensed and ready to lash out at the surrounding psychic barrier.
"Do NOT attack!!"
A crystal-clear voice rang out from the Pokéball.
It was Diancie's voice—soft, sweet, and commanding.
"Alakazam says… return your Pokémon. He's going to teleport you to the mountain."
"Huh? What?"
"He's sending us there?"
Ding Yue and Li Xiaoyu were stunned.
They looked toward the snow-covered summit.
"That far?! He's just gonna… float us over there?!"
This sounds sketchy as hell…
Still, Diancie was someone they trusted—always adorable, always reliable.
And with her as the translator, Alakazam's intentions seemed a lot more credible.
So, somewhat hesitantly, the two returned their Pokémon to their balls.
"Hu~~ hu~"
Alakazam's voice echoed again, followed by Diancie's translation:
"He says: 'Relax your bodies. Don't resist. It'll be over in a blink.'"
Hearing this in Diancie's reassuring tone, the two girls found themselves subconsciously obeying.
Their bodies slackened…
BOOM!
Suddenly, a muffled pop echoed from the screen.
And just like that—
The display went black.