Tomorrow would mark the beginning of the first-round matches. The battlefield had been confirmed, the Sky Island Arena.
John opened the door, preparing to head home, when suddenly a towering figure blocked his path.
"I've been waiting three days for this. We'll face each other at the Burial Sea Archipelago, and when that time comes, I'll bring my full power. I also hope you'll show me your true strength!"
Chadri's words were remarkably humble, yet his tone and demeanor radiated unmistakable pride.
"Sure, we'll see then." Chadri released his stance and departed with his assistant.
John also turned to leave, accompanied by Emerald.
Gardevoir prepared to use Teleport.
"Do you need to bring anything back?" John asked Emerald.
"Already packed." Emerald retrieved her luggage from the corner of the hall, everything prepared in advance.
"Let's go home then." John glanced toward Gardevoir.
"I'll go ahead. There's still business to handle at the breeding facility," Emerald said, picking up her suitcase and preparing to leave.
"Want Gardevoir to Teleport you partway?"
"No thanks. If I experience global-scale Teleport a few more times, I'll never want to ride trains or planes again." the young woman waved her hand dismissively.
"Why not just raise a Gardevoir yourself?" John suggested with a frown. The breeding facility currently housed numerous Gardevoir. He'd be willing to provide one for Emerald to train.
"Even if I raised a Gardevoir, could it manage to Teleport across the planet?"
It wasn't just Emerald, even if John himself tried raising another Gardevoir capable of worldwide Teleport, achieving that level would be incredibly difficult.
"Want to go find Suicune?" Marshadow suddenly emerged from John's shadow.
John glanced at it, immediately recognizing the little troublemaker wanted him to battle against its boss.
"I can help you and Lord Entei find it!" Marshadow raised its hand enthusiastically.
"Find Suicune... Actually, that works." John nodded. Recently, life had been uneventful with nothing demanding his attention. He might as well assemble the proper Legendary Beast team.
Starting with Ho-Oh's guardians.
"No need to be so troublesome." John pulled out his phone and gestured toward Gardevoir.
Rainbow light shimmered across Gardevoir's body. In a single rotation, it completed its Mega Evolution, transforming into Mega Gardevoir.
"Use Psychic to search for Suicune," John instructed, extending his hand to share his aura power with Mega Gardevoir.
Mega Gardevoir spread her arms wide. Invisible energy radiated outward as its body slowly levitated from the ground. Psychic power began expanding in all eight directions.
This search would be unprecedented, the first time conducting a psychic scan with the entire world as its range.
The difficulty level was undeniable.
Even with Gardevoir's Mega Evolution amplified by aura power, the challenge remained formidable.
However, the target was Suicune, the Northern Water Guardian, not some ordinary Pokemon.
Therefore, Mega Gardevoir's expanding psychic power only needed to lock onto high-intensity individuals. Compared to common Pokemon, Legendary Pokemon shone like fireflies in the darkness, exceptionally dazzling.
Moreover, Suicune constantly roamed the earth's surface. Unlike Regigigas and similar Legendaries that slumbered year-round and proved difficult to detect, Suicune was perpetually active.
A massive map of the Draconia materialized before them. Scattered points of light spread across the map, representing powerful Pokemon distributed throughout the region. Each point glowed with distinct colors, red for Fire-types, blue for Water-types, yellow for Electric-types, and so on.
Among the numerous scattered lights, several shone with exceptional brilliance. One particular blue light was currently racing around an island approximately 1.5 kilometers outside the Draconia's borders. More precisely, it was circling what appeared to be a certain Island Nation.
"That's definitely it. Let's go." John issued the command.
Mega Gardevoir restrained its psychic power, locked onto that point of light, and opened a spatial corridor for Teleport.
In an instant, John, Gardevoir, and Marshadow teleported directly to the sky above the Island Nation's coastal border.
Observing from this altitude, there was absolutely no doubt.
That pale blue figure racing below was none other than Suicune. Guardian of pure waters and member of Ho-Oh's sacred beast!
The Legendary Pokemon moved with ethereal grace across the ocean's surface, each step creating ripples of crystalline water that seemed to purify everything they touched. Its flowing mane and ribbon-like tails streamed behind it like banners of living water.
John watched from above, calculating the best approach. Unlike his battle with Entei, which had been a chance encounter in the wilderness, this was a deliberate hunt. He'd need strategy, not just power.
"Marshadow, can you communicate with it?" John asked.
Marshadow shook its head. "Different factions. Lord Entei's authority doesn't extend to Suicune. We're equals under Lord Ho-Oh."
"Then we do this the direct way." John's eyes gleamed with anticipation. "Gardevoir, prepare a psychic barrier. When I give the signal, cut off its escape routes."
Mega Gardevoir nodded, its eyes glowing with concentrated power.
John pulled out a specific Pokeball, one he'd been saving for exactly this purpose. The ball felt warm in his palm, almost eager.
"Blaziken, it's your turn."
The Fire-type burst forth in a column of flames, hovering beside John in the sky through sheer force and technique. Its eyes locked onto Suicune below, recognizing immediately what kind of battle this would be.
Suicune must have sensed the predatory attention because it suddenly stopped running, its graceful head turning upward to meet John's gaze directly across the vast distance.
For a moment, trainer and Legendary Pokemon simply stared at each other.
Then Suicune threw back its head and released a crystalline howl that echoed across the ocean, a challenge, a warning, and an invitation all at once.
John smiled coldly. "Let's begin."