Chapter 141 – 141

Near the workshop, Steven returned to his secret base with excitement, while Hikaru immediately headed back to the Distortion World. There, the Pokémon had gathered around the still-unconscious Scizor—knocked out cold by Giratina’s tail swipe and yet to awaken.

Lilligant stepped forward confidently, volunteering herself. She proudly claimed she had experience with this kind of situation!

Last time, Doublade-senpai taught her CPR, and it worked wonders on someone who fainted. Right, Trainer?

Hikaru gave an awkward but polite smile. “Uh… that wasn’t real CPR. Next time, don’t use it on me. And Doublade, stop teaching weird ancient methods! But… for someone who breaks the rules, it might be acceptable.”

“For example—right now! Lilligant, use Close Combat on Scizor!”

Fighting-type energy gathered on Lilligant’s leafy arms. Her leaves curled and built up power, then snapped forward explosively!

Compression strike!

“Sciz?!”

Scizor had been deep in a nightmare, but that CPR-in-the-form-of-Close-Combat slammed him back to reality. Pain shot through his body, and even as a Steel-type, he felt it deeply. His eyes snapped open—only to find himself surrounded by a group of Pokémon… and a human.

Hikaru was just about to speak, but Scizor reacted quickly—springing to his feet and somersaulting away to a distant edge of the floating island. He assumed a defensive stance, but his body wasn’t fully recovered—his legs buckled, and he fell to one knee.

“Doublade, use Psyblade—immobilize him.”

Hikaru issued the order succinctly. Doublade’s eyes glowed with powerful psychic waves. Since the repairs to the Rock Mountain Ruins, Doublade’s control over Psyblade had reached terrifying precision. Countless sharp psychic threads surrounded Scizor, locking down his movements entirely.

Scizor’s body instantly froze.

His condition was far from restored, and after Lilligant’s Close Combat, he was in even more pain. The psychic threads around him radiated energy waves that made him too scared to move.

“Do you want to get stronger that badly? After becoming the strongest in the forest… what then?”

“You don’t just get free stuff. As payment, you’ll need to work for me—to pay for the damage you caused. Those Rare Candies and Pokéblocks weren’t meant for you.”

The surrounding Pokémon stared at Scizor. Even Giratina floated in the air, emanating immense pressure.

“Sciz…”

“Doublade, what did he say?”

Through Doublade’s translation, Hikaru learned Scizor’s answer.

He refused to work—unless Hikaru could defeat him in battle!

“No. Even if I beat you, you still wouldn’t willingly work for me, would you?” Hikaru called out Scizor’s bluff, making him break into a nervous sweat.

But if I just keep talking big, there’s nothing you can do to me!

“Are you afraid?”

Hikaru suddenly said something strange. Scizor’s eyes widened in irritation.

Afraid? He had a Brave nature! He’d even punch that flying monster above them!

“Large bird Pokémon… and Aerodactyls.” Hikaru crossed his arms, gazing through him.

“The root of your pursuit of strength… is fear. Fear of reliving past trauma. That’s why you cling to dominance in the outskirts of the forest, instead of venturing deep inside.”

“How about this—I can make you stronger. But in return, you’ll work for me. Sounds like a fair deal, doesn’t it? I’m a mystical craftsman with powers. If you want to grow strong, just give it a try.”

“Scizor?” Scizor growled, irritated. He kept threatening Hikaru, insisting he wasn’t scared of birds or dragons. Once he became the strongest in the forest, he’d crush them all! If Hikaru didn’t believe him, they could fight again once he was healed!

“Here—drink this. It’ll heal all your injuries.” Hikaru pulled out a bottle of herbal juice from who-knows-where. Scizor blinked, hesitated, then took it and cautiously drank.

He didn’t worry about the human poisoning him. He’d already been captured—he had no means to resist anyway.

The herbal drink warmed him from within. Old injuries from countless battles began to fade. A surge of vitality flooded his body—stronger than he’d ever felt, even compared to right after evolution!

He was confident he could now go toe-to-toe with that shadow dragon again. He might even survive two hits from Dragon Tail!

Scizor looked at Hikaru in disbelief.

Why… give me something so good?

“Alright. Now that you’re healed—let’s battle!” Hikaru suddenly gave the order. Doublade and Lilligant were both eager to face Scizor. They’d regained their strength after restoring the Rock Mountain Ruins and were itching to show this invader the might of their home!

“Turtwig!” Turtwig stepped up with a battle cry too.

He wanted to show how much he’d grown!

But Scizor’s eyes were only on Doublade and Lilligant. He had firsthand experience of their strength. As for Turtwig… Scizor glanced at the small turtle—he remembered seeing it in the forest once.

Hmph, I may be ruthless and a thief, but that’s all to gain strength and fight stronger foes. I don’t bully weaklings—it’s pointless and boring!

Hikaru: “Alright! Turtwig, I choose you!”

Scizor: “???”

Stunned. Shocked. Confused. Then… insulted!

Fuming, Scizor pointed at Turtwig, shook his head, then pointed at Doublade and Lilligant and nodded.

He didn’t want to fight someone weak! Beating a small fry wouldn’t feel right. What was this—was his strength being underestimated?

“You’ll know how strong Turtwig is… after the battle.” Hikaru snapped his fingers.

Watching a weak Pokémon grow strong—now that was the most direct proof of power.

“SolarBeam!”

Without warning, Turtwig flicked his head, and the powerful herb on his back pulsed.

Even in the Distortion World without a sun, there was still light!

Turtwig absorbed the light!

SolarBeam blasted out instantly—Scizor didn’t even have time to react before the beam sent him flying. He crashed far off in the distance and climbed up, eyes wide in disbelief at the tiny turtle.

This… this isn’t right! I’m a Steel-type! How could a Grass-type move do this much damage?!

I underestimated you!

Scizor got serious. He’d dismissed Turtwig as weak—but now he realized he was dead wrong. Fine then—Bullet Punch!

A silvery fist launched with lightning speed, straight-line streaks of light accompanying the blow!

“Shell Smash.” Hikaru ordered casually. Turtwig shook his shell. A shell of energy shattered, boosting his speed dramatically. He dodged the Bullet Punch and darted around Scizor like a blur. Scizor was stunned!

“Growth!”

Turtwig’s speed increased again. Scizor swung wildly, unable to touch him. Frustrated, he grew frantic.

“While using Growth, combo it with Stomp!”

Lilligant nervously cupped her cheeks. “Lilli~!”

Use dance steps, okay?

“Turt!” Turtwig replied while dashing. He had trained with Regirock and Unown, learning not only new moves, but also how to chain techniques for surprising results—something all strong Pokémon mastered.

Like now: Growth + Stomp!

Each step was a heavy stomp, booming like war drums. The ground shook with each slam. The shockwaves slowed Scizor’s movements, stunning him!

What kind of combo is this!?

Damn it—Double Team!

Scizor split into multiple clones, all mimicking his motion. They spun their pincers and used Brick Break in wide sweeps!

A violent gust tore across the island, but Turtwig leapt!

“Razor Leaf!”

Leaves sharp enough to slice boulders flew through the air. They shredded every clone—and nailed the real Scizor with a critical hit!

Scizor stumbled, nearly falling. Turtwig hit the ground and launched again, stomping all four feet into Scizor’s chest. He then used the chest as a springboard to initiate another Growth!

Hikaru didn’t even give a command, but his eyes lit up watching Turtwig’s fluid combo.

“Now—Mud Shot!”

Though SolarBeam was powerful, Scizor’s 4x Grass resistance made it non-lethal. Without Fire-type moves, the next best options were Ground, Rock, Flying, and Fighting-type attacks.

And Turtwig had learned how to boost Ground-type moves!

Turtwig opened his mouth and blasted a surge of heavy mud. The Ground-type energy in the mud was potent—blasting Scizor away and slamming him into a giant boulder, reducing it to rubble.

Scizor wobbled, wide-eyed, emerging from the debris—then collapsed with spiraling eyes!

“Lilligant?” Hikaru smiled. “Wake him up. Use Close Combat.”

“Lilli~” Lilligant smiled too, energy glowing on her leafy arms.

Scizor, still unconscious, saw flashes of memories in his mind. Then—pain hit him like a truck and jolted him awake.

This time, he didn’t leap up. He stayed down, eyes filled with reflection.

After all his years of relentless fighting… he’d been taken down by a “weak” Grass-type. Even after evolving.

Was all that fighting and training even worth it?

Or… had his mindset been wrong from the start?

Scizor began to reflect. He didn’t understand how Turtwig could be so strong. Hikaru approached again. Scizor forced himself to sit up, but his eyes remained fixed on the little turtle who had bested him.

“Turt~” Turtwig blushed under Scizor’s intense gaze.

So… I’ve become a little strong now? But please don’t stare at me like that. Thank you for acknowledging me.

Scizor: “…”

“So? Do you realize your strength is lacking now? My offer still stands.”

This time, Scizor didn’t object.

With stubborn wild Pokémon, the best way to handle them was to beat them. Then they’d become more cooperative. Even this cunning Scizor was no exception!

“Sciz…”

What… should I do to become as strong as that little turtle?

Scizor asked voluntarily.

This didn’t mean he submitted to the human—it was just a necessary step toward power. Or so he told himself.

Hikaru looked around. “First, help Giratina by planting trees. How about that? Don’t worry—I’ll teach you how.”

Planting trees?! Are you kidding me? How would that make me stronger?!

Scizor grumbled inwardly. He felt tricked. And this place didn’t even have trees!

“Graaa…” Giratina pointed its tail at a floating island—one that now held many newly sprouted trees near the gratitude monument.

Hikaru handed Scizor a shovel from who-knows-where. “Just follow my method. You’ll grow stronger.”

Scizor was still skeptical, but Giratina escorted him to the island. He tried planting a fruit tree. It didn’t go smoothly—the Distortion World’s soil was barren. While the chaos was suppressed thanks to the monument, the soil was compact and full of issues. It was frustrating.

He used to chop trees! One X-Scissor and down went a grove! But planting them? That was new. Weren’t forests supposed to grow on their own?

And was reforestation even necessary in this desolate world?

He finally finished after quite some time. As for the shovel—it was useful, but awkward for a Pokémon. He eventually switched to using his pincers.

To his surprise, Scizor discovered how efficient his pincers were at digging. As he worked, they began to glow with metallic light!

[Scizor has completed a task. Gained experience and growth!]

[Move learned: Metal Claw!]

[Tree Planted: Convergence Apple Tree – In the Distortion World, trees and fruit from the real world may behave differently.]

“Sciz…?” Scizor felt a new power awaken. It was the same feeling he had when eating Rare Candies!

So planting trees could make him stronger!

Hikaru: “That’s right. Repeating the same task lets you master it and grow stronger. It’s the same principle as your old training—only this time, growth only happens while working for me.”

“The tree-planting commission is long-term. Take your time.”

Giratina nodded enthusiastically.

This scyther works fast and well! Metal Claw is great for digging and planting—never thought of using it like that before!

Yes, the world’s first customer has done well. Reward: a chance to battle me!

Hearing that, Scizor lit up.

Really? Another chance to fight?

“Sciz!”

Then I’ll work hard! Next time, I’ll tank not just two—but three Dragon Tails!

“This Scizor sets his own goals, huh?” Hikaru nodded.

And just like that, Scizor’s issues were resolved. The Distortion World now had its second Pokémon and an excellent greenery worker. At least until Aerodactyl or certain bird Pokémon showed up, Hikaru no longer had to worry about him.

If psychological issues arose again, Unown could help with therapy—by visualizing his inner mind, just like in that episode with Ash helping Larvitar.

Childhood trauma could only be healed by Unown’s “mental guidance”… or by confronting and overcoming it directly.

Giratina was pleased.

This guy’s so easy to fool! A naturally battle-hungry young Pokémon—perfect to guide personally.

[To think you’d actually help that Scizor… I thought you’d ask for something outrageous to get revenge.]

Giratina shook its draconic head, and Doublade jumped in.

Their chosen Trainer was someone meant to live in harmony with all Pokémon, building a kingdom where humans and Pokémon coexist. If a Pokémon had a problematic mindset, it had to be corrected—with power first, then kindness.

“Can’t suppress it—better to redirect it. That’s how wild Pokémon are. After a good fight, they become much easier to handle. This way, it’s punishment for him and a new helper for you. Win-win!”

Hikaru then looked curiously at Giratina.

“By the way… where did those trees come from? Are they apple trees?”

Giratina could peer into the real world through mirrors or lakes and use shadow powers to pull things into the Distortion World. But its range was limited—such actions were rare.

Giratina thought for a moment. [Yes, they’re from an area near Sinnoh. They grow a fruit called ‘apples.’ And no—I didn’t steal them! These apple trees were ownerless!]

(End of Chapter)

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