Chapter 30: Beating the Rippling Water to Its Knees...

Walking Wake unleashed another Hydro Steam. Doublade blocked it with full confidence, but the next moment, Walking Wake’s tail swept directly across!

"Substitute!"

Guangtai issued the command, and Doublade conjured an invulnerable substitute once more. However, Walking Wake bypassed the substitute entirely and lunged straight for Guangtai—the previous Hydro Steam had been nothing but a feint!

Crunch!

The massive draconic jaws snapped toward Guangtai!

Well, wild Pokémon certainly don't play by the rules of a proper Pokémon battle!

In that split second, Guangtai reached into his bag and pulled out:

Item—Rusted Shield!

The Rusted Shield, one of the legendary treasures of the Galar region, the signature item of the Shield of Valour, Zamazenta! It was a medium-sized shield covered in rust.

"Rusted Shield, you're a lifesaver!"

Guangtai quickly thrust the Rusted Shield upward. Walking Wake’s Crunch bit into the shield with a screeching metallic groan, but since this was the shield once wielded by the legendary hero-dog—practically an extension of its own body—it wasn't about to break so easily!

However, Walking Wake switched tactics, turning its head sideways to clamp onto the Rusted Shield and fling it aside.

Human strength is no match for the power of a dragon!

Yet, taking advantage of that opening, Guangtai, with one hand now free, immediately commanded:

"Screech!"

A piercing, buzzing noise erupted from behind. Walking Wake immediately recoiled in pain!

"Psycho Cut!"

The materialized blade of psychic energy struck Walking Wake once more, and the dragon, its defenses lowered, staggered! Seizing the opportunity, Guangtai performed another "god-tier" reach into his bag!

A green sticky glob was pulled out!

Sticky Glob, combat ready!

Guangtai hurriedly threw the Sticky Glob at Walking Wake and scrambled to his feet. After pelting it with several more, even this beast began to feel the effects!

Hitting a Pokémon with a Sticky Glob slows its movements, creates openings, and leaves it stunned in place for five seconds!

Pokémon would sway on the spot in a dizzy state, and Walking Wake was now in that exact condition. Hit by multiple globs and failing to understand the nature of such an item, it had disdained to dodge, leading to a profound sense of lethargy after being hit repeatedly. It began to shake its head in confusion, rooted to the spot!

And at that moment, a black, heavy Poké Ball was drawn out!

"Gigaton Ball!"

Sticky Globs plus a Gigaton Ball—what Pokémon could possibly resist this?!

Guangtai hurled the Gigaton Ball directly at Walking Wake!

The Gigaton Ball had a pitch-black appearance with strange gray patterns; it was a Heavy Ball upgraded to its highest tier. It was too heavy to throw far, but if it hit a Pokémon that had let its guard down, it possessed immense capture capability!

However, being a "one-ball master" wasn't so easy. Even with powerful items, the Pokémon's stamina hadn't decreased significantly, and the difficulty of capture remained high. Sure enough, Walking Wake quickly broke free from the Gigaton Ball, the sphere cracking the moment it escaped!

Walking Wake burst from the Gigaton Ball, furious. Yet, it was met with another barrage of Sticky Globs, followed immediately by another Gigaton Ball!

Bang!

This was the combat style of a Hisuian: by repeatedly using Sticky Globs and Gigaton Balls while gauging the Pokémon's orientation, one could pull off a "Secret Technique: Back-Strike!"—which was, in reality, just a sneak attack from behind!

The items in his bag were endless, as were the Sticky Globs and Gigaton Balls. Doublade finally rushed over to save its master, though there wasn't much it could do. Seeing the Sticky Globs reminded it of what happened a week ago.

Bad memories were piling up.

"Doublade, use Screech and Psycho Cut in succession."

"If it suddenly faces me directly, use Shadow Sneak to distract it."

Doublade shook its hilt, signaling acknowledgment, while Guangtai signaled it with hand gestures.

Switcheroo, active version!

He also ordered Doublade to use Substitute at his current position.

Everything that followed proceeded exactly according to the tactics devised by the man and the sword!

"Roar!"

As the Gigaton Ball shattered, Walking Wake immediately prepared to attack the person outside the ball—it had heard the previous words—and swept its tail violently!

It hit Doublade’s substitute!

"Roar?"

*Splat!* A Sticky Glob hit it from the front. Walking Wake fell into a stunned daze again, and a third Gigaton Ball slammed into it!

"ROAR!!!"

An angry cry echoed through the base of the Burned Tower. It sounded like a string of very colorful curses, but moments later, Walking Wake was sucked into the Gigaton Ball once more!

Sounds from outside the ball could be heard from within. Guangtai suspected that the Hisuian Poké Balls lacked soundproofing—after all, there was a technological gap compared to modern Poké Balls. His hunch was correct, as it turned out.

Walking Wake hadn't turned around; instead, it had used its tail to sweep, intending to brush him aside, but it had ended up being outmaneuvered by its own actions.

Next, Walking Wake repeatedly broke the Gigaton Ball and was repeatedly recaptured. Combined with the relentless assault of Screech and Psycho Cut, by the eighth time, the ancient dragon finally ran out of strength. After taking one last Gigaton Ball, it collapsed, stunned, and was pulled inside.

The Gigaton Ball wobbled for a long while before finally coming to a stop.

"Whew!"

"I won without using a Pokémon... No, wait, I did use one."

Pressing the advantage—this was the combat style of a Pokémon Trainer!

This time, he had used a Pokémon to win a Pokémon battle.

But he had participated in the fight as well, and it was far more dangerous than any wild battle he had experienced before!

The field had limited space, it was littered with flammable charcoal, and the enemy completely overwhelmed them in base stats and raw power. They had neither the time nor the terrain on their side.

But fortunately, the result was good!

"Caught Walking Wake! Though it was in a dream."

Guangtai sighed, and suddenly, some knowledge surfaced in his mind.

Ah, it was that... the knowledge granted to him by the Draco Plate.

Was it meant to be used here?

Guangtai applied the knowledge to the Gigaton Ball. A strange feeling welled up from the bottom of his heart; this knowledge only took effect when in close proximity to a Dragon-type Pokémon.

He soothed the frantic heart through the Poké Ball and then carefully opened it once more.

Walking Wake was released, eyeing Guangtai with a look of vigilance.

"Roar..."

Walking Wake let out a low growl. It truly couldn't understand the current situation, and its attitude toward Guangtai had shifted from disdain to curiosity and fear.

Not only was the human impossible to kill, but he kept pulling out strange things to fight back. Most importantly... had it lost?

"Roar?"

*What exactly are you?*

Walking Wake let out a low growl—a question. At the same time, it sensed its own mood gradually calming down.

The restlessness from having its territory intruded upon was fading. Looking at the human and that sword before it, it actually began to feel as if they were friends. That human... it was as if he had turned into a dragon...?

Or perhaps... one of its own kind?

Guangtai watched the confused Walking Wake, which was looking around, and attempted to communicate with it.

The professional knowledge of a Dragon Tamer began to take effect.

Guangtai gradually began to hear Walking Wake’s inner voice.

The anxiety of arriving in a strange environment, the anger of having its territory invaded, the restlessness born from instinctive confusion... its nature was Hasty.

"Come to think of it, I felt something was off before. The Pokémon here shouldn't be you. The Burned Tower isn't your territory, so you feel uneasy. Your instincts are telling you this isn't your turf, and since you can't see any other presence, you keep growing restless."

"I think this is a dream. We are both in a dream, and perhaps you are a product of this dream... Sorry, this isn't reality."

Taking an attack from the opponent was like facing a life-threatening danger in a nightmare; at such moments, the human body produces a stimulus that wakes the sleeper.

Even if one doesn't wake up, one sometimes gains the clear realization that "this is just a dream," and gradually begins to wake.

Guangtai now understood this was a dream and speculated that it might be related to the Suicune word fragments he had pieced together, though he didn't know why Walking Wake had appeared instead.

Perhaps it was because he subconsciously felt that even if he couldn't find Suicune, Walking Wake was a suitable substitute... Compared to the elusive and untraceable Suicune, Walking Wake, brought from another timeline by Professor Turo, was actually easier to find and easier to capture. After all, it wasn't a legendary beast, nor was it a mythical one.

"Recalling it now, your territory isn't here. This belongs to another Pokémon... Well, I can't call it a territory; maybe a respawn point?"

Guangtai muttered to himself, watching the confused expression on Walking Wake's face: "Don't be anxious, slowly calm your heart. I will leave soon, and this place will vanish, and you will return to your own territory."

"Come on, try this."

Guangtai took something out of his bag. Walking Wake instinctively grew vigilant, but at the same time, its curiosity was piqued.

What strange thing was he going to pull out now?

"Hmm, a Pecha Berry."

Guangtai looked up and spoke to it. Walking Wake let out a surprised roar.

*Could this guy hear my inner voice?*

"I can hear you, ever since we made contact," Guangtai responded. The confusion in Walking Wake’s eyes deepened; the ancient dragon had never seen such a bizarre ability. However, when it saw the pink fruit, its eyes lit up.

Even in the ancient world, similar sweet fruits existed, and they were its favorite!

"A Pokémon with a Hasty nature likes sweet flavors and dislikes sour ones. Among berries, the Pecha Berry has the highest sweetness; it's a favorite food for many Pokémon."

Guangtai tossed the Pecha Berry at Walking Wake’s feet: "There are plenty more in my bag. Eat as much as you like."

"Roar..."

Walking Wake lowered its body. Its mood gradually stabilized, and after a brief observation, it chose to eat.

*Mmm, the sweetness fills my mouth—it's the flavor I love!*

"Yo~!"

Doublade floated over from the side, looking relieved. Just then, its body began to turn ethereal. Guangtai noticed this too; not just Doublade, but his own body was fading as well.

*I'm waking up... It's a pity, I still didn't see Suicune...*

"Sorry, could you let me see your head crest?"

Guangtai still made the request to Walking Wake. Even though it was a dream and he had treated it as a substitute for Suicune, considering it was a Paradox form of Suicune, the gem on its head should be composed of similar material... right?

"Roar?"

Walking Wake rolled its eyes, thought for a moment, and eventually walked over and lowered its head. Some fragments fell from the crest—it seemed they had been chipped off by Doublade’s attacks.

*How mysterious. After being attacked by me, this human suddenly gained the ability to connect with my heart. For some reason, I’m starting to feel at ease. As for me...*

In territorial struggles, it is only natural for the loser to submit to the winner. If the opponent was of its own kind, then its defeat was acceptable.

*Oh, so he's not a human, he's a human-shaped dragon. That explains everything!*