The Arrival of Tomorrow

"Don't panic! Stay calm!"

Baimu shouted, his eyes fixed on the snarling Mightyena and Bewear ahead.

A closer look revealed that the two Pokémon had little sanity left. They had been completely consumed by their beastly instincts and inexplicable savagery.

Jian most likely knew that, which was why he had remained silent since earlier.

Right now.

The two Pokémon slowly approached, their eyes locked onto Aron, who was growling to intimidate them as they searched for an easy place to tear it apart.

The reason they focused their attacks on it was simply because their instincts considered Aron more threatening. Chansey, who had yet to use any moves, and Baimu, who was merely shouting, seemed too weak and could be set aside for the moment.

...Perhaps he could make use of that.

Baimu pressed his back against the sturdy rock wall, and the agitation in his heart gradually calmed.

There was no doubt that, physically speaking, he and his Pokémon had run out of room to retreat. Their opponents were getting closer and closer, until only three meters separated them. They were practically within arm's reach.

That would certainly improve the moves' accuracy, but it also lowered the chance of successfully using them.

If there was no opening, then he would make one himself!

"Rock Tomb!"

The opponents' sense of pain had been greatly dulled, and it was as though they had gained a second health bar. They would endure the moves just to rush up and land a punch or claw strike on them. What ordinary Pokémon could withstand that?

Not to mention that Aron, as both the shield and main attacker, had to face two opponents alone. A prolonged brawl was extremely unfavorable for it.

The instant he spoke, Mightyena and Bewear moved in unison!

Boom!

But the prepared Aron was faster. It stomped both claws into the ground, and countless rocks burst from the earth, mixed with fresh soil and dust as they poured down upon Mightyena and Bewear like a torrential rain.

At a glance, the Rock Tomb looked like a towering wall of dark earth and stone. Anyone who saw it would feel a chill run down their spine.

Yet Bewear and Mightyena acted as though they had not seen it at all. Without hesitation, they charged forward with their bodies clearing the way, ferociously crashing into the oncoming rocks.

Bewear did not even use its signature move, Obstruct.

Bang bang bang bang!

A series of dull impacts rang out. Pulsing black light flashed, smashing the rocks into countless fragments and clouds of dust that instantly engulfed the surrounding area.

The flying rubble made Chansey cry out in pain, but compared to the pain in its body, it was more concerned about why it had not received an order from Baimu. Even though he was right behind it, it could not help feeling uneasy.

It did not know whether it should use Heal Pulse on Aron.

Just then.

A tall figure had already passed through the barrier of rocks and dirt, swinging a powerful arm down at Aron!

Then.

Another figure lunged out, also targeting Aron!

Bang!

"Guh!"

Aron let out a muffled groan as the two Pokémon pinned it to the ground, subjecting it to a vicious barrage of punches, kicks, bites, and claw strikes as it struggled.

The latter two Pokémon's savage eyes glowed blood-red amid the dim dust, making them truly terrifying.

But where they could not see, two figures quietly left their original positions.

"Now! Sing! Aron, Dig down!"

Having found an escape route, Baimu shouted.

Chansey anxiously watched Aron being relentlessly beaten by Bewear and Mightyena's moves. It wanted to wait for Aron to Dig underground first, but Aron seemed to be in a God-like daze and failed to react in time.

It could not wait any longer!

It raised its little hands and tilted its head back to sing.

"La~ la la la~ la la ri~ la la ri la~"

Pink ripples and colorful notes spread forward, making Mightyena and Bewear suddenly turn their heads.

Their rage-filled gazes sent a chill through Chansey's heart, but it did not stop singing. Instead, it raised its voice, as though trying to encourage itself.

Not far away.

Jian's expression flickered when he heard the song. The person who sold him the drug had said that after taking it, the Pokémon's God-like spirit would become highly excited, increasing its resistance in every aspect.

But he could not be sure whether that included the sleep induced by Sing.

Still, why were Baimu's two Pokémon so troublesome? Aron being durable was one thing, but Chansey was just as infuriating. Together, they had stubbornly held on until now.

At that thought, Jian's expression darkened further, and a sense of foreboding suddenly rose within him.

As though confirming his suspicions, when the dust covering the area dispersed and revealed where Mightyena and the others were, the three swaying figures became impossible to miss.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Three dull thuds sounded in succession as they collapsed.

"Fuck!"

Jian's eyes widened, and he immediately turned to flee.

What he feared had come true. Sing had scored a direct "triple kill," not even sparing Aron, which had been supposed to Dig underground. But Baimu still had Chansey as a trump card.

If he had—

"Honchkrow!"

Jian raised his head and shouted, hoping that Honchkrow, which was battling Vibrava in the sky, would fly down to support him.

Unfortunately, Baimu was faster than Honchkrow.

"Chansey, carry Aron away and use Heal Bell!" he shouted as he lowered his head and charged forward, his explosive speed making his footsteps sound like thunder.

Jian turned his head slightly and immediately saw Baimu rushing toward him with a knife in hand. Terror seized him.

What was wrong with this guy?

Why was he charging at him alone with a knife!?

Unable to make sense of the situation, Jian did not dare hesitate. He fled with all his might. This guy was too bizarre; Jian could not even summon the desire to resist.

However.

Just as Baimu pursued Jian, Chansey suddenly cried out behind them.

"Lucky!"

Then a fierce gust howled, as though something was tearing through the air toward them at a terrifying speed.

Baimu turned his head slightly and immediately saw the Mightyena that should have been asleep rapidly closing in. It panted heavily, its tongue lolling wildly. Its face was twisted with pain and ferocity, showing that it was in extreme agony.

Yet for some reason, the blood-red tint in its eyes had vanished, leaving only the clarity of returning reason.

Had the medicine worn off?

That was the only conclusion Baimu could reach, and he cursed his terrible luck.

"Hahahaha! Heaven is helping me! Hurry up and bite him to death!" Jian, who was running ahead, also spotted Mightyena catching up and shouted in wild delight.

"Awoo!!"

Mightyena barked in response. Though the drug's aftereffects tormented it with unbearable pain, all it wanted now was to get rid of Baimu as quickly as possible.

Even if it collapsed here for good!

Finally.

The distance between the man and the dog narrowed to less than two meters. To Mightyena, that was close enough to pounce.

It let out a low growl and lunged forward without hesitation!

Whoosh!

Black light flashed over its claws before quickly fading. That was a sign that its attribute energy had run dry. But against an ordinary human, its physical strength alone would be enough!

Its savage jaws opened wide as it stared at the stern-faced man turning around before it, locking onto his throat.

But then, the man in front of it suddenly shouted and actively thrust his arm beneath its sharp fangs.

"Do what you think is right—!!"

Mightyena abruptly clamped its jaws shut, and blood burst from the other man's arm!

Tear him apart, tear him—

Huh?

Mightyena froze, because it realized that it had lost control of its body. It was not due to exhaustion. Rather, pale blue energy had locked down every inch of its body, every muscle!

Then it heard its trainer's disbelieving voice.

"How is this possible? Mine is a Dark-type Pokémon!?"

What was that supposed to mean?

Mightyena's mind went blank.

"Only Pokémon that can fight have value!"

"What's the point of knowing a few moves that restore stamina and treat superficial wounds? Do I look like I'm short a few hundred bucks for medicine?"

"Trash! Attack it, you trash! How are you supposed to level up if you don't fight other Pokémon? Trash!"

"It's low-level and expensive. I really don't know why I bought it!"

Belittlement, blame, insults...

And even beatings.

Those words, together with the physical pain and those familiar yet unfamiliar faces, had been deeply carved into Chansey's mind.

In truth.

It could not understand what those words meant.

A Pokémon that could not fight had no reason to exist; spending a fortune only to buy ordinary medicine; useless trash that only ate and did not know how to create value.

Those ideas were far too complicated for Chansey. They were nowhere near as easy to understand as the malice those people displayed.

So.

In the end, the only thing it remembered was that "battle" was something truly terrifying.

It had been sold again and again, then sent back again and again.

Chansey no longer knew how many people it had met, how many times it had been pushed onto a Battle Arena, or how many beatings it had endured. Humans and all kinds of Pokémon had attacked it.

And the number of times it had dared to fight back—zero.

Its fear of attacking others could not be shaken off. It could dodge other people's attacks, and it had tried using Sing to put others to sleep, but even if it only had to touch someone, it did not dare attack first.

Because of pain.

After being hit so many times, it understood all too well how painful it was to be struck by a move. It truly feared it and panicked because of it.

Why did it have to attack other Pokémon or humans?

This was not some belief Chansey stubbornly upheld. It simply found it difficult to understand. It could not understand, even after gradually learning about human society and the things humans said.

While hiding in the animal cage, it would often recall some happy memories.

For example, one time after it was sold, it became the playmate of a cute girl who looked like a doll. Everyone happily played together. There were no battles, and no one needed to hurt anyone.

Those days had truly been peaceful and happy.

Unfortunately, it was eventually pushed onto the battle field anyway.

The reason was that the girl's good friend wanted to have a Pokémon battle. Chansey thought the girl would refuse, but to its surprise, she agreed.

And in the end, because it could not take the initiative to attack its opponent, it lost that battle, which had never really had any suspense.

That day, Chansey discovered for the first time just how frightening the girl became when she was angry about losing face in front of her friend. Her flushed, twisted face eventually brought punches and kicks.

They were not strong, nor did they hurt much, but Chansey was very sad. It believed it was its own fault.

If it could attack, would the girl no longer be sad?

Unfortunately.

Before it could apologize, it was sent back the next day.

Back in the animal cage once more, though they had spent very little time together, Chansey still remembered that girl deeply. Occasionally recalling her still made it a little happy.

But helplessly, its future was bleak and uncertain.

Where would it go from here?

Chansey looked at the pitch-black surroundings and let out a soft sigh. "Lucky..."

"Did you hear something?"

"Hear what?"

The sudden conversation interrupted its thoughts. It raised its head and soon heard footsteps approaching, followed by someone asking about the price. Then the black curtain before it was lifted, revealing a young face with a somewhat cold expression.

"Lucky..."

Chansey was startled and looked fearfully at the young man staring directly at it.

Was it going to be sold again? Was it going to be sent to the Battle Arena again, then beaten? Why had the shop owner lied and said it had only been sold twice?

Countless questions filled Chansey's mind. Its nervousness left it at a loss, and it could no longer hear anything around it. Even after being put into a Pokémon Ball, it remained anxious and uneasy.

But.

The miserable fate it had imagined repeating over and over again did not descend upon it.

Though Baimu looked cold on the outside, his heart was full of kindness. Not only was Chansey not attacked, it was given a full meal. To be honest, it had been a long time since it had eaten such a peaceful meal.

His name was Baimu, and he had a partner who looked loyal and dependable.

After Chansey finished eating, it wondered when it would be sent out to battle and how long Baimu's kindness would last before Chansey exhausted it.

Strangely, Baimu chose to talk with it.

Though most of the time they seemed to be talking past each other and could not understand one another, Chansey inevitably became more and more relaxed.

Could talking really be so wonderful?

Chansey thought of that little girl and realized that it had barely spoken to her. Most of the time, it had simply been handled and played with like a doll.

Come to think of it, this was the first time it had talked with someone for so long.

And when Baimu said that he only needed it to heal Aron, Chansey could hardly believe it.

Was healing really enough?

It desperately wanted someone to tell it that it was true, and its healing of Aron and Vibrava gave it a measure of confidence.

Perhaps.

Perhaps it really did not need to attack anyone. Perhaps simply healing others was enough.

And so, it continued living by Baimu's side.

And gradually, it realized that no matter how many times it showed fear and confusion toward the future and everything before it, there would always be a warm hand gently nudging it from behind, giving it confidence and telling it what to do.

That was Baimu's hand.

For one brief moment,

it felt that taking the initiative to attack wasn't something difficult to accept, because Baimu was kind and reliable, because Baimu was nothing like those people from before.

It just didn't quite dare to take the field right now.

It really should.

Ever since it learned that Baimu had a very important match, that thought had flashed through its mind countless times.

One afternoon, when Aron had finished battling, Baimu's good friend—the yellow-haired human—asked whether they should let Chansey go up and give it a try.

Chansey felt that this might be an opportunity.

It was flustered and tense, every reaction from its body showing its unwillingness, yet it still decided to give it a try.

But—

"Forget it."

Baimu refused, hardly hesitating at all. "It hasn't gotten over that hurdle in its heart yet. There's no need to force it."

Why?

I can do it!

Chansey desperately wanted to express that it really could. But in the end, all it did was rub its two little paws together again and again, unable to make a sound.

At that moment, Baimu seemed to notice its struggle. He stroked its head and said with a gentle, earnest smile, "If it's something you don't want to do, just refuse. I won't blame you. After all, we're on the same side. We should be understanding of each other."

"Do what you want to do. Do what you believe is right. Aron and I will always stand by you. You can make your own choice."

Do what you believe is right. Do what you want to do.

Your fate is yours to choose.

No one had ever said those things to it before. Chansey didn't know how that day had passed. Those words kept circling through its mind, surging without end.

I can make my own decisions?

So...

I can really choose my own fate?

I see. But I still hope you can give me a little push, just a gentle one, and let me welcome the true tomorrow.

Standing in front of Aron,

Chansey watched Baimu get tackled by Mightyena. It heard the words it knew so well coming from him, and saw the hand that should have gently pushed it forward from behind drenched in blood.

It gazed toward that distant direction.

It was as though freedom, those gentle words, and all the excitement of these past days had drifted far away from it.

"Lucky—!!"

"Ah—!!"

Chansey screamed hysterically. The immense God-like mental power suppressed within its mind surged out frantically, like floodwaters bursting through a breached dam.