The Terrifying Power of Soak

A black barrier silently protected Dian's body. On closer inspection, the Shadow Barrier was constantly shifting.

After all, Aaron was holding a weapon that looked like a submachine gun.

Of course, it wasn't a submachine gun. This world's technology hadn't developed toward firearms; it had grown around Pokémon and the professions connected to them.

It made sense when you thought about it. Humans invented firearms to conquer and rule, but the Pokémon World already had extraordinary creatures like Pokémon. There had been little reason to develop firearms.

Besides, why research an unknown power when you could study one that already existed? That was why Team Rocket and the shadowy organizations in other regions all sought the power of legendary Pokémon.

Team Rocket had failed once, but it hadn't been wiped out.

The other organizations hadn't been so lucky.

And there was a more fundamental question: did the resources needed to make powerful firearms even exist?

Science served society's needs. If your research ran counter to those needs, or threatened to disrupt the order upheld by powers both public and hidden, who would pursue it?

Research, after all, required enormous amounts of people and resources.

On top of that, this world had no shortage of Pokémon willing to interfere.

If some rule did govern the world, perhaps it was one that weakened every firearm as much as possible.

Still, Dian wasn't about to bet his life on that. Who knew what the submachine-gun-like thing in Aaron's hands could do? Better to be cautious.

A pair of black pupils appeared beneath the moonlight, locking onto Aaron—or rather, onto the Fearow in front of him.

At the critical moment, Aaron had released Fearow to take the Mean Look for him.

If Fearow took the hit, he merely wouldn't be able to recall it