The idea of holding a funeral for the old Gym Leader had been brewing in Ye Li's mind for a long time.
This was not a grand ceremony announced to the outside world.
He simply erected an unmarked stone monument for the old man on a quiet terrace aboard the airship, where the starry sky was visible.
There was no eulogy, no guests.
Alone before the monument, Ye Li poured out a cup of sake.
The liquor seeped into the cold deck as though into the earth.
Tie Yan, the Tyranitar that now had nothing left but that name, stood silently behind him.
Its enormous body was like a silent mountain, shutting out even the night wind.
Its bright eyes, clear once more, gazed quietly at the unmarked monument. There was no frenzy in them, only a heavy sorrow that would not fade.
"From now on, you'll stay with me."
Ye Li did not turn around. His calm voice rang out in the night wind.
Tie Yan let out a low roar, like an answer, and like an oath.
From that moment on, it was no longer the Pokémon League's killing machine, "Titan."
It inherited its master's final wishes and became the sharpest sword in Ye Li's hand, born for vengeance.
News of the raid on the underwater prison, Demon Island, was like a massive bomb detonating among the Pokémon League's upper ranks, leaving everyone reeling.
That undersea fortress, supposedly "absolutely impenetrable," had been breached right under their noses as though no one were guarding it, and the target had been successfully taken away.
This was no longer a simple slap in the face.
This was trampling the Pokémon League's dignity underfoot and grinding it down over and over.
The instant Lorelei learned the news, a name surfaced in her