Pokémon: I have no choice but to do this old thing?

Zhang Jianying looked at Lucario, a bad feeling creeping into his heart. He figured things weren't going to get easy for him for the next while...

"This is called a waveguide."

Gustav cut straight to the heart of the matter without any preamble, his voice hoarse yet powerful: "It is a mixture of life energy and spiritual power, a light reflected from the soul, a bridge to perceive, connect with, and even resonate with all things."

"It's inside everyone, it's been there since the moment we're born, as natural as a heartbeat and breathing."

He then shifted his tone, his voice carrying an almost cruel sense of reality: "But unfortunately, 99% of people in this world die like they're blind, unable to feel it, let alone understand or utilize it. It's like a seed buried deep underground, encased in layers of rocks, needing suitable soil, abundant rain, and... most importantly, a thunderclap, before it has a chance to break through the darkness, see the light of day, and sprout its first tender shoot."

"You possess this seed."

Gustav's gaze was like two red-hot irons, burning Zhang Jianying's face. "People with this kind of potential are one in a million. But what good is potential if no one in the know points you in the right direction, no one pushes you into a corner, and no one shatters your pitiful rationality and wishful thinking?"

"Ha... then this seed will only rot in the darkness in its next life, and the life after that! In the end, you and all the things you've desperately tried to protect are just another possibility of being forgotten by the world. Who knows when it will be silently swallowed up by darkness that surges from some unknown corner, leaving not even a trace!"

"I have reviewed all the data on your encounter with Mewtwo."

Gustav's vision seemed to transcend time and space, allowing him to see the scene from that time.

"Wu Song's detailed report, the remaining surveillance footage of the base restored by the Alliance's technical department... the gap in strength is like an insurmountable chasm. You didn't give up, you were quick-witted, and you knew how to use everything to maneuver, but none of these are the most important..."

"Most importantly, the key is that almost instinctive ruthlessness and seemingly foolish persistence in your bones, which means you're willing to risk your own life to protect the Pokémon around you."

"This pure, unadulterated will is the most effective catalyst for a seed to sprout! The Mewtwo incident was like a rehearsal, proving that you are not a flower grown in a greenhouse. You have the resilience to squeeze out your potential in desperate situations, and your character... barely meets the threshold for being considered."

Gustav paused, his gaze sweeping meaningfully over the glaring blood-red patterns on the baby dragon's body, his voice growing even lower and more menacing:

"What's more, you and these little guys have already stepped into the mud. Not only did you take their 'special achievements,' you also indirectly destroyed one of their important strongholds."

"You think this is the end of it? To possess a coveted 'treasure' yet lack the power to protect it… that's a path to death! I don't want to one morning find my name and photo in Interpol's files!"

"So," Gustav concluded, his voice resolute and brooking no argument, "I'm giving you a chance. But this chance isn't charity! It requires you to pay with pain and with your willpower! Do you dare to take it?"

Zhang Jianying finally resolved his long-standing doubts. His heart pounded wildly in his chest, not out of fear, but out of a fighting spirit and determination burning from the depths of his soul!

It turns out that this legendary figure had already been observing and assessing everything in secret.

It wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision, but rather based on realistic judgment, recognition of potential, and... a touch of cherishing "possibility" that perhaps even he himself was unwilling to admit.

"I want!"

Zhang Jianying answered without hesitation, "I want this opportunity!"

"good!"

A glint of lightning seemed to flash in Gustav's eyes. "Then let's begin the first lesson! The fastest and most effective way to awaken this dormant seed is—"

The elderly Lucario beside him had a faint blue light gleaming in its eyes. Lucario precisely locked onto the "spark" hidden deep within Zhang Jianying's body, raised a claw, and a fist-sized Aura Sphere instantly materialized between its claws!

"—I'll throw you into the very gates of hell, and let you use your purest will to survive to grab the rope that can pull you back!"

Before the words were even finished, Lucario moved! The Po-Mission, like the bullet that struck Zhang Jianying's chest on that rainy night in his previous life, shot towards him with a heavy sense of pressure!

coming!

Zhang Jianying's entire body tensed to its limit instantly! The shadow of death, like a cold scythe, was once again pressed against his neck!

Gustav's words still echoed in his ears like a resounding bell, and he recalled the Pokémon's belief in protecting him despite the vast difference in power.

The figures of his comrades surpassed everything at this moment, becoming incredibly clear and burning in his heart!

For their sake! We must stop them! We must…seize that force!

Zhang Jianying desperately concentrated all his energy, discarding all distractions, trying to sense and capture the trace of the so-called "seed" in those few short seconds!

However, it was completely empty!

Apart from the trembling of his muscles and his heart pounding wildly with tension, he felt nothing at all!

Everything Gustav said seemed to be nothing but an illusion!

The missile, accompanied by a sharp whistle, drew ever closer!

The condensed blue light magnified rapidly in his pupils, as if it wanted to suck his soul into it!

No! Why can't I feel it?! Why?!

Don't give up! Think about them! Think about your promises to them! Think about the future you promised to walk together!

In the face of extreme unwillingness and urgency, and under the impact of an intense obsession with protecting his comrades that was strong enough to burn his soul, Zhang Jianying's consciousness seemed to be thrown into a furnace!

He no longer futilely searched for that unseen and intangible power, but instead, with all his will, unleashed a silent roar from the deepest recesses of his soul—

"Come out here!!!"

Just moments before the missile was about to strike his chest and clothing, and the chilling aura of death was already palpable—

"Buzz—!!!"

An unprecedented and peculiar sense of resonance, like a sleeping dragon being disturbed, suddenly exploded from the deepest part of his body!

A pale blue, extremely thin, twisted barrier with constantly crumbling edges appeared precariously in front of him, less than a fist's width away!

The barrier that appeared was extremely unstable, its light flickering rapidly, as if it would collapse completely at any moment, but it truly appeared! It barely managed to block that deadly wave missile!

"Bang—!"

The condensed wave missile collided with the rough barrier!

There was no earth-shattering explosion as expected, only a muffled thud!

The barrier, like ripples on a calm lake after a boulder has been thrown in, held up for only a moment before bursting like a bubble reaching its limit, turning into tiny blue specks of light that dissipated into the air.

Lucario's wave missile also had more than 80% of its destructive energy consumed due to this brief obstruction!

But the residual impact was still like a heavy hammer, slamming into Zhang Jianying's chest and sending him flying backward. He crashed onto the cold stone floor, a sweet taste rising in his throat, followed by intense pain that nearly made him faint.

But he survived...

"Pfft, that's fucking exciting!"