Chương 32: Battle

'This was different from an ordinary dream,' thought a disoriented bespectacled man.

The key distinction was that he was fully aware it was indeed a dream. Previously, everything he had witnessed felt like reality unfolding before him. It was only upon waking that he realized it had all been an illusion. He was familiar with this type of dream as well.

He adjusted his slipping glasses. Just when he thought he had awoken from the dream, he found himself back inside it again. This repeated cycle was quite common. So he never truly believed that what was happening was real.

It was a room in an apartment building. There was nothing out of the ordinary about it. Which made the presence of the black sphere positioned in the center all the more conspicuous. It seemed to be speaking, though the content never registered in his mind.

Various people surrounded it.

"Hey, is this a dream?"

The friend sitting beside him was also touching his glasses, removing them and putting them back on. But the scene remained unchanged, prompting him to frantically look around in confusion.

"When we were riding our bikes...a dump truck was tryna squeeze over and..." He had a memory of collapsing in a pool of blood.

That's right. They had definitely suffered serious injuries. He touched his head. There was nothing amiss anywhere.

Some of the others around also appeared perplexed, unable to comprehend how they had ended up here.

A collective abduction was the possibility that came to mind. Perhaps they had been rendered unconscious and forcibly brought to this room. But for what purpose?

The man was growing increasingly confused. Not solely because of his own incomprehensible circumstances, but also because he noticed there were those among them who seemed completely out of place. Most of them barely reacted at all.

There was one extremely rugged-looking man present. And another man leaning against the wall whose skin tone was so dark one could mistake him for African. It was evident they were all older than him, but upon further observation he also noticed some younger men among them.

What they had in common were the strange black outfits they wore. The tight fit made them look like they were in cosplay. A few people were even laughing about it, but they remained silent with an eerie calmness. And the ones dressed that way weren't just men.

"Does that thing even work properly?"

A platinum blonde, fair-skinned girl who looked like a gyaru was talking to a foreign woman with the same hair color. They were showing each other their smartphones.

"Doesn't seem to. Wanna try again?"

"That's a model I've never seen before."

"I guess we have no choice but to contact An-chan?"

A tanned, gyaru-esque woman had her arms crossed. And the black-haired woman next to her nodded in agreement.

"I think that's best for us too. Say, this weekend?" "I've got something on Saturday, so the day after works better."

The foreigner tapped her chin with her finger.

"Is there an ocean around here?"

"It'll take a bit, but it'll be worth it to let Todon and the others enjoy themselves. I can't wait to swim with them!"

"I'm curious about Milo-chan too."

"If it's you Miho, Milo-chan will probably even let you ride on her back."

The black-haired woman suddenly lowered her voice.

"Hey, we should keep it down. Talking about Milo-chan and all..."

"Can I come too?"

"There he is."

"Ugh, go away creep."

"Wait, if she gives permission, you guys can't complain right?"

Ordinarily, the man's gaze would have been drawn to the pronounced curves of their bodies as well. Especially the foreign woman's figure was impossible to ignore. But an even more overwhelming presence had captured the bulk of his attention.

The brown-haired man who had interrupted the women's conversation went over to a serpentine creature huddled in the corner of the room. It was like nothing he'd ever seen before.

And it wasn't the only one of its kind present. Next to the foreigner was a being standing on two legs. One had the appearance of a blue dog-like creature. But he couldn't find adequate words to describe the other's form. It simply had sleek lines reminiscent of an advanced jet aircraft, with a vivid red portion on its belly that was quite striking.

As if snapping back to her senses, the foreign woman turned to face them. "Listen, you've all been caught up in a battle. For now, just put on the suits."

"What're you on about?"

The rugged, short-haired man tried to stop her, but she and the jet-like being just glared at him, prompting him to click his tongue and light a cigarette.

"Just put them on. Unless you want to die. Take the suitcases in order. You'll know which one is yours since they have names engraved on them."

He had felt devoid of any sense of reality this whole time. But for some reason, he got the feeling it was better to just go along with her instructions. Most were treating it as a joke and made no attempt to move. Some even openly ogled her, seemingly trying to hit on her.

"What should we do...?" A friend of the man looked to him. But even he didn't know how to respond. Ultimately, he didn't want to die, so he considered going to retrieve one of the cases.

The moment he moved, music suddenly started playing. A cheerful melody. A familiar arrangement. He whimsically thought it sounded like something out of a comedy skit.

***

[Nura Rihyon

Characteristics:

Incredibly Strong

Malicious

Persistent]

Shirona felt she had done everything she could. She watched as they were sent away one after another. This time, the number of newcomers had increased significantly compared to the Sanada alien incident. Above all else, ensuring everyone's survival was the top priority. She didn't want any more sacrifices from this battle.

That was her deepest wish as well. Which is why she had devoted herself to training for some time. She didn't know how effective it would prove to be. But by standing together with her Pokemon, she was confident a way forward could be opened.

She studied the image displayed on Gantz. It was a bald, elderly man. Only his face was shown, so the details of his physique weren't clear. But he appeared quite frail.

Of course, she wasn't underestimating him. The aliens were capable of altering their appearance. If she assumed it was merely a harmless old man, she could end up facing some terrifying monster instead.

Still, Shirona felt a slight sense of relief. It wasn't the face of the woman that had haunted her dreams so many times before. Perhaps the formidable foe wouldn't make an appearance this time either. Regardless, this was sure to be a formidable adversary. She steeled herself before turning her attention to the man whose hand was starting to fade away.

Oka hadn't been looking at her initially, but eventually shifted his gaze her way. "What is it?"

"It may get dangerous soon. You should avoid acting alone too."

"You worrying about me? Did you hit your head or something?"

"You'll get your legs swept out from under you and die, you know?"

Until his disappearance was complete, he never nodded. His prideful belief in having overcome every ordeal solo until now was shining through. Shirona wasn't excessively worried either. It was just that her dreams kept telling her something. How many times had she seen Oka's severed head? Such a perilous situation would surely come to pass. To prevent that, reforming his mindset was necessary.

She looked to her Pokemon. Garchomp and the others had also been ensnared by Gantz. They could no longer return to their Poke Balls. Their transfer here had been carried out just like Shirona's. But she didn't think the revival was a mistake. This way, they could fight together. Finally, everything was in place.

Lucario turned its head and let out a perplexed cry. Shirona sensed the anomaly too. Everyone else had already vanished from this room. And yet her own transfer had not begun.

She unfolded her arms and turned around. Gazing at Gantz as if seeking the answer.

The timer had already started running - the one and a half hour time limit. If that expired, the battle would forcibly terminate.

But the digits were gradually fading. In the few blinks of Shirona's eyes, the time display disappeared completely. The screen that had indicated the remaining time morphed into something else.

Static began to interfere. The alien's image from before reappeared.

[Nura rihyoooooooooon

Characteristics:

No one can

Defeat

Ever

Again]

The audio was also garbled. The flat tone only added to the ominous aura. Towards the end, it was so fragmented that comprehending the meaning became impossible.

But it was clear that some abnormality was occurring. Gantz's display had become utterly jumbled. The alien's image fractured and scattered into the sphere's corners. It started spinning around almost like a living creature.

Shirona took an instinctive step backward. An inexplicable urge to flee was growing within her. But why would she need to do such a thing? True, Gantz could not be trusted. However, she had a feeling that what was happening now was definitely not one of its pranks.

"'This is but child's play."

That voice clearly did not come from an electronic source. Seconds later, a hand extended out from the side of the opening sphere.

"No need for your guard." It was the voice of an elderly man.

What emerged was a completely hairless human figure. It began disconnecting the cables plugged into the sphere's core.

This wasn't the first time she had witnessed such a sight. Gantz's spheres had a core, containing what appeared to be a humanoid creature sleeping within, never reacting no matter how much prodding it received.

Why was that being suddenly coming out and addressing her?

Shirona soon realized - and was struck with dread.

After all, she had only envisioned favorable hardships. Her lack of awareness had never truly been remedied from the very start.

Blood suddenly spurted from the being's head, revealing a large open wound. But instead of the expected gore, a hand emerged. A gnarled, wrinkled hand.

It was like a small humanoid figure. The entity that had torn its way out of Gantz's interior climbed atop the sphere with a cheery demeanor. Meanwhile, neither Shirona nor her companions could move a muscle. She only noticed the abnormal amount of sweat pouring from Lucario when glancing at it.

Their adversary gradually transformed. Its body elongated until it stood just slightly taller than Shirona. A lush white beard sprouted from its face, extending a few inches below the chin as if covering its mouth area.

"Let us welcome them."

Its appearance was now identical to the alien displayed earlier - a slender frame that looked like it could snap if pushed, yet inspiring no urge to resist whatsoever.

Nura Rihyon waved its arm. In sync with that signal, the tips of Shirona's feet began fading away. The transfer process had begun - with impeccable timing, as if it had been lying in wait.

"The vanguards."

Gantz had been hijacked. Before the weight of that realization could fully sink in, the scene before her eyes shifted. It seemed there would be no time afforded for contemplation.

Perhaps she could have noticed sooner - she did recognize the cityscape now sprawled around her. The main street she passed on her way to part-time work lay just nearby.

But Shirona heard it. What sounded like laughter. There was no need to search for the source.

Because countless silhouettes were already writhing all around them. Not a single one bore the same appearance. The sole commonality was their aberrant, monstrous forms. Even those retaining partial human traits had grotesquely mutated portions.

A short distance away, people were being devoured. A cyclopean monster with an immense maw was simultaneously tearing apart men and women with its jaws. The sights unfolding elsewhere differed little. People fled in panic, were captured, subjected to unspeakable acts of cruelty.

The surrounding creatures let out cries of welcome towards Shirona, as if their long-awaited prey had finally arrived.

She had already accepted the reality. Her past experiences with Gantz proved marginally beneficial after all. No matter how unfamiliar the situation she was thrown into, no matter what future trials lay in store, she understood that dealing with the immediate threat was paramount.

The ball had already been cast. A sense of fearlessness washed over her. She didn't feel isolated. Because all around her were her Pokemon.

Seven of them lined up surrounding Shirona. Each one glancing at her for just a moment. There was no trepidation in their gaze, only trust conveyed towards their master.

One of the monsters lunged at them. That was the signal for the others to attack in waves.

Shirona extended her blade - the one called the Gantz Sword - gripping it in her right hand. In her left, she held the X-Gun.

Not a trace of hesitation in her first command:

"Shadow Ball, Dazzling Gleam!"

Togekiss and Lucario blasted down the charging monster. The two bluish-white orbs that pierced through continued on, enveloping other creatures too. Any foes that slipped past were taken care of by the dark energy bolts Roserade unleashed.

"Dark Pulse!"

Mikaruge let out a tremendous cry. A shockwave radiated outward from its body in a circular blast. Shirona had already leapt clear, the other Pokemon adjusting positions to avoid being caught up in it.

This pushed back most of the surrounding enemies. As they tumbled, she followed up with successive X-Gun blasts on any exposed targets, staggering the timing of the alternating trigger pulls just as she had been taught.

There were some undeterred creatures too. A slightly larger aberrant form charged straight at them.

"Ice Beam!"

Gastrodon and Milotic expelled freezing rays simultaneously. The resulting ice immobilized the foe. Garchomp was rapidly closing in on that position.

"Giga Impact!"

The blow carried tremendous force, utterly shattering the creature without even a cry as it burst apart. Flecks of flesh and blood splattered across Shirona's cheek, but she didn't so much as flinch.

The enemy's density increased somewhat. It seemed the commotion had drawn other monsters from slightly farther away. So Shirona poured her strength into her right hand, pressing the hilt's button.

"Extending it."

That single phrase seemed to convey her intent to the Pokemon. In sync with Shirona's swings, they took flight or went prone as needed.

With a physical body, it would likely be too heavy and unwieldy. Swinging it around one-handed would surely dislocate a shoulder.

But for the current Shirona, it was an effortless feat. The Gantz Sword's blade extended far beyond ordinary length, cleaving through multiple forms.

Simultaneously, the airborne Garchomp and Togekiss dealt with any evading targets through Flamethrower and Thunderbolt, raining destruction across the battlefield in a multitude of colors.

She also noticed some enemies deliberately keeping their distance. They opened their mouths to spew forth an oddly colored liquid. She didn't need to imagine what contact with it would entail.

"Psychic! Mirror Coat!"

Mikaruge and Lucario focused their powers.

An invisible force scooped up the acidic liquid. What should have been directed at Shirona instead changed trajectory drastically, splattering the surrounding monstrosities who cried out in anguish differently than before.

In another area, Milotic's Counter redirected the liquid spray right back, instantly dissolving the creature that had launched it.

Shirona launched herself at a mid-sized monster, kicking up into its jaw. As it recoiled, she plunged both hands into its tooth-lined maw and pried outward with all her might. The Gantz suit activated, bulging out like contracting muscles to amplify her strength.

The creature crumpled backward, its face utterly decimated. Without confirming if it was truly defeated, she pressed on alongside her Pokemon, issuing commands while making use of her own weapon.

An odd sense of exhilaration welled up within her. She thought - this was the same, after all. Being called forth from a ball to fight.

Whether it was her calling out her Pokemon from their balls to fight, or Gantz's black orb transporting her into combat - it was essentially the same thing in the end. There was no need to debate which deserved more condemnation. Both were undoubtedly wrong.

Until now, she had never been cognizant of it. Pokemon battling against each other. Battle - the very pinnacle aspired to was becoming the reigning Champion. Just how much value did that really hold?

Surely, it was nothing to take pride in whatsoever, she thought. Even if it was what the Pokemon themselves desired, forcing them to fight to the point of exhaustion, using them for the sake of her own victory - how much different was that from what Gantz was doing? Viewed from that perspective, it could not be ignored. There was no escaping the facts. And yet, she felt she had reached a new realm.

Through eye contact and hand signals alone, she designated which moves would be used by whom - no need to call out names. This wasn't adhering to the rules of one-on-one or two-on-two Trainer battles. Minimize any waste, allocate more of her consciousness to her own role.

She didn't consider herself bound by the framework of being a Pokemon Trainer any longer. This was the ideal form in Shirona's eyes - what she had envisioned in fleeting dreams since childhood. The sight of Pokemon taking damage in her stead, prompting such thoughts.

Fighting alongside them. Not just issuing commands, but directly cooperating to overcome challenges together. That sense of unity was more intense than anything she had ever experienced before. And she realized there could be no turning back from that temptation. From the moment she arrived in this world, she had been exposed to unimaginable revelations.

She felt no fatigue. Despite not seeming like she had exerted herself much, the area had somehow grown still. Only then did she realize they had already annihilated the surrounding forces.

Her Pokemon were unharmed. Despite taking down such a large number, they had scarcely suffered any retaliation - a fact that sent chills down her spine.

There were no civilian survivors. Those still able to move had probably already fled. She figured eliminating the alien threat swiftly took priority over pursuing and protecting them.

Without rest, Shirona advanced onward. Though her pulse pounded loud enough to be audible, her vision remained remarkably clear - the ideal state of heightened tension. Then she heard a scream.

"Ahh! Help!"

Looking in that direction, she saw an immensely large creature rising up. Its muscular structure was visible through its skin, revolting in appearance. While humanoid in shape, she knew it could not be shown any mercy. Clenched in its jaws was a child, crying out as it was about to be devoured.

"Dragon Dive!"

At Shirona's shout, Garchomp went into a plunging descent. Now essentially a living projectile, the Pokemon crashed straight into the monster's head, obliterating everything above the nose. It landed with a spinning motion.

Shirona herself had also started running. The child came falling down. Anticipating the landing spot, she slid into position. The suit's augmented power allowed her to catch him perfectly.

"Are you...okay...?"

The boy looked up at her with tear-stained eyes.

"Are you all right?"

As he recognized Shirona's appearance, he cocked his head to the side. Then, as if realizing something, his mouth opened wide while an expression of joy replaced his former terror.

"Pink Ranger! So cool!"

"Eh...?"

She wasn't surprised at the strange moniker she had been called. What caught her off guard was - something she had failed to notice amidst the chaos until now. The child was dressed in an outfit eerily reminiscent of her own suit.

"Takeshi!"

Thud! Thud!

The sound of hurried footsteps rapidly approached. Shirona looked up. She recognized the burly man coming towards them. He too was clad in the black suit.