Fortunately, Pain didn't know what Dragonite was thinking—otherwise, he might've just broken down and cried on the spot.
That last attack had been his most powerful move, and all it had done was push Dragonite back a few more steps. That was it.
The gap between them was simply too vast. There was no point in continuing this fight.
Pain stared at the completely unscathed Dragonite, utterly shocked.
For a moment, he even considered retreating.
What was the point? He couldn't even touch the thing.
Especially when Dragonite's glowing eyes stared back—it was downright unsettling.
But then, Dragonite launched another attack.
With a flick of its massive wings, a tornado erupted in the sky and rapidly spun toward Pain.
Pain's expression shifted as he tried to dodge, but he was too slow—he got sucked right into the twister.
His body spun uncontrollably inside before crashing to the ground with such force that the earth cracked beneath him.
"Raaahhh—!!"
Dragonite didn't let up. With a roar, it charged again, fists glowing—one with electricity, the other with fire—and eyes gleaming with excitement.
Pain quickly formed hand seals and used the Summoning Jutsu to call out the remaining five Paths of Pain.
…
Not far from the battlefield, Ryo and the others were observing.
Gardevoir noticed the additional Paths of Pain appearing and immediately prepared to join the fight to assist Dragonite.
But just as it was about to move, Ryo reached out and held it back.
Gardevoir looked at him in confusion.
Ryo shook his head. "Let Dragonite enjoy this. It hasn't had a proper fight in a while. Every enemy so far has gone down too easily."
Gardevoir glanced at Dragonite's excited expression and nodded, stepping back.
But behind them, Sasori and Deidara both twitched at Ryo's words.
They felt genuinely bad for Itachi and Kisame.
So… that one-sided beatdown they'd received hadn't even made Dragonite exert itself?
They were glad Itachi and Kisame weren't here to hear this. They'd probably be coughing up blood.
Whoosh—
Speak of the devil. Itachi and Kisame arrived on the scene, having sensed the commotion.
"What happened?" Itachi asked calmly, turning to Sasori and Deidara.
Sasori shrugged. "Nothing major. The boss just dropped by."
Ryo turned back with a smile. "Aren't you two going to help? With your support, Pain might actually have a chance. Or maybe, you could take this opportunity to attack me instead?"
Gardevoir shot a wary glance at the group.
But the group only smiled wryly. Sasori shook his head. "Boss, we're your employees now. Why would we attack our employer?"
Deidara nodded. "Exactly. We're with you."
To them, Akatsuki had never truly mattered. Living here was better—freer, more peaceful—and they had Pokémon. That beat anything Akatsuki ever offered.
As long as Ryo didn't kick them out, they weren't leaving.
Ryo nodded, then turned his gaze toward Itachi and Kisame.
Itachi just gave a faint shake of his head and looked toward the fight between Dragonite and the Six Paths of Pain.
He had only joined Akatsuki to serve as a spy.
Now that real power existed to counter them, whether or not he kept pretending didn't matter anymore.
Ryo understood Itachi's stance.
He then looked at Kisame.
Most Akatsuki members didn't care much about "world peace" or their so-called missions.
But Kisame was different—he had been thoroughly brainwashed. He treated every mission with deadly seriousness and would even sacrifice himself to complete them.
That had been obvious the last time they came here.
While the others had retreated in the face of Dragonite's overwhelming power, Kisame had stood his ground to buy time for his team.
That level of dedication was no joke.
Noticing Ryo's stare, Kisame felt a flicker of anxiety.
He had thought about capturing Ryo while Dragonite was distracted… completing the mission to control the Pokémon.
But the moment that idea crossed his mind, memories of his time here came flooding back.
These days weren't exactly happy—but they were peaceful, comfortable. He even found himself wondering sometimes… why had he become a shinobi in the first place?
With a slight smile, Kisame said, "Boss, don't worry. I'm part of the Pokémon House now."
This kind of life wasn't bad. A little ordinary, maybe, but definitely satisfying.
Not just Ryo—Sasori, Deidara, and even Itachi were surprised.
They didn't know Kisame well, but they never expected him to say something like that.
Ryo smiled and said nothing more, turning back toward the battlefield.
…
Now with all six Paths assembled, their eyes locked tightly onto Dragonite as it approached.
Gakidō—the Preta Path—stepped forward to shield the others, frowning as it prepared to absorb Dragonite's incoming attack.
But Dragonite was already there, punching forward with a blazing and electrified fist.
Gakidō raised both arms to absorb it, smirking—
Until his expression shifted to one of shock.
The other five Paths immediately backed away, escaping Dragonite's range.
Boom!
The next instant, Gakidō was blasted backward—his body disintegrating mid-air. Half of it was scorched black from the flames, while the other half sizzled with electricity.
Tendō Pain's face darkened as he shouted, "Why?! Why can't Gakidō absorb your power? He should be able to absorb everything!"
"Raaahhh—!"
Dragonite scratched its head, staring at the ruined body in confusion.
Not because of Pain's question—but because he didn't get it.
Why was this guy so weak?
Pain had been able to block his punches before. Why couldn't this one, who looked so similar, handle it?
Was there really such a huge difference between them?
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