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Dogasu's Backpack | Manga Guide | Pocket Monsters Réburst


Pocket Monsters Réburst originally started publication in the March 9th 2011 issue of Weekly Shounen Sunday.



All titles are based on the Japanese language version.

Weekly Shounen Sunday version
Graphic Novel version
01)  "The Beginning of the Adventure!"
(冒険のはじまり!)
N/A
02)  "Ryouga's Secret"
(リョウガの秘密)
N/A
03)  "The Treacherous Mt. Serables"
(危険なゼラブル山)
N/A
04)  "The First Battle"
(はじめての戦い)
N/A
05)  "The Overwhelming Disadvantage..."
(圧倒的不利...)
N/A
06)  "Ryouga's Memories..."
(リョウガの想い…)
N/A
07)  "A New Friend!?"
(新しい仲間!?)
N/A
08)  "The World's Best...!!?"
(世界一…!!?)
N/A
09)  Chapter Nine
N/A

Note:  The following summary will be taken down and replaced with a less detailed summary if Viz ever picks the series up for distribution in the United States.

Chapter One "The Beginning of the Adventure!"

Weekly Shounen Sunday Vol 15

Printed in the March 23rd 2011 issue of
Weekly Shounen Sunday
56 pages
View the title page

Pocket Monsters, or "Pokemon" for short.  These mysterious creatures come in all shapes and sizes.  Humans and pokemon are able to live together in peace and harmony.

However...

In a small village, a young boy named Ryouga psyches himself up for his final exam.  As he takes off running down a dirt path, his grandparents look on from the inside of their house.  Ryouga's grandmother comments on how eager Ryouga is, so his grandfather says that of course he's eager; if he passes this "Trial" (試しの儀), he'll be allowed to leave the village and go on a journey with a pokemon.  If he can do that, he'll be able to fulfill his promise with Arcades.

A much, much younger version of Ryouga can be seen running on the top of a cliff.  Beams of light peak out through the dark clouds above.  Ryouga runs forward, his arms outstretched and tears running down his face, yelling at "Arcades" to wait up.  He wants to go to where his father is, but Arcades' booming voice tells him that it's impossible.  Ryouga denies that it's impossible, but Arcades insists that it is.  Ryouga yells out that it's not in his loudest voice possible, causing Arcades to pause for a moment.  It becomes impressed with the young boy, finding his refusal to back down to be just like his father.  Arcades tells Ryouga that if he can come back with proof that he's gotten stronger, it will take him to where his father is.  Ryouga puts on a determined face and declares that he will definitely become stronger.

Back in the present, a young girl sits against a rock and massages her legs.  She thinks to herself how horrible her first solo mission is going and is worried about how Jake, her superior, will react.  Suddenly, a rumbling can be heard!  The girl stands up and prepares a Monster Ball, wondering if a pokemon is coming nearby.  Suddenly, she sees a boulder approaching!  As the boulder moves closer, she sees that it's being carried by a single boy!  The boy, Ryouga, tells the girl that he's never seen her around before.  She tells him that she was climbing the mountain when she slipped and fell, injuring her leg.



Ryouga tells the girl that he'll help her off the mountain and take her to the village he lives at, "The Village of Protecting Time" (時護りの里), to perform first aid.  He tells her to hop on, but the girl refuses; after all, it would be impossible to carry her and that giant boulder, right?  Ryouga perks up at the word "impossible" and gets a serious look on his face.  He grabs the girl by the hand, flings her into the air, and declares that the word "impossible" isn't in his dictionary!  After the girl lands on the rock being carried by Ryouga, he takes off running.

Back at the village, Ryouga's grandparents tell a man with a clipboard that their grandson will have no problem passing the Trial today.  The man, who appears to be a proctor, tells the elderly couple that the Trial consists of three tests and that passing requires a combined score of 240 points.  He explains that at the moment, Ryouga's scored 57 points on the pokemon knowledge written test and 32 points on the crop cultivation test.  This gives Ryouga only 89 points, requiring him to get at least 151 points on his third test to pass!  Ryouga's grandparents become discouraged, thinking there's no way their grandson can make it.



Suddenly, Ryouga arrives in town and slams the giant boulder onto the ground in the middle of the street!  Ryouga runs up to his grandmother and asks him how many points this giant rock will earn him for his strength test.  His grandmother is flabbergasted and tells Ryouga that no one has ever brought back a rock that big.  The proctor announces that Ryouga has earned more than enough points to pass and announces that he's gotten through the Trial!  As Ryouga jumps up and down in front of the applauding villagers, Ryouga's grandfather notices the girl perched atop the boulder.  The girl tells the old man that her name is Miruto.

Miruto has been seated on a bench while Ryouga's mother, Haruna, wraps gauze around her arm.  She tells Miruto that she's really had it rough, being brought there so forcibly by her son and all.  Miruto says that everything was OK until she said the word "impossible" and wonders what his problem is.  His mother explains that he's hated phrases of opposition like "impossible" and "you can't do that" for a long time.  A little boy (Ryouga's little brother, maybe?) tells Miruto that saying "no good" is no good.  Miruto thinks that Ryouga is a pretty strange boy.

Later, Ryouga emerges from his house with a backpack on.  His grandparents and his mother have gathered to see him off.  Ryouga's grandfather reaches into a bag he's carrying and pulls out a small black box containing a pokemon.  He gives it to Ryouga and tells him that his son - that is, Ryouga's father - used to carry this with him and made Ryouga's grandfather promise to pass it down to his son when he became of age.  Haruna interrupts, saying that she's worried that he's too young to leave on a journey.  Ryouga's grandfather tells his daughter-in-law that they can't stop him, especially since he passed the Trial.  Miruto adds that children leave on journeys with their pokemon all the time and that she has no need to worry.  Ryouga's mother runs off, saying that it's not that simple.  She goes back into her house and slams the door.  As Miruto looks around awkwardly and wonders what just happened, Ryouga gets a sullen look on his face.

As the other villagers see Ryouga off, Miruto stands off in the distance, wondering what this "Trial" business is all about.  She concludes that this really is a mysterious village.  Ryouga makes his way up to where Miruto is and says goodbye, but the young girl stops him.  She tells him that there's a city to the north called Madoro City and that getting close to it is no good.  Ryouga repeats the words "no good," causing Miruto to see what she's just done.  As Ryouga runs off, Miruto tells him that she's serious and that a really dangerous group is in the city.  Ryouga says he'll be OK as he waves goodbye.  The other villagers gather behind Miruto and say their final goodbyes, drowning out the sound of Miruto's protests.

Inside her house, Ryouga's mother looks at a picture of her son and his father.  Tears well up in her eyes and she sees her son walking down the same path as his father.  Outside, Ryouga has put some distance between himself and his hometown.  He looks over the village from atop a grassy cliff and yells out to his mother that he'll definitely return home safely.  Haruna hears her son's words and smiles.

Madoro City is a run down city.  It's rare to see an unbroken door or window on any of the badly decaying buildings.  Rubble lines the streets, and bullet holes can be seen in the walls.  Dark clouds loom overhead.  In one part of the city, a man in a hat smacks an elderly woman to the ground.  Elsewhere, a family cowers in fear as three men with hats walk off with a bag of stolen goods.  In another part of city, a man with a hat uses a nearby building as target practice for his wrist mounted gun.  The hats worn by the men terrorizing the city are all the same.



A truck with a cage in the back drives off.  A young girl chases after it, demanding her "Tekkun" be returned to her.  Inside the cage, a Yorterrie and Minezumi reach their paws out from behind bars.  The girl continues to yell at the truck as it passes through a gate being guarded by two men in hats.  One of the men tells the little girl that entrance beyond that point is forbidden.  The girl pulls on the man's shirt and tells him to return Tekkun, so he gets angry and pulls his first back to knock her away. 

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Ryouga jumps in and delivers a kick to the man's head!  The man in the hat is knocked out cold as the other one looks on in amazement.  He says that a group that would be so tough, even to children, is truly horrible.  The other man in the hat pulls himself together and fires his wrist-mounted gun at Ryouga.  He ducks at the last minute as the energy bullet passes through Ryouga's bandanna.  The guard prepares to fire another shot, but Ryouga is too quick.  He punches his opponent in the gut, knocking him out.

Now that the guards have been incapacitated, Ryouga asks the girl if "Tekkun" is her pokemon.  She says that it is, adding that it's a Yorterrie with a blue ribbon attached.  When Ryouga tells her that he's come there to help, she says that there are a lot of those guys and that opposing them is impossible.  Ryouga's eyes light up at the forbidden word and announces that he can't not fight them now!

In what appears to be a temporary command center, a group of trucks is surrounded by armed guards.  Ryouga sneaks past one of them and tries to pick the lock to one of the cages, but the sound of the padlock rattling gives his position away.  A guard yells out and points his wrist gun on him, but Ryouga kicks him in the face before he can fire.  The commotion has drawn a crowd of guards to the area where Ryouga is.  Before he knows it, Ryouga is surrounded by grunts.

Elsewhere, Miruto wanders through Madoro City.  She comes across the place where Ryouga met the Yorterrie trainer and sees that something has crashed through the gate.  As she looks at the two unconscious guards, she wonders what in the world happened there.  She turns her head as the sounds of battle come from further down.



Back near the command center, Ryouga is single handedly beating up the gathered grunts.  As the men too far away to enter the fray look on in amazement, a tall man with spiky hair and a large ararebo makes his way through the crowd.  The man swings the club sideways, hitting Ryouga and knocking him into a building.  The other grunts identify the man as Commander Yaza.  Yaza is a tall, muscular man with light spiky hair.  A scar runs down his left eye.  He looks down at the remaining guards and wonders how they were able to be beaten by a single brat.  "They really are useless," he says to himself.

The rubble on top of Ryouga starts to move as the young boy picks himself up.  Ryouga comments on how much that direct attack hurt as he coughs up some dirt.  Yaza is amazed at how Ryouga was able to take the attack, so he tells one of his underlings to prepare "that."  The grunt obliges by hooking up a hose to one of the trucks.  He attaches the other end to a pack mounted on Yaza's back.  While all this is going on, Yaza asks Ryouga what kind of person he is.  Ryouga simply responds by saying that he came there to get back Tekkun.  Yaza laughs, asking if he's supposed to be a "hero of justice" or something like that. 

Suddenly, Yaza's ararebo bursts into flames!  He tells Ryouga to die as he slams his weapon onto the ground.  Ryouga dodges, but the shock wave from the attack runs through the ground and splits a building in two!  As fire surrounds Yaza, Ryouga looks over at the truck his enemy's connected to.  Trapped inside are a Baopp, a Hihidaruma, and a Darumakka - all fire-type pokemon.  After Ryouga notices that there's a connection between those pokemon and Yaza's fire weapon, it's explained that the device on Yaza's back is sucking the life energy from the pokemon trapped inside the truck.  It then converts this energy to his weapon, depleting their lives in the process!  Ryouga wonders if this man who's using dirty techniques like this is the enemy his father left to chase after.



Yaza raises his flaming weapon.  He strikes Ryouga right in the front, knocking him down.  As Yaza is about to deliver a finishing blow, a smoke canister is flung into Yaza's direction.  Smoke fills the area, giving Ryouga time to pick himself up.  Miruto hides behind a slightly open door and motions for Ryouga to hurry up.

Inside the abandoned building, Ryouga catches his breath and thanks Miruto for saving him.  Miruto responds by violently shaking Ryouga and yelling that she told him not to go to Madoro City.  After she's done berating him, she explains that her job is to investigate people who use pokemon for bad purposes.  She tells him that she knows how dangerous this can all get and tells him to go home since this has nothing to do with him.  Ryouga says she's wrong; this does concern him.  His father left to fight against guys who use pokemon like that, after all, so he can't simply ignore people like Yaza.  Miruto doesn't have a response.

Luckily, a scream from afar releases Miruto from the obligation of coming up with a comeback.  They look out a window and see that Yaza has picked up the young Yorterrie trainer by the head!  As she tries to wiggle herself free, Yaza yells for Ryouga to get out there.  If he continues to hide, he threatens, he'll burn the little girl until there's nothing left! 

Ryouga reaches into his bag and takes out the box his grandfather gave him.  Miruto demands to know what he plans to do with the pokemon he got from his village; after all, what can one pokemon do against an entire group like that?  Ryouga says that it'll defeat the bad guys and save the girl, simple as that.  Miruto says that it's impossible and that there's no way it'll work.  Ryouga stands up and looks her in the eyes before saying that it's not impossible.  He then rushes out of the building.

Arcades and a young Ryouga are talking.  Ryouga is sitting on the cliff he was on earlier, listening to the mysterious voice from above.  It tells him that his father chose to go on a path to become stronger by overcoming many obstacles.  Ryouga tells Arcades that no matter what's thrown his way, he'll get through it and become stronger.  When he becomes stronger, he says, he'll come back to Arcades.

Back in Madoro City, present-day Ryouga tells Arcades to wait for him.  He approaches Yaza and tells him to release the girl.  Miruto looks on from the inside of her building.  Ryouga takes the box given to him by his grandfather in his hands and prepares to open it.  "I've been waiting for this day for ten years," he thinks.  When he opens the box, he sees a jewel.  Miruto is surprised that the box didn't contain a Monster Ball.  Ryouga holds up the jewel and, knowing exactly what he's doing, places the jewel on the back of his left hand.  Energy begins to swirl around Ryouga as everyone else looks on. 

A transformation begins to take place.  The sleeves on Ryouga's jacket begin to rip as his arms become bigger.  His fingernails become long and claw-like.  As his shirt continues to rip off, a pair of wings poke their way out of his back.  As the painful transformation continues, Ryouga hopes that he'll be able to control this power.  He pleads with it to listen to what he says.

Back in Ryouga's village, the young boy's family notices the burst of energy coming from Madoro City.  His mother thinks to herself that he's finally become "Zekrom."



Now that the transformation is complete, Ryouga stands before everyone as a being that's half human, half Zekrom.  Ryouga comes to his senses and looks down as his new body.  Yaza recognizes the transformation and is amazed that a brat like him is able to "Burst" like that.  Yaza panics and nervously reminds his opponent that he has a hostage.  He tells him not to move as he inches closer and closer to the creature before him.  He then charges at Ryouga and attacks.  Surprisingly, his weapon shatters against Ryouga's now-hard body!  Ryouga gives Yaza a cold look and tells him that he didn't move, just like he asked. 

Yaza holds what's left of his weapon up to the little girl and tells him not to come closer.  Ryouga ignores him and, with a powerful surge of energy, punches Yaza right in the stomach, sending him flying into a building!  The little girl lands safely on the ground.  The other grunts see that their commander is done for and run off scared.  The little girl begins to cry as well, so Miruto steps forward and takes her into her arms.

Miruto looks at Ryouga.  She wonders how he was able to transform and notices that it looks like the legendary pokemon Zekrom.  Ryouga, meanwhile, says that he's finally become stronger.  As he looks up at the sky, he lets out a roar and promises to meet Arcades.


Chapter Two "Ryouga's Secret"

Weekly Shounen Sunday Vol 16

Printed in the March 30th 2011 issue of Weekly Shounen Sunday
30 pages
View the title page

Ryouga, still in his Burst mode, lets out a ferocious roar.  The remaining members of Yaza's group run away scared at the monster before them.  The little girl whose Yorterrie was kidnapped begins to cry in Miruto's arms.  Miruto, meanwhile, thinks to herself how she's never seen anything like that before.

Ryouga begins to walk toward Miruto and the little girl.  Ryouga's imposing figure causes the little girl to tighten her grip on Miruto.  He stops, turns around, and starts to head toward the trucks containing the stolen pokemon.  He grabs the bars of one of the cages and breaks the door off, freeing the pokemon inside.  After looking around for a moment, the pokemon realize what's happening and happily run out.  The little girl's "Tekkun" runs out and jumps into its trainer's now open arms.  Ryouga looks down at the tearful reunion, but the little girl is still scared of him.

Suddenly, Tekkun jumps out of the little girl's arms and starts to run around Ryouga's legs!  The little girl looks on in horror as Ryouga bends down and turns his attention to the little Yorterrie.  He surprises her by picking up the pokemon and saying that he's happy it's safe, showing her that he's still in control.  He turns his attention to the little girl and tells her that he guesses rescuing Tekkun wasn't so "impossible" after all.  The little girls thanks Ryouga.

At that moment, Ryouga tells himself that he'd better transform back since it's a waste to continue using this power now that Yaza's been defeated.  After concentrating for a moment, Ryouga's transformation rips off him and is sucked back into the jewel on his hand.  The process finishes and Ryouga is back to normal.

Miruto wastes no time interrogating Ryouga.  "What's that jewel!?" she asks.  She continues by saying that being able to suddenly transform into Zekrom is too mysterious and demands he explains what just happened.  Ryouga pretends to not know what she's talking about, causing Miruto to freak out.  As she throttles him, he tells her that he can't just casually explain something like that to someone not from his village.  He then adds that if she gets too involved in all of this, she'll be put in danger.  Miruto sees that he's dedicated to keeping his secret, so she decides to try another tactic.  She tells him that she'll give up, saying that she understands that telling her something that's no good is no good.  She then apologizes for asking him to tell he something impossible like that.  Ryouga freaks out at this sudden assault of contradictory words and declares that the word "impossible" is not in his dictionary.  The floodgates open and he begins his explanation.

A "Burst Heart" (BURST ハート) is a jewel that has the power to seal the power of a single pokemon.  Unlike a Monster Ball, which merely calls out a pokemon, a Burst Heart enables you to become one with the pokemon sealed inside.  Miruto frantically jots all this down and guesses that a Zekrom is what's sealed inside Ryouga's Burst Heart.  Ryouga, meanwhile, realizes that he just told her everything he was trying to keep from her.  Miruto ignores this and begins thinking to herself.  She thinks about how she was able to make this unexpected discovery and is thankful for Ryouga's inability to control himself after hearing words like "impossible" and "no good."

Now that she's finished, Miruto stands up and looks for the mysterious group Ryouga just fought off to see if they can tell her anything else.  Ryouga realizes that they might have information about Arcades and decides that he wants to track them down as well.  They both look around, but all the members of Yaza's group are gone!  The little girl happily runs up to Ryouga and tells him that he scared them all away, much to his disappointment.  The people of Madoro City start to gather around and thank him for chasing the bad men away and saving both the town and the pokemon.  Everyone cheers for Ryouga.

Later, Ryouga and Miruto walk down a route to their next destination.  Miruto tries to cheer Ryouga up by telling him that they were at least able to solve the city's problems, but Ryouga's still disappointed at not being able to find out anything new about Arcades.  Miruto takes this opportunity to ask him what this "Arcades" is he keeps bringing up.  She remembers him talking about it when he left the village, but she has no idea what it is.  After struggling to find the right way to explain it, Ryouga tells her that Arcades is a master for his family.  He adds that it's an incredibly strong guy who goes around beating up bad people.  He made a promise to Arcades when he was little, he says, to become strong and meet up with it again someday.  Miruto smiles. 

Unfortunately, Ryouga doesn't know where Arcades is right now!  Miruto's smile quickly fades into a look of disbelief.  She asks him how he could be searching for it without knowing where it is, wondering if he intends to go around the whole world until he finds it.  Ryouga tells her not to be ridiculous; he'll simply climb a really tall mountain and look for Arcades from there.  At that moment, he points to a mountain in the distance that's so tall its summit is hidden in the clouds.  Ryouga guesses that if he climbs to the top of that mountain, he'll be able to see half the world.



At that moment, a couple of travelers approach Ryouga and ask him if he's planning to climb that mountain.  The traveler tells him that if he's going up to get the "Silver Drop" (銀の雫), he'll only end up hurting himself.  Miruto asks the traveler what this "Silver Drop" is.  After expressing his surprise that she didn't know what it was, the traveler explains that the mountain that's piercing the clouds over there is known as the Mt. Serabales (ゼラブル山).  At the summit is a flower that only blooms once every five years known as the "Silver Drop."  It's a flower that's able to cure any type of sickness and can therefore be sold for more than any jewel out there.  It withers and dies a day or two after blooming, so getting a hold of one is really difficult.  He concludes his explanation by saying that right now just happens to be the one day in five years that this "Silver Drop" is blooming.  After hearing this, Ryouga decides to climb the mountain.

The travelers can't believe this young boy.  They ask him if he's really going to climb Mt. Serables, and Ryouga replies that he is.  The traveler explains that the climate on the mountain is incredibly violent and that there's a real danger he'll hurt himself.  He then shouts out that it's impossible for a kid like him to climb it.  Ryouga screeches to a halt as Miruto looks on, shaking her head.  The travelers continue, saying that it's be impossible for even a large adult to climb that mountain and that trying to do so is no good.  Ryouga smiles before thanking the travelers for giving him the extra boost he needed to push forward.  He runs toward the mountain, leaving the stunned travelers and an exasperated Miruto behind.  As Ryouga runs ahead, he thinks to himself how he'll definitely climb the Mt. Serables and get the "Silver Drop."

In a town somewhere, three members of the same gang who attacked Madoro City look behind them as they run away.  They soon find themselves at a dead end, unable to escape.  A man with the same "G G" logo on his jacket approaches the cornered henchmen.  His name is Major Hilgreitz (ヒルグレイツ少佐).  He's wearing a long jacket, not unlike an apron, and large gloves and boots.  He has short hair and two freckle-like dots under each of his eyes.  Hilgreitz tells the three that no one can get away with deserting their group, but the gang members seem determined to leave.  They all turn their guns on their pursuer and open fire.  The blasts from their energy shots send him flying into a building and cause a terrific crash. 

As the smoke clears, the Doryuuzu sealed inside Major Hilgreitz's Burst Heart comes to life.

Suddenly, a claw emerges from the ground and grabs one of the henchmen.  The half Hilgreitz, half Doryuuzu jumps out of the ground with his prey in his claws and begins to laugh. 

Later, the three men's bodies are seen trapped inside rocky spikes that have emerged from the ground.  Major Hilgreitz, who has now transformed back into his human form, tells a handheld communicator that he's taken care of the three deserters.  The voice on the other end thanks Hilgreitz for his hard work.  The communicator broadcasts and image of Ryouga as the voice tells him about his next mission. 
Hilgreitz scoffs at the image on his screen, saying that it's just a boy.  The voice tells him not to take the boy lightly, explaining that he was able to take out Commander Yaza's entire team back at Madoro City.  Hilgreitz bursts out laughing at this news, unable to believe that that Yaza guy wasn't even able to beat a kid.  The voice on the communicator repeats its warning about not underestimating the boy.  It adds that they have unconfirmed reports that the boy is able to "Burst." 

Hilgreitz's interest has been piqued.  As he looks down at the image of Ryouga on the communicator, he thinks about how happy he'll be to be able to fight the "original Burst."


Chapter Three "The Treacherous Mt. Serables"

Weekly Shounen Sunday Vol 17

Printed in the April 6th 2011 issue of Weekly Shounen Sunday
20 pages
View the title page

Ryouga looks up at the mountain towering over him and declares that he'll climb it.  Miruto asks him if he's really going through with it.  After all, she says, nobody who's climbed the mountain to get the "Silver Drop" has ever come back alive.  Ryouga shrugs her off and says that he'll be fine.

Suddenly, a man and his Dentula approach the duo, laughing.  The man has a bodybuilder's physique and curly hair that's been tied into a ponytail.  A large number four is plastered across his tight fitting T-shirt.  He apologizes for laughing and explains that he was simply amused at the idea of a kid like him challenging a mountain as treacherous as Mt. Serables.  He then introduces himself as Tougo, the world's fourth best treasure adventurer, and his partner Dentula!  As a professional, Tougo tells Ryouga that the bare minimum he'll need is an assortment of gear (rope, walkie-talkies, bottled water, a pair of Monster Balls, a backpack) and a pokemon he's close to.  He then shows off the muscles on his arms, legs, and chest, saying that this is the body of a professional.  Tougo turns to look at his audience and sees that they've ignored everything he's just said and has already started going up the mountain!

The climb is now well underway.  Miruto is falling behind Ryouga and complains that climbing this mountain is like trying to scale a wall.  Ryouga looks down and tells Miruto that she can go back if she thinks it'll be impossible.  Miruto is surprised to learn that Ryouga has no problem saying words like "impossible" when talking about other people.  She is determined to climb the mountain, however, since keeping an eye on something as amazing as a boy who can transform into a pokemon is part of her job.  With a renewed sense of purpose, Miruto says she'll definitely make it to the top.

Moments later, Miruto breaks down crying and complains that she's tired.

Off to the side, Tougo laughs that he told them so.  Miruto looks over and sees that a String Shot is tied around Tougo's waist and that he's being pulled up by his Dentula.  She then realizes that, hey, she has a Vuljina she can use to carry her to the top!  As she searches for its Monster Ball, Ryouga climbs down to where she is and tells her that she'd better reconsider.  He tells her that the air flow around the mountain is extremely violent and that if she can't navigate the air currents perfectly, she'll end up smashing into the rocky mountainside.  Miruto asks Ryouga how he knows all this, but he ignores her question and hands her his backpack instead.  He then picks her up and carries her on his back.  Miruto is embarrassed but thanks Ryouga anyway.

At that moment, Ryouga lets out a little laugh.  Finally, he says, he doesn't have to hold back anymore!  He looks up and sees that Tougo and his Dentula are way ahead of them at this point.  Ryouga bends his knees and, with a great surge of power, propels himself and Miruto up the mountain with a fantastic leap!  Ryouga and his freaked out friend bounce from rock to rock and quickly catch up to Tougo.  Ryouga stops and asks him if he'd like to come along with them.  Before waiting for an answer, Ryouga grabs Tougo's arms and makes another series of leaps!  During all this, Miruto wonders why they're even bothering to bring Tougo along in the first place.

The trio approaches the summit when they look up and see a ceiling of spikes floating above them.  Miruto asks what in the world that is; Ryouga tells her that it's the final trial of Mt. Serables.  Tougo starts to freak out as he recognizes just what they're facing; the "Devil's Plate" (悪魔の大皿).  Tougo laughs nervously and tells Ryouga that he's done well to get this far despite the fact that he's an amateur.  He then starts to explain that the Devil's Plate is a giant wall of rock that sits perpendicular across the top of the mountain.  It's what stands between challengers and the top, but its icicle-like rock formations and lack of footing makes it too difficult to climb.  Even though Ryouga's done so well to make it as far as he has, this Devil's Plate will be as far as he goes!  He tells the duo to leave it all to him, but when he looks up, he sees that Ryouga has already started navigating the spikes!

Miruto looks down and sees just how high up they actually are.  Ryouga sees how scared she is and tries to reassure her by saying that everything will be OK.  Suddenly, one of the stalactites they were pressed up against cracks and falls off!  Ryouga's quick reflexes enable him to immediately leap off the falling rock and grab onto another.  As Miruto clutches onto Ryouga, the young boy looks down and sees the falling stalactite disappear into the clouds below.  Ryouga lets out a sigh of relief.

Eventually, the two make their way to the outer edge of the Devil's Plate and climb their way to its smooth surface.  As they reach the top, they're greeted by Major Hilgreitz!  He looks down on the amateur spelunkers and tells Ryouga that he's late.  Ryouga asks who he is, but Hilgreitz ignores him and pulls his fist back as if to attack!  Ryouga leaps out of the way before Hilgreitz punches the ground he was clinging to, smashing it to bits.  Ryouga, with Miruto still on his back, skids to a stop. 

Hilgreitz laughs at his formidable opponent.   Miruto looks at the letters "G G" on Hilgreitz's jacket and recognizes it as the same mark seen on the uniforms of the group that was terrorizing Madoro City.  Hilgreitz smiles and tells them that the "G G" stands for "Great Gavel" (グレートガベル), an organization that makes even crying children stop in fear.  He continues by saying that he's one of the organizations seven warriors (七戦騎) and that his name is Hilgreitz.  He then decides that a quicker way to get through the introductions is to pull out his Burst Heart. 

Ryouga can't believe his eyes.  Hilgreitz takes out a jewel from his pocket and presses it against his chest.  After a blinding light, Hilgreitz has transformed into a half man, half Doryuuzu creature!  As Ryouga stands in front of Hilgreitz with his mouth hanging open, Hilgreitz tells him that he knows he has a Burst Heart as well and demands a battle.


Chapter Four "The First Battle"

Weekly Shounen Sunday Vol 18

Printed in the April 13th 2011 issue of Weekly Shounen Sunday
19 pages
View the title page

On the top of Mt. Serables, the newly transformed Hilgreitz readies his claws for an attack.  Ryouga is amazed that there's someone else who can "Burst" like he can.  Miruto looks at Hilgreitz and guesses that Hilgreitz's Burst Heart is that of a Doryuuzu.

Ryouga is disgusted that Great Gavel has members who can "Burst" in addition to having weapons that can steal a pokemon's energy.  Hilgreitz ask if he's referring to that "toy" Yaza was carrying around and explains that it was just a by-product of the research his organization had been doing.  He then asks Ryouga if he enjoyed seeing the pokemon in Madoro City having their life sucked away!  Miruto is taken back by the organization's heartlessness while Ryouga realizes that they're using Burst Hearts for evil.

At that moment, Hilgreitz demands that Ryouga transform.  Miruto wants to retreat, but Ryouga actually wants to battle the other Burst Warrior (バースト戦士)!  Since Hilgreitz is a bad man, he tells Miruto, he'll hit him with all he's got!  He then tells Hilgreitz that he accepts his challenge.

Ryouga presses his Burst Heart to the back of his left hand and shouts "Burst!"  He then transforms into his half human, half Zekrom form.  Hilgreitz sees Ryouga's black wings and red eyes and guesses that his Burst Heart is the legendary pokemon Zekrom.  He laughs and says that this really will be an interesting battle.  Ryouga tells Miruto to stand back.

The two Burst Warriors size each other up.  After a few tense moments, the two lunge toward each other at the same time.  Ryouga's punch is blocked by Hilgreitz's claw, causing a huge surge of energy to blow the surrounding rocks away.  Miruto has taken shelter behind a rock and shields her eyes from the wind caused by the two attacks.  She's amazed at the speed and power caused by the Burst Warriors' battle.

Ryouga unleashes a flurry of punches, but Hilgreitz manages to block every attack.  Suddenly, Hilgreitz jumps back and sinks his feet into the ground.  Ryouga charges toward his opponent, but Hilgreitz vanishes before his punch can land!  Dirt is pushed up in the ground below.  Before Ryouga knows it, Hilgreitz sneaks up behind him!  Ryouga manages to dodge Hilgreitz's first attack but is hit by his second swipe, sending him flying into a nearby rock.  As Ryouga recovers, he marvels at Hilgreitz's ability to move through the ground like that and remembers that Hilgreitz is, after all, merged with a mole pokemon.  He thinks to himself how this Hilgreitz guy isn't half bad.

Ryouga charges toward Hilgreitz again.  Lightning begins to gather in Ryouga's hand as he prepares to hit Hilgreitz with the same attack he used to defeat Yaza back in Madoro City.  The attack connects and sends electricity coursing through Hilgreitz's body.  Ryouga charges toward him again, saying that he'll finish him off with one more attack. 

Much to Ryouga's surprise, Hilgreitz puts his hands up and blocks his attack!  He then slashes at Ryogua's chest with his claws, knocking him back.  Ryouga screams out in pain.  As he tries to pull himself to his feet, he tells himself that he knows his attack connected.  Miruto wonders why Ryouga's lightning attack didn't work before finally figuring it out.

Miruto shouts out to Ryouga that his thunder attacks won't work on Hilgreitz!  She explains that there are seventeen types of pokemon and that this type determines a pokemon's strength and weakness.  She imagines these same type match ups work with those who have Burst, so a Doryuuzu Warrior like Hilgreitz will have the characteristics of a ground type.  This means that Zekrom's techniques, being electric-type attacks, won't have any effect on him!  Hilgreitz tells the duo that they've finally noticed, adding that a pokemon's nature is the key to winning.

Hilgreitz whips up some mud-like substance and flings it at Ryouga's feet.  The goo hardens, preventing Ryouga from being able to move!  Hilgreitz laughs at Ryouga's bad luck.  He raises his arms to prepare for an attack while shouting that it's impossible for electric moves to work against a ground-type Burst Warrior.  Energy begins to swirl around Hilgreitz in the form of a giant drill.  As he prepares to use his Drigger Cannon (ドリッガーキャノン), he repeats that it's impossible for Ryouga to win.  The Zekrom warrior gets an angry look on his face and repeats the word "impossible."


Chapter Five "The Overwhelming Disadvantage..."

Weekly Shounen Sunday Vol 19

Printed in the April 20th 2011 issue of Weekly Shounen Sunday
18 pages
View the title page

Hilgreitz continues to charge his attack while repeating that it's impossible for Ryouga to defeat him.  Ryouga becomes furious at hearing this word and shouts out that the word "impossible" is not in his dictionary.  With a new surge of power, Ryouga bends down, digs his claws into the ground in front of his feet, and uses his great strength to perform a handstand!  His feet remain attached to the ground beneath them, so Ryouga's handstand causes the rock below him to be unearthed as well.  The rock collides with Hilgreitz's incoming Drigger Cannon attack, shattering it to pieces.  After the terrific explosion caused by the attack, Ryouga is freed and is able to get back on his feet.

At that moment, Miruto yells out to Ryouga that Zekrom is both an electric type and a dragon type.  Therefore, he should still be able to win as long as he sticks to using only dragon-type moves.  Ryouga winces and says that, unfortunately, he doesn't know how to use any of his dragon-type powers yet.  Hilgreitz interrupts the duo's strategy planning to say that it's about time for them to end this battle. 

Meanwhile, Tougo and his Dentula have finally caught up and reached the summit.  They're greeted by the sight of the battle and freak out at the two monsters before them.  Ryouga and Miruto turn and wonder what Tougo's doing there.  Tougo ignores them and says that these monsters must be there to protect the treasure located there.  Hilgreitz becomes annoyed at the disturbance and flicks a drill-shaped projectile his way, so Ryouga springs into action and pushes Tougo and Dentula out of the way before it can hit.  He also fires a small energy attack at Hilgreitz's eyes, blinding him just long enough for everyone to take cover.

Behind a clump of rocks, Tougo's shedding tears.  Miruto tells him that he'd better calm down if he doesn't want to end up dying up there.  Ryouga, meanwhile, continues to wonder what he can do.  The attack on Hilgreitz's eyes seems to have worked, but even that didn't seem to do that much.  Miruto asks him what he's planning to do, reminding him that his electric attacks don't work and that he can't use any of his dragon-type attacks.

Suddenly, Tougo realizes that the Zekrom-looking monster in front of him is the boy from before.  He begins to admire Ryouga for putting up such a good fight so far and offers to help any way he can.  Miru wonders what Tougo, of all people, could do to help.  Ryouga, however, thanks Tougo and says that he'll take him up on his offer.  Tougo looks frightened, as it looks like he's going to have to end up following through on his empty gesture after all!

After some time, Ryouga runs out from behind the rock.  As he emerges into Hilgreitz's view, he asks Tougo and Dentula to follow the plan they just agreed upon.  Tougo follows through by ordering Dentula to use String Shot.  The attack zips past Hilgreitz's shoulder and hits a rock behind him.  Ryouga, meanwhile, performs a jumping kick in front of his opponent.  Hilgreitz arches his back to dodge the attack.  Next, Ryouga shoots an electric beam from his fist, but the attack simply bounces off Hilgreitz.  The major asks Ryouga if he really thought that teaming up with another pokemon would change the battle in his favor.  After calling Ryouga an idiot who needs to go back to the books, he rushes up to Ryouga and punches him in the face.  Hilgreitz yells that he told him that electric attacks won't work on him.

Hilgreitz's punch pushes Ryouga back.  As he skids to a stop, Ryouga raises his head back up and smiles.  He then pulls on the String Shot that Dentula had fired until the rock it's attached to breaks, creating a makeshift ball and chain.  He swings his new weapon toward Hilgreitz's back.  As the giant boulder heads his way, Hilgreitz figures out that the String Shot and the electric punch attack weren't meant for him; they were meant for the rock behind him!  The rock connects and explodes, sending fragments flying out everywhere.  Miruto cheers.

Miruto's cheers stop abruptly when the smoke clears and she sees that Hilgreitz is unharmed.  It seems like he had used his right claw as a drill to break apart the rock before it could hit him!  Hilgreitz laughs and reminds his opponent that he does have Doryuuzu's power, after all.  When he looks over, he sees that Ryouga is now using Dentula's String Shot attack to create a giant slingshot!  Ryouga pulls himself back and then launches himself forward at an amazing speed.  Before Hilgreitz has a chance to react, Ryouga slices through his chest.  As Hilgreitz loses consciousness, he realizes that the attack with the rock was just a diversion to give Ryouga time to prepare the slingshot strategy.  "Just as I'd expect from the original Burst Warrior," he says as he falls over.

Tougo and Miruto both cheer.  Ryouga, who's now panting and dripping in sweat, is happy that he was somehow able to win.


Chapter Six "Ryouga's Memories..."

Weekly Shounen Sunday Vol 20

Printed in the April 27th 2011 issue of Weekly Shounen Sunday
18 pages
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Tougo and Miruto both cheer.  Ryouga, who's now panting and dripping in sweat, is happy that he was somehow able to win.

Suddenly, four drill shaped missiles hit Ryouga's body from behind!  The weapons pierce both of Ryouga's arms, the area under his left armpit, and his left hip.  Ryouga falls to his knees.  When he turns around, he sees Hilgreitz standing. 

Tougo is surprised that Hilgreitz is still able to move around after getting hit with Ryouga's last attack.  Miruto, meanwhile, shouts out to Ryouga asking if he's OK.  Hilgreitz angrily cuts them off and throws another drill missile at the ground in front of him, kicking up a volley of rocks that head straight for the two cheerleaders.  Miruto braces herself for impact.  An explosion occurs, but somehow Miruto and Tougo are still in one piece!  When they finish covering their eyes, they see that Tougo's Dentula had jumped in front of them at the last minute and used its webbing to create a shield!  The electric-type pokemon falls over from the damage it took.

Hilgreitz is now furious.  He tells himself that he's one of the seven warriors of GG and yells that there's no way he can let himself lose to a couple of brats like them.  Ryouga slowly brings himself to his feet and tells Hilgreitz not to lay a hand on his friends.  Hilgreitz ignores him and lunges forward.  As he rushes toward Ryouga, he tells him that it was a fun battle but that this is now the end.  Hilgreitz's entire body begins to spin like a drill and launches toward his opponent.  This is his "Drigger Impact" (ドリッガーインパクト) attack.

As Hilgreitz closes in on Ryouga, the young boy finds that he's not able to move his body.  He begins to wonder if this is really the end.

In the past, a young Ryouga is laying in a bed in what is assumed to be his bedroom.  He appears to be roughly the same age he was during the flashbacks in the first chapter.  A cloth is placed over his forehead, and it appears as though Ryouga is having trouble breathing in his sleep.  As the young boy comes to, his mother looks over him and wonders what she can do.  She says that his fever won't go down.  His grandfather appears over him and says that all the medicine they've tried hasn't worked, either.  Even the doctors have no idea how to cure him! 

As Ryouga begins to fade again, a shadowy figure appears over him and tells everyone to leave it to him.  Next, we see the figure, who's now been identified as Arcades, carrying Ryouga on his back.  Ryouga asks where he's taking him; Arcades responds that they're going to Mt. Serables.  He explains that there's a flower at the summit known as the "Silver Drop" that'll be able to cure his illness.  Ryouga says that it's impossible and to give up on him, but Arcades yells that he won't.  Arcades tells Ryouga to never lose hope and to always keep his eyes open for what's ahead.  Ryouga repeats Arcades' advice; keep your eyes firmly open and look ahead (しっかりと目を開けて…前を…見る…).

Back in the present, Ryouga remembers being told that if his eyes reflect what he wants to happen, he'll have no reason to give up.  Ryouga straightens himself up and looks ahead at Hilgreitz's Drigger Impact with new conviction.  As he gets ready to spring into action, he tells himself that he wants to become stronger so he can meet Arcades.  Ryouga jumps up and slashes the air in front of him, sending sharp bursts of air at his opponent.  The attack slashes Hilgreitz's chest, halting his attack in midair and knocking him unconscious.  Miruto and Tougo look on in shock.

The Burst Heart that had been in Hilgreitz's chest rises up from his body and floats for a bit before shattering into many small pieces.  An unconscious Doryuuzu falls from the burst of light created by the jewel's destruction.

Meanwhile, Ryouga is still amazed at the attack he just produced.  As he thinks to himself how warm this power feels, he wonders if he's finally been able to tap into Zekrom's dragon-type powers.  He quickly dismisses this theory, however, and decides that this must be some other power altogether.  He taps the Burst Heart on his left hand and returns to his human form.

Ryouga rushes over to Miruto and Tougo to see if they're OK.  They are, much to his relief, but Miruto tells him that Tougo's Dentula got hurt trying to protect them!  On top of that, they don't have any potions to give to the pokemon, either!  As everyone wonders what they can do, a small flower pops out of the ground before them.  Ryouga bends down to look at the flower emitting a mysterious energy and tells everyone that it's the legendary Silver Drop!  Ryouga takes the flower in both hands as Miruto and Tougo gather around.  Miruto mentions how pretty it is and Tougo repeats how this is the legendary flower that only blooms once every five years.  If they have that, he says, they'll be able to sell it for a high price and become super rich. 

As soon as Tougo says that, Ryouga takes the flower and crushes it in his hands.  Miruto and Tougo freak out and ask him what in the world he thinks he's doing.  As nectar drips from his clenched fist, Ryouga explains that this flower has the ability to heal any illness.  He lets a few drops fall on Dentula and watches as Tougo's pokemon makes a full recovery.  Tougo is amazed at just how quickly it worked and thanks Ryouga for healing his pokemon.  He's upset that he lost his chance to become rich, but he is, of course, happy that his pokemon is better.  Ryouga gives himself a few drops of the Silver Drop's nectar to heal his wounds. 

Next, Ryouga gives some of the medicine to the unconscious Hilgreitz and Doryuuzu, much to Miruto's surprise.  Ryouga explains that the Doryuuzu did nothing wrong and was merely following orders, so why not heal it?  Miruto agrees that that's fine and all but says that it's OK if he doesn't help out Hilgreitz.  Ryouga responds by saying that he was able to become a little stronger than he was before, and it's all thanks to Hilgreitz.  He guess this is his way of thanking him for that?

Once Ryouga and the others have descended Mt. Serables, Hilgreitz wakes up.  He looks around and sees that his opponent's gone and realizes that he just lost.  He tells himself that Ryouga will be sorry he went soft on him because the other six warriors of GG are much, much more heartless than he is.

Ryouga looks up from the foot of Mt. Serables.  He address Arcades in his mind, telling him that he carried people on his back and climbed this rugged mountain just like he did.  Could Ryouga be getting closer to meeting Arcades again?

Chapter Seven "A New Friend!?"

Weekly Shounen Sunday Vol 21

Printed in the May 4th 2011 issue of Weekly Shounen Sunday
18 pages
View the title page

Having just finished their adventure on Mt. Serables, Ryouga and Miruto walk down a paved road.  Ryouga turns to Miruto and, out of nowhere, asks her how long she's planning to travel with him.  Miruto is shocked by his question and asks if her being with him is really that bad, but Ryouga assures her that this isn't the case.  Miruto decides to respond to him by saying that she thinks two people traveling together is better than one.  Ryouga hadn't thought of it that way.

Suddenly, a voice from the distance yells "Hey!  Wait!!"  As the pleas continue, a small...human?...can be seen running toward them.  The stout creature looks more like the pokemon Yanapp than an actual human, leading Miruto to believe that it actually is just the grass-type pokemon in human clothes. 
It shouts back at its pursuers and tells them that they're morons for thinking he'll stop just because they told him to.  Ryouga hears this "pokemon" speak and assumes that it's a Burst Warrior, so he tells Miruto to take cover.  After all, he says, he could be one of the Seven Warriors of the GG! 

As the Yanapp human comes closer, Ryouga takes out his Burst Heart and transforms.  Before he realizes it, the Yanapp-like creature finds himself being pinned to the ground by one of Ryouga's powerful thunder punches.  Ryouga jumps back to let the smoke clear from the crater he just created.  The blackened Yanapp pulls itself to its feet, so Ryouga braces himself for more.  It doesn't end up being necessary, however, as the Yanapp human collapses and loses consciousness.  Ryouga is surprised at how weak this guy is.

Ryouga looks over the creature's unconscious body.  Miruto wonders if he really is a Burst Warrior, and, after further inspection, Ryouga discovers that he actually doesn't have a Burst Heart on him.  He must really be the pokemon Yanapp, then!  The creature wakes up unexpectedly and angrily shouts at his attacker that he's wrong.  He flails his arms about and tells his attackers that he's a genuine human.  His shouting continues as he asks if they really thought a pretty face like his that's able to speak so fluently and who's wearing clothes could be a mere pokemon.  After letting off some more steam, the short human decides that he's going to just go home now. 

Suddenly, a hand grabs the Yanapp guy on the shoulder!  Before he knows it, a chef has him in a headlock while holding a ladle up to his throat!  The chef announces that he's finally caught the dine-and-dasher.  A second chef catches up to them.  Ryouga and Miruto look on in awe.

Some time later, the Yanapp human prostrates himself before the two chefs.  He apologizes and tells them that he had a good reason for stealing the food after all!  Back at his hometown, he says, his younger brother and sister live together with their sick mother.  The Yanapp human has been sending money home to help them out, but he miscalculated things and didn't leave enough to feed himself!  He tearfully pleads with the chefs, adding that he hasn't had anything to eat in three days.  The man who appears to be the head chef ponders this over for a moment.  He grabs the food thief by the collar and says that his story's a load of bull, asking why he demanded to be brought the restaurant's most expensive food if what he's saying is true.

The chef demands payment for the food.  The Yanapp human, with tears still in his eyes, tells him that he doesn't have it.  The chef decides he'll get payment one way or another and prepares to strike the young man with his ladle.  Fortunately for the Yanapp guy, Ryouga steps in at the last minute and offers to pay his tab in his place.

Yanapp uses the chef's shock to free himself from his grip and begins to thank his new savior.  As Ryouga searches for his wallet, Miruto asks why he's willing to help out a guy like that.  Ryouga continues the search for his wallet, checking his jacket pocket and his backpack.  After a few moments, Ryouga realizes that he forgot his wallet back at his house!  Without missing a beat, he asks Miruto to lend him some money. 

Now that the debt has been settled, the food thief finally introduces himself.  His name's Yappy, and he tells Ryouga and Miruto that he's a first rate journalist.  As he takes a couple of snapshots with his camera, he explains that his job is to uncover the hidden truths of the world and root out evil.  Miruto says that that's fine and all, but he really should keep a closer eye on the contents of his wallet.  Her wallet's taken quite a hit because of him, she says, so Yappy promises her that he'll never forget her generosity and will definitely pay her back someday.  Ryouga tells him to take his time, earning him a slap on the head from an annoyed Miruto.

Miruto takes this opportunity to ask Ryouga how he's planning to continue his journey without any money.  Yappy interjects and tells them that he actually has some good information when it comes to earning some cash.  He knows the area well, he explains, and can show them a place up ahead where they can earn lots of money.  He seems happy to be able to help out the people who saved his life earlier.

At that moment, Yappy abruptly brings up the fact that he saw Ryouga transform earlier.  He asks him what that was all about, but Miruto grabs him and pulls him aside before he can answer.  With her hand over Ryouga's mouth, she denies that any transformation took place and that there's no way something as ridiculous as that could happen.  Ryouga frees himself from Miruto's grip and asks her what she's doing.  She reasons that the fewer people who know about his Burst Heart, the better and tells him to keep quiet.  Miruto turns back to Yappy and reasserts the idea that he was mistaken.  She then changes the subject and asks him where this money making place is.

Before long, Ryouga and Miruto find themselves looking down on a massive valley.  The valley is circular in shape and is several kilometers in diameter.  Ryouga asks Yappy what they'll be doing there.  Suddenly, Yappy runs up behind them and pushes them off the cliff!  Yappy smiles mischievously as the two tumble down to the bottom of the valley.  The two pick themselves up and try to regain their bearings, but they soon find themselves surrounded by a pack of Hihidaruma!  Ryouga guesses the valley is the Hihidaruma's lair and that they're trespassers!  The dozens of pokemon gather around the two humans and really seem to be fired up! 

From up above, Yappy tells Ryouga and Miruto that there have been stories lately of the Hihidaruma aggressively attacking travelers.  Ryouga look up at Yappy and ask him what in the world's going on.

Chapter Eight "The World's Best...!!?"

Weekly Shounen Sunday Vol 22

Printed in the May 11th-18th 2011 issue of Weekly Shounen Sunday
18 pages
View the title page

From above, Yappy repeats his warning about travelers being assaulted by Hihidaruma lately.  Ryouga and Miruto look up angrily and demand to know what Yappy's thinking.  He responds by saying that he knows what he saw earlier:  he saw Ryouga transform into a beast that can control lightning.  "A Pokemon Human!"  he exclaims to himself.  "This will be a huge scoop!"  Yappy readies his camera and commands Ryouga to hurry up and transform for him one more time.  If he doesn't, he says, both he and Miruto will be overtaken by the fire-type pokemon.  Miruto points an accusatory finger at Yappy and says that she knew something was up with him.

Yappy continues to order Ryouga to transform while, unknown to him, a Hihidaruma who had found its way to the top of the valley approaches him from behind.  The Hihidaruma starts to prod at the strange little man with its finger.  Yappy brushes it away, so the pokemon tries again.  He turns around and notices the pokemon, but it's too late:  the Hihidaruma pokes at him one more time, pushing Yappy off the cliff!  The journalist tumbles down the valley and lands beside the people he had just pushed in there himself.  Miruto walks over to him and begins to throttle the dazed reporter.  As she shakes Yappy, Ryouga takes out his Burst Heart and transforms.  Yappy snaps out of the daze he was in and reaches for his camera to capture this on film, but it's no good!  It looks like his camera was broken in the fall!

Now that he's transformed, Ryouga stares down the Hihidaruma.  The pokemon are intimidated by the fearsome creature that's appeared before them and begin to back away.  Yappy is amazed that Ryouga was able to scare off the pokemon using just his aura before cursing the fact that his camera isn't able to capture this amazing scene.  The Hihidaruma continue to retreat into an opening of a cave.  The pokemon throw their bodies in front of the opening, creating a shield.  Miruto wonders what they're up to.

Ryouga decides to find out, so he steps toward the cave.  When he looks inside, he sees a couple of sleeping Darumakka.  The three humans gather around the pokemon and notice that they both seem to be sick.  Miruto guesses that the Hihidaruma were attacking travelers who came into the area because they wanted to protect the younger pokemon from harm.  Miruto turns to Yappy and sternly asks him if he has a Potion on him.  He does, so Miruto tells him to hurry up and use it.  Yappy, not wanting to upset Miruto any further, obeys right away.

It's now nighttime, and Ryouga and the others have made it out of the valley.  Ryouga and Miruto sit around a campfire while Yappy is tied up and hanging from a tree.  Yappy asks if they could loosen the ropes for him, reminding everyone that his camera's broken and isn't able to record any of the things they do anyway.  Miruto refuses.  Ryouga stands up and walks toward Yappy.  The journalist apologizes again and tells him that he only did what he did because he has this dream of being the world's best journalist.  Miruto can sense that Ryouga's planning to forgive him and asks him if he's really willing to do that.  After a few tense moments, Ryouga...lets out a yawn.  He tells the others that he Burst two times that day and is therefore exhausted.  He then falls asleep instantly, landing flat on his face.  Miruto can't believe her eyes.

Later that night, Miruto has fallen asleep as well.  Yappy escapes from the ropes and goes over to Ryouga's unconscious body.  He removes the glove with the slot on it for Ryouga's Burst Heart.  Next, he goes through Ryouga's bag and digs out the actual Burst Heart itself.  With these two treasures in his possession, Yappy runs away.  This'll be a big scoop!

Yappy is stopped by a thought that creeps into his mind.  If he has these two items, he should be able to do this "Burst" thing too!  If he can transform, he'll become super powerful and can become the strongest hero!  The world will be his!  Convinced that this is a good idea, Yappy slips on the glove, touches the Burst Heart to his hand, and shouts out the word "BURST."  With that, lightning comes roaring down on Yappy, frying him.

Back at the camp, Ryouga and Miruto are awakened by the massive lightning bolt.  They run over to the spot where it struck and come across the unconscious Burst Heart thief.  Miruto wonders how he suffered so many burns, but it doesn't take long for Ryouga to figure out that he tried to use his Burst Heart to transform.  He then tells Miruto that using a Burst Heart requires a considerable amount of training and practice and that trying to use one without either of those can put the user's life in danger.  Yappy, who's conscious now, feebly reaches for his notebook and tries to write all this down.  He doesn't have enough energy, however, and quickly collapses.

It's now daytime, and Yappy finds himself tied up again.  Miruto looks down on him with her arms crossed and tells him that they have no choice.  She then tries to convince Ryouga to go.  As Ryouga considers this, Yappy thinks to himself how he's committed to being the world's best journalist and won't stop following the next big scoop.  He prepares himself for the worst.

Much to his surprise, Ryouga puts his hand on Yappy's head and asks him to come along with them on their journey.  Both Yappy and Miruto are shocked.  Ryouga begins to untie Yappy's ropes and tells him that he also has a dream of being the world's best:  he wants to be the world's strongest man.  He tells Yappy that if he comes along with them, he'll be sure to catch all the latest scoops.  Yappy thinks back to his younger years.  He remembers a group of his fellow villagers mocking him for wanting to be the best journalist in the world.  One bully tells him that it's impossible for him, the village's dumbest guy, to ever be a journalist.  Another tells him that there's no way he'll achieve his dream.  The young Yappy is brought to tears.

Back in the present, Ryouga confirms with Yappy that he wants to be the world's best journalist.  Yappy, trying his best to fight back tears, tells Ryouga that this has nothing to do with him.  Miruto steps forward and tells Ryouga that she objects to letting him tag along, but Ryouga responds by saying that she was the one who said that "
two people traveling together is better than one."  Therefore, it stands to reason that three people traveling together is even more fun that that!  Miruto doesn't have any response.

Ryouga holds out his hand and tells Yappy to come on.  Yappy decides that he really has no choice and extends his hand back at him.  He tells Ryouga and Miruto that he'll come along with them as far as the next town and offers to guide them out of the forest.

Chapter Nine

Printed in the May 25th 2011 issue of Weekly Shounen Sunday
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