A deep purple energy radiated from around Drakloak, its sheer power distorting the surrounding air.
"Draaaa!"
Dragon Rush!
With a furious roar, Drakloak shot forward like a purple beam of light, its sharp, jet-like head aiming straight for Gareth on the hillside.
"Those damn bastards!" Gareth cursed, quickly retreating.
Even from a distance, he could feel the oppressive force of the Dragon-type move pressing against him. His chest felt tight as he waved his hand and shouted, "Rillaboom! Boomburst!"
Seeing its trainer under attack, Rillaboom immediately leaped forward, pounding its fists against its chest before unleashing a deafening roar.
"Roooar!"
A powerful shockwave, shaped like a funnel, tore through the air, colliding with the incoming Drakloak. The impact triggered a chain of explosions, shaking the hillside as Gareth continued to retreat.
Midair, at the edge of the Dynamax space, the eerie purple-red sky flickered, distorted by shifting multicolored lights. Silhouettes of hunters sat atop their Pokémon, watching from above, waiting for the right moment to strike.
Gareth's patience snapped.
"Get your asses in here and help me recapture Drakloak!" he shouted at the figures lurking in the darkness.
His legs burned with exhaustion, and Rillaboom was steadily backing up alongside him.
Some of the hunters who were on better terms with Gareth hesitated but ultimately stayed put. Their strength wasn't enough to make a difference.
The gap between Advanced-level and Elite-level was simply too vast.
Even the three Gym-level trainers nearby hadn't stepped in. There was no way mere grunts like them could do anything against Drakloak's power.
"Raaah!"
At the edge of the grassy slope, the Gigantamaxed Machamp roared, its massive arms swinging wildly. Several Onix slithered out of the Dynamax space right in front of it.
But as the Pokémon who had created this dimension, Machamp itself couldn't leave.
It had no choice but to wait—either for its Dynamax energy to dissipate or for someone to take it down.
Just then, Drakloak, which had been locked in a standoff with Rillaboom, suddenly changed its expression. Under Gareth's confused gaze, it avoided Machamp entirely and shot straight toward the sky.
...
Elsewhere, Shiro was jogging along the edge of the forest, his eyes scanning his surroundings.
The once-thriving woods had been nearly destroyed, the ground littered with broken branches and fallen trees.
He glanced back occasionally to check if the red-cloaked trainer on the Unfezant was still chasing him.
Shiro needed to make it look like he was running in fear.
"Corvisquire," he murmured.
At his signal, Corvisquire let out a low cry and fired off an Air Cutter. But Shiro deliberately had it slow the attack, weakening its power. By the time the blade of wind reached the enemy, it had already faded into nothing.
Without stopping, he glanced back again and saw exactly what he expected—the Unfezant was now flying even faster.
In just a few seconds, the bird swooped down, landing on an open patch of ground a short distance ahead, cutting off Shiro's escape route.
Shiro immediately understood. The enemy was trying to corner him, forcing him into the wreckage of the forest to limit his movement and drain his stamina.
'Guess you're really weak.'
Instead of continuing to run, Shiro came to a halt and commanded. "Corvisquire! Quick Attack!"
The Unfezant was at Advanced-level, but that didn't mean much. There was always the chance that it was just a bought Pokémon.
If the enemy was truly strong, he wouldn't have needed to play this game of attrition. After seeing Corvisquire's Intermediate-level strength and deliberate weakness, he should've attacked directly.
Unfezant didn't react in time when Shiro suddenly stopped. It kept moving forward at a sluggish pace, its rider clearly caught off guard by Shiro's sudden halt.
The red-cloaked trainer panicked, frantically patting Unfezant's wing while fumbling for two Poké Balls.
"Cooorv!"
Corvisquire's piercing cry rang out. Before the newly released Pokémon could even materialize, it dove forward, its sharp beak slamming into the trainer's lower back.
With a choked cry, the man crashed to the ground, tumbling violently across the grass.
Blood stained Corvisquire's beak, but it didn't stop. It swooped down again, striking the fallen trainer repeatedly.
From the opened Poké Balls, two Wooloo emerged, bleating aggressively as they charged at Corvisquire.
"Two newly promoted Intermediate-level Wooloo?" Shiro nearly laughed.
Meanwhile, the Advanced-level Unfezant remained completely still. Even as its trainer collapsed, it didn't react at all.
One look at its empty eyes told Shiro everything—this Pokémon had been brainwashed.
"Woo! Woo!"
The two Wooloo cried furiously as they chased after Corvisquire. Their thick white wool covered their bodies entirely, save for the two small horns on their heads and the gray braids swaying with each stride.
Corvisquire circled in the air, growing increasingly irritated. These two weren't weak, and they were relentless. Still, it had no intention of engaging them head-on. Carefully, it continued to lure them away.
Seeing his opening, Shiro came near the corpse and picked up the two fallen Poké Balls.
The moment the Wooloo were recalled, he pressed the center buttons, locking them shut.
With their Intermediate-level strength, there was no way they could break free. Trapped inside, all they could do was silently rage.
"Coor!"
Corvisquire flapped over and landed on Shiro's shoulder as he continued rummaging through the dead trainer's belongings.
Before long, he found Unfezant's Poké Ball and swiftly recalled the mindless bird.
"Tch, no wonder he was so careful," Shiro muttered, shaking his head. "This guy's weak as hell."
Aside from the two Wooloo and Unfezant, the guy had nothing else. Not a single extra Pokémon.
His cash situation wasn't any better—just 20,000 Pokédollars in bills. His League card might have more, but there was no way to check that now.
With practiced efficiency, Shiro searched every possible hiding spot, but that was all he found.
Shoving everything into his bag, he signaled to Corvisquire. The bird tightened its grip on his shoulders and lifted him skyward.
If he was going to risk his life in the Wild Area at night, he had to make sure it was worth it. Ideally, he could snag an Onix or two from the chaos below—that would make this trip truly worthwhile.
From above, Shiro observed the situation below.
Machamp still blocked the hillside, keeping most of the Macro Cosmos hunters at bay. Meanwhile, their strongest Pokémon—Rillaboom—had shifted to defense, focusing on protecting its trainer rather than attacking.
From what he could tell, the hunting team's leader had only that one Elite-level Pokémon.
'This is too risky.'
Shiro hovered midair near the edge of the ruined forest, evaluating the situation.
Everything had gone smoothly so far, but pushing his luck for an Onix capture wasn't worth the gamble.
With wandering trainers lurking around and a wild Machamp rampaging, sticking around was a bad idea.
He motioned for Corvisquire to lower him back to the ground.
It was time to leave.
But just as he was about to retreat—
"Drraaahh!"
A dragon's roar echoed across the night sky.
**
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