The team members retreating mid-battle was something Gareth could understand. When faced with danger, self-preservation always came first.
But letting Drakloak escape in the chaos—that was something he absolutely couldn't accept.
When the Onix had swarmed in, only the hunting team had been on the hill. Yet somehow, the device restraining Drakloak had deactivated on its own.
'Someone must have tampered with the capture device during the chaos. But why? What benefit was there in setting Drakloak free?'
Gareth narrowed his eyes, suppressing the urge to glare at his subordinates. His voice was low and steady.
"Does anyone still have a tracking device?"
"Uh..." the gathered team members hesitated, exchanging uneasy glances. Then, one of them stepped forward and handed over a black, tablet-like device.
Thin, semi-circular antennae extended from its sides, pulsing with a faint blue light as they detected strong energy signatures within several miles. However, it could only pick up Pokémon at the Gym level or above. Anything weaker didn't emit a strong enough signal to register.
Gareth knew that with Drakloak's speed, if it had truly fled with full force, tracking it down would be nearly impossible. But he had to try.
The device let out a soft hum as its screen flickered between light and dark. Then, two distinct energy signals appeared.
"One is green—Grass-type. It's right here…" Gareth's hand trembled slightly. He took a deep breath. "The other is a mix of royal blue and purple… Ghost and Dragon-type… Elite level…"
His grip tightened.
"Get your asses moving and catch that damn Drakloak!"
His furious roar sent the hunters scrambling.
Most of them had no idea how Drakloak had escaped, but during the most dangerous moment, none of them had stepped up to help their captain. Now, they feared being caught in the storm of his anger.
Taking a deep breath to calm himself slightly, Gareth pressed the button on his communicator.
"B5 Squad, do you copy? The Special Operations Unit has reached the west bank of Lake Axewell. What's your exact location?"
He seized the moment to explain quickly.
"There's been an incident. Drakloak escaped, but it's still nearby. I'm sending you the coordinates now. We're heading there as well."
The other side went silent for a few moments before replying.
"Understood."
...
West Bank of Lake Axewell.
Shiro moved with the crowd of Wild Area trainers outside the Dynamax zone, keeping an eye on the situation behind him.
Now that the Gigantamaxed Machamp had been taken down, the hunting team had regrouped, discussing something amongst themselves.
A vague sense of unease crept into Shiro's mind, though he couldn't quite put his finger on why.
He picked up his pace, following the lakeside toward the eastern shore.
Dense trees soon blocked the fading red light and the last remnants of the Dynamax phenomenon.
But then, Shiro noticed something strange.
There were fewer and fewer trainers in sight. Even the wild Pokémon seemed to have vanished.
That wasn't normal. No matter who entered the forest, Pokémon like Nickit and Pidove should at least peek out of their hiding spots to observe.
Unless... a large number of people and powerful Pokémon were nearby.
'Macro Cosmos hunters!'
Shiro instantly realized his mistake. He had made a serious miscalculation.
Judging by how the hunters had prioritized their own survival earlier, he had naturally assumed they were nothing but incompetent fools, unlikely to pursue Drakloak any further.
But that assumption was based on Earth's technology.
This was the Pokémon world. There were countless ways to track high-level Pokémon.
Even if the device that had imprisoned Drakloak earlier contained a traceable material, it would be enough to pinpoint its exact location.
Shiro clenched his jaw. He had been too careless, acting as if he were still in Hammerlocke, strolling through the city without a care. He should have run the moment he had the chance.
It wasn't like anyone in the Wild Area knew him. A simple change of clothes would have been enough to throw off recognition.
But now, it was too late for that.
"Come out, Corvisquire!" Shiro grabbed a Poké Ball and released his Pokémon. "Fly to the other side of Lake Axewell!"
Corvisquire clutched his shoulders and took off without hesitation.
Lake Axewell was the heart of the southern Wild Area, stretching so far that the other side was barely visible, covered in endless rippling blue waves.
Glancing back, Shiro spotted numerous figures in gray uniforms moving swiftly through the forest about a hundred meters behind him. The moment he took action, their pace quickened.
"Shit..." He gritted his teeth, but there was no time to dwell on regret.
Right now, there were only two options—escape or turn the tables.
"Draaak!"
Drakloak phased into visibility, its long, slender body coiling protectively around Shiro in midair as its glowing eyes locked onto the approaching hunters.
It wanted to wipe them all out.
Shiro knew what it was thinking. He gently stroked Drakloak's body to calm it and murmured,
"Don't rush. There are a lot of them, and they might have advanced tech."
Drakloak hesitated, recalling the icy containment field it had been unable to break before. The memory made it shudder, and it reluctantly nodded.
But Shiro wasn't just worried about the hunters.
Macro Cosmos wouldn't allow a pseudo-legendary Pokémon of this level escape twice.
With black market teleportation methods, it would take them only minutes to send reinforcements from their headquarters in Wyndon to the southern Wild Area.
They might already be here.
"Cooorv-squiire!"
Just as Corvisquire flew a few dozen meters over Lake Axewell, it abruptly flared its wings and came to a sharp halt in midair.
It let out a loud, wary cry, staring ahead.
A flock of massive Corviknight was approaching from the distance.
"Corviknight?" Shiro instantly recognized them. "Galar's flying taxis! Corvisquire, head east! We're going back to shore!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Corvisquire veered sharply toward the eastern shoreline.
Suspended in the air, Shiro kept a close eye on the movement in the forest, rapidly calculating his next move.
Fighting wasn't an option. Even with Drakloak, all he could do was make the hunters struggle a little.
Most likely, the Macro Cosmos members would strike first with Psychic-types or Ghost-types to capture him, then focus on subduing Drakloak.
Now that he was exposed, there was no point in hiding anymore. His best option was to have Drakloak take him and escape.
But could they?
As Corvisquire reached the lake's edge, Shiro swiftly recalled it into its Poké Ball. Drakloak immediately took over, biting onto the back of his collar to carry him.
At that moment, a booming voice echoed from both the ground and sky.
"TRAINER ABOVE! YOU ARE SURROUNDED BY MACRO COSMOS!"
"YOU ARE SURROUNDED BY MACRO COSMOS!"
Shiro's brows furrowed. Just as he was about to glance back, a thick beam of freezing energy shot past, barely missing Drakloak's head.
"Dree!"
Dreepy let out a terrified cry and immediately dove into Shiro's arms for cover.
"Draaa!"
Drakloak twisted and weaved through the air, focusing all its energy on dodging the relentless ice beams streaking toward them.
But with every desperate maneuver, its altitude kept dropping lower and lower.
They were running out of time.
**
**
**
Thank you for reading! If you'd like access to extra chapters and want to support my work, you can visit my P@treon: P@treon/SilverShark769
Your support means a lot, thank you!