"THE TRAINER AHEAD! YOU'VE BEEN SURROUNDED BY MACRO COSMOS!"
"YOU'VE BEEN SURROUNDED BY MACRO COSMOS!"
The blaring loudspeaker crackled, its sharp noise grating against Shiro's ears. Beads of sweat trickled down his forehead, sliding along his cheek.
As he floated downward, he noticed the attacks from above forcing Drakloak into a tight position.
At the same time, several Corviknight arrived overhead, slowing Drakloak's movements.
He wasn't going to outrun this.
"Drop down near the forest, Drakloak!"
Shiro shouted with all his might and quickly glanced back.
The Corviknight closest to him was Elite-level, the strongest among them.
On its back rode an Elite-level Mamoswine. Beside it, an Elite-level Vanilluxe hovered, the two Pokémon gathering Ice energy in sync before releasing precise Ice Beams one after another.
'An Elite-level trainer who specializes in Ice types.'
A chill ran through Shiro's heart. As he descended, his sharp eyes tracked movement below.
From the forest, a massive Rillaboom let out a thunderous roar, charging through trees barely reaching its waist, sending dust and debris flying as it rushed toward him.
Shiro and Drakloak were already close to the ground, gliding fast along the grassy path by the lake.
For a brief moment, it seemed like they had pulled ahead of Rillaboom, and the Ice Beams from above ceased.
Just as Shiro exhaled in relief, a towering pillar of ice shot past Drakloak, crashing into the lakeside. In an instant, part of the water and a large section of the forest froze solid, forming an ice wall several meters high.
Drakloak instinctively angled upward to leap over it, but another Ice Beam whizzed past its head, slamming into the ice wall ahead.
That brief hesitation was all it took.
Vanilluxe, resembling two ice creams fused together, had quietly floated in front of the ice wall, blocking their escape.
"Put me down," Shiro said patting Drakloak. The dragon nodded and gently placed him on the grassy lakeshore.
Behind them, Rillaboom thundered closer. In just a few seconds, the hulking Grass-type stood before them, its heavy breath stirring the dust.
The Corviknight circled overhead, forming an ironclad perimeter. Mamoswine and Vanilluxe locked their gazes onto Drakloak, ready to strike at the first sign of resistance.
Drakloak trembled, instinctively recoiling from the Ice-types. It hovered close to Shiro, circling him in distress, overwhelmed by the sheer number of enemies.
Then, a man stepped forward.
A middle-aged figure with a square jaw and a scruffy beard leaped down from Rillaboom's back, landing lightly despite his size. He stopped ten meters from Shiro.
"Kid! I don't know how you got your hands on that Drakloak, but it belongs to us," the man sneered. "Hand it over now, and we might let you walk away."
Shiro recognized him—Gareth, the leader of the hunting team.
Gareth raised a hand, motioning for Shiro to recall Drakloak into its Poké Ball and toss it over. He wanted to avoid a direct fight.
An Elite-level Drakloak, if it went berserk, would cause heavy losses before being subdued.
"Not happening."
Shiro's voice was firm. He reached out, pulling the frightened Drakloak close, his eyes scanning the Pokémon surrounding them.
He knew he had no way out.
But he wasn't about to surrender.
He had never begged for mercy, never expected kindness. From Spikemuth to this place, if he had ever let those thoughts take root, he'd have died long ago.
Holding the trembling Dreepy tightly in his arms, Shiro locked eyes with Gareth.
Either escape or die trying.
That was his answer.
"Draa…"
Drakloak understood Shiro's intentions and let out a soft cry in response. It knew all of this was happening because of it, but if it hadn't searched for Shiro in the Dynamax den and had just run away, Dreepy would have died.
They were companions. The people in front of them were enemies.
"Hmph." Gareth narrowed his eyes, glancing at the surrounding Pokémon. A plan was already forming in his mind.
Shiro clenched his teeth, scanning the area.
The moment he saw Gareth raise a hand to his earpiece, his body tensed, ready to lunge at any second.
"Hm?"
Gareth frowned. Then his expression eased, and he took a few steps back.
Something felt off. Shiro hesitated, cautiously stepping forward. None of the Pokémon around him showed signs of attacking.
Just then, a familiar voice came from inside the passenger cabin of a Corviknight taxicab nearby.
"Yo! Isn't that you, Shiro? What brings you all the way from Hammerlocke? Changed your mind?"
Shiro froze. He quickly searched his memories, trying to place the voice.
"Marvin?" he muttered.
From the passenger box beneath the Corviknight's talons, a familiar yet slightly different figure jumped down.
Marvin was no longer the filthy, disheveled mess he used to be. His bright orange-red hair stood out vividly, and he was now dressed in Macro Cosmos' white uniform.
With one hand in his pocket, he waved lazily at Gareth, who immediately stepped aside and recalled his Rillaboom without protest.
At the same time, the Mamoswine and Vanilluxe watching Drakloak closely were also withdrawn into Poké Balls with two flashes of red lights.
"Surprised?" Marvin smirked, strolling toward him. "Didn't I tell you I'd be joining Macro Cosmos?" He patted Shiro's shoulder, then reached out to touch Drakloak. But the Pokémon flinched, retreating into the shadows, refusing to let him touch it.
Marvin merely shrugged.
"I spotted you from the Corviknight and reported it to Chairman Rose," he continued, his tone casual. "Didn't expect him to take such an interest in you."
Shiro's mind raced. He remembered Marvin mentioning a mission to sabotage the Gym Challenge. Everything clicked. These hunters—no, the entire operation—was part of Rose's plan.
Including capturing this Drakloak.
Some of the things that had puzzled him about the hunting team's actions suddenly made sense. They probably all had rewards for capturing Pokémon, but the hunters themselves weren't eager to do the dirty work for people like Marvin—those with special connections.
Marvin grabbed Shiro's arm, leading him toward the Corviknight. "Shocked, huh? Come with me, you know Chairman Rose, right? He wants to meet you."
Shiro nodded silently.
He didn't feel relieved, just calm.
The danger was gone, but now he was at their mercy. He'd likely be forced into this plan, following Rose's orders.
As they approached the cabin, Marvin shot a glare toward the hunters still lingering in the forest.
"What are you looking at?" he snapped. "If my friend hadn't caught Drakloak, you useless lot wouldn't have even seen its shadow!"
At his words, the hunters either averted their gazes or shrank back, unwilling to meet his eyes.
As Marvin and Shiro stepped into the passenger box, Corviknight spread its wings.
With a powerful beat of its wings, it lifted into the sky.
One after another, the other Corviknight followed closely behind.
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