Gold's entire body was enveloped in a mesmerizing aurora, his frame lifting lightly off the ground, suspended midair. He felt as though he had become a weightless beam of light.
Quilava and Togetic stared at the radiant Pokémon shrouding their trainer, their eyes wide with confusion. They couldn't comprehend what move this was, nor why it was being used.
After a long moment, Gold's body slowly descended, the solid ground beneath his feet grounding him once more with the return of gravity.
"Suicune... what was that?" Gold gazed at the majestic blue Pokémon. For some reason, he could sense a hint of disappointment in its ruby-like eyes.
"It seems you've failed." Amid crackling sparks, Raikou's imposing figure emerged beside Suicune.
Suicune narrowed its eyes, falling into silence.
Moments earlier, Suicune had enveloped the boy in an aurora technique, attempting to purify the dark energy within him using the power of the north wind. However, the attempt proved futile—the malevolent aura had already taken deep root in his body, beyond the reach of simple purification.
"If that's the case, let me handle this my way." Raikou growled, unleashing a bolt of lightning that split the sky. The golden serpent of electricity shot down toward the still-dazed boy.
Boom...
A violent explosion echoed, smoke billowing through the air.
Raikou's eyes flickered with electric light, seeing through the smoke. The human, who should have been reduced to ashes, still stood.
It was Entei who had saved him.
"Wait a little longer. There may still be another way." Entei stepped forward, positioning itself between Raikou and Gold.
Raikou glanced at Suicune. After a brief silence, Suicune joined Entei's side.
Though they were comrades, Suicune understood Raikou's temperament. Unlike itself and Entei, Raikou had never let go of the pain of being burned alive in the past. Its disdain for humanity remained as strong as ever. If left unchecked, Raikou's solution would inevitably lead to carnage.
"Hey... Raikou, you really were trying to kill me just now, weren't you?" Gold wasn't a fool. He had clearly seen Entei intercept the powerful lightning bolt meant for him.
"Why did you do that?" Gold stepped forward, bypassing Entei and Suicune, locking eyes with the embodiment of thunder.
Suicune's appearance had already been shocking enough. For Raikou and Entei to follow—and for Raikou to try to kill him—was beyond anything Gold could have imagined.
Raikou spared him a cold glance, unwilling to converse with what it considered a mere insect. It snorted derisively, its gaze fixed on Suicune and Entei.
"You would defy the King's orders... for a human?"
Neither Suicune nor Entei responded, but neither did they yield.
A flicker of fury crossed Raikou's eyes. Its dark purple mane, like storm clouds, crackled with electricity as the wind began to howl. Overhead, thunderclouds roiled, lightning flickering as if heralding an impending tempest.
The pressure alone from the Legendary Pokémon was enough to warp the atmosphere.
Gold clenched his fists. The oppressive force pressed down on him like the weight of the heavens, but he stood his ground, gritting his teeth.
Suicune and Entei shared a solemn glance. They knew better than anyone how powerful Raikou was. If it attacked, the boy would be caught in a relentless storm of lightning.
Suddenly, Gold's shadow writhed, two blood-red eyes opening within its depths.
...
"Dragonite, use Flamethrower."
"Roooar!" Dragonite soared through the air, spewing a crimson stream of fire, reducing the incoming mutated Beedrill and Pidgeotto to ashes.
As the top-ranked trainer of the Orange League, Drake possessed Elite Four-level strength. However, in most battles against challengers, he refrained from using his strongest Pokémon.
This was already the third wave of monsters he'd encountered since arriving on the island. Though they were referred to as monsters, they were unmistakably reanimated Pokémon—dead creatures still shambling with unnatural vitality.
Upon landing, Drake received a direct order from the League: locate any remaining islanders outside the defensive perimeter and eliminate the creatures on sight.
He'd already visited the so-called defensive circle—a remnant of an ancient war's fortifications, reinforced by powerful Grass-type Pokémon using Ingrain to bolster the walls. Most islanders had been placed in the innermost layer, while trainers and support Pokémon formed the middle tier. The outermost layer was guarded by Elite-level Special Attack Pokémon, providing long-range cover.
The entire arrangement was flawless, even employing type matchups to maximize efficiency—an astonishing feat given the limited time they had.
No wonder they called her the most renowned Coordinator of the League—Daisy Oak...
"Help! Help..."
Drake's ears perked at the distant cry.
"Dragonite, this way."
Sunburst Island wasn't large, but finding people with sight and sound alone was difficult. This was the first survivor he'd found in over twenty minutes.
"Are you alright?" Drake called from atop Dragonite, addressing the man below.
"I'm fine... A monster tried to attack me, but I hid in the rocks and managed to escape." The man looked up at Drake, tears of relief welling in his eyes. "Thank goodness... I never thought anyone would actually come to rescue me."
Drake scanned him. No bloodstains—no visible injuries.
That meant he likely wouldn't mutate.
"Climb on. We'll take you to the defensive circle." Drake extended a hand, pulling the man onto Dragonite's back.
Dragonite ascended swiftly. For a King-class Pokémon, carrying two people was as effortless as lifting feathers.
"Are you from Sunburst Island?" Drake asked.
"No... I came here to catch Pokémon. Never thought I'd run into something like this." The man sighed.
"Well, you're lucky to be alive. Consider it an unexpected adventure." Drake offered a comforting smile.
"Haha... An adventure indeed, for all of us." The man chuckled.
Drake faintly sensed that something was off, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
If he had turned back at that moment, everything would have become clear.
The man they had just rescued appeared unchanged on the surface, but from beneath his pant leg, a scorpion-like tail slowly emerged—tipped with a sharp, venomous stinger.
A King-class Pokémon possessed power rivaling that of Legendary Pokémon. Dragonite's flight speed was astonishing—if not for the need to keep the two passengers on its back from being flung off, it could have easily broken the sound barrier. Even so, the sheer velocity made the wind howl in their ears.
"A King-class Pokémon..." The man's eyes flickered with a strange light, and the venomous tail lashed out like lightning.
"Roar!" Dragonite's reflexes were razor-sharp. The moment it sensed the malicious intent, it instantly twisted its body, causing the man to lose balance and plummet from its back.
"Hahahaha!" The man cackled madly as he fell, completely unfazed by his imminent death.
"Dragonite?" Drake's heart skipped a beat. He could see it clearly—on Dragonite's thin wings, a faint scratch had appeared...
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