"Ran away..."
Shiro watched the cloaked hunter vanish over the distant horizon at full speed. After a moment of thought, he gave up the chase.
He didn't know what tricks the hunter still had up his sleeve, or how many more powerful hunters were waiting at the Stony Wilderness. It was better to stay cautious.
"Drakloak!"
He called out loudly. As the Pokémon flew closer, Shiro pulled out a healing spray from his backpack and carefully treated the wounds on its body while still in midair.
"Draaak..." Drakloak let out a soft hum, its gaze filled with curiosity as it looked at the intimidating steel bird before it.
"Co—" Corviknight had just opened its beak to reply but shut it again. It still hadn't gotten used to the drastic change in its voice.
Back when it was just a Rookidee, its cries had been clear and sharp. After evolving into a Corvisquire, the voice hadn't changed much thanks to its conscious restraint. But now as a full-grown Corviknight, not only had its voice become deep and heavy, even the way it cried was completely different.
Still, Drakloak quickly recognized its old companion. Once the healing was done, it began circling Corviknight.
"Draak~"
It hadn't expected that the tiny Corvisquire from before could grow into such a massive Pokémon. Its entire appearance had changed completely.
'Looks like I'll need to step up Drakloak's training from now on,' Shiro thought, watching the dragon's movements.
He reached out and wrapped his arm around its neck, giving it a pat before saying, "Let's go, Corviknight. Let's head down first."
The bird gave a slight nod, then tilted forward and dived toward the forest's edge.
...
Meanwhile, in the woods below.
Bewear swung its arms, knocking over small trees with ease as it charged through the undergrowth. Leaves and dust burst into the air with each crashing step, making Dalton, who was fleeing ahead, even more of a mess.
By his side was Orbeetle and Vikavolt. Though the former was a Bug/Psychic-type, it acted much more like a pure Psychic-type. Dalton had also focused on training its support skills, with moves like Confusion, Psychic Terrain, Mirror Coat, Magic Coat, Light Screen, Reflect...
It didn't know any high-damage moves, and its partner Vikavolt's String Shot and Sticky Web did nothing to slow down the berserk Pokémon rushing after them.
As for Electric-type moves like Thunderbolt... Bewear was unexpectedly clever. Every time it saw sparks, it would grab a broken tree nearby to block them, as if someone was commanding it.
Even though the Pokémon wasn't moving particularly fast overall, it was still more than enough to make Dalton miserable.
Sending Vikavolt in to fight head-on was a lost cause, and no matter where Orbeetle took him, that bear just kept chasing them down.
As time dragged on, Bewear seemed to be getting even more excited, while Orbeetle was already starting to show signs of exhaustion.
Dalton relied on his years of physical training to weave through the forest, leaping over tangled roots and fallen branches. He was almost out of the woods.
He didn't know how the other two hunters were doing, but with their strength, success should've been guaranteed.
After all, they were the strongest members of the entire hunter squad. Especially that man... a Dragon-type specialist with strength close to Elite-level. One of them dealt with Drakloak, the other handled that kid. It should've been an easy win.
Dalton hoped for the best and pushed himself forward, finally bursting out of the forest and into the open field.
He didn't run toward the Stony Wilderness. He had faith in his companions. If they finished their mission and found out he couldn't handle a wild Bewear and even ran away... that would be a complete disgrace to the Wild Area's Elite Four.
"Lord G, Lord G!" He shouted frantically, waving his arms as he sprinted across the grassy field.
"Beweeeaaar!"
Bewear crashed through the treeline behind him, arms swinging wildly. But as Dalton looked up at the sky, he couldn't spot Hunter G anywhere. Not even a trace of battle remained.
"The fight's already over..." he muttered, a flicker of relief on his face. He quickly recalled Vikavolt and ordered Orbeetle to teleport him to the grassy slope at the edge of the Dynamax Den, hoping to get a better view and spot Hunter G's location.
As for the Bewear still chasing him... in Dalton's mind, that bear was as good as dead. Either that, or stuffed into a Poké Ball and shipped off to some no-name corner of the world.
A grin stretched across his thick, rugged face beneath the mask. After a brief ripple in the air, he and Orbeetle appeared atop the slope near the boundary of the den.
The first thing that entered his vision was Drakloak, floating directly above him.
The dragon's translucent tail swayed lazily in the air, its arrow-shaped head lowering slightly to peer down. On top of its head, Dreepy had narrowed its eyes and raised its upper body.
"...Wait, what?" Dalton blinked, confused, and instinctively stepped back—only to feel the hard, unbreakable energy barrier behind him. He knew exactly how durable it was. He'd helped install the thing.
"Oorb..."
Sensing the overwhelming pressure from the Dragon-type above, Orbeetle's small humanoid body trembled uncontrollably. In the end, it ducked behind its trainer's broad back, peeking around his shoulder cautiously.
As Drakloak crept closer, Dalton felt his tongue twist. He couldn't even form a proper sentence.
Why is this Drakloak here? Where's Lord G?
His gaze darted around in panic, until it froze on a massive Corviknight gliding toward him from the opposite side of the sky.
"C-Corviknight...?"
What was a Corviknight doing here, especially one of this caliber? Gym-level? That shouldn't be possible...
Before he could piece anything together, a voice—one he found vaguely familiar—called out from the descending giant bird's back.
"I thought you'd make a run for the Stony Wilderness. But instead, you brought yourself right to me?"
With a light hop, Shiro leapt off his Pokémon's back and landed smoothly on the grass, standing about ten meters in front of Dalton. Drakloak and Corviknight closed in from both sides, boxing him in.
"W-Who are you... Where's Lord... Lord G..." Dalton stammered, his voice growing quieter as he slowly raised his hands, signaling he meant no harm.
"Lord G..." Shiro repeated the name thoughtfully. Then it hit him. In the Pokémon anime, there was a notorious hunter who used a letter for a codename. "Hunter G?"
"Yes! Yes, that's right! Hunter G of the Hunters Guild! That guy had his eyes on your Pokémon. As a fellow Wild Area trainer, I wanted to help you! But I was chased nonstop by a wild Bewear..."
He rambled on, desperate and breathless. Shiro let out a short laugh.
"Do you even believe yourself? Dalton, right? What were you and those hunters planning?"
As the man fell silent, Shiro raised his hand.
Drakloak lifted its tail, and brilliant, bluish energy began to glow, shimmering brightly as it prepared to strike.
**
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