"Wait, wait! I'll talk, I'll talk..."
Dalton raised his hands a bit higher, frantically begging for mercy.
Shiro waved his hand, signaling Drakloak to withdraw its energy, then said, "Take off your hood and mask. I know who you are. Let's confirm your identity first. Move slowly. Drakloak and Corviknight are both watching you."
Dalton stayed silent for a moment. Then, little by little, he lowered his hood and took off the mask covering his face, tossing it onto the grass. His shiny, bald forehead was exposed once again.
Only then did Shiro fully confirm his identity and asked, "You joined the Hunters Guild?"
"No..." Dalton muttered. "They came to me first... and I brought Felix in with me. They're trying to gather Dynamax energy."
He paused, and Shiro gave a slight nod.
"I figured as much."
Glancing toward the direction of the Stony Wilderness, the man continued, "Dynamax Den can twist space. It pulls creatures and objects from certain areas into its void. Those hunters used explosives to crack open the mountains to extract Dynamax energy from deep inside, then used that energy to create a den and teleport their targets into it."
"What targets?" Shiro pressed.
Dalton shook his head slightly. "They didn't tell me. But they've been collecting Pokémon and items related to ancient history. My guess is they want to bring something from those ruins into this world. They promised me a Dragon-type egg with top-tier potential as payment."
Shiro gave a quiet laugh.
"They haven't given it to you yet?"
Dalton nodded, eyes locked on him. Something about the man looked incredibly familiar, but he couldn't figure out who he was.
"How did they find me?" Shiro asked again.
"One of Hunter G's trusted subordinates came to report. I think his name was... Renji or something. He said there was someone from Macro Cosmos..." Dalton trailed off, suddenly remembering his failed operation more than two weeks ago in the desert west of Stow-on-Side.
He froze as he stared in disbelief.
"You… you're the leader of that special squad?"
He knew how important that special task force was. There was no way Rose would just let someone like that roam around freely, especially not during a critical period like the Gym Challenge.
Shiro shot him a sidelong glance but didn't reply. Instead, he said, "I'm going to break through that barrier now. You better think about what other use you might have."
Dalton's face went stiff. Just as he started to lean forward slightly, Drakloak and Corviknight both let out low, menacing growls—ready to kill at a moment's notice.
"You can't get out!" Dalton forced himself to calm down, though his burly frame trembled. "The barrier around here is created by a device that absorbs Dynamax energy. It only grows stronger with time. You can try, but… it's not going to work."
Shiro turned to look at the boundary of Dynamax Den but gave no command. He stretched a hand out toward Dalton.
"Hand them over."
The man swallowed hard. He knew he had to give up his Poké Balls. But none of his bug-types had the power to change anything. Whether he gave them up or not... it didn't matter. It didn't matter at all...
He tried to convince himself, then slowly pulled all the Poké Balls from his belt and placed them on the outstretched hand. Afterward, he raised his arms again.
"Beeetle..."
Orbeetle was still hiding behind Dalton, just peeking out its head. The moment it appeared, Shiro recalled it into its Poké Ball and locked it shut.
After securing the balls, he finally looked toward Drakloak and Corviknight. An Elite-level Pokémon and another with Gym-level strength... judging by the earlier attack against the barrier, they should be able to break through.
"Drakloak, use Dragon Rush. Corviknight, Aerial Ace."
As soon as he gave the order, the two Pokémon shot forward. A bluish-green streak of light and a dark figure dashed through the deep red mist, crashing into the pink barrier at the same time.
Both of them were about ten meters apart. Based on the barrier's previous behavior, the impact point would absorb surrounding energy to strengthen itself, which meant the edges would become weaker.
Boom!
Vibrations spread upward from the point of collision, shaking the barrier and surging toward the top of the dome.
A blood-red glow lit up in front of Drakloak and Corviknight, but the barrier showed no signs of breaking.
Shiro frowned and called out to Bewear, who had been watching from a distance.
"Haunter."
"Haauun-teer!"
From behind Bewear, Haunter popped its head out with a devilish grin. After it whispered something into the former's ear, the muscular bear roared, lifted both arms and charged toward the weakest point between Drakloak and Corviknight.
Boom
A full bear-shaped red imprint appeared on the barrier. On both sides, the other two Pokémon poured all their strength into their attacks.
Still, the barrier didn't budge. It had clearly grown much stronger than before the battle.
And how long had it even been? Maybe an hour at most? If it couldn't be broken now, then soon it might become completely impenetrable.
Shiro had no intention of waiting until the hunters finished whatever they were doing and left, then hoping the den would vanish. He didn't know what kind of mess would happen if he stayed passive.
He waved for Drakloak and the others to return, then looked again at the visibly relieved Dalton.
"Where are they? And how strong are they?" Shiro asked while climbing back onto Corviknight. He planned to strike first, wipe out the hunters, and destroy their equipment. That way, he could escape safely.
Dalton took a deep breath and answered with a serious tone.
...
Wyndon. Top floor of the Macro Cosmos Headquarters.
Oleana stood in front of Chairman Rose's desk, holding a folder in both hands as she read aloud in her usual calm, meticulous tone:
"Emergency reports have been sent simultaneously from both Hammerlocke and Motostoke Gyms. A massive Dynamax Den has suddenly appeared in the northern Wild Area. According to their analysis, this was likely artificially created by individuals from outside of Galar."
"Hmm... it's those illegal immigrants caught in Hulbury a few days ago, right?" Rose lounged in his thick-cushioned high-backed chair, legs casually propped on the edge of the desk. He twirled a strand of hair near his temple with one hand, distracted.
Oleana gave a brief nod, then folded the file in her hand and placed it neatly before her, face expressionless as she continued, "Do you want me to send a team to eliminate them?"
"No need." Rose adjusted his position and rested his hands behind his head. "It's a Wild Area issue at best. The most it'll do is disrupt those two Gym Leaders' regional control. What does that have to do with us?"
"Did you forget?" Oleana adjusted her glasses with one hand. "Shiro from the special team went to the northern Wild Area two days ago."
"Oh~" Rose nodded as if remembering. He kept twisting his hair while falling deep into thought.
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