"Then…" Rose dragged out the word, then lowered his legs and sat upright.
"We leave it to fate. Let him live or die on his own. After all that training, and with an Elite-level pseudo-legendary under his command, if he dies in there, it just means I misjudged him. But…"
He smiled. Even the mustache beneath his lip lifted slightly.
"I still have high hopes for him. Maybe, like Leon, he can handle everything by himself."
"Then…" Oleana hesitated a little. "What about the team we originally prepared?"
"Send them to lock down Galar's borders. Focus on the Hulbury port. That's the key area. Since the rats have gotten in, we can't let them get out." Rose clasped his hands and rested his chin on them, his eyes narrowing. "I also want to know just how big those rats have gotten out there… that rotten Sword and Shield might've been something they plotted to steal."
"Yes, sir."
Oleana put away the file, then bent down to pick out a related report from the mess on Rose's desk. With a slight bow, she turned and left.
...
Northern Wild Area, Dynamax Den.
At the edge of the Stony Wilderness, Corviknight flew swiftly through the air with Shiro on its back. Next to them, Drakloak was gripping Dalton, who looked like he had completely given up on life.
The man had just finished giving his intel. After begging repeatedly to leave, Shiro still wouldn't let him go. Instead, he brought Dalton along.
He didn't trust that the guy wasn't lying. Until he made it out of the den, he had no intention of letting him out of his sight.
According to the intel, the Hunters Guild had set up a Dynamax energy device on a mountain at the eastern edge of the Stony Wilderness. The hunters could move the device at any time. Watching where the beam of red energy was gathering in the sky was the best way to track it.
There were more than two dozen hunters in total. Other than Hunter G and Renji, the rest were no stronger than Advanced-level. However, another Wild Area Elite Four, Felix, had also joined them.
"So, three Gym-level trainers?" Shiro estimated quietly, trying to figure out how to take them down one by one.
Just then, Dalton, dizzy from being shaken around by Drakloak, spoke in a trembling voice. "That Renji guy only has two Gym-level Pokémon… Hunter G has a Noivern and three Noibats at that level… Felix has two known Dark-types at Gym-level, but… I think he actually has four or more."
Shiro raised an eyebrow in surprise. That meant, out of the three enemies, he'd already taken down one and a half during the last fight?
"Felix's the most dangerous one…" Dalton added. "Rumor is he's the second son of the previous Spikemuth Gym Leader. He ended up in the Wild Area because he wasn't allowed to participate in the Gym Challenge."
Shiro gave a simple nod. "I understand."
With that, Corviknight and Drakloak flew toward their destination.
...
Stony Wilderness.
On top of a large brownish-colored rock hill at the center of the area, Hunter G landed safely, carried by three Noibat. His movements were light and silent. The other hunters nearby, busy working on the energy device, didn't notice him at all.
Letting out a long breath, Hunter G returned his Pokémon to their balls. The mission had been a disaster. Even Noivern had been left behind. He couldn't let the others know he'd lost it.
He slowed down, thinking up excuses in his head.
There was no way he could admit that, even three-on-one, he still lost to that guy from the Macro Cosmos. Just thinking about it made him fume. But now that he thought about it, where were Renji and Dalton? They were supposed to finish off him down below.
The failure wasn't his fault. It was because of his partners. Two Gym-level trainers, and yet they couldn't handle someone who hadn't even reached their strength?
Hunter G clearly remembered the Corvisquire with that guy was only at Advanced-level. The rest of his Pokémon couldn't be that different.
As for that later-appearing Gym-level Corviknight… there was no way that pressure belonged to a mere level-41 Pokémon fresh into the rank.
Choosing to ignore that suspicious point Hunter G dumped all the blame on his two companions. Dalton, that pathetic little Bug-type trainer, wasn't even worth mentioning. And Renji, damn that guy, he was the one who gave the mission report, and during the battle earlier, he was the first to vanish.
Even though the man had been with him for years, in their line of work, there was no such thing as real trust.
"It was definitely Renji…" he growled through clenched teeth, unaware of the tall, thin figure that had silently appeared behind him.
"Definitely Renji? And what exactly did he do?" A chilling, airy voice drifted from the man's mouth, making Hunter G flinch involuntarily. He quickly steadied himself with a deep breath.
It was another of Galar's Elite Fours, or more precisely, one of the Wild Area Elite Fours. Hunter G still didn't understand how these people compared to those from Kanto and other regions, but this one's strength was unquestionably real.
He had to tread carefully around Felix.
Hunter G spun around with a feigned fury, roaring with everything he had, "Felix! Renji gave us false intel! He betrayed me!"
Felix raised his head. Beneath the hood, his pale-white face looked almost powdered. He looked down at the man before him and asked coldly, "Then where are Renji and Dalton? The mission—was it completed? Did you capture that Drakloak?"
Hunter G breathed heavily. Thankfully, his face was hidden by a mask, keeping Felix from seeing his expression. He forced a reply.
"They disappeared. While I was holding off that Elite-level Drakloak, they... I don't know what they were doing. They helped that other guy!"
"Oh?" Felix gave a meaningful smile, turning his gaze toward the other hunters who had gathered around after hearing the commotion.
They quickly surrounded Hunter G, throwing out questions.
"Lord G, betrayal? What happened?"
"Renji? That bastard... I knew something was off with him!"
"Dalton too? So it's true…"
Their voices buzzed like flies in Felix's ears. After letting them simmer for a moment, he raised his voice and questioned with a sharp edge, "Then how come I saw you being carried back by three Noibat? And where's your Noivern?"
Hunter G stiffened. He instinctively turned toward the Dynamax device nearby, trying to change the subject. But the hunters around him were much more sensitive than he'd thought, and they immediately pounced on that one weak point.
"The Dynamax—"
"Lord, what happened to your Noivern?"
"Was it badly injured? I have some top-tier healing meds, I can—"
"My medicine's better!"
"Lord G, don't tell me… you left it behind?"
It was unclear who blurted it out first, but the moment the words left their mouth, silence fell over the group. All eyes locked onto Hunter G's masked face, trying to see through it for the truth.
In the world of hunters, strength was everything.
**
**
**
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
Vote with Power Stones for Bonus Chapters!
Your support means a lot, thank you!