"Drakloak, Dragon Pulse!"
The moment Shiro gave the command, the Pokémon shot upward at full speed. Once in range, it opened its mouth and unleashed a bluish-green blast of energy that had been charging steadily.
Buzz!
The concentrated Dragon-type energy ripped through the air, heading straight for the Noivern beneath the central cloaked hunter.
"Dodge it!" the bulky hunter on the left barked, floating aside ahead of the others.
The one on the right, riding a Pidgeot, also made a quick evasive move.
But the cloaked figure in the center didn't flinch. Instead, his Noivern soared sharply upward, trying to dodge the deadly attack. Simultaneously, the man pressed several Poké Balls at his waist. Red flashes burst out, releasing three fluttering Noibats.
All of them were at the Gym-level: two at Lv42 and one at Lv43. Noivern, at Lv49, was close to reaching the Elite-level.
Meanwhile, Drakloak's Dragon Pulse continued to chase relentlessly. With such a powerful and super-effective move flying its way, Noivern didn't dare let it even graze its body.
But it wasn't fast enough.
Despite its evasive maneuvers, the beam was catching up fast. If this continued for a few more seconds, it would be struck for sure.
"Noibats, Noivern, Dragon Pulse."
The cloaked hunter gave the order in a low voice. The three Noibats immediately flew into a triangular formation in front of him, their mouths opening in sync with Noivern below, all gathering the same Dragon-type energy.
"Roar!"
Four identical streams of purple energy burst out, merging midair into a single, massive beam that met Drakloak's attack head-on.
The resulting collision rocked the sky. The two Dragon Pulses exploded against each other, sending shockwaves rippling outward in every direction. Gusts of wind lashed the field below, visible as blades of grass bent and danced under the pressure.
The blast forced both the cloaked hunter levitating with psychic power and the one on Pidgeot to drop altitude. They wobbled through the turbulence, struggling to stay balanced. Even the Gym-level Pidgeot squawked in discomfort, its wings beating harder to pull clear from the heated air and lingering energy.
On the ground, Shiro shielded his face with one elbow, narrowing his eyes against the wind as he tracked the hunters' descent.
"Corvisquire! Tailwind and Quick Attack, then Drill Peck!"
Above him, the bird flapped hard to stabilize. With a sudden thrust, it dashed forward. The controlled gust from Tailwind cut through the swirling remnants of Dragon Pulse, and in an instant, Corvisquire became a silver blur racing straight toward the hunter atop Pidgeot.
"Haunter!" Shiro turned to Bewear, who was still staring blankly.
The creature had no idea why all the Pokémon in the sky were fighting. The chaos in the air hadn't affected it much. It just stood there, waiting for its shadowy friend behind it to speak.
Shiro understood that their earlier hug had made Bewear trust Haunter. But he wasn't sure just how far that trust would go. Could it even tell friend from foe?
"Haunn-haun! Haun-teer!"
Haunter floated to Bewear's side and whispered quickly into its ear, pointing a dark claw toward the rocky slope on the left. The burly cloaked hunter had landed there, using the terrain to avoid the wind.
"Beweeeaaar!"
Bewear raised its paw like it was waving, then charged for the rock. It understood what its friend meant. That guy was a bad person. Smash him!
Shiro caught the scene and looked away.
When Bewear waved like that, it meant it was angry—the opposite of a hug. That was a clear sign it was about to attack.
Looks like Haunter had managed to convince it to fight on their side.
"Coorv!"
By now, Corvisquire had closed in on the yellow-feathered Pidgeot, darting behind it and twisting sharply to launch a Drill Peck.
Just as Pidgeot was about to land, the cloaked hunter leaned to dismount, but a strange gust of wind swept up behind him. Years of surviving in the wild kicked in—he tilted his head and dropped sideways, falling off his Pokémon's back and rolling several times before finally stopping.
Sensing danger behind it, Pidgeot twisted midair. A faint blue glow lit up its body as it traced a crescent-shaped path through the sky. It narrowly avoided Corvisquire's attack and turned around to strike back.
It was Aerial Ace.
Shiro shouted at once. "Come back now!"
Corvisquire had planned to cancel the move after missing its target. But after hearing the command, it used the momentum from Drill Peck to keep going at full speed, flying back to Shiro's side.
"Pi!"
Pidgeot didn't pursue. Instead, it flew down to stand guard in front of its trainer.
The hunter in the black cloak clutched his shoulder and slowly stood up from the slope. Thankfully, the soil was soft and grassy, so he wasn't seriously injured.
"Damn it..." he growled, staring at Shiro. "Pidgeot, use Twister!"
Without delay, the Pokémon spread its wings. The wind around them, already wild, became even more chaotic. A spinning gust picked up grass and dirt from both sides, blowing toward Corvisquire.
Shiro reacted instantly. "Fly!"
Before the Twister could fully take shape, Corvisquire had already taken off.
Fly was a move that let Pokémon rapidly rise into the air to avoid attacks, then strike from above. In just a blink, Corvisquire soared more than twenty meters high, putting nearly ten meters between itself and vortex below. It glided past the swirling gusts with ease, then dove downward. Using gravity to increase speed, it began to spin, locking onto the cloaked hunter behind Pidgeot.
The hunter's brow furrowed. The dim light inside the Dynamax den, along with the turbulent wind, obscured his vision. He couldn't see what was happening ahead.
Still, based on past experience, the bird should have been forced back or withdrawn into its Poké Ball after taking a hit from that Dragon-type move. In the wild, few low-level bird Pokémon had the speed to dodge a Twister.
"Pidgeot!" He shouted. "Keep moving forward. Be ready to strike with Aerial Ace!"
However, the bird flew toward him instead. He was confused when a heavy pressure from above chilled his back. He wanted to roll away, but Corvisquire was already less than a meter overhead.
"Piii!"
Pidgeot used Quick Attack at full force, managing to block above its trainer head just in time. But at Corvisquire's falling speed, there was no way to fully change direction. Even with the bird in the way, the man would still be pierced by that sharp beak.
Only a body could shield him.
"Pidgeeeooot!"
Corvisquire's steel-hard beak, glowing faintly with a metallic shine, stabbed through Pidgeot's right wing. A shrill cry tore from the bird's throat. Its neck curled from the pain, and blood dotted its red crest. Its wings twisted at odd angles. No longer able to stay in the air, its body dropped from the sky.
**
**
**
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!