"Pidgeot!"
The cloaked hunter's scream cut through the howling winds and reached Shiro's ears, who immediately recognized the familiar voice.
He had a strong impression of this man—Renji, the traveling merchant—and now he was sure that the Pidgeot's trainer was none other than him.
"So it really was you behind all this." Shiro muttered, eyes narrowing as he watched the man scramble toward his fallen Pokémon. He waved his hand and ordered coldly, "Kill him."
Corvisquire obeyed at once. It shook off the blood from its beak, then spread its wings and unleashed a barrage of compressed wind blades.
The invisible slashes tore through the short distance, closing in on Renji and his Pidgeot. But just before impact, a red flash blinked at the merchant's waist, and an Electrode sprang out of its Poké Ball on its own, throwing its body in front of the attack.
"Eleeectroo!"
The Electric-type Pokémon resembled an upside-down Poké Ball, with red on the bottom and white on top. It usually wore a mischievous smile, but right now, its expression was twisted in fury, brows and lips curled in rage as it glared at Corvisquire.
Golden sparks flickered across its spherical body.
"Quick Attack to dodge!" Shiro reacted instantly.
In a streak of gray-white light, Corvisquire rocketed skyward, just as a blinding bolt of lightning erupted below. The blast hissed through the air, crackling where the bird had just been.
That Electrode was at level forty-five, Gym-level. And as an Electric-type, it had a natural advantage against Flying-types like Corvisquire. Even after taking several of its wind blades head-on earlier, it only showed a few shallow cuts on its body.
Shiro scanned the battlefield quickly, his heart growing anxious.
High above, Drakloak flew at top speed, trying to stay away from Noivern and the three Noibats while launching ranged attacks. With no one commanding it, the four opposing Pokémon had managed to use Tailwind to boost their speed and hit it with Screech, lowering its attack power.
Although each of them were weaker than Drakloak, the constant harassment would definitely wear it down.
Right now, the three separate battle zones were too far for Shiro to command effectively in real time. If he ran over to command Drakloak directly, he could get ambushed by the Noibat. And if he allowed the fight to drag out, the other two enemies would absolutely use all kinds of tricks to attack him directly.
He knew it well. Aside from Drakloak, he didn't match up to these seasoned hunters in raw combat ability. If he wanted to survive this, he had to deal with the weaker opponents on the grass quickly.
'If I can take Renji down fast, I still have a chance…'
Decision made, Shiro grabbed a Poké Ball from his belt and threw it forward.
"Vibrava! Hold off Electrode!"
Electrode's attacks were mostly Electric-type. Vibrava might not be very strong, but its Ground typing made it immune to electricity.
As soon as the Pokémon rushed toward the raging Electrode chasing after Corvisquire, Shiro recalled the bird remotely with its Poké Ball and then sent it out again.
Opposite him, behind the Electrode, Renji was frantically rummaging through his backpack. His hands trembled as he pulled out the best healing spray he had, dousing Pidgeot's wounds before wrapping them with medical bandages made for Pokémon.
"Pi..." the bird let out a low whimper. The hole in its right wing was very big. There was no way those medicines or bandages could help. It needed professional treatment at a Pokémon Center within thirty minutes, or it would be left with permanent damage and would never be able to fight again.
"Damn it... damn it! Damn it!" Renji cursed through clenched teeth, returning Pidgeot into its Poké Ball.
They were deep in the mountains, and this Dynamax Den wasn't something they could just walk out of in half an hour.
That Pidgeot, who had accompanied him for over a decade, was completely crippled.
And yet the opponent was just an Advanced-level Corvisquire… How could it be that fast, faster than some Gym-level Pokémon?!
"Goddammit…" Renji had no time for regret. All he could do now was channel his rage at the enemy. He bellowed at Electrode, "Use Taunt and then Giga Impact! Kill that damn Vibrava!"
"Elecctrooo!"
Receiving the command, Electrode's eyes flared with a black gleam. Just as it turned to glare at the annoying pest darting around in front of it, a beam of red light suddenly shot out, retracting Vibrava in an instant.
Shiro slipped the Poké Ball back into his pocket and said softly, "You've done enough."
At the same moment, a blinding white light burst forth behind him. In his other hand, he tightly gripped a pale gray Everstone.
Seeing its target vanish, Electrode locked onto Shiro himself. A surge of white-gray energy exploded from its body as it launched forward like a living missile. The sheer pressure of its charge made the air quake.
"Corviknight!" Shiro roared and a jet-black pair of wings unfurled behind him.
As Electrode charged forward at terrifying speed, he suddenly felt his body lift. In the blink of an eye, he was soaring nearly fifty meters into the air, watching as the Electric-type slammed into the edge of the Dynamax Den below.
The pink barrier within the blood-red mist turned bright crimson upon impact. Moments later, Electrode's momentum died completely, and it collapsed backward with a stiff thud.
Giga Impact was a high-risk move that poured a Pokémon's full strength into one massive hit, comparable to Hyper Beam. But after using it, the user would be left completely immobilized.
"End this fight." Shiro's voice rang out.
"Kniiiight!"
With a mighty cry, Corviknight folded its wings and dived. Within seconds, it was only meters above the ground. Shiro leapt off and landed smoothly in a crouch.
"Steel Wing!"
Now at level 43, Corviknight had already reached the Gym-level, its power surging after evolution. Towering at over 3.6 meters, it looked like a fortress of black steel. Obsidian armor cloaking its body, feathers gleaming like honed blades. Its crimson eyes cut with icy precision, merciless and sharp.
Shiro hadn't had time to explore its new movepool after evolution yet, but he knew Steel Wing was a guaranteed addition and went with it.
With a flash of metallic light, its shining wings slammed into the stunned Electrode. Even though Steel wasn't very effective against Electric-types, the sheer force left deep, jagged cracks across the Pokémon's body.
"Fury Attack!" Shiro barked without pause.
It was a Normal-type move Corviknight had relied on frequently as a Rookidee. Now, after evolution, it could land a dozen strikes in rapid succession, and the damage was no longer trivial.
The steel bird pecked fiercely at Electrode, leaving numerous bloody punctures. Only when Shiro saw the spark leave its eyes did he shift his gaze to the fleeing Renji.
But he didn't have time to give chase.
The priority now was to free Drakloak, or assist Haunter and Bewear in taking down the other hunter.
He hopped onto Corviknight's back. With a single wingbeat, the massive bird took off into the air, using Tailwind to boost its speed.
Taking this opportunity, Shiro quickly learned about its current moveset.
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