Pokémon: Wings Of Shadow

'Sure enough, there was an ambush underground…' Shiro looked at the three Rhydon, then glanced at the patches of shaking soil across the rocky hill. It was clear there were still more creatures hiding below.

Even while blowing up the mountain and gathering Dynamax energy, these hunters hadn't forgotten to catch the local Pokémon.

Especially during rainy weather, Ground- and Rock-types became noticeably weaker, making them much easier to capture.

'They really know how to tame wild Pokémon… must've picked the more docile ones they caught,' Shiro thought as he took out a Poké Ball he had kept hidden at his waist and threw it to the ground. "Come out! Rhyperior!"

With a flash of red light, a massive and bulky figure emerged. As Rhydon's evolved form, Rhyperior was even bigger. Its reddish-brown armor was tougher than stone. When it landed heavily near the Dynamax device, it left two deep craters in the ground, shaking the entire hill.

"Rhyyyy!"

The moment it roared, the three Rhydon shrank back in fear. The overwhelming pressure from their evolved kin made them instinctively uneasy.

"What the hell? Another damn Pokémon?!" Hunter G cursed, then spotted Felix, who had been commanding his Malamar and Obstagoon, sprinting away, dragging the fallen Dalton along with him.

No one had expected this trainer to be so powerful. Having one Elite-level Drakloak was already bad enough, but now he had two other incredibly strong Pokémon at the Gym-level.

It wasn't just about whether they could win anymore. It was about whether they could even get out alive.

Hunter G cursed Renji over and over in his heart. He had already made up his mind to flee.

A trainer who could raise multiple high-level Pokémon with different types—what kind of resources and background did someone like that have? How could he even fight someone like this?

Besides, brainwashing Pokémon wasn't legal or even available outside of Galar. Not even in the black market. So Hunter G didn't know this Rhyperior was actually a conditioned Pokémon with a dull mind.

He just assumed Shiro had trained it himself.

Hunter G roared, "Rhydon! Don't be afraid! Drill Run, now! Charge that thing down!"

The three iron-gray Rhydon froze for a second, then clenched their jaws and lowered their heads. They kicked off and charged toward the slowly approaching Rhyperior.

"Corviknight, use Tailwind! Drakloak, give a Dragon Cheer! Rhyperior, Heavy Slam!"

Winds began to rise, boosting the team's speed. A powerful dragon's roar followed, giving Rhyperior a better chance to hit a critical blow. The Pokémon then charged like a steel mountain, thundering forward with the momentum of a speeding train.

Heavy Slam was a move where the user's weight increased the damage. The heavier the user compared to its opponent, the more devastating the attack.

Rhyperior was easily four times the size of a Rhydon. As it crashed forward with Heavy Slam, it kicked up a wave of dirt and dust, flipping all three charging Pokémon into the air like ragdolls.

Hunter G used the chance to turn and flee.

With him leading, the ground across the hill began to shift. Chunks of soil split open as Diglett popped up, followed closely by trainers in dusty yellow cloaks, pulled up from the tunnels below. Sandslash and Hippopotas raced against each other, kicking up dust and grit in a frenzied scramble to escape.

Every hunter abandoned their ambush and stopped fighting, focused only on retreat. Their original plan had been to strike from underground. But now that their mission was complete, there was no reason to fight an enemy they couldn't defeat.

Seeing this, Shiro shouted quickly as he retrieved Rhyperior, "Drakloak! Use Dragon Pulse! Corviknight, Quick Attack and pursue them!"

Boom!

The blue-green energy beam blasted downward from midair once again. But this time, no one stood in its way. Dragon Pulse followed Drakloak's intent and swept across the ground. Any hunter unfortunate enough to be caught in its path could only blame their luck.

Corviknight also streaked through the sky like a bolt of lightning, chasing down the fleeing Hunter G at full speed.

"Haunter, Vibrava, move faster!" Shiro urged.

"Haun-teer!"

"Vibraa..."

If the Ghost-type's claws weren't still gripping Shiro's shoulder, it would've thrown its hands up and cheered with joy.

A battlefield littered with chaos, scattered enemies, and fallen bodies—it was Haunter's favorite kind of playground. It was itching to dive straight into the crowd of hunters, biting into their souls one by one.

Vibrava, on the other hand, was quiet. It simply followed the command and picked up speed.

Watching the hunters scatter like ants, Shiro knew they couldn't take them all down like he had hoped. However, they had to get back whatever Hunter G had taken from the underground.

At the very least, that man had to stay here in Galar, buried beneath this rocky wilderness.

"Corv!"

A rough, echoing cry slammed into Hunter G's ears like a death sentence. He was riding on a Hippopotas with one of his close subordinates. The Pokémon wasn't slow when running through the rocky ground, but it was still just a Hippopotas. Carrying two grown men, it wasn't going to go far.

"That Corviknight's catching up!" the man in yellow robes shouted, panic in his voice. "Hippopotas, speed up! Use Tackle to push forward!"

As the command left his mouth, a faint glow surrounded Hippopotas's body, and its speed increased slightly.

"Coor!"

The gusts from Corviknight's wings had already hit the back of their heads. Hunter G didn't even dare to look back. He was afraid that the moment he turned, all he'd see was that cold, sharp beak piercing through his skull.

Hippopotas was only at Advanced-level, around Lv33. It was close to evolving, but as a Ground-type, no matter how desperately it tried, it couldn't outrun a flying bird.

The path didn't help either. The low hill was rough and uneven, with sudden bumps and dips. Hippopotas was already doing its best.

Hunter G's body bounced with every step, his neck chilled, and every muscle tensed to the extreme. The ground ahead wobbled in his vision, blurred by stress.

He was sure. In just a few seconds, or maybe even the very next one, he would be the first to die.

'I have to do something!'

"Cooorv!"

Corviknight's third cry exploded right beside his ear. Without thinking, Hunter G grabbed his subordinate's shoulders and threw him backward with full force.

He was strong, and the move was sudden. The man didn't even have time to react before he was flung into the air.

Corviknight was now directly overhead, only three meters above the riders. The moment it saw someone flying up toward it, it dove in and clamped its beak around the man's head, then tossed the body to the side.

The hunter's skull caved in horribly where the beak had struck; dead beyond all doubt.

Hunter G had barely let out a sigh of relief when he realized something was wrong. The Hippopotas had stopped moving.

It turned its head slowly. Its eyes were glowing red as it stared straight at him.

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