Pokémon: Wings Of Shadow

Staring at the name "Shiro" on the screen, Lexi took a deep breath, she felt it looked familiar, like she had seen it somewhere before.

But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't remember where.

Lexi wasn't someone who watched much television. If she had paid attention to the latest Gym Challenge news, she would've recognized Shiro's name immediately.

At this moment, the surroundings were dead silent. Inside the Pokémon Center and out on the street, everyone was watching her with a mix of anxious curiosity and tense anticipation, waiting for her to announce the final verdict.

After she finished checking, Lexi stepped around the counter and went to Shiro. This time, there was a smile on her face.

"Mr. Shiro. You are now officially a registered League trainer. You're free to use any of the facilities here at the Pokémon Center."

With that, she returned lightly to her station behind the desk.

In an instant, the mood inside the Pokémon Center shifted. A few trainers who had gathered near the store section lowered their heads, and the ones crowding at the door outside also began to slowly drift away.

The whole area went quiet.

* * *

At the Hammerlocke Stadium.

In one of the hallways deep inside the facility, a staff member in a white uniform pushed open a door. Inside was a vast chamber, or rather, a private training field.

"Duraludon! Use Metal Claw!"

A clear and commanding voice rang out across the room. The silver steel dragon in the center let out a low growl as it raised one claw and slashed diagonally through a reinforced metal target, shredding it with ease.

"Lord Raihan, there's an urgent situation." The staff member spoke softly.

Raihan turned around, a bit puzzled. "Why not report it to my cousin? Isn't he in charge of the gym right now?"

"Uh..." The staff member didn't know how to respond. In the end, he just handed over the report in his hands.

Raihan took them casually and flipped through the pages.

"Oh? So Kabu made a move and nearly blew up some of those old geezers from Macro Cosmos?" He grinned and tossed the document into a nearby trash can. Then he said, "Alright, lead the way. I'll go see what this Shiro guy is really made of."

"Yes, sir."

The staff member turned and walked ahead with his head low. Raihan recalled his Duraludon and followed.

"By the way." He suddenly smiled and added, "Send a message to my dear uncle Gale. Let him know that Rylan's a little tied up and won't be handling this for now."

The staff member paused for a second, then nodded.

* * *

Hammerlocke Stadium, first-floor public battle zone.

In one of the corner arenas, a tall and muscular man stood on one side. It was Rylan. On the other end was a thin middle-aged man with a grim expression—Grant, the same person who had previously fought with Shiro. He was also one of the stadium's longest-serving Rookidee sparring partners.

After Shiro left, Grant no longer used the small bird for battles. Instead, he began using Corvisquire as his sparring partner.

The field was now enclosed in a psychic barrier, and the match was in full swing.

Rylan was commanding a rugged, powerfully built Hakamo-o. Its dense grayish scales made it look especially fierce.

"Hakamo-o! Jump up and use Dragon Claw!"

The dragon let out a sharp cry and leapt into the air. As it rose, its golden-scaled claws glowed with condensed green energy, forming three extended sharp talons.

It lunged toward Corvisquire circling above.

"Dodge!" Grant's voice was cold and direct.

His Pokémon moved like a blur. In the blink of an eye, it vanished from Hakamo-o's view and reappeared behind it, positioning itself for a counterattack.

"Drill Peck!"

At Grant's command, Corvisquire began to spin midair. Its steel-glinting beak drilled forward with force, aiming straight at the dragon.

Both Pokémon were at Advanced-level, but Hakamo-o's physical strength clearly outmatched its opponent's. It also knew more moves than Corvisquire.

"It's behind you! Hakamo-o, use Aerial Ace!" Rylan ordered.

Hakamo-o instantly twisted its body in the air. With the grace of a diving bird, it spun around and whipped its tail at the incoming Corvisquire at lightning speed.

"Coor!"

The bird cried out as it was struck, flung toward the edge of the psychic barrier. Several dark blue feathers floated down where it hit.

Luckily, Hakamo-o wasn't capable of true flight, so it couldn't chase effectively. In this confined space, it could only try to hit its target again and again through brute force.

Although it had only been a simple tail sweep, the impact made Corvisquire's slender body ache deep in its belly. If it took another strike like that, it might not even be able to keep flying.

Grant's eyes narrowed. 'Aerial Ace?'

That was a Flying-type move, one that a Dragon and Fighting-type Pokémon like Hakamo-o typically couldn't learn, unless one of its parents had been a powerful flying dragon Pokémon and passed it down through breeding.

This move gave Hakamo-o a powerful mid-air mobility tool, allowing it to abruptly change direction and hit opponents at angles it normally couldn't.

"Hmph." Rylan grunted, eyes fixed on the airborne Corvisquire without dropping his guard. "Hakamo-o... use Work Up!"

A soft glow of white energy began to rise from Hakamo-o's body.

Work Up boosted both Attack and Special Attack.

Grant knew this too. He couldn't let the move go off smoothly, not if he wanted to win.

"Corvisquire, Air Cutter!"

The bird quickly regained balance in the air, then flapped its wings hard, sending out pale, razor-sharp blades of wind.

However, Hakamo-o didn't flinch. It ignored the incoming attacks completely and continued powering up. The wind blades slammed into it one after another, but not even a scratch was left on its scales as it completed Work Up.

"Hmm?" Grant frowned. He hadn't expected the dragon's defense to be that solid.

While Air Cutter still did some damage, it wasn't enough to interrupt the move or affect its rhythm.

Just then, Rylan shouted again.

"Now! Scary Face!"

"Evade it!"

Grant called out hurriedly, but he was already a step too late.

Hakamo-o, still tanking the wind blades, roared toward the sky. A grayish energy surged outward, forming a monstrous dragon's face that loomed large in Corvisquire's vision.

Because of the momentum from using Air Cutter, Corvisquire couldn't maneuver in time and took the move head-on.

Scary Face drastically lowered its target's speed.

"Dragon Claw! Finish it!"

Rylan waved his hand casually as Hakamo-o launched after the fleeing Corvisquire. Just when the bird tried to cut sharply to the side and escape, it twisted in midair again. Its glowing claws struck with perfect precision.

"Cor..."

Letting out a low cry, Corvisquire dropped from the air, no longer able to battle.

Expressionless, Grant recalled the fallen Pokémon to its ball.

"Lord Rylan's Hakamo-o has gotten even stronger," he said quietly as he pulled out his ID card from the column beside him. The psychic barrier vanished at once.

"Hahaha." Rylan burst into laughter, rubbing his square-cut head with one hand while withdrawing his Pokémon with the other.

Lately, he had been focusing all his energy on training this Hakamo-o—the very same Jangmo-o that had once fought against Shiro. He often sought out Grant, who had quite the reputation, to help him test its limits.

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