Pokémon: Wings Of Shadow

Evening in Hammerlocke.

Near the bronze gate of the Stadium, a muscular man wearing only a short-sleeved shirt stood by the arched passageway, holding a handwritten sign with one hand. Any passing trainer would inevitably notice him.

He stood silently, scanning the trainers that came and went.

The sign read: Battle Arena - Current Champion: 7 Consecutive Wins.

It wasn't unusual for trainers to set up battle arenas with prizes. It happened frequently in the Stadium. However, standing so boldly at the entrance like this man was rare.

The Hammerlocke Stadium was full of powerful trainers, so it was only a matter of time before someone came to challenge him and sent him straight to the Pokémon Center.

As time passed, some curious trainers approached and began discussing the situation.

"Hey! What's the battle format? Are there any restrictions on Pokémon?" one of them asked.

Hearing this, the muscular man flipped the sign around, revealing another line of text.

Only Pokémon at the Novice level. Battles will be held in the public training area.

"What the hell?" The trainer who had asked scoffed. "No wonder he's still standing here after all this time. Only novice level? He must be crazy."

"If he were crazy, he wouldn't have won seven times in a row." Another trainer chimed in. "I saw him here yesterday. He fought once and left right after. He's using a novice level Dragon-type Pokémon, and he only battles once per day."

"What?" The first trainer frowned, sizing up the silent man. "And people actually accept the challenge?"

"The prize is a Salamence Dragon Scale… and if you lose, you only pay 1,000 Pokédollars."

"Whoa!" The trainer exclaimed, drawing the attention of others passing by.

Shiro was among them.

He quietly followed the crowd, listening to the discussion.

If the level restriction had been higher, he wouldn't have considered it. But since the arena was limited to the Novice level, it actually broadened the range of potential challengers.

A trainer might not have a high-level Pokémon, but finding a Novice-level one was easy—just catching one in the wild would do.

His Rookidee couldn't participate, but Gastly could.

This was the perfect opportunity for Gastly to get some battle experience. Even though Shiro had no immediate use for a Dragon Scale, losing would only cost him 1,000 Pokédollars, which wasn't much.

As more trainers gathered, they bombarded each other with questions, leading to an explanation of why the prize was so valuable.

Salamence was a Dragon-type Pokémon that required level 50 or higher to reach its final evolution. That meant any Dragon Scale it shed came from an Elite-level Salamence at minimum.

Dragon-type Pokémon were sought after by wealthy collectors and ambitious trainers alike. They not only had far superior physical abilities compared to other Pokémon at the same level but also boasted advantageous typings.

At this point in time, Fairy-types hadn't been discovered yet, making Dragons one of the strongest typings, only weak to Ice.

Their growth potential also far exceeded that of ordinary Pokémon. Most could evolve two times, and by their final stage, they typically reached Gym-level.

Rookidee, for example. Even after evolving into Corviknight, it would only reach Advanced-level at best. A Rookidee without outstanding talent had zero room for further growth after its final evolution. It could never break past its limits.

Meanwhile, even the weakest Dragon Pokémon could rely on their superior species advantage to stay ahead, even when their potential was fully tapped.

Only non-Dragon pseudo-legendaries could match them. However, most pseudo-legendaries were already Dragon-type. These Pokémon were the closest thing to Legendary Pokémon in terms of power.

For someone to offer such a prize, the man running the arena had to be from Hammerlocke's Dragon Taming family.

"Anyone up for a battle?"

For the first time, the man spoke. His voice was deep and heavy.

After reading the challenge requirements, the gathered trainers quickly learned which Pokémon he was using—a Novice-level peak Jangmo-o, which would eventually evolve into Kommo-o.

It's clear that this battle arena was set up to help his Jangmo-o reach the next level.

Dragon-type Pokémon, especially pseudo-legendaries, had slow growth rates to match their immense potential. Battling was the best way to help them grow stronger and evolve.

"I'll do it."

Before anyone else could respond, Shiro stepped forward.

Some trainers hesitated. Jangmo-o was far too strong for most Novice-level Pokémon, which were still in their baby forms. The trainers who did have capable Pokémon had carefully selected ones with outstanding potential, and they feared that pushing them into such a fierce battle could negatively impact their future growth.

But Shiro had no such concerns.

He only had one Pokémon available for battle—Gastly. It could fly and was immune to Normal-type moves, which meant most Novice-level Pokémon wouldn't even be able to touch it.

At this level, the only dangerous move Jangmo-o might know was Dragon Tail, which was a melee attack. As long as Gastly avoided it, victory was entirely possible.

"Alright! This way, my friend."

Seeing someone step up, the muscular man immediately put away his sign and walked into the Hammerlocke Stadium alongside Shiro.

Among the trainers left behind, some regretted missing the chance, while others remained skeptical. But the majority followed along, eager to see how strong this Jangmo-o really was, and just how powerful this man could be.

The crowd surged through the bronze gate and headed toward the public training area on the right. The muscular man greeted the receptionist at the entrance before leading them inside. He had already rented a battle zone in advance.

Shiro followed closely. After walking through a long passage, the sound of battles and shouting suddenly filled his ears.

The Hammerlocke basic training area was less of a training area and more of a public battleground.

Under a 15-meter-high ceiling, rows of battlefields stretched as far as the eye could see. The deep blue flooring, made of a special reinforced material, was divided by simple white lines.

Each battlefield was equipped with two tall metal pillars on either side. Trainers could scan their ID cards at these pillars, which would then activate psychic energy barriers, forming an oval-shaped protective shield around the entire battlefield.

Once a battle ended, either trainer could remove their ID card to deactivate the barrier.

This setup, with its advanced technology and heavy investment, clearly bore the mark of Macro Cosmos Corporation.

The muscular man quickly led Shiro to an open battlefield. Both of them inserted their ID cards into the pillars, and soon, a crowd of onlookers gathered around the psychic barrier to watch.

With a smooth motion, the man pulled out a black and yellow Ultra Ball and held it in his hand.

"My name is Rylan, and my Pokémon is Jangmo-o."

With a single throw, the Ultra Ball burst open in midair, releasing a small golden-scaled dragon onto the battlefield.

Jangmo-o landed firmly on all fours and let out a sharp cry.

"Jangmo-o!"

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