Pokémon: Wings Of Shadow

"Jangmo-o!"

With unwavering determination, Jangmo-o leaped upward at full speed. Fueled by frustration, it was even faster than before.

All it needed was to reach Gastly's height, then strike with Dragon Tail to finish the battle.

In mere moments, it reached the same altitude as Gastly. Its body twisted midair, and its tail, enveloped in a swirling aura of purple Dragon-type energy, lashed toward the seemingly frail opponent.

"Gaasss~"

But Gastly remained unfazed. The gaseous mist surrounding it trembled slightly, and a faint pink ripple surged toward Jangmo-o's face.

Drowsiness washed over it instantly. It struggled to keep its eyes open, but its momentum faltered, and its Dragon Tail lost its strength.

"Jangmo...o…"

Jangmo-o muttered weakly before its body gave out, crashing straight to the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust.

'Damn it…'

He lost the bet.

Rylan opened his mouth, but no words came out. Across from him, Shiro remained as focused as ever, his expression calm, unfazed by the battle's result.

"Gastly! Use Shadow Ball to end it!" Shiro's command was immediate and decisive.

Rylan knew this time the Shadow Ball was real. There was no way to turn the tide now.

"I give up!" His deep voice boomed as he raised his hand.

He swiftly pulled out an Ultra Ball and recalled Jangmo-o. Then, retrieving his trainer ID from a nearby pillar, he signaled the battle's conclusion.

The psychic barrier surrounding the battlefield vanished.

Shiro stopped Gastly just in time, recalling it into its Poké Ball before retrieving his own ID.

"Follow me." Rylan said nothing more after his defeat. He simply gestured for Shiro to come with him.

From the crowd of trainers who had gathered to watch, several pairs of envious and jealous eyes followed them.

A Dragon Scale from an Elite-level Salamence—why did that nameless kid get such a treasure?

But most of the trainers accepted the result.

The battle had been intense. Gastly's strength was at the top among Novice-level Pokémon, and Shiro's command over it had been something they could learn from.

...

Shiro followed Rylan out of the battlefield, through the bronze gates of the Stadium. The spectators who had been tailing them hesitated before dispersing.

Outside the Stadium, Rylan headed straight for the western side of Hammerlocke.

Shiro knew he was leading him to claim the Dragon Scale, but the direction still made him hesitate.

"Rylan, where are we going?"

"Oh!" Rylan paused for a moment, as if just realizing something. He scratched the back of his head before explaining, "We're heading to the treasure vault in western Hammerlocke. That's where the Dragon Scale is."

Shiro frowned slightly.

He knew about the treasure vault. But could they really just walk in and take something from there? Wasn't it under the jurisdiction of the Galar League?

Unaware of Shiro's thoughts, Rylan chuckled and said with a smile.

"Haha, sometimes I get lost in thought when I'm thinking too hard. Just now, I was trying to figure out how to use Jangmo-o to defeat your Gastly."

He then turned to face Shiro and asked, "Shiro, are you traveling here from Kanto? This is the first time I've seen a battle style like yours."

Almost every Galarian who heard Shiro's name assumed he was from Kanto. Names like his weren't common in Galar, and Gastly was a Pokémon more commonly found in Kanto as well.

Shiro simply shook his head at Rylan's question. He was more concerned about the safety of that Elite-level Dragon Scale.

Even though the crowd from earlier had dispersed, walking openly through the streets like this would undoubtedly attract some shady individuals looking for an opportunity.

"Hahaha, so you're from Galar? That's rare… This is the first time my Jangmo-o has ever lost a battle since it hatched."

Leaving through the western gate of Hammerlocke, Ryaln continued, "I don't have any Pokémon at the novice level right now, and there aren't many Pokémon to battle in the Hammerlocke Stadium. The one in the wild are too weak…"

Shiro nodded. He knew Rylan came from the family that controlled both Hammerlocke City and its gym. He was likely from the same generation as Raihan.

In this family, the most well-known and public-facing figure was Raihan. A rival acknowledged by Leon, and a strong contender for the Galar League Championship after this round of Gym Challenges.

"You know Raihan?" Shiro suddenly asked.

"Oh, Raihan? Yeah he's my cousin," Rylan spoke as if he was used to hearing this question.

He then walked toward a nearby dark bronze-colored building and gestured for Shiro to follow.

This was the Vault. It looked like an impenetrable fortress, sealed tight from every angle. Above its arched bronze doors was an emblem of a dragon's head.

Rylan took out a brass key as large as his palm, unlocked the massive door, and instructed Shiro to wait outside.

Moments later, he returned, carrying a cloth bundle about the size of a basketball, which he shoved into Shiro's arms.

"The Dragon Scale from Salamence is inside," Rylan said before turning back the way they came. "Anyone who knows me knows I keep my word, but for the next while, you might have some people watching you. Be careful."

Shiro quickly stuffed the cloth bundle into his backpack, nodding in agreement.

They walked back together to the entrance of the Hammerlocke Stadium, their departure followed by a few lingering gazes.

Before parting ways, Rylan gave Shiro his contact information, telling him to reach out if there were any issues with the scale. He also mentioned that once Gastly reached the Beginner-level, he wanted a rematch with his Jangmo-o.

By now, the sky had darkened.

Shiro quickly returned home.

He still hadn't decided what to do with the Dragon Scale.

An Elite-level Dragon Scale was bound to attract the greed of other trainers. Inside Hammerlocke, it might not be a problem, but the moment Shiro stepped out into the wild, someone would surely come for it.

Fortunately, he had no plans to leave anytime soon.

He had money on hand, and once he got hired as a sparring partner in the next few days, he could focus on training his Pokémon—battling while strengthening them at the same time.

At the very least, he wanted to reach Intermediate level before traveling. That would give him some measure of safety.

Night time.

In his bedroom, Shiro unwrapped the brownish-yellow cloth bundle, revealing the Dragon Scale inside.

It was a large, blue scale that had shed from Salamence's back. The intricate patterns on its surface were incredibly distinct, and under the fluorescent light, it seemed to shimmer faintly with a blue glow.

Rookidee and Gastly sat on the bed, one on each side, staring at the scale.

Rookidee's red eyes were wide open. The aura coming from the scale made its instincts scream to flee, but at the same time, it knew this was just a scale.

Torn between fear and curiosity, it found itself wanting to peck at it.

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