Pokémon: Wings Of Shadow

"These two guys…"

In front of the tunnel, the thin security guard reached out to recall the injured Nuzleaf, signaling Charjabug to charge toward the forest, still clouded with dust.

But halfway through his run, a wave of intense heat suddenly surged from behind.

The security guard didn't have time to turn around. His body instinctively rolled forward to dodge.

When he looked back, Darmanitan had already reached behind him. The fat security guard's Drizzile lay charred on the ground, and the security guard himself was nowhere to be seen.

"Damn!" The thin security guard cursed. He had never imagined the Darmantan could be this strong.

Even though Darmanitan was a level above Drizzile, with the type advantage, it should have been possible to fight back. Plus, the fat security guard had more than just Drizzile as a Pokémon.

With little time to think, the thin security guard began running in a panic, ordering Charjabug to target Darmanitan with String Shot.

Charjabug, desperately trying to cover for his retreating trainer, threw out white threads with all its might. But as soon as they touched the snowman, they were instantly burned away by the flames surrounding it.

Darmanitan slid across the dirt path, leaving a trail of frost behind it.

The Galarian Darmanitan was originally an Ice-type, but upon entering Zen Mode, it became a dual Fire and Ice-type. In this form, both its Ice and Fire attacks were significantly enhanced, and its speed also increased.

Such an Advanced-level Darmanitan could even rival Pokémon of the Gym-level.

Realizing Charjabug was of no use, the security guard promptly returned it to its Poké Ball. As he ran, he pulled out his communication device and dialed a number.

"Darma!"

Darmanitan refused to relent. The flames on its body burned even brighter, yet a chilling aura emanated from its surface.

As long as it had a target in sight, Darmanitan would chase it to the bitter end.

"Bzzzt!"

The moment the security guard's call connected, a gust of icy wind swept from behind. His uniform jacket stiffened instantly, growing unbearably heavy.

Pale snowflakes spewed from Darmanitan's mouth. Ice spread across the security guard's clothing, expanding rapidly. His voice began to tremble.

"Reporting to the League… We have an escapee at Route 9 Tunnel, and—"

The security guard's voice trailed off as he lost consciousness, his body crumpling to the ground. Most of his body had frozen solid and his words remained unfinished.

On the other end of the line, only a confused voice responded.

"Hello? Is this Route 9 Tunnel security? Hello?"

The communication device trembled slightly.

Darmanitan threw its head back and roared.

"Darmann!!"

Then, it stomped over the device.

When no more movement occurred around it, the furious beast gradually reverted into its harmless, quiet form.

...

Night had fallen.

On Route 7, east of Hammerlocke, inside the northern forest.

Within this forest, close to the official League road, high-level Pokémon that once dominated the area had already been cleared. Only novice level young Pokémon, meant for new trainers to catch, remained.

A deep purple Purrloin flicked its devilish tail, walking gracefully between the trees before nimbly leaping onto one.

Its eyes shifted, spotting two unfamiliar figures not far away. The Pokémon moved from branch to branch, coming closer and watching the two below.

Marvin gritted his teeth, clutching his injured leg. His bone was likely fractured, and he wouldn't be able to move for a while.

"Zzzz..."

Flames suddenly erupted in front of Marvin, burning fiercely through a pile of collected dry wood.

Shiro cleared the leaves around the pile, setting it up as a spark to ignite the fire.

He then sat by a tree nearby, quietly pulling out a Pokéblock from his bag and feeding it to Rookidee in his arms.

"Hiss!" Marvin gasped, then said, "I never thought you'd actually help me back there..."

"Have you figured it out now?" Shiro looked at Marvin's large bag and asked in return.

"Ha..." Marvin chuckled, shaking his head, his face covered in dirt.

When the rocks hit him, he had thought he was done for. If he were in Shiro's position, even if the other person had valuable resources, he would never have helped in such a dangerous situation.

Especially since this person was the source of the crisis.

Marvin rummaged through his large backpack, pulling out a bundle of Pokédollars and tossing them onto the dry leaves about a meter away from the campfire.

"This is all the cash I have on me. It should be what you want. Consider it a compensation for the time lost because of me."

He held his injured leg, his face calm as he continued.

"As for the life I owe you, we'll talk about that later."

Shiro walked over, picked up the money, lightly tapped it once, then stashed it in his own bag.

The bills were all at least five thousand each, and roughly counting, there were nearly a million Pokédollars.

Shiro nodded, satisfied. Saving this wealthy person would earn him a million Pokédollars —it was worth it.

He gently stroked Rookidee's feathers and then chuckled softly.

"Marvin, what if I wanted to take your life right now? I bet there are still plenty of things in your backpack."

"You could've killed me a long time ago if you wanted to. Why wait until now? Tch..." Marvin gritted his teeth, clutching his leg tightly, then added, "Besides, you're not even sure if I have any more Pokémon on me, right? I know you're very cautious."

Shiro nodded. Seeing Marvin nearly stumble into a tree from the pain, he pulled out a bone healing medicine from his pocket and waved it in front of him:

"Maybe you need this?"

"Wh..." Marvin barely got a sound out before his eyes locked onto the white bottle of medicine in Shiro's hand.

He quickly asked.

"Is this a medicine from Macro Cosmos? Did you buy it from a black market merchant? How much?"

"If you want it now, one bottle costs 100,000 Pokédollars, no tricks." Shiro held up the bottle, raising one finger.

Selling goods wasn't about quality, but about whether the customer needed it. As long as there was demand, you could charge whatever you wanted. If Marvin wants it, he'll have to buy it with tears.

"Of course, if you're short on cash, you can trade Pokémon items or something like that." Shiro kindly added.

But Marvin just casually rummaged through his backpack, pulled out a League card and tossed it directly to Shiro.

"Anonymous League card, 100,000 Pokédollars."

Shiro stood frozen for a few moments before picking up the card, inspecting it closely. He couldn't tell the difference between this and a registered League card.

"Give me the stuff!" Marvin winced in pain, especially knowing the medicine was right in front of him, making his leg ache even more.

"Mm..." Shiro tossed the medicine over and pocketed the League card.

He hadn't expected Marvin to be so well off. The money on him seemed endless. He couldn't figure out why he had become a fugitive, running from something.

"Ah..."

After applying the medicine, Marvin finally let out a long sigh and said to Shiro.

"Hey, buddy. Wanna do something big with me?"

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