Pokémon: Wings Of Shadow

Shiro couldn't figure out who would come looking for him at a time like this. Whether it was someone from Macro Cosmos, a wild trainer, or a hunter, he couldn't think of anyone with a reason to track him down, let alone someone who could pinpoint his exact location.

With that doubt in mind, Corviknight continued to rise. Beside him, Unown A kept giving distance updates about the approaching people.

After asking A to use its psychic power to cloak the steel bird from view, he finally spotted them. Off in the southeastern corner where Lake of Outrage met the edge of the dense forest, he saw two trainers riding Pokémon. One rode an Obstagoon, the other a Skuntank.

'Those two Pokémon…' Shiro immediately thought of Piers from Spikemuth Gym, and then connected the dots to Felix—the person he had seen not long ago in the Dynamax Den.

He'd heard the man was once with Spikemuth Gym too. The current Gym Leader's younger brother.

Even though they were far away, with their faces covered and separated by dozens of meters in altitude, Shiro still managed to confirm their identities by their body shapes.

"One's burly, the other's tall and thin… That should be Dalton and Felix."

He said it out loud but still couldn't figure out why they would come looking for him.

Judging by how the two of them moved, maybe their relationship wasn't as bad as Dalton claimed. And he didn't even have any Pokémon left, showing up together with Felix to cause trouble would be suicidal.

Unless they had some secret weapon? A shady, powerful Pokémon?

Shiro kept guessing, letting Corviknight fly higher. He decided to observe for now. Simultaneously, he asked Unown A, "At this distance, can you sense what they're trying to do?"

After a pause, it answered in a low voice, 'They're not speaking, so I can't hear anything. But from what I can sense… they don't have bad intentions. They're a little scared, actually.'

'No ill intent?' That probably meant they were here to make some sort of deal.

Shiro quickly thought about the two creatures floating beside him, but dismissed the idea just as fast. With their status and strength, there was no way these guys could be here to trade for something like Unown. In fact, they likely had no clue the hunters were targeting them at all.

'Could it be about the Pokémon I took from Dalton earlier?'

But would Felix really be that generous? Escorting Dalton all the way here just to help him out? Treating the bald man like his own brother?

There had to be some kind of hidden deal between them.

As Shiro pondered, the two men arrived near the campsite below.

Obstagoon and Skuntank stopped about fifteen meters from the tents. Felix sat on his Pokémon and stared carefully at the quiet camp. No other creatures were in sight.

Even the lake next to them, shimmering faintly with white light, and the nearby forest—there wasn't a soul or shadow in sight.

"This..." Felix hesitated. He was already thinking about turning back.

From the look of things, there was a high chance no one was here anymore. Maybe the person had already left. But the scent Skuntank had picked up stopped right here...

No matter what kind of trainer it was, wouldn't they at least pack up before leaving? Especially when this gear was high-end stuff from Macro Cosmos. It wasn't cheap at all.

Two possibilities started circling in Felix's mind.

One: the person was dead, and the body was inside the tent.

That was a terrifying thought, but at least they'd be safe. Whatever could've killed someone like that, there's no way they could beat it. However, so much time had passed and the threat should be long gone by now.

The other possibility was that the person was right here, nearby.

That was the most dangerous one, because it meant the target already knew they were coming, and was prepared… maybe even setting up an ambush.

Felix's instincts screamed as he firmly squeezed his legs around Skuntank's sides. The Pokémon understood and began slowly backing away.

As his companion cautiously scanned the surroundings, Dalton lost his patience.

He leapt off the slowly backing Obstagoon and marched straight toward the tent.

Of course, he knew this might be dangerous, but without any Pokémon left to protect him, what difference did it make? If he couldn't get them back this time, there was no way he could continue as a trainer.

"Hey! I'm Dalton! I came to make a deal!" Dalton shouted a few more times, when no one responded, he moved to pull open the tent flap.

Just then, he suddenly felt a rush of air from above. A powerful downburst whipped over him, making him shudder. Realizing what was happening, he hurriedly retreated to Obstagoon's side.

'So it was an ambush...' Felix thought grimly, locking eyes on the descending Corviknight. He was ready to order his two Pokémon to run. As for Dalton, his fate was up to luck.

Corviknight landed slowly in front of the tent. From its back, Shiro spoke in a calm but firm voice.

"What do you want? Speak."

Hearing that, both Felix and Dalton let out a breath of relief. It seemed there wouldn't be a fight after all.

"I came to trade for the bug-type Pokémon you took from me," Dalton said in a deep voice. "Those bug-types are useless to you. And if you sell them on the black market, you'd only get a basic few million Pokédollars. I'm offering a rare Pokémon Egg in exchange."

"Oh?" Shiro narrowed his eyes. "What kind of egg is worth three Gym-level bug-types?"

Dalton took a deep breath and answered with weight in his tone, "It's a Larvesta Egg. I got it six years ago from a group of hunters from Unova. Its evolution is Volca—"

"I know," Shiro cut him off with a wave of his hand.

Volcarona. According to legend, when volcanic ash once blotted out the sun and cloaked the land in darkness, its flames took the sun's place. People of ancient times feared it, calling it "the rage of the sun."

In colder regions, it was revered as the incarnation of the sun itself. Ancient murals portrayed it as a fire deity. It was said to be born from a cocoon of blazing flames, appearing in harsh winters to save those suffering from the cold—humans and Pokémon alike.

It was almost like a legendary Pokémon. In fact, the League had considered it one. But eventually, it was just listed as a rare species.

Still, there was no denying Volcarona's strength. For a Bug-type, its potential and talent surpassed most pseudo-legendaries. It evolved from Larvesta at level 59.

Which meant, any fully evolved Volcarona would at least be at Elite-level.

But then, why was Dalton giving up on such a rare and powerful Pokémon, especially one that suited his specialty?

"Why not raise it yourself?" Shiro voiced his confusion.

Dalton looked bitter and helpless as he explained, "I've been gathering fire and bug-type resources for six years, trying to hatch it as soon as possible. But in all that time, I've already spent nearly ten million Pokédollars… and it's still not ready. That's why I'm giving up on bug-types altogether."

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