Pokémon that grew up in the wild were rarely gentle—even the typically docile Grass or Water types could be ruthless.
Resources in the wild were scarce. For Pokémon to grow and thrive, they had to fight. And if they wanted to push their strength to greater heights, constant battles were unavoidable.
While some Pokémon were simply born with vicious temperaments.
The Gliscor toying with Lucas and his family was one such example. Its favorite pastime? Playing with its prey until they died, then savoring its meal at leisure.
"Dad, let's fight back! If we keep going like this, we'll die anyway!"
Lucas's face twisted into a snarl as he growled under his breath. In their current state, if Gliscor kept tormenting them, death was inevitable.
And worst of all—they were completely out of water.
If they were going to die either way, they might as well go down fighting.
"It's useless… we're no match for it," Walter said bitterly.
All three of them were pseudo-Elite trainers—Walter himself was at the peak of pseudo-Elite. But this Gliscor was at the early-stage of Elite-level, and their main Pokémon had already been all killed by it.
Now only his Rhyperior remained. But even Rhyperior was injured—it stood no chance against that Gliscor.
"Rhyperior… just go. No need to die here with us."
Walter seemed to have accepted their fate. If they were going to die anyway, at least Rhyperior could escape.
Gliscor's target was the humans—it probably wouldn't bother chasing after Rhyperior.
Neither his son nor daughter objected.
Lucas's earlier suggestion of a last stand was just that—a final, futile act of defiance.
Better to let Rhyperior live. Maybe, someday, it would find some miraculous opportunity to break through to the Elite-level. Maybe then, it could avenge them.
"Rhy~"
Rhyperior shook its head. Blood was still trickling down from the cracks in its armor. Its face tinged slightly purple—it was clearly poisoned.
Pokémon were fiercely loyal to their trainers. Treat them with sincerity, and they'll repay you with unwavering devotion.
Though Rhyperior wasn't Walter's first partner, it had been by his side for over a decade. There was no way it would abandon its trainer now just to survive alone.
Even though it was injured and poisoned, with its sheer durability, it still had a decent chance of survival.
"I said LEAVE! Didn't you hear me?!" Walter roared.
But Rhyperior still stubbornly shook its head. It couldn't abandon its trainer.
If they were going to die… then they would die together.
"ROOOOAR—!!"
Rhyperior: "COME OUT, YOU COWARD! FACE ME PROPERLY!"
It bellowed into the storm, challenging Gliscor to a direct fight.
Since its trainer had already lost the will to survive, Rhyperior decided to go all out with its remaining strength—after all, the worse that could happen was just death.
But unfortunately, Gliscor didn't show itself. It remained hidden somewhere in the sandstorm, silently observing them.
Gliscor: 'Not enough. Your despair isn't enough yet.'
Only when prey was completely broken would its flesh taste the sweetest.
'Maybe I should help you with that…'
Its gaze locked onto Walter's daughter. Killing her would surely plunge the other two into deeper agony.
With that thought, Gliscor silently moved toward her.
Thanks to its Sand Veil ability, it blended nearly perfectly with the sandstorm.
For Pokémon with Sand Veil, desert storms were their greatest ally—their movements became erratic, their presence nearly undetectable.
This was why specialized "sandstorm teams" existed, built around weather-based strategies—just like sunny day teams, rain teams, and others.
By now, Gliscor was less than three meters away from the woman. Even at such close range, neither her father nor her brother sensed it—not even Rhyperior noticed its approach.
"Ghehehe~"
Just as Gliscor's stinger was about to pierce the woman's slender neck—
A chilling, laugh cut through the howling winds.
The next second, a white face materialized right in front of it—and immediately after, Gliscor felt the world spinning violently.
Then—everything went black.
"AHHH—"
The woman let out a sharp scream as she realized how close she had been to death.
Her eyes landed on the unfamiliar Gengar that had appeared out of nowhere—had it just saved her?
But since when did wild Gengar rescue people? Normally, just not kidnapping humans was already a blessing.
And what was a Gengar even doing in the middle of a desert?
"Gen~"
Gengar: "Follow me."
Gengar gestured.
The three of them looked at each other in confusion. They couldn't understand what it said, but its beckoning motion was clear.
"Dad…?"
The siblings looked at their father, waiting for his decision.
This Gengar might have saved his daughter, but whether it was friend or foe remained unclear.
"Let's go. Not like we have a choice anyway," Walter said helplessly.
If this Gengar could knock out Gliscor in one move, its strength was clearly superior. They had no chance of escape.
So they followed—trudging through the storm.
In fact, they didn't walk far—just over 200 meters.
But in a Level 8 sandstorm, while exhausted and dehydrated, even that short distance was a brutal test of their endurance and willpower.
"There's light!"
Lucas cried out in excitement as a glow appeared ahead of them.
Light meant people—most likely Gengar's trainer.
As they got closer, they saw a house made of something like transparent "glass."—the light was coming from inside it.
"The one who created this Light Screen shelter must be at least a late-stage Elite Pokémon," Walter muttered in awe.
Using Light Screen to create shelters wasn't uncommon, especially among Psychic-type trainers—they were the most skilled at manipulating barriers.
But against a Level 8 sandstorm, Light Screens made by Pokémon below the Elite-level wouldn't last long. Even early-stage Elite Pokémon could only sustain them for a slightly longer time.
"You're back."
Julian watched as Gengar slipped through a small opening in the Light Screen—a vent designed to maintain airflow inside the sealed space.
"Gen~" Gengar nodded.
Gengar: "I've bought them here."
It pointed at the three people now standing outside the Light Screen. The opening was too small for them—only Gengar's intangible body could pass through freely.
"Let them in."
Metagross shifted a part of the Light Screen aside, and Julian gestured for them to enter.
After a brief hesitation, the trio stepped inside.
Walter's eyes widened as he took in the interior—sofas, a coffee table, a bed, even a kitchen and an espresso machine. His children's expressions mirrored his shock, as if a herd of Tauros had just stampeded across their hearts.
'Who the hell comes to the forbidden Hara Desert… for a vacation?!'
The sheer luxury was almost offensive. Compared to their desperate struggle for survival outside, this was downright unfair.
*****
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