"What... what's going on?"
"That Haxorus is backing off? Am I seeing things?"
"No... you're not. Haxorus really is retreating. It's scared of that Corviknight!"
"No way! A Corviknight, of all things? They're everywhere! Even if it's at Gym-level..."
"I'm out. You guys do whatever you want."
As soon as the wind died down, chaos erupted again. Shouts and disbelief filled the air. Even the nearby officers were too stunned to control the crowd anymore.
In just a few seconds, most of the spectators had bolted. Only a dozen or so remained, hiding behind buildings, walls or peeking from alley corners.
Some stayed because they were unwilling to leave, others because they were confident in their own strength. Either way, they wanted to see how this ended.
In front of the Pokémon Center, Shiro still stood calmly with his arms crossed, watching Haxorus with a smile at the corner of his lips.
There was no way Corviknight alone could put this much pressure on that Pokémon. If Gale had psychic powers, he would've seen it—just one meter in front of the steel bird, a pale blue ghost dragon was lurking, its form hidden as it stared at Haxorus.
It was Drakloak.
That was the real source of Haxorus's fear and tension.
Now, the Pokémon completely ignored its trainer's shouting. It hadn't fought much in the past, but it had seen plenty of battles. And the aura it felt from ahead, that overwhelming presence, it could only come from a dragon much stronger than itself.
Not the Corviknight. An Elite-level dragon.
Right then, the steel bird folded its wings slightly and stepped forward. At the same time, Draklaok silently increased its pressure, forcing Haxorus to back away inch by inch.
It was a scene that shocked everyone.
Even Gale was struck speechless, and the bystanders who had been waiting to see Corviknight humiliated by a dragon burst into complaints one after another.
"I thought something weird was going on... but it's real. That Haxorus is scared of the Corviknight!"
"What a trash dragon. Might as well chop it up and feed it to a Rookidee."
"This is the Dragon Tamer family? I swear—"
"Watch your mouth. I'm leaving."
"This is... just disgusting."
The voices kept coming. It was hard to tell whether it was the officers or trainers speaking at this point.
Gale was gasping for air like his lungs were collapsing. His face was pale, and he looked like he might pass out at any moment.
Shiro looked over and let out a cold chuckle.
"Old man, is that really all your Haxorus can do? Did you pick it up from some black market scam? Afraid of a Corviknight... What happened? Got its head cracked open by a Rookidee when it was little?"
"You..." Gale's wrinkled, shriveled face flushed red with rage.
His skills as a trainer were nothing special. It was only because of his family's position that he had access to high-tier Pokémon like this one. Still, he was a respected elder, being mocked like this in public, by someone comparing his dragon to a Rookidee's plaything...
He didn't just feel his own pride getting shattered, but the dignity of the entire Dragon Tamer family and all dragon-type Pokémon along with it.
Driven to the edge, Gale's voice turned hoarse as he yelled with all he had:
"Haxorus! Use Outrage! Use Outrage now! Crush that Corviknight, hurry!"
'Outrage? Outrage!'
A few meters at the back, Woods, who had been quietly edging away, froze, his face turning pale. In the next instant, he broke into a full sprint straight toward the Hammerlocke Stadium.
'Damn it! Is that old bastard trying to send us all to the afterlife?!'
Woods cursed furiously in his heart, but on the outside, he just ran.
Many of the surrounding officers saw their own captain take off without a word and felt their legs go weak. One by one, they scattered in every direction in panic.
Bang!
The doors of the Pokémon Center slammed shut from inside.
Within seconds, the wide main street outside Hammerlocke Stadium had completely emptied out.
In the center of the field, Haxorus let out a low, guttural growl and lowered its head. A crimson glow of dragon energy coated its body like a thin layer of armor. Its eyes burned even redder, gleaming with a bloodthirsty light.
Outrage was a move that gave up rational thought in exchange for a massive boost in physical power. While using it, a dragon Pokémon entered a frenzy and would attack anything around indiscriminately. After it ended, there would be a period of confusion as it came back to its senses.
It was the kind of move trainers almost never commanded at the start of a battle, especially not in the middle of a city street.
"Hah... that old man." Shiro actually laughed, then casually raised a hand. That was all it took for Corviknight and Drakloak to understand.
Boom!
Haxorus exploded forward like a cannonball. The cobblestone street beneath it cracked like a spiderweb under the sheer force of its movement.
It was so fast, even Shiro couldn't fully track its charge. But Corviknight and Drakloak didn't meet it head-on. They immediately took to the sky, flying up and away, letting Haxorus slam into nothing.
As Corviknight gained altitude, Drakloak returned to Shiro's side and melted into his shadow again.
Haxorus, unable to fly, spun in place for a moment, then its bloodshot eyes locked onto a new target—a black-uniformed officer who had been a bit too slow to escape.
"Haxorus, jump! Jump up now!"
Gale screamed until his voice cracked, but the raging dragon ignored him entirely. It lunged forward, claws outstretched, aiming to rip the poor officer to shreds.
The madness from Outrage meant it couldn't hear a single command. The fact that it hadn't turned to attack its own trainer was already the last thread of restraint it had left.
Panicked, Gale fumbled at his belt, desperately trying to pull out Haxorus's Poké Ball to recall it. But his age had caught up to him—his trembling fingers refused to cooperate, and no matter how he tried, he just couldn't grab the right one.
Shiro stood watching, not moving at all.
It wasn't his Pokémon. It wasn't his problem.
If this old man from the Dragon Tamer family actually ended up killing a Hammerlocke police officer with his own Pokémon... now that would be a show. Just this incident alone would give them a huge headache for a long time.
BOOM!
Just as things were about to spiral out of control, a deafening crash rang out like metal smashing against metal.
A massive steel-bodied Pokémon, silver from head to toe like some kind of mechanical monster, barreled in and blocked Haxorus's charge with its body. Its alloy claws clamped down hard, locking onto the dragon's arms with terrifying strength.
It was Duraludon.
Shiro turned his head, and sure enough, walking out slowly behind the steel beast was Raihan.
His skin was dark, his navy blue training suit clung to his muscular frame, and his face wore a calm, easy smile.
He didn't even glance at Shiro. Instead, he let Duraludon drag the still-berserk Haxorus right back to Gale.
"Uncle Gale... it's about time you returned to the family and got some rest. Don't you think so?"
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