Raihan and Rylan ignored the murmuring trainers around them and walked straight toward an empty battlefield.
Shiro followed behind, nodding and giving a faint smile to a few trainers who greeted him along the way.
The three of them soon stepped onto the battlefield. As the two men took positions on opposite sides, Shiro asked Rylan directly, "What are the rules?"
It didn't matter to him if it was 1v1, 3v3, or a full 6v6 battle. He was ready for anything. But the more Pokémon he had to send out, the higher the chances he'd lose.
He wasn't sure if Rylan would only use his own Pokémon... or some from Raihan. Because this wasn't just a battle against Rylan, it was a fight against the Dragon Tamer family.
If six Gym-level dragons showed up, there was no way he could last to the end.
Rylan chuckled at the question and casually replied, "Rules? Let's each send out three Pokémon. We'll go until all of one side is unable to battle, or someone surrenders."
Shiro gave a slight nod. That he could handle.
But just as he pulled out his ID card to insert into the metal console beside him, Raihan, still standing at Rylan's side, took out a Poké Ball and shoved it into the man's hand.
"Use this one. It'll listen to your commands," he said, keeping one hand in his pocket. "Just make sure to give it back afterward. Don't run off with it."
With that, he turned and headed toward the spectator area at the edge of the arena.
'Seriously? He's gonna cheat openly now?' Shiro felt a dull ache in his teeth as he witnessed the scene. If that ball held an Elite-level dragon, this match could be a nightmare.
Around them, more and more trainers started to gather, drawn by the tension. Many of them had noticed Raihan handing over the Poké Ball and were whispering all kinds of guesses.
Who exactly was this Rylan guy? For Raihan to trust him that much, and for his Pokémon to obey the man's commands was hard to believe.
Some sharper ones had already guessed Rylan's connection to the Dragon Tamer family, but without knowing the full story, they still didn't know what this battle was about or why it was happening.
After all, Shiro was someone they'd only seen on TV: a man tied to Macro Cosmos. Now he had suddenly shown up in Hammerlocke Stadium, walking side by side with Raihan?
What was going on?
A few curious trainers tried asking around in the crowd, but no one had clear answers.
Back in the arena, Rylan inserted his ID card into the console. Instantly, the two power signatures synced, and a barrier of psychic energy locked down the entire battlefield.
Shiro could feel it this time—just barely. It was a subtle frequency adjustment. A type of psychic field manipulation.
"Shiro!" Rylan called out from across the field, holding up his Poké Ball. "You remember the last time I lost to you?"
Shiro gave a quiet nod.
The man continued, "The Jangmo-o I used back then has evolved into a Hakamo-o. And I heard your Rookidee has become a Corviknight? Probably stuck at the peak of Advanced-level, right? Let's see how it's doin—"
Before he could finish, Shiro cut in, "No. My Corviknight is already at the Gym-level."
"Already at the Gym-level?" Rylan's voice cracked, stunned by what he just heard.
It had only been a short while. That Rookidee was just a tiny chick back when they fought. Now it wasn't just fully evolved, but had reached the Gym-level too?
Rylan instinctively looked toward Raihan in the stands. When he saw the man give a nod of confirmation, he fell silent.
He had spent so much time and effort letting his Hakamo-o spar with Corvisquire just to build up experience… but it seemed all of that was pointless.
A Gym-level Corviknight could crush his Hakamo-o purely by power. No amount of practice would make a difference.
"Then..." Rylan's voice dropped a little. "What about your Gastly? It should have evolved by now. Has it reached Advanced-level?"
Shiro nodded slightly. "Yeah. It's at the Advanced-level."
"Good!" Rylan perked up again. Although he didn't like fighting Ghost-types, especially sneaky ones like Gastly and Haunter, but if this was his chance to get back that previous loss, he'd take it, no matter how unpleasant.
In their last battle, Jangmo-o had a clear power advantage, but Shiro's unpredictable strategy allowed Gastly to win. This time, he was ready. He wouldn't make the same mistake again.
Rylan's confidence surged as both trainers threw their Poké Balls at the same time.
Outside the battle zone, the spectators had packed in tightly around the edge of the field. Even tall, muscular trainers couldn't push their way through anymore. Everyone was talking, trying to figure out what Rylan meant when he said he had fought Shiro before.
A while ago, the whole incident with the Dragon Scale had stirred up attention in the Hammerlocke Stadium for a few days. But since it wasn't directly related to them, people had mostly forgotten.
Plus, trainers at the stadium rotated constantly, heading to and from the Wild Area. Only someone like the old man Bryan, who had been in Hammerlocke for years, actually remembered seeing the two fight.
At this time, shouting for people to let him through, Bryan finally managed to squeeze to the very front of the crowd.
The moment he found a spot, a trainer next to him asked, "Hey, what was that big guy talking about earlier? Something about fighting Shiro before? You should know, right?"
"Of course I do..." The old man cleared his throat and began explaining to the other trainers in a slow, storyteller's tone.
Meanwhile, in the arena, two beams of red light lit up the battlefield as the Poké Balls burst opened. Haunter floated into view, shaking its head with a cheeky grin. On the other side, Hakamo-o stepped out with tense muscles, its whole body radiating a fierce aura.
The Dragon-type hadn't forgotten the shame of being defeated by a sneaky little Gastly. It had burned the memory into its mind. And now, it recognized that mischievous look: this Haunter was that same Pokémon.
Today was the day to settle the score.
Hakamo-o's body tensed as it focused on its opponent, who drifted lazily in the air, surrounded by a swirl of dark purple mist.
"Hauun~"
Haunter simply chuckled and waved a claw, greeting the somewhat familiar face. It vaguely felt like it had seen this dragon somewhere, but it couldn't quite remember. Honestly, it didn't really care. It had been napping beside an Elite-level Drakloak every night. This little Advanced-level dragon? Cute. Still has a long way to go.
Shiro narrowed his eyes and locked onto Hakamo-o, scanning its data:
[Name: Hakamo-o
Type: Dragon/Fighting
Level: 37 (Advanced)
Ability: Soundproof
Held Item: None
Moves: Tackle, Leer, Protect, Dragon Tail, Scary Face, Headbutt, Work Up, Screech, Iron Defense, Dragon Claw…]
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