Although Kael and Corviknight had already flown far away, his keen hearing still caught Riven's shout. Kael couldn't help but smile faintly, the corner of his lips lifting slightly.
At the same time, a series of earth-shaking sounds suddenly erupted—
"Boom! Boom!!! Rumble!!! Crack!! Snap!!"
The deafening chain of explosions was like rolling thunder, enough to make one's heart tremble.
Just then, Kael narrowed his eyes sharply, his gaze locking onto the sky ahead. There, two gigantic Pokémon were locked in a breathtakingly fierce battle.
They slammed into each other repeatedly, each collision resounding like the tolling of a great bell. The surrounding air twisted violently under the pressure of their power.
Lightning flashed again and again, dazzling and blinding, turning the pitch-black night sky bright as day. Accompanied by thunderous roars, the battle grew increasingly intense, leaving onlookers stunned.
One of the Pokémon had a bright orange body, large gray eyes, a smooth, rounded snout, tiny nostrils, and a pair of small wings.
It was none other than Dragonite, said to be able to circle the globe in just sixteen hours, and whose intelligence could rival that of humans.
Its opponent was a Salamence—but not a normal one. Its wings were rotting, parts of its body exposed down to white bone. It was a demonized Salamence.
"Even a Quasi–Heavenly King has shown up… Looks like this incident is serious," Kael muttered, stroking his chin.
"I'd better not stick my nose into a battle like that."
With his and Corviknight's current strength, they couldn't take part in a fight of that level.
They'd probably be injured just by the aftershocks the moment they got close.
Kael also recognized that Dragonite's Trainer—Li Dong, a well-known Quasi–Heavenly King–level Trainer in Magic City.
"Dragonite!! Use Thunderbolt!!"
A thunderous shout rang out, shaking the heavens.
"ROOOAR!!"
A terrifying dragon's roar followed as a lightning bolt as thick as a thunder dragon tore through the sky, carrying world-shattering power as it slammed straight into the demonized Salamence.
"Crackle!! Snap!!"
Blinding lightning engulfed the Salamence, lighting up the night sky like daylight.
"BOOM!!!"
A colossal explosion followed. The surrounding air twisted violently, as if stirred by an invisible giant hand.
The demonized Salamence didn't even get the chance to scream before it was blown into countless fragments, scattering into nothingness.
The sheer power of the attack shocked the entire night sky. Clouds within several kilometers were blasted apart by the shockwave, dispersing in all directions.
A massive hollow appeared in the sky, as if the heavens themselves had been torn open, revealing endless darkness beyond.
"Damn… so this is the power of a Quasi–Heavenly King," Kael stared in disbelief.
He'd always known they were strong—but seeing it with his own eyes was a completely different level of shock.
That kind of power could probably wipe out an entire small town with a single blow.
And this was only Quasi–Heavenly King. Above that were Heavenly Kings, Quasi-Champions, Champions—and perhaps even higher.
At that level, one person could suppress an entire nation.
"Corviknight!! Hold steady!!"
Kael had no time to keep marveling. Feeling the terrifying aftershock rushing toward them, he shouted in a deep voice.
"Gah!!"
Corviknight cried out loudly, its eyes filled with resolve, not a trace of fear.
"Whoosh!!"
The shockwave slammed into them. Corviknight's body wobbled violently before quickly stabilizing.
"You must be Kael, right?"
A steady middle-aged voice suddenly reached Kael's ears.
He was startled and immediately looked ahead.
When did he get here?! Such terrifying speed!
In front of him hovered Dragonite—round and sturdy like a little chubby dragon—with a middle-aged man in a suit standing on its back. His features were rough and imposing.
It was Li Dong, the Quasi–Heavenly King.
"Heavenly King Li," Kael greeted calmly, despite his racing thoughts.
"Not bad, not bad," Li Dong said, nodding as he looked Kael over.
"You've trained this Corviknight well. It's a full size larger than ordinary ones. If I'm not mistaken, it's already half a step into the Gym Tier."
His gaze lingered on Corviknight, praise clear in his eyes.
Corviknight's blood-red eyes stared unflinchingly at the nearby Dragonite, brimming with fighting spirit rather than fear.
Dragonite, meanwhile, gave it a friendly, good-natured smile—like an honest old fellow.
"I'm far from your level, Heavenly King Li," Kael replied modestly.
"You're already much stronger than I was at your age," Li Dong said seriously.
"I believe that in the future, there'll be a place for you among the Heavenly Kings."
"And also—"
Before he could say more, his phone rang. After answering, his expression darkened. He hung up and turned to Kael.
"Kid, go reinforce Guangming Residential District. A Gym-tier demonized Pokémon has appeared there. With your strength, even if you can't defeat it, you can definitely hold it off."
Without waiting for a reply, Li Dong ordered,
"Dragonite, let's go deal with the remaining vermin!"
Dragonite merely flapped its small wings lightly. Its massive body vanished into the night sky in the blink of an eye.
"…I'd heard Li Dong was a real whirlwind of a person," Kael muttered.
"Guess the rumors were true."
He had no complaints about going to Guangming District. As a Trainer—half an official agent—he had to obey orders during emergencies.
Besides, he wasn't unfamiliar with killing demonized Gym-tier Pokémon.
Though demonization enhanced their strength, they lost all reason and became nothing but killing machines.
Kael had his own methods to deal with mindless monsters.
"Corviknight, northeast. Let's go."
He patted Corviknight's back.
"Gah!!"
Corviknight cried out and beat its wings hard, transforming into a streak of black lightning as it cut through the night toward the northeast.