Shiro leaned back slightly as psychic power surged through his body.
Teleport!
After a brief pause, he instantly moved more than ten meters backward, narrowly avoiding Salamence's bite just as its jaws were about to snap shut.
"Drakloak!" Shiro shouted.
On the ground, a swift shadow that was almost impossible to notice had already slipped to Salamence's side.
"Salamence! Flamethrower! To your right!" Jona struggled to her feet not far away. She simply wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth before calling out in a hoarse voice.
The blazing fire gathering inside Salamence's mouth stopped immediately. Trusting its trainer without hesitation, it gave up the chance to finish off the opposing trainer and instantly turned to attack the right.
"Phantom Force!" Shiro sprinted around the battlefield as he gave the next command.
Drakloak, which had been about to emerge, suddenly flickered. Only a fading mass of black-blue energy remained where it had been, while its real body slipped back into the shadows once again.
The thick pillar of fire burned away the remaining energy in an instant, but by then Drakloak had already moved behind Salamence.
"Watch out!"
Jona had barely spoken when Salamence sensed something was wrong.
There was only enough time to stop its Flamethrower. Before it could react further, an icy chill spread across its back.
"Drak!"
Wrapped in brilliant blue energy, Drakloak shot forward without the slightest hesitation.
Like a black-blue arrow, it pierced straight into the center of Salamence's blood-red wings. The impact forced Salamence to cry out in pain. Flames still lingered at the corners of its mouth as it opened them again and released a stream of black smoke.
"Shadow!" Shiro seized the opportunity and gave the order.
Drakloak understood the move after hearing only the first word. Strange black mist appeared around its small claws.
"Protect!" Jona forced out the command before immediately throwing another Poké Ball.
Salamence alone was no match for the opponent's Drakloak. Yet it was already the highest-level Pokémon she had...
The Poké Ball opened and a soft pink-purple Pokémon shaped like a large snail slowly emerged.
It was a Sliggoo.
The slight tension on Shiro's face immediately eased when he saw it.
If it had been a Goodra, it would have meant another troublesome Elite-level Dragon-type Pokémon. But this was only a Gym-level Sliggoo. It had not fully matured yet and was driven mostly by instinct to flee and search for food. Its combat strength was even weaker than some vicious Bug-type Pokémon of the same level.
How ridiculous.
Shiro quickly stepped back.
Originally, he had planned to circle around during the Pokémon battle and get close to Hunter J, looking for a chance to kill or capture her. But now, Sliggoo stood directly in the way, making things troublesome.
Although Sliggoo's combat ability was considered weak, that comparison was only against other Gym-level Pokémon. To humans, it was still a dangerous monster.
Its mucus was especially terrifying. It was highly corrosive and could even injure Elite-level Pokémon. Rumor had it that even the venom of many Poison-type Pokémon that specialized in toxins was inferior to its slime.
Shiro had no intention of challenging a Gym-level Pokémon himself and gambling that its mucus would miss him.
Especially since Hunter J might still have other Pokémon.
At the moment, he only had Drakloak with him. It was the fastest and most concealed member of his team, making it nearly impossible for anyone to detect. As soon as Shiro jumped to the ground and called it with his psychic power, it had already left Unown G's side.
Bang!
The two Dragon-types collided once more as the emerald barrier of Protect trembled under the relentless tearing attacks of countless phantom claws. Even so, it was still far from breaking.
Seeing this, Shiro shouted again, "Dragon Tail!"
Drakloak floated backward. Its ghostly blue tail instantly became solid before it twisted halfway around and whipped forward.
Its target, however, was not Salamence, whose Protect barrier had yet to disappear. Instead, it aimed directly at Jona, who was hiding beside Sliggoo.
She had expected this all along. Gripping her Poké Ball, she threw herself to one side. Sliggoo immediately moved over and wrapped her completely inside its pink-purple slime. Even her final exposed hand pressed the Poké Ball's button, releasing a red beam of light.
The beam enveloped Salamence and recalled it into the ball.
"Drak!"
Drakloak's Dragon Tail lashed forward, but it struck nothing except the emerald Protect barrier.
The seemingly foolish Sliggoo gently swayed its two long snail-like feelers. Its eyes, now reduced to simple green markings, stared blankly at Drakloak while drool hung from the corner of its curved mouth, making it look as though it were smiling.
"Drak!"
Drakloak could not tolerate such provocation. With another swing of its tail, it unleashed Dragon Tail again.
Bang!
A crisp impact echoed through the air, but the attack clearly had not reached the limit of what Protect could withstand.
"Don't rush. Use Dragon Dance!"
Shiro gave the command calmly, though inside he was both worried and confused.
He refused to believe that Hunter J, who had stayed hidden for so long, was foolish enough to crawl inside her own Sliggoo… Even if she had no other Pokémon left, there was no need to avoid attacks like this.
Not to mention that Sliggoo's slime was incredibly corrosive. Even if it could produce harmless slime after proper training, there was still no reason to hide inside it. She could have simply stood beside Sliggoo, and Protect would have covered both of them.
'Isn't she just trapping herself?'
Besides, she had even recalled Salamence before climbing inside…
As Shiro carefully thought it over, his expression suddenly changed and he quickly looked up into the sky.
Articuno A and Unown Moltres were evenly matched. Their levels, abilities, and authority were nearly identical. The only difference was their opposing typings.
Without their trainers directing them precisely and while fighting in such a confined space, the battle had become simple. One breathed freezing air while the other answered with blazing fire. Their attacks constantly canceled each other out.
Both Shiro and Jona understood that if the two Legendary Pokémon truly fought without restraint, the first ones to die would be the two trainers below.
No one could survive the aftermath of a full-powered battle between Legendary Pokémon. That was why both of them had silently chosen to fight on the ground instead.
But now, a familiar figure had appeared on Unown Moltres's back.
It was Hunter J.
Shiro immediately looked back at the "Sliggoo" that was maintaining Protect. Its entire body suddenly collapsed into slime, shrinking like a sheet of paper with nothing supporting it.
Teleport? Had she escaped the instant Protect was activated?
She's running!
There was no time to think.
"Articuno! Sheer Cold!" Shiro called out.
High above, Articuno A heard the command and immediately unleashed its full strength.
The tiny traces of moisture in the surrounding air instantly froze into web-like crystals, making it seem as though space itself had frozen.
Facing it, Jona knelt on one knee atop Unown Moltres's back. Holding her chest, she forced herself to swallow the blood rising into her throat before speaking with great difficulty. "B... hurry... leave..."
If they stayed any longer, there were only two choices: surrender and let the enemy do as they pleased, or ignite Unown Moltres's flames and fight with everything they had, even if it meant dying together.
Jona could accept neither.
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