Pokémon: Wings Of Shadow

"Elite level!"

Upon seeing Drakloak, Nessa gasped from the sidelines, rubbing her eyes twice to make sure she wasn't imagining things.

The aura it gave off was unmistakably that of an Elite-level Pokémon.

"Wh..." She was at a loss for words, her mind struggling to process what she was seeing.

The Rhyperior from earlier was one thing. Clearly brainwashed by special technology, it had been nothing more than an expensive, mass-produced weapon—bulky, inflexible, and completely devoid of autonomy.

But this Drakloak was brimming with life. It didn't look like it had been tampered with in any way. What's more, sitting atop its head was a Dreepy. And a Dreepy would never follow a soulless, artificially controlled "fake Drakloak."

How had Shiro managed to capture an elite-level Pokémon? Had he raised it himself?

'No, no, that's impossible.'

Nessa's thoughts were in complete disarray. She couldn't wrap her head around the reality before her.

"Hard to believe, isn't it?" A voice snapped her out of her daze. Marvin smirked at her dumbfounded expression, clearly enjoying her reaction. "Heh, Shiro caught it himself. What do you think?"

"Huh?" Nessa was speechless. She would have rather believed Shiro had a rich father and that Drakloak was a gift.

Taking a deep breath, she steadied herself and turned to Marvin. "Then… what about the Pokémon he actually raised himself? How strong are they?"

"That Corvisquire from earlier—the one that almost took down my Frosmoth despite the level gap." Marvin clicked his tongue. His strongest Frosmoth was nearly an entire stage above Corvisquire, yet in a head-on clash, it had to work so hard to defeat its opponent. He wasn't sure what to make of it.

"Intermediate level..." Nessa murmured, feeling even more bewildered.

How could a human capture high-level Pokémon without relying on other Pokémon?

Did he fight them himself?

That would be...

Unbelievable.

Meanwhile, on the battlefield, the two trainers had only just finished sizing each other up when—

"Dree!"

Dreepy sitting on Drakloak's head let out an impatient cry, eager to battle.

Granny Shae noticed the little dragon's excitement and chuckled.

"Then let the battle begin."

The moment she spoke, Shiro and Allister both issued their commands in rapid succession.

"Drakloak! Use Quick Attack to close in, then hit it with Hex!"

"Mimikyu, use Baby-Doll Eyes!"

The instant the orders were given, Drakloak blurred into motion, vanishing like a streak of gray lightning. Since it still lacked good understanding with Shiro, it had to wait until his command was fully spoken before acting.

Mimikyu, on the other hand, had already begun its move the moment Allister gave the order.

A soft pink glow radiated from its eyes, forming the image of large, hypnotic human eyes. The attack landed successfully, reducing Drakloak's offensive power.

But the Elite-level Drakloak's speed was overwhelming. Even moving second, it closed the ten-meter gap in an instant. Baby-Doll Eyes had weakened its strength, but the impact came too fast for Mimikyu to react.

The cloth covering Mimikyu's body drooped down, signaling that its disguise had been broken.

Landing a direct hit, Drakloak didn't stop to assess its opponent's condition. Moving at incredible speed, it continued following Shiro's command, launching Hex immediately.

Dark shadowy threads tangled together, surging forward from Drakloak's body, ready to engulf the small, ghostly figure before it.

Ghost-type Pokémon like Mimikyu are weak to Ghost-type moves, just like Dragon-types are weak to their own kind.

If Mimikyu took the attack, even if Drakloak weren't at Elite-level, it would still be knocked out instantly.

"Protect!"

Allister's command came just in time.

A shimmering green barrier formed, blocking the oncoming shadowy threads. But to Allister's surprise, the supposedly impenetrable shield started showing visible cracks.

The sheer force of Hex tore at the barrier, and the overwhelming power gap nearly caused Mimikyu to lose control of its defense.

Fortunately, Drakloak's attack didn't last for long. The moment the protective shield vanished, Mimikyu let out a small sigh of relief.

"Phantom Force!"

"Copycat!"

Shiro and Allister's voices rang out at the same time again.

Copycat allowed the user to mimic the last move used by its opponent. Allister knew his Mimikyu didn't have many strong Ghost-type moves, and its attack power wasn't particularly high. So he planned to use this trick to land a powerful hit.

On the battlefield, Mimikyu swiftly copied Drakloak's Hex. Just as numerous shadows gathered, ready to strike—Drakloak suddenly dove into the ground and vanished.

The attack missed completely.

"What?" Allister's eyes widened.

He knew Phantom Force allowed Pokémon to disappear into the shadows, avoiding attacks before reemerging to strike.

But the question was—how had Shiro predicted that he would use Copycat? While Copycat wouldn't have changed the battle's outcome, if Mimikyu had used a different move, the damage Drakloak took could've been minimal.

Even if he was destined to lose, Allister had wanted to at least put up a fight and land a real hit. But Shiro's precise command had completely shut him down.

On the field, Drakloak emerged from the ground right after Mimikyu finished using Hex. Without hesitation, it charged straight at its opponent.

Allister was so stunned that he even forgot to recall his Pokémon to prevent further injury. He could only watch as Mimikyu was sent flying before crashing onto the dirt like a discarded rag doll.

At this moment, Allister understood he had lost—both as a trainer and in raw Pokémon strength. He had assumed Shiro was just some lucky guy who happened to gain Drakloak's recognition. Unfortunately, he was wrong.

A faint hum filled the air as a beam of red light pulled Mimikyu back into its Poké Ball. Without a word, Allister turned and walked away, stepping past the others toward the building.

Inside, there was a medical room similar to a Pokémon Center where his Pokémon could receive a full recovery.

"Hey! Allister! You're not going to fight in the next match?" Marvin called out, waving a hand.

But Allister kept walking.

His hollow white mask revealed nothing of his emotions, and his small frame remained hidden beneath his dark clothes. Before anyone realized it, he had already walked dozens of meters away.

Thud!

A black iron cane struck the ground with force. Granny Shae clearly wasn't pleased with Allister's decision to leave silently.

"Alright, Shiro takes first place. Marvin and Nessa, second and third. Allister forfeited midway, so he's fourth!"

"Go back. Your rewards will be delivered to your rooms!"

Granny Shae spoke with a sharp tone, then stood up from her red chair and left with a sweep of her sleeve.

As a veteran trainer, she despised disrespect toward battle—and even more so, disobedience in character.

If this had been the chaotic days of decades past, a person like Allister wouldn't have survived.

**

**

**

Thank you for reading! If you'd like access to extra chapters and want to support my work, you can visit my P@treon:

P@treon/SilverShark769

Your support means a lot, thank you!