After finishing his words, Nathan finally let out the frustration that had been building up in his chest. He hated that arrogant and unreasonable Macro Cosmos, and he also despised that disgustingly young but powerful Shiro.
Why should the Hulbury town and its Gym, passed down from his father, be handed over so easily? To some wild little girl? Impossible!
His face turned red, flushed with rage, his eyes dark and bloodshot. In his mind, he could already see Lina defeating every opponent and advancing straight to the Champion Cup
Beside him, his Starmie meticulously counted the Poké Balls, using psychic power to inspect each one. Whenever they detected a Pokémon at the Gym-level on the trainer's belt, they would replace it with an Advanced or Intermediate-level Pokémon from Nathan's pocket.
One by one, the Poké Balls were examined and swapped, until only the last remained.
"Star! star!"
The leading Starmie suddenly called out, making Nathan frown and glance its way.
"What is it now?" he asked in a deep voice.
The Starmie used its psychic power to open the Poké Ball. Nathan's eyelids twitched, expecting a Pokémon to appear, but nothing came out.
Just empty space.
He was about to scold it when he realized the Poké Ball was completely empty.
An empty Poké Ball.
Nathan's pupils widened in shock. He hadn't expected that one of Nessa's Pokémon had already been released, and she hadn't recalled it yet.
A Ghost type, maybe?
He didn't worry too much though, only speculating internally. Cautious trainers often kept a Ghost-type Pokémon that would stay in their shadow for long periods and could emerge to protect them when danger struck.
Not far away, Nessa's eyes fixed on the empty Poké Ball, and she said coldly, "I'm a Water-type trainer. I only use Water Pokémon."
As for that empty Poké Ball... it was the last one she had tucked into her belt, the same one she had been tossing in her hand earlier.
When she saw Nathan, she instinctively clipped it back to her waist, but in truth, that Pokémon had already been released.
"..." Nathan furrowed his brow tightly, looking at the five Starmie around him, scanning the area.
She said she only had Water types? So it's not a Ghost type? Then... where was that Pokémon? And why did she look so confident?
A flash of insight struck him like lightning.
His expression froze. From his spine up to his skull, a chill ran through his body.
The boulder. That boulder behind him.
That brownish boulder that Nessa had been leaning against at the start. He should have noticed something was wrong!
Before he could react, her voice fell sharply.
"Drednaw!"
Nathan's face twisted in alarm. He tried to run but remembered his body wasn't suited for that. He couldn't escape on his own. He could only call out to his Pokémon, hoping for teleportation.
"Star—!"
But it was already too late.
The boulder behind him exploded with a bang. The sound of shattering stone and the searing pain struck all at once.
He looked down in disbelief as a jagged, rock-like horn burst from his chest, leaving a gaping bloody wound.
"Urgh..."
Blood welled up as he stared at Nessa, whose face was full of hatred. His choking breath turned into silence as blood spilled from his lips.
At the back, Drednaw lifted his overweight body, shaking off fragments of stone from its shell. It let out a low, guttural roar.
"Dred... naw!"
Then it swung its head and flung Nathan's corpse onto the nearby road. Its fierce eyes locked onto the five Starmie hovering above.
The Starmie exchanged uncertain looks, unsure how to respond.
Meanwhile, Nathan's pockets rattled violently. Several Poké Balls trembled, red light beginning to burst from within.
These were Pokémon the gym leader had personally trained, or received from his father. Their bonds were strong, and the Poké Balls had never been locked or restrained. They were about to break free.
* * *
"A."
High in the air, Shiro called out. Unown A immediately used its psychic power to seal all of Nathan's Poké Balls and cast Hypnosis, putting the struggling Pokémon inside to sleep.
He and Unown A descended lightly beside the dead body and looked at the somewhat dazed Nessa.
After the fire of anger had passed, Nessa's mind was in disarray, like the Starmie, she had no clue what to do next.
She had… killed the Hulbury Gym Leader?
A Gym Leader officially recognized by the League!
And during the middle of the Gym Challenge, no less, right under Galar's watchful eyes. Even if he had been the one to strike first...
Her hands and feet went cold. Fear and guilt tangled with her respect for the League, freezing her mind. She had never imagined she could end a town's Gym Leader at any place or time, especially at a pivotal location on her path to changing her destiny.
"Nessa!" Shiro's firm voice snapped her back to reality.
"I... Shiro?" she stammered, surprised he was there. Shouldn't he be trying to escape?
Seeing him standing next to Nathan's corpse, she nervously tried to explain.
"No, it's not... actually Nathan, he—"
Shiro raised a hand, signaling her to stop. His voice was calm but serious. "I'll take the Poké Balls and handle the body. You focus on retrieving yours."
She could only watch as he expertly searched the body, collecting every Poké Ball and valuable item before tossing them aside.
Beside him appeared a small, black Pokémon with a strange shape. Seemingly using psychic power, it began digging a pit nearby.
Search the body, dig a pit, bury the person... a complete set of procedures.
If Shiro had a Pokémon capable of dissolving flesh, he would have liquefied the body entirely. But lacking that, burial was the next best method.
If he used fire, not only would it be slow, but the traces would be too heavy and obvious. There would be large amounts of smoke and dust, and after burning, there would be obvious black ash. It was the worst method for disposing of corpses in the wild.
With Unown A's psychic aid, a deep pit several meters down was prepared in no time. Shiro the. kicked Nathan's body into it and instructed Unown A to fill the pit.
Nessa stood frozen, unable to fully process what had just happened.
Shiro turned back, raised an eyebrow, and said, "Use the Poké Balls to recall Drednaw and Starmie. Then find your own Poké Balls. You still have a roadblock challenge to finish."
That snapped her out of it. She quickly followed his instructions, step by step.
**
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