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Koro wasn't old, barely past thirty-five, but the world had long since stolen youth from men like him.
Every day behind the wheel, every night spent in half-sleep beside a humming engine, had pressed another thin line beside his eyes.
That small family was probably the only reason Koro still had the will to keep going in this bleak, broken world.
Koro's hands relaxed slightly on the steering wheel.He had driven this road between Ignis City and Summerset Town thousands of times; he knew every curve, every slope, every tree and signpost by heart.
The Pokémon League's regional division in Ignis City had long since cleared this area of any Nightmare-infected Pokémon.Even when transporting valuable cargo for the Ignis Commerce Guild, Koro rarely worried anymore.
And today's cargo wasn't ordinary.Up ahead, in the lead vehicle, were League-assigned drivers carrying crucial supplies bound for the Summerset Town outpost.
Losing this shipment wasn't an option.The League had even assigned two licensed Pokémon Trainers to escort the convoy just in case.
Koro had earned his spot among them thanks to decades of spotless driving. He'd bragged plenty about it at home that night, his kids wide-eyed with pride as he told them about the League mission.
Even on a route long considered safe, the Guild left nothing to chance.Two security teams rode with them, each armed and armored, every precaution taken.
"Pokémon Trainers, huh…"Koro couldn't help but feel a pang of envy.
Even in one of the nine great human cities like Ignis City, Trainers were still rare compared to the vast population.Those who could command the terrifying power of Pokémon often held positions of great status and influence, something far beyond the reach of ordinary people like him.
He sighed quietly.He'd read once, in old history books, about the time before the Great Cataclysm. Back then, people lived in peace and abundance.
Wild Pokémon weren't twisted by Nightmare Seeds; they were calm, even friendly. Anyone could become a Trainer without needing immense wealth or connections.
Those descriptions of a brighter, kinder era always filled Koro with longing.If only he'd been born a few centuries earlier… maybe he could've seen that perfect world himself.
A faint chime broke his thoughts ding-ding-ding…The soft ring of the bell hanging from his dashboard.
He smiled bitterly."Back to reality," he muttered.There was still dinner to earn. His family was waiting.
Suddenly—
Screeeeech!
Tires screamed against wet asphalt, and thick white smoke curled upward. Koro's head jerked up just in time to see the truck ahead slam to a stop.
His heart froze. The metal bumper loomed closer and closer. Instinct took over he stomped on the brakes.
BOOM!
The violent jolt threw him forward.His seatbelt caught just in time to keep him from crashing through the windshield. Behind him, a chorus of screeching brakes and shouted curses echoed through the convoy.
Cold sweat drenched his back.Unbuckling, he stumbled out of the cab, clutching his aching ribs. He hurried to the cargo hold, yanked open the door, and checked the load inside.
Every driver knew: in a heavy hauler, sudden braking was a nightmare. Cargo could slam forward, rupture the steel wall, or crush the cab outright.
"Please be fine…" he muttered.
After a tense inspection, he finally exhaled in relief. The goods League-issue supply crates were still tightly strapped in place. If they'd been damaged, he could've lost his job… and his family's only source of income.
Heart still pounding, Koro turned toward the front of the convoy. "What the hell happened up there…?"
He took a few steps forward, then froze. His face drained of color. Without a word, he ducked behind his truck, trembling.
Rain began to fall in fine, endless drizzle that hissed softly against the metal vehicles. Dozens of trucks and armored cars stood motionless in the muddy road, stretching back like a train gone off its rails.
At the very front, the escort jeep had skidded sideways, black skid marks cutting across the dirt. Five security officers in tactical armor crouched behind it, rifles aimed dead ahead.
And standing there…in the middle of the road…It was a hulking silver-gray creature.
Its armor-like carapace gleamed under the rain like a polished diamond. Six serrated limbs flexed from its sides, each joint glinting with lethal edges. A pair of violet antennae twitched above its head, shimmering faintly in the drizzle.
It was unmistakably a Golisopod, the armored Pokémon from the Alola region.
A Pokémon that shouldn't even be here. This entire zone had been free of Nightmare Pokémon for decades.
The creature's chitin scraped and clattered like grinding steel. Its antennae waved in the air, sensing… searching.
Behind the jeep, a young League-uniformed Trainer was shaking uncontrollably. Beside him, a small, rabbit-like Pokémon, his partner, peered nervously through the window gap, eyes wide.
'Why… why is there a Golisopod here?' He'd only taken this escort mission to fulfill a simple Academy quota!
"Run…"The boy's breath hitched."Run—now!"
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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