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Quark felt his heart jolt violently.
He tore his gaze away at once, forcing himself not to look back.
"Hah… hah…"
Breathing hard, he turned toward Fran beside him and asked urgently.
"Are you okay?"
She shook her head weakly.
Her face was pale, and cold sweat plasteredher once glossy bangs to her forehead.
"What was that… thing."
Fran pressed a hand to her chest, her voice trembling with lingering fear.
"The situation in Nanth Town is far worse than the League anticipated."
"We need to get back immediately."
Quark's brows were drawn tight, his eyes filled with heavy concern.
At a time when Nightmare Pokémon were resurfacing, something like this appearing deep within what should have been safe human territory was beyond alarming.
The implications alone were enough to make his blood run cold.
His thoughts jumped to the massive Murkrow incident earlier.
He refused to believe these events were unrelated.
Something was moving in the shadows. Some unseen force or organization was pulling the strings.
All he could do now was return to Falyn City as fast as possible and report everything in detail to the Pokémon League.
The scenery outside the window blurred as it raced past.
Quark sat rigid in his seat, tangled thoughts growing wildly in his mind.
Fran had yet to fully recover from the terror she had just endured.
She stared downward, lost in silence.
Neither of them noticed it.
High above the convoy, concealed within drifting clouds, a massive shadow circled quietly.
A predator's gaze locked onto them from the sky, cold and merciless.
Then.
"SCREEEEE!"
A piercing shriek tore through the air, stabbing straight into the eardrums.
Whoosh.
The atmosphere ripped apart with a sound like a missile cutting through the sky.
A gigantic black shape plunged downward from the clouds, wrapped in roaring wind.
Hard black feathers rattled violently as crimson-tinged eyes gleamed with ruthless focus.
Boom.
Metal twisted. Sparks erupted.
The leading off-road vehicle was obliterated in an instant, reduced to a burning wreck by overwhelming force.
The League members inside did not even have time to scream before the vehicle collapsed into a lifeless mass of fire and steel.
Screech!!!
Brakes screamed as the final vehicle skidded to a halt.
Two figures burst out of the doors at once, accompanied by one red and one green flash of light.
"Fire Spin."
"Magical Leaf."
Serpentine flames twisted through the air, warping the heat around them as they surged toward the attacker.
A storm of glowing green leaves followed, spinning in brilliant arcs and radiating dense Grass-type energy.
Emerald and crimson.
Fire and leaves.
Violence and elegance.
Two opposing forces fused through expert coordination, forming an attack powerful enough to tear through steel.
But their opponent was stronger.
Roar!!!!
A monstrous gale erupted without warning.
Stones, debris, shattered concrete, and twisted metal were all dragged upward by the terrifying wind pressure, crushed together before being flung aside as useless wreckage.
The flames were shredded into sparks.
The glowing leaves were torn apart and scattered into fragments.
"Hm.... Not this one either."
The hoarse voice was quiet.
Yet amid the howling storm, it carried with chilling clarity.
A man in a black trench coat stood nearby, hood drawn low.
It was the same strange figure seen earlier in Nanth Town.
Beneath him stood an enormous avian Pokémon.
Jet black feathers streaked with dark red shimmered with predatory menace.
A prominent crest rose from its head like a twisted gentleman's hat.
Its razor-sharp talons were embedded deep into the wreckage of the destroyed vehicle, anchoring its massive body in place.
Flames leapt from the ruined engine below, but each time they neared its body, they were smothered by violent wind pressure clinging to its feathers.
This was a dominant Pokémon from the Sinnoh region.
The harbinger of the night.
Honchkrow.
"Tch!"
Quark grit his teeth, using the final vehicle as cover as he pressed his back against it.
The sudden ambush had rattled him deeply.
Brushing against death left his hands shaking.
"We let our guard down."
So close to escaping Nanth Town, and they had still failed to notice the attack from above.
If that strike had been aimed at their vehicle instead, neither he nor Fran would have survived.
At least they were still alive.
The cost was high, but the two Trainers remained.
The enemy was clearly powerful, but two against one was not hopeless.
As long as they worked together.
Quark exchanged a look with Fran, who had leapt out beside him the instant the attack occurred.
Their eyes met.
Battle intent flared.
They nodded at the same time and shouted commands to their Pokémon.
"Flame Wheel."
"Petal Blizzard."
At this level of combat, a Trainer's commands relied entirely on trust and synchronization.
A single move name was enough.
Tone, intent, battlefield conditions. Their Pokémon understood everything.
Facing the combined assault, the hooded man showed no urgency.
He calmly stepped down from Honchkrow's back and moved aside.
Beneath the shadow of his hood, a cruel, mocking light flickered in his eyes.
His raspy voice carried cold amusement.
"Honchkrow. Kill them."
"SKREEE!"
Massive wings spread wide, blotting out the street.
The wind howled.
And the shadow of death descended.
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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