"Where could it be? It couldn't have just died in a fight, right?" Shiro muttered as he looked farther into the distance.
There were some Psychic-type Pokémon well-hidden in the tall grass, but Shiro could still spot them through the odd colors and subtle movements in the brush.
He and Corvisquire were now less than five meters from the broken stone pillars, yet there was still no sign of the Drapion leader.
"Forget it," Shiro sighed and gave up on the idea of battling it. He motioned for the bird to keep flying forward.
"Squiiire!"
Suddenly, Corvisquire swerved sharply to the side, jolting Shiro hard in the process.
At the same time, a sleek, purple figure burst out from ahead of them. Its massive stinger, as big as a basketball, shot forward like a spear. Had Corvisquire not reacted in time, the strike would have impaled Shiro directly.
"It was hiding behind the pillar?!"
Shiro was stunned, but there was no time to figure out whether this Drapion had acted on instinct or had been waiting in ambush. He quickly directed Corvisquire to fly away from its direction.
The large purple scorpion clung to the central stone pillar, glaring at him with a vicious, unfriendly stare. Its oval-shaped head, covered in sharp spikes, twisted unnaturally, almost spinning all the way behind its neck as it tracked them.
A flicker of data appeared in Shiro's vision:
[Name: Drapion
Type: Poison/Dark
Level: 40 (Advanced)
Ability: Sniper
Held Item: None]
"Corvisquire! Air Cutter!"
Shiro shouted the command. The bird, pulling back through the air, flapped its wings hard.
Two blades of wind formed instantly and struck Drapion's purple armor with pinpoint accuracy.
But Corvisquire wasn't done. As it continued flapping, more blades shaped from air surged forward, weaving a white net of slicing gusts, all aimed at the Pokémon crouched on the pillar.
"Rrrngh!"
Drapion roared as the first slash carved into its abdomen. Two deep gouges opened along its purple armor, and though the damage wasn't fatal, dark blood began to seep from the wounds.
The pain made Drapion instinctively try to dodge the rest of the flurry, but it was still stuck on top of the pillar. With limited room, it hastily shifted to the far side of the stone, seeking cover. Even with its speed, one of the razor-sharp wind blades still caught its tail, carving another shallow line into its armor.
Seeing the opening, Shiro tapped Corvisquire's talon.
"Drop me on the edge pillar."
"Coorv!"
The bird tucked its wings and dove down. It dropped Shiro onto a corner pillar before rocketing toward Drapion.
"Use Hone Claws first!" Shiro called out just after landing.
Corvisquire glided briefly, gathering energy as its claws gleamed. Its attack power and accuracy sharpened.
Meanwhile, Drapion poked its head out from behind the pillar and bared its fangs in a menacing snarl. Its long tail sneaking around the other side, stinger now glowing with sinister purple light.
"That's Pin Missile! Corvisquire, use Tailwind!"
At Shiro's command, Corvisquire froze midair, Its eyes locked onto the approaching volley of gleaming, needle-like missiles. Time seemed to slow.
With a powerful flap of its wings, a fierce gust roared to life around it. The surge of wind scattered the incoming projectiles with ease.
As a flying predator, Corvisquire exuded a natural pressure toward the bug-like Pokémon before it. In the wild, even its evolved form, Corviknight, often preyed on Skorupi for food.
Unfortunately, Drapion's evolution shifted its typing to Poison and Dark.
"Corvisquire, Quick Attack then Drill Peck!"
The moment Drapion retracted its tail, Shiro gave the order.
Before the words even fully left his mouth, Corvisquire had already become a streak of grey lightning, zipping behind its opponent in an instant. Drapion, still glancing around to find its target, froze as it spotted the blur. Just as it began to turn its head, a sharp pain shot through the carapace on its back.
Drill Peck—an advanced Flying-type move Corvisquire had learned after its strength improved—was a powerful upgrade from Peck. Both in force and speed, it far surpassed its predecessor.
The attack involved the bird spiraling as it thrust its beak deep into its foe's body.
Corvisquire tucked its wings and spun midair, transforming its entire blue body into a whirling drill. In the blink of an eye, half its head had buried itself into the center of Drapion's back.
The scorpion's body went limp. It couldn't even finish turning its head. A thick, foul-smelling gush of purplish-red insect blood oozed from the wound and sprayed outward as Corvisquire yanked its head free in one swift, violent motion.
The massive Pokémon could no longer cling to the bronzed stone pillar. Its legs gave out, and it collapsed into the undergrowth below, motionless.
Victorious, Corvisquire gave a quick shake, flinging off the blood from its feathers, then immediately flew back to Shiro at top speed.
"Corv!"
Still high on adrenaline from slaying Drapion, the bird seemed even more energized than before.
Shiro retrieved a cleaning spray from his bag and gave it a quick rinse, brushing off the blood from its feathers. Then he checked its body, making sure everything was in good shape.
His senses told him that Corvisquire had nearly reached the threshold; its energy reserves were full. It was ready to evolve at any moment and capable of breaking through the barrier of Gym-level. But that same intuition also told him something was missing. It needed more battles, more polishing. A final push toward perfection.
Now, Shiro was beginning to understand the meaning of the Advanced-level. It was like building a foundation. Energy, training, experience—if any aspect fell short, advancement would falter. But if all things were in balance and perfectly honed, then crossing into the next stage would unlock even greater potential for the Pokémon.
"Let's go, Corvisquire."
As he spoke, Shiro took out a Poké Ball and recalled Rhyperior, who had been waiting patiently at the base of the pillar, then turned toward the north.
He wasn't in a rush to evolve Corvisquire. He'd rather wait. When every part of its strength had reached its peak, when there was truly nothing left to improve, only then would he consider removing the Everstone.
This was his first journey as a trainer, his first time raising Pokémon. He wanted to be cautious and steady.
"Coor!"
With a flap of its wings, Corvisquire lifted into the sky once more, gliding effortlessly over the Skorupi territory.
The Pokémon below, now leaderless, seemed frozen in fear by the sight of their fallen leader. They lingered nearby, unmoving. But once Corvisquire fully left the area, dozens of them rushed forward all at once, tearing into Drapion's body with sharp jaws.
Up ahead, a wide stretch of tall grass marked the domain of some Psychic-types.
Shiro only gave the area a quick glance. That was all it took. The Pokémon hiding within immediately reacted. Some used their abilities to vanish, others teleported away on the spot. Every one of them acted with extreme caution.
Corvisquire's speed picked up. The current of air generated by its speed lifted its body smoothly as it zipped through the vast grassy region.
Boom—
A muffled rumble of thunder echoed from the horizon, and faint flashes of white light cracked at the edges of the dark blue clouds.
The air around them grew heavier and wetter. Rain threatened to fall at any moment.
Shiro didn't have time to stop and check the small ponds hidden in the grass. He urged Corvisquire to move quickly, leaving the grassy patch wedged between the city wall and the abandoned buildings behind.
He headed straight toward his first destination in the northern Wild Area: the Stony Wilderness.
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