Dax Jonas ignored the two Charizards blazing behind him and urged his Corviknight to accelerate, closing in on the man who had dared to use him as a living shield.
But the Staraptor was fast—far faster than Corviknight. It was clear the chase wouldn't catch up.
Dax's temper flared hotter. With a snarl, he hurled two Poké Balls into the sky.
"Metagross! Magnezone! Intercept him!"
The two Steel-types materialized in midair, unleashing Flash Cannon in perfect unison.
Twin silver beams, thick and fierce, lanced ahead toward the fleeing Staraptor.
Forced to slow, the Staraptor banked frantically, dodging both attacks.
Corviknight used Agility, streaking forward to hover right beside it.
"So—you're the one who made me your decoy?"
The young man astride the Staraptor—Flyan—wore a cultivated, elegant smile.
"Misunderstanding, misunderstanding."
Dax might have been straightforward, even a bit dense, but he wasn't so easily fooled.
"Those two behind you… they're the Secret Realm's guardians, aren't they? Pretty gutsy, pissing them off. Go on, what did you take?"
He eyed Flyan with mocking amusement. No wonder he hadn't been able to find the master Pokémon—the guardians had been chasing this guy all over creation. How could he have stumbled on them himself?
Flyan kept his voice smooth. "Senior, you must be joking. What could I possibly have taken from them?"
"Ha! Don't call me senior. You look a lot older than me—don't go putting me in that role."
Yet his taunting tone, the way he stood there blocking Flyan without a shred of fear even with the guardians on their heels, and the presence of rare Pokémon—Metagross, Magnezone, Corviknight—left Flyan little doubt. This had to be none other than Dax Jonas, the Elite famed for his Steel-type teams.
Flyan's thoughts raced, but his face didn't betray them. His smile never faltered.
"In that case, handsome, since I haven't taken anything from them, surely you can let me pass?"
Dax pointed at him with a smirk.
"Oh ho, not bad. I like the way you call me that."
Then the smile vanished.
"But do you think I'm stupid? If you didn't take anything, why would they be chasing you across the entire Secret Realm?"
Flyan glanced at the two incoming Charizards. His patience was thinning.
"Fine then—what will it take to prove it?"
Dax grinned broadly.
"Simple. Leave your space backpack."
The smile dropped from Flyan's face. His tone turned icy.
"So in other words… you don't plan on letting me walk away?"
Before the words even finished, two Poké Balls spun into the air.
"Crobat—use Brave Bird!"
"Honchkrow—Night Slash!"
The two Pokémon shot straight at Dax in a coordinated strike.
Dax spat derisively.
"Peh. Shameless."
Metagross used Teleport, warping into Crobat's path. Its massive body absorbed the Brave Bird, then its fist crashed forward in a crushing Meteor Mash, slamming Crobat out of the sky.
Magnezone lacked Teleport, but it fired a blistering Thunderbolt to intercept Honchkrow.
Honchkrow roared, shouldering through the electric blast, determined to strike Dax no matter the cost.
Dax only snorted coldly. He didn't need to lift a finger—he already knew how this would end.
Sure enough, Corviknight's eyes gleamed with a savage glint as the Honchkrow charged. A free knockout? Not bad at all for a mount.
Its beak parted, unleashing a full-force Hyper Beam that engulfed Honchkrow in a torrent of destructive light.
Honchkrow crumpled, spiraling downwards, defeated.
A bead of sweat trickled down Flyan's forehead. He hastily recalled Honchkrow into its ball.
"Wasn't the intel supposed to say Corviknight was just his transport? How the hell is its combat power this high too?"
His Xatu was already critically injured, now Honchkrow had fallen. All he had left was his battered Crobat and a Yanmega whose attacks would be resisted at every turn.
But when he saw the Charizards closing in, a spark lit in his eyes.
"Yanmega—Sunny Day!"
The dragonfly Pokémon shot into the air, calling down a blazing sun.
Flyan clapped Staraptor on the neck. The bird understood instantly—while dodging the aftershocks of Metagross, Magnezone, and Crobat's clash, it began sidestepping, inching into position.
Crobat's speed served him well. He managed to dodge most of the incoming attacks, using Protect to block the few he couldn't avoid. Exhaustion was already tugging at him, but his performance had been more than respectable.
By the time Flyan and Staraptor maneuvered into place, the two Charizards had arrived.
Now the battlefield aligned: Dax directly in front, Flyan behind him, and the Charizards bearing down from the rear.
Naturally, the two dragons marked Dax as their primary target.
Twin gouts of Flamethrower roared forth.
This time, having learned their lesson, the flames crossed paths—there was no dodging with simple movement.
Dax sighed. He had no choice but to call Metagross back to cover him.
The Steel-type teleported into position at the flaming crossroads, raising both Light Screen and Protect to block the inferno.
Dax's gaze slid toward Flyan, growing wary. Yanmega had appeared only to set up Sunny Day, boosting the power of the Charizards' Fire-type moves.
Two Charizards under Sunny Day, and possibly with the Solar Power ability… those Flamethrowers could have shattered even Corviknight's Protect. If so, the damage might have reached him as well.
Seeing his objective achieved, Flyan's lips curled upward.
"U-turn!"
Both Crobat and Yanmega dove toward Magnezone, then instantly swung back into their Poké Balls.
But Magnezone was crafty. At the very instant Crobat closed in, it unleashed a desperate Giga Impact.
The collision knocked Crobat out cold, but the sheer force of U-turn still pulled his unconscious body back into its ball.
"Till next time."
Flyan's elegant smile returned as he gave Dax a courteous nod. Then his Staraptor beat its wings, carrying him away at breakneck speed.
Dax clicked his tongue in annoyance. He had expected the man to help him pressure the Charizards. Instead, Flyan had cut and run.
"Fine. Guess I'll just deal with you two myself."
He raised his arm.
"Metagross—full power! Meteor Beam!"
Metagross began to charge.
The Charizards didn't wait. Both roared, unleashing simultaneous Fire Blast attacks.
Dax chuckled softly.
"Magnezone—Ally Switch!"
In a flash of light, Magnezone swapped positions with Metagross, throwing up Protect just in time to absorb the twin Fire Blasts unscathed.
The smoke cleared, and Metagross's Meteor Beam finished charging. Its Special Attack rose, then it fired a kaleidoscopic column of star-flecked light straight at the dragons.
One Charizard failed to evade and was blasted from the sky, fainted instantly by the quadruple-effective Rock-type move.
The other bellowed in fury, cloaked itself in fire, and hurled its entire body at Metagross.
Dax sighed helplessly. "So reckless. Can't we just talk?"
"Metagross—Zen Headbutt!"
Veiled in psychic energy, Metagross slammed headlong into the charging Charizard. Both Pokémon were hurled back by the impact.
Breathing heavily, the remaining Charizard glared at him.
Dax regarded it calmly.
"…Now. Can we talk?"
(End of Chapter)