On the first floor of the power plant, the battlefield shifted once again.
Silas's Pokémon were barely holding the line through tight coordination.
Kiera laughed mockingly.
"So you've been moving toward the outer area the whole time… planning to escape?"
Her eyes gleamed as if she had already seen through everything.
Silas's heart skipped a beat when he heard that But when he realized she believed he was trying to flee, he secretly let out a breath of relief.
'Good… she hasn't discovered my real plan.'
His eyes scanned the surroundings constantly.
He only needed one thing.
A wild Pokémon.
Meanwhile Kiera continued commanding her Pokémon to unleash a relentless storm of attacks.
"Manectric, Thunderbolt!
Ampharos, Dragon Pulse!"
At the same time, she released several additional Electric-type Pokémon.
They were weak,only around level twenty but when their attacks combined, the gathered lightning still carried terrifying power.
Silas reacted instantly.
"Crawdaunt, Crunch-block the Dragon Pulse!"
"Sharpedo, accelerate use agility! Stop Manectric from getting close!"
"Umbreon, tank the Magnet Bomb! Don't let it interfere with Sharpedo!"
Silas calmly observed the battlefield while issuing orders.
"Shaaa!"
Sharpedo pushed its speed to the limit.
Without the Magnet Bomb restricting it, Speed Boost combined with Aqua Jet turned it into a deadly water assassin.
In a blur of motion, it charged straight toward Manectric.
Ignoring the crackling electricity surrounding its opponent, Sharpedo opened its massive jaws and launched a brutal Crunch attack.
Electricity surged violently across its body, yet it continued fighting. After receiving a talent enhancement, Sharpedo had undergone a complete transformation.
The battle fell into a tense stalemate.
Through the cooperation of five Pokémon, Silas barely held back the enhanced Manectric and Ampharos, along with the several weaker Electric Pokémon assisting them.
Meanwhile Magnezone remained hovering in the rear.
Because it needed to maintain Electric Terrain and Magnet Rise, it hadn't joined the attack yet.
Otherwise Three elite-level combatants would overwhelm Silas instantly.
Kiera sneered.
"I admit you're a little clever But how could someone raised like a flower in a greenhouse compare to someone like me"
"a thorn that has endured storms and hardship?"
Her laughter was wild and arrogant.
She didn't bother hiding her contempt toward trainers raised within the Pokémon League system.
Ampharos and Manectric once again exchanged energy through their Plus and Minus abilities, further boosting their Special Attack.
Their synergy was terrifying.
All they needed to do now was defeat the Crawdaunt stubbornly holding the front line.
Then the battle would end.
And so would Silas's life.
....
The Opportunity
Suddenly Silas's eyes lit up.
In a distant corner he spotted two small wild Pokémon.
They were weak baby Pokémon.
A pair of Plusle and Minun.
Silas smiled.
"Finally found wild Pokémon."
"Later than I hoped… but still just in time."
The cautious expression on his face disappeared.
Instead, he burst into a bold laugh.
A silver flash came from the spatial ring on his hand.
A palm-sized dark stone appeared.
Silas raised it high.
Under the flashes of lightning, the stone emitted an eerie glow.
A high-grade Dusk Stone.
Kiera noticed immediately But she only scoffed.
Among Silas's Pokémon, Murkrow's strength barely ranked in the top three.
Even if it evolved into Honchkrow, it probably wouldn't surpass Crawdaunt.
It wouldn't change the battle But Murkrow felt something entirely different.
The moment he saw the Dusk Stone ,A powerful pull surged from deep within his bloodline.
An irresistible instinct.
Murkrow had wanted to evolve ever since Silas first obtained a Dusk Stone But Silas had told it to wait.
They needed a better quality one.
Later, when they finally obtained a higher-grade Dusk Stone, Silas still told it to wait longer.
To accumulate strength.
Murkrow obeyed.
He trusted his trainer completely.But now Was the time finally here?
At last.
The evolution he had waited for so long.
Murkrow's eyes burned with excitement.
Ignoring the electric attacks raging on the battlefield, he flew straight toward Silas.
The dusk stone glowed brighter and brighter.
As Murkrow approached, strands of dark energy poured out.
A brilliant white light exploded across the battlefield.
Kiera frowned.
"You think evolving mid-battle will turn things around?"
Even though she didn't believe it would change the outcome, she still ordered her Pokémon to interrupt the evolution.
Because if a Pokémon's evolution was forcibly interrupted then The consequences could be catastrophic.
At best, the Pokémon would suffer severe injuries and lose its chance to grow stronger.
At worst It could die instantly due to unstable energy.
In the League's criminal laws, interrupting a Pokémon's evolution was one of the most severe crimes.
Punishable by death.
Yet Kiera showed no hesitation.
Despite being a young woman, her decisiveness and ruthlessness rivaled the most dangerous figures operating in the grey world.
Silas could sense it.
The scent of a true predator.
...
Evolution
"Crawdaunt! Sharpedo!"
"Stop them at all costs!"
"Cover Murkrow's evolution!"
Silas threw the Dusk Stone into the air.
Murkrow caught it with his claws.
The moment he touched the stone ,The immense energy inside burst forth.
Cracks spread across the Dusk Stone.
Dark mist surged out violently.
The stone shattered.
Black energy completely enveloped Murkrow.
All Pokémon on the battlefield looked toward the sky.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
Then A brilliant white light erupted.
The energy inside the light rose rapidly.
Murkrow had evolved.
No.
Now it should be called—
Honchkrow.
"KRRAAA!"
A sharp, hoarse cry pierced the air.
Honchkrow felt overwhelming power coursing through his body. Energy he had never experienced before.His entire body felt light and powerful.
Confidence shone in his eyes.
Silas raised his arm.
"Honchkrow!"
"You are the ruler of the skies!"
"It's time to show your power!"
"Let's begin the counterattack!"
He shouted:
"Honchkrow, use Snatch on Crawdaunt and Sharpedo!"
Honchkrow hesitated for a moment But out of absolute trust in his trainer, he obeyed.
Snatch.
As the name suggested ,It could steal stat boosts from allies or enemies and claim them as its own.
At that moment Honchkrow snatched the Dragon Dance boost from Crawdaunt.
And it took the fully stacked agility speed boost from Sharpedo.
Both enhancements were absorbed.
Refined and Made its own.
Now Honchkrow's physical power had reached its limit.
A killer of the night.
A tyrant of the skies.
A true dark overlord.
<><><><><><>
(End of chapter)