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Too fast.
There was no way to see it clearly, and no time to react.
Even at the very bottom of its evolutionary line, a Pokémon as common as Pidgey could unleash burst speed that no human could hope to follow.
If the people present had been unaccompanied civilians, or inexperienced Trainers without their Pokémon deployed, the ambush would have ended in instant fatalities.
Fortunately—
Standing on the scene was a veteran field Trainer who had survived countless expeditions outside the safety of city walls.
Quark.
Sparks exploded into the air.
A wave of scorching heat rolled outward as flames erupted in a violent spiral.
"Fire Spin!"
The Rapidash guarding Fran lowered its head slightly as the fire blazing along its back surged higher.
Five or six slender streams of flame shot forward, twisting and curling through the air like living whips.
They spiraled together, forming a compact fire vortex that tore straight toward the incoming blur.
Years of battle instinct allowed Rapidash to predict the attacker's flight path with uncanny precision.
The spinning inferno clipped the brown shape mid-air.
In the next instant, the flames snapped shut like a constricting serpent.
"Chaa—!"
The shrill cry was cut short as the Nightmare Pokémon was swallowed whole.
The temperature spiked violently.
Feathers ignited. Flesh blackened. Bone cracked.
The Pidgey fell from the sky as a lifeless, charred husk, striking the ground with a dull thud.
Click.
Another Poké Ball opened.
A rush of sweet, intoxicating floral fragrance spread through the air as emerald light burst outward.
A graceful figure appeared beside Fran.
Petals unfolded like silk, a white rose blooming atop its head. Slender green limbs were wrapped in leaf-like armor, and each arm ended in a vivid bouquet, one crimson, one sapphire.
Its orange eyes gleamed with cold pride.
Roserade.
Fran's partner Pokémon.
Roserade had forced its way out of its Poké Ball on its own, responding instinctively to the sudden threat to its Trainer.
Breaking free from containment took time, which was why it arrived a heartbeat later than Rapidash.
From the moment the Nightmare Pokémon burst from the forest to its death in the flames, less than three seconds had passed.
Only then did Fran fully register what had almost happened.
Cold sweat slid down her temple.
Her face drained of color, pale to the point of translucence.
For a brief moment, her mind went completely blank.
"…Damn it."
Her hands clenched.
"In the wild, keeping your Pokémon deployed is basic survival knowledge."
"So why did I let my guard down?"
Regret and self-reproach churned together in her chest.
She wasn't entirely at fault.
Despite her achievements, Fran was still relatively new to true wilderness operations.
Her Pokémon were elite.
Her discipline was unquestionable.
But real field experience—especially sudden ambush scenarios—was something that could only be learned the hard way.
Rapidash snorted softly, warm breath brushing against her arm.
The sound pulled her back from her spiral of self-blame.
She realized Roserade and several teammates were watching her closely, concern written across their faces.
Fran forced a small smile toward Roserade, signaling that she was alright.
Her hand slid along Rapidash's neck as she turned to Quark.
"This was my mistake," she said quietly. "I let my focus slip."
"Thank you. If you hadn't reacted—"
Quark raised a hand, stopping her.
He said nothing.
He simply looked at her, eyes heavy with concern.
Her pallor hadn't gone unnoticed.
After a moment, once he was certain she was steady, he nodded.
"You're safe," he said. "That's what matters."
Then he turned and walked toward the fallen body.
Nightmare Pokémon appearing this deep within human territory was not normal.
He needed answers.
Some might have seized the moment to offer comfort, to close emotional distance.
Quark did not.
He chose duty over opportunity.
In another time, that might have seemed foolish.
In this broken era, it was its own kind of strength.
Fran slowly relaxed as she continued to stroke Rapidash's mane.
The flames that had moments ago incinerated a monster now radiated gentle warmth, soothing rather than scorching.
Among those it accepted, Rapidash's fire was never harmful.
The panic among the non-Trainer personnel gradually subsided.
Fran, still shaken, began silently reviewing her mistakes.
She had grown complacent.
That nearly got her killed.
She needed to do better.
She would do better.
Just then—
Roserade tugged lightly at her sleeve.
Fran looked down.
Her partner Pokémon was staring into the forest, posture tense, eyes sharp.
Rapidash followed its gaze, muscles tightening.
"What is it…?"
Before the question fully formed—
Crash—CRASH!!!
A deafening roar erupted from the forest.
Not a single branch shaking.
The entire treeline convulsed.
It was as if an earthquake had struck only the canopy itself.
The forest moved.
Then came the sound.
Thousands of shrill cries overlap into a single, unbearable shriek.
The sky darkened.
A tide of brown and black surged out from the trees.
Wings beat like a storm.
Hundreds.
No—thousands.
Pidgey.
Pidgeotto.
A writhing mass of Nightmare Pokémon poured into the air, blotting out the light.
A living cloud.
A dead sea.
And it was coming straight for them.
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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