Chapter 7: Using Shadows

Chapter 7: Using Shadows

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The sky was beginning to turn orange as Akira, panting, continued his hurried run down the dusty road. It had been several hours since he was supposed to meet up with Casilda, and anxiety was beginning to take hold of him. He looked at his PokéGear over and over again, sending it messages that said "I'm on my way," "I'll be there soon," but the truth was that he was still far from the town where they had agreed to meet.

"Damn it, I should have gotten up earlier!" he growled through his teeth, sweat pouring down his forehead.

Despite his haste, Akira couldn't help but notice a scene unfolding a few meters ahead on the road. A group of punks with extravagant hairstyles and leather jackets decorated with electric lightning bolts had surrounded a small boy, who looked scared as one of them held his backpack high.

"Come on, brat, hand over your Poké Balls!" said one of the punks, who had an Electrike at his side growling menacingly. "You don't want us to electrocute you, do you?"

The boy was paralyzed with fear, not knowing what to do, as the punks laughed loudly. Akira, who had been about to continue running without intervening, suddenly stopped. Although he was late, he couldn't let something like that happen before his eyes. He wasn't a very experienced trainer yet, but he knew he had to do something.

"Hey, you guys!" Akira shouted as he ran towards the group. "Leave him alone!"

The punks turned around, surprised by the interruption, and looked him up and down, sizing up the newcomer.

"And who the hell are you?" one of them sneered, giving him a challenging look. "Another kid who wants to play hero?"

"You have no idea who you're messing with," Akira replied, trying to sound more confident than he actually felt. "Stop it now or you'll regret it!"

The leader of the group let out a laugh and stepped forward, pointing at his Electrike to prepare for battle. The other punks followed suit, calling out their electric Pokémon, including Pikachu and Mareep. Akira knew he was at a disadvantage in terms of types, but he had something up his sleeve… or rather, under his shadow.

Without hesitation, Akira reached out his hand to the ground and closed his eyes for a moment. He felt the familiar coldness in his body, as if an invisible connection was activated. From his own shadow, a dark form began to emerge. First, the small figure of a Bidoof staggered out, but it wasn't alone. Instantly, an entire family of Bidoofs appeared behind it, materializing as living projectiles that Akira launched in the direction of the punks.

"Attack, guys!" Akira ordered, with a confident smile.

The Bidoofs, led by the largest, pounced on the punks and their electric Pokémon, striking and disrupting their formations with a massive attack. The punks screamed as they tried to defend themselves from the unexpected attack. The small creatures bit, pushed, and collided with everything in their path, using numbers to their advantage.

"What the hell is this?!" one of the punks exclaimed, trying to dodge the barrage of Bidoofs.

Chaos broke out as Akira took advantage of the confusion. Dwarf Giratina, their most mysterious Pokémon, also emerged from the shadows, surrounding the punks with its intimidating presence. With a low roar, it made the delinquents tremble in fear.

"It's not possible!" the leader of the group shouted as he watched his companions retreat. "We're outnumbered!"

With their Electrike weakened and their friends disorganized, the punks made the most sensible decision: escape. They ran off, leaving the boy behind, while Akira and his Pokémon watched them from a distance.

"That'll teach them not to mess with someone weaker!" Akira said with a mix of pride and relief, as the Bidoofs disappeared back into the shadow they had emerged from.

The boy, trembling, slowly approached Akira.

"Thank you… thank you for saving me," he said with a trembling voice, gripping his backpack tightly. "I thought they were going to take everything from me."

Akira smiled at him, kneeling down beside him.

"You don't have to thank me. I just did what any trainer should do," he said, feeling a little more like a true hero for the first time.

With the danger behind him, Akira looked back at his PokéGear. The hours kept passing, and he knew that now he had to hurry. But at least he had helped someone along the way. He got back up and, after making sure that the boy was safe, he began his race again towards the place where Casilda was waiting for him.

As he ran, a smile spread across his face. He knew that, with his ability to summon Pokémon from the shadows, he was more than ready to face any obstacle that might come his way in the future. Now all that was left was to meet up with her friend and continue her great adventure.

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