Chapter 45: The Local Overlord

Next to Oldale Town is a mountain range that separates two populated areas, the road between Green Shade and Rustboro city.

The green and black mountain peaks resemble the spines of giant beasts, hidden in the blue and transparent morning light.

Above the mountains, a huge Pidgeot continuously hovered with a whistling sound.

Darren clung tightly to Pidgeot, enduring the discomfort caused by the airflow, and looked down at the entire mountain range.

It felt so good!

It was his first time flying high in the sky on a Pokemon.

Without much time to enjoy it, Darren didn't forget his mission. When Pidgeot slowed down, he spoke up, "There should be four of them. Let's look carefully."

Pidgeot had great eyesight, and the job of finding people was clearly something that Darren had to leave to it.

"Be careful and maintain this altitude."

In the wild, trainers riding flying Pokemon should avoid flying too low. If they enter the territory of other Pokemon, they will be attacked directly, which is very dangerous.

Although Darren was a newcomer, his essential survival knowledge was much stronger than that of ordinary novice trainers!

As time passed, Pidgeot and Darren carefully searched the mountain range. Suddenly, a group of purple colored figures flashed past them, causing them to stop in their tracks.

"That is-"

Whismur and Loudred!

Darren's eyes flickered, as if he had met the main target.

"How did they already come this deep...?"

"I must ignore them and find those trainers first." In the next moment, Darren ordered Pidgeot to bypass these Pokemon.

His main goal was to ensure the safety of Tatsu and his companions. As for the truth about the Rusturf Tunnel incident, he would leave it to the professionals to investigate.

...

"Roar!!!"

"Roar!!!"

"Darn it!"

Darren didn't want to cause trouble, but reality didn't go according to his wishes.

A huge roar came, and if Pidgeot hadn't slowed down and stabilized its body in time, they would have fallen!

Darren looked down from up the sky, and among the Whismur group, there appeared a huge creature. The appearance of this Pokemon instantly made Darren's pupils shrink.

"That's the leader of the Whismur group, Exploud, as Shozo Master said."

"That size... It's probably at least 2 meters…"

Exploud was like a huge sound source, constantly roaring on the ground. Even if Darren covered his ears, he could still feel the rough vibration.

"No wonder it's a noise Pokemon whose howl can be heard up to 10 kilometers away. Pidgeot, let's retreat for now," Darren frowned. He didn't know why Exploud's attack awareness was so strong. It wasn't good, as its howling alone was enough to affect Pidgeot's flight. In addition, Exploud's size made it difficult for ordinary trainers to deal with.

If Tatsu and his group were unfortunate enough to encounter it, along with the many Loudred and Whismur, things could get bad fast.

Exploud gave Darren a special feeling, like when he saw the master of Mt. Chimney, the mother of Swablu, Altaria. It was very powerful and could not be compared to ordinary Pokemon.

This type of Pokemon must have emerged from a group or a particular area after undergoing intense competition in nature, becoming the strongest among the survivors in terms of strength and all other aspects.

Since the establishment of the Pokemon League, these types of Pokemon have been the most troublesome. Ordinary trainers are no match for them. Whenever the League wants to urbanize and populate a certain area, they will usually encounter these Pokemon, things will become very complicated. It often requires summoning many elite trainers or using technological means to achieve the goal.

However, so far, the cities and towns where humans are mainly concentrated have already become saturated, and there is no longer as much emphasis on developing the wilderness. Many overlord Pokemon have already been defeated, tamed, or have left their homeland, and the remaining powerful wild Pokemon are very rare.

With the modernization of various regions, the strength of wild Pokemon in the wilderness may also be on the decline.

Pidgeot and Darren left in a hurry. The sound of Exploud's roar would surely travel far, and Shozo Master must have heard it too. It was now up to them to take over.

...

...

Meanwhile.

"Did you feel that?" Tatsu sensed the vibration around them and quickly spoke up next to a mountain cave.

Zander, Sophia, and Ayue's expressions also became serious, nodding in agreement.

"It seems like we have our directions," said Tatsu with a slight smile, feeling a bit excited. They weren't confident about the tremors they had felt earlier, but they couldn't let the chance slip away this time.

"Let's move quickly," he added.

The group set off again.

If they could find the cause of the event or solve the Rusturf Tunnel incident, they could make a name for themselves and become well-known among the nearby trainers. For any trainer who had recently started their journey, this was an extremely tempting opportunity.

They might even earn some titles if their reputation grew enough...

Trainers with titles had unimaginable benefits, whether in the public or official sphere.

So the group was very serious, careful, and attentive.

About five minutes later -

"Gululululu~~~~~~~~~~!!"

"Gululululu~~~~~~~~~~!!"

A piercing sound like a jet engine echoed from the side of the mountain path. Countless voices merged together, creating the impression of a group of creatures calling out.

"That's Whismur's voice!!" Captain Tatsu said solemnly, sounding a bit nervous.

After all, they were just a group of curious trainers exploring the unknown, and nobody knew what might happen.

"Come out, Grovyle, prepare for battle!"

"Persian, come out too!"

"Rosalia -"

"Ninjask!!"

In the narrow space, each of the four trainers summoned a small creature and stared intently at the Whismur that had bounced out from the other side.

"Fortunately, it's just a few Whismur. Let me take care of them," said Zander.

He looked disdainful, as a weak Whismur was definitely not a match for his Persian.

The others also looked down on Whismur... creatures like them seemed completely non-threatening, as long as they were careful not to be disturbed by their sharp calls.

"Alright, let's end the battle quickly," Tatsu nodded, speaking to the group.

And just then, the group was suddenly startled, instinctively looking up because a sudden darkness had engulfed them. A black shadow flashed across the sky, causing a strong whistling sound.

Along with that, a childish voice said, "It's really troublesome... Beautifly, use Sleep Powder."