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Following the directions Mr. Leon had given him, Nova worked his way through the desert carefully, clearing out the Trapinch lying in ambush along the route. It was slow going, but he reached the colony's core territory without any major trouble.
He knew he was close when Corvisquire, circling on watch overhead, was attacked by a Vibrava.
Wild Pokémon are territorial by nature. Even members of the same species divide hunting grounds among themselves based on strength, with weaker individuals pushed further from the centre. The Trapinch Nova had dealt with near the graveyard and along the path were almost certainly the colony's lower-ranked members — pushed out to the edges because they could not hold ground near the middle.
Vibrava is the evolved form of Trapinch, reached only when a Trapinch hits level 35. That alone made it a rare sight in the wild. Evolution at that level required not just time but sustained battle experience and strong base vitality. For a Pokémon living under the effects of malicious drugs — compounds that ate into a Pokémon's life force and long-term potential — reaching that point was nearly impossible. The fact that this individual had managed it was a clear sign of exceptional underlying strength.
A Vibrava in the territory meant Nova had reached, or was very close to, the colony's centre.
Vibrava need a much wider hunting range than Trapinch do. Their partially formed wings need constant use to develop, and their digestive system demands a large intake of dissolved prey every day to support that growth. In a healthy ecosystem with enough prey to go around, a colony would naturally spread outward over time, with stronger individuals claiming territory and weaker ones moving further afield until they eventually split into separate groups.
But the Trapinch here could not do that. The malicious drugs had a hold on them. They could not stray too far, and their food supply had already run dry. The closer Nova got to the core area, the clearer the evidence became — several empty Trapinch shells lay scattered across the sand, the remains of individuals that had been preyed upon by others in the colony.
For Nova, who cared deeply about Pokémon, it was a deeply unpleasant sight.
Cannibalism was essentially unheard of among wild Pokémon. For a naturally docile species like Trapinch to be driven to this point — by Taylor, by those drugs — was the kind of thing that made Nova's anger sit like a stone in his chest. No punishment would feel like enough.
The food-starved Vibrava had been below the sand when it spotted Corvisquire gliding into its territory. It wasted no time. It launched itself out of the pit and into the air, opening with Earth Power the moment the two were within range. Clumps of compressed Ground-type energy pelted Corvisquire from below.
Every single one missed its mark. Corvisquire was completely unaffected.
Ground-type moves have no effect on Flying-type Pokémon. It was basic type knowledge — the kind of thing any Trainer learned early. But wild Pokémon did not have the benefit of a Trainer's guidance. Outside of a few naturally sharp-minded Pokémon like Corvisquire, most wild Pokémon fought on instinct alone. They used whatever move felt right in the moment, with no consideration for the opponent's type or ability. Matching up moves to targets, reading the field, making tactical calls — that was exactly what a Trainer was there for.
Corvisquire did not wait for an opening. It turned and launched an Air Slash in reply.
Air Slash carries a base power of 75 and a thirty percent chance of causing the opponent to flinch. This time, Corvisquire got lucky — the secondary effect triggered. The Vibrava, already running hot from the malicious drugs, was caught off guard by the sharp blade of wind that cut through the air. For a moment, it froze up entirely, unable to follow through with another move.
That gave Nova exactly the window he needed.
For the current Corvisquire, this Vibrava was a serious opponent and a valuable one. Both were first-stage evolutions, and Corvisquire held a slight edge in base stats and typing. But the Vibrava had a significant lead in level — well over ten levels ahead. If Corvisquire could win here, the experience gained from overcoming that gap would be worth more than a dozen easier fights.
And Corvisquire's greatest asset was having a Trainer watching its back.
Nova had already seen what he needed to see. Corvisquire's Air Slash had triggered the flinch. The next turn, the Vibrava could not move. The window was right there.
"Corvisquire — Brave Bird!"
Blue Flying-type energy began gathering around Corvisquire, building fast. By the time the Vibrava shook off the flinch and tried to respond, Corvisquire had already transformed into a blazing streak of light and was coming in hard.
The Vibrava had nowhere to go. It vibrated its wings in a panic and fired off a Bug Buzz — a desperate attempt to stop the incoming strike.
It did not work.
Bug Buzz has a base power of 90, and sound-based moves cannot be dodged. But Corvisquire resisted Bug Buzz twice over thanks to its typing, and it barrelled straight through without slowing down. The Rook Pokémon was built to rule the sky. The buzzing of an insect was not going to stop it.
Brave Bird hit at a base power of 140, boosted further by Same-Type Attack Bonus. The level gap that had been so daunting a moment ago became almost irrelevant. The Vibrava was sent crashing to the ground, smoke rising from its body, like something shot clean out of the air.
The move landed as a critical hit on top of everything else, and the flinch triggered a second time.
Two flinches in a single battle, a critical hit, and a massive power gap — the Vibrava had no path back from that.
It hit the sand hard and immediately tried to use Dig to flee. That Flying-type was wrong. No matter what it had tried, the attacks had bounced off entirely, and then one move had nearly put it down for good. Survival instinct took over.
Nova was not going to let it disappear underground. He called the order at once.
Corvisquire folded into a dive — fast, direct, beak leading — like a missile dropping straight onto a marked target.
Peck.
The sharp beak connected cleanly with the Vibrava's head. That final strike was all it took. The Vibrava went still, completely unable to battle.
A clean, convincing win.
Nova had no way to treat Pokémon this badly affected by malicious drugs out in the field, and he did not have enough Poké Balls on hand to capture them all and transport them back to the city. The best he could do was follow the same approach he had used earlier — carefully bury the unconscious ones beneath the sand and leave them there for League staff to recover once backup arrived.
He finished covering the Vibrava and was about to move on when the wind picked up.
Sand lifted from the ground in curtains, thickening fast. Within moments, visibility had dropped sharply. Corvisquire could no longer hold position in the air and came down to land beside Nova.
Nova crouched low, pulling his collar up against the grit.
Then, through the haze of yellow sand and howling wind, a shadow passed directly overhead.
Something large.