A wild Bewear that had grown to Gym-level—its strength and potential were definitely exceptional.
Not to mention, the corpse of Hunter G's Noivern was still lying nearby.
The body of a Dragon-type Pokémon was an extremely valuable resource.
Although Shiro's backpack had plenty of space, it couldn't force in objects larger than the size of the opening. He'd have to cut the Noivern into smaller pieces.
He hadn't had time to deal with it before, so he left the body there. Now that he was back, he could decide whether to slice it up or cook it on the spot.
As he thought about it, the entire Stony Wilderness began to tremble and shake. It felt like some terrifying creature was about to burst up from the ground. Even the trees shivered, their shadows trembling like frightened animals.
But none of that affected Corviknight flying through the sky.
Calm-faced, the steel bird flew at full speed. By chaining Tailwind and Quick Attack for acceleration, it took barely a minute to reach the grassy slope from before.
The moment Shiro arrived, he spotted Bewear standing still in the center of the slope.
Its pink-and-black body stood out starkly in the green grass.
It hadn't moved an inch since Haunter left. It had stayed in the same upright position, looking up at the sky, patiently waiting.
Seeing this, Haunter came out of its Poké Ball on its own. With teary eyes, it rushed toward Bewear on the ground. It had never expected that someone it'd just met not long ago would actually wait for it this long.
"Beweaaar!"
Bewear slowly stretched its arms wide from afar.
"Haaaunter!"
Haunter opened its claws just as wide and pounced forward.
The big bear caught its only true friend in a firm hug. Then, without hesitation, it turned and charged at the boundary of the Dynamax Den.
It could feel that some horrifying Pokémon at the center of the Stony Wilderness had awakened. With the added strength of Dynamax energy, it was far beyond anything they could handle.
Boom!
Right before Shiro's stunned eyes, Bewear's shoulder broke through the red mist and slammed against a pale red barrier.
The strength of this barrier was clearly far greater than the previous light-pink one. It had been enhanced by continuously absorbing Dynamax energy.
'But why... why was this happening? Those devices were destroyed. How was the barrier still here in the newly reformed den?'
Corviknight was still flying five meters off the ground when Shiro jumped down on his own. He stumbled a few steps across the grass, then rushed to the edge of the space.
He reached out and touched the barrier. There was no doubt about it. It was the same one.
Shiro suddenly remembered Hunter G's final roar before he died.
All of them will die here... and the Unown will stay buried in the Stony Wilderness.
It made sense now. If no one could get out of the den, and if that terrifying Dynamax Pokémon couldn't be defeated, then after enough back-and-forth battles, everyone would die. The mission those hunters came for would vanish with them.
Like it never happened at all.
Shiro kept his hand pressed against the barrier. In his mind, he saw the faces of every person he'd come across inside the Dynamax Den.
Renji. Hunter G. Dalton. Felix. The regular hunters...
Some of them probably knew how to disable the barrier. But if Hunter G's final words were right, then that method had likely already become useless, because all four devices had been destroyed.
The two hunters who stayed behind without fleeing had done so with the intention of operating the devices. Their goal was to establish a connection between the barrier, the Pokémon buried beneath, and the entire Dynamax space... They stayed on that low hill fully prepared to die for it.
"Damn it..." Shiro retraced every step from the start of the battle until now, feeling a pang of regret. He should've found a way to catch a Psychic-type Pokémon earlier. If he had, maybe he wouldn't be helpless now—unable to hypnotize, unable to extract any information...
'No!'
Shiro quickly collected himself and turned to look at Corviknight hovering midair, and then at Bewear, still crashing into the barrier with Haunter in its arms.
If what Hunter G said was true, then the one who set up the suppression must be unimaginably powerful. Even if he had caught a Psychic-type Pokémon, it would've only reached the Advanced-level at best by now, still far from enough to break this kind of seal.
This wasn't the time to dwell on regret or excuses. He had to get a clear grasp of the situation, solve the problem, and find a way to escape the den!
"Bewear!" Shiro shouted.
The Pokémon, who had been relentlessly ramming into the barrier, turned around with a confused look. It recognized this person as Haunter's good friend, but it had never hugged him, so they weren't exactly close.
"Bewear..." Shiro pulled out a Poké Ball. "Do you want to stay with Haunter forever? We can become companions. If you go inside this Poké Ball..."
As he spoke, the Pokémon opened its arms.
Shiro tightened his grip on the Poké Ball. He had expected this. To become Bewear's friend, he had to pass the hug test.
In the anime, even Team Rocket trio had to endure the bear's hug to earn its trust and protection.
But Bewear's strength was terrifying. Even a simple hug, though not full force, could be overwhelming for an ordinary human. There were even records of its trainers having their spines broken during embraces.
Shiro had carefully observed Bewear's hugging strength after seeing how Haunter handled it. That fragile little thing, who feared pain and exhaustion, could endure it without even ghosting out. Clearly, the Pokémon had incredible control. Even regular people could barely handle it.
And Shiro's body had undergone extensive training. Plus, he'd once been granted strength by Zamazenta. He should be able to bear it...
Still, better safe than sorry.
Facing Bewear, he took a deep breath and opened his arms. At the same time, he whispered quickly to Drakloak in his shadow:
"Drakloak, go into ghost form and wrap around me. If you sense that Bewear's grip is too much for me, help pry its arms apart..."
Hearing this, the Pokémon emerged from the shadow and gave a solemn nod.
Feeling that familiar cold aura of Ghost-type energy surrounding him, Shiro relaxed and took a bold step forward.
Bewear stood still. When he reached it, it gently closed its arms around him in a firm embrace.
Hiss...
Shiro hugged it back and realized that it wasn't using much strength at all. It seemed afraid of hurting him—its arms simply rested lightly around him.
Bewear's black-and-pink fur was thick and soft, like the finest feathers or a cloud bed. Shiro couldn't help but want to bury his face in it.
Lifting his head slightly, he looked at the Pokémon's pink face, white muzzle, and black nose, then smiled.
"Thank you, Bewear."
A moment later, a red beam of light flashed from his hand, and Bewear was drawn into the Poké Ball.
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