Pokémon: Wings Of Shadow

"Hmm… a Fire-type Evolution Stone? And you want a perfect-quality one…" The black-cloaked man muttered as a faint pink glow of psychic power enveloped him, scanning through a list of related items. "An Evolution Stone, huh?"

Shiro waited patiently. Soon, the man called out, "Found it!"

With a sweep of his wide black sleeves, a swirling projection appeared: an illusion formed entirely from psychic energy, displaying the Evolution Stone in vivid detail.

"There are plenty of Evolution Stones in the company's storage, but perfect-quality ones are extremely rare." The cloaked man paused. "To be honest, this isn't something you can just buy with Pokédollars. If a Fire-type trainer were desperate enough, they might offer an unimaginable price."

Shiro understood what he meant. A perfect-quality Evolution Stone was more than just rare—it was priceless to anyone who truly needed it.

But he also knew that if it were truly impossible to obtain, the merchant would have shut him down outright. He wouldn't have wasted time talking.

So…

"What do I need to pay for it?" Shiro asked calmly, leaning forward to peer into the dark, shadowed face under the black hood.

The black-cloaked man stopped beating around the bush and said directly, "I need to ask the chairman. If he agrees, then you can have it, no matter the cost."

As soon as the words left his mouth, his body slumped. His hood and sleeves drooped as if his soul had left him.

Strong psychic waves surged and circled the ceiling, making even the green decorative plants in the corners sway slightly. After a while, the energy slowly dissipated, and the cloaked figure straightened, returning to normal.

"The chairman agreed." He spread his long sleeves and continued, "But your entire spending limit for this month will be cleared."

"Fine." Shiro nodded, satisfied.

Since he came here at the end of the month, he had planned to use up the rest of his unused allowance anyway.

As the League President, Chairman of Macro Cosmos, and even the main villain in the original story, Rose was surprisingly generous. After understanding Rose's personality, Shiro knew he wouldn't refuse. He also didn't force Shiro to empty all his Pokédollars.

He didn't even mention reducing next month's budget.

That surprised Shiro a little. But since he was working under Rose, this was basically getting a little extra benefit.

"Here. Your Fire Stone. Handle it carefully." Using psychic power, the cloaked man floated over a black iron box with red leather edges, gently pushing it toward Shiro.

Shiro opened the box. Inside lay the Evolution Stone, shining brightly with a thick amber glow. The flame patterns sealed within looked as if they were truly burning, flickering ever so slightly.

"Thanks." Shiro put the box away and stood up to leave.

"You're welcome anytime," the black market merchant's composed voice echoed faintly behind him as the door closed.

With this, the issue of Growlithe's evolution and future training was settled.

Shiro wasn't the type to wait until the last second to hunt down essential resources. He preferred to be fully prepared ahead of time. As for worrying about turning himself into a walking treasure chest because of all the resources... well, what was the point if you were already dead?

If he survived to the end, every resource would have its use.

...

Shiro walked along the red carpet under the soft beige lights, stretching lazily. He had only trained briefly in the morning. From noon until now, he had done nothing but rest, and the sudden idleness made his body itch with discomfort. He felt like he needed to work out or at least move.

Twisting his wrists, Shiro stepped into the elevator and let out a quiet sigh.

"Heh. Humans really are shameless," he muttered, carrying his bag as he exited onto the twelfth floor dormitory area.

...

Soon after, he returned to his small room.

After settling the tired Corvisquire and Gastly into their respective nests, he noticed Growlithe sitting by the bed, eyes wide and sparkling, full of energy and clearly eager to play.

Shiro scratched his head, gave Growlithe a soft pat, and casually summoned Drakloak and Dreepy.

Drakloak, who had long since grown immune to Growlithe's constant antics, lazily sprawled out on the floor, ignoring the puppy's playful hops. It was getting older now, easily bored by repetitive games.

But Dreepy was different.

It loved nothing more than tumbling around with Growlithe, burying itself in the fluffy fur and rolling about without a care.

Watching Dreepy eagerly dash over to Growlithe once again, Drakloak squinted in resignation, sighed softly, and finally joined them, reluctantly taking part in the playful chaos.

...

Meanwhile, Shiro sat quietly on his bed and opened the laptop he had purchased long ago. Due to Galar's strict internet restrictions, there were only a handful of accessible sites.

These included the Galar League's official page, Macro Cosmos company's site, an online black market, and Rose's personal page, and—

Well, none of them were particularly important.

Among the remaining options, the one that interested Shiro most, and the only one that actually had a chance of connecting to other regions, was called Professor Oak's Laboratory.

At first glance, it seemed like just the official website of Professor Samuel Oak, the legendary Kanto researcher. And technically, it was. But over time, it had become something much more.

Thanks to Oak's overwhelming reputation, seniority, and approachable personality, countless young researchers flocked to the site's discussion boards, seeking advice and sharing discoveries. Oak himself often participated. Eventually, the site evolved into the largest academic forum for Pokémon research.

Back then, the League hadn't even created an official research network, so Professor Oak simply restructured the site and turned it into a proper academic platform. As for Oak's actual laboratory, everyone knew it was located in Pallet Town—the legendary town famous for producing both trainers and researchers of exceptional talent.

"Oak's Lab... too bad it only allows academic topics and discussions. Still, it's impressive that it really connects researchers from eight regions... and it works even here in Galar," Shiro murmured, scrolling rapidly through the site.

Everything posted here had to go through a review process and was only published after being confirmed safe. Shiro wasn't sure if this was the same outside of Galar, but it made sense given the region's restrictions.

The forum allowed members to create or join topic threads, usually centered around specific research fields related to Pokémon.

Using the identity card issued by Macro Cosmos, Shiro successfully registered an account under the username Corviknight.

He wasn't planning to stay in Galar forever. More importantly, he needed to escape Rose's grip eventually. If the opportunity arose, maybe he could transfer to Kanto or another region as a "researcher" and break free from Macro Cosmos.

"Categories... Pokémon breeding, reproduction, evolution, origins..." Shiro browsed the options. "Evolution's probably the safest."

He made up his mind, ready to publish some theories and predictions.

When it came to real Pokémon breeding, he was practically clueless and usually had to ask others.

But evolution? That was different.

He was familiar with countless evolution methods, many of which hadn't even been officially discovered yet. If he started from small theories and gradually released more, perhaps even supporting them with research data and papers...

A slight smile appeared on his face.

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