Pokémon: Wings Of Shadow

Rose understood Oleana's concerns; she simply wanted to keep such a valuable research achievement within the company.

Galar was different from other regions. In places like Kanto, Johto, Sinnoh, and Hoenn, the League held immense influence, uniting the Pokémon research community into a vast, interconnected network where researchers freely shared knowledge.

But in Galar, research was tightly controlled by Macro Cosmos. Their research advancements, including all findings related to Dynamax, remained separate from the League's. Unlike other regions, Galar had never shared its discoveries with the rest of the world.

On Oak's Laboratory, a prestigious academic platform, Galarian researchers were few and far between. And those who were present had published little of real value.

"It's not like his paper goes against company interests. Just let him publish it," Rose said, leaning back comfortably. "This Shiro is quite talented. I have a good eye for people; he might end up being as valuable as Leon."

Oleana remained silent for a moment before nodding. Gathering the documents, she turned to leave.

"Oleana." Rose's voice stopped her at the door. "Make sure you get some rest."

She glanced back at him, slouched over his desk, before giving another brief nod and shutting the door behind her.

Left alone, Rose propped his elbow on the table, absently twirling a strand of hair between his fingers.

"Interesting," he muttered to himself.

...

"Grow! Grow!"

Growlithe barked excitedly, leaping over a bush and bounding into a patch of vibrant flowers.

Its fluffy, cream-colored mane bounced with each step, while Dreepy, clinging to its back, chirped in delight as if riding a roller coaster.

"Dree~!"

Jogging behind them, Shiro called out, "Growlithe, slow down—"

But before he could finish, Growlithe wiggled its butt playfully, darted around a flowering bush, and disappeared into the garden's foliage.

Shiro sighed and started searching. Letting a dog run off-leash was exhausting.

Pushing aside a tangle of vines, he finally spotted Growlithe rolling happily in the grass, basking in the warm sunlight with Dreepy. They both looked completely content.

"Hmm..." Shiro unconsciously slowed his steps and wandered onto the sunlit grassy field, taking a seat.

He lifted his gaze. Not far away was Macro Cosmos' open-air training grounds.

A jet-black shadow flickered across the field, and along with it, the short figure of Allister appeared in his line of sight.

"That Pokémon..." Shiro narrowed his eyes, focusing. Within the shifting darkness, he recognized the shape—Haunter. Its strength was at the Advanced level.

As a Ghost-type specialist, it made sense for Allister to have such an iconic Pokémon.

Haunter drifted like a mass of black mist, circling Allister before vanishing into the shadows once more.

Shiro stood up, observing the training method.

He wasn't particularly skilled at training Gastly. His usual approach was simple—having it repeatedly use moves until they became second nature. It was crude, and honestly, boring. Which was probably why Gastly had lost interest.

Not every Pokémon was like his Corvisquire, who had endured blood and hardship from a young age and developed an almost obsessive dedication to training.

Unlike his rigid methods, Allister's Haunter didn't seem to be focusing on any specific move. Instead, it kept manipulating ghostly energy to create shadows, then using them to wrap itself and move through the darkness.

"What's the point of that?" Shiro muttered, trying to make sense of the technique.

While he was deep in thought, a raspy voice suddenly came from beside him.

"Ghost-type moves rely on the mastery of ghost energy. Pokémon like Haunter, which are highly dependent on this energy, are even more so. As long as it improves its control, training becomes much more efficient."

"Hmm?" Shiro turned his head in surprise.

An elderly man with a round face and short hair was sitting on the grass in front of Growlithe. Just moments ago, the pup had been rolling around happily; now, it was curled up behind the old man, visibly frightened.

'When did this old guy get behind me?'

Before Shiro could figure it out, the man asked, "Kid, you don't recognize me?"

Shiro was momentarily stunned. He hesitated before cautiously replying, "I'm sorry, but... may I ask who you are?"

"Heh!" The old man abruptly stood up, then reached back to brush off the grass clinging to his black pants. After checking that no more remained, he finally answered, "Who do you think got you that Exp. Candy for your Pokémon? Only know that ugly old hag, don't you?"

"Uh..." Shiro suddenly recalled something.

The A5 Squad, which Granny Shae was part of, was made up of two Elite-level trainers. This old man in front of him seemed to be the other one, but he had no idea what his name was.

Just as Shiro was struggling with how to respond, the old man snorted and said, "Call me Grandpa Edgar. Got it?"

"…Grandpa Edgar," Shiro repeated hesitantly.

A satisfied smile spread across the old man's face. Then, without missing a beat, he started discussing the training of Ghost-type Pokémon again.

Through their conversation, Shiro learned that Edgar specialized in Ghost-types, and that Allister was actually his student.

Apparently, Edgar often watched Allister train near the outdoor grounds, occasionally offering guidance when needed.

Not long after, Allister, who had noticed Shiro, recalled his Pokémon and walked over.

"...Teacher," he called out softly, but Edgar, who was caught up in his conversation with Shiro, didn't seem to hear him.

The old man clearly enjoyed boasting. Aside from learning about Ghost-type training, Shiro also heard countless stories about how Edgar had once fought the former Champion for three hundred rounds and only lost by the narrowest margin.

Shiro's head was starting to hurt. It was then that he noticed Allister standing silently beside them, wearing his usual white mask, completely ignored.

"Ahem." Shiro cleared his throat. "Grandpa Edgar, I think Allister has something to discuss with you."

He had already figured out how to train Gastly and didn't want to waste any more time here.

Edgar froze for a moment before finally noticing Allister, who was standing silently beside him with his head lowered. The old man immediately started nagging.

"Hey! How many times have I told you to take off that mask? Just because we train Ghost-types doesn't mean we have to act like ghosts ourselves! Do you know that brooding like this shortens your lifespan? You could've lived to a hundred, but now it'll only be ninety-nine..."

As Edgar launched into a full-blown lecture, Shiro quickly retrieved Growlithe and slipped away, making his way back to the headquarters.

After passing through the lobby and stepping into the elevator, he finally let out a sigh of relief.

He had no interest in wasting time with that old man. Now that he understood how to train Gastly, he needed to get back and test it out immediately.

It was around five o'clock. That meant he still had about an hour to experiment.

Ding!

The elevator reached the twelfth floor.

As soon as the doors opened, Shiro nearly bumped straight into Marvin.

**

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