Chapter 17: Wings of Evolution, Blade of Destiny
Ralts took the lead, guiding the group through the lingering fog. As they advanced, the hazy outline of the stairway came into view—but something was wrong. A swirling mass of red fog formed in front of them, thickening with each heartbeat. The air turned heavy as the mist condensed, morphing into a grotesque shape.
From the crimson cloud emerged a massive, pulsating blob of flesh—over ten meters tall. A pig-like head jutted grotesquely from one of its arms, and it held a giant tree trunk like a club. Its beady eyes locked onto Drake's group with murderous intent.
[ORC LORD – LVL 60]
Drake cracked his knuckles. "This one's gonna be fun."
"Gible, let's start strong—Draco Meteor!"
The small dragon stepped forward, mouth glowing with unstable power. A glowing sphere of draconic energy shot upward before exploding above the Orc Lord. Moments later, a rain of blazing meteors came crashing down, bombarding the beast.
"Pidgeotto, Staravia—Gust! Ralts, hold it in place with Psychic!"
The combined wind and psychic pressure locked the Orc Lord in place, its limbs straining as invisible force pinned it down.
"Monferno, go!"
The Fire-type let out a primal cry, spinning into a blazing wheel and smashing into the boss. Flames engulfed its grotesque form. Drake followed right behind, magic crackling in his hands.
"Take this!" He slammed both palms into the Orc Lord's chest—unleashing a devastating Thunderbolt directly through his arms.
Electricity surged through the monster, and with a final, strangled roar, it crumbled into dust.
Before Drake could celebrate, two blinding flashes of light erupted behind him.
He spun around. "What the—?!"
Pidgeotto and Staravia were enveloped in radiant white energy. As the light faded, two magnificent forms emerged—Pidgeot and Staraptor, towering and majestic.
They circled Drake triumphantly before landing beside him, smug and proud.
"You guys… I'm proud of you. Look how strong you've become." He patted their heads as they nuzzled him.
As the celebration died down, Drake failed to notice the way Ralts, Gible, and even Monferno glanced at the newly evolved birds with jealousy simmering in their eyes.
Later, resting at the stairway, Drake brought up his system notifications:
[CONGRATULATIONS – ORC LORD (LVL 60) DEFEATED]Reward: Multiverse Weapon Ticket x1
User Level Up: 30Pidgeotto ➝ Pidgeot (Lv. 30)Staravia ➝ Staraptor (Lv. 30)Monferno ➝ Lv. 27Gible ➝ Lv. 15Ralts ➝ Lv. 14
[User Evolution Available – Silverback]Initiate Evolution? [Y/N]
Drake grinned. "Finally hit level 30. System, evolve me."
[EVOLUTION INITIATING…]
A silver light engulfed his body. He grew in size, muscles bulging, arms and legs thickening. His skin was soon replaced by sleek white fur, with a silver streak running down the middle.
When the light faded, Drake stood tall—a powerful, white-furred Silverback monster. His new form radiated primal strength.
Monferno jumped around excitedly. "Mon! Monferno!" He seemed thrilled that Drake now looked more like him.
Drake flexed his arms, adjusted his stance, then pulled up his updated status.
STATUSName: DrakeRace: SilverbackLevel: 30STR: 56AGI: 79MAG: 11CHRM: 0
Pokémon Team:
Staraptor (Lv. 30)
Pidgeot (Lv. 30)
Monferno (Lv. 27)
Gible (Lv. 15)
Ralts (Lv. 14)
A final notification blinked into view.
[MULTIVERSE WEAPON LOTTERY – INITIATE?]
"Yes. Give me something good this time."
A massive wheel appeared, larger than even the Pokémon one. He hit start.
The wheel spun violently before stopping on a deep purple section.
[CONGRATULATIONS. YOU HAVE RECEIVED: SUPREME GRADE SWORD – YORU]
From his inventory, Drake withdrew the weapon.
It was a massive black-bladed sword, cruciform in design. The curved, single-edged blade radiated dark energy—it seemed to absorb the light around it.
"Now this is a real sword," he whispered. "No more rusty junk."
Back in the foggy 10th floor, Drake gave orders with a new edge in his voice.
"Pidgeot, Staraptor—patrol the skies, eliminate any avian threats.Gible—Dig. Locate enemies using ground vibrations.Ralts—you're my eyes. Direct us through the fog.Monferno—cover our rear."
The team moved into action with precision.
Drake and the rest advanced on foot. Soon, three Silverbacks lunged out from the mist. Drake didn't flinch.
He swung Yoru.
A dark wave of energy exploded from the blade, cleaving two Silverbacks in half with a single swing.
"What… was that?" he muttered, stunned. "I love this sword."
The third Silverback barely had time to react before Drake appeared beside it in a blur, slicing it in half. "Too easy."
As he gathered their crystals, Ralts suddenly tugged at his ear and pointed urgently.
"What's wrong?" Drake asked, narrowing his eyes.
Distant shouts echoed through the fog. A group was running toward him—humans.
"—Seriously? An infant dragon? How unlucky can we be?"
"Yeah, and those two and that white-haired guy pissed it off."
Drake's eyes widened. White-haired guy...? No way— "Bell?"
He turned to Ralts. "Can you locate three humans and a monster in the direction they came from?"
Ralts nodded and pointed. Drake sprinted ahead.
In moments, the chaos came into view—a massive, dragon-like monster spewed fire at three humans, who scrambled to survive.
Two were familiar.
"Bell-sama! What do we do about this overgrown lizard?!" Lily shouted.
"Don't worry, Lily! I'll protect you!" Bell replied, breathless.
The third figure shouted, "Protect her how?! We're sitting ducks!"
Then, out of nowhere, a massive white-furred Silverback wielding a towering black sword appeared beside the dragon. With one clean swing, he sliced off its head.
The beast disintegrated into ash.
The group turned, trembling.
The Silverback stepped forward, glowing red eyes locking on Bell.
Then, with a low, guttural voice that sent chills down their spines, it spoke.
"How are you, my first friend… Bell?"
A/N Enjoy the chapter 🤪🤪