Elias reached for the pokeball at the center of his belt. He clicked the button, the sphere expanding in his grip. Before the beam of light could even erupt from the ball, a gloved hand clamped down firmly over Elias's wrist.
Elias looked up, his glasses reflecting the sudden, blazing intensity in Caesar's eyes.
Caesar stepped past Elias, placing himself between the boy and the wall of black uniforms.
Ariana's eyes narrowed, her Arbok hissing as it sensed the sudden shift in the atmosphere.
"You are outnumbered here, Monarch. Don't get ahead of yourself just because you're a Pokemon Champion." She said, stepping back with a nervous, but still sharp smile.
"I never underestimated my opponent." Caesar simply replied. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a single, ultra ball. "It's a good thing I've brought a pokemon."
Caesar tossed the ball high into the night sky. The sphere pop open, and out of the light, a draconic shadow unfurled.
Noivern, the Sound Wave Pokemon (Flying/Dragon type), is known for its powerful ultrasonic blasts from its ears that can pulverize boulders and its nocturnal hunting style, attacking unaware prey in the dark where it's nearly unbeatable, though it's cautious in the light.
The digital eyes of Elias's Rotom-Comm Link blinked rapidly as the data for the Noivern scrolled across his vision. The glow from the screen was the only light in the sudden, heavy stillness that gripped the plaza.
In the center of the square, the only sounds were the low hiss of Arbok and the rhythmic hum of Noivern's wings beating against the humid night air.
"Elias." Caesar said, breaking the silence. "I'll be taking this fight. Go!"
Elias didn't argue. He turned and began to run, his boots striking the concrete with thuds. Anne was a half-step behind him, fumbling on her pokeball.
Ariana's eyes snapped towards the movement. The nervous edge of her smile sharpened into a blade of realization.
"He's running!" She turned to the grunt standing beside her, a man with a blonde hair and a pair of pokeballs ready. "You! Follow him! Don't let that brat leave the plaza."
Elias and Anne sprinted through the plaza. As they rounded the corner towards the east streets, the path forward suddenly vanished behind a wall of black.
Two dozen Team Rocket grunts had already established a blockade, their faces obscured by tactical masks. The blonde-haired grunt from the podium skidded to a halt behind them, effectively pinning Elias and Anne between two fronts.
"T-There's nowhere left for you to run!" The blonde grunt shouted, releasing a Pidgeotto. Around them, a chorus of clicks echoed as the other grunts released a swarm of Koffing, Grimer, and Houndour.
Elias hand moved, throwing Alpha Scraggy's pokeball into the air.
The red beam lanced out, and Alpha Scraggy materialized. It let out a low, vibrating growl, pulling its skin up as it prepared for battle.
But before the first command could leave Elias's lips, the temperature in the alleyway plummeted.
A sudden mist began to roll over the rooftops, cascading down the brickwork like a frozen waterfall. The grunts' pokemon, sensitive to the change, began to shiver, their breath hitching in the frigid air.
From the top of a stack of shipping crates, a figure stood silhouetted against the neon glow of the city.
Faith stepped down, her movements as precise as the last time Elias had seen her. Beside her feet, stood her Glaceon with its mouth open, releasing the chilling mist.
"I calculated you'll need a little help, Elias." She adjusted her glasses, the lenses catching the light with a detached glint.
Anne's gaze landed on her. "So that's Elias's opponent in the final round. She's way taller than me." She gritted her teeth as if irritated by her own thoughts.
The Rocket grunts, though shivering from the freezing mist, were far from deterred.
"Don't let them intimidate you! It's just two more kids!"
The air was suddenly filled with toxic projectiles and cutting winds.
But then, a blinding pillar of yellow lightning tore through the sky, striking the center of the ground between the two groups before either pokemon could make their move.
"Elias!"
A girl's voice echoed through the air.
Ellen sprinted from behind a row of parked bikes, her face flushed. On her shoulder was her Pikachu, its cheeks sparking with electrical charge.
The unexpected intervention froze the scene for a fraction of a second. The Rocket grunts, momentarily blinded by the sudden lightning strike, recoiled. The Pidgeotto squawked, circling nervously.
Ellen skidded to a halt next to Faith, giving the taller girl a quick nod before turning her fierce gaze to Elias.
"I'll help!"
Anne, caught between surprise and suspicion, shot Elias a questioning glance. He gave the slightest shake of his head. He didn't know what Ellen's angle was, but in this moment, any distraction was an asset.
"You shouldn't be here." Elias said flatly, as Alpha Scraggy took a heavy step forward to cover them.
"You're not the only who've gotten stronger." Ellen countered, her grin widening into excitement. "Pikachu, use Iron Tail!"
"Glaceon, use Blizzard!"
"Decidueye, go!"
"Scraggy, use Headbutt."
Ellen's Pikachu shot forward, its tail gleaming like steel. It smashed into the Houndour, sending it yelping back into the legs of its trainer. Glaceon's Blizzard howled down the alley, forcing the grunts to shield their faces and sent the swarm of Koffing and Grimer sliding backwards over the slickening concrete.
Anne's Decidueye materialized from its ball with a silent flourish of feathers. It nocked a spectral arrow from its wing and let it fly. The arrow didn't strike a pokemon, but shattered the light fixture above the blonde grunt's head, plunging that section of the alley into deeper shadow and causing the grunt to stumble back with a curse.
Alpha Scraggy lowered its head and charged like a bull. It plowed through the center, scattering Houndours with brutal headbutts.
"Where did you get that Alpha Scraggy, Elias? I never calculated you having an Alpha Pokemon." Faith asked, as she commanded her Glaceon for another Blizzard.
Elias didn't answer. His focus to a single point: the blonde-haired grunt. The grunt was scrambling to his feet, shouting orders, his Pidgeotto circling back to him.
"Scraggy." Elias's voice was low, cutting through the din. "Use Zen Headbutt on that Pidgeotto."
Alpha Scraggy's head snapped up, its eyes locking onto the circling Pidgeotto. Psychic aura flickered to life around its skull.
The blonde grunt's head whipped around, and saw the psychic energy gathering. His eyes, wide behind his tactical mask, darted from the charging Scraggy to his Pidgeotto.
"Pidgeotto, up! Now! Get airborne!" He shouted, his voice cracking with urgency.
Pidgeotto obeyed instantly, wings beating furiously as it shot straight up into the air. The Zen Headbutt missed by inches, the shockwave of psychic force ruffling the bird's tail feathers as it soared to safety above the rooftops.
The blonde grunt sagged for a moment, a visible, relieved sigh escaping him. It was brief, swallowed almost immediately by the tension of the ongoing battle, but Elias saw it. He saw the care in that reaction, the instinctive priority placed on the pokemon's safety. It was different to the other grunts who were heedlessly ordering their Koffing and Grimer into the choking gas.
Alpha Scraggy let out a low, frustrated growl. The psychic energy around its head sputtered and died, replaced by a hotter, simpler anger. Its eyes scanned the alley. It bent down, its fingers closing around a chunk of concrete broken loose by an earlier charge. With a grunt, it hurled the rubble skyward. The chunk sailed past the Pidgeotto, who squawked in alarm and banked away.
This only incensed Alpha Scraggy further. It grabbed another piece of debris and flung that. Then a loose brick from a nearby pallet. It began to rain a barrage of scrap towards the circling bird.
"Scraggy, stop!" Elias commanded, his voice sharp. "Focus your attention at the Houndooms instead."
Alpha Scraggy, hefting a large chunk of frozen concrete, paused. It glanced back at Elias, its expression a rage. Then, it kicked the chunk of concrete before focusing its attention at the Houndooms.
Elias's fingers closed around the familiar weight of another ball on his belt.
"Staravia, this fight is yours."
The burst of light coalesced into the familiar, sharp-eyed form of Staravia. It let out a piercing cry that cut through the noise of the alley.
Pidgeotto heard the cry and turned, its eyes locking onto the new threat. It banked sharply, abandoning its evasive circling for a more aggressive posture.
"Pidgeotto, Quick Attack!" The blonde grunt yelled.
Pidgeotto folded its wings and dove, aimed straight at Staravia's chest.
"Meet it head-on, Staravia."
Staravia beat its wings once and shot forward. The two birds collided in mid-air. They rebounded, feathers ruffled, but neither yielded.
"Now, Wing Attack!" Elias commanded.
Staravia's wings glowed with a sharp white light as it swept them forward in a powerful arc. Pidgeotto countered, creating a turbulent pocket of air that deflected the worst of the blow but sent it spinning slightly off-course.
"Use Steel Wing!" The blonde grunt shouted.
"Use Aerial Ace, Staravia." Elias commanded.
Pidgeotto's Steel Wing swept through empty space.
Staravia vanished from its position and reappeared behind Pidgeotto. Its wing connected with the junction of Pidgeotto's neck and shoulder.
Pidgeotto let out a choked squawk. Its wings went limp, the metallic sheen fading instantly. Its eyes rolled back, and it plummeted from the sky in a spiraling drop.
Pidgeotto hit the frozen concrete of the alley, landing in a heap of ruffled feathers.
The blonde grunt's shout of "PIDGEOTTO!" was pure horror.
Staravia landed lightly on a nearby fire escape. It let out a short, crisp cry, and the fight was over.
The silence after Staravia's victory was thick, but it lasted only a breath. The blonde grunt's anguished voice was still hanging in the air when a new sound tore through the alley.
A shadow, massive and canine, dropped from the rooftops above with its fist pulled back, aimed at the kneeling blonde grunt and his unconscious Pidgeotto.
It was a Granbull, its normally droopy face twisted into a snarl of pure malice, its tiny eyes fixed on its target with murderous intent.
The blonde grunt looked up, his eyes widening in terror, too stunned to even move.
BAM!!
Alpha Scraggy crossed its arms above its head, and took the full force of the punch on its forearms and skull. The impact drove it down, its boots skidding backwards, carving twin grooves in the icy ground. Then, with a furious grunt, Alpha Scraggy shoved, throwing its weight forward and upwards.
Granbull, surprised by the sudden, immovable resistance, was thrown off balance. Its punch spent, it used the momentum to backflip away, landing with surprising lightness on a low rooftop across the alley.
On that rooftop, a man straightened up from a crouch. He wore a black Rocket uniform, the top of his teal hair covered in black flat hat. A cold, amused smirk played on his lips.
"Tch. Interfering mutt." The man said, his voice dripping with disdain. "I was just cleaning up useless baggage."
He looked past the snarling Alpha Scraggy, past the stunned blonde grunt, and his eyes landed directly on Elias.
"Anyway, you're my target. Don't disappoint me."
Anne's breath hitched. The color drained from her face, her earlier irritation completely replaced by a cold expression.
"That's Proton, Elias." She whispered. "He's a Rocket Admin. He's more cruel than Archer."
Faith's usual analytical composure cracked. Her glasses slipped slightly down her nose as her head snapped towards the rooftop. Her Glaceon, sensing its trainer's sudden spike of tension, let out a low, warning growl, its back arching.
Ellen's grin vanished, replaced by wide-eyed fear. She took an involuntary step back, her Pikachu scurrying to hide behind her legs, its sparking cheeks dimming.
Anne tepped forward, placing herself firmly beside Elias. Her Decidueye glided silently to stand before them. Its eyes sharp and unblinking, locked on Proton.
Alpha Scraggy turned its glare from Granbull to Proton. It took a deliberate step to stand directly at Elias's other side, its scaled shoulders squared.
Elias adjusted his glasses, the lenses reflecting the distant neon and the looming figure on the rooftop.
On the rooftop, Proton's smirk widened, delighted by the reaction. He cracked his knuckles, the sound sharp in the tense silence.
"Good." He purred. "You understand the stakes. Makes this more interesting than just squashing a bug."