The chase ended in a dead-end alley, a grimy canyon of brick and concrete. The only light came from a flickering bulb over a rusted fire escape, casting long, dancing shadows. Mr. Kim spun around, trapped. His back hit the cold, damp wall with a soft thud.
From the rooftop overlooking the alley, Eliana watched with a detached curiosity. This was the city's true engine at work. Not commerce or innovation, but this quiet, brutal culling of the weak and the foolish.
Three figures detached themselves from the darkness at the alley's entrance. They wore black uniforms with a large red "R" in the middle of the shirt, but these seemed different from the regular grunts she'd researched before. Their posture was tighter, their movements more precise, and their uniforms seemed sharper. One of them, a woman with a sharp, angular haircut, stepped forward.
"Mr. Kim," she said, her voice a cold, flat blade. "You've made a mess."
"Please, Head Grunt Sandra," he stammered, holding up his hands. "I can fix it, it was an accident!"
Head Grunt, what position is that? Eliana thought confused, Lower than Executives but higher than regular ones?
"Accidents have consequences," the woman replied, not unsympathetically, but with the detached finality of a surgeon discussing an amputation. "You know what our policies on failures are Mr. Kim."
From the rooftop overlooking the alley, Eliana snickered softly. It truly was like watching a movie, only she could interfere if she truly wanted too. Eliana wouldn't be doing that though, it'd ruin the show.
"Please, I can explain, let me explain!" Mr. Kim begged, "It's not what it looks like!"
Head Grunt Sandra stepped closer to the cowering man, "Giovanni want your excuses, he wants results and you failed to deliver."
She motioned to the two grunts behind her, who raised their PokéBalls. Both held cold looks on their faces, Eliana assumed that the Sandra was the leader of the group.
"No!" Mr. Kim turned tailed and ran deeper into the alleyway.
Sandra sighed in annoyance, "I hate when they run, after him!"
The two grunts started to chase after Mr. Kim with Sandra walked calmly behind them. Meanwhile, on the rooftop, Eliana's smile vanished as she saw Raichu start to charge up. This was the perfect opportunity to watch and she didn't want her Pokémon to ruin it.
Raichu didn't need to be told twice as she stopped the Thunderbolt from forming. Eliana followed behind the small group below and Raichu was right behind her.
The grunts cornered Mr. Kim at the base of a brick wall, a dead-end within a dead-end. He whimpered, pressing himself against the rough bricks as if he could sink through them. The two grunts, a lanky man and a burly woman, released their Pokémon. A Zubat, screeching and fluttering, and a Raticate, its teeth bared in a permanent, vicious snarl.
"Please... I have a family..." he whimpered, the words a meaningless, desperate prayer.
"We know, another team have already been sent after them." Sandra cruelly told Mr. Kim.
Mr. Kim paled substantially, "You gave me your word that my family would be spared."
"You're family would've been spared if you hadn't told them you were working with us." Sandra informed that crying man.
"Yeah, you're the reason their dead!" The male grunt cackled.
"Quiet grunt," Sandra snapped at the male grunt who sobered up quickly, a small grimace on his face, "All lose ends must be tied up, finish him."
They moved with practiced efficiency, flanking the terrified executive. It wasn't a battle; it was an execution. And Mr. Kim's cries were abruptly cut off into a loud gurgle, the Raticate had brutally tore into his neck with his large teeth.
Raichu chittered irritably, she had wanted to finish the man off herself. She was a much better executioner than that lousy rat, she could smash that thing into the ground right now.
Raichu's ears twitched and she was still fleeing but not as heavily as before, telling Eliana she wanted more.
Raichu chittered softly, ears flat down before giving a sulky nod. She wasn't happy about the number but three were better than nothing.
From the shadows of a nearby fire escape, Sandra watched Mr. Kim's lifeless body slump to the ground, her arms crossed. She was the manager, overseeing the project. She hadn't even bothered to send her own Pokémon.
"Deal with the body and hurry it up, we're already behind schedule." She snapped at the two lost grunts.
Eliana's gaze drifted from the sulking Raichu to the scene below. She wondered how these guys would get rid of the body. Would they cut him up and hide him in the walls? Or maybe they had someone to dissolve the body? How did criminal organizations do stuff like this?
"If you don't make it to the pick up point in time you'll be left behind," Sandra said, turning on her heel. Her job here was done.
The two grunts were left to their grim task.The burly woman nudged the corpse with the toe of her boot. "The sewers?" she asked her partner.
"The sewers," he confirmed with a sigh. "Grab his legs. Try not to get any blood on my boots."
Eliana watched as they unceremoniously hoisted the body, a neckless, useless sack of meat. They headed toward a large, circular drainage gate set into the alley floor, one of the many access points to the city's underbelly.
Raichu's sulking vanished instantly, replaced by a predatory glee, A big attack?
As the grunts struggled with the heavy iron grate, Raichu focused. An unseen flash of blue light glowed from the heavy gear beneath them. Slamming the iron grate up and almost hitting the two grunts in the face.
The female scowled at her companion, "Watch it, you almost took my face off!"
The male gave her a fierce glare, "That wasn't my fault you big Primeape, you pulled to hard!"
"It was your idea to hide him in the grate, I think letting Raticate eat him would've been fine!"
Raichu giggled telepathically, she loved stirring up trouble.
They slipped away into the night, leaving the grunts to their squabbling and their grim task.
…
Back in her room at the PokéCenter, the city's muffled roar was a comforting blanket. Eliana released Staryu and Kirlia. Raichu hopped onto her bed, looking pleased with herself. Eliana gave her a scratch behind the ears.
Raichu have a protesting squeak as she heard that. Jumping up to lean against Eliana's chest.
Raichu happily chittered and settled back down on the bed as Staryu floated over to the window and stared out at the city lights. Kirlia stood beside Eliana, a silent, watchful presence.
She went to sleep that night with a small smile on her face. Saffron City was proving to be far more interesting than she had anticipated.