"Heh, two more little toys—perfect, you can all keep each other company."
Even though the Totem Swellow's size was nothing short of intimidating, Eck wasn't overly concerned when he saw the newcomers were just a boy and a girl.
Having spent years operating in the Hoenn region, Eck had a keen sense of who was dangerous and who wasn't.
And Rex didn't fall into the category of people he feared. So even though the Swellow he rode was abnormally large, Eck had no intention of giving up his target and fleeing.
"Lord Eck, no need to get your hands dirty. Let us take care of them!"
Just as Eck was about to send out Swampert, one of the bulky men beside him spoke up eagerly.
"Fine. Don't embarrass the Hunter Guild."
Eck didn't mind letting them go first—he was curious to gauge Rex's strength.
"Go, Nidoking!"
"Go, Ursaring!"
As core enforcers of the Hunter Guild, the two men had confidence in their power. Unless they were facing freaks like Eck, they didn't hesitate to show their violent side.
"Go, Gyarados!"
Rex had no interest in wasting time. He released Gyarados immediately.
Ever since achieving Mega Evolution, Gyarados's growth—once plateaued—had picked up rapidly. Its base strength now even surpassed Milotic's.
"Nidoking, Megahorn!"
"Ursaring, use Hyper Beam!"
Intimidated by Gyarados's sheer presence, the two men barked orders in frustration and rage.
"Gyarados, Dragon Tail!"
Rex didn't tell Gyarados to dodge. He chose to meet the attacks head-on.
Gyarados's Dragon Tail collided with Nidoking's Megahorn, smashing through the horn and sending Nidoking flying straight toward Ursaring.
At that exact moment, Ursaring's Hyper Beam blasted out—and struck Nidoking midair.
Hit by both friend and foe, Nidoking screamed and collapsed, knocked out instantly.
Without missing a beat, Gyarados turned and fired a Hydro Pump at Ursaring, who was still recovering from the beam's recoil.
The force of the water sent Ursaring flying into a nearby tree. The impact shook the entire trunk, dislodging a storm of leaves that buried it.
Dazed and reeling, Ursaring tried to stagger back up—but Gyarados didn't give it the chance. A follow-up Hyper Beam knocked it out cold.
"Ursaring, get up!"
"Nidoking, come on, wake up!"
Panic overtook the two henchmen as they shouted uselessly at their defeated Pokémon.
"Useless trash! Fall back!"
Eck, furious at how quickly they'd lost, snapped at them.
Terrified by his anger, the men recalled their Pokémon and stepped back in silence.
"Didn't expect you to have this kind of strength. Fine—you can have your two friends back. Let's just call it even."
Eck, now aware of Gyarados's power, didn't want to keep dragging this out. His goal had always been Zorua; Yui and Karen had only been collateral.
"Call it even? After what you did to my friends, you think you can just walk away?"
Rex glanced at the two unconscious girls on the ground. There was no way he'd let this slide.
"Fine then. Swampert, you're up!"
Eck didn't seem surprised. He hadn't expected to talk his way out anyway—he just didn't want to waste more energy than necessary.
"If you want a fight, you'll get one. I'll make sure all of you end up in the Guild's cages together."
He released Swampert and gave Rex a cold, malicious stare.
"You'd better hope that confidence holds."
Rex replied, his voice laced with scorn.
"Swampert, Rock Slide!"
Eck's fury erupted. He launched the first strike.
Swampert was Eck's first partner Pokémon, and he had poured nearly all of his resources into its development. While he trained other Pokémon too, none came close in terms of attention or power.
And Swampert had never let him down. Most of Eck's reputation in the underworld had been built on its strength.
"Gyarados, Protect!"
The falling boulders summoned by Rock Slide slammed toward Gyarados, but a shimmering shield enveloped it, blocking the attack completely.
Gyarados and Swampert were both known for raw, overwhelming offense. The moment they clashed, the battlefield trembled.
The ground cracked beneath their feet, and nearby trees snapped from the sheer force of their battle.
Rex's heart began to race—Yui and Karen were still badly hurt. He didn't want this dragging on.
"Gyarados, Mega Evolve!"
Rex made his move, determined to end it with overwhelming power.
"Damn it!"
Eck's face twisted. The moment he saw Gyarados enter Mega form, he knew he was in serious trouble.
He didn't have a Swampertite, so he couldn't Mega Evolve his own Pokémon. But he'd been in the underworld long enough to know that Mega Evolution brought a massive power spike.
Now it was too late to regret.
Mega Gyarados's aura dwarfed its previous state. What had been an even match turned one-sided. Swampert could no longer keep up.
"Stop! Or I'll kill them!"
Desperate, Eck pulled a knife and pressed it to Yui's throat, his face contorting with fury.
"Gengar. You're up."
Rex didn't flinch. He calmly glanced at Eck—then spoke to the shadow behind him.
"Gege!"
Eck's shadow rippled—and out of it emerged a grinning Gengar, eyes glowing with menace. It used Psychic to paralyze Eck, freezing him in place.
Rex had planted Gengar during the earlier battle, hiding it in Eck's shadow in case things got out of hand. Gengar had recently evolved from Haunter through a link trade arranged with Professor Birch.
"You bastard!"
Eck cursed, unable to move.
Seeing Eck defeated, the two henchmen exchanged a glance—and bolted for their jeep, desperate to flee this nightmare.
(End of Chapter)