Satoshi narrowed his eyes at the two grunts as they unclipped their Poké Balls from their belts, their smirks widening like they already had the upper hand.
Without drawing attention to himself, he shifted his vision slightly, focusing inward—a subtle command to his status panel ability.
'...Come on, give me short but useful information, and show me what their Pokémon levels are.'
In an instant, the familiar blue translucent panel flickered to life in his field of view, overlaying the gritty alley scene with crisp data.
It was visible only to him, a private heads-up display pulling key combat intel.
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[Status Panel Initialized: "Summary" For combat info - Activated]
┃Species: Houndour #228
┃Level: 19
┃Ability: Flash Fire
— Moveset —
› Incinerate [Fire | Special]
› Bite [Dark | Physical]
› Howl [Normal | Status | Attack-Buff]
┃Species: Croagunk #453
┃Level: 20
┃Ability: Poison Touch (Hidden Ability)
— Moveset —
› Poison Sting [Poison | Physical]
› Sucker Punch [Dark | Physical | Priority-move]
› Taunt [Dark | Status]
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Satoshi exhaled through his nose, shutting the panel away with a mental flick, the overlay dissolving like mist. He stood there, hands loose at his sides, visor casting a shadow over his calculating gaze.
"Level nineteen and twenty, huh? Damn… and one of them even has a hidden ability." His tone was flat, laced with dry annoyance rather than awe—he wasn't impressed, just mildly irritated, like facing a rigged game after a long day.
"Really unfair." he muttered under his breath, rolling his shoulders to loosen up, "considering I just fought a bear not long ago…"
The two grunts stepped forward in sync, their boots scraping against the alley's cracked pavement. They threw their Poké Balls with sharp, practiced flicks, the spheres arcing through the dim light before bursting open in twin flashes of red energy.
"Go, Houndour! Use Howl!" the first grunt barked, his voice echoing off the walls.
"Teach that arrogant guy a lesson with Sucker Punch, Croagunk!" the second snarled, pointing dramatically at Satoshi.
Houndour stayed rooted in place, its dark fur rippling as it threw back its head and let out a piercing, resonant howl that echoed through the narrow alley.
The sound waves seemed to pulse with energy, boosting the team's physical attack by one stage—its muscles visibly tensing, eyes gleaming with heightened ferocity.
Croagunk, meanwhile, moved in a blur of blinking steps, its lithe form darting forward with priority speed, fist cocked back for a fast Sucker Punch aimed straight at Zigzagoon's unsuspecting side.
"Zigzagoon, use Sand Attack!"
Satoshi's command came immediately, without a shred of hesitation, his voice cutting through the tension like a blade.
Zigzagoon swiped its tail through the pavement with frantic urgency, scattering a gritty cloud of dust and debris that exploded outward like a improvised smokescreen.
The sand disrupted Croagunk's momentum mid-lunge, stinging its eyes and throwing off its aim—the frog Pokémon tripped over its own feet, crashing to the ground in a heap, temporarily blinded and sputtering curses in croaks.
"What the—?!" The Croagunk's trainer's eyes widened in surprise, his smug grin faltering.
"Now jump over it!" Satoshi seized the split-second opening, his mind racing ahead as he continued the command seamlessly.
Croagunk, momentarily blinded, rubbed furiously at its eyes with one arm, trying to clear the grit, only to flail and fall face-first to the ground again as Zigzagoon leapt high over the frog Pokémon's head, its small body twisting mid-air with surprising agility.
"Use Pin Missile! Snipe it at Houndour!" Satoshi ordered, his voice steady but urgent.
Mid-air, Zigzagoon looked momentarily confused by the "snipe" directive but executed anyway, not knowing exactly what it meant—instinct taking over.
This time, the Pin Missile erupted from its tail instead of its back, launching in a straight, blinding speed like a barrage from a sniper's nest. The needles whistled through the air, multiple shots honed into a precise, piercing volley aimed dead at Houndour.
The Houndour's trainer was no amateur, his reflexes kicking in with a sharp curse.
"Damn it, quick—use Incinerate! Burn it all!"
Houndour opened its maw wide, flames gathering in a swirling vortex before unleashing a wave of scorching fire—Incinerate roaring outward like a furnace blast.
The Pin Missiles collided head-on with the flames in a violent explosion, sparks and embers flying as the attacks neutralized each other in a billowing dust cloud. The impact's shockwave blew Zigzagoon off balance, sending it tumbling backward through the air, landing hard on the ground with a pained skid.
Then...
In that ash-laden remnant of the blast, Houndour burst out of the smoke like a shadow from hell, its eyes locked on Zigzagoon with predatory hunger.
The grunt commanded with a triumphant sneer, "Use Bite! Don't gave it a damn inch to breathe!"
Houndour's jaws generated another layer of white energy, shaping into ethereal fangs that gleamed wickedly as it lunged forward, closing the distance in a feral bound.
Satoshi yelled, clenching his teeth against the rising tension, "Quick, dodge!"
Zigzagoon twisted its body mid-recovery, desperately trying to evade—but the Bite landed with crunching force.
Houndour's jaws clamped down on the little Pokémon's side, sending it staggering back with a yelp of pain, fur ruffled and body shaking from the impact.
Before Zigzagoon could regain its composure, shaking off the daze, Croagunk appeared in a flash right in front of its vision—its eyes cleared just enough to show a malicious glint in them.
"Don't forget, my Croagunk's still here! Now Poison Sting!" the grunt shouted, his command laced with glee.
The frog Pokémon swiftly jabbed its arm forward, poison-tipped fingers glowing as it struck Zigzagoon squarely in the chest, the impact blasting the raccoon backward toward Satoshi before he could even react.
"Zigzagoon!" Satoshi lunged instinctively, catching the little raccoon in his arms—putting himself in the process as its spiky fur pricked his skin like a bed of needles, drawing tiny beads of blood. He winced but held firm, the pain sharpening his focus amid the chaos.
The grunts burst into mocking laughter, the sound echoing harshly off the alley walls like jagged knives scraping concrete, their Houndour and Croagunk flanking them with smug stances.The grunt with Houndour crossed his arms smugly, his sneer twisting into a full-blown grin as he eyed Satoshi like a predator sizing up easy prey.
"Hah! Look at this guy—thinking his common, weak little Zigzagoon could compete against two real Pokémon? Pathetic!" He threw his head back, his laugh deepening into a guttural bark that made Bonnie flinch behind the other grunt's grip.
"That trash raccoon couldn't even handle a wild Rattata, let alone us. What, did you pick it up off the street thinking it'd make you a hero? News flash, man—you're out of your league. Way out. Might as well hand over the girl and save yourself the embarrassment before we really turn up the heat and make this hurt."
The tension hung heavy, the alley feeling smaller, more claustrophobic, as if the walls themselves were closing in, daring Satoshi to make his next move.
Even the Croagunk taunted mockingly at Zigzagoon, its cheeks inflating with a raspy croak that sounded like derisive laughter, eyes gleaming with smug satisfaction as it loomed over the fallen raccoon despite being a distant away.
Satoshi remained quiet for a beat, his expression unreadable beneath the shadow of his visor—then he let out a sigh, his face twisting into one of pure annoyance, like dealing with persistent pests.
"I knew it." he muttered, the words hanging in the air with quiet certainty.
The statement caught both grunts off guard, their sneers faltering into confused blinks, while Bonnie, still pressed against the wall, looked up with wide-eyed worry, her small hands clenched at her sides—not understanding but sensing a shift in the alley's tense atmosphere.
He lowered Zigzagoon from his arms to the ground gently, his movements careful after confirming with a quick glance that the Pokémon could still continue despite the poison coursing through its veins and the critical injuries racking its body.
Satoshi estimated its health to be around 17% or 16%—a hair's breadth from fainting, every shallow breath a testament to its grit.
"You think I would let my partner be in such a disadvantage?" Satoshi said, his voice steady and laced with a hint of challenge as he straightened up, ignoring the prickling pain from Zigzagoon's spikes fading from his arms.
Zigzagoon slowly pushed itself up on all four legs, wobbling at first but steadying with a devilish grin spreading across its muzzle—the opposite of Satoshi's calm irritation, its eyes sparkling with feral excitement, teeth bared in anticipation.
The display completely confused the grunts, their Pokémon pausing mid-stance as uncertainty rippled through them; even Bonnie tilted her head slightly, not knowing what was happening but feeling the air thicken with unspoken promise.
"You're still just a grunt in my view." Satoshi continued, pointing a finger directly at his own eye before tilting his head in a mocking gesture, his grin sharp and condescending.
"The useless no life grunt that have nothing to do but harass people. After'all I beat you guys a lot in the past."
[ [Quick Feet] 50% Speed Boost: Have now been triggered by "Poison" (Activate) ]
[ [HP: 16.7%] Base Power: 20 of "Flail" Have now been drastically increase to Base Power: 20>100 ]
'Both Zigzagoon's speed and strength were greatly boosted by his natural ability. And since Flail is an attack move that doesn't have a fixated form.'
Satoshi thought, his mind racing ahead like a strategist plotting checkmate. 'Then, that means...'
"Zigzagoon, curl up and start spinning rapidly." Satoshi commanded, his tone precise and unhurried.
Without a second thought, Zigzagoon jumped slightly and followed through—curling into a tight ball, its body compacting like a coiled spring before it began spinning forward while staying in place, the motion building momentum with a low whir that echoed off the alley walls.
"What the hell is that dude doing?" one grunt questioned the other, his voice laced with baffled expression.
Zigzagoon's spinning form resembled a certain hedgehog from a game Satoshi used to play, its body curled tight into a compact ball that blurred with motion, the brown and white fur whipping around in a rapid whirl that built up energy right there on the cracked pavement of the alley.
The Pokémon kept spinning faster and faster in one fixated position, its small paws tucked in close to its body while the rotation picked up speed, the low whir from earlier turning into a steady hum that vibrated through the ground and made small pebbles rattle nearby.
The grunts exchanged uneasy glance, their earlier mockery fading into visible confusion as they watched the spinning raccoon Pokémon hold its spot without advancing, its form a dizzying streak that seemed pointless at first glance.
"What's this supposed to be, some kind of joke?" the Houndour's trainer muttered under his breath, shifting his weight from one foot to the other as he narrowed his eyes at the display, his hand hovering near his Poké Ball in case things turned unpredictable.
The other grunt tightened his grip on Bonnie's arm, pulling her a step back instinctively, his Croagunk tilting its head with a low, questioning croak that echoed the uncertainty in the air.
"Yeah, like that's gonna scare us," he added with a forced scoff, though his voice carried a hint of hesitation now, his eyes flicking between Zigzagoon and Satoshi as if trying to figure out the trick.
Satoshi stood there unmoving, his posture relaxed but alert, watching the buildup with a calm focus that contrasted the grunts' growing unease.
"Now, use Flail." Satoshi commanded, crossing his arms over his chest as the visor on his head cast a deeper shadow over his eyes, hiding any flicker of expression while he kept his gaze locked on the spinning Pokémon.
Suddenly, Zigzagoon, while still spinning, repelled itself in a burst of speed, launching forward from its fixed position like a released spring, its curled body shooting across the alley in a straight path that left a zipping line of brown and white color trailing behind it in the dim light.
The trainer of Croagunk shouted a command in a panic, "What the hell?! Croagunk Dodge—!!" his voice breaking through the alley's tense air as he saw the spinning Zigzagoon launch forward.
Too late.
The frog Pokémon was blasted right beside a meter inch from heading the grunt instead, the impact from Zigzagoon's spinning form hitting Croagunk square in the side with a heavy thud that sent it flying off course, its body twisting uncontrollably through the air before slamming into the wall behind the grunt.
This left him absolutely stunned as he turned around slowly to saw his Pokémon was instantly fainted from that one attack.
Now fully embedded into the wall and unconscious, its limbs limp and eyes closed, small cracks spreading out from the point of impact on the brick surface where it had struck with enough force to leave an indent.
The other one that's still holding Bonnie let go of her instinctively to give out an alarming order to his Houndour, his hand releasing her arm as he stepped forward, his face pale and beads of sweat rolling down his forehead and cheeks while he raised his voice in a rush.
Sweating profusely he yelled out.
"H-houndour! Stop whatever it's doing with incinera—!!"
The grunt paused itself in shock as he stared at the Zigzagoon spinning rapidly and ricocheting against the tight alley wall was striking the Houndour from multiple directions.
The raccoon Pokémon bouncing off one wall with a quick push of its curled body, then slamming into Houndour's flank with a sharp collision that made the dog Pokémon stagger to the side, only for Zigzagoon to rebound off the opposite wall and hit again from behind, each strike landing with a solid thump against Houndour's body, the spiky fur scraping and pushing through any attempt to brace.
The impacts coming too fast from left, right, and above as the alley's narrow space turned the bounces into a series of rapid, unavoidable hits.
Houndour was unable to endure it due to its rough spiky fur and strong impact, its paws scrambling to turn and face each new angle but always a step behind, the spikes digging in with each contact and forcing it to yelp as it tried to snap back, only to get struck again on the shoulder, then the leg, the repeated blows wearing it down until it couldn't keep its footing.
Houndour fainted from the sheer number from all directions, its body collapsing onto the pavement with a final whine, eyes rolling back as it lay still, chest heaving faintly but no longer able to stand.
"Stop." Satoshi said, his voice calm and direct as he uncrossed his arms, watching the scene unfold without moving from his spot.
The Zigzagoon spread its form back to normal landing on four legs, uncurling from the ball shape mid-bounce and dropping down with a light thud, its paws spreading out for balance as it shook out its fur, breathing heavily but standing firm.
Now the two Pokémon was absolutely obliterated, both Croagunk stuck in the wall and Houndour sprawled on the ground, neither showing any sign of getting back up, their trainers standing frozen in the aftermath.
But...
On top of the roof there's a shadowy Pokémon that's been eyeing the battle this whole time, its form silhouetted against the dim sky, watching silently from the edge without making a sound.
*
To be continued...
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