"Boom!"
The loud explosion in the distance startled everyone present.
Jacob turned his head toward the sound, a flicker of alarm rising in his chest. Was that coming from the direction of the Grass Insect Secret Realm?
Damn it! That's my family's treasury!
Had God's Coffin really sent people to raid the Grass Insect Secret Realm?
Cutting off someone's fortune was like killing their parents. God's Coffin really wasn't human.
Even though it pained him deeply, Jacob knew this wasn't the moment to dwell on it. Right now, dealing with the three enemies standing before him mattered far more.
Iron Valiant's twin blades gleamed crimson as it activated Sacred Sword. The strike, carrying tremendous force under the moonlight, crashed into Skarmory's shimmering barrier.
The full-power slash tore through the light shield wrapped around Skarmory and continued on to strike its body.
Fortunately, the barrier raised by Protect had absorbed most of the impact; otherwise, Skarmory would have taken serious damage.
At the same moment, attacks from the other Pokémon closed in.
Deoxys arrived first, its entire form cloaked in surging purple Psychic energy, streaking through the air like a comet straight toward Iron Valiant.
"Espeon, use Helping Hand on Moltres."
From the other side came the voice of Priest-4, instructing his Espeon to bolster Galarian Moltres with Helping Hand.
Helping Hand was a Normal-type status move, all but useless in a one-on-one battle but devastating in a double battle. Used on an ally, it raised the power of their very next move.
Normal-type energy rippled out from Espeon and flowed into Galarian Moltres, priming it to strike with greater force.
"Moltres, use Hurricane!" Huxley, seeing the opening, immediately called out the order for Galarian Moltres to unleash its powerful Hurricane.
At the same time, he turned to his other Pokémon. "Salamence, use Dual Wingbeat!"
Galarian Moltres began gathering ferocious Flying-type energy, and in an instant, violent winds tore through the clearing.
Nearby trees snapped clean in half as the hurricane ripped them from the ground, dragging them into the swirling storm before hurling the whole mass toward Iron Valiant.
The sheer power of the attack made Jacob's expression harden as he watched Salamence and Deoxys close the distance.
He gave his own order without hesitation. "Iron Valiant, use Protect!"
"Deoxys, forget Iron Valiant — go grab Jacob!" Priest-4 reacted the instant he heard Jacob's voice, almost as if he had been waiting for Iron Valiant to use Protect all along.
His plan was to use Deoxys's speed to slip past Iron Valiant and seize Jacob directly during the brief window while Iron Valiant was locked into its defensive move.
Their true goal from the start had never been to defeat Iron Valiant — it had been to capture Jacob. Once Jacob was in their hands, what did it matter how strong his Pokémon were?
Hearing Priest-4's words, Jacob's chest tightened, and his mind raced to find a way out.
He could either call off Iron Valiant's Protect and have it defend directly, or send out another Pokémon to intercept the attack.
The trouble was, most of the Pokémon in his party had once belonged to Giovanni. Using them now risked exposing exactly who he was.
What could he do?
Then, in a flash of clarity, Jacob thought of one Pokémon he could use — a powerful ally he hadn't shown to almost anyone.
Gyarados!
The Shiny Gyarados he had caught at the Dragon Spiral Tower!
Since capturing it, Jacob had only ever revealed this Shiny Gyarados to one person — Edwin of the Paradise Group.
And Edwin had already staked everything on Giovanni and Team Rocket. There was no chance he would expose Jacob's identity now.
Using the Shiny Gyarados to turn the tide was, without question, his best option.
"Go, Gyarados! Block Deoxys!"
At Jacob's call, a crimson shape burst into the air. A furious roar echoed out as the massive Gyarados appeared between Deoxys and its target, halting the attack in its tracks.
"A Shiny Gyarados?!"
"He has another Champion-level Pokémon?!"
Priest-4 and Huxley's expressions shifted from shock, to fury, and finally to grim resignation.
A single Quasi-Master-level Iron Valiant had already caught them off guard — and now Jacob had revealed a second Pokémon at Champion level.
There was no way. Was this really just a trainer preparing for the Gym Leader League?
These two Pokémon alone could probably go toe-to-toe with a Champion.
Was this guy honestly only twenty years old?
"Things have changed. We're pulling out." The moment Huxley saw the crimson Gyarados appear, he knew the operation had already failed. Without hesitation, he called for a retreat. "There's no way we're bringing Jacob down tonight. If you still want to keep fighting, that's your call, but I'm leaving. Come back, Salamence."
At Huxley's words, a flicker of frustration crossed Priest-4's face, but he had no better option.
He had already exhausted every trick he had. The only card left in his hand was Latios, disguised as a Priest-4 Reserve — but even bringing it out now wouldn't be enough to take Jacob down.
Iron Valiant alone was strong enough to hold off an army by itself. If the fight dragged on and Iron Valiant broke free to join the battle in full, there would be no escaping it.
"Let's go." Priest-4's voice was heavy with reluctance as he finally gave the order. "Retreat!"
He recalled most of his Pokémon, climbed onto Skarmory, and vanished into the night alongside Huxley.
Jacob watched the three of them go but chose not to give chase. His family was still hiding in the basement, and above everything else, he needed to make sure they were safe. Acting rashly now wasn't worth the risk.
As for the Grass Insect Secret Realm, there was nothing he could do about that for the moment.
Money mattered, but it mattered far less than his family.
. . . . . . . . . . .
Once the three had fully retreated, Jacob recalled Gyarados and made his way back to the basement with Iron Valiant at his side.
Everyone below had heard the sounds of battle raging outside and had been sick with worry, unable to do anything but wait.
The strongest Pokémon among them were only at Heavenly King level — nowhere near enough to make a difference out there. If anything, going out to help would only have put Jacob at greater risk.
The basement door swung open from the outside, and Jacob's figure appeared in the doorway.
"Jacob!"
Seeing him safe, everyone in the room let out a breath of relief.
Julia rushed straight to him, checking him over carefully for any sign of injury. If Jacob's parents hadn't been standing right there, she likely would have thrown herself into his arms without a second thought.