"Damn it! How is that thing running so fast?" An angry voice echoed through the area.
Sieg immediately realized someone was likely pursuing the Phanpy, so instead of leaving, he remained hidden to observe from the shadows.
Sure enough, moments later, a pale, short man came running up, gasping for breath. Beside him slithered a large purple serpent, its forked tongue flicking out menacingly.
An Arbok!
The moment Arbok's crimson eyes spotted the Phanpy, they lit up with predatory excitement. It reared up and spat countless tiny poison needles from its gaping maw.
With its head held high, the snake's narrow eyes gleamed with cold-blooded hunger. The terrifying pattern on its hood was fully displayed, absolutely chilling to behold.
"Arbok, use Poison Tail!"
At the pale man's command, Arbok shot forward like a spring-loaded weapon. Its sharp tail gathered purple energy and lashed toward the Phanpy in one swift motion.
"Heh, never thought I'd encounter such a rare Johto Pokémon here. This should fetch quite a price."
The pale man slowly picked up the Pokéball containing the captured Phanpy, a satisfied smirk spreading across his face.
Just as the man prepared to leave, his eyes suddenly flashed with a blue-pink light. He paused mid-step and called out with a cold laugh, "Come out. What's the point of all this hiding?"
After he spoke, the surroundings fell completely silent.
Hidden behind a boulder, Sieg heard the challenge and felt his heart racing, unsure whether the man had actually detected his surveillance or was simply bluffing.
The pale man chuckled softly as blue-pink energy began emanating from his body, lifting him into the air.
Sieg's pupils contracted sharply as one word flashed through his mind: "Psychic."
"No wonder he found me. He's a psychic."
Seeing the man's amused gaze fixed on his hiding spot, Sieg decided there was no point in continuing the charade. With a grim expression, he stepped out from behind the boulder.
The pale man pulled a spoon from his pocket, gripping it tightly as if channeling energy through it.
Simultaneously, he released another Pokémon.
It had long, pointed ears and a red five-pointed star on its forehead. Its face resembled a fox, with a narrow snout and two tufts of fur that looked like whiskers.
The Psi Pokémon, Kadabra.
Abra's evolved form.
Sieg immediately shifted into his battle stance, drawing his dagger while releasing all his Pokémon.
However, when the floating pale man saw Sieg's Pokémon, he suddenly froze.
"Interesting. Team Aqua?"
Upon seeing Crawdaunt and Sharpedo, those unmistakable signature Pokémon of Team Aqua, the man instinctively jumped to this conclusion.
The thought of Team Rocket's infiltration into the Hoenn region and their dealings with these two organizations filled him with apprehension.
Team Rocket's main operations were in Kanto and Johto, but in recent years they had established branches in other regions and supported various local underground organizations.
In the Hoenn region, two incredibly powerful organizations had emerged seemingly out of nowhere. Their advance scouts had already gathered intelligence on both groups' capabilities.
"If I capture this one, I might be able to extract some valuable secrets." As a psychic, the man possessed the ability to read minds, similar to the Pokémon ability Telepathy.
"Kadabra, Psybeam!"
"Arbok, Poison Fang!"
Through telepathic communication, the man instantly commanded both Pokémon to attack. This instantaneous information transfer provided a massive advantage in battle.
Before Sieg could even react, the attacks were already speeding toward him, and they were aimed directly at Sieg himself!
This opponent was clearly an expert in real combat!
"Protect!"
Sieg shouted the command a beat too late, but when he saw the pink glow in his opponent's eyes, he immediately understood the situation.
A green protective barrier formed just in time to shield Sieg from the dangerous assault. Without time to feel relief at his narrow escape, he quickly counterattacked.
"Crawdaunt, use Sucker Punch! Sharpedo, hit him directly with Aqua Jet!"
Sieg's extensive battle experience allowed him to respond swiftly, making tactical decisions in mere fragments of a second.
Crawdaunt charged forward to engage Arbok in close combat. The reason he didn't target Kadabra was simple, the psychic's Teleport was too fast to pin down.
Sharpedo's Speed Boost ability activated, and its body became wrapped in rushing water as it shot forward like a cannonball.
The churning wake it left behind caused Sieg's coat to flutter in the wind.
Sharpedo opened its massive jaws, intent on swallowing the floating man in one gulp.
But the pale psychic showed no panic whatsoever, in fact, a mocking smile crossed his lips.
Just as Sharpedo was about to reach him, the man's body glowed with pink light and vanished from the spot.
When he reappeared, he was at a safe distance.
Sieg's heart sank. "Teleport!?"
The psychic's lips curved into a barely perceptible smile, as if silently mocking his opponent. His loose robes billowed despite the lack of wind.
Sieg repeatedly ordered Sharpedo to pursue, but the psychic easily evaded each attack with well-timed Teleports.
"Murkrow, use Tailwind for support! Umbreon, hit Kadabra with Shadow Ball!" Though surprised, Sieg's combat experience allowed him to continue commanding effectively.
At the very least, he had the advantage in numbers, and his Dark-types had a decisive advantage against the opponent's Psychic-types.
"Arbok, use Glare."
This time the psychic gave his command aloud instead of using the pink glow of telepathy.
At the same time, a pink orb suddenly appeared in his hand.
Sieg immediately recognized it as one of Spoink's pink pearls. As expected, psychics always carried such treasures, either for training purposes or to restore their depleted psychic energy.
Seeing that his opponent wasn't using the signature psychic technique of telepathy, Sieg guessed the man's psychic power was nearly exhausted.
The previous Teleports might have looked impressive, but they consumed enormous amounts of energy.
After all, psychics weren't omnipotent. Their psychic power was like a mana bar in a video game, it could be restored, but it could also run dry.
"Umbreon, take the hit directly! Everyone else, close your eyes immediately!" Sieg commanded relaxed.
The psychic seemed to realize Sieg's strategy and hastily tried to recall his command through telepathy, but the pink glow in his eyes flickered for only an instant before disappearing. His face grew even paler.
Arbok revealed the terrifying pattern on its hood. When Umbreon looked directly at it, sparks of electricity began crackling around its body.
Paralysis status.
Sieg smiled slightly, while the psychic realized his tactical error. His already pale complexion turned even more sickly.
Just as expected, the paralysis instantly spread to both Kadabra and Arbok through Umbreon's Synchronize ability.
The entire battle situation reversed in an instant.
With all four Pokémon, except for Umbreon, who stayed by Sieg's side as a guard, charging forward in relentless pursuit, the psychic saw that his defeat was inevitable. He pulled out two Luxury Balls to recall his Pokémon and prepared to flee.