The ground bucked beneath Riku's sworn brother and the first mate as heavy footsteps closed in from every direction. Before either man could finish recalling his Pokémon, several walls of rock burst from the earth and rose directly into the paths of the Poké Balls' red retrieval beams.
Riku's brother swore and shifted sideways, desperately searching for another angle. He had managed to recall Tyranitar before the walls went up, prioritizing it because it was both his strongest partner and a pseudo-Legendary, but Swampert and Gyarados were still stranded on the battlefield. The first mate had the same problem with his own Gyarados.
Their clean escape was gone.
Before Riku's brother could try again, lightning split the night.
Electivire stood beyond the advancing Rhydon herd, electricity surging around its body as several bolts of Thunder tore toward the exposed Pokémon. Swampert immediately stepped in front of the two Gyarados. With its Ground typing, it was the only one of the three that could safely take an Electric attack of that scale.
Then Riku's brother saw the Trainer standing behind the Rhydon.
"Reiji…"
The hatred that flashed across his face was almost immediately replaced by disbelief. Four Elite Four-tier Hyper Beams had erased the campsite, yet Reiji stood there without so much as a frightened expression, watching him with the calm attention of someone who already knew the fight was over.
Nothing about the situation made sense. The wild Pidgeot had attacked his side instead of Reiji, and now the Rhydon were deliberately blocking the retrieval beams. Had Reiji somehow gotten both ruling clans on his side?
Slowbro suddenly sent a sharp psychic warning through their link, cutting off his thoughts.
Only then did Riku's brother properly register what surrounded them.
Three Elite Four-tier Pidgeot circled overhead. The Rhydon leader and its two strongest companions were closing in from the ground, with several more powerful members of the herd behind them. Poliwrath stood near Reiji with its muscles tensed, while Electivire crackled with electricity beside it.
Including Reiji's Pokémon and the island's rulers, Slowbro could sense at least eight or nine Elite Four-tier presences nearby.
Riku's brother went pale. "How the hell are there this many?"
The answer no longer mattered. They were surrounded.
Slowbro suddenly shuddered.
Something else was approaching through the darkness.
It couldn't clearly identify the threat, but the danger it sensed was enough. Rather than wait for another order, Slowbro grabbed Riku's brother by the arm and activated the Teleport it had already been preparing.
"Wait—"
Psychic light twisted around them, and both disappeared.
The sudden pull nearly tore the Poké Balls from Riku's brother's hand. He managed to keep hold of Tyranitar's, but the two empty balls meant for Swampert and Gyarados slipped from his fingers as he vanished.
Poliwrath reacted immediately.
It sprang forward, caught both Poké Balls before they hit the ground, and tossed them toward the shadows behind it. Gengar emerged just far enough for its red eyes to catch the light, stopped the balls in midair with telekinesis, then opened its mouth and swallowed both.
That hadn't been Gengar's original job.
While the Rhydon blocked the retrieval beams, Gengar had been creeping toward Slowbro through the shadows, hoping to trap it with Mean Look before it could Teleport. Unfortunately, Slowbro sensed the danger before Gengar could get close enough.
Reiji couldn't blame it. Sneaking up on an Elite Four-tier Psychic-type was difficult even for Gengar. It had learned that lesson beneath Gringey City, where underestimating Alakazam's psychic senses had nearly gotten it dragged straight out of the shadows.
Still, Riku's brother had paid dearly for escaping.
Reiji glanced toward the abandoned Swampert and Gyarados, then gave the order.
"Poliwrath, Electivire, Gengar—join in. Hit them hard, but keep them alive."
He had expected Riku's brother to hesitate over abandoning two Elite Four-tier partners he had spent years raising. Instead, the man had chosen his own life almost instantly and left both behind.
Reiji had underestimated just how quickly self-preservation could outweigh a Trainer's attachment to his Pokémon.
Not that he was complaining. Two Elite Four-tier Pokémon were a respectable consolation prize for getting attacked in his sleep.
While the battle resumed behind him, Reiji surveyed what remained of the clearing. The Hyper Beams had torn open the ground, shattered trees, and stripped away a large section of vegetation. Looking at the crater, he felt almost more offended by the destruction of the island than by the assassination attempt itself.
"What a waste."
Tomorrow, he could have the Rhydon fill the crater. After that, he would find the local Oddish and pay them in Pokéblocks to help restore the grass and vegetation.
Someone had to clean up this mess.
The first mate stared at the place where Riku's brother had vanished, his expression slowly shifting from disbelief to fury.
"That cowardly bastard…"
The man he had trusted had Teleported away without him.
For years, Riku's brother had presented himself as someone who honored his word and looked after the people under him. Faced with death, all of that had vanished in an instant. He had taken Slowbro and Tyranitar and fled without even attempting to bring the first mate along.
"You son of a bitch," the first mate muttered, his voice shaking. "You actually left me here."
Behind him, the battle was already turning into a rout. Swampert and the two Gyarados were being attacked from every direction by nearly twice as many Elite Four-tier opponents. Even when they managed to block one attack, another came from above or struck from the flank.
The first mate knew exactly how this ended.
Then wings beat overhead.
A Pelipper descended into the clearing with the second mate on its back. He landed near the first mate and immediately looked around.
"Where's the captain? Did you finish Reiji?"
The first mate gave him a hollow laugh.
For a moment, he almost felt grateful that the idiot had come back for them. At least one person in their group still seemed to remember the meaning of loyalty.
Then he realized the second mate simply hadn't understood the situation yet.
"What are you doing back here?"
The second mate frowned. "What do you mean? Cissy got away. I saw Slowking Teleport her off the beach, so she could already be heading back to Mikan Gym for help. I came to tell you we need to finish this and get out before her father shows up."
The first mate looked toward the battlefield.
"Captain already got out."
"What?"
"He ran." A bitter smile crossed the first mate's face. "Took Slowbro and left me here."
The second mate stared at him, then turned toward the fight.
Only then did he notice Swampert.
Riku's brother's Swampert was still there, along with the Gyarados he had abandoned and the first mate's own Gyarados. All three were covered in wounds and barely holding their ground beneath attacks from Reiji's Pokémon and the wild rulers of Fairchild Island.
The second mate's eyes widened. "Why is Captain's Swampert still here?"
He had been gone for only a few minutes. Somehow, in that tiny window, the entire operation had collapsed.
The first mate lowered himself onto the ground. His Flying-type Pokémon was injured, Pidgeot controlled the sky, and Rhydon had closed every path along the ground.
"Use your eyes."
The second mate finally did.
Three Elite Four-tier Pidgeot circled patiently overhead. Around the clearing, dozens of Rhydon formed a wall of bodies, while Reiji's Pokémon systematically dismantled what remained of their team.
"Then why are we still standing here? We can get out!"
The second mate jumped onto Pelipper.
The Pokémon had barely beaten its wings twice when a dark shape rose from its own shadow. Gengar struck both wings in rapid succession, and the sound of bone giving way was followed by Pelipper's cry as it dropped back to the ground with its rider.
The second mate rolled across the dirt, scrambled upright, and reached for another Poké Ball.
"Fine! I've got another Flying-type!"
He released it and tried again.
Gengar simply repeated the trick.
The second Pokémon never gained enough altitude to escape. Gengar slipped beneath it through the darkness and struck its wings before it could build speed, sending both Pokémon and Trainer crashing back into the clearing.
The first mate watched the second failed escape with exhausted amusement.
So that was another part of Reiji's team they had never discovered: a Gengar that could disappear into shadows and attack without warning.
Riku's brother hadn't been the only one hiding cards.
The first mate laughed, the sound becoming increasingly unsteady. "Give it up. We're dead. Captain left us here to die."
"Shut up!"
The second mate refused to believe it. He had followed Riku's brother for years and obeyed him without question. Accepting that the man had abandoned them was harder than accepting the battlefield in front of him.
"Maybe he went for reinforcements. If we can hide until he comes back, we still have a chance."
He looked toward the forest.
The sky was sealed and the clearing was surrounded, but the trees offered darkness and cover. If he could get deep enough into the jungle, perhaps he could disappear until help arrived.
He ran.
The first mate didn't bother stopping him.
"You idiot!" he shouted after him, laughing harder. "He left right in front of me! He's not coming back!"
The second mate disappeared among the trees while the first mate's laughter followed him through the darkness.
Behind them, the battle was almost over.
Swampert fell first. One Gyarados followed soon after, then the other. With all three Elite Four-tier Pokémon unconscious in the ruined clearing, the surrounding Pokémon finally stopped attacking.
Spinarak crawled up beside the first mate while he was still laughing and began wrapping him in silk. He made no attempt to resist. By the time the webbing had bound his arms and legs, he had already closed his eyes.
He was finished.
The second mate lasted a little longer.
His determination to escape carried him deep enough into the forest that he managed to get himself lost. In desperation, he released Tentacruel to defend himself, but Gengar and Poliwrath dealt with it quickly. Poliwrath then knocked the second mate unconscious and dragged him back to the clearing, where Spinarak wrapped him in silk beside the first mate.
With the fighting over, Reiji finally began collecting everything the attackers had left behind.
Swampert and Gyarados from Riku's brother. Another Gyarados from the first mate. Tentacruel from the second mate.
Four Elite Four-tier Pokémon.
He recalled each one into a Poké Ball, then checked their panels with some anticipation. Four captures from one failed assassination attempt felt a little like opening four expensive mystery boxes.
The excitement didn't last.
Their potential was mediocre, and most had only recently crossed into Elite Four tier. The Swampert Riku's brother had abandoned was somewhat better than the others, but even that wasn't enough to impress Reiji after the Pokémon he had raised himself.
He opened the first Gyarados panel.
[Gyarados — First Mate]
[Type: Water/Flying]
[Gender: Male]
[Potential: 66%]
[Level: 61.01%]
[Ability: …]
Reiji moved on to Tentacruel.
[Tentacruel — Second Mate]
[Type: Water/Poison]
[Gender: Female]
[Potential: 62%]
[Level: 60.11%]
[Ability: …]
He stared at the numbers for a moment.
Four Elite Four-tier Pokémon were still four Elite Four-tier Pokémon, but as mystery boxes went, these were disappointing.
[End of chapter]
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