The moment I recalled Persian, a deep sense of frustration settled in my chest.
He had fought brilliantly.
Far beyond what anyone could have expected from a Pokémon that had literally evolved in the middle of battle.
Yet the gap in strength between us and the Orange-ranked Typhlosion remained too large.
The giant Fire-type stood amidst the scorched battlefield, its chest rising and falling heavily. It had accumulated numerous minor injuries from the combined efforts of Charmeleon, Persian, Prinplup, and Totodile, but none of them were serious enough to slow it down significantly.
Its bloodshot eyes swept across the battlefield.
Then settled on Prinplup.
Without Persian's speed and Charmeleon's frontline presence, Prinplup had become the greatest threat in Typhlosion's eyes.
The giant Fire-type lowered its body.
Heat gathered around it once more.
"Prinplup, move!" Apoorv shouted.
Typhlosion exploded forward.
The ground shattered beneath its feet as another Flame Charge carried it directly toward Prinplup.
For a split second, it seemed impossible to stop.
Then—
A sharp whistle echoed across the battlefield.
It came from Aakash.
The battle raging in the skies had reached peak.
The violent clashes above suddenly intensified.
A powerful shockwave rolled through the clouds.
Then something came falling from the heavens.
A massive figure burst through the canopy.
Branches exploded apart.
Leaves scattered in every direction.
A bloodied Fearow crashed into the ground between Typhlosion and Prinplup with enough force to leave a crater several meters wide.
The impact shook the battlefield.
For the briefest moment, everyone froze.
Fearow's body twitched weakly.
Its feathers were torn.
Blood stained its plumage.
One wing hung at an unnatural angle.
The Orange-ranked Pokémon attempted to rise.
Failed.
And collapsed once more.
The ruler of the skies had lost.
Typhlosion's charge halted instinctively.
Its attention shifted toward the fallen Fearow.
That momentary hesitation was all that was needed.
A golden blur descended from above.
Pidgeot.
Unlike Fearow, she looked almost untouched.
Several feathers were missing.
A few shallow wounds marked her body.
But compared to the condition of her opponent, she might as well have been fresh.
The difference in strength between them had clearly been far larger than anyone initially believed.
Before Typhlosion could fully process the new threat, Pidgeot struck.
She didn't dive recklessly.
She didn't scream dramatically.
She simply attacked.
One moment she was in the air.
The next her talons had already slammed into Typhlosion's side.
The impact launched the giant Fire-type across the battlefield.
Trees shattered.
Earth exploded.
Typhlosion crashed through multiple obstacles before finally regaining its footing.
The entire battlefield fell silent.
For the first time since its appearance—
The Typhlosion looked uncertain.
Pidgeot landed between the students and the Fire-type.
Her wings spread wide.
Her golden eyes remained locked on the opponent before her.
The difference in presence was overwhelming.
Typhlosion had dominated us.
Pidgeot dominated Typhlosion.
The hierarchy was painfully obvious.
Typhlosion roared.
Pidgeot answered with a sharp cry.
The challenge was accepted.
Then the battle began.
Typhlosion charged first.
Flames erupted around its body as it launched another Flame Charge.
Against us, the attack had looked unstoppable.
Against Pidgeot—
It looked slow.
She took to the air with a single flap of her wings.
The attack passed harmlessly beneath her.
Before Typhlosion could even stop moving, Pidgeot was already behind it.
A powerful Wing Attack crashed into its back.
The giant Fire-type stumbled forward.
Pidgeot didn't give it time to recover.
Air Slash followed immediately.
Compressed blades of wind tore across Typhlosion's body.
Fresh wounds appeared.
Blood splattered across the scorched ground.
Typhlosion retaliated with Flamethrower.
A torrent of fire surged skyward.
Pidgeot flew directly through it.
Not because she was immune.
Not because it didn't hurt.
But because she simply didn't care.
The flames left minor burns along her feathers.
The damage was insignificant.
Her momentum never slowed.
Another strike landed.
Then another.
Then another.
The battle wasn't a contest.
It was an execution.
Typhlosion tried everything.
Flamethrower.
Swift.
Flame Charge.
Even direct physical attacks.
Nothing worked.
Pidgeot controlled every aspect of the fight.
She attacked when she wanted.
Retreated when she wanted.
Forced Typhlosion to move exactly where she wanted.
Each exchange left the it more battered than before.
Its breathing grew ragged.
Its movements slowed.
The enraged red glow in its eyes flickered as exhaustion began overwhelming it.
Yet Pidgeot showed no mercy.
This wasn't a tournament battle.
This wasn't training.
This was a life-and-death confrontation.
A dangerous Pokémon had threatened her trainer's students.
That alone was enough reason.
Typhlosion attempted one final desperate charge.
Its flames surged to their maximum intensity as it hurled itself forward with everything remaining.
Pidgeot rose into the sky.
Higher.
Higher.
Higher.
For a moment, the battlefield watched in silence.
Then she folded her wings.
The descent was terrifying.
She became a golden spear falling from the heavens.
Typhlosion looked up.
Too late.
The impact shook the entire territory.
A crater formed where the collision occurred.
Shockwaves blasted outward through the forest.
Trees bent violently.
Loose stones were thrown into the air.
When the dust finally settled, Typhlosion lay at the center of the crater.
Broken.
Bleeding.
Unable to rise.
Pidgeot stood over it with her wings partially spread.
The battlefield remained completely silent.
Not a single Cyndaquil moved.
Not a single Quilava dared make a sound.
Even the wild Pokémon watching from afar seemed to understand what had happened.
The battle had ended long before the final attack.
They simply hadn't realized it yet.
Above the crater, Pidgeot released a sharp victorious cry that echoed throughout the entire zone.
As the echoes of Pidgeot's victorious cry gradually faded across the zone, both Apoorv and I finally managed to pull our eyes away from the crater where Typhlosion lay defeated.
The battle had ended so decisively that it almost felt unreal.
Just minutes ago, the same Pokémon had pushed our entire team to its limits. Charmeleon had been knocked unconscious, Persian had exhausted himself after evolving, and even Prinplup and Totodile had struggled to contain the overwhelming pressure.
Yet after Pidgeot entered the battlefield, the outcome had never truly been in doubt.
Almost instinctively, both of us turned toward the other side of the zone.
Toward Aakash.
He was finishing his own battle as well.
The devastation there was even greater.
The forest around the Pinsir territory looked as though a hurricane had torn through it. Trees had been uprooted, the ground had been split apart by repeated impacts, and scorch marks from Pikachu's Thunderbolts stretched across the battlefield in every direction.
At the center of the destruction stood Primeape.
His chest rose and fell steadily as he rolled his shoulders, looking almost disappointed that the battle had finally ended.
In front of him lay the Orange-ranked Pinsir.
The giant beetle Pokémon was barely recognizable compared to when it had first emerged from the forest.
Its once-imposing carapace was shattered across multiple sections. Deep cracks spread throughout its armor, exposing the flesh beneath. Burn marks blackened large portions of its body where repeated Thunderbolts had struck, and blood flowed steadily from countless wounds accumulated throughout the battle.
The enraged glow that had filled its eyes earlier was gone.
Completely gone.
For several moments, the massive Pokémon remained motionless.
Then its chest rose one final time.
A weak breath escaped.
And slowly—
It went still.
The battle for the zone was finally over.
A strange silence settled over the forest.
The remaining Pinsir lowered their heads instinctively. Nearby Spearow no longer cried out in alarm, and even the surviving Cyndaquil and Quilava seemed to understand that the conflict had ended.
The oppressive tension that had hung over the entire zone since our arrival gradually began to fade.
Primeape glanced down at his defeated opponent for a moment before turning away and walking back toward Aakash.
Above us, Pidgeot descended from the sky and landed beside her trainer, her feathers stained with traces of battle but her posture still proud and commanding.
Looking at the two Pokémon standing beside him, I finally understood why Aakash had remained calm throughout the mission.
Not because he underestimated the danger.
But because he trusted his Pokémon completely.
As soldiers and Pokémon Department personnel began entering the core area to secure the zone, I couldn't help but feel that today had been more than just a mission.
It had been a lesson.
A glimpse into the level we would one day need to reach.
And looking at the battlefield around us, I knew that the journey had only just begun.