"Alright, Totodile. Get ready for another battle!"
Totodile roared in response. It stepped forward confidently, its gaze never leaving Elias.
Elias looked at them blankly, aware of the reaction that his body is making. His hand gripped the pokeball on his belt tightly, unclipping it. Then, he threw it in the air, Sandile appearing in a burst of light.
Sandile landed sharply on the ground with growl.
"Elias, be careful. That trainer just defeated Rein. He's no pushover." Anne said, stepping back.
Elias took a glance towards Rein. He was sitting on the ground, his hand on his temple as if he's rethinking his decisions. His Magby was already recalled inside its pokeball, and is now in front of him.
Elias turned his attention back at the trainer in front of him.
The trainer is looking more determined than ever.
"Totodile, let's start with Water Pulse!"
"Use Dig, Sandile."
Sandile was a blur of motion, claws tearing into the ground. It vanished just as the swirling sphere of water crashed into the space it standing before, exploding harmlessly into a shower of mist.
The trainer's eyes darted across the now-empty field.
"Keep your guard up and stay mobile, Totodile!"
Totodile nodded, its body tensing, eyes scanning the ground for any sign of movement.
A tense silence fell, broken only by the faint, unsettling rumble of earth moving beneath their feet. Elias watched Totodile's every twitch, his expression unreadable but his focus absolute. He knew an unmoving target was a doomed one against an ambush.
The ground beneath Totodile's right foot began to crumble.
The trainer's eyes quickly caught up.
"Dodge it with Aqua Jet, Totodile! Go!"
Sandile erupted from the ground in a spray of rock, jaws snapping shut on empty air. Totodile had become a blue streak, propelled sideways by the high-pressure jet of water, skidding to a halt several feet away.
A slight flicker of surprise crossed Elias's features, but it was quickly replaced his blankness.
"Don't stop!" The trainer yelled. "Keep moving in zig-zag!"
Totodile obeyed, firing off another Aqua Jet in the opposite direction, then another at a sharp angle, becoming a chaotic, hydro-powered ricochet around the battlefield. Each burst of movement left a damp trail and made the ground tremble with uncertainty where Sandile might strike next.
Elias's narrowed eyes tracked the erratic, watery paths. His hand, which had been clenched at his side, relaxed slightly. A direct command now would be useless. Sandile couldn't hit a target moving this fast and unpredictably. He had to think, to anticipate.
He watched Totodile's pattern, the direction of its focus. Sandile was still underground, waiting for his signal, trusting him to find the opening.
Then, suddenly, Elias noticed how Totodile was pausing slightly before blurring again. It was the only opening in this excellent move.
"Sandile. Now!"
The ground where Totodile was supposed to land crumbled. Sandile didn't leap for a tackle this time. Instead, it surfaced just enough, its jaws wide open. It snapped shut on Totodile's feet, and a torrent of swirling sand unleashed—a Sand Tomb.
Totodile cried out as the whirlpool of sand engulfed it, trapping it and scouring its scales. Its frantic Aqua Jet sputtered and died within the vortex.
The trainer's eyes flickered in concern.
"Totodile!" He shouted in panic. "Use Whirlpool on yourself!"
The command was desperate. For a split-second, confusion reigned within the vortex of sand—why attack itself?
Then, understanding dawned in the little pokemon's eyes. With a guttural cry, it threw its head back and then forward to expel a spiraling whip of water from its jaws. Instead of lashing outward, the water coiled inward, wrapping around Totodile in a protective, swirling helix. The two vortexes collided in a chaotic, grinding mix.
For a moment, it was a stalemate of sand and water. Then, the Whirlpool expanded with a surge, its force flushing the sand away. Totodile stood free.
The trainer seized the chance.
"Now! While it's still close! Dragon Claw!"
Totodile's claws glowed with green energy that lengthened into shimmering sickle-shaped projections. With a roar that belied its size, it lunged at Sandile.
"Use Iron Tail, Sandile." Elias's voice cut through the air, sharp and clear.
Sandile's stubby tail hardened and gleamed like steel. It pivoted, putting all its weight into a sweeping arc. The two moves collided with a clang that echoed across the battlefield.
For a moment, they were locked, green energy sparking against steel. Totodile gritted its teeth, its small body trembling with strain. Sandile snarled, pushing back with all its might.
Then, a hairline fracture appeared in the light of the Iron Tail.
It was the toll of its fight earlier against Anne's Rowlet, and now the overwhelming draconic force. The metallic sheen on Sandile's tail flickered and died.
With a final, defiant shout from its trainer, Totodile poured its remaining strength forward. The Dragon Claw shattered the weakened Iron Tail, the blow continuing onward to strike Sandile squarely on the side.
Sandile was knocked off its feet with a pained yelp, skidding through the dirt before coming to a stop, its eyes swirling dizzily.
The battlefield fell silent. The only sound was Totodile's heavy, triumphant pants and the distant murmur of the river.
Elias stood perfectly still. He didn't gasp or cry out. He simply stared at his fallen pokemon, his blank expression never cracking. Slowly, he raised Sandile's pokeball. A beam of red light recalled the defeated pokemon.
He stared at the ball in his hand for a long moment before clipping it back to his belt. He then lifted his gaze to the victorious trainer and Totodile.
The trainer's eyes was still burning with determination. A burn that he doesn't know how to lit.
He loss a fight against a determined trainer, and yet he still feels empty. His question was still left unanswered, but there's one thing he learned from this fight. The bond between a pokemon and its trainer is special.
The trainer lowered his arm, his Totodile mimicking his stance, though it was panting heavily.
"What are you people doing here?" He asked, his voice stronger now, edged with the confidence of his win. "Stealing from a cave? Scaring the wild pokemon? What's your goal?"
Before Elias could even consider a response—not that he had one to give—a new voice cut through, cool and laced with disdain.
"That is none of your concern, kid."
From a shadowed side passage, two figures emerged. Sarah, the woman in black, her sharp smile nowhere to be seen, her expression one of annoyance. And beside her, the tall, broad-shouldered man in the black suit and shaded glasses.
The trainer tensed, instinctively stepping back to put more distance between himself and the new arrivals. His Totodile, despite its fatigue, let out a low growl, positioning itself protectively in front of its trainer.
Sarah's gaze swept dismissively over the scene.
"You've caused a significant amount of trouble." She stated, her voice echoing softly in the chamber. "Interfering with Team Xycle's operations is unwise."
"Team Xycle?" The trainer echoed, his brow furrowing. "I've never heard of you. And if your 'operation' involves trashing places and hurting pokemon, then someone has to interfere!"
The man who had been silently observing, finally spoke.
"A simple idealist. How quaint." He took a single, deliberate step forward. "The world does not run on the simplistic morals of children. It runs on power, on order, and on the will to reshape what is broken."
He removed his shaded glasses, folding them and tucking them into his suit's pocket. His eyes were a pale, piercing gray, devoid of warmth. They fixed on the trainer with an intensity that made the boy stiffen.
"You speak of protecting. Tell me, child. What do you protect? A few glowing rocks? Some pokemon? While outside, trainers crush each other's dreams for petty glory, cities sprawl and choke the land, and the strong prey on the weak in a never-ending, pointless cycle." He spread his hands slightly. "We are not here to steal trinkets. We are here to break that cycle. To create a world of enforced peace. A world without the chaos of conflicting dreams."
The boy shook his head, his jaw set.
"A world without chaos? That's just an excuse. You can't just take people's dreams away because you think they're messy. That's not peace, that's… that's a prison!"
"A necessary one." Sarah said quietly. "For the greater good."
The man's gaze shifted past the boy, landing on Elias. He studied him for a long moment. He saw the pokeball clutched in Elias's hand.
"Elias." He said, his tone shifting from philosophical to assessing. "You lost."
Elias met his gaze and gave a single, slow nod.
"And what did you learn from this loss?" The man pressed. "You faced a trainer who fights with passion, with a bond you lack. Did you understand his dream in being defeated by it?"
Elias looked from the man, to the weary Totodile, to its trainer's fiercely determined face.
"He fights for his pokemon." Elias said, his voice flat, yet carrying a new, faint note of certainty. "And his pokemon fights for him. That is their strength. Their dream is… shared. It is not just his. It is theirs."
A flicker of something—perhaps approval—crossed the man's stern features.
"A shared delusion is still a delusion. But you are beginning to see the components. Good." He turned his attention back to the trainer. "You have spirit. A waste to crush it here. Sarah, recall the remaining teams. The artifact is secured. Our business is concluded."
"What? You're just leaving?" The trainer sputtered, taking a step forward. "I won't let—"
"Your pokemon is exhausted. You are alone. And we have what we came for." The man said, his voice leaving no room for argument. He began to turn. "Consider this a lesson in choosing your battles, child. Not all victories are worth the cost."
He looked at his three grunts—Rein, Anne, and Elias.
"With me. Now."
Sarah already had a communication device to her lips, issuing quiet, rapid orders. From deeper in the cave, the sound of retreating footsteps echoed.
Rein shoved himself to his feet, shooting a final glare at the trainer before stumbling after the man. Anne gave Elias a subtle nod, then followed.
"What is your name, kid?" The man stopped to ask.
The trainer looked at him in confusion, but he decided to answer.
"I'm Shan. And this is not the last time you'll see me."
The man smiled sharply at him. Then turned around. Rein and Anne followed after him. However, Elias stayed. He is staring blankly at the trainer who's staring back at him. The intensity in their gaze is enough that words are not needed. They will surely meet again.
Sarah blocked Elias's gaze, then, put a hand on his shoulder.
"We are leaving, Elias."
Elias gave a subtle nod and followed out with Sarah.
***
Back in the Meeting Room, the tension had turned into a sour stew.
Rein paced, his boots scuffing angrily against the floor. He slammed a fist into his open palm.
"Demolished! I got demolished! It's not right! I'm supposed to be the ones with the power, the plan! Not some… some random do-gooder on a cave hike!"
He spun to face Anne and Elias, who were sitting at the table. Anne was idly polishing her single pokeball with a cloth, her expression one of detached. Elias simply sat, his hands folded on the metal surface, his gaze fixed on nothing.
"It's because you got ahead of yourself." Anne said without looking up, her voice calm. "You saw a single intruder, thought it was an easy win to boost your standing, and you charged in without assessing his strength or his strategy. You fought his battle, on his terms. He used your aggression against you. It was… predictable."
"Predictable?!" Rein spat, his face flushing. "You weren't there! That Totodile moved like it was possessed! And that Dragon Claw—since when do Totodile know Dragon Claw?!"
"True. I haven't seen a Totodile used a Dragon Claw before." Anne mused, finally setting her ball down and looking at him. "Which proves my point. You didn't stop to wonder why a lone kid was so deep in the cave, or how he'd gotten past the perimeter. You just saw a target. The boss talks about breaking cycles, but you're stuck in your own."
Rein opened his mouth to retort, but no sound came out. His furious gaze swung to Elias.
"And you! You lost too! What's your excuse? Your pokemon barely put up a fight at the end!"
Elias's eyes slowly focused on Rein. He considered the question.
"Sandile was fatigued from an earlier battle." He stated, his tone flat. "My strategy was useless against the bond between the trainer and his Totodile. I will account for my loss."
"You'll account for it? What does that even mean? You just sound like a robot!"
Before Elias could respond, the door hissed open.
Sarah stood in the doorway, her arms crossed. The cold annoyance from the cave was gone, replaced by her usual sharp demeanor. She stepped inside, letting the door seal shut behind her.
"We're going to talk."