Beth was staring at Silas with a complicated expression on her face.
"When did you get this powerful?"
Silas smiled mischievously.
"Give me a nice kiss and maybe I'll tell you."
The frustration of watching her Pokémon get dominated, combined with Silas' constant teasing, finally pushed Beth over the edge.
"You perverted bastard! I'd never kiss someone like you."
Silas laughed.
"Lucky for you, I didn't choose the date. I am a little disappointed though. All that spunk earlier made me believe you'd provide a challenge."
Beth clenched her fists.
The problem was that Silas wasn't wrong. He was dominating the battle and he showed little interest in the date wager.
Both Sharpedo and Gyarados could still fight but had taken damage.
Infernape remained in excellent condition. Worse, Electivire hadn't even moved yet.
Silas decided there was no reason to drag things out.
"Electivire, use Quick Attack and position yourself between Gyarados and Sharpedo then use Discharge."
He paused.
"Don't overdo it, though."
Electivire disappeared.
A moment later, he appeared directly between the 2 Water types.
Electricity erupted from his body as he used Discharge.
Electivire controlled the output carefully, releasing several concentrated bursts instead of simply flooding the entire area with maximum power.
Gyarados and Sharpedo convulsed as electricity coursed through their bodies.
Neither Pokémon lasted long under the assault.
Both of them soon collapsed from the pain.
The battle was over.
Beth stared at her unconscious Pokémon and her shoulders dropped.
For all of her anger and boasting, seeing both of her partners defeated so easily clearly hurt.
Silas' teasing smile disappeared.
He actually felt a little bad when he saw how defeated she looked.
"Tropius, come out."
The large Grass type appeared.
"Use Grassy Terrain and help them recover."
Tropius nodded.
Green energy spread outward from beneath her feet.
Grass rapidly grew across the surrounding ground as soothing natural energy filled the area.
Sharpedo and Gyarados gradually began recovering.
It took some time, but both eventually regained consciousness.
They were sore and exhausted, but otherwise fine.
The 2 Water types even humbled themselves enough to thank Tropius for helping them recover.
Tropius happily accepted their gratitude.
Beth's expression softened considerably once she saw her Pokémon standing again.
After returning them to their Poké Balls, she slowly walked toward Silas.
For once, her usual aggressive demeanor was gone.
She actually looked shy.
"I guess a bet is a bet."
Silas raised an eyebrow.
"So where are you taking me?"
Before Silas could respond, another voice cut through the conversation.
"He's not taking you anywhere."
A motorcycle engine roared nearby.
"You're coming with me."
Silas and Beth both turned.
A man wearing jeans and a leather jacket rode toward them on a motorcycle.
A bright purple mohawk stood prominently on his head.
Several similarly dressed men followed behind him on their own bikes.
Beth immediately looked disgusted.
"Eww, Bart."
She crossed her arms.
"I don't know how many times I have to tell you that I'm not interested!"
Bart climbed off his motorcycle.
"You told me you weren't interested in dating any men."
His eyes moved toward Silas.
"But here you are planning a date."
His expression darkened.
"That makes me look bad."
Silas raised an eyebrow.
Bart cracked his neck and spread his arms out.
"When I get mad, I get violent. So how are we going to resolve this?"
Silas almost laughed.
Apparently, subtlety wasn't one of this man's strengths.
Bart and his lackeys reached for their Poké Balls.
Several flashes of light followed.
They had 2 Arbok, 3 Weezing, 2 Primeape, and standing at the front was a Machamp.
Silas immediately scanned the group.
Machamp was level 49.
The rest were level 43 or below.
The difference made Bart's training strategy obvious.
He had invested the overwhelming majority of his resources into his ace.
Silas didn't bother wasting time.
"Electivire, use Discharge."
Electricity gathered around Electivire.
"Infernape, use Close Combat."
Both Pokémon attacked immediately.
Electivire targeted every opposing Pokémon except Machamp.
Electricity exploded across the battlefield.
The Arboks hissed violently in pain, the Weezings dropped from the air, and the Primeapes convulsed.
At the same time, Infernape disappeared from his original position.
He arrived directly in front of Machamp and struck out with several combination attacks.
He struck with rapid coordinated punches and kicks.
Machamp barely had time to raise its arms before Infernape overwhelmed it with a violent series of strikes.
The entire exchange lasted only moments.
One by one, the gang's Pokémon fell unconscious.
Silence followed.
The bikers stared.
Fear slowly replaced their earlier arrogance.
Beth stared too.
However, her realization was different.
Silas had been holding back against her, a lot.
Bart recovered first.
"You arrogant brat!"
His face twisted with rage.
"Are you willing to offend the Blade Lotus Gang for some lousy woman?"
Silas' expression immediately cooled.
"She's definitely a beautiful woman."
Beth glanced toward him.
Silas continued.
"Definitely worth handling trash like you for."
He and the Blade Lotus Gang were fated to become mortal enemies ever since his friend died before his eyes.
Silas' expression changed.
That name meant something entirely different to him.
Tangrowth.
The memory immediately resurfaced.
The Blade Lotus Gang had been responsible for Tangrowth's untimely death.
Silas slowly turned his full attention toward Bart.
"So you're from the Blade Lotus Gang?"
The men immediately regained some confidence.
They misunderstood the question. To them, Silas' sudden seriousness looked like fear.
People frequently became much less courageous once they learned who they were dealing with.
Bart puffed out his chest and smirked
"Yes, I'm an elite member too."
Silas had a strange look on his face.
"That's great news."
Bart's expression faltered.
Silas looked toward Electivire.
"Use Thunder Wave on these men."
"What?"
The bikers were alarmed but there was nothing they could do.
Electricity flashed and all of the bikers were struck at the same time.
Their bodies stiffened and their muscles seized. Several collapsed outright while the others struggled desperately to remain standing.
Silas walked toward them before he personally knocked each one unconscious.
Beth watched with wide eyes.
Silas naturally noticed her expression. His perception as a psychic compared to a regular person was exceptional.
"Don't look at me like that."
He shrugged.
"I'm apprehending criminals and protecting a damsel in distress."
Beth stared at him for another second.
From her perspective, Silas had simply escalated because Bart threatened her.
She knew nothing about the blood debt between Silas and the Blade Lotus Gang.
Silas had no intention of explaining it right now.
What Silas didn't know was that his actions today had left quite an impression on her. It's hard not to be impressed when someone seemingly stands up for you despite potential consequences.
After securing the gang members, he tied them together.
He also stored their motorcycles away and then he attached the ropes to Tropius.
Beth stared at the arrangement.
"You're seriously going to fly them like that?"
Silas looked at her.
"They'll live."
He climbed onto Tropius.
Even the usually gentle natured Tropius fully agreed with Silas' actions.
She wore a mischievous grin similar to her trainer.
"Serves them right. These are members of that gang you spoke of, right?"
Only Electivire and Infernape fully understood the grudge since they actually spent time with Tangrowth. The other Pokemon had only heard the story a few times.
"Yeah and I know what you are thinking. I can't kill them. However, there are other ways to make them suffer without getting myself into trouble."
Silas knew nearest police station was on the other side of the city.
Silas looked down at Beth from atop Tropius.
She was staring at him with a strange expression and hurriedly questioned him.
"Where are you going? What are you going to do to them?"
"Beth, you're welcome to come with me to the police station."
He patted Tropius' back.
"There's plenty of room."
Beth looked at Tropius with obvious curiosity.
Initially, she thought Silas was about to kill them but she was relieved to hear he was turning them in.
"I've never ridden a Tropius before. Can she carry all our weight?"
"There's a first time for everything and do you really think my Tropius can't carry a few people?"
"Yeah let her know she's underestimating me. If she keeps that up, I don't want her on my back."
Silas chuckled hearing Tropius. Apparently, Beth's words had bruised her pride as his transportation Pokémon.
Tropius took great pride in her primary role although she was beginning enjoy being a main combatant as well.
Silas extended a hand.
"Now, are you coming or not?"
Beth frowned.
Silas' dismissive attitude irritated her but at the same time intrigued her a bit.
"Fine."
She held out her hand.
"Can you help me up?"
Silas kept down and grabbed her.
Beth expected him to simply pull her onto Tropius.
Instead, Silas swept her completely off her feet and jumped back onto Tropius in one smooth motion.
Beth froze.
Silas placed her safely behind him.
"Hold on and don't question Tropius again. She doesn't like to be underestimated."
Tropius took off.
Behind them, Bart and his men dangled from the ropes and fluttered helplessly through the air.
Their screams and begging could occasionally be heard beneath the rushing wind.
Silas ignored them.
Little did they know, being delivered to the police was the best possible outcome for them.
If Silas had encountered these people somewhere secluded, he wouldn't have hesitated nearly as much.
Along the way, Silas had Tropius "accidentally" smash their dangling prisoners into the walls of tall buildings.
They made sure the injuries were superficial but painful to endure.
Beth was shocked the first time it happened but then remembered who these men were and what their intentions for her were.
After that, she coldly ignored their screams of pain.
They eventually reached the police station despite the detours.
Silas wanted to promptly drop the criminals off despite their incessant pleading.
"Please, please. I can't go back to prison. It's my third strike man. I will give you anything you want. I will serve as your henchman and do whatever dangerous tasks you have for me."
"Yes, we can all do that for you. There's no need to turn us into the police. We can even betray the gang and tell you many secrets."
"Oh really? So tell me, what important secret could you possibly share that's worth me letting you off?"
"Our boss has a mutated Machamp. I can give you details on it."
"Hahaha I'm not interested. Seems like a life of prison awaits you all. My only advice is to don't drop the soap."
The men shuddered but Silas had Electivire use a weakened Brick Break to knock them all out cold.
He hadn't bothered confiscating their Pokémon either. Although the Machamp was a little impressive, it didn't meet his requirements to justify taking it in front of Beth.
For normal trainers, stealing someone's pokemon is considered a crime.
Although in this situation it would have been justified, it would have made him look bad in front of Beth.
None of their Pokémon or possessions impressed him enough to justify the trouble.
He did, however, take their phones and unused Poké Balls.
After hearing what happened, the police officers thanked Silas.
Not every civilian trainer was willing to interfere when confronted by an organized gang.