Read advance chapters for both of my work, exclusively on Patreon at - www.patreon.com/Sniperwoof
-----------------
"Quagsire, use Aqua Tail on Blaziken!"
"Breloom, use Bullet Seed on Kabutops!"
The sudden assault from Blaziken and Kabutops didn't faze the bucktoothed man or the fat man in the least. Neither panicked — instead, both quickly widened the distance between themselves and their obvious enemies before issuing sharp counterattack orders to their Pokémon.
Upon hearing his Trainer's command, Quagsire's dull-looking eyes instantly turned ferocious, and his thick tail began to whirl up torrents of glowing blue water.
In the next instant, before Blaziken could even react, Quagsire burst forward with astonishing short-distance speed. In a blink, he closed the gap and swung his tail fiercely toward the just-landed Blaziken.
On the other side, Breloom didn't lose his fighting spirit even after taking Kabutops's Fury Cutter. At the crucial moment, he blocked the sneak attack with a Mach Punch, merely being forced back by Kabutops's sheer power.
"Breee—loom!!"
With a backflip, Breloom steadied himself, then let out a sharp cry. From his mouth, countless emerald-green energy seeds shot forth rapidly, raining toward Kabutops.
Faced with Quagsire's swift and merciless Aqua Tail, Blaziken dared not take it head-on. He pushed off the ground with his powerful legs and leapt backward at full force, narrowly dodging the strike.
However, Quagsire was far more experienced in battle than his dull expression suggested.
Without needing his Trainer's command, he acted on instinct — just as Blaziken took to the air, Quagsire gathered up ground-type energy in his mouth and fired a barrage of Mud Bombs.
Blaziken, suspended in midair with no way to dodge, could only cross his arms before his chest and brace himself for the impact.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A series of explosions echoed as Blaziken was blasted backward by the energy shockwaves from Quagsire's Mud Bomb.
At the same time, Breloom's Bullet Seed barrage was about to reach Kabutops — but Kabutops's ability, Swift Swim, gave him a huge speed boost in the rain.
With a sharp kick off the ground, Kabutops left only an afterimage behind. Not only did he dodge the seeds with ease, but he also instantly appeared behind Breloom.
His twin scythes glowed with emerald light once more as he unleashed a cross-shaped Fury Cutter at Breloom's back.
But Breloom, having already suffered from one ambush earlier, was on high alert. The moment Kabutops vanished from his sight, Breloom's pupils contracted sharply, and his focus heightened to the extreme.
Just as Kabutops appeared behind him, Breloom's tail gleamed with metallic luster — and before Kabutops's blades could land, Breloom swung his tail like an Iron Tail hammer straight into Kabutops's waist.
A heavy thud rang out as Kabutops managed to leave a cross-shaped wound on Breloom's back but was sent flying by the sheer force of that Iron Tail. He crashed through several trees before finally stopping.
In less than fifteen seconds, the newly arrived Blaziken and Kabutops were both severely injured. The blond man — who moments ago had seen a glimmer of hope — was once again engulfed by despair.
At that moment, two young female Trainers in raincoats rushed to the sides of their fallen Pokémon. Seeing their partners so badly hurt, both showed deep distress on their faces.
These two were none other than Flannery and Roxanne — whom Sato had met over a month ago.
For some reason, the pair had not yet left the region around Slateport City and had now shown up here.
"Well, well, look who it is. Two cute little girls, huh? Heh heh…" The bucktoothed man grinned wickedly, his grotesque smile softening as he ogled Flannery and Roxanne. "You two ambush us like that — don't think you can walk away without paying the price."
"Since you're girls, I'll be generous," the fat man sneered. "Hand over all the good food you've got, and maybe we'll let you go. Otherwise, you won't like what happens next."
Flannery's face flushed red with fury at their words. She clenched her teeth and glared daggers at the two men.
"Spit! Come out, Torkoal — use Smokescreen!"
Although she was angry, Flannery knew the situation wasn't in their favor. After exchanging a glance with Roxanne, she quickly released Torkoal to cover their retreat.
As soon as Torkoal appeared, he followed Flannery's order faithfully — thick black smoke poured from both his nostrils and his shell, spreading rapidly through the rain-soaked forest.
In an instant, their surroundings were swallowed by the dense smoke.
Taking advantage of the temporary cover before the rain could wash it away, Roxanne immediately grabbed Kabutops and fled with Flannery into the forest — dragging the blond man along as well.
The bucktoothed man realized what was happening, but it was too late — Torkoal's Smokescreen had already filled the area.
"Tch, trying to run? Not that easy!"
"Quagsire, use Icy Wind!"
He still had a countermeasure. Upon command, Quagsire inhaled deeply and exhaled a blast of frigid air.
Under the combined effect of the Icy Wind and the falling rain, the thick smoke was quickly dispersed, revealing Flannery and Roxanne escaping with the blond man.
Naturally, the two thugs weren't about to let their prey slip away — they immediately chased after them with their Pokémon.
"It looks like those two are in real trouble," Sato muttered as he sensed the scene through his psychic perception. "Those Trainers are stronger than they look."
Normally, Flannery and Roxanne could've handled those crooks, but not today.
Flannery specialized in Fire-type Pokémon, while Roxanne focused on Rock-types — and in this unending rain, both types were heavily disadvantaged.
If Sato guessed correctly, Blaziken and Kabutops were their strongest battlers in rainy conditions — and now, both were seriously injured.
This time, their attempt to save someone had only dragged them into danger themselves.
"You guys stay here. I'll be right back."
With a sigh, Sato stood up. Under the puzzled gazes of his companions, he donned a raincoat and dashed out of the tree hollow — Pikachu at his side.
He never forgot a favor. Flannery and Roxanne had once saved him from that violent biker gang — and now, it was time to repay the debt.