Chapter 166: Escape
Seeing the Shadow Haunter gradually fall into a disadvantage did not bring Giovanni any joy— a deep, ominous feeling had been building within him from the start.
If he did not leave, and quickly, something terrible would happen.
"Beedrill, U-turn then Poison Jab! Persian, Taunt then Swift! Rhyhorn, Horn Attack, on my mark! Nidorino, Focus Energy then Double Kick!" The commands rattled from his mouth like a rapid-fire cannon.
His Pokémon, already poised, moved as one.
Beedrill carved a golden arc through the air, using U-turn to appear at the Haunter's back before unleashing a devastating Poison Jab. The stinger was coated in a purplish-black toxin so potent it sizzled and smoked where it dripped on the ground.
The poison, amplified by the Toxic Orb fragment, was far deadlier than that of any normal Poison-type. It struck a vital point.
The Haunter cried out, its shadowy form flickering, but it still lashed out with a Sucker Punch, its massive claw swinging wildly. Beedrill, with its incredible agility, easily dodged.
As the Haunter persisted, Persian let out a sharp "Meow." The Taunt was irresistible; the Haunter's attention was instantly drawn. It roared in fury, ignoring the other threats as it turned on the smaller Pokémon.
Just as it was about to attack, Persian sneered and unleashed Swift— a shower of shimmering, razor-sharp stars rained down. Though individually weak, their sheer number was overwhelming. The Haunter was forced to raise its claws, trying to block the barrage.
At that moment, Rhyhorn charged, slamming into the distracted Haunter with its Horn Attack.
The Haunter managed to counter with a Shadow Punch, its massive fist colliding with Rhyhorn's horn in a deafening explosion of force— but under Rhyhorn's unstoppable momentum, it was still sent flying, crashing through several large trees. It roared in fury, but it was useless.
Nidorino, having completed its Focus Energy, charged, its aura at its peak. It unleashed a powerful Double Kick, its legs a blur as it struck the Haunter's body again and again, dislodging several of the corpses that made up its form.
Giovanni's eyes narrowed. He and his Pokémon only had a fighting chance because it wasn't Haunter's real body; it was just a construct, an amalgam.
Utterly enraged, the Haunter began to swing its giant claws wildly, disregarding the dissipation of its own energy as it fired a swarm of Shadow Balls, a dense, chaotic barrage.
"All Pokémon, Protect!" Giovanni commanded.
His five Pokémon simultaneously threw up a green shield of energy, completely blocking the onslaught— a series of violent explosions filled the air, and the Haunter's body shrank again, more corpses dropping from its shadowy form.
The smoke churned, and Giovanni's Pokémon rushed out, their fighting spirit unbroken.
"Finish it!" Giovanni's voice echoed through the smoke. "Beedrill, Poison Jab! Persian, Pay Day! Rhyhorn, Rock Blast! Nidorino, Fury Attack!"
The four Pokémon attacked as one— a torrential storm of poison, gold coins, massive rocks, and toxic needles rained down on the Haunter. Amidst a series of deafening explosions, it let out one final, sharp roar before dissipating into a wisp of black smoke and a pile of lifeless corpses.
Giovanni and Machoke slowly emerged from the smoke. "We won," he said, a note of satisfaction in his voice. "The first time I have defeated a Gym-Leader-level Pokémon."
But as he touched his chest, he felt it. The sense of dread had not subsided— a chilling aura was emanating from the direction of the savage village.
"Something is wrong."
He didn't hesitate. He released Matt's Weezing and immediately recalled his own Pokémon. "Go!" he shouted, pointing in the direction from which they had come. "As fast as you can!"
Weezing, as a Gym-Leader-level Pokémon, was incredibly sensitive to danger. It immediately sensed the threat and, with Giovanni on its back, shot off through the trees, its speed even greater than Beedrill's.
They had been gone for less than a minute.
From the village, a massive, black shadow moved, arriving at the clearing where the battle had just taken place. It floated upwards, coalescing into the form of a gigantic Haunter, easily over three meters tall. Its body was a terrifying, shifting mass of numb, wailing faces.
Its malevolent, red gaze swept across the clearing. It opened its massive mouth and inhaled. The broken souls of the puppets and their Pokémon flew from the corpses on the ground and were swallowed in one gulp.
Its chilling gaze then turned in the direction Giovanni had fled— but it had delayed for too long. After a moment, it turned back, its pursuit abandoned.
The aura around it, however, was terrifying, already on the verge of reaching the Elite Four level.