*Found it. The Frenzy Potion. You'll do. Just the thing for dealing with a Rhydon.* Vance spent two hundred Battle Points and traded the system for a bottle of what looked like a red draught.
It was a preparation that could enrage a Pokémon, and it worked especially well on the hot-tempered sort, a Rhydon above all.
As a Novice Breeder, Vance naturally knew the constitution and habits of a Rhydon.
*It may not be as safe as the Slowing Potion, but it will do. Once it goes into a frenzy, and with its Trainer not here in any case, the Rhydon is bound to do as it pleases. And then my chance comes.*
Vance's eyes lit up, and he gathered all his strength and went to meet it.
"Rooaar—"
Seeing Vance come at it, the Rhydon stamped hard on the earth. The ground shook violently and heaved, and cracks like a spider's web spread out from its feet, a bright yellow light flickering inside them as an overwhelming Ground-type force burst out.
Vance sprang lightly up, Teleported clear and appeared above the two of them, and let everything he had loose. A huge, dim blue palm took shape in front of him and swept across with the weight of a thousand tonnes behind it.
If that attack landed on Wilder and the woman, they were certainly dead.
But by then the Rhydon's attack had arrived too. Countless hard stones met the great blue palm, and a huge explosion went up.
"Cough, cough."
Vance came down on a tree, the blood shaken about inside him and hurting badly, and before he could get his breath back a Focus Blast appeared.
It broke through layer after layer of psychic shielding in front of him, and at the critical moment Vance Teleported clear again.
"Boom—"
At his present strength as an Intermediate Psychic, fighting an Elite-class Rhydon was still far too much for him. Head to head he simply could not win.
Below, under the Rhydon's protection, Wilder was untouched. He had picked up a little dust, nothing more.
In the dust and smoke a red vapour was spreading and evaporating away. Bloodshot lines were slowly appearing in the Rhydon's eyes, its breathing had turned short and fast, and a frenzied feeling was winding through its mind.
*Haven't you eaten? Is that all?*
Vance's mocking words came through the mental link into the Rhydon's mind.
"Roar, roar, roar—"
The Rhydon's eyes turned redder, its moves grew more violent, and there was the faint beginning of a rampage in it.
"That power! It must be Advanced strength! How is he this strong?" Down below, Wilder could make out roughly what Vance was capable of, and it startled him. "Damn it! I probably can't kill him on Trial Island. The moment I'm out I'm going to my uncle for help — his Gengar can do it. This one absolutely cannot be left alive!"
There was some regret in him as well. He should never have provoked a man like this. But the regret vanished again a moment later.
The only choice now was to kill him. He knew something of Vance, and having provoked him and gone about declaring he would torture him to death, there was no settling it quietly.
At least he had the Rhydon's protection and his life was in no danger. As soon as the trial was over and he was out, he would ask his uncle, who was Gym-class, to go all out and remove this threat for good.
He was this strong already. Given time he would only grow stronger, and to leave an enemy with that much potential to develop in the dark was a terrifying thing.
*What a pity. I can't make the Rhydon obey me, or there would be some chance of keeping him here.*
Out on the field, under the Rhydon's frenzied assault, Vance gave ground as he fought.
His purpose was achieved. All that was left was to wait for the potion to take effect.
"Roar, roar—"
"Ksss—"
A dozen or so exchanges later an Arbok screamed, caught by the edge of one of the Rhydon's attacks, and went down and did not get up.
"Rhydon, be careful."
Wilder frowned and warned it.
To his surprise the Rhydon only turned those blood-red eyes on him, and under that stare Wilder felt his back go cold and the sweat break out on him, as though he were standing in front of some terrible beast that might tear him apart at any moment.
Then he remembered that this was his uncle's Pokémon and would not attack him, and the fear eased a little.
"There's something wrong with this Rhydon!" Instinct told Wilder that this was not right. "Rhydon, don't go anywhere. Just stay here and protect me. Those are my uncle's orders too."
"Rooaar—"
The Rhydon turned its head and glanced at him, and just then an attack landed on its skull. It looked back and found Vance taunting it again, which enraged it further.
It ignored Wilder's shouting, took a step, and went after Vance.
It drove straight through everything in its path, trees down, ground split, wreckage and rolling dust everywhere.
Bringing the full power of Elite-class strength to bear.
"No, Rhydon, come back here. Fearow, Arbok, don't chase, protect me!"
Wilder felt how badly this was going now, and to his astonishment neither Pokémon listened to his call. Both had eyes gone red and were chasing after Vance, already some distance away.
"This is bad! What has he done?"
"Only a small trick."
Vance's voice came from beside his ear.
At the sound of it Wilder's pupils shrank to points, the hair stood up all over him, a chill ran through his whole body, and a feeling that went by the name of death filled his mind.
Between life and death lies a great terror!
Before he could react, an enormous force closed on his throat.
"Let me go, or my uncle will never forgive you......"
"Crack—"
He did not finish. The sound of bone twisting came, his neck was broken, and he became a corpse on the spot, dropping limp to the ground.
"If he does come, I'll let him keep you company."
Vance said it coldly. Given a little more time, who killed whom was anybody's guess!
At worst he would lie low at the Team Rocket base for a few years.
Besides, who would ever know who had killed him? He had no intention of leaving anyone alive.
"Aaah!"
Vance killed Wilder in the space of a spark, and Yara beside him screamed and stumbled back several steps, staring at him in terror.
"Don't kill me, don't kill me, please don't kill me, I'll do anything."
Yara said it trembling, making her choice in the space of a moment, and as she spoke she let the white of her chest show, and a glimpse of her figure with it, as though by accident.
Yara was good-looking enough — fair skin, a pretty face, a full figure, dressed to be noticed — and pleading like this she cut a pitiful figure that would soften some men.
"Don't worry. I don't kill women."
"Really?"
Her eyes lit up at that, and Yara told herself she had her charms after all. Vance was not going to kill her, which probably meant he had taken a fancy to her, and she would serve him.
She did not mind that.
"Yes. I don't kill women."
Vance said it with a faint smile, watching the Rhydon come racing back in the distance.
"Then take me with you. I'll look after you well."
Yara said it with a coquettish smile.
"?"
"What do you mean, take you with me? Hand over your things. Oh — and good luck to you."
With that he vanished from the spot, having taken the pair's belongings before he Teleported.
"Rooaar—"
The next second, where he had been standing was sealed under slab after slab of huge rock, the earth broke apart, and one wave of Ground-type force after another burst out.
Yara, out in the middle of it, was killed where she stood.