Night. A full moon hung high, giving off a soft light.
In Celadon City's East District, at the point nearest the wild country, one villa stood lit from top to bottom.
Men were posted around it, patrolling in teams of three, each team with a Poochyena on a lead.
The patrols were heavy-eyed and slack about it. This was Black Dragon Gang headquarters, after all, and their boss was a capable operator with connections on both sides of the law; his rule was to flatter the strong and prey on the weak, and never to offend a powerful Trainer. That was exactly why the Black Dragon Gang had gone on growing.
The villa's main hall was full of men going over the accounts.
"Half of this goes to those gentlemen, to keep them sweet. Of the other half, take a quarter out and send it to Team Rocket."
Ulric sat in the middle of the room and settled it in a few words. He had done it many times. It was routine to him by now.
"Boss, that's far too much. Give all that away and there's less for the brothers. It holds the gang back."
One of the men, a refined-looking one, said it, turning to the middle-aged man at the head of the room.
The middle-aged man had an ordinary face and a thickset build. He was the boss of the Black Dragon Gang, Ulric, a Trainer of Advanced strength.
He heard it and gave a snort of laughter.
"Young. If that money doesn't go out, we're finished by tomorrow — and you talk to me about growing. You think we've had it easy in this district because of how strong you lot are? Wrong. It's because of this money. Understand?"
"It's still too much. More than the last few times. Those gentlemen's appetites keep getting bigger."
"Enough talk." Ulric cut him off and looked round at all of them.
"Listen to me. For the next few days there'll be no protection money and no shakedowns. There's a team coming down from above to look into things, so mind yourselves. And another thing — we are not the Black Dragon Gang, we are the Black Dragon Group. A group. Understand? We run legitimate business."
"Understood, understood. Whatever you say, Boss."
"Yes, yes."
The men fell over themselves agreeing.
"Right. Jax, take a hundred thousand over later to that boy who lives in the East District, and apologise a few times while you're at it. His brother is an Intermediate Trainer now. Better to settle it peacefully."
Ulric said it to a sharp-looking young man below him.
"Only an Intermediate Trainer. You're an Advanced Trainer, Boss. And it was just a few shakedowns."
"No, no, no. That little bit of money still has to be spent." Ulric's eyes narrowed, and there was nothing in them but calculation.
"If a man is a Trainer, you had better not offend him, and a Trainer with potential least of all. If you can kill him on the spot, that's another matter. Ordinary people don't signify, of course, because there's not one chance in a hundred of them being a threat to us. No money in them, but no threat either."
"I'll remember it."
Ulric nodded, well enough pleased.
That was how he did things. He was a steady, careful man, and it was precisely that which had let his gang grow year by year.
While they were talking, two figures came to stand in the doorway. They neither came in nor went away.
"Stone, what are you two doing standing there?"
Someone inside the villa saw them and called out.
The two figures did not move. They stayed where they were.
More heads turned toward them.
Then the two figures moved at last, and slowly toppled over.
"Thump—"
The bodies hit the floor with a noise, and only then did the men inside feel that something was wrong. It was far too quiet out there.
"Pop, pop, pop—"
Every bulb in the room burst at once, and everything went black.
"Aaah—"
Screams went up one after another, and then bodies dropped.
"Quick, get ready to fight, get your Pokémon out! We're under attack! Under attack!"
"Butterfree, use Flash."
The men in the room lived this life, and they had the situation steadied soon enough.
Several Butterfree used Flash, and light came back into the villa.
The rest of them formed up in groups, Pokémon guarding their flanks, braced for the attack.
"Heh heh heh."
Vance, in disguise, cackled, a severed head in each hand, the eyes on both of them still open.
"The Black Dragon Society, is it. This is all there is to you. And here I thought you were something."
The black-robed man had come out of nowhere with several bloody heads hanging from his hands. The rest of them took fright and drew in toward Ulric in the middle of the room. Only a Trainer of Advanced strength could make them feel safe.
"Who are you? Why are you attacking us?"
Ulric rose to his feet, glaring, a dozen or more Pokémon gathered about him. Three of them carried a hard, heavy presence: an Arbok, a Fearow and a Sandslash.
Ordinary Pokémon, all of them, and the partners he trusted most.
"That's better."
Vance said it to himself and dropped the heads, the eyes on them still open. These were the men he had wanted dead most of all, and he had killed them with his own hands at last. Even if he walked out now, he had what he came for.
Some of the men facing him heard him say it and went white, watching him with terror in their eyes.
They had run into a maniac — the kind that killed for the pleasure of it!
"You're strong, I'll grant you. But this is a crime, and the police station is not far from here."
"Heh. You're talking to me about the law? Ha — did I hear that right? You, talking to me about the law. Ha, you'll be the death of me."
"But it's too late! Back then I talked to you about the law and you played the thug at me. Now you want to talk to me about the law? Not one of you is walking out of here today!"
At that, Ulric's face changed completely. His fingers moved slightly, pressing something in his hand.
"It won't do you any good. You can't reach anyone outside this district."
Vance said it coldly. Emery had already been at the signal network across the area, and the two of them were waiting outside.
"Come out, Gyarados, Vigoroth."
"Roooar—"
"Rrraaargh—"
The two of them roared the moment they came out of their Poké Balls, fierce and full of menace.
"Hahaha. I thought there was some master here, and this is all? Two Pokémon of Intermediate strength, and that's what you're standing on? If it is, you won't be walking out of that door today."
"You're welcome to try. Go."
At Vance's word the two went straight in, everything open, nothing held back.
Vigoroth put a fist through a Machop and finished it offhand, first kill of the night, then looked over at Gyarados and gave him a wave.
"Rrraaargh—"
Gyarados answered with a Water Gun driven straight into the Pokémon in front of him, knocking several of them down one after another, then jerked his chin at Vigoroth and threw himself back into the fight.
"Arbok, use Poison Sting."
"Fearow, Quick Attack. Sandslash, Swift! The rest of you, get in there too — there's no settling this peacefully now!"
"Right, right — Grimer, use Mud Shot!"
"Beedrill, Poison Sting!"
"Pidgeotto, Hurricane!"
...............
"Boom, boom, boom—"
The moves crashing into one another blew that gilded villa open in an instant. It made noise enough to be heard clearly for kilometres around.
"Hold on! The men from the station will be here soon!"
Ulric shouted it, keeping their spirits up.
"Will they."
Vance appeared behind him without warning and said it, grim and low.
Then he struck, and nobody saw it coming.
Ulric started to say something, and his awareness had already gone dark. He regretted it. He should have kept one Pokémon at his side.