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***
It didn't take long for all of us to gather near the tent. Bran and Lilly were still half-asleep, squinting into the pitch blackness in their hastily thrown-on clothes. All our Pokémon stood beside us, tense and ready for battle. Haunter and Houndoom had clearly briefed them well enough.
"What's going on, Patrik?" Bran asked through another yawn.
"Danger's coming. Three members of Team Rocket," I replied quickly. "They're going to try to ambush us. We need to get ready immediately."
Without another word, I turned to Haunter. "Do you have a chance to take them by surprise?"
"Haunt!" He shook his head firmly.
"Fuck. So they probably have a pretty strong Dark-type." I tapped my foot nervously. But there was no time to dwell on it. "Haunter, when the fight breaks out and they send out their Pokémon, kill the trainers. Fast."
"Whoa, hold on, Patrik," Bran spoke up. "We can't just kill them."
"Don't be naive," I growled at him. "If they win, we're all dead. If we show mercy, some of our Pokémon will die. And I don't know about you... but I value every single one of my Pokémon far more than the life of some bastard with an R on his chest."
Bran opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He closed it again, then turned hopefully to Lilly. "Lilly?"
"I agree with Patrik," Lilly answered. Her blue eyes glinted coldly. Instead of looking at us, she was staring at Bulbasaur.
God or Arceus willing, she won't lose him, I thought.
"Haunter, like I said—the second you get the chance, kill the trainers. Then neutralize the enemy Pokémon," I ordered resolutely.
"Haunt!" With a pleased grin, he nodded, gave a quick salute, and vanished into the darkness.
"Lairon, Machoke, up front," I commanded. "You're our vanguard." Then I turned to Lilly and the frowning Bran. "Bulbasaur, Slowpoke, Poliwhirl, and Wartortle will be our snipers on the flanks. Any enemy Pokémon that moves gets opened fire on immediately."
"Bulbasaur, Slowpoke, you heard him," Lilly commanded.
Bran crossed his arms and looked away. In the end, though, he nodded. "Poliwhirl, you heard him. Geodude, up front to protect us. Zubat, try to attack the trainers. Help Haunter out, okay?"
Relief washed over my chest. We had managed to convince him, and at least I wouldn't have to worry about him trying some heroic stunt that could get us into even greater danger.
"Lilly, get your dagger ready," I reminded her. I drew my own sword, my dagger ready in its sheath at my belt.
"Hound?" he growled at me, a question in his voice.
"You're hunting. Wherever you see weakness, strike. Teeth or fire." I scratched him behind the ear. "You've got this."
"Hound!" he growled with determination.
"When are they coming, and from where?" Lilly asked after a moment of tense silence.
Inhale, hold, exhale. Only then did I answer, "From the north, out of the woods... According to Haunter, they were two kilometers out."
"A kilometer on foot is roughly twelve minutes," Bran said. "About ten minutes have passed since we woke up."
"Yeah, but subtract the time it took Haunter to get back, wake me up, and report," I shook my head. "We have ten minutes at worst."
I waved a hand for them to follow me. There was plenty of space between the camp and the forest for us to spread out.
I felt like a fucking army general. Sweat trickled down my temple, and I was anything but calm. I didn't feel strong enough, and behind me were two other trainers weaker than I was. The weight of that responsibility certainly didn't put my mind at ease.
"Stay here, Lilly, Bran," I told them.
And then I started moving the Pokémon like chess pieces. Lairon was the tank, so I positioned him directly in front of us. Beside him, I placed Machoke as a mobile fighter, angled so Lairon could absorb incoming attacks while Machoke could immediately counter.
Just to the right, I posted Wartortle. Thanks to his shell, he was another potential shield while doubling as a sniper. Next to him went the weaker Slowpoke.
To the left, I placed Bulbasaur. He needed to stay close enough to join the fray, yet remain effective with his powder moves and Vine Whip. Beside him, I put Poliwhirl, who had fairly strong Water-type attacks.
Geodude stepped slightly ahead so he could engage in close combat if necessary, while staying close enough to us so our other Pokémon could keep shelling the enemy.
Zubat fluttered nervously near Bran's shoulder. After Bran patted him, he let out a chirp, took to the sky, and headed toward the forest. I hope he survives this, I thought.
I had sent Haunter on a kill mission myself. Not because I didn't value his life, but because even if he were destroyed, he would eventually come back to me.
Only after a few minutes of nervously tapping my foot, fingers buried in Houndoom's fur, did I realize what a massive mistake it had been to send little Zubat toward the enemy team. An untrained Zubat simply couldn't stay hidden enough.
"If he doesn't make—" Bran started.
A loud screech echoing straight from the forest cut him off.
"SKRAAW!"
I noticed Lilly flinch. A moment later, I saw a massive Fearow with a long, sharp beak burst out from the trees.
"Get your moves ready!" I shouted.
Fearow was fucking fast. Our Pokémon unleashed Water-type attacks at it, but it darted between them lightning-fast, dodging every blow. Then it went into a spiral dive and charged straight at us.
A faint white light flickered around Lairon.
"KRAAACH!"
Fearow slammed into Lairon at top speed, the impact pushing Lairon back just a tiny inch. While Lairon remained completely unharmed, Fearow hit the grass, limp.
Without me having to say a word, Lairon raised a leg and brought it crashing down onto Fearow's head.
A sickening crunch of fragile bones echoed across the clearing. Blood spurted from the impact, staining the grass beneath Fearow's head deep red.
As soon as Lairon stepped back, Bulbasaur grabbed the dead Fearow with his vines. Just to be safe, he slammed it onto the ground once more, and when no sound came from the corpse, he tossed it aside like trash.
"Bulba!" the Pokémon growled, retracting his vines.
"Let's hope they come one by one," I whispered under my breath.
It didn't take long before a low hissing began to echo from the forest.
"What's that?" Bran asked nervously.
"Gas attack," Lilly and I answered in unison.
"Houndoom, ignite it so it doesn't reach us," I ordered. "Then hunt down that Pokémon. Carefully. Make sure the Pokémon doesn't explode."
"Hound!" he barked resolutely and stepped forward.
I watched him catch a scent. In the pitch darkness, my vision was nearly as clear as day, and I could see the grayish-purple smog slowly creeping toward us. However, it was still far enough away that we'd be safe even if it detonated.
Fire crackled inside Houndoom's maw. Once ready, he unleashed the move. Flames swept side to side, engulfing every pocket of gas he picked up with his scent.
Each time the flame met the gas, a small burst of fire flared for a moment before dying out. One after another, across the entire area where the toxic smog had spread, Houndoom gradually burned off its flammable components, consuming the poisonous gas along with them.
The ignitions were weak, though. The flammable component in the gas was evidently minimal, which was a blessing right now.
"Careful," I reminded Houndoom as he charged ahead.
Master. Ground, ground, ground.
Abra's voice suddenly echoed in my mind.
"Something's underground! Spread out more!" I commanded instantly.
Our flank snipers widened their distance. The rest of us kept our original formation; if anything burst out of the soil, our Pokémon needed to be positioned to protect us.
Suddenly, the ground split open right beneath me. I dove backward, landing hard on top of Bran. A second later, an Arbok would have had its fangs sunk into my leg. It barely managed a hiss before Machoke grabbed it by the tail and began violently slamming it against the hard earth.
I scrambled back to my feet over the snake's hiss and Machoke's furious roar.
Right then, a two-meter Golbat plummeted from the sky. It slammed hard into Machoke from behind and immediately followed up with a swift flap of its wings, sending out a blade-sharp grayish-white arc.
Blood spattered into the air.
Machoke roared in pain, but kept his grip firm on Arbok's tail.
Water Guns slammed into Golbat from both sides. He had been far too focused on Machoke. The bat grimaced in pain, momentarily losing altitude, but lunged forward again a second later. He wanted to keep up the assault and free his partner.
Big mistake.
Bulbasaur's vines shot upward, coiled tightly around Golbat's wings, and yanked him down hard. Golbat crashed onto his back, kicking up a cloud of dust from the grass.
Bulbasaur whipped him back up instantly and slammed him into the dirt with a loud crash. As he tried to hurl him down one more time, Golbat opened his maw mid-air.
A high-pitched, piercing screech exploded from its throat. Sharp pain instantly flooded my ears, and my sword slipped from my hand. I clapped my palms over my ears and ducked my head by reflex. I wasn't the only one; Bran collapsed to his knees, clutching his head in agony. Lilly covered her ears as best she could, yet our Pokémon pushed through the pain and kept fighting.
The sound penetrated everything. Covering my ears barely helped, and it took me a moment to regain my focus. It was brutal, but bearable.
Meanwhile, Machoke sagged, but still held Arbok tightly by the tail. Lairon took care of the rest—stepping up and stomping hard on the serpent. I could barely register what was happening around me.
Finally, the ear-splitting noise subsided. Bulbasaur turned Golbat into a living target, suspending him in the air with his vines while our Pokémon tore into him with Water moves. Geodude joined in, ramming a jagged rock straight into the bat's head.
Bulbasaur tossed another dead Pokémon aside like trash.
Both Arbok and my Machoke lay motionless on the ground. I grabbed my Poké Ball immediately and recalled Machoke with a heavy heart.
As Machoke dissolved into a red beam and returned to his ball, I let out a deep breath.
For a fraction of a second, I thought I could catch my breath. Then came heavy, thudding footsteps from behind, accompanied by rhythmic, metallic breathing.
I whipped around.
Out of the darkness charged a fucking black-and-red samurai with white blades. A Bisharp. And he was heading straight for me.
He dodged a stream of water by a hair's breadth, sliced through Bulbasaur's vines with his blades, and surged forward without slowing down. Caught off guard, I couldn't even react. Lairon did, though, stepping heavily into his path.
KLANG!
Bisharp's blade slammed into Lairon's helmet. A sharp metallic clang rang through the air, sparks flying from the impact.
Lairon absorbed the blow with his armor, but Bisharp immediately planted his foot. Sharp metallic energy flared around his leg, and in the next instant, he delivered a brutal kick.
The impact hurled Lairon sideways. His heavy body flipped over, rolling out of control toward Bulbasaur, slamming hard against the dirt several times before coming to a stop on his side.
The steel samurai didn't even pause. He immediately sprinted forward again, targeting me.
I scooped my sword off the ground and took a fighting stance. I wasn't giving up my life without a fight.
Wartortle slammed into Bisharp from behind, raking sharp claws across his shoulder. A harsh screech of scraping metal echoed off the armor. The samurai spun in a blur, severing Wartortle's right arm at the shoulder in one fluid motion.
A raspy gasp escaped Wartortle's throat, punctuated by hissing, bubbling, and wet choking sounds. Streams of blood spurted from the open wound in rhythm with his beating heart. Instead of backing down, he opened his mouth and blasted a powerful stream of water right at Bisharp.
The samurai flipped smoothly to dodge the jet, vaulting off the ground with one hand like a fucking ninja, launching straight at me. The water stream shot through the space where he had been a fraction of a second ago and crashed harmlessly into the earth behind him.
Bisharp lunged, both blades aimed straight at my torso. I leaned into the swing with all my weight, parrying with my sword.
KLANG!
The shock almost ripped the sword out of my hand. A sharp pain shot up from my wrist into my forearm, forcing me to grit my teeth. Bisharp was lighter than me, but his fucking strength was on a whole different level.
Still, I managed to deflect the strike. Bisharp stumbled and took a step back. But he came right back at me as if nothing had happened, raising both razor-sharp blades. A metallic screech accompanied his every movement.
"Krah-heh-heh!" Bisharp laughed.
"You motherfucker!" I growled at him.
Water moves were useless at this distance—they would endanger me as much as Bisharp. Bulbasaur kept trying to attack with his vines, but Bisharp hacked them away effortlessly with one hand while continuing his relentless assault with the other.
I parried another stroke. Without him jumping, it was easier to brace. Immediately after, though, his follow-up attack knocked my blade aside, and with another metallic "Krah-heh!", he slashed into my left shoulder.
Hissing through my teeth, I stepped sideways. As he lunged again, I threw a sidekick to buy myself some distance. He had sharp metal blades around his midsection, so I targeted his left thigh instead. That bought me a single second at best while he recovered from the surprise.
"Hrrr-heh-heh!"
The bastard was enjoying this. He watched me with sharp, cruel eyes beneath his helmet. After a brief, appreciative nod, he lunged forward again.
I raised my sword hastily, doing what I could to prevent a lethal strike. Before our blades collided, a black mass slammed into him from the side.
Houndoom.
The moment Bisharp was thrown back, Houndoom wasted no time, drenching the spot where Bisharp landed in a searing Flamethrower. Flames washed over him like a wave, and I could feel the radiant heat blasting against my face. I had to pull back and squint against the glare.
A screech of agony tore out from the flames. Bisharp's high-pitched, metallic roar resonated across the entire clearing, drowning out everything else for a moment.
At last, the bastard isn't laughing, I thought with a dark grin.
***
Author's note:
Writing a battle scene and strategy involving ten different Pokémon with unique moves and roles was quite a challenge—great practice for me as an author!
Bran might be an idealist, but when it comes down to survival, even he can be convinced.
The entire Team Rocket group, except for Bisharp, was an ambush unit; if Haunter hadn't been in the woods, no one in the camp would have woken up. Gas attacks are terrifyingly dangerous—death in your sleep.
And man, that Bisharp was a total bastard, wasn't he? A mobile killing machine, right up until our hellhound caught him off guard.
How do you think this fight for survival plays out next?
***
Step into the Restricted Section
The shadows are shifting, and the story goes much deeper... If you can't wait for the next update, Advanced Chapters are already waiting for you.
Enter the Restricted Section here: you-know-what/PatrikWriter
Upcoming Chapters – Already Written(15):
55. The Spoils of War
56. The Price of Survival
57. A Heavy Debt
58. Into the Dark
59. Where Dragons Feed
60. Heart of a Dragon
61. Time for a Training Arc
62. Shadows in the Thunder
63. Forging Champions
64. Avenge Me
65. High Voltage
66. Ruthless
67. One or Two?
68. Dead Men Don't Dream
69. Romeo, Juliet, and a Warehouse...
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