"How about picking on a trainer a little more on your level, huh?" Argenta stood amidst the enormous hole in the warehouse's wall with a confident stance, holding her waist with one hand, the wind clawing at her hair and outfit giving her a much more intimidating appearance. Member of Sinnoh Elite Four, one of the strongest Pokémon trainers in the entire world. And, she carried that prestige with her, undeterred by the massive force of Rocket grunts before her. It wasn't like she was alone, rather, she had her own team to rely on, two enormous hulking beasts that towered over every other person in the room.
A fierce Magmortar, whose body was a furious furnace of burning fumes licking the air around it, throwing heat everywhere. Along its back there were large protruding spikes, and both of its arms ended with three sharp prongs. On Argenta's other side was a similarly large monster, covered in ruffled yellow fur, and black bands that wrapped around its arms and face. Flailing about behind it were two black tails, the ends cut off like exposed wires, randomly sparking with excess electricity. They both didn't make a sound, slowly staring back at the Rocket Elite's Pokémon, awaiting an order...
"I had hoped tonight wouldn't have been such a hassle..." Tyson scratched the back of his neck, frustration starting to bubble over. Not only had three intruders gotten past security, undermining their entire operation, now an Elite Four member was threatening Team Rocket's main power base in the entire region. All of their stolen goods were escaping and tens of grunts were already unconscious without even having lifted a finger. It had gone from all-good to utter chaos in only a few minutes. It was the worst time too with Judge gone, he knew something wrong was bound to happen, like vultures circling in on their prey. He groaned and shook his head trying to maintain some cool, flashing Argenta a cocky smirk.
"Fine, fine! You want a fight?! I'll give you one you will never forget!" And he cast his arm out wide, gesturing towards the entrance. "Leave the unconscious behind, they're no good now. Make sure we don't get outnumbered outside..." Tyson ordered the remaining grunts around him, who nodded and raced off in quick succession, leaving only a few people left in the enormous chamber. If Argenta was here then more couldn't be very far, and he didn't want to get surrounded on top of fighting an Elite Four Member. "I'll deal with this mess myself."
There were only three conscious people who remained...
The Elite Four's Argenta. Team Rocket Elite Officer Tyson. And, fledgling trainer [Y/N].
Typhlosion let out a low growl, his two squinty eyes focused on the new threat, and the flames around its collar billowed out even more ferociously then they had before, the ground trembling underfoot. Ampharos made a shrill cry and similarly took an offensive stance, sparks erupting from around its head, ready to explode, the air around them convulsing and blurry...
The tension in the room between the two duo teams was terrific, ready to detonate at any moment. "Don't worry, dear..." Argenta looked towards Tyson, throwing him a smirk and a sly wink. "This battle will be over in no time." And she took a step forward, pointing towards the enemy team. "Electivire, couldn't you be a darling and finish this with an earthquake, please? Magmortar, prepare a Focus Blast for when they move, don't let them hit Electivire." They both nodded, dashing away to their positions in a rapid blitz.
Electivire marched forward while Magmortar covered their defences, readying his ranged attack.
With both of its fuzzy hands raised out high a dangerous amount of power began rushing through the massive Electivire's body, from the tips of its tail to its small ears, and it coated the electric-type's enormous arms with a brilliant gold. It then pressed both palms up against the floor, unleashing all the built up electricity, and it called out its own name with a roar. "ELECTIVIRE!" Static shocks fired off in jagged, random directions, and the electric power was projected into the ground, creating a heavy tremor that shook the very earth itself...
"Shit, shit, shit..." [Y/N] mumbled to himself, realising he had just been caught amidst a fight that he was wholly unprepared for, these weren't just any average trainer, not even Cynthia could compare to them. This was a real clash of titans.
"Alright, new plan guys, tactical retreat!" [Y/N] turned to his team, who all responded with a desperate nod, all eager to leave and dashing after him. However, before he could fully turn the corner a realisation hit him, forcing him to rebound once more, looking back out onto the battlefield. Behind Tyson's two Pokémon there was a wounded figure lying against the floor, slowly bleeding out, but he was still breathing, and that was Bonzo. He was fading in and out of consciousness, and if the clown was caught amidst both teams then there wasn't much of a chance that he would make it out alive...
[Y/N] suddenly had a very stupid, very dangerous idea, an idea that could have very easily spelt death for both of them.
It was stupid, and his best chance of safety was to get away now while they had the chance, wasn't this the distraction that they were waiting for this entire time? An Elite Four member was definitely better suited to fight against a Rocket Elite, not some kid. And yet, another part of him made it clear that he couldn't just leave without bringing the clown with them too. He wasn't going to leave anybody behind, right? That surely went for Bonzo then too...
"Damn it! Stupid conscience! Leave now! Don't wait up for me!" [Y/N] shouted to his team, who all cried back in confusion, but they were too late, and their trainer rushed onto the battlefield mid combat, and just as the dynamic action was starting!
"Ampharos, Volt Switch, now, dash away! Typhlosion, Focus Punch the ground! Stop that attack dead!" Tyson shouted towards his team, and they moved in an instant. Where Ampharos once stood was now empty, the yellow Pokémon charging away from the attack with a bolt of thunder, kicking off the floor, skidding away, the cement crumbling beneath its feet. Typhlosion didn't move, rather, it roared and brought one arm up high, holding it there for a few moments as an incredible energy swirled around its fist.
Like a fast-moving infection the ground crumbled, large chunks flying up into the air, while others sunk deeper, shaking the entire warehouse, as the roof continued to collapse inwards...
And, just before the earthquake struck, Typhlosion, throwing its entire body into the attack, collided its empowered fist squarely into the ground, stopping its advance with a mighty crash, a cloud of smoke and a violent whiplash dispersing about the warehouse. The fire-type took a heavy breath, still for a moment, but that time was all their opponents needed. A figure almost instantaneously appeared out from behind through the dark, thick miasma, like a shadow. Beneath the dense layer Electivire's eyes glinted with a confident look. It had moved without even alerting its enemy's attention, catching them totally unprepared. "Rock Slide!" Argenta shouted out.
Electivire didn't hesitate, crashing down its fist, an incredible strength behind the blow...
Typhlosion only had a second to react, shocked at the sheer speed of its opponent, holding both arms out defensively above its head. However, there was no way that all of the damage could be nullified. The force battered through, digging the fire-type deep into the cement under foot.
Yet, there were two other Pokémon at play. "Ampharos! Iron Tail that Electivire!" Tyson roared, and his Ampharos threw itself back into the fight, its tail shining a bright solid silver, brandishing the weapon against Electivire's turned back. However, Argenta's electric-type didn't seem all that troubled, not even paying any attention to the attack. It had good reason. "Magmortar, fire at your leisure." The Elite Four member casually spoke, and her fire-type, who had been slowly building its Focus Blast, finally unleashed the devastating beam...
It was a ball of light, far too bright for any to simply look at, and it exploded forward with a surprising speed, launched towards the Ampharos, whose face went wide by shock.
Ampharos only narrowly able to avoid the brunt of the damage from the ranged attack, yet, it wasn't able to completely avoid the powerful Focus Blast, and a side of its stomach was blackened, bruised and wounded, making it more difficult to move. It grunted in pain, trying to take a step back, only to fall onto one knee. It felt like its endurance had been sliced in half...
"Typhlosion, Eruption!" Tyson pressed forward, still confident that he could win this battle somehow, despite Argenta's ruthless offensive, but he was growing more desperate. His fire-type snarled beneath Electivire's unwavering force, emitting a heavy smoke from out it's mouth, droplets of magma falling from its jaw. In an awesome display of raw power, the fire-type unleashed the destructive fiery blast straight into the electric-type's maw, forcing Electivire to stumble back a few paces.
However, Electivire wasn't finished by that single attack, not by a wide margin, and it quickly recovered, brushing the fire away from its fur, though some specks remained alight, slowly burning away. "Electivire..." It mumbled underneath its breath, taking the hit personally.
This was a difficult fight for most trainers, especially when considering the abilities of either side's Pokémon. Argenta quickly identified Typhlosion's abilities, Flash Fire, and Blaze, and both didn't mean anything good for her. Flash Fire meant she couldn't risk attacking with a fire-type move, or else she would just empower their opponent. Tyson had a similar struggle. Electivire's ability, Motor Drive, made it entirely immune to any electric-type move, forcing him to use other attacks.
It was a challenge, but not one either wouldn't be able to overcome, they were veteran trainers after all...
And, through the combat, a lone figure raced through the carnage in the background, despite the brutal fighting going on all around him. "Bonzo, buddy, you alright?" [Y/N] asked, nervously, falling to one knee, trying to assess how badly he was hurt. "T-This little clown went to market..." He mumbled out, slowly coming back to the world of the living. That was good, even if he was rambling some nonsensical scramble of words. "T-This little clown stayed home..."
"Yeah, that's right, time to head home, bud, but you've got to help me out a little here!" [Y/N] said, and he lowered himself down, thrusting his shoulder underneath the clown's, pulling him up. Bonzo was a heavy person, which made moving him difficult, but he persisted on despite the odds, dragging him along through the intense fight. "Just a little further now..." He said aloud, partly to his new clown friend, but also partly to himself. If he could just push himself a little more than they would be gone in no-time...
[Y/N] turned his head, the fighting only just a few feet away from him. He could feel the fire's warmth and the static sparks zap against his skin, the ground rumbling with every attack from the back and forth. "Fire Blast!" Argenta shouted, and Magmortar joined the fray, unleashing a violent torrent of burning spheres straight towards the Ampharos. The electric-type avoided the first blast with a sudden Volt Switch, but took the second blast to the torso, forcing a temporary break, the flames spreading across its body. Ampharos wasn't frail however, rather its defence against ranged attacks was impressive for its size.
On the other end of the warehouse Electivire was man-handling Typhlosion, the two boxing back and forth with a flurry of blows, throwing jabs and trading hooks, uppercuts and wide crashing punches. They roared back at one another, but it was clear that the electric-type was physically stronger. Typhlosion wasn't weak however it's worked best with ranged attacks. A direct confrontation against an enemy like Electivire, Argenta of the Elite Four's Electivire, would never have been a good matchup...
"Double Edge, Typhlosion, and then make some distance!" Tyson commanded from the side-lines. It was the best shot they had right now. Typhlosion's expression turned stern and it began to charge, barging straight into the Electivire with its entire weight, even to its own detriment, suffering some recoil damage. Yet, it worked out as planned, with the electric-type a fair distance away, its thick legs buried within the cement from the force. It didn't look happy, throwing an angry scowl back in return. Argenta held a hand over her mouth, concealing a smirk.
Typhlosion was using a lot of strong moves, one after the other, with no time to rest. It was a testament to the Pokemon's strength, but if it kept pushing on then sooner or later it wouldn't be able to attack again for a while...
[Y/N] coughed, just barely avoiding being crushed beneath Argenta's massive electric monster, Bonzo's body by his side, and they were both so close now, just a little bit further! His Pokémon called out their names, Piplup and Starly angry, while Turtwig and Chimchar were concerned. "Yeah, yeah, I'm sorry, won't happen again..." He said, regrouping with his time. He turned back one last time, bearing witness to the fight going on before him. It was truly breath-taking. Just strength and skill, experience and strategy going up against one another, fire and electricity meeting together in a brutal contest of skill, catching against the glossy reflection of his eyes.
So this was what strength looked like in the world, huh? This was as close to the pinnacle that humanity could achieve...
He wondered, how strong must Rowan have been in his prime if Argenta was only an Elite Four member? He must've been a truly monstrous opponent on the battlefield.
That's what he himself had to become, this was what he had to achieve...
Ampharos and Magmortar faced one another, the dust settling around them, and, from their trainers, they both got their next command. "Hyper Beam!" Tyson and Argenta shouted at once, and the two Pokémon hunkered down, preparing their respective moves. From Magmortar's two large cannon arms a bright light began to form, spinning faster and faster as if gaining momentum. Above Ampharos' head, the red gem saw a similar reaction, and its own ball of shining light rotated violently, building and building until it couldn't any longer...
A mighty explosion conquered all other sound in the room as they both unleashed their Hyper Beams, colliding against one another mid-air, the warehouse now brighter than it had ever been, a deadly blinding shine. Ampharos and Magmortar buckled in, neither of them ready to concede as they continued to fuel their destructive light beams, throwing everything they had into the show of power. The sheer force of the attack threw strong winds around the empty space, batting back their trainers, but Argenta and Tyson refused to back down...
However, slowly but surely, Magmortar was winning the duel, its power simply too strong against Ampharos.
It was an unfair battle from the beginning, the difference between Rocket Elite Officer and Elite Four members was too vast. Perhaps if Tyson had been some Executive then the outcome could have been very different, but that was not the case. In fact, while he could struggle on, there wasn't much of a chance for him to win here. It just wasn't plausible, not against Argenta...
That didn't mean Tyson would go out with a whisper though, rather, it only encouraged him to try even harder, to prove his status amongst the Rocket upper-echelon, as one of their greatest fighters!
And, losing here wasn't just a blow against his own pride, but a blow against the entirety of Team Rocket. The Executive he worked under, Judge, but more importantly, the Big Boss above all of them. It wouldn't just lose them Jubilife, but it dishonour them all...
Ampharos cried out with pain as the full brunt of Magmortar's Hyper Beam collided into it, sending the electric-type flying backwards across the room, denting against the rear warehouse wall, and even tearing straight through it, falling into some back-alley. "Go finish, and don't play with your food." Argenta told her Magmortar, who nodded back, the trust between them clear.
Her attention was now fully upon the fight between Electivire and Typhlosion. "Smokescreen, then Dig!" Tyson shouted, and, in rapid succession, a pitch black cloud enshrouded the fight, Electivire unable to peer through the dark expanse, eyes darting about in every direction...
It was a risky gambit, especially if Electivire used Earthquake once more, but if Tyson's strategy played off then he would render the battle-field completely inhospitable for Argenta's Pokémon. "Oh, come now, perhaps you are not such the competent opponent I believed you to be..." The Elite Four member mumbled, holding her temple. "And here I thought that I'd be fighting against an Executive, how disappointing." The Elite Rocket Officer shook his head, ignoring the disparaging words. "Typhlosion, Overheat!"
At first there appeared no difference on the field of battle, but very quickly things began to change...
The floor rapidly began heating up, and, through the crater where Typhlosion had dug through, a violent roaring flame exploded out, drowning the entire room in a deadly blaze. And, before Electivire could even react, the entire field erupted with a fiery cacophony, unable to take a single step without catching a falling spark.
"Let's get this over with! Typhlosion, Blast Burn, no mercy!" Tyson bellowed out, cackling to himself, his once cool demeanour completely gone by this point. He was hellbent on winning, with whatever means necessary, even if it meant turning the field of battle into hell itself!
Suddenly, from out the ground below, Typhlosion exploded out, and in its mouth was a volatile, destructive force. Typhlosion seemed stronger than before, his Blaze ability kicking in at last, and it certainly gave him a useful buff.
"Electivire, Protect!" However, by the time the electric-type formed its intangible shield, the blazing projectile had already collided into its torso, penetrating straight through...
Electivire bit its teeth together, holding one eye closed, mumbling its name under its breath, and after all of that, finally, it had been forced onto one knee.
Typhlosion's string of attacks had finally had an impact, but, what was it worth it?
Heaving heavily, barely able to stand against Electivire was Tyson's exhausted Typhlosion, whose energy was completely wiped-out, forced to use so many powerful moves, one after the other...
The fact that Typhlosion could still stand was impressive as it fought for oxygen, just able to stand. "You certainly tried your hardest..." Argenta quietly clapped her hands together, but it just came across as a mocking gesture. "However, you seem to misunderstand something about Pokémon, Tyson my dear..." And, as she began to speak, Electivire picked himself up, dusting off his shoulders, his electrical spark still shining bright, even after all the attacks made against it.
"You criminals use Pokémon to hurt and cajole..." Electivire slowly marched over towards the Typhlosion, who was barely able to keep both eyes open. "Use is such an ugly word, don't you think?" Tyson glared back at her, grinding his teeth. "If you only use something then you can never know what it could become, for you only see it for what it is..." Electivire's arm turned a golden colour, sparks raging up and down the limb, backwards and forward, just as strong as it had been before the match had begun.
"A tool cannot be anymore than that, but a Pokémon, well, that is a different situation altogether..." Electivire didn't even need to throw its punch, as Typhlosion collapsed face-first, lying on the ground, unconscious. Tyson's eyes went wide, as he quickly reached towards his waist...
"Are you beginning to understand the difference in skill between the two of us, Tyson of Team Rocket?
================
[Outside the Rocket Warehouse...]
Fire and explosions, smoke and ash, craters and destruction. Every citizen of Jubilife could hear the fighting, the constant back and forth that shook the city's foundation, and thick dark clouds rose up into the night's sky. The Rocket base in Jubilife had turned into a literal warzone, as the International Police flooded onto the scene, and turned against the Rocket grunts, and everyone unleashed their teams. Tens of Pokémon going back and forth, firing off deadly blazing infernos, dense tangles of vines, lethal gusts and gales, poisonous clouds and psychic barrages...
A news helicopter dashed about far above, and camera crews tried to get a glimpse of the action, as building fronts turned to rubble beneath the immense strength of Pokémon against Pokémon. "Arcanine, Flare Blitz!" Looker ordered, an enormous orange, flaming dog with shaggy beige hair stood offensively before him, his partner Pokémon. "Arc!" It barked, and charged forward towards the mass of Rocket grunts and their teams, decimating straight through them with a single burning inferno, before bouncing right back...
"Good, boy." Looker said, petting Arcanine's head. They were making quick work of the escaping grunts who had been thrown into a frenzy, like kicking a hornet's nest. However, there were far more Rocket members than there were International Police.
Fortunately for them, they had two of Sinnoh's strongest trainers on their side.
Silas didn't even need to order his Lucario around, it was like they shared a silent bond, and it moved in an instant, darting from grunt to grunt, and Pokémon to Pokémon, finishing their enemies with a single hit, a strong kick, a heavy sweep.
The black bipedal dog would appear and disappear with an unmatched speed and ferocity, even leaving after-images behind at times. A whole group stood before it and Lucario stopped, closing both of its eyes tight, before holding its arms close to the chest chest, an intense focus evident on its face. A moment later a swirling blue ball appeared, growing larger and larger by the second. Lucario quietly hummed to itself before hurling both arms forward, launching the sphere which detonated upon contact, erupting like a missile, destroying everything that stood in its path...
"Silas, I've gotten reports saying that Team Rocket's scattering, they've been given the order to retreat!" Looker shouted out, finding the Elite Four member and his brother. "Retreat? Hmm..." Silas covered his mouth, thinking what they should do next, looking on at the large swelling mass of Rocket grunts. "Have we found the Executive, Judge?" He asked. Looker shook his head. "We've caught a few stragglers, they're being led by an Elite Officer while Judge is away on business, he isn't here."
Silas clicked his tongue, dissatisfied with the results of the raid. However, even if they hadn't caught the ringleader they had certainly made a heavy blow against Team Rocket's influence in the region. And yet, he couldn't help but wonder, why did it all feel a little strange...
Team Rocket were not incapable, rather, they were highly sophisticated, and simply allowing their largest foothold in the entire region to fall in one night seemed a major lapse in judgement, had it not? Perhaps if their Executives had been present they very well may have been able to hold onto power, or maybe they simply weren't expecting such a bold move from Argenta. It always was hard to understand what actions that woman would take next.
Hundreds of arrests were sure to be made tonight alone, and hundreds more in the coming weeks as the rest of Team Rocket would be found lurking about the city, but that didn't seem the pressing concern. Silas turned around, watching the carnage take place. Eastern Jubilife looked like a militarised zone, and the media up ahead of broadcasting it right into people's homes. What sort of message were they sending to the people of Sinnoh, that the region's cultural and technological capital had descended into madness, like it had all those decades ago...
"Brother, what's wrong?" Riley asked him, his Riolu quickly following afterwards. "Nothing..."
"I'm sure it's nothing."