Unlike Red's aggressive, frontline advance, Eric, Kai, and Iris were moving like ghosts, trying to avoid any and all attention.
They weren't at the Advanced level yet. While their tactical synergy allowed them to punch above their weight, diving headfirst into an army of Advanced-level Ancient Kingdom members was pure suicide.
Behind the cover of a massive, overturned marble fountain, Eric knelt on the ground, carefully spraying a full restore at Fearow's chest.
Fearow let out a low, pained trill. The toxic energy from Skuntank's Poison Jab had been neutralized, but the physical tissue and energy pathways around the wound were severely damaged.
"You'll be fine now," Eric whispered, gently recalling her into her Poké Ball.
"But you're sitting the rest of this out. You need at least a few days of complete rest."
He stood up, his expression grim. Beside him, Iris and Kai were peering up through the canopy of the burning trees.
"What in the world is happening up there?" Iris murmured, her blue eyes reflecting the chaotic flashes of light from the sky.
"Whatever it is, it's completely out of our league," Kai said, adjusting his suit jacket.
A sudden, sharp crash of shattered stone brought their attention back to the ground level.
The trio crept forward, peering through a thick row of scorched hedges.
In a clearing ahead, an intense battle was taking place. Sebastian, the notoriously deadpan butler of the Nashville family, was directing his Gallade in a blistering, high-speed melee against a heavily armored invader's Duraludon.
Cowering behind a shattered pillar, trying desperately to keep the dust off his once-pristine cape, was Alister.
"Sebastian! Strike with the elegance befitting the Nashville name!" Alister yelled, though he noticeably flinched when a stray rock smashed into his pillar.
"Do not let that brutish beast tarnish my aesthetic!"
"I am currently prioritizing our continued existence over aesthetics, Young Master," Sebastian replied in a flawless monotone, barely dodging a Dragon Claw.
But what caught Eric's eye wasn't the fighting invader. It was the second invader standing near the back of the clearing.
She wasn't wearing a helmet. She was a tall woman with sharp, aristocratic features, her dark hair tied back tightly. Her armor was sleeker, tailored for mobility. She stood with her arms crossed, a look of profound, cynical boredom on her face.
Hovering beside her was a Mismagius, its tattered, cloak-like body swaying gently in the wind.
"Should we assist?" Iris whispered. "That's Alister, but his butler is taking on two Advanced-level operatives."
"As an officer of the League, I cannot simply walk past citizens in danger," Kai said, his voice lowering into his perfect, righteous cop persona. "We should intervene."
Eric frowned. "The one in the back hasn't even made isn't going all out yet. If we jump in, we're exposing--"
Before Eric could finish his sentence, the woman in the back let out a tired
sigh.
"If you League lapdogs are going to cower in the bushes, at least learn to mask your tracks," she called out lazily. "Mismagius. Flush out the rats."
The Mismagius giggled - a high, echoing sound - and spun around. A hyper-condensed Shadow Ball materialized instantly and shot directly at their hiding spot.
"Dodge!" Eric yelled.
The trio dove in different directions just as the Shadow Ball obliterated the hedges, sending a shower of burning leaves and dirt into the air.
"Ah! Reinforcements," Sebastian said, not taking his eyes off the Duraludon. "Your assistance is most appreciated."
Alister peeked out from behind his pillar, his face showing irritation.
'Why are they getting the hero entrance?!' Alister seethed internally, his eye twitching. 'I am the main character! This is my stage! Why do they look so cool walking out of the smoke?!'
Outwardly, Alister puffed out his chest and struck a dynamic pose. "Hmph! I suppose I can allow you commoners to act as my supporting cast! Try not to get in my way!"
Eric ignored him completely, locking eyes with the woman at the back.
"More children raised on the League's hollow lies," the woman sneered, her eyes filled with deep, cynical disgust. "You blindly follow an institution that fattens itself on the weak, preaching 'justice' while standing on a mountain of corpses. How pitiable."
She uncrossed her arms. "I'll grant you a swift reality check."
Eric immediately scanned the Mismagius.
---
Pokémon: Mismagius
Gender: Female
Level: 46
Type: Ghost
Ability: Levitate
Held Item: None
Potential: Purple
Energy Grade:
Ghost type - Grade 4 (Mid)
---
Eric's stomach dropped.
Not only was it at Level 48, the peak of the Advanced level, but its Ghost-type energy was Grade 4. Haunter's absolute biggest advantage, the terrifying density of his energy that allowed him to crush higher-level opponents, was completely nullified here.
"Haunter! Kai, we need to double-team it!" Eric shouted.
"Zoroark, Night Daze!" Kai commanded, his face losing all traces of a smile.
Haunter emerged, immediately expanding his Shadow Domain to try and restrict Mismagius's movements. But the moment the dark shadow spread across the ground, Mismagius simply floated higher, its own Grade 4 aura easily repelling the suffocating pressure of Haunter's domain.
"Mystical Fire," the woman said boredly.
Mismagius spun, unleashing a torrent of eerie, purple-blue flames. Zoroark's Night Daze was instantly incinerated, the shockwave of the fire blasting Kai's dark-type backward.
"Haunter, Twin Shadow Ball!"
Haunter fired two consecutive Shadow Balls, aiming for the ghost-type's blind spots. But Mismagius didn't even dodge. It used Phantom Force, vanishing entirely from the physical plane, letting the attacks sail harmlessly past before reappearing directly behind Haunter.
"Dodge!" Eric yelled.
BAM!
A point-blank Shadow Ball struck Haunter in the back, sending him crashing into the dirt.
Eric gritted his teeth. It wasn't just a level gap. This woman was an incredibly skilled veteran, and her Mismagius's control over its energy was flawless. For the first time since his evolution, Haunter was being completely outclassed in his own element.
The battle turned desperate, with Eric and Kai forced entirely onto the defensive, barely hanging on by a thread against the cynical invader's overwhelming power.
Seth Williams stood perfectly straight on the back of his Mega Salamence. The blood-red crescent wings of his partner cast a long, terrifying shadow over the clouds.
Hovering thirty meters away, riding massive Hydreigon, was the Black Knight.
His obsidian armor seemed to drink the ambient light. He exuded no fiery passion, no frantic desperation. Just an absolute, suffocating void of death.
"We meet again," the Black Knight said. His voice was deep, echoing directly into Seth's mind via telepathy.
Seth didn't smile. He didn't offer a witty retort or a theatrical bow.
His eyes, usually so bright and full of eccentric warmth, were hollowed out by a decade of agonizing grief and pure, unrelenting hatred. He stared at the Black Knight as if looking at a ghost.
"I've waited ten years," Seth whispered, his voice cracking with the sheer weight of his malice.
---
Twenty Years Ago.
The dense, humid jungles of the Hoenn region were not a place for the faint of heart.
A young Seth Williams, barely twenty years old and dressed in an unbuttoned, brightly colored Hawaiian shirt, was currently hanging upside down from a thick tree branch, casually tossing a Oran berry into his mouth.
"You know, if you map that quadrant any harder, the paper might actually catch fire," Seth teased, chewing loudly.
Standing a few feet below him was a young woman in practical, mud-stained hiking gear. She had striking blonde hair tied in a strict, no-nonsense braid, and her sharp eyes were currently glaring daggers at the clipboard in her hands.
Lisandra.
"Are you blind, or just incredibly stupid?" Lisandra snapped, not even lookingup as she scribbled a furious note. "We are in the middle of uncharted Seviper territory. If you don't start taking this expedition seriously, I am leaving you behind."
Seth chuckled, effortlessly flipping off the branch and landing gracefully on his feet.
"I am taking it seriously! I'm providing moral support and aesthetic value. Besides, life's too short to spend it staring at a map, Lisandra. Look around! It's beautiful."
Lisandra finally looked up, her expression a mix of profound exhaustion and deep irritation. She walked right up to him and poked him hard in the chest with her pen.
"Listen to me, you rich, privileged slacker," she hissed, her earnest eyes burning with determination.
"I actually work for a living. I am trying to complete this ecological survey so I can earn my researcher's license. I do not have the time, nor the patience, for a billionaire playboy who thinks the world is his personal playground!"
Seth blinked, momentarily stunned by her fiery outburst.
Then, a slow, incredibly genuine smile spread across his face.
"Well," Seth laughed softly, completely unfazed. "Aren't you a terrifying breath of fresh air?"
-----------------------------------
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