"ENOUGH!"
A booming, gravelly voice echoed across the gorge, carrying the distinct, heavy weight of an Advanced-level trainer.
The chaotic brawling instantly ceased. The grunts from both the Time Gang and the Space Gang froze, hurriedly recalling their Pokémon and parting like the Red Sea to make way for the two approaching figures.
Old man Juro and old man Jackman walked through the crowd. Their earlier comical bickering was entirely gone, replaced by the grim, imposing auras of seasoned underworld bosses.
Eric raised a hand, signaling Poliwrath and Haunter to stand down, but he didn't recall them. He stayed perfectly still, his analytical eyes locking onto the two men.
'Two Advanced-level trainers...even with Haunter's Quasi-Grade 5 energy, taking them both on simultaneously is impossible. I'll have to play this carefully.'
"What is the meaning of this?" Juro demanded, glaring at the unconscious thugs littered across the ground. He turned his sharp eyes toward Eric. "You got some nerve, kid, taking out our boys."
Before Eric could speak, the slick-haired thug who had approached Eric earlier hurriedly stepped forward, looking terrified.
"B-Boss Juro, sir!" the grunt stammered. "It... well, we kinda started it. There was a baby Kangaskhan caught in the crossfire. One of the Space Gang's Houndooms almost torched it, and this kid stepped in to save it. Then we... uh... we yelled at him."
Juro and Jackman both blinked. They looked past Eric and saw the tiny, shrivelling baby Kangaskhan hiding behind Gardevoir's pristine white dress. It looked at them nervously, but continued to eat the poffin in its hand.
The menacing, heavy auras surrounding the two old men instantly evaporated.
"A baby Kangaskhan?!" Jackman shouted, smacking the nearest Space Gang grunt over the back of the head with his cane. "You idiots! We're gangsters, not monsters! Do you have any idea what happens if a mother Kangaskhan finds out we roasted her baby?! She'd bring the whole herd and flatten us all!"
"Absolute imbeciles!" Juro agreed, aggressively whacking a Time Gang grunt. "Where is your honor?!"
The two bosses turned back to Eric. Simultaneously, they bowed their heads slightly.
"We apologize for the behavior of our subordinates," Juro grunted. "You did a good deed today, kid."
Eric's deadpan expression didn't change. "Apology accepted. I'll be leaving now."
"Hold on a minute," Jackman interjected, rubbing his bald head. "You saved the baby, yes. And we thank you for that. But... you also put about thirty of our guys in the dirt."
Juro nodded, leaning on his cane. "He's right. If we just let you walk away after you styled on our crews, the Time Gang's reputation will be in the gutter. It's against the rules of the streets."
"But he saved the baby," Jackman argued.
"I know he saved the baby! But he beat up Jimmy! And Carl!"
"So what do we do? Pay him?"
"We can't pay him for beating up our own guys! That sets a terrible precedent!" Juro yelled.
"Well we can't break his legs either! It's bad karma!"
Eric watched the two fierce, imposing crime bosses devolve back into bickering grandfathers. He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"Ah, to hell with thinking!" Juro finally shouted, slamming his cane into the dirt. "My head hurts! Let's just settle this the old-fashioned way. A Pokémon battle!"
Juro pointed his cane at Eric. "One-on-one. I won't use my main team. I'll use an Intermediate-level Pokémon to keep it fair. You win, we call it even, and you walk out of here with the Time Gang's respect. You lose, you apologize to Jimmy and Carl. Deal?"
Eric considered the terms. It was straightforward, and he wanted this to be over as soon as possible. He also had to help the baby Kangaskhan find her mother.
"Deal," Eric said.
Juro grinned, unclasping a Poké Ball from his belt. "Let's see what you're made of, kid. Go, Staraptor!"
With a fierce, echoing screech, a large, predatory bird with a slick, red-tipped crest materialized in the sky, touching down gracefully on the dirt. It puffed out its chest, crossing its wings as it looked down its beak at Eric's team with blatant, unmistakable arrogance.
Eric's system quickly pulled up the data.
```
Pokémon: Staraptor
Gender: Male
Level: 37
Type: Normal/Flying
Ability: Intimidate
Held Item: Sharp Beak
Potential: Light Purple
```
'Level 37. And Light Purple potential,' Eric noted. 'A significant threat.'
Eric planned to call out Haunter, but before he could issue the command, a sharp, angry cry rang out beside him.
"Fearow!"
Fearow stomped forward, her wings flared aggressively. She glared directly at the preening Staraptor, absolutely furious. Just a moment ago, that damn bird had looked at her mockingly! She turned to Eric, flapping her wings to show her desire to fight.
Eric paused. Fearow was Level 35, two levels lower than Staraptor. More importantly, her potential was only Green, whereas Staraptor possessed a Light Purple core. She was at a massive disadvantage.
But Eric looked into Fearow's eyes. They were burning with an unyielding, ferocious fighting spirit.
Eric smiled faintly.
"You're up, Fearow."
Fearow let out a triumphant shriek and took to the sky, taking a combat stance.
"A Fearow against my Staraptor?" Juro chuckled. "Bold choice. Staraptor, show her the difference in pedigree! Aerial Ace!"
Staravia launched herself instantly from the ground, covering the distance in a fraction of a second. Its wings and talons glowed with lethal flying-type energy as she approached Fearow.
"Fearow, evade and use Tailwind!" Eric commanded.
Fearow flapped her wings, summoning a tailwind to boost her speed, but she was immediately put on the back foot. Staraptor was simply faster, stronger, and hit much harder. Fearow only surpassed it in mobility due to Eric's training, bareely dodging the strike by a millimetre.
"Screee!" Staraptor mocked her as it pressed the assault, this time using Close Combat, landing a grazing blow that sent Fearow skidding through the air.
"Don't let up! Aerial Ace!" Juro ordered.
Staraptor vanished into a blur of white streams, curving through the air to strike Fearow in her blind spot.
Fearow countered with her own Aerial Ace, but the clash was entirely one-sided. Staraptor overwhelmed her, sending her tumbling backward.
"Finish this! Brave Bird!"
Staraptor folded its wings, igniting into a massive, burning comet of flying-type energy. It shot forward like a railgun.
"Protect!" Eric yelled.
Fearow threw up a green barrier, but the sheer kinetic force of the attack was too much. The barrier shattered like glass, and the Brave Bird slammed squarely into Fearow's chest.
BOOM!
Fearow was sent crashing violently into the rocky ground, kicking up a massive cloud of dust.
The gang members cheered. Juro nodded approvingly. "Good fight, kid. But pedigree is pedigree."
Eric didn't say a word. He just watched the dust cloud.
He knew Fearow's struggles. Haunter was a walking anomaly with Quasi-Grade 5 energy. Poliwrath had successfully evolved his core to Purple. Ralts had been born with innate Purple potential, and Growlithe too had Light Purple potential.
Fearow was the only one on his main roster with Green potential. She knew she was lagging behind. She felt the gap widening every single day. Yet, she never complained. She never slacked off. She trained twice as hard as the others just to keep up.
Eric had long since decided he wouldn't abandon her. He would find a way to break her limits. And seeing what happened next only solidified that resolve.
From the center of the dust cloud, a ragged, defiant shriek echoed.
The dust parted. Fearow slowly, painfully forced herself back into the air. Her feathers were ruffled, her body covered in cuts, but her eyes were blazing with a fire that refused to be extinguished. She glared at the arrogant Staraptor, daring it to try again.
Eric's deadpan expression broke into a fierce, proud smile.
So what if her potential was low? He would make sure her efforts were rewarded.
"You really don't want to lose to Staraptor, do you, Fearow?" Eric called out. "Well, in that case... let's show them what real training looks like!"
Fearow shrieked in agreement.
"Staraptor, put her down for good! Brave Bird again!" Juro commanded.
Staraptor ignited once more, rocketing toward the heavily wounded Fearow.
"Tactic 3." Eric commanded.
Hearing that, Fearow launched at Staraptor using Aerial Ace, meeting it head on!
"What foolishness is this?!" Juro exclaimed. There is no way Fearow can match his Staraptor with an Aerial Ace.
'Sigh, he is a kid after all.' Juro said as he shook his head. But what happened next caught him by surprise.
Just as the two birds were about to clash, the energy around Fearow changed to dark type! Fearow did an unnatural maneuver, assisted by the dark-type energy, as she instantly moved to the side, as if she was pushed by an external force, turned around and struck Staraptor with a feint attack!
Staraptor was pushed a little, breaking its Brave Bird. Fearow didn't miss this chance, as she rapidly spun around and hit it with a point-blank Drill Peck at full power!
She truly gave everything to that attack as she drilled into Staraptor's back and pushed it towards the ground.
CRASH!
"What?!" Juro gasped.
The torque behind the attack was tremendous, and it was a critical strike as she landed it on its blind spot. This, combined with the recoil from Brave Bird, was too much to handle even for Staraptor. She did not have the same level of willpower as Fearow.
Staraptor shrieked in pain before its eyes rolled back. It lay into the dirt, entirely unconscious.
The entire gorge went dead silent. Both Juro and Jackman were stunned.
Fearow flapped her wings, struggling to stay afloat. She was battered, exhausted, and barely holding onto consciousness herself. But as she landed gracefully beside Eric, her head was held high. Her fighting spirit was completely renewed, bolstered by her absolute victory over a vastly superior foe.
"Fearroww!" she cried out victoriously into the freezing Sinnoh wind.