Thank you to all my readers that have stuck by me as I go through personal life struggles. I am good now and will resume my normal cadence of chapters. As always feel free to leave me any commentary!
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"All that tough talk earlier, and now look at your Pokémon."
Liepard was struggling to remain standing.
The Slash from Ursaring had torn deeply into its slender body, leaving a vicious wound along its side. Blood ran down its fur while its legs trembled beneath it.
Jessie showed no sympathy.
"Ursaring, use Facade."
An orange aura covered Ursaring's entire body.
Despite the paralysis affecting him, his movements suddenly became explosive.
Ursaring lunged toward Houndoom and threw a heavy punch directly at the Dark type.
With Quick Feet increasing his speed, Ursaring was deceptively fast for such a large Pokémon.
Houndoom tried to react, but Ursaring was already in front of it.
The punch connected cleanly.
Houndoom was sent staggering backward, but it managed to tough out the damage.
"Crunch!"
Houndoom immediately retaliated.
Its jaws became coated in dark energy before biting fiercely into Ursaring causing him to grunt from the pain.
Houndoom refused to let the opportunity disappear.
"Houndoom, quickly! Use Overheat!"
An enormous burst of flames erupted at point-blank range.
Ursaring disappeared inside the inferno. At this distance, there was no avoiding the attack. The flames completely engulfed his body, dealing massive damage.
For several seconds, nothing could be seen except fire.
Jessie's voice cut through the battlefield.
"Ursaring, show them your power. Use Stone Edge and end Houndoom!"
A vicious roar came from inside the flames.
A tall silhouette of a bear could be seen in the flames. Ursaring fought through the pain and slammed one foot into the ground.
The earth immediately trembled as sharp spears of stone erupted upward. Houndoom barely had time to move before some stone spears pierced its body from multiple angles.
The force lifted Houndoom off the ground for a moment before it fell limp.
A few of the remaining stone spears erupted farther to the side.
Ursaring knew Liepard was already barely standing and like his trainer, he was petty. He relished the chance to finish off that annoying feline Pokémon.
The struggling Liepard was pierced and finished off as well.
Ursaring emerged from the fading flames.
Burn marks covered her fur and his breathing was heavy. Despite everything, a bloodthirsty grin remained on his face.
Cassidy immediately reacted.
"Honchkrow, use Dark Pulse on Ursaring!"
Honchkrow opened its beak and a blast of dark energy shot across the battlefield.
Ursaring had already taken far too much damage.
The attack struck him cleanly and his large body finally gave out.
Even while falling, that same wicked grin remained across Ursaring's face. He crashed onto the ground unconscious.
Jessie wasn't surprised.
Belly Drum alone had already consumed half of his stamina.
After fighting Liepard, Houndoom, and enduring multiple attacks, Ursaring had reached his limit.
The damage he had caused before falling was more than enough.
Between the powerful Facade, and the brutal Stone Edge, Ursaring had completely turned the tide of battle.
Butch's face twisted in rage.
"You killed Liepard and Houndoom. You will pay big time."
James laughed.
"Hahahaha! You talk of vengeance when your own lives are at risk."
At that moment, Honchkrow's body suddenly became covered in dark energy.
The large bird threw its head back and cawed fiercely.
Silas immediately recognized what had happened.
This was the dangerous ability Moxie.
Honchkrow's ability activated after defeating a Pokémon, increasing its attack power.
Cassidy pointed toward Ursaring.
"Honchkrow, use Night Slash to finish off Ursaring!"
Jessie and James both laughed.
"You focused on the wrong target."
Jessie immediately raised Ursaring's Poké Ball.
A red beam reached the unconscious Pokémon and safely returned him before Honchkrow could finish the attack.
Night Slash struck the dirt where Ursaring had been lying.
Before Honchkrow could pull away, Nidoqueen rushed forward. She grabbed the bird Pokémon tightly.
Honchkrow immediately began struggling violently. The bird thrashed as hard as it could, trying to break free but Nidoqueen was relentless.
Dark Pulse exploded against her body but she didn't flinch. Then Shadow Ball and the same result. Again and again, Honchkrow attacked at close range but Nidoqueen refused to release her grip.
Electricity began gathering around her body.
"Nidoqueen, crush that bird with Thunder!"
"Scizor, use Bullet Punch! Disrupt that Thunder."
James quickly intervened.
"Crobat, use Quick Guard."
As Scizor charged forward with its metallic glowing pincers, an invisible barrier blocked his progression and repelled him.
Meanwhile, Nidoqueen unleashed everything she had left.
Powerful bolts of electricity erupted from her body into Honchkrow. At such a close range, the destructive power was incredible.
Honchkrow shrieked in pain as the Thunder passed through its body.
It's bloodcurdling cry showed just how much pain it was in.
Nidoqueen was also taking heavy damage at the same time from Honchkrow's attacks. Despite the devastating pain, Honchkrow never stopped attacking whether it was Night Slash or Dark Pulse.
Neither Pokémon could continue and collapsed at the same time.
It was a double knockout.
For several seconds, Butch and Cassidy simply stared.
Their expressions went blank.
Liepard and Houndoom were both dead and now Honchkrow was knocked out.
Now only Scizor remained between them and Jessie and James.
James slowly smiled.
"So how would you like to die?"
Jessie stepped beside him.
"You guys have bullied us for the last time."
The meaning was obvious.
For years, Butch and Cassidy had treated Jessie and James as inferior.
That dynamic no longer existed.
Before the battle could continue, someone stepped out from the crowd.
Silver hair immediately caught the attention of several people.
It was Hun.
Her appearance alone caused many of the men present to glance toward her.
She walked forward calmly despite the situation.
"I think we can end the battle here."
She looked toward Jessie, James, and then Silas.
"Like Odin said, there's no need to kill people during this test."
Her tone was calm but her meaning was clear.
Hun had no intention of allowing her subordinates to die without intervening.
Silas understood her completely because he would have done the same thing.
He could also appreciate the eloquence she used to turn his own previous words into her advantage now.
Strength was the most important thing but soft skills like public speaking and negotiations were absolutely necessary as well.
If Jessie and James had lost this battle, Silas never would have allowed Butch and Cassidy to kill them.
Naturally, he had no intention of announcing that hypocrisy.
The strong made the rules while the weak followed them. That was simply the unfortunate reality.
Since Hun had stepped forward to protect her own people, Silas would step forward for his.
"Miss Hun."
Silas moved toward Jessie and James.
"It's no secret that we are sworn enemies. My sentiments earlier do not apply to your group."
Hun's expression remained unreadable.
Silas continued.
"But we can give you a chance."
He held up one finger.
"Pay us 100,000 Rocket Points for each of your subordinates, and we can spare their lives."
For a brief moment, fury flashed across Hun's face but it disappeared as quickly as it came. She understood that she had little wiggle room if she truly wished to save Butch and Cassidy.
"I accept your terms."
She looked toward Butch and Cassidy.
"Butch. Cassidy. Pay them now."
Neither looked pleased but they likewise didn't have much of a choice.
Jessie and James were equally furious but they kept it together out of respect for their leader. He always had their backs so they trusted his judgment and would never contradict him.
The transfer was soon completed under Silas' watchful gaze.
Once the transaction was confirmed, everyone began returning their Pokémon to their balls.
The confrontation appeared finished.
Then a gray streak flashed across the battlefield.
Silas barely needed to look. He knew that it was Meowth who had made a move.
He appeared beside Butch and Cassidy in an instant and his claws flashed.
Two screams followed as an arm fell from both Butch and Cassidy. Blood immediately poured from the wounds.
Meowth landed calmly nearby.
He was now level 43.
At that level, his Slash attack was far beyond anything an ordinary human body could withstand.
"We said we'd spare your lives."
Meowth's voice was cold.
"But that's it."
The entire area became silent.
"I know you will try us again in the future, so let this be a lesson."
Meowth stared directly at them.
"If you drop it here, so will we."
His voice seemed to carry across the entire testing area like thunder.
Several people visibly shuddered. The attack had come so suddenly. More importantly, it had been precise. Meowth could have gone for their throats and ended it instantly if he so chose.
He had deliberately removed an arm from each of them while leaving them alive.
Many of the people present still remembered Jessie, James, and Meowth as the weaker trio who constantly got looked down on.
Particularly Meowth, a talking Pokémon was indeed impressive but without any personal strength, nearly all of Team Rocket looked down on Meowth in the past.
That old image of weakness had just been permanently shattered.
Jessie and James had already proven themselves in battle.
Now Meowth had shown that he had changed as well.
The Rocket trio was no longer a group anyone would casually mess with.
Butch clutched the stump of his arm while screaming through the pain.
"You fucking stray cat! I'll kill you myself one day!"
Cassidy was equally furious.
"I'll skin you alive and roast your flesh!"
Their threats became increasingly vicious as pain overwhelmed their judgment.
Silas calmly stepped in front of Jessie, James, and Meowth.
"You are welcome to try anytime."
His voice remained relaxed.
"But just remember that it will be the last thing you ever do."
Butch and Cassidy went silent.
Viper watched everything from nearby.
He nodded slightly in approval. Silas and his companions were decisive. Bloodthirsty when necessary but not an unruly reckless bunch. They had still followed the conditions of the agreement.
Butch and Cassidy were alive. Nothing in the deal had promised they would leave unharmed.
Viper respected strength and cunning above all so he could truly appreciate this group of young rockets.
"It seems the next generation of Rockets is even fiercer than my own. That is how it should be."
As Viper though to himself, the rest of the spectators were still lost in shock.
Today was destined to a memorable one.