"Don't bother struggling. That cage is custom-made—your Lucario won't break it from the inside."
Gree's voice dripped with malice as he addressed Korrina.
"Don't get cocky just yet!"
Though Korrina regretted her recklessness, she wasn't about to give up. She kept urging Lucario to attack the cage's ceiling. She wouldn't let the enemy's words shake her resolve.
But the iron bars were too tough. The cramped interior left Lucario little room to maneuver—he had to be careful not to injure Korrina—so his efforts had little effect.
Thankfully, Rex and Mai had arrived with Cole in tow. They kept their distance from the trap, wary of further surprises, and stared down Gree from across the camp.
"Cole, I'm guessing you brought them here, huh?"
Seeing Cole tied up like a hog, Gree instantly understood how they'd been found.
"Boss, I didn't have a choice, really…"
Cole's voice was weak under Gree's cold, murderous glare. Now that he was here, he regretted everything. If Rex and the others lost, he'd probably be the first one Gree turned on.
Strangely, he found himself hoping these kids would win. If they did, he'd just end up in prison—a better fate than whatever Gree had planned for traitors.
"Heh, we'll deal with you later. First, I need to handle these meddling brats."
Gree's smile didn't reach his eyes as he turned his full attention to Rex and Mai, trying to spot a weakness.
"Go, Blaziken!"
Without knowing how many more traps the camp held, Rex didn't take chances. He sent in Blaziken, confident that it could handle whatever was waiting.
Sure enough, a pit trap sprang open in its path—but Blaziken, prepared, used its momentum and leapt off the edge, soaring over it with ease.
Just as Blaziken closed in on Gree, a dark blur darted into its path.
A Weavile, exuding the aura of death itself, landed silently in front of it. Even from a distance, Rex could feel the pressure radiating from it. This Weavile was no tame house pet—it was a killer, honed by brutal survival in the wild.
The battle began immediately, and it was nothing like a friendly exhibition match. It was savage and violent.
Weavile's claws slashed at Blaziken's vital points like twin daggers, relentless and deadly.
But Blaziken's fighting skills were just as fierce. It met each blow with flaming fists, the two clashing in a storm of fire and shadow.
They moved so fast it was hard to follow—each looking for an opening, neither giving an inch.
Seeing the battle at a standstill, Rex released Sandslash.
"Sandslash, Swords Dance!"
With a burst of spinning energy, Sandslash's power surged. Its claws glinted sharply in the sunlight.
"Sandslash, use Fury Cutter on that cage!"
Rex wasn't sure how strong the cage was, so he went with a move that grew in power with each consecutive strike.
Sandslash's claws sparked against the bars, again and again, and each blow grew stronger. Soon, the metal began to warp and crack—until finally, one of the bars broke clean through.
"That's enough, Rex. Lucario can handle the rest!"
Korrina's voice rang out from within the cage.
Rex nodded and stepped back with Mai.
Lucario blasted a powerful Aura Sphere into the weakened bars, blowing a wide hole in the cage.
Then it scooped up Korrina in its arms and leapt out to rejoin their allies.
Korrina landed on her feet, eyes blazing with fury.
She glared at Gree, but didn't immediately join the fight. Blaziken was already engaged with Weavile, and her pride wouldn't let her gang up on a fair battle.
Both Pokémon were bleeding from numerous wounds. The high-stakes combat had led to more than a few moments of desperation—both fighters had willingly taken damage in order to land their own strikes.
Weavile wasn't faltering yet—but the sweat on Gree's forehead revealed his growing anxiety.
He wasn't a professional Trainer. He only ever trained one Pokémon—Weavile. He believed in quality over quantity: one strong ally was better than many weak ones.
But if Weavile failed, he'd be helpless.
"Damn it, why is that kid's Blaziken so damn strong?!"
Gree clenched his jaw. Even the elite Rangers didn't have Pokémon this tough. He didn't realize that Rex had a far stronger Pokémon still waiting in reserve—his fearsome Swellow.
If he had, he might've fled already.
But now it was too late. Without Weavile, Gree wouldn't make it back alive, rifle or not.
So he pinned all his hopes on Weavile defeating Blaziken and carrying him to safety. Winning was out of the question—the Gallade and Lucario flanking his enemies made that impossible.
Gree, hardened by years in the underworld, had always feared encountering Trainers like Rex—ones whose raw talent made them impossible to predict or overpower.
If he couldn't catch them by surprise, he didn't stand a chance.
And today, he'd been cornered in his own camp. His only backup had led the enemy straight to him. It was the most humiliated he'd felt in years.
As Gree desperately searched for a way out, the tide of battle turned.
Blaziken, taking another slash to the side, launched a Fire Kick directly into Weavile's chest.
Weavile was sent flying, crashing through the dirt and tumbling until it smashed into a nearby tree.
It tried to stand—eyes still blazing with murderous rage—but its body trembled with exhaustion.
The battle wasn't over yet, but Weavile was hanging on by sheer force of will.