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On the outskirts of the battlefield, Jolteon was hot on Persian's heels. The two Pokémon darted back and forth across open ground, leapt over pipes, and bounded atop shipping containers so fast they were little more than blurs.
Persian's agility was impressive, but compared to Jolteon's blistering speed, it still fell short.
Whenever Persian tried a sudden feint or lunged in for a surprise attack, Jolteon's Quick Attack let it dodge with ease.
Even if Persian managed to get close enough for a Fury Swipes, Jolteon countered with Thunder Fang or a swift Double Kick.
And in close quarters, Jolteon wasn't intimidated in the slightest one surge of electricity was enough to make Persian think twice about contact.
Though neither had landed a decisive blow yet, the momentum was clearly shifting toward Jolteon.
In the center of the battlefield, the most jaw-dropping clash was between Crystal Onix and Archer's Tyranitar.
Archer's Tyranitar had been immediately seized in Crystal Onix's coils.
At nearly two meters tall, Tyranitar was like a walking suit of armor. But against an almost 10-meter-long Crystal Onix, whose massive head and steel-hard hide loomed overhead, Tyranitar's size advantage vanished.
That colossal frame came with equally colossal power every movement from Crystal Onix forced Tyranitar to put its full strength into resisting.
With two Pokémon famed for their raw might going head-to-head, the ground trembled with every impact. Within a dozen meters, no other Pokémon dared to come close.
Still, Tyranitar was a pseudo-legendary for a reason. Once it went on the offensive, it fought Crystal Onix to a standstill despite its size disadvantage.
Elsewhere, Crobat and Kabutops fought in tandem one swooping through the air, the other stalking across the ground, bladed arms flashing.
Their opponent was Kai's Gardevoir.
Under Gardevoir's psychic grip, the battle was one-sided. Crobat was suspended midair, unable to fly, while Kabutops barely managed to approach before Gardevoir Teleported away and struck with a crushing Psychic, slamming it to the ground.
Over and over, Gardevoir's control kept them both at bay. The only reason the battle dragged on was that it had to divide its attention between two foes; otherwise, it would have ended long ago.
On the southern front, Scizor faced both Lickitung and Vileplume alone.
Vileplume was hopelessly outmatched its Grass-type attacks barely scratched Scizor, while Bug-type moves shredded through its defenses.
Lickitung didn't fare much better. Against Scizor's Steel typing, its Normal-type attacks were halved in power.
Scizor only grew more aggressive as the fight went on, especially when its claws clamped down on Lickitung's tongue, leaving the Normal-type writhing in pain.
In the northern sector, Dragonite battled Houndoom and Sneasel.
Both were Dark-type Houndoom paired with Fire, Sneasel with Ice.
Houndoom's flames did little against Dragonite, but Sneasel's Ice-type moves were a far greater threat, striking for quadruple damage.
Fortunately, Dragonite's nimble flight kept it out of range, darting through the air on its small but powerful wings. Its diverse move pool kept its opponents guessing, turning the tide in unexpected ways.
But that was before Raikou and Suicune entered the fray.
The first to suffer were Muk and Arbok.
Originally tied up with Crystal Onix, they'd been making no progress. Now, with Raikou entering the fight, they didn't stand a chance.
Raikou didn't even spare them a glance it leapt past and unleashed a single Discharge, leaving both Poison-types charred and twitching.
Before they could even collapse, a massive Hydro Pump sliced across the battlefield. Houndoom, unable to dodge in time, was blasted off its feet. Though the hit was devastating, its sheer endurance kept it from being knocked out instantly.
In the blink of an eye, three Pokémon were down.
Archer and Ariana's expressions tightened.
Moments ago, they'd still had some confidence in the battle. But after seeing these two Legendary Pokémon, that hope vanished completely.
They exchanged a look, both silently agreeing it was time to retreat.
At their signal, their Pokémon began regrouping and moving toward the edge of the battlefield.
Kai spotted it instantly. His strategy was already in motion, and there was no way he was letting them slip away now.
"Pokémon—cut them off!"
His team spread out, blocking every escape route. Gengar stayed close at his side as the others tightened the net around the Team Rocket executives, shrinking their area of movement.
From the streets beyond, faint police sirens echoed closer. Ariana and Archer knew their time was running out.
But escaping now? That was nearly impossible.
Ariana's gaze locked on Kai. Seeing that few Pokémon were near him at the moment, a ruthless idea struck her.
"Tyranitar Hyper Beam! Now!" she shouted.
Though it wasn't Ariana's own Tyranitar, it still obeyed, gathering a devastating sphere of energy in its maw and firing it straight at Kai.
If they could take him down, his Pokémon would falter and their path to freedom would be wide open.
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