Alex's declaration and wild expression as his finger neared the big red button on the B.O.M.B. were the straw that broke the camel's back for the old man's allies. They quickly realized the only way to survive was to run for their lives. So they returned their Pokémon to their Poké Balls, mounted the fastest ones they had, and fled the standoff, leaving the old man alone with Alex.
What had once been a successful ambush, a complete encirclement, and a guaranteed victory was reduced to a more even fight as they left the old man to fend for himself. It wasn't as if he was guaranteed to lose, given the superior quality of his Pokémon. However, it was enough of a disadvantage that Alex now had a reasonable chance of winning, given his advantage in numbers.
Alex, having noticed the old man's allies flee for their lives, quickly deactivated the B.O.M.B. and stored it. With the battle no longer unwinnable, he saw no reason to keep it active. He was now in a far more favorable matchup, one that promised a fair fight that might even help him temper his boundless vitality.
"It's just you and me now, old man," Alex said, as his Pokémon began matching the old man's formation.
On Route 9 in Outer Spikemuth, along the common trainer's path just before the first bridge leading to Hammerlocke, Alex stood before an old man with straight and steady posture, a Master ranked trainer. The area around them bore the damage of the minute-long skirmish, with onlookers fleeing for safety rather than lingering out of curiosity.
The paved road was cracked from repeated Earthquakes, the surrounding greenery had been swept away by Surfs, and the tall trees were blasted to bits by powerful Dazzling Gleams. For miles, the area lay in ruin, scorched, shattered, and scarred by battle, with two trainers facing each other at the center, surrounded by their powerful Pokémon.
On the old man's side were three Master ranked Pokémon, Braviary, Corviknight, and Togekiss, each matched by the attack teams of Raticate, Kommo-o, and Lucario. He also had a dozen Flying type Champion ranked Pokémon behind them, which were matched by Alex's flying, defense, and water teams.
Alex had easily triple the numbers, but with an entire rank lower in quality. It was a perfectly even matchup as far as he was concerned.
"It would seem so," the old man said, cursing his well-paid allies and promising to repay them for their betrayal after this was over. "But I am shocked by your confidence in giving up your greatest advantage. Young people these days must think they are the strongest once they have even a bit of power under their control."
"Okay, boomer," Alex said with a shrug.
The old man didn't seem offended, as he didn't understand the cultural reference from Earth. He did, however, understand that it was most likely an insult.
"Attack!" the old man commanded. "Target their trainer."
Immediately, the Master ranked Pokémon charged ahead while the Champions at the back began their bombardment. Corviknight was intercepted by Raticate, Arcanine, and Ceruledge, trapped on all sides by their perfect coordination. Braviary was similarly contained by Kommo-o, Togekiss, and Dusknoir.
The enemy Togekiss, meanwhile, used Extreme Speed to rush toward Alex, only to be blocked by Aegislash's King's Shield just before it was pounced on by Lucario, Gallade, and Lopunny. The matchup was quite uneven, given that Lucario and her team were only at Elite rank while trying to fight off a Master. With Aegislash at Champion rank added to the mix, however, the fight evened out again.
Their battle was the most destructive, as tornadoes were whipped up by the three Master ranked Pokémon, no doubt a result of their mastery over Flying type energy and the wind itself. The fight promised to be devastating, despite the supposedly favorable matchup for Alex. Fortunately, Gardevoir had a counter ready to offset their advantage.
She and Espeon worked together to cast a massive Gravity over the entire battlefield, enhanced with +100% Range at Expert proficiency. The effect grounded all the Flying type Pokémon in the area, stripping them of their aerial mobility and leaving them with almost no room to maneuver. At the same time, it neutralized the tornadoes they had been summoning, removing the very advantage they had as Master ranked Pokémon. The Gravity also affected Alex's Pokémon, including Grim, Mantine, and Altaria, but Gardevoir had calculated that this was a worthwhile trade given that all the opposing Pokémon were Flying type.
Alex immediately understood Gardevoir's plan and what she was aiming for, prompting a wild, sinister grin to spread across his face.
"Go," he said, waving his hand forward as Gardevoir ordered a full chaotic melee assault with all of Alex's Pokémon.
The Master ranked Pokémon were shoved aside by the attack team's precise coordination, while Alex, along with the defense, water, and flying teams, rushed forward with wild abandon. Outnumbering the enemy, it was far more effective to split them up and conquer them than to trade bombardments that would favor those of the higher rank.
The old man, left with no choice but to answer Alex's charge, waved his hand forward as well, sending his Champion ranked Pokémon at the back to meet Alex's Pokémon head-on. With a resounding crash, both charging groups collided in a chaotic melee that was no different from a bar brawl.
As the fight descended into chaos, the enemy Champions immediately stood out, carving an opening around themselves with their power and move proficiency. This gave Alex's Pokémon enough space to divide into groups of three and begin isolating, containing, and damaging the opposing Pokémon.
The old man, left standing at the back, was shocked by Alex's Pokémon's extreme level of coordination in such a chaotic battle. He immediately regretted sending his Pokémon to answer the charge.
As he was about to order his Pokémon to retreat and regroup, Alex emerged from the dust cloud of the battle and slowly approached the old man.
"It's just you and me now, old man, literally this time," Alex said with an excited grin, cracking his knuckles in anticipation. "Why don't we settle this between ourselves? Winner takes all."
"It's Theodore, you barbarian," the old man replied, taking off his jacket and dress shirt to reveal rippling, lean muscles beneath his clothing. "And as I said before, I am shocked by your confidence in giving up your greatest advantage. Do you really believe you can take me on by yourself when you're an entire rank lower and several generations behind?"
"A bit too many generations behind, if you ask me," Alex said as he took off his shirt as well, leaving both combatants shirtless in dress pants and formal shoes. "Times have changed and you've let yourself go. Don't think I don't notice your knees creaking when you walk."
"Pain that can be ignored for this fight," Theodore said as he assumed a boxing stance, fists raised and ready.
"That pain isn't because you're old," Alex said as he assumed a similar stance. "It's because you've let yourself go over the years. You've grown soft, sitting behind your desk and putting all your attention on assets, money, and power that isn't your own."
The pair started circling each other, eyes locked, muscles coiled like springs as their Pokémon continued their chaotic battle around them. Dust swirled from the scorched ground, torn leaves spiraled through the air, and the occasional clash of Pokémon attacks sent shockwaves rippling across the ruined battlefield.
"What's funny is that you're not even doing a good job," Alex continued to taunt. "You claim to want revenge for your grandson and heir but face it, you never gave a shit. Otherwise you would have knocked some sense into him rather than allow him to commit crimes and even build a hideout for it. What he was doing was a direct affront to what you had been building."
"That doesn't absolve you of your sins. You had no right to kill him!" Theodore shouted as he charged forward with a low center of mass, his right fist pulled back for an uppercut.
Alex dove in, faking a right straight before pulling his upper body down while stepping to the left and preparing a counter right hook. Just as he was about to follow through, a tremendous gust of wind exploded from Theodore's right uppercut, nearly sending Alex flying into the distance.
It wasn't that Master ranked trainers were fast and powerful enough to break the speed of sound, but that Theodore had a strong Flying type affinity. Light blue energy swirled around his fists, allowing him to control the wind and create gusts capable of sending Alex off balance with a missed punch.
The gust broke Alex's rhythm, forcing him to back off and reassess the battle.
Meanwhile, Theodore charged forward, eager to press his advantage as he pulled his fist back for a powerful haymaker. With a massive swing, he aimed straight for Alex's face, the fist leaving powerful winds churning in its wake.
Just as the punch was about to land and send Alex ragdolling across the battered ground, Alex exuded his own Dark type energy, covering his body. It acted as armor against Theodore's energy, preventing the winds from destabilizing his balance. Finally, Alex blocked the haymaker, which had been reduced in power, sending him skidding back a few meters but otherwise unharmed.
"Neat trick!" Alex said. "But I can do that too. Let's see who can last longer, a Master ranked relic or a Champion ranked fighter."
-----
Support me on Patreon
pātreon/babywrath