"Cyndaquil, use Ember!"
The flames on Cyndaquil's back flared up intensely, signifying that its fighting spirit had been ignited. A cluster of small flames shot out from Cyndaquil's mouth. Seeing the embers, the thief laughed disdainfully.
"Houndoom, show him your flames," the thief commanded.
Houndoom took a large step forward, gathered its strength, and violently unleashed a pillar of fire from its mouth. The embers collided with the fire pillar and were instantly swallowed up. The attack, now even more powerful, surged toward Cyndaquil.
"Hang in there, Cyndaquil! You can do it!" the red-haired boy shouted.
Cyndaquil was breaking out in a sweat, desperately increasing its output, but the gap in their levels was too vast. The fire pillar rushed forward like a ferocious beast and slammed into Cyndaquil's body. Although Cyndaquil was a Fire-type Pokémon, an attack of this magnitude still caused massive damage. It suffered severe injuries and collapsed instantly, losing its ability to battle.
Panic-stricken, the red-haired boy screamed, "Cyndaquil!" He rushed over, knelt to pick it up, and glared at the three men through gritted teeth.
"Damn it..."
Why? Why am I so weak? If only I were a bit stronger.
The three thieves continued to walk forward. The leader laughed arrogantly, "Hey kid, now you know the price of poking your nose into other people's business. Hand over your Cyndaquil obediently, and maybe I'll let you go."
"In your dreams! I will never give Cyndaquil to you!" the red-haired boy retorted. He quickly stood up, trying to make a run for it. However, after only a few steps, he was blocked by the Golbat.
The boy retreated a few paces. The tall thief sneered, "Trying to run now? Too late. You might as well stay here."
Realizing he had nowhere to run, the red-haired boy went from panic to guilt. He whispered softly to Cyndaquil, "Cyndaquil, it's all my fault. I brought this upon you."
With a Golbat in front and an Arbok and Houndoom behind, all paths of retreat were cut off.
"Golbat, use Wing Attack. Finish him off."
Golbat flashed a cruel smile and swung its wings to strike the boy. The red-haired boy closed his eyes, hugging Cyndaquil tightly to his chest to protect it. The three thieves and their Pokémon all wore sadistic grins, the Pokémon looking especially arrogant.
Just as the Golbat lunged at the boy, a figure rushed in with lightning speed. Since everyone's attention was on the red-haired boy, no one noticed this shadow. Even if they had, it wouldn't have mattered—it was simply too fast.
At the critical moment, the figure slammed directly into Golbat. A shrill scream rang out as Golbat was sent flying, crashing into the wall and sliding to the ground, motionless. Then, the figure vanished again.
This sudden turn of events instantly drew everyone's gaze. Seeing his Golbat incapacitated without knowing if it was dead or alive, the tall man roared into the darkness, "Who's there?! Come out!"
The red-haired boy also opened his eyes, filled with curiosity about who had saved him.
The person was not yet visible, but the sound of footsteps on the pavement echoed. The sound grew louder as the figure approached. Finally, a shadow emerged from the darkness, stepping forward until its features were slightly clearer.
It was a youth dressed in a teal tracksuit wearing a hat that obscured his face. This youth was, of course, Eichi. He had been following them the whole time and saw everything that transpired. The reason he chose to intervene now rather than earlier was mainly to teach the red-haired boy a lesson: if you lack the strength, do not meddle in things you can't handle. He wanted the boy to understand the cruelty of the world.
Eichi had already used his Eye of the Bug Emperor to check; these three Pokémon all had Good talent grades and were at the Experienced rank. Defeating them would be no trouble at all.
"Another meddler," the thief said fiercely. "Boys, take him down!"
"Arbok, use Sludge!"
"Houndoom, use Flamethrower!"
The red-haired boy quickly scrambled out of the way and shouted, "Watch out!"
Eichi didn't dodge. As they issued their commands, he simply uttered two words: "Twineedle."
Arbok and Houndoom charged, intending to launch their attacks. However, a figure was faster. It appeared instantly beside Arbok, striking it with a needle, and then immediately appeared in front of Houndoom, delivering another strike. Both Pokémon screamed in succession as they were sent flying backward, crashing into the wall behind them. They fell to the ground and didn't move again.
"Arbok!"
"Houndoom!"
"Damn it!"
With Beedrill's Elite rank and Eichi's full-force command, those three Pokémon were either dead or on the brink of death. The expressions on the thieves' faces shifted from anger to sheer terror. They hadn't expected the opponent to be this strong, taking out their Pokémon in a single blow.
After the attack, Beedrill returned to stand behind Eichi. The red-haired boy's face was full of shock as he stammered, "So... so strong."
Suddenly, a pair of red eyes appeared in the darkness behind Eichi. They were eyes one could never forget, filled with pride and an aura of invincibility. Slowly, the owner of those red eyes revealed its full form.
It was a Beedrill. The red-haired boy had seen Beedrills before, but never one so magnificent. Eichi glanced at the boy and then walked toward the three thieves.
The thieves also stared at Beedrill. They couldn't believe they had been defeated by a mere Beedrill, but the reality was right in front of them. As Eichi approached, they began to feel afraid; the aura Eichi radiated was simply too overwhelming.
Their bodies began to tremble. The leader tried to act tough, his voice wavering, "Who... who are you exactly?"
Eichi replied mockingly, "You stole my wallet, and you're asking who I am?"
The thief finally remembered who Eichi was and quickly forced a smile. "Oh, so that's it! My apologies, I was wrong."
He hurriedly pulled out Eichi's wallet. While rummaging, he exchanged a quick look with the fat and tall men. After finding the wallet, he held it out to Eichi with both hands. Just as Eichi reached for it, the thief lunged, a small blade suddenly appearing in his hand.
The thief's expression instantly turned twisted and malevolent, but Eichi only let out a disdainful smirk. His body moved in a flash. Planting his right leg, he delivered a high roundhouse kick to the thief's neck. With a scream, the thief flew through the air like a ball, slamming into the fat man. Both were sent flying together. Then, with a back-kick from his left leg, the tall man was also sent soaring.
All three hit the wall and lost consciousness immediately.