Metallic claws sliced through the air. Luke sidestepped Granbull's swipe and launched a fiery kick, forcing the dog Pokémon back.
There was no time to chase Granbull further. Gaining a brief moment to breathe, Luke immediately launched a series of fireballs at the thieving cat, who was again reaching out with its claws from a distance.
"Meow!"
Blocked once more by the fire, the thieving cat yowled in frustration. To disrupt Luke, it had no choice but to continue its tactics, releasing skills whenever possible.
Luke wanted to eliminate the distant troublemaker, but in the few seconds it would take to strike the cat, Granbull closed in again.
For several minutes, the two Pokémon alternated attacks against Luke. Aside from the initial ambush, Luke had prevented the thieving cat from releasing any skills. But trying to multitask meant he could not deliver a decisive blow to Granbull.
Having faced Luke personally in Pallet Town, Granbull knew the extent of his power in this form. During the fight, it only engaged Luke head-on when the cat prepared a skill. Though each skirmish ended with Granbull being forced back and the cat's interference keeping Luke occupied, everyone understood one truth.
Prolonged defense leads to mistakes.
After the thieving cat's initial surprise attack, Luke had lost the initiative. Even if he could easily repel Granbull or toss a fireball at the cat, in a drawn-out battle, fighting one against two, Luke would inevitably be at a disadvantage.
He once again drove Granbull back with a wave of flames. Watching Granbull, who had tangled with him for minutes yet remained unharmed, Luke took a deep breath and slammed his fist into the ground.
A torrent of fire erupted from the earth, rising several meters high. Granbull could no longer see Luke hidden within the flames, granting Luke a small measure of initiative.
Whether it was the Human Torch from Ben 10 or Iron Man from Marvel, both had used propulsion from their hands and feet to fly. Luke, having only transformed three times, did not yet control fire with such precision. But if it was just for acceleration…
There was no time to waste. Pulling his hands from the ground, Luke channeled flames into his feet. Half a second later, a fireball shot through the lingering firewave and surged straight at the thieving cat, who had just scraped its claws against the road.
"Thieving cat! Watch out!"
The cat shook its ears in surprise. Before it could look up to see Granbull's warning, a shadow suddenly filled its entire field of vision.
Bang!
Luke's flaming fist struck the cat's small body, hurling it violently against the wall.
Clatter.
A sharp cracking sound came from in front of Luke. Following his punch, he saw a ribbon, colored nearly the same as his jacket, fall from the cat's embedded paw. It snapped in midair.
Though Luke wasn't a seasoned battler, he had enough experience to recognize the item.
It was a Focus Sash, a rare hold item that leaves a Pokémon with at least one HP if it would otherwise be knocked out.
Wait a second. The cat had both a Teleport Spoon and a Focus Sash. Was that even allowed?
Luke might have dreamed of equipping multiple items if he could, but that didn't stop him from silently rebuking the thieving cat, loaded with both items, while he himself carried nothing.
"Cough, cough…"
The cat fell to the ground, unable to support itself, and looked at the figure engulfed in flames in the distance. Only now did it understand why Granbull had been so fearful when speaking of this rare human.
It was going to die…
Die, die, die!
The cat trembled uncontrollably, paralyzed by fear. It didn't even notice that Luke, who it had originally intended to chase, had been blocked by Granbull.
Metallic claws gleamed on Granbull's forepaws. From the very start of the fight, Granbull had never stopped using its steel claws. It crouched slightly, putting all its effort into the confrontation.
Luke smiled at Granbull's sharp, piercing gaze and assumed a combat stance.
Though much of his anger toward Granbull had already been vented in Pallet Town, Luke hadn't forgotten what this Pokémon had done to him when he first arrived in this world.
A lack of hate didn't mean he would forgo revenge. Revenge was not a thing to be delayed.
"Hiyah!"
"Gah-roar!"
As Luke and Granbull faced off, a sharp voice accompanied by a familiar scream reached their ears.
From the corner of their vision, they saw a Whimsicott kick the little fox carrying a sack. After the first kick, it spun and knocked the sack from the fox's mouth.
The sack lost control, spilling dozens of red-and-white Poké Balls into the street. Judging by the bulging sack, there must have been dozens of human Poké Balls inside.
"Stealing, huh! Hmph!" Whimsicott patted its small hands after knocking the fox down, then turned toward the remaining criminals. "And you, disgusting Rocket…Team?"
The heroic Whimsicott had intended to intervene, but seeing Luke engulfed in flames, the Granbull facing him, and the thieving cat trembling on the ground, it couldn't tell who the real villains were.
Slap!
"No, no, Whimsicott, you've learned not to judge Pokémon by appearance, haven't you?"
Realizing its hesitation, Whimsicott smacked its own cheeks to regain focus and lifted its hands toward Granbull again.
"Rocket Team, hear me! As long as I'm here in Saffron City, you won't get away with causing trouble!"
"Saffron City's fighter, huh…"
Granbull seemed to recognize the determined Pokémon, but since it appeared here…
"Hey, human. If you can, run."
Granbull's cold voice suddenly echoed in Luke's mind. He looked at the Pokémon, puzzled as it had retracted its claws.
A delaying tactic? A feint? Or a genuine warning?
Having only encountered Granbull twice before, both in combat, Luke couldn't interpret its intent. But the next second, he understood why Granbull had spoken.
A chill swept down the street, accompanied by the villainous laughter of a floating purple orb.
In an instant, dozens of Pokémon emerged from all directions, surrounding Luke and Whimsicott at the center.
"Guhuhuhu~ Saffron City's fighter, I've been waiting for you. Hmm? And who's this human?"
A mischievous Gastly floated toward the center of the street. It froze when it noticed an unexpected presence in the encirclement.