Gastly stared at Luke, engulfed in flames, for a few seconds before losing interest. If it had hands, it would have waved them at this unfamiliar creature as if to say, you're nothing.
"You thing I've never seen before… this wretch is yours to deal with, huh? Eh?!"
Before Gastly could finish, a streak of purple light zipped past it, shredding the streetlamp behind it to pieces.
"Say that again!"
A familiar glow flared in front of Luke. Emerging from it, Kirlia fixed her gaze on the Gastly that had insulted her human. The psychic energy rolling off her was so strong that it subtly warped the space before her.
"You!"
Gastly glared at the Kirlia that dared to attack it. It swore that if this human hadn't restrained it, it would have torn her apart.
"Hey! What are you waiting for?! Go capture these two Pokémon and this human!"
As if forgetting it was weak to Kirlia itself, Gastly turned to its team members over fifty meters away, baffled as to why they had been standing frozen since arriving. When they still hadn't moved after its order, Gastly, frustrated at the perfect entrance ruined by Kirlia, started yelling furiously.
"Hey! Can't you hear me, you idiots?! Are your ears completely deaf?!"
"Chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp… ah, it's so noisy. Vice-Captain, do you think we've got a flying soldier sneaking in?"
While Gastly vented, a lazy voice came from behind its team. The surrounding Pokémon instinctively cleared a path. Within seconds, a Duskull yawning its way forward entered the circle.
"Ah, I may not be old, but I must be going a little deaf. Vice-Captain, what were you just saying?"
Ignoring Kirlia and Whimsicott, who both glared at it, Duskull scratched its head and floated in front of the suddenly silent Gastly. Tilting its head, it focused on the black orb descending toward it. The white gem where its eye should be gleamed with an eerie light.
"I-I-I was just saying these subordinates of yours are completely useless, that you had to come personally!"
Gastly, under Duskull's gaze, almost dissolved into panic. But before it could fabricate further lies, Duskull's attention shifted elsewhere.
"Let's see… a fighter, a trainer, and…"
Duskull's sharp claw hovered over Whimsicott and Kirlia, then stopped in front of Luke. Looking at this human it had never seen before, Duskull couldn't help but smile.
"A human who isn't a fire mage but can wield flames? Definitely not a Charcoal Man… interesting."
Satisfied, Duskull shifted its attention back to Kirlia, radiating danger. With a simple twist of its right claw, a high-level Poké Ball appeared in its grasp.
"You said this human belongs to you, right? Since you're their trainer, why don't we settle this the human way? Of course, you could fight them directly, though I wouldn't recommend it personally."
The normally chaotic street fell briefly silent at Duskull's suggestion. Every Pokémon turned to Kirlia, waiting for her decision.
Whimsicott, Kirlia's only ally here, kept its gaze on her as well. Unlike the other Pokémon, it observed Kirlia carefully until it noticed her small hands clenching.
Step.
A light footstep echoed across the road. Though soft, it broke the tense silence. Whimsicott stepped forward, shielding Kirlia, and met Duskull's gaze head-on.
"Bullying the few with the many is nothing impressive. If you want to fight with numbers, then go all the way. All of you against me alone."
"Oh? You'll take on fifty?"
Duskull raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised by Whimsicott's challenge, then grinned as if finding something amusing.
"What, afraid you won't win even if your whole team joins?"
Duskull remained motionless, and Whimsicott smirked, issuing a silent provocation.
"Since you, Whimsicott, seem eager, I can't disappoint you, can I?"
Faced with the taunt, Duskull raised its left claw lazily. It was about to give an order when another voice interrupted.
"I accept the challenge."
The claw froze mid-air. Duskull glanced at Kirlia, who had accepted the challenge, then back at Whimsicott. Frustrated, it pressed its claw against its head.
"Ah, another human battle, another free-for-all… so troublesome. Why don't you two decide how you're going to fight?"
Whimsicott, shielding Luke and Kirlia, tilted its head. With Kirlia no longer warping space, it hesitated, unsure of the plan.
If Kirlia hesitated, Whimsicott, being Rocket Team's target, would risk its life to get the innocent Pokémon out of the circle. But judging by Kirlia's stance, she was genuinely preparing for a human-style battle against Rocket Team.
"Since you suggested settling this with a human battle… if I win…"
Kirlia, stepping next to Whimsicott, spoke to Duskull's gem-like eyes, explaining the human trainer battle rules.
"If I win, my subordinates will retreat. If I lose, I ask only that I accompany Whimsicott to fight all fifty of you."
"Deal! Luke… I'm counting on you."
Only now did Kirlia turn to Luke, giving him a look reminiscent of Ash sending Pikachu into battle.
Luke, who had remained silent since the Rocket Team Pokémon appeared, sighed and stepped into the space cleared for the human battle between Kirlia and Duskull.
He didn't know why Duskull, with the advantage, suggested a human battle. Like Kirlia agreeing to face fifty Pokémon for Whimsicott, Luke had no choice but to delay using a human-style battle.
From the sounds of distant combat, the giant statue was out of range to support him for now. In the worst-case scenario, regardless of whether he won, Luke and his two Pokémon would face fifty-two opponents, including Duskull and Gastly.
If Mega Gardevoir and Lopunny had been at his side, Luke could have imagined the three of them wreaking havoc. Unfortunately, neither Kirlia nor Whimsicott had evolved yet, let alone to a Mega Evolution requiring a stone.
Even if Whimsicott, deemed a fighter by Rocket Team, had respectable strength, handling dozens of Pokémon at once was unrealistic.
Not to mention the Screech move. Having experienced its ear-piercing effect personally, Luke knew that Whimsicott's sharper hearing would likely freeze it in place if multiple Pokémon used it at once.
Rather than relying on Whimsicott's strength to knock every opponent down, Luke decided to prepare for a full-scale siege.
Scanning the nearby grass and buildings, he clenched his fist, a flicker of flame sparking between his fingers.
"Ghoul, go."
With Kirlia's human ready, Duskull calmly tossed the high-level Poké Ball it had been holding in its right claw. A skeletal, hunched human appeared before Luke, skin as smooth as gel with no hair. Its sharp claws scraped the ground anxiously. Raising its head, it opened a maw full of jagged teeth and let out a rotten, guttural roar.
"Hiss Gah!!!"