Hmph, even though my Ludicolo was defeated, your Ninetales is barely standing."
The man remained confident. His Tropius had taken little damage, while Ninetales had been directly affected by Hyper Beam. Even standing up seemed difficult now.
Courtney's expression darkened. She was down to her last Pokémon, and despite having a type advantage, her chances of victory were slim. If she lost, not only would her Pokémon be taken away, but she might not survive this encounter.
"Tropius, another Hyper Beam! End this battle now!"
Tropius opened its mouth as golden energy condensed before erupting in a powerful beam.
"Ninetales, dodge!"
Courtney's voice carried urgency. A direct hit from Hyper Beam would spell disaster.
Ninetales tried to move, but its legs trembled from exhaustion. Just as it managed to stand, its strength gave out, and it collapsed unconscious without even a cry of pain.
"Ninetales!"
Courtney rushed forward, cradling her Pokémon in her arms, concern filling her eyes.
"Hahaha! That's it! Even if I only have one Pokémon left, I still won!"
Aoki observed from the shadows, slightly amused by the turn of events.
His Relicanth was a natural counter to Tropius, and even Boss Lairon could handle it easily. Both of Aoki's Pokémon had reached quasi-Elite, while Boss Lairon was on the verge of Elite-level. In contrast, this man's Tropius was stuck at quasi-Elite peak, with no apparent potential to break through.
Aoki smirked.
Two against one? This wasn't a battle—it was a one-sided hunt.
He contemplated his approach. A direct attack would be simple, but why not catch the enemy off guard?
The man sneered at Courtney. "Now that I've won, all of your Pokémon are mine! That Ninetales, in particular, has excellent potential—I'll make sure it reaches Elite someday!"
His arrogance was sickening.
Aoki pulled out two Luxury Balls and tossed them without hesitation.
"Relicanth, Psybeam! Boss Lairon, Stone Edge!"
Two Pokémon emerged. Relicanth fired a concentrated blue energy beam toward Tropius.
"What?! Tropius, dodge it!"
The man panicked. Psybeam was four times effective against Tropius, and no matter how strong it was, that kind of damage was lethal.
Tropius flapped its leafy wings and barely avoided the attack—but then came the real threat.
Boss Lairon's Stone Edge.
A barrage of sharp rocks shot toward Tropius, striking it mid-air. A pained screech escaped from Tropius' mouth as it crashed into the ground.
The attack hit too hard. Even a quasi-Elite Pokémon like Tropius couldn't handle a super-effective move from a powerhouse like Boss Lairon.
Aoki didn't stop there.
"Relicanth, Psybeam again! Frogadier, Water Pulse! Grovyle, Bullet Seed!"
Three Pokémon attacked at once. A spiraling Water Pulse, a blast of psychic energy, and rapid-fire green seeds all struck Tropius in quick succession.
The man could only watch in horror. His strongest Pokémon had been utterly destroyed.
Tropius let out a final agonized cry before fainting on the spot.
The man stood frozen. This wasn't how things were supposed to go.
He was supposed to defeat Courtney, steal her Pokémon, and become an Elite Trainer with her Ninetales at his side.
Now?
His strongest Pokémon was gone, and he was completely defenseless.
There was only one option left.
Run.
Without a word, he returned Tropius to its Poké Ball and turned to flee.
But after just two steps—
BAM.
A shadow leaped in front of him.
Frogadier.
The man turned in the opposite direction.
BAM.
Another Pokémon blocked his way.
Combusken.
The man broke into a cold sweat.
He slowly looked up to see Aoki walking out from the darkness, his expression unreadable.
"T-This is just a misunderstanding!" The man stammered, forcing a smile. "I was only—"
"I don't trust Pokémon hunters."
Aoki cut him off, his voice cold.
He had always hated Pokémon hunters. Strong Pokémon like his would always be their targets.
He wasn't going to give this man a second chance.
"Boss Lairon, Flamethrower."
Without hesitation, Boss Lairon unleashed a torrent of white-hot flames, engulfing the man instantly.
This wasn't the anime, where a Thunderbolt would leave someone comically charred but unharmed.
This was reality.
And in reality—death was a common consequence of weakness.
Of course, exceptions like Ash and Team Rocket somehow existed, but this man wasn't one of them.
The flames consumed him completely.
Aoki glanced at the man's Poké Balls lying on the ground. None of them contained Pokémon worth keeping.
He turned away, leaving nothing but ashes behind.