The intruders wore the standard Court attire, but the outline of each hood was traced in gold.
"Be careful. At least one of them is a powerful psychic."
When Silas heard Politoed's warning, he extended his own psychic senses. Sure enough, there was a powerful energy emanating from the trio.
They disappeared before reappearing on the ground in front of Silas and the rest of the group.
"Was it you who killed our companions?"
"We will have to fight regardless. Why would we tell you anything?"
The trio's overconfidence allowed Silas an early advantage. They willingly descended into their camp with no Pokémon out. Even as psychics, their energy could be interfered with by powerful Pokémon, so their safety wasn't guaranteed.
As soon as they appeared, the veteran Pokémon took action. Swellow dove in using Aerial Ace, Politoed used the Mega Shift technique to approach, Seviper rushed forward with Poison Tail ready, both Poliwraths charged in with Liquidation, and Drapion excitedly joined the assault, using the three elemental Fang attacks through each of its pincers.
A green Pokémon resembling a maiden wearing a white dress appeared in front of the trio and created a barrier of psychic power. A second Pokémon that looked like the male counterpart of the maiden Pokémon appeared beside her shortly after.
They were the Psychic-type Pokémon Gallade and Gardevoir.
Both Pokémon desperately resisted the coordinated assault.
The second the barrier fell, Infernape executed Mega Shift and used Shadow Claw at close range on Gallade. He initially feinted toward the trainers, catching Gallade off guard when he abruptly changed targets. This maneuver enabled him to leave Gallade with a nasty wound across its chest.
Had Infernape truly been at the advanced tier, the attack could have potentially killed Gallade.
"We were careless, but you have some skill. Why not join us?"
Silas looked at the man like he was an idiot. There was zero chance of him joining the Luminary Court, but Silas was curious.
"What could you possibly offer me that I don't already have access to?"
"We can offer you the chance to wield more power than you could have ever imagined."
The leading man frowned. The power Silas wielded surprised him greatly. He had foolishly assumed they posed a minimal threat, but reality was cruel. This kid wielded several advanced-tier Pokémon, and their coordination was difficult to counter.
Gallade had already nearly died.
Gallade and Gardevoir were his ace Pokémon, raised from twin eggs, with Gallade being the stronger combatant while Gardevoir focused more on support and defense.
The fact that neither Pokémon had been able to react to Infernape's advance was troubling, so recruiting the kid was the safest option. If he later wanted to attack him, it wouldn't be too late.
Silas pretended to consider the offer, but in reality, he was mocking them.
"Show me the great power you will bestow."
Telepathically, Silas gave his commands.
Only the advanced-tier Pokémon would participate in this battle.
The man and his two companions threw out their Pokéballs. The man threw two more while each of his companions threw four.
The Pokémon were Medicham, Meowstic-M, Toxicroak, Scolipede, Salazzle, Arbok, Solrock, Aggron, Golem, and Tyrantrum.
Silas quickly realized that these trainers each specialized in a specific type. The leader trained Psychic types, the woman behind him trained Poison types, and the other man trained Rock types.
"Everyone, battle as you see fit. Show no mercy. I will be directing Electabuzz and Vibrava."
Silas had them both confront the Rock-type trainer's Pokémon.
Tyrantrum, Salazzle, and Gallade were the ace Pokémon. Each trainer kept one Pokémon back to defend them: Solrock, Gardevoir, and Toxicroak.
As fellow Dragon types, Vibrava challenged Tyrantrum while Electabuzz challenged Aggron. The trio of Swellow dealt with Scolipede and Arbok.
Both Poliwrath engaged Golem and Salazzle. Politoed engaged Gallade. Infernape engaged Medicham. Espeon would do its best against Meowstic to hold it off until help could come.
Silas had the advanced-tier Seviper serve as guardian Pokémon.
"Vibrava, use Dragon Breath. Electabuzz, use Thunder Break."
Vibrava's Dragon Breath hit Tyrantrum squarely, but he responded with a powerful Dragon Pulse. The orb struck Vibrava with tremendous force, sending him flying through the air before he stabilized himself just before hitting the ground.
Electabuzz was far more successful.
The combined Brick Break and Thunder Punch was extremely effective against Aggron. It couldn't keep up with Electabuzz's speed when he supplemented his movements with psychic power, so for now, Aggron was being dominated.
"Aggron, use Surf."
The second Silas had scanned Aggron, he knew the trainer would try something like this.
Electabuzz split the wave before using Iron Tail to send a shockwave through the water toward Aggron.
"Electabuzz, use Thunder while he's still airborne."
Electabuzz unleashed the powerful bolt and thoroughly electrocuted Aggron before he landed face down.
However, Aggron was a resilient Pokémon and quickly got back up.
At the same time, Vibrava was locked in intense combat with Tyrantrum. His use of Steel Wing and Iron Tail was at a high level, but Tyrantrum parried every attack with Dragon Tail or Head Smash.
Every time it used Head Smash, Vibrava suffered damage.
Still, he was doing well considering the level gap.
The fierce battle raged on for thirty minutes without deciding a victor, but Silas had the clear upper hand.
The two men and the woman were exhausted while Silas was simply winded. More than once, they had launched surprise attacks at him, forcing him to dodge, and Silas had done the same to them.
There were no rules in a death match.
Vibrava was extremely tired, with Tyrantrum faring much better. Aggron was all but defeated, while Electabuzz was winded but still had plenty of fight left in him.
The surrounding battles were also going well.
With the numerical advantage, the peak pseudo-advanced Pokémon were launching attacks to support their comrades, and they made a huge difference. For instance, Aggron, Golem, and Salazzle constantly had to remain wary of being hit by a combined Hydro Pump from the Poliwhirls.
Despite their level advantage, there truly was strength in numbers.
"Vibrava, let's show them your power. Use Outrage and combine it with Steel Wing."
When Vibrava activated Outrage, his aura skyrocketed. He was coated in powerful draconic energy that strengthened Steel Wing to new heights.
Tyrantrum parried the attacks, but several times, Vibrava managed to leave deep wounds on him.
Then came the final clash.
Vibrava abandoned all defense and headed straight for Tyrantrum.
"Tyrantrum, use Head Smash."
"Haha, it's far too late for that."
Silas was right.
A Pokémon needed time to build at least a little momentum. Otherwise, the attack wouldn't even have half its usual power.
The resulting clash created a deafening boom when they finally met.
Vibrava emerged from the smoke unscathed.
When the smoke cleared, Tyrantrum lay on the ground in critical condition.
Vibrava rose into the air and roared savagely.
"Shit, not now."
From the way energy was converging around Vibrava, stopping this evolution would stunt his growth in the future.
It was as if the massive amount of energy expended during his use of Outrage was returning to him. A vortex of draconic energy swirled violently around his body.
Seeing this, the trio of Court members smiled.
"Surrender obediently or risk harming your Pokémon."
"I think you don't understand your current position."
Silas threw an evolution potion toward Vibrava and used his telekinesis to make it easier for him to consume.
At the same moment, the hidden Seviper finally struck.
They erupted from underground, successfully using Poison Fang on Gallade and Medicham while swarming the other Pokémon with Aqua Tail.
The surprise attack left the enemy devastated.
Golem was knocked out while Gallade and Medicham suffered serious poisoning. The only Pokémon that could still battle at full power were the guardian Pokémon and Meowstic.
Gallade and Medicham were already injured from the long battle and were now poisoned, so they wouldn't last much longer.
The large Swellow dove in with Brave Bird and knocked out Medicham.
Now free, Infernape engaged Toxicroak in a fierce exchange of attacks. Since they were both Fighting types, they used all of the fighting techniques at their disposal.
The second Toxicroak fully committed to the battle, Drapion struck with a fast and deadly Poison Jab using its long tail.
Solrock jumped in front and blocked the attack with Protect.
That was when Frogadier used Quick Attack and Cut to slit the second man's throat.
He frantically tried to say something, but he quickly fell to the ground with blood gushing from the wound in his neck.
"That's what you get for boldly invading our home. Naturally, we have our own arrangements for intruders. Now it is too late to regret your arrogance."
Silas looked toward the remaining two.
"Now, I believe you threatened Vibrava, right?"
The remaining man and woman wore complicated expressions.
The slain man was their comrade, but ironically, it had been his idea to directly attack from the front with no strategy because the enemy was supposedly weak.
"You think you have won? Let me show you my true power."
Almost fanatically, the man rummaged through his bag and produced a jet-black pearl and another Pokéball.
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Thanks for the continued support on my first fanfic!!
Moving forward, every 50 Power Stones, I will release a bonus chapter.
I will also be releasing bonus chapters for milestones. The next ones are 300k views and chapter 200.
Finally, I will be releasing 3 extra chapters once we reach 10 reviews. 5 star reviews are appreciated but not required, I want honest feedback so I can improve.
Once again, thanks for all the support and feedback!