Silas stood silently before the ancient mural, his eyes carefully tracing every weathered line carved into the stone.
The artwork was unlike anything he had ever seen. Many humans knelt in worship before 2 winged creatures.
1 possessed brilliant crimson and golden plumage, radiating majesty even after untold centuries. The other had a sleek silver body, a long neck, and an elegant yet imposing presence.
Ho-Oh and Lugia. There was no mistaking them.
What troubled Silas wasn't the identities of the legendary Pokémon, it was the existence of the mural itself.
According to Team Rocket's intelligence, Trial Island had never been inhabited. The island was supposedly untouched by human civilization, making it the perfect location for a survival trial.
Yet somehow someone had carved this chamber years ago.
Someone had worshipped these legendary Pokémon.
Someone had lived here.
"Hermes, record everything."
"I already am."
Hermes' calm voice echoed within Silas' mind.
"I have begun compiling a complete visual record of the chamber."
Silas slowly nodded.
His photographic memory would allow him to recall every detail later, but preserving an exact record never hurt.
He took several more minutes studying every symbol decorating the walls.
Some resembled stars while others appeared to depict ritual processions.
Unfortunately, none of it meant anything to him.
"This needs to be reported."
Silas finally turned toward the cave entrance.
Whatever secrets this chamber contained, they were far beyond his ability to investigate alone.
He had barely taken 2 steps before every instinct screamed at him that he was being watched.
Silas stopped walking.
Without even turning around, he calmly spoke.
"You can come out now. Let's get this over with."
Silence lingered for several moments.
Then a quiet chuckle echoed throughout the chamber.
"Hehehe. I was wondering when you'd notice."
A cloaked man slowly stepped into view near the entrance.
His top half of his face remained hidden beneath a dark hood. Only an amused smile could be seen.
Silas immediately abandoned any hope of leaving peacefully.
The man's killing intent wasn't even concealed.
"Now that you've discovered the mural, I'm afraid I can't allow you to leave alive."
Silas sighed.
"So much for reporting this immediately."
Within his shadow, Frogadier silently prepared himself.
"Boss?"
"Wait. Strike when I create an opening."
"Understood."
The cloaked man casually tossed two Poké Balls into the air.
Twin flashes of light illuminated the chamber.
A massive Pangoro landed with a heavy thud.
Beside it appeared an elegant Talonflame whose wings burned with bright orange fire.
Silas immediately scanned both Pokémon.
Pangoro (M) — Level 45
Ability: Iron Fist
Potential: B
Moves: Rank B Swords Dance, Rank B Night Slash, Rank B Bullet Punch, Rank B Brick Break, Rank B Fire Punch, Rank C Detect, Rank C Slash, Rank C Work Up, Rank C Crunch, Rank C Poison Jab, Rank C Dark Pulse, Rank C Focus Blast
Silas shifted his attention.
Talonflame (M) — Level 43
Ability: Gale Wings
Potential: B-
Moves: Rank B Aerial Ace, Rank B Flame Charge, Rank B Brave Bird, Rank B Flare Blitz, Rank C Steel Wing, Rank C Flamethrower, Rank C Air Slash, Rank C Heat Wave, Rank C Hurricane, Rank C Solar Beam, Rank C Double Team, Rank C Swords Dance, Rank C Roost
Silas narrowed his eyes.
"Kalos Pokémon…"
Neither opponent possessed elite potential, but both had been trained exceptionally well.
More importantly, the trainer clearly wasn't an amateur.
Silas refused to underestimate him.
2 Poké Balls flew from his hands.
"Go Ursaring and Electabuzz."
Both Pokémon emerged already prepared for battle.
"Electabuzz, use Charge Beam."
"Ursaring, use Dragon Dance."
The cloaked man actually laughed.
"What a joke. An Ursaring using Dragon Dance? Your Electabuzz's attacks are half baked at best."
His amusement disappeared seconds later.
Dragon type energy spiraled around Ursaring's body before taking the shape of a translucent dragon. The phantom dragon circled Ursaring once before dissolving into his muscles.
Dragon Dance had succeeded.
The man's expression froze.
"Impossible. Absolutely impossible, there's no fucking way."
Silas smiled coldly.
"Your arrogance has already sealed your fate."
Telepathically, he issued another command.
"Electabuzz, Talonflame. Pierce Pangoro's knee with a concentrated Charge Beam."
This order was given telepathically.
"Pangoro, use Swords Dance!"
Electabuzz launched Charge Beam directly toward Talonflame.
Exactly as expected.
The flame bird immediately prepared to block it with a move.
At the very last instant, the beam bent 90 degrees. It shot straight toward Pangoro instead.
The panda had already committed to Swords Dance. There wasn't enough time to evade.
The compressed beam drilled cleanly through Pangoro's knee.
Blood splattered across the cave floor. The massive Pokémon roared in agony.
Even so, it stubbornly completed Swords Dance, doubling its attac power .
Silas couldn't help respecting its determination.
The cloaked man pointed forward furiously.
"Fire Punch!"
Pangoro limped aggressively toward Electabuzz.
Despite the ruined leg, its speed was surprisingly agile.
Silas calmly responded.
"Ursaring, use Close Combat and combine it with Fury Swipes."
The two bears collided in a head on clash.
Neither dodged or retreated. This would be decided by their fists and claws.
Every exchange echoed throughout the cave.
Pangoro's Fire Punch slammed into Ursaring's ribs.
Ursaring answered with a devastating slash across Pangoro's chest.
The battle became brutally simple. Ursaring was strictly using Close Combat now.
Whichever Pokémon stopped attacking first would lose.
Silas briefly watched before shifting his attention skyward.
The cloaked man did the same.The cloaked man did the same.
Q
"Talonflame, use Brave Bird! Combine it with Flare Blitz!"
The flaming bird wrapped itself in brilliant fire before diving toward Electabuzz like a living meteor.
Silas smiled.
"You've overcommitted."
Electabuzz's eyes glowed with a psychic light.
The charging Talonflame suddenly jerked sideways as invisible force seized its body.
It flew directly by Electabuzz and soon crashed.
He turned around and used his Thunder Punch. Electricty exploded across Talonflame's face.
"Hit it with Thunderbolt before it can recover its mobility."
The bird desperately attempted to escape but Electabuzz' Thunderbolt arrived in a flash.
Talonflame's body had electricity dancing all over it after taking the powerful Thunderbolt.
It remained strong and used Flare Blitz.
Electabuzz used Protect and when TalonflMe was stunned, he followed with Thunder Punch. Electabuzz struck 2 more times.
Each successful escape attempt lasted only an instant before Electabuzz reeled it back into striking distance.
The cloaked man's breathing became uneven. He had never encountered such bizarre coordination.
His opponents barely spoke.
Commands seemed unnecessary.
Meanwhile, Frogadier silently emerged from the man's shadow.
His mission wasn't to attack.
Instead, he reached toward the man's belt.
Every remaining Poké Ball vanished into Frogadier's grasp.
Only after the final ball disappeared did the cloaked man sense movement.
"What the hell?"
Frogadier had already returned to Silas.
Silas immediately sealed every captured Poké Ball.
"No reinforcements. No surprises. No hope for you."
The cloaked man's face finally lost all color.
Pangoro's incredible endurance continued astounding everyone.
Despite deep wounds exposing bone, it still refused to fall.
Ursaring simply laughed.
"This is fun! Come on! Hit harder!""This is fun! Come on! Hit harder!"
The two behemoths exchanged another devastating series of blows.
Finally, Pangoro stumbled. Its exhausted body could no longer continue. It collapsed heavily onto the cave floor.
At nearly the same moment, Electabuzz landed one final Thunder Punch. Talonflame crashed beside its partner.
Both Pokémon remained alive. Silas intentionally kept them that way. Alive, these Pokemon possessed tremendous value. Dead, they were little more than corpses.
He immediately destroyed their original Poké Balls before capturing both inside Heal Balls.
Their injuries stabilized almost instantly.
Only then did Silas approach the cloaked man.
Now completely defenseless, the man slowly dropped to both knees.
"Please spare me."
Silas looked down at him expressionlessly.
"Give me one reason."
The man swallowed nervously.
"I can help you. I know where treasure is hidden. There are incredible opportunities on this island."
Silas folded his arms.
"What kind of treasure?"
The man hesitated.
"Promise not to kill me first."
Silas quietly studied him.
The man likely had no intention of honoring any agreement. Negotiations would prove fruitless.
Silas had no interest in wasting time.
"Espeon."
She immediately understood.
Together, their psychic power invaded the man's memories. The interrogation lasted only moments. Images rapidly flashed before Silas' eyes.
He was from a secret and powerful organization with ambition to conquer the Pokémon world.
When the memories finally ended, Silas' expression became grave.
"The Luminary Court…"
The organization ranked its members after chess pieces.
This man held the rank of Rook. More importantly, they managed to infiltrated Trial Island alongside Team Rocket.
While Team Rocket focused on running the trial, the Luminary Court had quietly entered as well.
The island was apparently difficult to access.
They had exploited Rocket's preparations.
The man didn't know their exact numbers but he knew that at least 200 members had successfully entered. Many were likely stronger than he was.
Silas felt genuine concern.
"This is bad. Very bad."
This entire trial had been compromised from the beginning.
Team Rocket thought it controlled the island but in reality, another organization already operated within it.
Silas quickly made his decision.
"Electabuzz, use Thunder Wave."
Blue electricity shot across the chamber. The cloaked man's body instantly stiffened. Every muscle locked into place.
"Electabuzz and Espeon, use Psychic to keep him suspended. We're taking him back."
Aside from delivering a valuable prisoner, using Psychic over such a long distance would serve as excellent training.
The man slowly smiled.
"It appears that I underestimated you."
Silas frowned, something about this felt wrong.
The man quietly continued.
"We shall meet…in the underworld."
Suddenly Espeon sensed terrible danger.
"BOSS!"
Espeon's terrified scream echoed through the psychic network.
Simultaneously, Ursaring and Electabuzz moved. Frogadier burst from Silas' shadow.
His 4 Pokémon instinctively surrounded their trainer.
4 barriers merged into a massive shimmering shield.
The world seemed to have exploded. A deafening blast consumed the chamber.
The cloaked man's body detonated into a bloody mess.
Stone melted.
The explosion carved a crater nearly 50 feet across.
The shockwave slammed against the combined Protect with unbelievable force.
Cracks spread across the barrier. For a few seconds, Silas couldn't see or hear. The shield slowly faded. Dust drifted lazily toward the ground.
None of the attack had gotten through.
Silas stared at the enormous crater where the cloaked man had stood only moments earlier.
His heartbeat thundered inside his chest.
Without the sharp instincts of his Pokémon and their flawless execution, he would have died.
The cave took massive damage, it was falling apart. Pieces of the ceiling began breaking away.
Silas slowly tightened his grip on his Poké Balls.
The explosion might have only been the beginning.
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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 100k views and chapter 100.
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!