Chapter 96: The Perfect Ambush
Silas remained perfectly still as Espeon's warning echoed through the psychic link.
"Boss… they're coming."
Every pokemon hidden throughout the forest immediately became alert. Despite the excitement coursing through the psychic network, nobody moved prematurely. They had spent over an hour preparing this battlefield. If they acted too soon, all that effort would be wasted.
Silas closed his eyes for a brief moment and expanded his psychic perception.
Several life signatures were rapidly approaching.
"They're moving exactly as expected," he transmitted calmly. "Everyone, hold your positions. Do not attack until I give the order."
A chorus of acknowledgements sounded inside his mind.
"Understood."
"Ready."
"We won't disappoint you."
Silas couldn't help but appreciate the convenience of the psychic network. A few weeks ago, coordinating an operation of this complexity would have been nearly impossible. Now, every pokemon understood their role before the battle had even begun.
A few moments later, he heard frantic footsteps.
Branches snapped.
Leaves rustled violently.
Jessie was the first to burst through the undergrowth, breathing heavily as she sprinted down the narrow forest path. James followed close behind with Meowth running beside him. Jason wasn't far behind, his sword already drawn as though prepared to turn and fight if necessary.
Espeon ran with effortless grace alongside them, occasionally glancing backward.
Behind them came the pursuers.
Three Pyroar charged aggressively through the rainforest, their flaming manes illuminating the damp surroundings with an eerie orange glow. Running beside them was a massive Pangoro while a Barbaracle scrambled forward with surprising speed over the uneven terrain.
Mounted atop 2 of the Pyroar were a young man and woman wearing dark cloaks embroidered with a silver sun surrounded by 8 pointed rays.
The Luminary Court.
Silas narrowed his eyes.
His scan quickly revealed what he needed.
The male Pyroar was level 44 with B- potential.
The female's Pyroar was level 46 with solid B potential.
The Pangoro sat at level 45 while the Barbaracle had reached level 43.
As for their trainers, neither appeared weak.
"Two elite officer-level opponents," Silas thought calmly.
Still, something immediately caught his attention.
They were laughing.
The pair showed absolutely no caution whatsoever.
To them, this wasn't combat.
It was entertainment.
The woman pointed toward Jessie and laughed loudly.
"They're slowing down! Don't let those Rocket dogs escape!"
The man grinned wickedly.
"I want that Espeon alive. Imagine what Bishop will reward us with."
Silas' expression remained cold.
Greed truly did make people careless.
Through the psychic network, he quietly gave his next instruction.
"Everyone stay hidden."
"They haven't noticed anything."
"They're exactly where I want them."
Jessie and the others approached the prepared battlefield.
Espeon's forehead gem glowed faintly.
Invisible psychic platforms formed beneath the fleeing group's feet, supporting them just enough to cross safely over the disguised quicksand.
The effect was so subtle that even Jason failed to notice.
The Luminary Court members certainly didn't.
The first Pyroar stepped directly onto the disguised earth.
The ground instantly gave way.
The enormous lion sank almost to its chest before it even realized something was wrong.
"What the..""
The rider's sentence ended in a scream as his own mount collapsed beneath him.
The second Pyroar attempted to leap sideways only for the soil underneath it to crumble as well.
Within seconds the entire group had become trapped.
Pangoro tried to power forward using brute strength.
Instead, he only sank deeper.
Barbaracle attempted to climb over the others.
Its numerous limbs pierced hidden Toxic Spikes before disappearing beneath the unstable earth.
Painful cries echoed throughout the forest.
"What is this?"
"We're sinking!"
"Pull me out!"
Silas finally moved.
"Now."
His calm voice carried through the psychic network like the command of a seasoned general.
"Vibrava, use Earth Power."
Rather than damaging the trapped enemies directly, the attacks compressed the surrounding earth inward.
The quicksand's pulling force increased dramatically.
The victims sank another foot.
Before they could recover, Vibrava beat his wings violently.
A powerful Sandstorm erupted around the trap.
Fine grains of sand mixed with the unstable earth, making escape nearly impossible while simultaneously obscuring everyone's vision.
"Krokorok, use Sand Tomb."
The crocodile pokemon slammed both claws into the ground.
A swirling prison of sand wrapped around the struggling pokemon, further restricting every movement.
Silas watched the trap function exactly as he had envisioned.
Every technique reinforced another. Earth Power increased the pressure. Sandstorm reduced visibility. Sand Tomb prevented escape while the quicksand slowed movements.
Toxic Spikes punished every struggle. It wasn't simply several attacks used together. It was a death trap.
The Luminary Court trainers finally realized the danger.
"Use Fire Blast! Destroy the ground!"
Unfortunately, panic had already replaced discipline.
Their pokemon couldn't gather enough footing to execute powerful techniques properly. The attacks fizzled harmlessly into the surrounding forest.
Silas didn't intend to give them another opportunity.
"Excadrill, take that man out."
Hidden beneath the earth since the beginning of the operation, Excadrill accelerated through the softened soil.
He spun faster and faster while using Drill Run and Metal Claw. The two techniques merged seamlessly.
His claws were imbued with steel type energy which sharpened their cutting and piercing power while executing Drill Run.
The earth exploded.
Excadrill erupted from beneath the male trainer like a living spear.
The attack tore completely through his torso before anyone could react.
Blood sprayed across the surrounding sand.
When Excadrill emerged on the other side, nearly the entire left half of the man's body was missing.
His remaining eye stared blankly into space before his corpse collapsed back into the poisonous pit.
Silence filled the battlefield.
The woman looked toward what remained of her companion.
For several long seconds, she couldn't process what she was seeing.
She screamed in fury.
"You monster!"
The surviving Pyroar roared furiously.
Its flaming mane expanded dramatically as it forced itself upward through sheer desperation.
It gathered an enormous Fire Blast and launched it directly toward Excadrill.
"Excadrill, use Protect."
A translucent green barrier appeared around Excadrill.
The massive pillar of fire struck the barrier with explosive force before dispersing harmlessly.
Silas gave no time for recovery.
"Frogadier."
The ninja pokemon emerged from the shadows behind the surviving trainer.
Using Shadow Sneak, he appeared almost instantly beside her. Before she could react, every remaining pokeball attached to her belt disappeared.
Frogadier reappeared beside Silas holding the stolen pokeballs.
"Mission accomplished, Boss."
Silas gave a small nod.
Without reserve pokemon, their opponents had truly lost. The woman realized the same thing. Her replaced the rage. She desperately looked around for any possible escape.
There wasn't one.
Silas raised his hand.
"Finish it."
Ursaring stepped forward first. Orange energy condensed inside his mouth until the surrounding air vibrated. Hyper Beam erupted forward like a laser.
At the same time, Espeon's forehead gem glowed brilliantly. 4 Calm Mind boosts had already pushed her psychic power to frightening heights. Stored Power descended upon the trapped enemies like an invisible tidal wave.
Electabuzz followed with an immense Thunderbolt that illuminated the entire rainforest.
Finally, Monferno compressed aura and fire into a perfect Aura Sphere before sending it crashing into the center of the pit.
The 4 attacks struck almost simultaneously.
The explosion shook the forest.
Steam, smoke, lightning, psychic energy, and flying sand merged into a blinding shockwave.
The ground trembled beneath everyone's feet.
Even after the attacks ended, nobody immediately approached.
Silas calmly waited several seconds.
When the smoke finally cleared, the battlefield had become almost unrecognizable.
The quicksand pit had expanded into a massive crater.
Every enemy pokemon lay unconscious.
The remaining Pyroar still attempted weakly to stand before finally collapsing.
The Pangoro had lost consciousness entirely.
Even the notoriously durable Barbaracle no longer moved.
The surviving woman remained alive, though barely conscious. Exactly as Silas intended. He slowly descended from the tree.
His footsteps echoed quietly through the devastated clearing.
Jessie, James, Jason, and Meowth followed several steps behind.
Nobody spoke.
Silas inspected every unconscious pokemon one by one before returning them into freshly prepared Heal Balls. These pokemon represented valuable resources.
Selling them to Team Rocket would produce enough trial points to strengthen his own team even further.
Once every pokemon had been secured, Silas finally turned toward the captured woman.
She looked up at him with undisguised terror.
"W-Who are you…?"
Silas didn't answer. Names meant very little. Only results mattered here.
He crouched beside her and calmly searched her belongings while Espeon maintained a powerful Psychic restraint over her body.
The woman struggled briefly before realizing resistance was meaningless.
Jason finally broke the silence.
"That was unbelievable."
Silas glanced toward him.
"What was?"
Jason stared at the destroyed battlefield.
"I've seen strong trainers before. I've seen powerful pokemon but I've never seen someone defeat two elite officer-level trainers without allowing them to fight back."
Jessie slowly nodded.
"The scary part wasn't how strong Boss's pokemon were. It was that everything happened exactly according to plan."
James looked toward the hidden trap with lingering disbelief.
"They never even had a chance. They lost the moment they started chasing us."
Meowth smiled mischievously.
"I almost feel bad for them, almost."
Everyone looked at him.
That single word broke the tension.
Even Silas allowed himself a faint smile.
Still, his expression quickly became serious again.
"This battle wasn't won because we're stronger. It was won because we prepared."
He looked toward every member of Spartan.
"Remember this. A trainer who relies solely on stronger pokemon will eventually meet someone stronger. A trainer who controls the battlefield decides how the battle is fought."
His words settled deeply into everyone's minds.
Jason silently looked around the ruined battlefield once more.
Only now did he fully understand why people naturally followed Odin.
It wasn't because of some overwhelming strength. It was because of his keen intellect.
Each member of Spartan had been assigned a purpose.
Every pokemon had contributed.
Every contingency had been accounted for.
The enemy had walked willingly into their own execution.
Jason couldn't help but think the same thought shared by Jessie, James, and Meowth.
"Thank Arceus he's on our side."
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