But he quickly dismissed the idea—the entire floor was empty, with no trace of any surveillance equipment.
"That is—"
Then, both Ryuuske and Sabrina finally spotted it—a Crobat, hanging upside down near the twenty-meter-high ceiling.
"That Crobat belongs to Koga!"
Sabrina relayed the information swiftly.
Though they still couldn't deduce how Agatha was remotely controlling the battle, the fact that this Crobat had remained motionless—neither attacking nor ambushing—suggested it played a critical role.
"Regardless, taking it out should solve the problem!"
Ryuuske made the call immediately. "...Gabite, Sandstorm!"
The empty space was abruptly filled with the howling winds of a sandstorm, replacing the lingering mist in an instant.
"The Crobat must be using ultrasonic waves. The fine sand particles in the storm will disrupt their transmission. But if that Gastly can spread its mist throughout the entire tower, Gabite won't win the environmental battle. We have to eliminate that Crobat before Gastly reclaims control!"
"But the sandstorm also blinds us. Hitting a fast-moving Crobat in this chaos will be nearly impossible."
Sabrina responded sharply.
"...Which is why, Sabrina, you'll follow my lead. In this sandstorm, only I can pinpoint the Crobat's location."
As they spoke, both Koga and Blue—along with their Pokémon—charged forward.
"That Crobat must be crucial. Otherwise, Agatha wouldn't risk an offensive push. Sabrina, our safety is in your hands!"
"Hmph. Obviously."
Sabrina lowered her head with a cold scoff. Her fingers flicked, and Mr. Mime's hands moved like a pianist's, weaving countless invisible barriers in front of them. At the same time, faint glimmers and mirror-like distortions appeared—Mr. Mime wasn't just creating barriers. It was layering Light Screen and Reflect on top of them.
Then, disregarding stamina costs, Mr. Mime stacked Barrier and followed up with Encore, doubling the defenses' thickness and durability. The rapid-fire skill usage drained Mr. Mime's energy, but in an instant, Ryuuske and Sabrina were encased in an impregnable fortress. Even a Legendary Pokémon would struggle to breach it!
At that moment, Ryuuske realized—while Sabrina's Mr. Mime might lack offensive power compared to her Alakazam, it was a master of defensive warfare. This dazzling sequence of skills transformed it into an immovable psychic bastion!
The barriers were overwhelmingly sturdy. With so many layers shielding them, Ryuuske felt an unprecedented sense of security.
The next second, Muk's Sludge Bomb, Arbok's Acid, and Charmeleon's Flamethrower all crashed into the barriers. Sabrina didn't even flinch. The attacks exploded in a kaleidoscope of light against Mr. Mime's defenses—and thanks to Reflect, the Flamethrower rebounded, forcing Charmeleon and Gary to scramble.
"Dragonair, Hyper Beam!"
Within the sandstorm, Ryuuske's Dragon's Power allowed him to sync with Gabite, sensing every grain of sand like an extension of himself.
At his command, Dragonair's horns gathered immense energy. The power of this Hyper Beam was beyond expectations—Sabrina instantly knew Ryuuske was going for a one-hit knockout.
But using Hyper Beam on a full-health Crobat that was purely evading? The odds of landing a hit seemed abysmal. Still, she followed Ryuuske's lead, directing Alakazam to prepare a hidden move.
A second later, Sabrina's composure shattered.
Dragonair's Hyper Beam wasn't fired forward—it blasted backward, straight through the hole Charmeleon had earlier torn in the tower's wall. The beam shot into the stormy night outside, its radiance piercing the darkness like a lighthouse. The entire town of Lavender could probably see it.
What is he doing?! Did he misfire?!
Even a misfire shouldn't have sent the attack backward. A child commanding their first Pokémon wouldn't make such a mistake!
Sabrina's mind flooded with questions. Is he expecting the beam to circumnavigate the planet and return?!
Despite her confusion, her body moved on instinct, obeying Ryuuske's next order.
"...Sabrina, have Alakazam use Confusion to immobilize the Crobat—ten degrees to the upper right!"
Sabrina relayed the command psychically. Alakazam's eyes glowed violet—this was Sabrina's most aggressive Pokémon, and its Confusion wasn't targeted at an object. Like Mewtwo, it warped space itself!
Even with Ryuuske's vague coordinates, the Crobat—mid-flight—was frozen in place.
At that exact moment, mist coalesced in front of the Crobat, forming Gastly's grinning visage.
"Hmph. Of course Agatha wouldn't let us take out the Crobat so easily. She's using Gastly to block our follow-up. Once the Crobat breaks free and the mist reforms, we're done. But—"
Ryuuske smirked.
Just as Gastly cackled, preparing to intercept their next move—
BOOM—
The tower's outer wall exploded.
The deafening blast sent rubble cascading downward. And from behind the immobilized Crobat—impossibly—the Hyper Beam returned.
The attack Ryuuske had fired backward had somehow circled back, striking the Crobat from behind with the full force of Dragonair's power.
The next instant—
KABOOOM—
A shockwave erupted.
The concussive force sent Koga, Gary, and their Pokémon flying, slamming them into the ground. Meanwhile, shielded by Mr. Mime's barriers, Ryuuske and Sabrina stood unscathed.
Seizing the opportunity, Sabrina's intuition kicked in. She commanded Alakazam to unleash the Future Sight it had prepared earlier.
CRACK—
The air twisted visibly. Unlike Hyper Beam's violent blast, Future Sight was eerily silent—but the tower's support pillars fractured under invisible pressure. With a groan of bending metal and crumbling stone, the upper floors began to tilt.
But Ryuuske wasn't done.
With a draconic roar, Gabite channeled its fury, unleashing a Dragon Rage straight at Gastly. The explosion shattered what remained of the ceiling, sending debris raining down.
To be continued…
(Remove the space)
It is a new community, so I would appreciate anyone who joins!