At three in the morning, the rain poured down relentlessly, drumming against the thick canopy of the forest. The storm's roar drowned out even the rustling of the wind through the leaves, leaving an eerie quiet between each rumble of thunder.
"Boss, are we still crossing the border tonight?" a low voice asked from the darkness.
A dozen figures, clad in black jackets, crouched by three massive trees. They remained motionless, blending so seamlessly with their surroundings that an untrained eye would have never noticed them.
The man referred to as "Boss" tilted his head slightly, gazing upward.
This damn rain isn't letting up.
Rain made for a terrible night to cross the border. The weather forecast had, once again, been as unreliable as ever. Predicting the rain's end was futile.
"Go." The leader, known as Eagle, whispered the command before tossing a Pokeball.
A Noivern materialized instantly, its eyes gleaming in the dim light. Without hesitation, Eagle swung himself onto its back.
Noivern spread its powerful wings, not taking flight but weaving swiftly through the dense forest. Flying above the treetops, even at night, would expose them to border patrols.
The others followed suit, releasing their own flying Pokemon and taking off after Eagle like phantoms in the night.
Overhead, six shadows trailed them, a Weavile, a Shiftry, a Skuntank, and three Honchkrows. The group had left them behind on the tree branches moments ago, posted as sentinels against any unwanted surprises.
Among them, Skuntank's natural stench ability served as a foul deterrent against anything creeping too close.
"Use a Psychic-type to scan for threats with Confusion," Eagle instructed in a hushed tone.
One of the men tossed a Pokeball, and a Malamar appeared. Hovering just behind the team, it unleashed an invisible wave of psychic energy, its Confusion rippling outward like a sonar pulse, probing for hidden dangers.
"Tailwind!" Eagle ordered next.
The Honchkrows above flapped their wings in unison, summoning a powerful gust. Instantly, the entire squad's speed surged as they cut through the night like a storm of shadows.
Several hundred meters away, concealed in the undergrowth, a different team watched in silence.
"Tailwind! That's a Tailwind!" Zachary, positioned at the back of his group, muttered into his headset, his voice barely above the sound of the rain. "John, get ready!"
"Got it," John replied quietly. He felt the sudden shift in the air but lacked Zachary's experience as a top-tier Pokemon investigator. To him, it was just a strong wind, until Zachary pointed it out as a telltale sign of the criminals' movements.
Behind John, Mira and Hugh gripped their Pokeballs, poised to act at a moment's notice.
John inhaled deeply, sharpening his focus. His eyes gleamed like embers in the dark.
The 'Ghost Eye' training he had acquired from the Ecruteak Gym wasn't just for show. Though the night was far from clear as day, he could still make out shapes forty to fifty meters ahead.
And then, he saw them.
A blur of shadows cut through the rain. Three figures, crouched low on the backs of three Swellows, moving with breakneck speed. They were nearly upon him, so fast that they would pass right by in the blink of an eye.
John's heartbeat pounded in his ears.
His fingers twitched, ready to make his move.
But before he could, a soft touch on his shoulder stopped him.
John exhaled sharply and held back. He had specifically asked Gardevoir to use Future Sight the moment their targets appeared. If they resisted the attack, it would mean they possessed stronger psychic power than Mega Gardevoir itself, an incredibly rare feat.
Unless the leader among them had an Elite-level Psychic-type Pokemon, they wouldn't escape unscathed.
But if Eagle truly was an Elite-tier powerhouse... John and Zachary would be nothing more than helpless spectators.
Engaging him head-on would be suicide.
The three shadows zipped past, undisturbed.
Neither John nor the others moved.
Zachary, watching closely, nodded to himself. Good. His junior had nerves of steel, cautious and disciplined, the perfect traits for a Pokemon investigator.
Ten seconds later, more shadows emerged from the darkness.
This time, a full squad, over a dozen figures riding Noivern, Pidgeot, Skarmory, and other Flying-types.
The first group had been a decoy.
John's eyes narrowed. "Cunning bastards."
It was time to strike.
"Surf!" John pointed forward.
From the shadows, Greninja erupted into action. It slammed the ground with both hands.
A tidal wave, towering over ten meters high, surged forward, a roaring behemoth swallowing the forest floor.
"There's an ambush!" a voice among the criminals shouted in alarm.
"Scatter!" Eagle barked. He had seen enough border troops to know these weren't just ordinary patrolmen.
"Noivern! Boomburst! Clear a path!"
Without hesitation, the group scattered like startled birds, each rider breaking away in different directions. None looked back, if there was an ambush ahead, there would be reinforcements closing in from behind.
Teleporting away was out of the question. The border was a known no-teleport zone, likely blocked by psychic interference.
The only way out was through brute force.
Another wave roared in from their left.
And another from their right.
Both equally massive.
One, still towering at ten meters. The other, slightly shorter at seven.
There was no escape forward.
"Take to the sky!" someone screamed.
A dozen Flying Pokemon shot upward, piercing through the rain toward open air.
The storm itself betrayed them.
From the thick storm clouds above, a deep growl rumbled, shaking the heavens.
A split second later—
Several blinding bolts, each as thick as a tree trunk, crashed down in rapid succession, illuminating the night in a searing white blaze.