Alleyway Battle

Bang!!

The motorcycle that had already been started gave a dull thud under Metang's telekinetic grip and immediately stalled.

The two men seemed to realize something was wrong as well. After shooting vicious glares at Steven Stone and Jing He beside him, they turned and ran into a nearby alley.

Jing He: "??"

Seeing the two about to vanish, Steven Stone's expression changed. He hurriedly said, "Teacher Jing He, help me."

"Oh."

Jing He did not refuse, but his method of "helping" left Steven Stone somewhat dumbfounded.

Calmly, he took out his phone and dialed the police.

"Hello, Canalave Police Station. This is Officer Jenny."

A stern voice came through the phone.

"Hello, Officer Jenny. There's a robbery on Street 6—"

Steven Stone: "..."

Seeing the two robbers about to disappear, Steven Stone could no longer afford to care about anything else. He chased after them with Metang.

Watching his retreating back, Jing He could not help but sigh.

"Ah, impulsive, hot-blooded young people."

Then again, Steven Stone was not yet the future Hoenn Champion who could command the Elite Four alone, split them into separate groups, and coordinate everything from afar.

Though he said that, Jing He still reluctantly started running after him.

He was a teacher, after all. He could not just stand by and watch his student face two robbers alone, could he?

There were so many people watching, and quite a few were holding up their phones. If this got posted online, he would probably become famous the next day.

The two of them ran into the alley, one after the other.

"Teacher Jing He..." Seeing Jing He catch up, Steven Stone showed the approving look of someone thinking, I knew you wouldn't just stand by.

But Jing He ignored him and looked toward the corner where the two robbers had vanished.

"Gastly."

"Koujie—"

Understanding Jing He's intent, Gastly immediately floated out from his body, turned into mist, and slipped through the wall.

"Koujie!"

Its cry soon came from ahead again, and only then did Jing He truly pick up his pace.

The two swiftly reached the corner, only to see the robbers disappear in another direction.

And so, one side chased while the other fled.

After turning three or four corners or so,

they had already entered a completely unfamiliar area.

Jing He frowned.

His footsteps gradually slowed.

Noticing something was off, Steven Stone gave him a questioning look.

"Haven't you noticed? They're deliberately leading us somewhere."

Steven Stone froze slightly at those words. He was not stupid. Frowning as he thought back, he quickly noticed the oddity too.

It seemed that every time they rounded a corner, the other side would happen to disappear around another one. They neither let themselves get caught immediately nor allowed the pursuers to lose them.

And in this area filled with alleys, the other side was clearly more familiar with the terrain than they were.

"But... why lead us here?" Steven Stone could not help asking.

What was their goal? Jing He glanced sideways at him.

Us?

They were probably only trying to lure you in.

Tap, tap, tap—

Sure enough, faint footsteps could already be heard in the alley behind them.

"Ku!"

Metang immediately floated behind Steven Stone and Jing He.

However, this narrow alley barely gave Metang enough room to move. Its size would severely hamper its movements.

"Go!"

Jing He took a small breath and started running again.

A place like this imposed too many restrictions on Steven Stone's Pokémon. It was highly unfavorable.

Steven Stone understood his meaning without needing further explanation and ran with Metang.

Rather than following the direction the two robbers had fled, they ran toward the opposite side of the corner.

At the same time.

"Damn it!"

The footsteps behind them grew hurried as well, as though their pursuers had not expected to be discovered so soon.

"They've got some nerve, targeting the Young Master of Devon Corporation in Canalave City." Jing He could not help grumbling.

Steven Stone smiled helplessly. Devon Corporation was not some local gang or petty tyrant... Still, Steven Stone was somewhat puzzled. From Jing He's words, it sounded like he... knew who they were?

After passing through another two alleys, Jing He suddenly stopped.

"They're here!"

No sooner had he spoken than a voice came from ahead.

"Mightyena, Bite!"

"Awoo—"

With a roar, a vicious dog covered in thick black-and-gray fur appeared from the corner ahead, its scarlet eyes glaring as it charged at them at incredible speed!

"Metang, Bullet Punch!"

Steven Stone made the correct response almost immediately.

Though Metang was relatively slow for a Pokémon, the priority granted by Bullet Punch allowed it to strike first despite moving later, intercepting the fierce dog lunging at them.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Mightyena looked ferocious, but it seemed inferior to Metang in raw strength. Metang's claws flashed in a rapid barrage like bullets, smashing it away.

But sounds soon came from behind them as well.

"Zangoose, Quick Attack!"

A large cat with red markings flashed into view, wrapped in a silver-white stream of air as it charged straight toward them!

However.

While the narrow alley restricted Steven Stone and Metang, it also restricted the other side's mobility. After using Quick Attack, Zangoose could only rush straight at them.

Thus, almost at the same moment the opposing command rang out, Jing He shouted as well:

"Gastly!"

"Koujie!"

A hazy mass of black mist surged from the wall and formed into a gigantic ghostly face—hideous and terrifying. Its long crimson tongue shot toward that streak of white light.

Astonish!

To be fair, a gigantic ghost face appearing out of nowhere was indeed frightening, especially in such a narrow, dimly lit alley.

But Quick Attack had already been unleashed, and Zangoose still crashed headlong into the ghost face.

Puff! A large hole opened in the ghost face.

Yet it did not affect the face in the slightest. It rapidly returned to normal.

And the long tongue landed right in front of Zangoose.

Zangoose's pupils shrank. Its fur stood on end, and it cried out almost instinctively.

A flinch? No. Normal-type moves were ineffective against Ghost-type Pokémon, but the reverse was true as well.

Physical effects might not work, but the psychological impact had been amplified by the surroundings and the suddenness of it all.

Jing He looked at Steven Stone without saying anything.

He did not need to signal him. Steven Stone had already reacted. Metang, its fists still swinging with Bullet Punch, swiftly crossed the alley and slammed heavily into Zangoose's cheek, knocking it unconscious.

"Koujie—"

Gastly gave a sinister chuckle but did not reveal itself. As the ghost face dispersed, it slipped back into the wall.

These alleys restricted Steven Stone, Metang, and even their opponents, but for Gastly, they were its home field.

At Jing He's instruction, it had already made a basic survey of the surrounding area.

And it had found the direction where the opposing side's forces were weakest.

"Koujie!"

A faint sound reached Jing He's ears, and his spirits lifted slightly.

"This way."

He actually ran straight toward the direction Zangoose had come from.

Steven Stone did not question him. He seemed to trust Jing He greatly and followed with Metang.

As they passed a corner, Steven Stone saw two people sprawled limply on the ground, foaming at the mouth and twitching slightly. One of them was presumably Zangoose's trainer.

Steven Stone: "?!"

"Hehehe—"

Gastly's wicked laugh came from within the wall.

Watching those videos had not been for nothing. That Kikuko really knew her stuff. What was the point of battling Pokémon head-on? Taking out the trainer directly was the true way! The other side had clearly not expected an unexpected spoiler to appear in their plan against Steven Stone.

After rapidly crossing two more alleys, they could already see the dazzling neon lights of the main street.

But just then.

A deep, heavy voice sounded behind them.

"Camerupt, Flamethrower!"

In the dim alley, a spark like starlight suddenly appeared. The flame flickered as a blurred boundary between light and darkness swept forward. As the fire surged, the entire alley turned orange-red.

"Ku!"

Metang's entire body tensed.

It could sense that this Camerupt was far stronger than the Mightyena and Zangoose from before!

Beep! Beep! Beep—

Suddenly.

Police sirens rang out.

Both the other side and Camerupt froze mid-action.