Pokemon: Rising From The Dark

Seeing his ace fall in battle, Kevin was stunned. His Golbat had always been his biggest advantage among Team Rocket grunts, earning him respect and flattery. Its ability to fly and its solid combat skills made every mission smoother.

But now, before the fight had even properly begun, it had been completely shut down by Gastly's Confuse Ray. It never had a chance to show its strength.

"Damn it! Are you going to deal with that Slowpoke or not?!" Kevin roared at his teammate. "If that Psychic-type gets going, we're done!"

"Shut up, you idiot! Can't you see my Arbok is being blocked?!" the other grunt snapped back, his obedience from earlier completely gone. With Golbat out of the fight, he no longer feared Kevin.

His expression twisted into something feral. If they could take down this meddling League Trainer, the spoils of victory would be his alone. Kevin? He could rot with the enemy.

"Arbok! Ice Fang!" he commanded, his voice sharp with desperation.

Kevin clenched his teeth. He wanted to retaliate but held back. With Golbat down, his only real option was his Koffing. And with his so-called 'partner' acting like this, he had to be careful.

Aoki watched the two with a smirk. Suspicion and distrust were already fracturing their teamwork. He had overestimated them earlier.

"Defense Curl again, Miltank! Slowpoke, keep up the Psyshock on Arbok! Murkrow, use Sucker Punch on Koffing!" Aoki commanded, focusing on Kevin's Pokémon.

Had his opponents coordinated better, they could've had a real chance. If one Koffing had stalled Miltank, Arbok could've pressured Slowpoke. Even with Golbat confused, it might have recovered in time. But their lack of trust turned a difficult fight into an easy victory.

Miltank curled up again, boosting her defense further. Arbok's Ice Fang struck, but its power was halved by Miltank's Thick Fat ability. With two Defense Curls stacked, she barely felt it. Meanwhile, Slowpoke's Psyshock hammered Arbok's mind, making its movements sluggish.

Murkrow clashed with Kevin's Koffing, their battle dragging on. Kevin felt his confidence crumble. The battle had spiraled out of control, and now he had to watch his back against both Aoki and his 'ally.'

He reached for his Poké Ball, ready to recall Golbat and retreat. His Koffing would have to be sacrificed.

But the other grunt noticed.

Kevin's so-called 'teammate' wasn't about to let him escape and claim all the blame. If anyone was going down, it wouldn't be him.

Poor Koffing had become nothing more than disposable collateral.

Aoki didn't care about their squabbles. He had already won. But then—

The battlefield shifted.

Miltank had been holding back, absorbing Arbok's attacks. But now, she had reached her limit. Her body trembled with barely contained fury, veins bulging on her forehead. The once-shy and gentle Miltank had transformed into something terrifying.

Aoki blinked in surprise.

With sheer force, Miltank pried Arbok's jaws off her and grabbed the serpent by the neck. Before anyone could react, she lifted Arbok clean off the ground.

This was an Arbok—a Pokémon known for its powerful coils. Yet Miltank had ripped it free effortlessly.

And she wasn't done.

With one hoof, she stomped Arbok's head into the dirt, then grabbed its tail and began to swing.

WHAM!

WHAM!

WHAM!

Arbok slammed into the ground repeatedly, the impact shaking the battlefield. It had already been weakened by Slowpoke's Psyshock, but now, under Miltank's brutal assault, it stood no chance. After a few more bone-crunching impacts, Arbok went limp.

It had lost.

The battlefield fell silent.

Slowpoke and Murkrow, used to Miltank's timid nature, froze mid-attack, as if reevaluating everything they thought they knew about her.

Then, as if realizing what she had done, Miltank hesitated. Noticing the stunned gazes around her, she looked down shyly, a faint blush appearing on her face.

A gulp echoed in the silence.

It came from Arbok's Trainer.

He had never imagined that the round, unassuming Miltank could be this terrifying.

With both Golbat and Arbok down, his last hope was gone.

Kevin, seeing his chance, quickly recalled Golbat and bolted without a second thought.

"Damn it!" the remaining Rocket grunt cursed. His supposed ally had abandoned him in an instant.

Golbat had been close enough for Kevin to retrieve, but Arbok was too far. If he wanted to escape, he had to leave it behind.

For a brief second, he hesitated. But in a fight like this, hesitation meant defeat. He turned, cursing under his breath, and ran for his life.

The battle was over.