The first cold drop hit Elias's cheek. Then another. A soft, steady hiss filled the air as rain began to fall on Talroc City.
***
Central Plaza...
The rain fell, plastering Caesar's hair to his forehead and making Ariana's red suit cling to her frame like a bloodstain.
Noivern banked sharply, dodging a jet of toxic venom, and opened its massive mouth. A visible, distorted pulse of sound erupted, tearing through the rain, forcing Ariana to cover her ears with a pained grimace.
"You're strong, Monarch!" Ariana shouted over the ringing aftermath. "But you're alone! My grunts have the rest of the city!"
She gestured wildly with one hand. From the side streets surrounding the plaza, more black-uniformed figures emerged, reinforcing the perimeter.
"Alone?" Caesar's voice cut through the downpour, colder than the rain. "I don't think so."
From the western edge of the plaza, a new sound emerged.
A wall of navy blue and gold advanced through the rain. Dozens of police officers from the Gym Leader's building formed a phalanx. And at their head, his long coat billowing behind him like a storm cloud, was Gym Leader Kieve.
"Team Rocket!" Kieve's voice boomed, amplified by a speaker on his collar. "Lay down your arms and surrender!"
The rain washed the smirk from Ariana's face, replacing it with a tight, furious line. The reinforcements she'd called were now outflanked by the city's police officers.
"Like hell we'll surrender!" Ariana hissed. "Our objective is the brat who defeated Archer. We don't need to fight you all here! Grunts! Protect me while I make my way to that brat!"
***
East Streets...
The rain fell in a relentless curtain. Proton's patience snapped.
"Enough posturing!" He snarled, his voice losing its mocking edge, sharpening into a blade of command. "Granbull, use Thunder Punch!"
Granbull on the rooftop roared, its massive fist crackling to life with electricity. It launched itself in an arcing dive, aimed to obliterate Alpha Scraggy where it stood.
"Scraggy, use Poison Jab. Meet it."
Alpha Scraggy's foot slammed down, cracking the wet concrete. Its own fist clenched, and a purple energy sheathed its knuckles as It launched itself upward.
BOOM!
The shockwave of force rattled windows and sent a wave of filthy water sloshing against the walls.
The two pokemon hung suspended, locked in a brutal contest of strength.
Proton's eyes widened slightly.
"Decidueye, use Leaf Blade!" Anne shouted.
Decidueye moved. One moment it was on the ground, the next it was a streak of shadow leaping from a dumpster to a fire escape, using the alley's geometry to gain the high ground. As it jump in the air, a single, luminous green blade of energy extended from its wing.
Decidueye slammed the Leaf Blade on Granbull's stomach, sending it flying through the air.
It crashed onto the rooftop beside Proton, skidding backwards on the wet tiles and rubbing its injured stomach with a growl.
Proton stared with annoyance. His sharp eyes tracked Decidueye as it landed silently back beside Anne, its gaze vigilant.
"That bird..." He hissed. "Cheap shots from the shadows. How annoying."
His hand hurled another pokeball into the air.
"Obstagoon!"
The ball burst open in a flash of white. Obstagoon slammed down with a wet thud, its body a canvas of intimidating patterns. It straightened to its full height, rain sluicing off its dark fur, and let out a roar that drowned out the hiss of the downpour.
Proton was about to command when a new sound cut through the rain.
"Proton! The operation is over! We'll retreat!" It was Ariana's voice, tight with urgency.
Proton's face twisted in irritation. His teeth ground together.
"Tch! Damn it all!" He spat, clenching his fists.
But his frustration was cut short as his eyes caught a flicker of movement high above the alley. A shadow detached itself from a nearby rooftop.
Before anyone could process, a Honchkrow dove.
"Elias, look out!" Anne screamed, but it was too late.
Ellen and Faith turned to look, their eyes widened in horror.
A weighted net dropped over Elias.
The moment it touched him, a low hum erupted from the net's edges. A crackling, blue energy surged through the wires.
Elias's body went rigid. A stifled gasp escaped his lips as every muscle locked. His glasses slipped slightly down his nose as his head snapped back.
Honchkrow's powerful wings beat down, creating a gust of wind that sent Anne stumbling back. Its talons closed around the edges of the net, and with a mighty heave, it wrenched Elias off his feet.
"NO!" Anne's shriek was raw. Alpha Scraggy roared in helpless fury, leaping high, but its claws only swiped through empty air where its trainer had been a second before.
Elias was airborne inside the net, dangling from the Honchkrow's grasp as it gained altitude.
Staravia and Decidueye turned their attention to Honchkrow, but before they could even fly, Obstagoon and Granbull held them in place.
At that moment, the sound of rotor blades joined the chaos. A black helicopter descended through the rain, its side door sliding open.
Ariana jumped on the net, holding firmly.
Honchkrow maneuvered, swinging its precious cargo through the open helicopter door. Hands reached out, hauling the netted, paralyzed Elias inside and Ariana.
Proton, from his rooftop perch, watched the entire operation with wide eyes, his annoyance replaced by a flicker of admiration for Ariana's efficiency. He gave a sharp whistle.
"Obstagoon, Granbull, return!"
He recalled both pokemon in twin flashes of red. He took one last look at the stunned faces of Anne, Faith, and Ellen in the alley below, at the furious Alpha Scraggy pounding the ground.
"Seems like we're taking the win this time." He muttered with a final smirk. He turned and melted into the shadows just as the helicopter's engines roared, climbing sharply into the rainy sky.
The helicopter door slammed shut, its engines whining as it banked hard to the east, intent on vanishing into the storm.
But the fight wasn't over.
From the direction of the plaza, a draconic roar split the sky. A massive shadow burst through the rain. It was Noivern. And on its back, crouched low against the wind and rain, was Caesar, his eyes burning with a ferocity that matched the storm.
In the alley, Staravia needed no encouragement. With a piercing, furious cry, it shot into the air after Noivern.
Anne's hands flew to her bag, and pulled a small disc. She slapped it onto Decidueye's shoulder, the disc sticking instantly.
"Decidueye." She said, her voice dropping to a urgent whisper as she met its eyes. "Follow those two. Stay high, stay silent. I'll report to the headquarters."
Decidueye gave a nod. It launched itself skyward, angling away from the direct pursuit, towards the cloud cover. The disc blinking a steady, silent signal.
Anne spun on her heel and broke into a run. Her boots splashed through the puddles, her heart hammering against her ribs. Alpha Scraggy followed after her.
"Hey! Wait!"
Ellen's voice cut through the rain. She took a few stumbling steps forward, her Pikachu clinging to her shoulder.
"Where are you going? What are you going to do?"
"It's none of your business!" Anne threw the words over her shoulder, not stopping.
Ellen flinched back. Faith said nothing, just watched Anne's retreating back with narrowed eyes. In seconds, Anne and Alpha Scraggy were gone, leaving the two other girls alone amidst the groaning, unconscious Rocket grunts and the wreckage of the battle.
The silence they left behind was heavy, broken only by the rain and the low moans of the defeated.
The blonde grunt pushed himself to his feet. His expression unreadable as he recalled his Pidgeotto into its ball. Then, he lifted his head. His gaze fixed on the sky, where the helicopter disappeared.
A slow, bitter laugh echoed from the shadows at the alley's mouth.
Ellen and Faith whirled around.
Perched casually on top of a dumpster, one leg dangling, was Rein. He was soaked, his brown hair plastered to his forehead.
"Well... I didn't expect that to happen. But look at that..." He pointed a finger at the grunt. "He knows where his Admins are going."
He hopped down the dumpster, his smirk widening as he addressed the grunt directly.
"Don't you, Rocket? You know exactly where they are going."
The blonde grunt stiffened, his shoulders tightening, but he didn't turn, didn't deny it.
"M-My name's Robert... and I'm not part of Team Rocket from now on." He tossed his flat hat and uniform, leaving him without shirt in the rain. Then, he shivered in cold, hugging himself. "I-It's cold!"
"Are you dumb?" Faith asked, fixing her glasses.
"Sh-Shut up!" Robert shot back through chattering teeth, his bravado crumbling under the cold rain. "I'm serious!"
Ellen looked from the shivering Robert, her mind racing.
"If you know where they went..." She said, stepping towards Robert, her voice firming with purpose, "Then you have to tell us! We have to help Elias!"
Robert looked at her, then at the empty sky, a conflict warring in his eyes.
"B-But I don't want to get involved with them again! M-Maybe I'll lead you towards the base, but I'm not going to fight."
"That's alright." Rein said, cracking his knuckles. "I don't want an idiot like you getting in my way, anyway. You'd probably just be a dead weight."
He turned his attention to Ellen and Faith, his green eye glinting with amusement.
"I'm going for my own reasons. Come if you want. Just don't get in my way."
***
The thrumming roar of the engines vibrated through Elias's bones, a physical counterpoint to the electric numbness still seizing his muscles. He lay on the floor, tangled in the paralytic net, his glasses askew. He could see blurry shapes moving around him: Ariana barking orders into a headset, two Rocket grunts securing equipment, and the pilot.
"Persistent little champion, isn't he?" Ariana sneered. She tapped the pilot's shoulder. "Lose him in the cloud ahead!"
The helicopter pitched violently, diving into a thick wall of cloud. The world outside vanished into a swirling, opaque grey. The cabin lights flickered, casting jumping shadows.
A moment later, Noivern burst from the mist below them, its sonic cry shredding the air and making the helicopter shudder.
"Damn this!" Ariana snarled. Her eyes narrowed. They couldn't outrun it, not with Caesar pushing his pokemon to its limits. They needed to dislodge him. "Open the side door!"
One of the grunts hesitated, eyeing the howling void outside.
"M-Ma'am, at this speed—"
"Do it!"
The grunt yanked the lever. The door slid back with a shriek of wind. Rain and freezing air exploded into the cabin, whipping hair and clothes. The noise became deafening.
Ariana didn't flinch. She unclipped a pokeball from her belt and hurled it out into the maelstrom.
"Honchkrow, use Gust! Target that Noivern's wings!"
Honchkrow materialized in the turbulent air, its feathers slick with rain. With a raucous cry, it beat its wings. A concentrated cyclone of wind, far more violent than the natural gale, shot from its wings like a cannon blast.
"Dodge it, Noivern!" Caesar shouted through the air.
Noivern tried to twist, but the violent wind caught its left wing, slamming it upward. It cried out in pain, its flight path instantly destabilized. It spun, tumbling through the air as Caesar clung on desperately.
"Now! Full throttle!" Ariana shouted, recalling Honchkrow in a flash of red as it swooped back to the door.
The helicopter's engines screamed. It shot forward, putting precious distance between them and the spiraling Champion.
Elias, from his position on the floor, watched the scene through the open door. He saw Noivern, with a tremendous effort of will, right itself. Caesar was still on its back, but they were falling behind, battered by the storm.
Why...? The thought cut through the paralysis fogging his mind. The Champion's desperate pursuit—it made no sense. What connection did Caesar Monarch believe they had?
The door slammed shut, muting the storm to a dull roar. Ariana turned her attention back to him, a triumphant glint in her eye. She knelt beside the net, her red hair a wet cascade.
"Poor you... I wonder why a brat like you managed to take down, Archer." She mocked, tapping his cheek with a cold finger. "Don't worry, we're not going to take revenge on you. We just need someone with strong will for our experiment."