Scyther stood its ground, the barrage of Twineedle projectiles shattering harmlessly against its rapidly moving scythes. The ease with which it deflected the attack, the relaxed yet ready posture it maintained, clearly demonstrated the effectiveness of Xiu's recent defensive training.
However, the two poachers weren't intimidated. If anything, seeing Scyther's skill only seemed to fuel their greed. Their eyes, visible even behind the masks, fixated on the Scyther, completely ignoring Xiu standing just behind it.
"Look at that speed! That precision!" the mustached man exclaimed, his voice thick with avarice. "A Scyther like this… gotta be worth 700,000, maybe 800,000 Poké Dollars! Easy! Maybe even a million to the right collector!" His fanaticism bordered on obsession. He turned urgently to his Paras. "Go! Now!"
Then, a flicker of caution crossed his face. "Wait! Don't damage it! Damaged goods fetch less! Use Sleep Powder!"
The Paras began scuttling forward, its movements surprisingly quick despite its form. As it advanced, the large parasitic mushroom on its back began to vibrate gently, releasing a fine, shimmering yellow dust that drifted outwards, creating a soporific cloud.
"Close the distance," Xiu commanded Scyther, his voice flat, emotionless. "Engage the Beedrill. Draw it up."
Scyther reacted instantly. It launched itself forward with explosive force, a green blur streaking past the advancing Paras, ignoring the spreading Sleep Powder cloud entirely. Its target was the Beedrill hovering further back.
The Beedrill, which had been preparing another ranged attack, seemed momentarily stunned by Scyther's abrupt, aggressive advance. It instinctively tried to gain altitude, its wings buzzing frantically.
Though technically flightless, Scyther's powerful legs and small wings allowed for incredible leaps and brief periods of controlled gliding. It kicked off the ground, launching itself into the air, using its wings for stabilization, meeting the rising Beedrill head-on as both scythes came down in a powerful, cleaving strike.
The Beedrill reacted purely on instinct, raising its two large stingers defensively over its head.
CLANG!
The impact was jarring. Scyther recoiled backwards from the force, landing lightly on the ground. The Beedrill, however, was knocked bodily downwards, tumbling uncontrolled from the air before regaining its balance just above the ground. Visible gouges marred the hard chitin of the stingers it had used to block.
But something was wrong. Scyther faltered after landing, looking down at its right scythe with what seemed like disbelief.
Xiu saw it immediately. The hard impact against Beedrill's reinforced stingers… the tip of Scyther's scythe had chipped! A noticeable piece was missing.
Before Scyther could fully process the damage, the Beedrill recovered, buzzing angrily, ready to re-engage. Simultaneously, the Paras continued its relentless advance, the cloud of Sleep Powder slowly expanding, creeping closer.
"Scyther, focus!" Xiu snapped, seeing its hesitation. "Engage the Beedrill! Cut its wings!" He needed to press the advantage, keep the Beedrill grounded, prevent it from utilizing its superior aerial mobility.
Xiu's sharp command seemed to break Scyther's momentary trance. Perhaps channeling its frustration over the damaged scythe into aggression, it charged the Beedrill again, ignoring the chipped blade.
The Beedrill, recovered now, met the charge with another volley of Twineedle.
This time, Scyther didn't meet the attack head-on. Weaving, ducking, its body a blur of motion, it moved through the barrage. Most needles missed entirely. The few that came close were deflected with lightning-fast flicks of its scythes. It closed the distance again, almost untouched, a testament to the dodging and mobile attack drills Xiu had relentlessly put it through.
Its sheer speed and agility clearly unnerved the Beedrill. Seeing Scyther almost upon it again, it panicked, momentarily forgetting it could simply fly higher.
"Get clear! Fly up!" the bald man roared, seeing his Pokémon's hesitation.
The command jolted the Beedrill. It began to beat its wings powerfully, trying to gain altitude, to escape Scyther's reach.
"Forget the Beedrill! Target the bald trainer!" Xiu switched tactics instantly, seizing the momentary opening.
'Attacking the trainer directly?' The bald man hadn't expected such a direct command, such blatant disregard for the Pokémon battle 'etiquette'. He saw the green blur of Scyther redirecting its charge towards him and scrambled backwards in panic, fumbling for another Poké Ball.
"Raticate, go!" He hurled the ball forward desperately. A large, unusually plump Raticate materialized just as Scyther arrived. Simultaneously, the bald man frantically yelled, "Beedrill, back! Defend me!"
Scyther's burst speed was incredible, covering the ten meters between them in fractions of a second. But just as it reached the panicked trainer, the Raticate lunged forward and intercepted it. A white light flared around the Raticate's body – Quick Attack, slamming into Scyther with surprising force.
Scyther, caught off guard by the Raticate's willingness to engage directly, its combat awareness still developing, stumbled back. It managed to block the brunt of the impact with its damaged scythes at the last second, avoiding serious injury, but its offensive momentum was completely broken.
The Beedrill zipped back, hovering protectively beside its trainer. The Paras, meanwhile, had finally caught up, scuttling into position on the other flank. Suddenly, Scyther found itself surrounded, facing the Beedrill, the Raticate, and the advancing threat of the Paras's Sleep Powder.
The bald man, seeing the tables turned, regained his composure, his earlier panic replaced by a smug grin. "Alright boys! Box it in! Catch it alive, and there's extra treats when we get back!"
His promise seemed to galvanize the Raticate. It squealed aggressively at Scyther, then charged again, its surprisingly large body shaking with layers of fat as it ran, surprisingly fast despite its bulk.
Scyther, however, seemed particularly incensed by the Raticate's aggressive posture, perhaps reminded of its earlier encounter. Its usual cool precision vanished, replaced by raw fury. It met the Raticate's charge head-on, damaged scythe raised high.
The Raticate leaped, its massive front teeth bared, aiming to bite down on Scyther's weapon. Crunch! The Raticate's incredibly strong teeth bit into the already weakened blade, lodging deep, widening the existing crack.
"Yes! Good boy! Extra treats for sure!" The bald man roared encouragement.
Scyther shrieked in pain and fury, wrenching its arm back, dislodging the Raticate and sending it tumbling away. The Raticate rolled twice, then scrambled back to its feet, seemingly unharmed by the rough toss, looking energized by its trainer's praise (or perhaps just the promise of food).
Scyther looked down at its scythe again. The damage was severe now. The blade was deeply notched, almost bitten through.
But just as the Raticate prepared to charge again, something strange happened. It staggered, swayed drunkenly, then collapsed onto the ground, fast asleep.
Xiu blinked, then understood. 'The Sleep Powder!' When Scyther had flung the Raticate away, it had landed right in the lingering cloud of spores released by the Paras earlier. 'Accidental friendly fire...'
The bald man saw it too. He whirled furiously on his mustached accomplice. "Idiot! Get that useless mushroom bug of yours out of here! Recall it now!"
The mustached man flinched, clearly accustomed to the bald man's abuse. He mumbled an apology and obediently recalled the Paras. With the source of the Sleep Powder gone, the tactical advantage shifted again.
Raticate asleep. Paras recalled. The intended siege was broken. It was back to Beedrill versus Scyther.
"Don't worry about it!" the bald man yelled, urging his Beedrill forward again. "Its scythe is busted! Finish it!"
Scyther's condition was precarious. The series of high-speed bursts had drained its stamina significantly. Both scythes were now damaged – one chipped, the other severely cracked and likely unusable for serious combat. It looked ragged and exhausted.