My dark coat flaps gently in the night time breeze. It's cold out here but the view is admirable although bordering on being too much with the almost overwhelming presence of lights. This makeshift playing field is not as well-maintained as the courtyards in Paldea, the white border lines are cracked and in need of a fresh coat of paint, the row of seats are rusted and their benches worn and chipped, and some of the lights are missing their bulbs. The latter lends favour to Giovanni as he stands partially in shadow, ominous with a smile that is difficult to interpret.
I want to hate this man but the emotion doesn't come. For Troy my anger is so hot it scorches me from within and I am awakened with an energy I haven't had in years but for Giovanni I'm unclear over what to feel. I realise as the wind sends my hair back into a mess of wavy black and grey that the best I can muster for this Team Rocket leader is annoyance. He is wasting my time, keeping me from Ellie with this nonsense and making a game out of serious matters. It's very odd considering his stern stance and professional mannerisms but in challenging me to battle over whether he delays Troy or not I can see a hint of Kenji's juvenile side. The thing is, I can't tell if Giovanni is toying with me or perhaps testing me. Will he honour his word if I win?
"I'm not going to hold back Larry!" Giovanni flings out his first Poke Ball with his yell and a huge, scaled Pokemon emerges.
The Pokemon towers on two feet with a muscular figure, large ears, a strong tail curving from behind its feet, and a small horn above its nostrils. I am not familiar with it, wagering that maybe it's a Fighting type with its impressive physique.
"Giovanni, Larry," Koga calls out to us jovially. "Are you doing this as Gym Leaders? Wouldn't more formal introductions be apt?"
I glance his way and seeing him smiling from his position standing to the left of the arena in the middle. He gestures in my direction with one gloved hand.
"Larry specialises in Normal Pokemon."
Koga gestures over to Giovanni with his other hand and I see the Team Rocket boss bearing a frown in the shadows.
"Giovanni is a master of Ground Pokemon."
I look back to the blue scaled Pokemon and realise that perhaps Koga is trying to help me. Although, it is entirely possible that he just means to bait us both for his entertainment.
I pluck out a Poke Ball and toss it gently, bringing Dudunsparce out to the arena.
Giovanni gives an order but I can't hear it over the roar of the wind. His Pokemon moves forward in a blur, slamming its body hard into Dudunsparce.
"Drill Run!"
Dudunsparce shakes off the blow and turns its body faster than its opponent moves. It charges forward, making a drill out of its body and sending the Ground Pokemon tumbling with a cry of pain.
I hear the Team Rocket Grunts booing me and calling out foul.
Giovanni flashes a small smile before another order is given. The Pokemon lowers its head and its horn sinks down slightly before jutting out violently, shooting forward a poisonous stinger.
My Dudunsparce cannot evade it in time. I keep up my calm facade as my Pokemon gives a low call of pain and I see the toxins bubbling up from its fresh wound indicating that poison has taken hold.
"Drill Run!"
It might be a repeat move that dulls the audience's entertainment but I don't care because it will be effective. My Dudunsparce sends its body back into its opponent and this time when it falls its eyes slide closed into unconsciousness.
Dudunsparce lands beside it and its tail wiggles slightly in pride though I see it tense in pain as its wound emits fresh hints of poison.
Giovanni recalls his fallen Pokemon and tosses out another ball instantly.
This time I recognise the Pokemon, it is a Dugtrio. Three brown heads pop up from the ground and look to my Dudunspace with fierce, beady eyes.
I am about to give an order for Glare but the Dugtrio moves quickly, sending a spray of sand into my Pokemon's face. It pulls back and shakes its head in irritation, giving another low moan of pain as the poison irritates it.
I raise the Poke Ball to recall it.
"Until the finish Larry!" Giovanni calls to me. "That means until we have no more useable Pokemon! Let's make it an even four!"
I face him across the arena and lower my hand reluctantly as I try to keep down my emotions.
"Hyper Drill!"
Dudunsparce moves to obey but the sand has done its job and I watch in dismay as it misses the Dugtrio and hits the ground unconsciousness, succumbing to the poison. I lift my hand again and recall my Pokemon.
I reach for another Poke Ball, wavering over one before grabbing another. I bring out Tropius to the arena and feel a small flicker of pride as its large form draws some hushed murmurs of awe and concern from the watching Grunts.
I see the Dugtrio burrow its way through the arena and wonder dully at the damage it will be doing to the concrete beneath it. Its move choice is futile and gives me a glimmer of amusement as I realise Giovanni does not recognise my Pokemon otherwise he'd know it is immune to Ground attacks.
As Tropius hovers on its leafy wings I give an order. "Solar Beam!"
As it waits out the pointless Dig attack my Pokemon takes in what light it can.
The trinity of brown furred heads appear and a beam of green tinged light crashes down on them.
Although the attack is halved by the lack of sunlight the type advantage makes up for it. The Dugtrio reels back and spins its heads in pain.
Giovanni snaps another order and I see the odd mole Pokemon moving quickly to mine. Though I do not see the attack I see the damage as the ends of the leafy mane about my Tropius fall to the ground and expose a bloody wound in its tough, brown flesh.
"Air Slash!"
My Tropius raises its form a few inches off the ground and flaps its large, green wings rapidly, turning them into weapons.
The wind is whipped up to slash forward in a painful blow of sharp air that sends the Dugtrio into unconsciousness with a cry of pain.
"I am impressed!" Giovanni calls to me mockingly. "But we're far from over Larry!"
The Dugtrio is recalled and another ball comes out. The Pokemon that emerges is similar to the first only purple with a much larger horn and a chest and torso completely grey plated. It gives a defiant roar and expands its large arms in a taunting stance.
The wind rushes at me, almost taking my coat from my shoulders as it flaps out behind me wildly. I think of why I am here and feel frustration. All this for a Team Rocket Grunt? Will Kenji come with us? Will he want to? I don't want him to but I think of Ellie's worried, pain stricken face and wince as I remember her clutching her skull and complaining about a headache that wouldn't lift and then sobbing because 'something slipped out' from her mind. She's horribly unstable and it's unpleasant to think that Kenji might fix it but better him than no fix at all.
The purple Pokemon lowers its horn and charges.
Tropius tries to fly up in evasion but its large form labours its speed and it is not quick enough. I clench my hands as a spray of blood stains the ground as the horn is driven deep into Tropius' left side.
"Dragon Pulse!"
Tropius turns its long neck and opens its mouth to unleash a burning beam of purple, dragon-powered light.
The light slams into the horned Pokemon's face and it withdraws its bloodstained horn with a cry of pain.
I let out a small breath of air I did not realise I was holding but it is out too soon.
The horned Pokemon turns back and strikes again, mimicking its predecessor's Poison Sting attack.
The poison is directed into Tropius fresh wound and it rears up with a scream of pain before collapsing to the ground with a loud thud.
I am stunned. This battle is happening very quickly. We are both two Pokemon down. I look across the arena to see Giovanni but I cannot tell his expression from here, he is shrouded in too much shadow.
I call out Komala. "Sucker Punch!"
The move is effective as my Komala gets a blow in quickly before the poisonous Pokemon can evade it. Caught up the jaw, it wobbles back for a moment on its feet.
Its body shakes in anger and it thrashes out with its tail to strike a painful blow in answer.
"Yawn," I give the order quietly and the wind almost takes my word away.
Komala yawns and the purple Pokemon repeats it against its will.
I reach up to fix my tie as I wait for the contagious yawn to do its job. The Pokemon matches to tackle my Komala before it face plants to the ground and starts snoring.
"Slam."
Despite its small size and deceptive unconscious nature, my Pokemon proves formidable as its grey furred body collides with its much larger opponent and sends it into a deeper state of unconsciousness.
The red light of Giovanni's Poke Ball hits the arena and takes back the purple Pokemon in seconds.
"You're going to regret challenging Team Rocket Larry, you're going to feel a world of pain!"
I look across the arena to him in disbelief. I have already had a world of pain from them, what is this compared to my wife being murdered and my daughter kidnapped?
I see Giovanni smiling again. "It's only going to get worse, we don't give up, we have too much invested, too much to lose. Troy will follow you to the ends of the earth to get her, if I thought he was one to give up would I need you to get my brother from him? Would I be wary of what he might do to my son? Family Larry, they're a terrible weakness and he knows it!"
"Is he the boss or you?" I demand.
"Rhydon, show them what I taught you – Fissure!"
Another imposing Pokemon that towers on two feet boasting bulk and braun and adorned with a horn emerges.
I feel the ground tremble beneath me and a yell escapes me as I feel it giving way. I look down in alarm as the ground fractures under my feet and I glimpse a glow of yellow as I hear Giovanni's taunting laugh.
I throw myself to the right and roll in an attempt to avoid falling through to the floor below. The ground continues to quiver and split and I hear the Grunts giving cries of surprise as it obviously unsettles them too.
I stand upright as the quivers weaken and find myself close to the edge of the rooftop, kept from a fall by a low wall. I see Giovanni and Koga both remaining as they were, calm despite the telltale cracks beneath their feet.
"No!" The words slip out of me as I run across the arena and fumble for my Poke Ball. My Komala is slipping through a large tear in the ground.
The beam of red light shoots out and brings back my Komala just in time. I halt and double over with a gasp of relief.
"Larry watch out!"
Koga's warning comes a fraction too late. I hear my ribs crack before I feel the pain that follows. My scream can probably be heard for miles even over the nightlife of the city.
I tumble to the ground and see the Rhydon's large foot crashing down. I realise as I spit up blood that it has attacked me.
"You're on the battlefield Larry!" Giovanni mocks me.
"Larry bring out another Pokemon!" Koga calls to me.
I see the Rhydon stomping towards me. Each thud of its feet sends a small tremor through the ground to me, weakening the cracks there and giving my injured ribs fresh pangs of agony.
I try to push myself upright and give another cry of pain.
The Pokemon is getting closer, I have to do something. I grasp at a ball and throw it, bringing Staraptor out.
"Facade."
Staraptor attacks and I try to stand. My knees tremble slightly as I get to my feet. I am clutching at my chest in pain and still standing in the danger zone.
The Rhydon's tail whips out, bringing Staraptor to the ground and putting it in a weak position.
"Aerial Ace!" I spit out another mouthful of blood with the order.
Is Kenji worth all this? Probably not but Ellie is.
The flying attack does little, offering an irritation rather than pain to the Rhydon.
Shock shoots up me as the Rhydon drives its horn into my Staraptor over and over. I see fresh drops of blood rain through the air to join mine and my other Pokemon's as Staraptor squawks in pain.
I can see the blood in my house, my wife's Pokemon lying in pools of it in the hall while hers streaked across it leading me to her broken body upstairs, outside Mia's bedroom door. I taste it and I want to scream. So much red, so much pain, so much loss and so much death.
I stagger forward and raise my Poke Ball to recall my Staraptor and concede defeat.
Staraptor's red eye catches my gaze and it kicks out with a talon, catching my hand and sending the ball rolling free.
I see Staraptor's willingness to fight despite its pain and give a tired nod before I make myself stand upright. We cannot terastallize here but we can still show our might.
"Scatter them to the wind Star-Star, for Mia!"
I grab my tie and yank it back into place as I point to the Rhydon. "Final Gambit!"
The attack lives up to its name as it will be our last move one way or another.
Staraptor gives a squawk of anger and moves to attack, throwing all its energy and speed into the blow. I watch on as the Pokemon collide in an explosion of light and energy as Staraptor risks everything at my command.
I raise my hand up to shield my eyes from the blinding flash of light and am wary of the silence that follows.
For just a moment I can't see anything and this battle remains undecided but then Koga's voice calls out to announce the result.
