The radiance shattered.
A tall figure now floated where Kirlia had stood.
It was her.
Evolved into Gardevoir.
Her slender body hovered in the drifting smoke of the ruined atrium. Smooth white legs extended gracefully, her form flowing like a long, elegant gown caught in a silent breeze.
Her head was framed by a curved crimson crest that swept back like stylized hair, sharp red eyes glowing beneath it.
At the center of her chest, a radiant red spike gleamed faintly through the haze.
Beautiful.
Elegant.
Almost divine.
But the energy radiating from her was anything but gentle.
A crushing psychic pressure rolled outward, the air itself humming with invisible weight.
It spread like an invisible wave across the atrium.
Team Rocket members staggered as the force hit them. Their Pokémon cried out as the weight pressed down on their bodies.
Golbat's wings faltered as it struggled to remain airborne.
Arbok twisted violently along the floor, scales scraping across the shattered tiles.
Houndoom's legs trembled as it growled under the invisible weight.
Even Gengar, which had been preparing another attack, froze mid-motion. Its red eyes widened as it felt the overwhelming psychic presence.
The ghost Pokémon flickered uneasily, its body phasing partly into shadow as it drifted backward, trying to escape the worst of the crushing force.
The pressure wasn't random.
Every Rocket member who had attacked Ryan felt it the most.
Their knees shook.
Some collapsed outright.
Gardevoir slowly descended with him.
She knelt beside Ryan before carefully lowering his body to the floor.
Her slender hand hovered just above his head.
Gentle.
Almost reverent.
Like someone afraid to wake a sleeping dream.
For a heartbeat she stayed like that.
Her crimson eyes softened as she looked down at his face.
Then they hardened.
Slowly, she rose.
Her gaze turned toward Viper and the remaining Team Rocket members.
Across the atrium, Viper was pushing herself up from one knee, struggling against the psychic pressure. Her eyes burned with disbelief.
"How…? That Kirlia… evolved again?"
"I held that Ralts for three years. It didn't even evolve into Kirlia. And with that brat, in just over a month, it reached its final stage…"
Her gaze snapped toward Gengar.
"Gengar! Attack now!"
The Pokémon surged forward, forming another Shadow Ball in its hand.
But Gardevoir had already moved.
Her red eyes glowed with quiet fury.
"Gar… de… voir…"
The air itself trembled.
She raised both arms.
Brilliant fairy energy gathered in her palms.
White light mixed with sparkling pink particles as the power condensed into a blinding sphere.
"Gardevoir!"
Dazzling Gleam erupted.
The radiant flash burst outward in all directions.
It struck Gengar before the Shadow Ball could launch.
It screeched as the attack detonated prematurely, the blast hurling it violently across the atrium.
The energy wave continued outward.
Team Rocket grunts screamed, shielding their eyes from the blinding flash.
Their Pokémon collapsed where they stood.
Others stumbled, dazed and disoriented.
The tide of battle shifted instantly.
Across the atrium, Lopunny and Meowscarada were still fighting.
When Ryan's earlier scream echoed through the chamber, their fury had exploded.
They fought without hesitation.
Lopunny spun through a group of opponents, her powerful strikes breaking through enemy lines in rapid succession.
Meowscarada darted between enemies like a shadow, claws flashing as she cut through opponents trying to regroup.
As the smoke cleared, their eyes caught sight of Ryan lying motionless on the floor.
Both froze.
Fear flashed across their faces.
Lopunny's ears stiffened.
Meowscarada's cap flicked sharply.
For a moment, Lopunny looked ready to rush straight toward him, even if it meant leaving herself open.
But then they noticed the tall figure standing over his body.
Kirlia had evolved.
Relief flickered in their eyes.
Yet seeing Ryan still unconscious only fueled their anger.
"Lopun!"
"Nyaaa!"
They launched forward.
Together, the three Pokémon became unstoppable.
Lopunny shattered enemy formations with devastating strikes, sending Pokémon flying across the battlefield.
Meowscarada moved like a blur, cutting down opponents who tried to retreat.
Above them, Gardevoir hovered like an avenging spirit.
Any enemy that dared approach Ryan was crushed beneath waves of psychic force before they could even get close.
One by one, Team Rocket forces fell.
Some Pokémon fainted.
Others were hastily recalled by panicked trainers.
Grunts began retreating toward the ship's exits, their formation completely shattered.
"Retreat! Fall back!" someone shouted.
A few managed to escape.
But many were intercepted by ship security and capable trainers among the passengers, who rushed in once the battle turned.
Poké Balls scattered across the battlefield.
Some shattered in the chaos.
Abandoned Pokémon fled in panic.
At the center of it all stood Gardevoir.
Her red eyes locked onto Viper.
She tried to run, but a psychic force slammed down around her like an invisible cage.
The floor cracked beneath her boots as the pressure forced her to her knees.
"You…!" Viper snarled, struggling to move.
Gardevoir slowly raised one hand.
Viper's body lifted helplessly into the air.
She thrashed wildly before being slammed back down, the impact knocking the breath from her lungs.
By the time ship security arrived, she could barely move.
Restraints snapped around her wrists.
The battle was over.
—
Silence slowly settled across the ruined atrium.
Lopunny rushed to Ryan's side first despite her injuries. She dropped beside him, gently lifting his head and resting it in her lap.
Meowscarada arrived moments later, breathing hard from the fight.
Both looked up at Gardevoir.
Gardevoir slowly descended.
She knelt beside Ryan, her slender hand gently holding his. Her red, tearful eyes never left his face.
The psychic pressure had completely vanished.
But the three of them stayed right there, watching over him.
-><-
Power Stones Target: 30
Comments: 10
Also, from now on, Ryan's title is Watcher, not Researcher.