Chapter 185: Bar Room Blitz
The moment Xiu clicked the door shut, the drunken bravado of the five young men evaporated, replaced by startled panic. Reacting purely on instinct, they scrambled for the Poké Balls clipped to their belts, simultaneously releasing their Pokémon towards Xiu.
Fwish! Fwish! Fwish! Five flashes of red light resolved into Pokémon: a menacing Arbok, a sharp-stinger Beedrill, and three large, aggressive-looking Raticate.
Xiu took a single, unhurried step backward. In the same instant, the towering, metallic form of Scizor materialized fully before him, its black and gold carapace gleaming dimly in the room's garish lights. Its imposing two-meter height and razor-sharp pincers completely eclipsed Xiu, radiating an aura of cold, lethal power.
The thugs, likely accustomed to dealing with common Pokémon or unarmed civilians, visibly recoiled. They had probably never encountered a Pokémon as intimidating as Scizor up close. Fear flickered in their eyes, momentarily stalling their attack commands.
That hesitation was all Scizor needed. Xiu gave a silent, mental command. "Do it."
A subtle shimmer enveloped Scizor's body – Focus Energy, sharpening its already formidable senses and power. Its imposing momentum barely contained, it surged forward.
Xiu's calm demeanor seemed to snap the gang leader out of his stupor. "He's alone!" the leader yelled, trying to rally his panicked underlings. "This is our turf! Get him!"
Galvanized, the thugs shouted commands. The Arbok slithered low, weaving between furniture towards Scizor's flank. The Beedrill buzzed forward, its twin stingers glowing with the white light of Twineedle. Two of the Raticate charged Scizor directly, while the third, perhaps sensing an easier target, veered off, darting towards Xiu behind Scizor.
Scizor met the chaotic assault with brutal efficiency. Ignoring the Raticate charging head-on, it moved with blinding speed towards the flanking Arbok. One massive pincer shot out, clamping down effortlessly on the snake Pokémon mid-slither, lifting it clear off the ground. Without pausing, Scizor swung the struggling Arbok like a giant, scaly whip, smashing it directly into the path of the incoming Beedrill.
The Beedrill, caught completely by surprise, couldn't evade the improvised projectile. The impact sent both Pokémon crashing into the far wall, tangled together, momentarily stunned.
Scizor barely registered the collision. It instantly pivoted towards the two Raticate bearing down on it. Its pincers flashed again, each one finding its mark with terrifying precision, clamping down hard on the large rodents' spines. A sickening crunch echoed in the room. With contemptuous ease, Scizor flung the now-limp bodies of the Raticate back towards the horrified thugs.
It then turned its attention to the third Raticate, the one that had slipped past aiming for Xiu. The Raticate, seeing its companions dispatched so effortlessly, seemed to lose its nerve, attempting to dodge past Scizor's legs. Scizor simply shifted its stance, blocking the escape path. Its pincer closed into a fist-like bludgeon and swung downwards in a short, vicious arc – Bullet Punch.
Thwack! The metallic fist connected squarely with the Raticate's skull. Despite the Raticate's known toughness, the force of the blow drove it into the floorboards, creating a small crater. Its head wasn't crushed, but the impact snapped its spine. Instantly dead.
Scizor seemed to hold a particular disdain for the Raticate, dispatching all three with ruthless finality, the entire sequence taking mere seconds.
The first wave of the attack was over. Scizor stood amidst the carnage, its metallic form unstained, radiating silent menace. The remaining Pokémon, Arbok and Beedrill, struggled to disentangle themselves near the wall, clearly intimidated, making no move to re-engage. The initial bravado of the thugs had completely evaporated, replaced by sheer terror.
Xiu, meanwhile, hadn't moved from his spot behind Scizor. He'd watched the entire brutal exchange with cold, clinical detachment, his expression hidden by the mask. Only when Scizor dispatched the final Raticate did a flicker of grim satisfaction touch his eyes.
Scizor slowly straightened, letting residual blood drip from its pincers onto the floor, each drop landing with an unnerving plip in the sudden silence. Its imposing figure seemed to loom over the five terrified young men.
The gang leader, realizing the utter disparity in power, quickly abandoned his earlier aggression. He forced a shaky, ingratiating smile. "Hey... hey, brother," he stammered, trying to sound conciliatory. "Powerful Pokémon you got there. Real strong. Look, whatever we did, must be some misunderstanding, right? No need for this... violence. We can talk this out."
"Ha," Xiu scoffed, stepping forward from behind Scizor. "Talk? You send thugs to scout my warehouse, and now you claim ignorance?"
The leader's face went pale at Xiu's words. Recognition dawned, followed immediately by panic. Without a second thought for his companions, he spun around and made a desperate dash for the room's window. "Arbok! Break the window!" he screamed over his shoulder. Escape was his only thought. The window, jump out, second floor isn't too high...
The Arbok, however, remained frozen near the wall, still coiled defensively, its eyes fixed warily on Scizor.
Ignoring his Pokémon's inaction, the leader threw himself bodily at the window, arms raised to shatter the glass. Instead of breaking, he slammed into something unyielding with a painful thud and bounced back, collapsing onto the floor, groaning.
Xiu watched the pathetic display with utter contempt. Idiot. Did he really think it was plain glass? He gestured subtly. The window, upon closer inspection, was reinforced with thick glass and sturdy metal bars – likely installed precisely to prevent break-ins or hasty escapes like this. This isn't a movie set.
The remaining four thugs stared dumbly, first at their fleeing (and failing) boss, then back at Xiu and the menacing Scizor, seemingly paralyzed by fear and confusion.
"Heh," Xiu remarked dryly, spreading his hands slightly. "Some leader you follow." A faint blue aura shimmered around him as Abra materialized, floating silently into the room. The psychic pressure intensified subtly.
Before the thugs could react further, Xiu initiated the now-familiar process. Abra's eyes glowed, and the psychic intrusion began.
A few minutes later, Xiu stood amidst the five unconscious figures littering the floor, processing the influx of memories. The mental strain of probing multiple minds simultaneously was significant, even with Abra's power, leaving him feeling momentarily drained and disoriented.
But the information gleaned was valuable.
The gang leader was a direct subordinate of a known Team Rocket operative in Viridian. The other four were indeed just his personal recruits, thugs given basic Pokémon by Team Rocket to act as disposable muscle, causing low-level disruption and petty crime to stretch official resources thin.
Their activities today involved exactly what Xiu had suspected – robbing vulnerable homes during the chaos, celebrating their spoils, and planning targets for the next day. The leader had heard about the warehouse activity through street informants and sent the two thugs to investigate purely on his own initiative, hoping to score points with his Team Rocket superior by uncovering something potentially valuable.
He, however, completely forgotten about them amidst the drinking and boasting.
Just opportunistic scum, Xiu concluded with disgust. Useful only for confirming their connection to Team Rocket and their general strategy of using local gangs for widespread disruption. He felt a flicker of relief that this particular group wasn't involved in anything more significant.
He looked down at the unconscious forms, then towards the two remaining Pokémon – the Arbok and Beedrill – who were huddled nervously near the wall, clearly sensing the danger.