"Growlithe, use Ember!"
The moment the door opened, Officer Jenny ordered Growlithe to attack.
Of course, considering other possibilities, Jenny had Growlithe use Ember, a weaker move, to avoid heavy losses in case she was wrong.
Unfortunately, her judgment was correct. The only mistake was that the attack was too weak.
As the flames rushed out, Persian's Shadow Ball struck first. It shattered the fire and shot straight toward Growlithe.
At the same time, Scyther charged at Jenny. Its blades gleamed coldly as they loomed larger and larger before her eyes. Death followed right behind.
In that critical moment, Growlithe abandoned its defense against Persian's attack and leapt forward.
It took the full force of Shadow Ball while blocking Jenny from the fatal slash.
Blood splattered. Growlithe was thrown back, a deep wound tearing open across its abdomen as blood poured out.
Michael showed no mercy. As Scyther's blade struck, Persian followed his command and launched another attack.
Shadow Ball flew again, but this time Jenny reacted quickly. She stepped back and released the rest of her Pokémon.
Jenny knew very well how strong Michael was. Her confidence came from her Senior Rank Growlithe.
But now Growlithe was badly injured. It seemed the other officers were already dead. Jenny's best choice was to stall or escape.
But seeing her Pokémon wounded and her comrades' fate unknown, Jenny's fury burned away her reason.
At this moment, she only wanted to kill the man before her.
Michael, however, grew even more excited as Jenny released more Pokémon.
Anyone could see she had lost control. Fighting a reckless opponent was the easiest fight. Michael felt no worry at all.
And the battle unfolded exactly as he predicted.
With his Senior Rank Scyther, Jenny's Intermediate and Junior Rank Pokémon could not hold.
Combined with the speed of Persian, the threat was overwhelming. One mistake and her Pokémon would be crushed.
To fight such Pokémon, one had to stay calm, read movements, predict the target, and counterattack faster.
But Jenny could not calm down. She had no Pokémon skilled in speed either, so she couldn't restrain Scyther or Persian.
On top of that, Michael also had a Graveler at Intermediate Rank.
Using Defense Curl and Rollout, it crashed into Jenny's Pokémon again and again, easily breaking their defense.
Each time that happened, Scyther and Persian struck together, instantly defeating their target.
In just a short while, all three of Jenny's Intermediate Rank Pokémon were down.
Michael looked over the fallen Pokémon with satisfaction.
Who would have thought, when he only came to Lakeside Town to rest, that he'd gain such spoils?
Not only did he strip the police station of supplies, but he also gained their Pokémon.
Selling them off would bring him a fortune.
The success only fueled his greed. He even considered raiding the Pokémon Center next, where even more supplies and Pokémon waited.
"End Officer Jenny's pain, Scyther. Kill her!"
At his command, Scyther attacked.
Its blades flashed as it lunged. Jenny did not flinch. She stood tall, ready to fight to her last breath.
She felt no fear of death, only hatred that she couldn't drag Michael into hell with her.
Just as the blade was about to fall, a pillar of fire lit up the night and forced Scyther back.
A shadow rushed in like lightning. Even Scyther couldn't react.
The next second, Scyther was sent flying. Another blast of fire struck it, leaving it on the brink of death.
The speed was so fast that even Michael couldn't react.
When the flames cleared, the attacker revealed itself. It was Arcanine, Growlithe's evolution.
Without giving Michael a chance to counter, Arcanine used Extreme Speed again, vanishing like a phantom.
With its Ace Rank power, even Scyther couldn't withstand Arcanine's assault, let alone Persian or Graveler.
In an instant, Michael's Pokémon were all defeated.
"I surrender, arrest me!"
Facing the glaring Arcanine, Michael abandoned resistance.
At his words, Arcanine turned to look back.
From the shadows, Mason and Gu Yuan stepped forward.
Gu Yuan's eyes were still wide with shock at Arcanine's strength. He knew Mason was strong, but not this strong.
Mason's face, however, was grim.
Before arriving, Gu Yuan had told him what Kadabra sensed. Other than Jenny and Michael, there were no survivors. The entire police force had nearly been wiped out.
For such a criminal, Mason was ready to end him. Michael had no useful intel anyway.
But now Michael surrendered. Mason could no longer act. This was the code every officer followed.
It gave criminals a chance to surrender, so they wouldn't fight to the death and cause more harm or take hostages.
Mason could have pretended not to hear, since only Jenny and Gu Yuan were present. They could stay silent.
But his duty as an officer bound him. He couldn't give the kill order.
"This officer, please have my Pokémon treated right away."
"I've surrendered, so by law my Pokémon can receive treatment, right?"
Seeing Mason follow the rules, Michael lost his fear. He even dared to taunt him.
Mason stayed silent, clenching his fists.
He wanted nothing more than to rip Michael apart. But he couldn't.
Just as Mason was about to give up on the thought, a Charmeleon suddenly rushed out.
With one sharp Slash, it pierced Michael's heart.