A faint, yet pungent stench drifted toward Luke's nose as the Ghoul screamed.
Luke struggled to describe the smell. It was like rotten eggs mixed with decayed meat and salted fish, fermented to a sickening degree. He couldn't pinpoint the exact source of the stench, but it was enough to make his stomach turn.
[Ghoul, rare species. Prefers rotten over fresh food. Its powerful claws can effortlessly tear apart ordinary humans who are unprepared.]
"A Ghoul with the Intimidate trait…"
Noticing Luke's unease, Kirlia, having just listened to the human Pokédex entry, immediately deduced the Ghoul's trait. Seeing Luke's physical attack lowered before the fight had even begun, Kirlia normally confident that Luke could handle any human felt a twinge of concern.
Intimidate? Are you sure that's not just… pure stench?
Suppressing the urge to vomit, Luke wrapped himself in flames, finally dispersing the lingering odor. As for Kirlia's so-called Intimidate, Luke felt no real loss of strength. At most, it was like when Meowth had used Screech on him before he'd just lost the initiative.
Watching the Ghoul, unable to act without Duskull's command, Luke realized its "Intimidate" was more about disgusting him than actually having any effect.
"Oh? Not cowering at all, and even fired up for battle?"
Duskull stroked its chin as the flames roared in front of Luke, interest in this human growing.
"Trait is… psychic? No, judging by all that fire, it's probably just sheer stubbornness."
While most humans' traits and abilities were cataloged in the human Pokédex, the world was vast. New humans were discovered by Pokémon all the time and added to the supposedly complete Pokédex. Unlike scholars studying human ecology, human trainers cared less about habits and more about combat potential. That included deducing an unknown human's trait in battle and using information gaps to trap unfamiliar trainers.
"Ghoul, use Shadow Claw."
Having confirmed the human's trait, Duskull gave the order.
"Luke…"
Kirlia opened her mouth to command, but Luke moved first.
Bang!
A fireball exploded in front of the Ghoul. Had it not dodged in time, it would have smashed straight into its head. The interrupted Ghoul glared at Luke and let out an irritated roar.
"Calm down, Ghoul."
Before it could roar again, Duskull's voice forced it silent. After this brief confrontation, the usually lazy Duskull finally focused. Its gaze shifted repeatedly between Luke and Kirlia before it issued another command to the Ghoul.
"Since that human favors long-range, rush him and fight up close. Use Shadow Claw!"
Even as Zoroark, freshly returned to the team, opened its mouth to comment, Meowth quickly clamped its paw over Zoroark's mouth. Having just survived near-death fear, Meowth felt like it had narrowly stepped back into the Underworld.
"You're insane! Forgot the rules of our squad?!"
Whispering, Meowth cursed, then glanced around. Some distracted teammates hadn't noticed, and the Meowth that nearly got spooked by Zoroark finally relaxed.
The Rocket Team had four operational squads, each with its own rules. For Team Two, the rule was simple never question the captain's orders.
No Pokémon knew exactly what punishment befell those who broke the rule, but everyone in Squad Two knew that anyone who disobeyed never appeared in the squad again.
Right now, the captain was in a playful mood. If Zoroark spoiled it, Meowth already failing its mission against Luke dared not imagine the consequences.
While Meowth muffled Zoroark, the Ghoul gathered countless shadows on its right claw. The half-meter-long purple blade surged toward Luke.
Seeing the Ghoul closing in, Kirlia started to call for Luke to dodge, but before she could speak, he moved again.
Fireballs he threw were shredded by Shadow Claw. Realizing he couldn't avoid the clash, Luke took a deep breath and concentrated the flames in his legs.
Whoosh
A burst of fire erupted from behind his legs, propelling him to Ghoul's left side in half a second. Luke swung his fist at the Ghoul, which hadn't even realized what was happening and was wide open.
Bang!
His fist collided with the Ghoul's jelly-like, gelatinous skin. Realizing physical attacks alone wouldn't harm it, Luke immediately ignited his fist.
A streak of crimson flared between Luke and the Ghoul, followed by a deafening explosion. The surrounding Pokémon covered their ears.
Boom!
"Gaaahhh!!"
The explosion's aftermath was a hoarse, agonized scream. The human at the epicenter was flung back, flying tens of meters and rolling across the ground before barely stopping.
Luke's sudden counterattack left Duskull momentarily stunned. It looked from Luke standing firm to the scorched Ghoul struggling to rise, and even for a well-experienced Pokémon, it couldn't help but mutter.
"What kind of move is that?"
Unlike ordinary humans who fought instinctively, rare humans could learn and use Pokémon moves. The Ghoul itself could, through training, wield claw and bite attacks like a Pokémon.
But aside from species-specific innate moves, rare humans could only remember four Pokémon moves at a time. Learning a fifth without a trainer's guidance would cause one of the four previously learned moves to be forgotten at random.
This ability to wield extra moves gave even humans of the same species unpredictable potential in battle. It also explained why being a human trainer was such a popular profession in this world.
Yet today, Duskull was thoroughly confounded. Luke had used flames to accelerate, then created an explosion harmless to himself, delivering a tactic that no Pokémon skill in its knowledge could match.
"Ah, terrifying. I thought this would be an even fight, but it's completely one-sided."
Despite the shock, Duskull composed itself. Glancing at Kirlia, who had executed Luke's commands without speaking, it had to admit Psychic-type Pokémon were naturally suited to being human trainers.
"Very well, let's leave the outcome to the final move. Ghoul, use Destructive Beam!"
Knowing Luke couldn't withstand another direct hit, Duskull decided to unleash the Ghoul's most powerful attack.
The Ghoul decisively opened its mouth, and a familiar beam of light began to condense.
Meanwhile, Duskull, having issued its last command, focused entirely on Luke, waiting to see how this human and his trainer would respond.
Would they confront the attack head-on, evade it with cleverness, or repeat the previous explosive-speed tactic?
No matter what Kirlia decided, Duskull's purpose had already been fulfilled.