The moment Electabuzz intercepted the attacks, the battlefield erupted completely.
Air Slash carved deep trenches through the ground while the Water Shuriken exploded apart against Light Screen in sprays of compressed water sharp enough to cut through nearby trees. Even after blocking most of the damage, Electabuzz still grunted from the force behind the combination attack.
The level gap was becoming increasingly obvious.
Venomoth and Accelgor were both stronger than Monferno and Electabuzz individually, and unlike wild Pokémon, these opponents fought with discipline and coordination. Every attack was layered with another. Every opening led into a follow-up strike.
They were trained killers.
Micah smiled beneath his mask.
"Not bad," he admitted. "Most trainers would already be dead."
Silas ignored him completely.
His eyes stayed locked on the battlefield.
Venomoth was the real problem.
Accelgor was dangerous because of its speed and ranged pressure, but Venomoth controlled the flow of combat itself. Teleport allowed it to reposition instantly, launch ambush attacks, and create openings for the rest of the team.
As long as Venomoth remained active, the fight would only become harder.
"Electabuzz, dodge to the left!"
Electabuzz immediately used Quick Attack to move sideways as another Air Slash tore through the spot where he had just been standing. Before the attack had even finished traveling, Accelgor launched another barrage of Water Shuriken from a completely different angle.
The coordination was suffocating.
Monferno ducked low and narrowly avoided the spinning projectiles before retaliating with Flamethrower. The flames swept across the battlefield in a wide arc, forcing Accelgor to leap backward while Venomoth vanished with Teleport moments before being engulfed.
Then Venomoth reappeared directly above Monferno.
"Above you!" Silas shouted.
Air Slash descended immediately.
Monferno crossed his arms and endured the hit directly rather than trying to dodge too late. The compressed blades of air tore into him and sent him skidding backward across the dirt.
Before Monferno could recover, Accelgor followed up again.
Water Shuriken.
This time the attack curved.
Silas's eyes widened slightly as the spinning projectiles changed trajectory mid-flight, aiming directly for Monferno's blind spot while he was still recovering from Air Slash.
Electabuzz intercepted again.
Thunder Punch shattered the incoming Water Shuriken apart in a burst of steam and electricity.
Micah clicked his tongue.
"You're pretty annoying for weaklings."
Silas finally looked directly at him.
"Weaklings?"
Micah laughed lightly.
"You really think you can survive this? You're barely pseudo-advanced. We hunt people much stronger than you."
The statement wasn't arrogant. It sounded factual which made it worse.
These people had likely killed trainers before. Maybe dozens. Their coordination, targeting priority, and battlefield awareness all pointed toward experience far beyond ordinary combat.
Which meant hesitation would only get them killed.
"Monferno," Silas said calmly, "focus on Venomoth."
Venomoth vanished instantly through Teleport.
But this time Silas had been waiting for it.
"Electabuzz, Discharge!"
Electricity exploded outward across the battlefield in every direction. The attack wasn't aimed at damage. It was area denial.
Venomoth reappeared briefly near the edge of the electrical field before immediately teleporting again to avoid being struck directly. For the first time since the battle started, its movement rhythm was interrupted.
Silas's eyes sharpened.
That worked.
Teleport was powerful, but Venomoth still needed safe positions to emerge from. By flooding the battlefield with electricity, Electabuzz drastically reduced the locations where Venomoth could reposition safely.
Micah noticed the problem immediately.
"Accelgor, pressure the Electabuzz!"
Accelgor blurred forward with astonishing speed.
Its movements resembled a red streak skipping across the battlefield as Water Shuriken and Bug Buzz were unleashed simultaneously. The attacks came from different angles, forcing Electabuzz to defend while maintaining the electric field disruption.
The pressure intensified rapidly.
Electabuzz blocked Bug Buzz with Light Screen before retaliating with Thunderbolt, but Accelgor's speed allowed it to evade most direct attacks cleanly.
Meanwhile, Venomoth resumed attacking.
Teleport then Air Slash.
Then Teleport again.
The pressure mounted continuously as Monferno struggled to keep up with the assault.
Then Venomoth appeared directly behind him.
"Monferno, get down!"
Monferno dropped instantly.
A second later, a purple Energy Ball passed through the space where his head had just been.
The attack exploded against a nearby boulder instead.
BOOM.
Fragments of rock scattered across the battlefield.
Micah's smile faded slightly.
Silas was adapting faster than expected.
Most inexperienced trainers panicked under assassin pressure, but Silas was steadily identifying patterns in the enemy coordination. He wasn't stronger than Micah.
But he was learning fast.
Venomoth vanished again.
This time Monferno moved first.
Flamethrower erupted behind him before Venomoth could fully materialize, forcing the giant moth to dodge awkwardly mid-teleport transition.
"Good!" Silas shouted immediately. "Keep predicting the repositioning!"
Micah's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Venomoth. Air Slash rapid fire."
Compressed blades of air flooded the battlefield.
This time Venomoth stopped focusing on precision and instead overwhelmed the area entirely. Air Slashes tore through trees, shattered rocks, and forced Monferno and Electabuzz into constant movement.
Then Accelgor joined in.
Water Shuriken mixed into the storm of attacks, creating overlapping projectile trajectories that became increasingly difficult to predict.
The pressure became relentless.
Monferno was eventually clipped by multiple attacks in succession. Air Slash struck his shoulder. Water Shuriken cut across his side.
Another Air Slash slammed directly into his chest before he could fully recover. Monferno crashed into the ground hard.
Silas's expression tightened slightly. The level gap was finally asserting itself completely.
Venomoth and Accelgor simply possessed more raw power. Their attacks hit harder, moved faster, and consumed less stamina relative to Monferno and Electabuzz.
If this continued much longer, they would eventually be overwhelmed.
Blood dripped steadily from Monferno's body as he forced himself back onto his feet.
Micah relaxed slightly.
"Finally breaking?"
Monferno said nothing.
Aura suddenly erupted from his body.
The energy burst outward violently, creating visible blue waves around him that distorted the air itself. Dirt and debris lifted slightly from the ground as the aura continued expanding.
Silas's eyes widened.
Monferno's aura was evolving.
The energy gradually stabilized instead of dispersing wildly. The blue aura condensed around Monferno's body before wrapping across his limbs and shoulders like flowing flames.
Then the aura ignited.
Blue fire cloaked Monferno entirely.
Micah's expression changed instantly.
"What?"
Even Venomoth hesitated briefly.
The pressure radiating from Monferno had increased dramatically.
Electabuzz stared for half a second before grinning fiercely.
Its entire body erupted with electricity in response.
Electabuzz slammed both fists into the ground.
"Discharge!"
A massive wave of electricity flooded outward across the battlefield, spreading far wider than before. This time the attack wasn't only meant to disrupt Venomoth's positioning.
It was meant to trap it.
Venomoth Teleported immediately.
But there were fewer and fewer safe locations remaining.
Then Electabuzz followed with Charge Beam.
A concentrated blast of electricity shot toward Venomoth with significantly more force than before.
Venomoth blocked it with Energy Ball, but the clash created an explosion that forced the giant moth lower toward the battlefield.
"Now use Taunt!" Silas shouted.
He had been waiting for exactly this opening.
Monferno vanished.
The blue flames surrounding his body trailed behind him like a comet as he blitzed across the battlefield with speed far beyond before. Venomoth attempted to react, but Monferno reached it first.
Dark energy erupted outward.
Taunt connected directly.
The energy merged into Venomoth's body instantly.
Micah's eyes widened slightly.
He understood the problem immediately.
Without Teleport, Venomoth lost its greatest advantage.
"Venomoth, Air Slash rapid fire!"
The giant moth unleashed a barrage of compressed air attacks frantically.
"Monferno," Silas said sharply, "burn him."
Blue flames exploded outward from Monferno's mouth.
Flamethrower collided directly against the incoming Air Slashes.
For a brief moment the attacks struggled evenly.
Then the blue flames overpowered them completely.
Venomoth was engulfed.
The giant moth shrieked as the enhanced flames consumed its body and sent it crashing toward the ground below.
At the same time, Electabuzz finally gained momentum against Accelgor.
Without Venomoth controlling the battlefield, the assassin pair's coordination weakened significantly.
Thunder Wave connected.
Electricity surged across Accelgor's body as paralysis took hold immediately.
Silas's eyes sharpened. This was the opening they needed to take control.
Accelgor's greatest strength had always been its speed. Losing that advantage crippled its entire fighting style instantly.
Electabuzz pressed forward mercilessly.
He used all the elemental punches. The barrage of fists hammered into Accelgor repeatedly before finally launching it backward across the battlefield.
The injured Pokémon crashed near Venomoth, both struggling to rise.
Silas showed no hesitation.
"Monferno," he ordered calmly, "Taunt again. Then use Aura Sphere and imbue it with your flames."
Using Taunt again guaranteed Venomoth couldn't escape at the last second with Teleport once the final attack came.
Blue aura condensed between Monferno's hands.
An Aura Sphere formed slowly.
Then the blue flames wrapped around it.
The attack immediately became unstable.
The compressed aura and flames twisted together violently before Monferno launched the massive sphere directly toward the struggling Venomoth and Accelgor.
Micah's expression changed completely and he shouted to his Pokémon.
"MOVE!"
However it was too late.
BOOM!!