Pokemon: Sandstorm Elite

Inside the Cinnabar Island Research Facility, the woman in the Pikachu mask slowly closed her parasol. Standing before her were four Pokémon that Elite Klein had stationed in advance, yet she showed no fear.

Across from her, Greninja stood enveloped in dark flames, its presence exuding a strange, otherworldly aura.

The battle erupted in an instant.

A wave of black fire swept forward.

Lucario's aura flared, its figure flickering as it deftly evaded the oncoming energy attack.

But in the next moment, Greninja vanished.

A sharp left palm strike cut through the air, but—

No sound.

A blow so perfectly controlled, it produced zero air resistance.

This was pure, unmatched martial skill.

Lucario met the attack with a quick counterpunch, only for Greninja to suddenly halt its strike, absorbing the force and repositioning itself directly in front of Lucario.

For a split second, their gazes locked.

Lucario grunted, unleashing a burst of psychic energy while simultaneously lashing out with a high-speed kick.

But once again—

Nothing.

The attack whiffed. Greninja had already disappeared.

With effortless fluidity, Greninja sidestepped Lucario's offense, launching another rapid palm strike—this time aimed at its neck.

Yet the attack was still held back, as if testing for any hidden abilities Lucario might unleash.

Lucario retaliated with aura-enhanced mind waves, but Greninja swiftly manifested a swirling orb of pure darkness, nullifying the psychic energy on impact.

A strange shift in its aura followed.

Observing through high-grade VR equipment, Klein clenched his fists.

"Protean."

A unique ability that changed a Pokémon's typing based on the moves it used.

Meaning—this Greninja had no fixed type.

It adapted mid-battle, morphing based on the techniques it executed.

Klein exhaled.

"Speed, reaction time, technique control… This Greninja's combat proficiency is at the Elite level."

Lance narrowed his eyes.

"Are you saying its trainer is also an Elite-level battler?"

Klein nodded grimly.

"The way she utilizes Pokémon isn't something an ordinary fugitive can achieve.

If she's been on the run, she shouldn't have had the time to train Pokémon to this level."

Lance's expression darkened.

"So this confirms it—she's not just any criminal. She's someone from within the League."

Back in the battle, Lucario was struggling.

Greninja's unpredictable attacks were like fighting a shadow.

Each time Lucario attempted to use psychic illusions, its opponent slipped away like mist.

Aura Spheres? Ineffective.

Psychic abilities? Completely neutralized.

Seeing Lucario falter, Tyranitar roared.

A massive sandstorm engulfed the battlefield.

Greninja leaped back, flinging tiny Stealth Rocks into the air.

In an instant, its body shifted once more.

Even with the sandstorm raging, Greninja moved as if it wasn't affected at all.

Scizor saw its chance.

A flicker of crimson.

Using the swirling sand as cover, Scizor appeared in front of Greninja, launching a rapid-fire Bullet Punch.

But—

Greninja met every strike head-on.

A flurry of clashing fists and metal, a duel of speed and precision.

Lucario charged a Shadow Ball, but—

Greninja's hand rose, murmuring an unintelligible chant.

The Shadow Ball phased straight through it as if it were an illusion.

Lucario staggered, its aura visibly flickering.

At the same time—

The Stealth Rocks planted earlier erupted, spearing into Lucario's feet.

Tyranitar reacted instantly, raising a wall of sand to shield Lucario just as Greninja's Water Shuriken came flying in.

The masked woman frowned, irritated by the delay.

Tyranitar controlled the sandstorm, assisting Scizor and Lucario.

Swampert stood at the back, protecting Professor Fuji.

Then—

A dark laugh.

From the shadows, Banette emerged.

Its needle-like claws slashed toward Tyranitar's back.

But—

A glimmering layer of sand armor materialized around Tyranitar, blocking the sneak attack.

Its fist glowed an icy blue.

Cold radiated outward.

A frozen blade of energy slashed toward Banette.

In response, Banette unleashed a swarm of poison barbs, halting the attack.

Then—

A ghostly footstep.

Banette's rhythmic movement warped the air, creating an illusionary battlefield.

Tyranitar's vision swirled.

It was lost in the disorienting rhythm.

Scizor saw an opening—

Bullet Punch!

But—

Greninja pivoted, crossing its arms.

A defensive block.

Every strike was met with precise counters.

Greninja was weaving an intricate net of attacks, creating a relentless rhythm that drowned its enemies.

Lucario attempted another Aura Sphere, but Greninja simply twisted its body and let it pass.

The masked woman's gaze sharpened.

And at that moment—

Swampert moved.

With earth-shaking power, Swampert lunged.

Its fists shimmered with freezing water energy, a collision of brute strength and technique.

The masked woman's expression finally changed.

"Even a Pokémon as brutish as Swampert… has excellent battle instincts," she mused.

"But you made a mistake."

She smiled.

"You forgot—I have another Pokémon hidden."

A massive shadow loomed.

From the darkness, a towering Drapion emerged.

Its size was unnatural.

A normal Drapion stood at around 1.3 meters tall.

This one was over 2 meters.

Its piercing gaze locked onto Swampert.

The two titans clashed.

Their punches collided.

The ground shook.

In that split-second—

The masked woman made her move.

With inhuman agility, she vaulted over the battlefield, landing directly in front of Professor Fuji.

From inside her parasol, she unsheathed a hidden blade.

The strike was precise.

Her sword sliced straight through Fuji's neck.

But—

His body… melted into ice water.

A Substitute technique.

Swampert had created an ice replica in time.

The woman's eyes flickered with admiration.

"A frozen Substitute? Quite clever."

She turned toward a sealed vault.

With a flick of her wrist—

A small bomb flew forward.

BOOM.

The explosion ripped through the vault door.

She stepped forward, reaching inside.

And then—

Her fingers touched a shattered golden relic.

She grinned beneath her mask.

"Mission complete."

Without hesitation, she recalled Greninja, Banette, and Drapion.

Then—

A black mist swirled around her.

Her figure distorted, vanishing into the darkness.

Ten minutes later.

Klein and Lance arrived at the scene.

Their eyes took in the devastation, the blood-stained research lab.

A heavy silence filled the air.

Klein's fists trembled with fury.

(End of Chapter.)