The boy had run towards this masked man fully expecting a battle, and that Bulbasaur setting a Toxic Terrain guaranteed one in his mind.

Though he didn't speak until his Elgyem caught up to him.

"The only Poison Chain Pokemon 'round here are yours!" he declared, pointing at the man. "I know there're no Bulbasaurs with those chain-things on this route!"

As confident as he was, he was getting the terminology wrong.

He pulled his hand back, ready to throw his Pokeball. It was a basic Pokeball, but well-worn. One that'd been used for quite a while, a sign this was a Pokemon with plenty of experience.

His hand was held high - and with a dramatic motion, he threw down the ball.

Right into the ground in front of him, digging into the dirt.

The small, pink Ribombee inside it emerged - and said Ribombee was pissed, immediately squeaking out some poke-profanities at the boy - ones that no human could understand, but certainly another Pokemon could.

"Whoops. Sorry, Pinky."

Or someone that had been around it for years.

This one needed to practice his ball-throwing skills extensively, or just use Pokemon that were already out.

The annoyed Ribombee turned to its foe, clearly miffed - but ready to fight. "Anyways, you ain't gonna make me head out! So that means you better square up!"

Raziel Beckett

After that initial awkwardness, the Elgyem informed the boy that the masked man already had two Pokemon out - both with the chain around them. The square was, already, up.

"I knew it!" he responded as the masked man laid out his motives. "So that makes you a Rocket! And we gotta stop Rockets!"

Rocket or not, this guy was here to cause trouble, and would harm not only this route, but the region as a whole if he were let free. It was the kind of trouble the boy was here to stop!

This one was laying on the heroics a little too thickly, but it was the kind of thing Hideo would want to do.

The masked man was first to act, an Acid Rain beginning to fall. The boy and his Elgyem were spared from the rain, the latter utilizing Psychic energy to cover them over them like an umbrella.

The Ribombee, however, had to deal with the foul rain, grumbling in displeasure.

The Gust that followed up was almost welcomed with open arms, blowing back the Ribombee and the rain that was on its body. Small it may be, this Ribombee would need a lot more punishment than that to go down.

And as the masked man would see, there were no aftereffects from the gust of wind - the Ribombee's Shield Dust worked fine, even in the rain.

"Pinky, that Bulbasaur made the rain fall first," the boy said, pointing in said Bulbasaur's direction. "Take it down first."

This one seemed to at least be able to think tactically - the Elgyem would only have to be there for support, instead of ordering in his stead.

The Ribombee nodded, Pollen Puffs forming in its hands - ones that it was going to toss right at that Bulbasaur.

Elgyem keeping self and Hideo safe from rain
Ribombee hit by Gust

Shield Dust prevents poisoning from Intoxicating Fumes

Ribombee uses Pollen Puff on Bulbasaur

Raziel Beckett

The boy shook his head.

"Rockets're always telling me that, trying to tell me to leave this to someone else. You'd think they were just scared of having to fight me!"

He wasn't wrong; a lot of people tried to stop Hideo from getting involved in fighting Rocket. Mainly Rockets. And every time, he denied them.

"But then they're still the ones trying to kill me! They even sent someone to try and assassinate me! So I'm not just gonna sit back and do nothing if they're coming for me anyways!"

Though he didn't say what he was - he was still someone targeted by Rocket. A little too talkative, this one.

The Weather Ball would find its mark, striking the irate Ribombee, who was still far from going down; whether it was natural durability keeping it up or its mounting anger fueling it would be unclear.

The Supersonic aimed at the boy and his Elgyem found less purchase, however; the Elgyem had to keep the pair safe from the rain, so the boy had to do the dodging, pulling the Elgyem to the side as he sidestepped the attack.

It was a non-damaging attack - but an attack on a trainer nonetheless. An escalation risked breaking the illusion - so it was time to break out the big guns.

The boy perked up. "Attacking trainers? What a Rocket thing to do! So lemme show you what we do with Rockets around here!"

The boy took out the Ribombee's Pokeball - and notably, a Dynamax band around his wrist.

And he knew how to use it, courtesy of Uxie's instructions.

He recalled the Ribombee, energy flowing into the Pokeball. The ball turned white, expanding greatly.

He threw the ball with considerably more care this time, up into the air - and letting out the Dynamax Ribombee, who towered well above everyone present.

Albeit at half the size of most Dynamaxes - he would never truly escape his diminutive stature.

The boy didn't even need to shout an order before the Dynamax Ribombee went on the offensive, a Dazzling Gleam flashing from its body to strike both of his opponent's Pokemon. It'd get them back for that horrendous rain.

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Ribombee hit by Weather Ball

Elgyem (& Hideo) dodge Supersonic

Ribombee Dynamaxes
D!Ribombee uses Dazzling Gleam

Raziel Beckett

"Suuuuuuure you're not."

He didn't have to antagonize the man - but with the advantage on his side, he had the luxury to do it. And by Uxie's observations, it wasn't too far off from how he would normally act in this kind of situation.

"But you really expect me to believe you were only trying to confuse me there? I know what Rockets that attack trainers like that are like! They don't just stop at confusion! And if you let a criminal get away with their evil once, they'll just come back again for more!"

Though perhaps he was antagonizing him too much. A cornered fighter would fight with all it had - but one with an avenue for escape would run before both sides were exhausted.

But it would seem the Rocket still had some tricks of his own, tera-evolving his Bulbasaur - a reminder that this foe still had some tricks in store, and that he shouldn't let his guard down just yet, even with his own trump card in play.

An array of attacks were sent flying at the half-massive Ribombee; the Terra Blast was the first to hit, the pure Poison punching into the Dynergy Barrier - shattering a single barrier. The Heat Wave that followed found just as much success, another barrier shattering - but there were still several to go.

And that Ribombee wouldn't let those attacks go unanswered. "Alright, Pinky - let's see if a Tera can stand up to a Dynamax! Go for the Bulbasaur!"

It was an order the Ribombee was very willing to follow that order; his wings glowed bright pink, energy building around them as they began to grow louder, before a visible Bug Buzz was fired straight for the Bulbasaur.

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D!Ribombee hit by Tera Blast -1 barrier

D!Ribombee hit by Heat Wave -1 barrier
D!Ribombee uses Bug Buzz on the Bulbasaur

Raziel Beckett

The boy and his Elgyem observed the man catch his Bulbasaur, knocked back by the force of the attack. It seemed to hit harder than expected, and there was a moment of hesitation before the boy said anything.

"You ok?" he asked the man who'd just tried to confuse him moments ago. No mockery this time around, no arguing over who was right or wrong - genuine concern.

As Hideo would do.

Still, that was one Pokemon down, and one Noibat to go. And the G!Ribombee was more than ready to take down another foe.

But something unexpected happened; the Noibat evolved into a Noivern, a spectacle that had the Ribombee hesitate.

The result of pushing them into a corner.

The Hurricane that followed struck the Ribombee - shattering a third barrier, yet there were still more to go. The boy was just about ready to order a retaliation, even as the man mounted the Noivern and began to fly off…

Uxie told them to stop. The battle was won - Hideo wouldn't push the fight any further than this. They were mainly here to test out the trick Hideo and Eris Halla had used some time ago on that island of tera shards - and it had gone perfectly.

The boy went silent, him and his Pokemon merely watching as the man flew off. The Ribombee used several Bug Buzzes to intercept the other Hurricanes, but otherwise didn't attack the man or his Pokemon directly.

Seemed he wouldn't make good on his promise on capturing the guy - but he'd take what he got. It'd make a good report for Hideo anyways.

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D!Ribombee hit by Hurricane -1 barrier

Allows Raz to escape.

Raziel Beckett