Chapter 91: Alakazam vs Golbat

His Golbat hovered beside him, wings slicing the air in eerie silence.

I tightened my grip on the Pokéball in my hand, feeling the cool surface press into my palm. My Alakazam floated just above the floor beside me, his once-glimmering form now dulled by the relentless barrage of Kangaskhan's earlier 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵 𝘗𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘩. Every breath from Alakazam was labored, but his eyes burned with a familiar, unyielding intensity. 

I flicked my gaze back to Darius. The bastard hadn't flinched, hadn't moved except to cross his arms tighter across his chest. He took a drag from the cigarette hanging loosely from his lips, the smoke curling lazily into the air. 

"Finish it," Darius's voice cut through the room, cold and low.

Golbat's wings flared, and before I could blink, the familiar glob of toxic sludge formed in its mouth, hurling toward Alakazam with a whine that made my skin prickle. The stench of poison hit me before the attack did.

"𝘙𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵!" I barked.

Alakazam's eyes flickered with blue light, and the shimmering barrier materialized just in time. The 𝘚𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘨𝘦 𝘉𝘰𝘮𝘣 splashed against the reflective surface, dripping harmlessly to the floor. The acidic stench lingered, but the attack didn't reach us.

Darius barely reacted, only narrowing his icy blue eyes behind his dark glasses. "𝘞𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘈𝘵𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘬." 

Golbat blurred forward, wings gleaming like knives under the flickering lights. The air cracked with the force of its speed. Physical. A barrier wouldn't stop this.

"𝘛𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵."

Alakazam vanished just as Golbat's wings sliced through the air where he'd been. I barely caught the flash of his reappearance behind Golbat.

"𝘗𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘤𝘬." My command came sharp, cutting the moment.

Alakazam raised a glowing hand, sending jagged waves of psychic energy towards Golbat, each wave sharp enough to tear through its defenses. But Darius wasn't slow.

"𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘞𝘪𝘯𝘨!" he ordered.

Golbat twisted mid-air, its wings hardening to glinting silver. The 𝘗𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘤𝘬 crashed into its metallic wings, the energy sizzling on impact. Sparks flew, but Golbat held firm, deflecting most of the damage. Not all of it, though. I saw the faint scorch marks streak across its side.

I clenched my teeth, eyes narrowing. Fine. We could play this game.

"𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘮 𝘔𝘪𝘯𝘥," I said, my voice steady.

Alakazam's body glowed as he floated higher, his mind centering, his psychic energy pulsing stronger. The air around him shimmered, steadying both his mental and special strength.

Darius growled, hint of frustration cracking his calm facade. "𝘏𝘺𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘮."

The hallway darkened as Golbat reared back, the light in its eyes flaring as a violent surge of energy built within it. The air vibrated. I could feel it in my bones.

I didn't flinch. "𝘗𝘴𝘺𝘤𝘩𝘰 𝘊𝘶𝘵."

Alakazam's eyes snapped open, and with one smooth motion, he sliced through the air with blades of psychic energy. The 𝘗𝘴𝘺𝘤𝘩𝘰 𝘊𝘶𝘵 collided with the incoming 𝘏𝘺𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘮. The ship shook beneath us as the two forces met in a blinding clash. 

For a moment, it seemed like the whole hallway might come apart under the pressure. Then, with a final crack, the 𝘏𝘺𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘮 scattered harmlessly against the walls, broken apart by Alakazam's attack.

Golbat darted to the side just in time, the psychic blade narrowly missing a clean hit. Damn, that thing was fast. But I wasn't done.

"𝘍𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘚𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵," I said quietly, a small smile tugging at the corner of my mouth.

The air behind Golbat rippled, an ominous shimmer that told me Darius knew what was coming. His eyes flicked towards it, but he didn't blink. Cold bastard.

"𝘉𝘪𝘵𝘦."

Golbat turned with vicious speed, fangs gleaming as it lunged for Alakazam. If it hit, it could disrupt his psychic focus. And with 𝘍𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘚𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 in play, I couldn't afford that.

"𝘛𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘙𝘰𝘰𝘮," I countered.

Alakazam's hands moved, weaving an intricate pattern in the air. The room warped, bending space and time. Golbat's speed was suddenly its weakness, its once-blistering speed now sluggish in the reversed dimensions. The 𝘉𝘪𝘵𝘦 snapped through empty air as Alakazam sidestepped calmly, his expression unreadable.

Darius's jaw tightened, his frustration barely concealed now. "𝘏𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘗𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 (𝘋𝘢𝘳𝘬)."

Golbat fired dark orbs of energy with eerie precision, the hallway lighting up with their sinister glow.

"𝘗𝘴𝘺𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘤."

Alakazam unleashed a torrent of raw psychic energy, the force colliding with the 𝘏𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘗𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 mid-air. The two attacks swirled and clashed, pushing against each other in a violent struggle for dominance.

And then it hit.

𝘍𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘚𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 crashed into Golbat from behind, a delayed but devastating strike. Golbat screeched, its body convulsing as the psychic energy tore through it, sending it crashing to the floor in a heap.

Silence.

A faint smile tugged at my lips. "I told you, Darius. You made me serious."

Darius stared at his fallen Golbat, his face unreadable beneath his hood. Then he recalls it and throw another Pokeball.