Chapter 94: Alakazam The Psychic Powerhouse

I glanced at my Alakazam, trembling but still standing, its body bruised and battered, but those eyes—sharp, burning with a cold intensity—remained locked onto Rhydon. That hulking beast of stone and muscle snorted, a deep, rumbling sound like thunder before a storm. Its feet pawed at the cracked floor, shaking dust from the shattered tiles, every motion of its armored body threatening another fissure in the already broken ship.

The Black Fang barely moved. His stance was statuesque, arms crossed beneath that black trench coat, a cigarette dangling from his lips. Only his eyes—the coldest blue—betrayed the calculating mind ticking beneath that impassive mask. His lips curled into the faintest smirk.

"Rhydon, 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘌𝘥𝘨𝘦," he said, the command more like an execution order than a battle move.

Rhydon roared, its tail smashing into the floor. The ground shattered, jagged rocks shooting toward Alakazam like spears, tearing the air between them with brutal speed. No time to think, only react.

"𝘙𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵!" I shouted.

Alakazam's thin arms raised just as the rocks crashed forward. A shimmering barrier materialized—fragile-looking but solid—deflecting the onslaught of stone. The reflective shield quivered under the force, cracks spidering through its surface, but it held. Barely.

Darius didn't blink. "𝘌𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘬𝘦," he commanded.

Rhydon stomped, and the floor groaned, then gave way under the sheer force. The whole ship shook as if it were about to capsize. Fissures spidered out from under the beast's feet, the Reflect already rendered useless.

"𝘛𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵!" I snapped.

In an instant, Alakazam vanished, the space where it had stood now collapsing into rubble. It reappeared further down the hallway, its body swaying slightly from the residual tremors, the ruined floor making every movement feel like navigating a battlefield of landmines.

Predictable. The word was almost a whisper from Darius's lips, his hand clenched tighter. "𝘔𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘯."

Rhydon's horn glowed a deep green, and it charged, the ground shuddering under its weight, each step a shockwave. It closed the distance too fast, too damn fast. I had seconds.

"𝘒𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘴!"

Alakazam's eyes gleamed, and with a twitch of its fingers, Rhydon's charge veered, just enough to send its horn crashing into the wall instead of my Pokémon. The impact sent a ripple of destruction through the ship's hull, cracks spreading, dust raining down in thick clouds. But Rhydon wasn't fazed. It swung around, eyes locked back on Alakazam, the disorientation momentary at best.

"𝘗𝘴𝘺𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘮!" I barked.

A beam of rainbow energy shot from Alakazam's palm, streaking toward Rhydon's chest. The attack hit dead on, but Rhydon barely flinched. It was a mountain, and a mountain doesn't fall so easily.

"𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘌𝘥𝘨𝘦," Darius growled.

Another barrage of rocks launched forward, jagged and deadly. I had no time to think. "𝘋𝘰𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘛𝘦𝘢𝘮!"

In an instant, the hallway was filled with Alakazam's clones, a dozen identical figures surrounding the battlefield, flickering as they mirrored my Pokémon's movements. The Stone Edge tore through the illusions, shattering them one by one as Darius's eyes flickered, scanning for the real one.

"Enough games," he spat, voice cold as steel. "𝘏𝘰𝘳𝘯 𝘋𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭."

Rhydon's horn began to spin, a deadly drill aimed straight at Alakazam, tearing through the air with an ear-splitting whirr. One hit, and it was over. This wasn't something I could dodge forever.

I narrowed my eyes. One shot. "𝘗𝘴𝘺𝘤𝘩𝘰 𝘊𝘶𝘵!"

The real Alakazam emerged from the illusions, its spoons slicing through the air. A crescent of psychic energy shot forward, aimed right at Rhydon's horn. The attack hit, and for a moment, the momentum slowed, the drill wavering against the psychic force.

But Rhydon pushed through. Brutal. Relentless. The Psycho Cut shattered under the pressure as the horn spun faster, closing in.

"𝘛𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵!" I yelled, my voice cracking just slightly.

Alakazam blinked out of existence once more, reappearing behind Rhydon. My breath caught in my throat. The next move had to be perfect.

"𝘍𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘚𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵!"

Alakazam's eyes flashed, brilliant white light exploding through the hallway, but nothing happened. Not yet. The psychic energy hung in the air, unseen but palpable, coiling like a storm about to break.

Darius frowned, the another crack in that perfect mask of his. "Finish it, Rhydon. 𝘌𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘬𝘦!"

The ground erupted. Rhydon's stomp sent shockwaves down the hall, splitting the floor, debris raining down in thick chunks. Alakazam couldn't dodge, not this time. It staggered as the tremors ripped through it, the sheer force too much.

But then, it happened.

The air warped, and Alakazam's 𝘍𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘚𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 crashed down. A wave of pure psychic energy slammed into Rhydon from above, hitting like a hammer. The massive beast roared, the force driving it into the ground, its body shaking under the strain as the psychic attack tore through it.

The dust settled. Rhydon lay still. Motionless. Unmoving.

Alakazam swayed but stood tall, its body trembling from exhaustion but victorious.

I exhaled, steadying myself. Darius returned Rhydon to its Pokéball, his face unreadable, but those eyes—those icy blue eyes—burned with something deeper. Not anger. Calculation.

"This isn't over," he said, his voice low, venomous. "Next time, I won't underestimate you."