Chapter 90: Alakazam vs Kangaskhan

The hallway seemed to shrink as the massive Pokémon with her thick tail thumping against the floor, muscles rippling beneath bruised fur. Her eyes locked on mine, and I could see the bruises from earlier battles, but those only seemed to enrage her more. A mother protecting her child. But today, her fury wouldn't be enough.

I raised my hand, releasing Alakazam. It hovered silently, twin spoons trembling, eyes narrowing with laser focus. The psychic pressure around me intensified instantly, a tangible force crackling in the air.

Darius chuckled darkly, his fingers twitching. "Kangaskhan, 𝘚𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘳 𝘗𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘩."

The moment he gave the command, Kangaskhan lunged—quicker than I expected. Her fist ignited with dark energy, aiming directly for Alakazam's head.

But I wasn't here to fall for obvious traps.

"𝘛𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵."

Alakazam blinked out of sight just as Kangaskhan's fist smashed into the steel floor, leaving a crater where it had struck. The force rattled the entire hallway, but my mind was already two steps ahead.

"𝘗𝘴𝘺𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘮."

In a blink, Alakazam reappeared behind Kangaskhan, unleashing a swirling beam of pure psychic energy. It shimmered as it cut through the air, spiraling toward her back. Kangaskhan turned, but not fast enough.

"𝘌𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘬𝘦!" Darius barked.

Kangaskhan roared, slamming her foot into the ground. The floor buckled beneath the force, the psychic beam slamming into the upheaved floor as the entire hallway erupted with a violent shockwave. I staggered, gripping the wall for balance as cracks splintered through the metal walls. Alakazam was thrown back, but it regained composure, floating effortlessly again.

Darius was playing his hand—brute force, power over precision. But power had its limits. 

"𝘙𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵," I commanded, my voice calm, measured.

A shimmering barrier formed in front of Alakazam, translucent but solid. It would hold, for now.

"You think that'll save you?" Darius's grin widened, a gleam in his eye that made my skin crawl. "𝘐𝘤𝘦 𝘗𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘩, Kangaskhan!"

Kangaskhan's fist glowed with freezing energy, the temperature in the hallway dropping as frost began to form on the floor beneath her. She charged again, her target: the barrier.

The punch connected with a shattering force, shards of ice exploding outward. The barrier flickered but held. Alakazam skidded back, maintaining its stance, spoons vibrating violently in the air.

"𝘗𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘤𝘬," I ordered, my mind already calculating the next ten moves.

Alakazam's eyes glowed fiercely, and psychic energy solidified into a concentrated blast, slamming directly into Kangaskhan's chest. She staggered, her breath labored, but Darius was relentless.

"𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵 𝘗𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘩!" His voice cracked like a whip.

Kangaskhan roared again, fists blurring as she unleashed a barrage of glowing strikes. Even with the 𝘙𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵, each punch rattled through the hallway, the impact reverberating like a hammer against an anvil. Alakazam dodged a few, but the force of each punch was wearing it down.

"𝘋𝘰𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘛𝘦𝘢𝘮," I called.

In an instant, a dozen Alakazams flickered into existence, weaving between Kangaskhan's frenzied strikes. Each punch collided with a fading illusion, her frustration mounting.

"𝘓𝘦𝘦𝘳, Kangaskhan!"

Her eyes flashed red, cutting through the illusions, finding the real Alakazam in the chaos. My defenses were falling apart, and I knew it.

Darius grinned again. "I'll enjoy this," he sneered. "𝘙𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘢𝘭."

Kangaskhan's body glowed with red energy, drawing from the damage she'd taken, a deadly counterattack building. I could feel the air thicken with power. She charged, her next strike aimed to end the battle.

"𝘛𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘙𝘰𝘰𝘮."

The hallway warped, reality bending as psychic energy rewrote the rules. Time itself seemed to slow, and just like that, the dynamic shifted. Kangaskhan, now slowed, was at my mercy. But that didn't mean Darius was out of options.

"Impressive," Darius said, his smile gone, replaced by a calculating scowl. "But still not enough. 𝘏𝘺𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘮."

Kangaskhan roared, her mouth glowing with pure energy, a catastrophic beam charging. The air hummed with impending destruction.

I knew what was coming. The final gambit. I wasn't going to wait.

"𝘍𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘚𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵."

Alakazam's eyes flashed, locking onto the moment to come, a ripple of psychic energy settling over the battlefield. Kangaskhan unleashed her 𝘏𝘺𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘮, the devastating power hurtling toward Alakazam.

But time caught up.

The hallway exploded as 𝘍𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘚𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 collided with Kangaskhan, the psychic blast striking with pinpoint accuracy. The beam she had fired dissipated, her body buckling under the sudden force of the attack.

When the dust cleared, Kangaskhan was on her knees, panting, her strength drained.

Darius's eyes narrowed, his fist tightening around the cigarette. "You're a lucky little bastard."

I crossed my arms, staring him down. "Luck's got nothing to do with it."

Darius's recall his Pokemon and his hand gone for another.