Bang!!
The motorcycle that had been revving up to escape suddenly made a loud noise as it was engulfed by Metagross's Psychic, causing the engine to shut down immediately.
The two men on the bike realized what had happened, glared viciously at Steven and Johan, and then sprinted toward a nearby alley.
Johan: "??"
Watching the robbers about to disappear into the alley, Steven's expression changed, and he quickly shouted, "Johan-sensei, help me!"
"Oh."
Johan didn't refuse, but his method of "helping" left Steven momentarily stunned. He calmly pulled out his phone and dialed the police.
"Hello, Rustboro Police, this is Officer Jenny speaking."
The stern voice came through the phone.
"Officer Jenny, hello. There's a robbery on 6th Street—"
Steven: "..."
Seeing the robbers about to vanish into the maze of alleys, Steven didn't wait any longer. He and Metagross quickly gave chase.
Watching Steven run off, Johan couldn't help but sigh.
Sigh... impulsive, hot-blooded youngsters…
But then again, Steven wasn't yet the future Hoenn Champion who could command the Elite Four and strategize with impeccable precision.
Despite his words, Johan begrudgingly began running after him. After all, as a teacher, he couldn't just stand by and let his student face two criminals alone, right? There were plenty of people watching, and more than a few had their phones out. If it got posted online, he'd probably become famous by the next day.
Both of them chased the robbers into the alley.
"Johan-sensei," Steven said, his face lighting up with relief, as if he had known all along that Johan wouldn't abandon him.
But Johan didn't respond to him. Instead, his attention was focused on the direction the robbers had disappeared.
"Gastly."
"Ka-kah!"
Understanding Johan's signal, Gastly floated out from him, turning into a mist and slipping through the walls.
"Ka-kah!"
Before long, Gastly's voice echoed back, prompting Johan to pick up his pace.
They quickly reached the first corner but saw the robbers vanish in another direction.
This cat-and-mouse game continued as they weaved through three or four more alley turns.
By now, they had entered an unfamiliar part of the city.
Johan frowned, slowing his pace.
Noticing the change in pace, Steven looked over, puzzled.
"Did you notice they're leading us somewhere on purpose?" Johan asked.
Steven blinked in surprise. He wasn't stupid—after thinking about it, he quickly realized something was off.
It did seem like every time they turned a corner, the robbers were just barely out of sight, not too far ahead to lose them but not close enough to catch either.
And the robbers were clearly more familiar with this labyrinth of alleys than they were.
But why?
"Why would they lead us somewhere?" Steven asked.
Johan shot him a glance.
Us?
More likely, they were targeting you.
Tap tap tap—
Sure enough, faint footsteps echoed from behind them in the narrow alley.
"Koo!"
Metagross floated protectively behind Steven and Johan, but in the tight space of the alley, its large body had limited mobility.
"Let's move!"
Johan took a deep breath and started running again.
This place was too restrictive for Steven's Pokémon, which put them at a disadvantage.
Understanding Johan's point, Steven followed, running alongside Metagross.
Instead of continuing to chase after the robbers, they ran in the opposite direction from where the robbers had fled.
At the same time...
"Damn it!"
The footsteps behind them quickened, seemingly irritated at being discovered so early.
"Going after the Devon Corporation heir in Rustboro City? They sure are bold," Johan muttered.
Steven smiled wryly. Devon Corporation wasn't some local gang or mafia…
But something else bothered him. Judging by Johan's tone, it sounded like he already knew who was behind this?
As they dashed through two more alleyways, Johan suddenly came to a stop.
"They're here!"
Just as he spoke, a noise echoed from up ahead.
"Mightyena, Bite!"
Awooo—
With a fearsome growl, a large, black-furred Mightyena with glowing red eyes darted out from a corner, charging at them with alarming speed.
"Metagross, Bullet Punch!"
Steven instantly made the right call. While Metagross was generally slower, Bullet Punch gave it a priority boost, allowing it to strike first and counter the Mightyena's attack.
Bang, bang, bang!
Though the Mightyena appeared fierce, its raw strength was no match for Metagross, which sent the dark-type Pokémon flying with rapid, powerful punches.
But soon after, another noise came from behind them.
"Zangoose, Quick Attack!"
A Zangoose, marked with a crimson slash pattern, dashed toward them, leaving a trail of silver light as it zoomed straight for them.
However, just as the cramped alley restricted Metagross's movements, it also limited Zangoose's agility. It could only charge in a straight line with its Quick Attack.
Reacting just as quickly, Johan gave his command:
"Gastly!"
"Ka-kah!"
A swirling black mist emerged from the wall, forming a grotesque ghostly face with a wicked grin and a long, crimson tongue darting toward the approaching Zangoose.
Scary Face!
In a tight, dark alley like this, Gastly's massive, sudden appearance was genuinely terrifying.
But the Quick Attack was already in motion, and Zangoose slammed right into the ghostly face.
Pop!
A hole ripped through the spectral face, but it quickly reformed, unaffected by the impact.
The long tongue lashed out in front of the Zangoose.
Zangoose's pupils shrank, its fur standing on end as it let out a startled yelp.
A flinch?
No, normal-type moves couldn't touch a ghost-type, and the reverse was true as well.
But while the physical effect was nullified, the psychological impact—thanks to the environment and the element of surprise—was amplified.
Johan glanced at Steven but said nothing.
He didn't need to; Steven had already realized what to do. Metagross lunged forward with Bullet Punch, striking Zangoose squarely and knocking it out cold.
"Ka-kah!"
Gastly chuckled mischievously before dissolving into the wall once more as its ghostly face faded.
While the narrow alley limited the movement of both sides, it was Gastly's playground.
Following Johan's directions, Gastly had already mapped out the surrounding area.
And now, it had found the weakest point in the enemy's formation.
"Ka-kah!"
Hearing a faint sound, Johan's spirits lifted.
"This way."
He darted off in the same direction Zangoose had come from.
Without hesitation, Steven followed Johan, trusting him implicitly, with Metagross in tow.
As they rounded a corner, Steven saw two men collapsed on the ground, foaming at the mouth and twitching slightly. One of them appeared to be Zangoose's trainer.
Steven: "?!"
"Ka-kah-kah-kah—"
Gastly's eerie laughter echoed from the wall.
Those videos hadn't been a waste of time. Turns out, Agatha had the right idea—why bother fighting a Pokémon when you can take out the trainer?
Their adversaries clearly hadn't expected such a wildcard like Johan to ruin their ambush.
They quickly passed through two more alleys until the neon lights of the main street came into view.
But then…
A deep, guttural voice boomed from behind them.
"Camerupt, Flamethrower!"
In the dim alley, a small flame flickered to life like a star, growing brighter and brighter as it surged forward. The entire alley was soon bathed in a fiery orange glow.
"Koo!"
Metagross tensed up.
It could sense that this Camerupt was far stronger than the previous Mightyena and Zangoose!
Wee-woo, wee-woo—
Suddenly, the shrill sound of sirens pierced the air, causing the trainer and his Camerupt to pause momentarily.