Days later, in the western suburbs of the Capital, there was a corner forgotten by time and industry.
The massive skeletal frames of abandoned factories lay exposed, rusted steel pipes crisscrossed like the bones of giant beasts, and a few dust-covered industrial spotlights cast pale, sharp beams, cutting through the pervasive dust.
The air was a mixture of machine oil, rust, and the lingering restless scent reminiscent of an underground rock club.
This was "Gear Ruins," the unspoken gathering place for the Capital's wild Pokemon battlers.
The concrete ground was uneven, with scorch marks from energy burns and claw prints visible everywhere.
Surrounding the makeshift, crude battle arena were people of all stripes.
And many Pokemon, most notably Toxtricity, in both forms.
And many Magnemite, Magneton, Voltorb, Electrode, and so on.
Most of them were Electric-type.
Even in winter, these people were still dressed in leather and rivets, their eyes sharp as blades.
In the center of the arena, on one side was Chen Kai, wearing a simple sports jacket, with his Seadra beside him, its sharp spines on its back reflecting a cold, bluish light under the lamps.
The other side, however, was completely out of place in this environment.
This man, around forty, wore a well-tailored dark grey three-piece suit, his hair meticulously slicked back with pomade, and his leather shoes subtly gleamed in the dim light.
A cigarette was folder between his fingers, and his gaze swept over the surrounding "oddly dressed" people and the factory's mottled walls, openly revealing a condescending disdain.
He spoke with an authentic Beijing accent, carrying a deliberately ostentatious swagger: "Hmph! This dump? 'Gear Ruins'? I think it's just a garbage heap!
It'd be smart to tear it down later and make room for me.
A bunch of amateurs, do you even know what Pokemon battling is?
Today, I'll open your eyes to what 'class' is!"
With a flick of his wrist, a red light flashed, "Krokorok, come out and show yourself!"
The light burst, and a burly, fierce-eyed Krokorok slammed heavily onto the ground. Its rough, dark yellow skin was covered in sharp angles, and its thick tail impatiently slapped the concrete, making dull thudding sounds.
Its throat rumbled, letting out a low, guttural roar, and a fierce aura, tinged with blood and dusty musk, rushed like a tangible shockwave towards the Seadra at the other end of the arena.
Seadra visibly stiffened, its body instinctively tensing and recoiling slightly, a fierce glint, forcibly suppressed, flashing in its sharp eyes, as if momentarily bound by an invisible chain.
"Intimidate?" Chen Kai's voice was calm.
"Oh ho, you know your stuff!" The man in the suit grinned, revealing a few white teeth, and flicked his cigarette butt away precisely, the spark tracing a brief red line in the gloom:
"Krokorok, don't be polite, 'dust off' this dump! Sandstorm!"
Krokorok roared skyward, its thick forelegs slamming hard onto the ground.
Boom! Centered on it, a violent yellow sandstorm vortex suddenly rose from the ground, swirling with debris and iron scraps, spinning and expanding wildly!
A piercing wind howl instantly filled the entire factory, making eardrums ache.
A chorus of coughs and low curses erupted from the onlookers, who raised their arms to shield themselves from the incoming sand.
Tiny pebbles struck Chen Kai's face, leaving a faint stinging sensation.
He squinted, staring intently through the swirling sand curtain at the blurry figure of the man in the suit opposite him.
He was waiting for the right moment.
The roaring sound of the sand seemed to reach its peak, Krokorok's silhouette appearing and disappearing in the center of the sandstorm.
Now!
"Seadra!" Chen Kai's voice cut through the wind and sand, exceptionally clear, "Rain Dance!"
Seadra suddenly raised its head, the bluish light on its dorsal fin flaring, letting out a clear, prolonged cry.
A thick, blue beam of light, as if condensed from all the gloom of the deep sea, shot straight towards the factory's rust-covered, towering dome!
The moment the light beam hit the ceiling, a dull rumble of thunder rolled over everyone's heads, gathering into a dark cloud above.
"Whoosh—!" Almost in the blink of an eye, large, icy cold raindrops, like a river from the heavens, poured down violently through the factory's dilapidated roof!
The sandstorm, which had just been arrogant and rampant, let out an unwilling whimper as if choked by an invisible giant hand; the yellow sand was quickly washed and dampened by the rain, falling heavily.
Muddy puddles rapidly spread across the uneven ground, reflecting the fragmented light.
"Damn it!" The disdain on the suit man's face instantly froze, his hair plastered to his forehead, and dark water stains spread on the shoulders of his expensive suit.
Chen Kai had waited until the sandstorm was fully unleashed before using Rain Dance, making the rainy weather perfectly overlap with the sandstorm.
He spat, "The little brat is playing dirty! Krokorok, Dig! Go down and finish it!"
Krokorok's massive body suddenly sank in the rain, its claws furiously digging at the wet concrete!
Splintered rocks and mud splashed, and a dark hole instantly formed!
Its movements were swift; its thick waist and the angular, scaled head were the first to disappear underground, followed by its powerful forelegs.
However, just as its distinctive, thick and powerful tail, covered in rock-hard scales, and the large, obvious butt connected to the base of its tail, were still fully exposed above ground, vigorously swinging with the digging motion and about to completely retract into the burrow—
"Bubble Beam!" Chen Kai's command had already been given.
Seadra reacted with lightning speed!
It didn't even need much adjustment of its posture; a large mass of rapidly spinning, crystal-clear bubble energy spheres instantly condensed in front of its protruding mouth!
The target was clear—Krokorok's large, unprepared rump, which hadn't yet fully burrowed underground!
"Whoosh—!"
A dense, shimmering, multicolored beam of bubbles, carrying a piercing shriek and powerful rotating water pressure, like a precise and ruthless whip, tore through the rain curtain and lashed fiercely onto Krokorok's exposed, rough-scaled tail base and thick butt!
"Splat!"
"Bang!"
Two muffled thuds exploded almost simultaneously!
The first was the dull impact of the rapidly spinning bubble energy violently hitting the hard scales and thick flesh; the second was the muffled sound of Krokorok, in pain, slamming its head against the wall of the narrow burrow it had just dug!
"Aow—!!!"
A painful, angry, and somewhat comical howl came from deep within the burrow, muffled as if its mouth was covered.
Krokorok's tail and butt, exposed above ground, twitched violently as if electrocuted, flailing helplessly left and right from intense pain and imbalance, and its entire body quickly disappeared beneath the surface, leaving only a deep hole from which muddy water continuously gushed.
A dull, rapid digging vibration came from the ground, heading directly towards Seadra's position!
"Agility! Create distance!" Chen Kai immediately shouted, giving the opponent no chance to breathe.
He anticipated that after such a heavy blow, the opponent would immediately launch a retaliatory counterattack!
A light blue stream of wind instantly surged around Seadra, its body becoming exceptionally light, its speed greatly increased, leaving streaks of afterimages on the slick, muddy ground as it rapidly slid backward!
Almost at the same moment Seadra activated Agility!
"Boom—!"
Accompanied by a roar full of fury and the loud sound of concrete cracking, the ground suddenly exploded just behind Seadra's previous position!
Mud and debris shot up like a fountain!
Krokorok, covered in mud and yellow light, burst from the earth like a completely enraged mad beast!
Its huge lower jaw opened to its fullest extent, glowing with the yellow light of Ground-type energy, carrying a strong earthy smell and fury, and fiercely bit at the afterimage left by Seadra's high-speed movement.