"Thirteen, fourteen, ..." Sal murmured, lost in thought. With one hand she held a thin bundle of Pokédollars in her grasp and with the other she pulled out one bank note after another.

Clap.

Suddenly, an unexpected noise broke her concentration.

Clap.

Clap.

Sal turned her head. An old man walked among the piles of garbage. He clapped his hands with a mocking motion. His eyes were fixed on Sal. She could literally feel his intense gaze piercing her. An instinctive fear took possession of her. As if she was grabbed by a whirlwind and thrown into the air.

"But why do I..." Sal wondered. It took her a moment to realize, those weren't her feelings. Sal looked at Trix. Her Pokémon was petrified.

"Calm down," Sal murmured, fighting against her companion's emotions. Again, she turned her gaze to the stranger, who wore a valuable suit and had a neatly trimmed beard.

"Why is Trix so scared? And why can't I shake off the feeling, we've met before?" Sal pondered. Her muscles tensed. She clenched her teeth.

"Be ready," she hissed.

"Courtesy demands that I introduce the dramatis personae at first: my name is Raymond. I would like to thank you for this rather interesting spectacle."

"No clue what you’re rambling about, old man."

"Of course not." Raymond snorted. "Although one could argue that it's not exactly the fine Kalosian way to overwhelm an opponent with an unfair three-on-one advantage. Some might deem it unfair or even excessive. Especially since your Pokémon have taken a hefty toll on Skiddo and Bunnelby. Wouldn’t you agree?"

Sal's eyes darkened. Drops of sweat ran down her forehead.

"Although I have to say: It was a wonderful composition—a ballad about illusion and reality, lies and deceit, as well as the ability to make your opponent believe he’d be fighting one Pokémon when he’s - in reality - facing three of them."

"How long has he been watching us?" Sal wondered as the old man relentlessly continued his analysis.

"The opening of Haunter, who started to attack even when you were talking to this pitiful young man: Perfidious. In addition, an illusion of you as some kind of boogeyman to distract from your actual plans. A tad too dramatic for my taste, even though it seemed to work. Then a Lick by Haunter to paralyze Skiddo; at the same time a poisonous cloud of Salandit, who hid underground, and the Grande Finale by a combined dark pulse of Haunter and your--" he clicked his tongue, "--Eevee."

"Fuck. He knows about Trix. How did he notice? " Sal thought. Again, she fought against Trix’ feeling of dread and tried to calm her mind.

"I’ve no idea what you’re talking ‘bout," she finally said.

"Ah, of course not. What did you call the attack again? Was it bad thoughts or evil thoughts? Anyway. It's painfully obvious that you've never had any professional training; let alone have a clue what you're doing."

Sal clenched her hands.

"Haunter's unwillingness to obey your orders is the best example of this. The fact that Haunter's name appears on a rather illustrious list of banned Pokémon could be interpreted in your favor. Although--" the man paused a little, "the more I think about it, the more it actually speaks against you. In fact, this applies to the entire composition of your team, although there are some synergies. Still, your Pokémon aren't exactly typical companions for a beginner who's still wet behind the ears. I'm curious, Sal, how did you catch them?"

"How do you know my name?" Sal turned pale. Pain spread through her body while her fingernails dug deep into the heels of her hands. Her counterpart curled his lips into a sneering smile.

"Some would call your way of fighting cowardly, even devious. A danger to peace and public. I wonder: How would you react if I went to the gendarmerie with all those pieces of information?"

"Trix!" shouted Sal. Out of nowhere, mirages appeared around them: mountains of garbage, where none had been before. In addition, lifelike images of Sal and her Pokémon popped out in their vicinity.

"Corry, Spooky, get him!" Sal barked. Some of the mirages began to move. It was impossible to make out which Salandit was the original.

"Pitiful sleight of hand," Raymond muttered. And then all hell broke loose.

Sal watched Salandit crash into an invisible barrier. The lizard-like Pokémon was thrown backward when she got too close to the stranger. She remained lying on the ground, her chest heaving. Haunter trembled. He hadn't moved an inch forward. Instead, he looked like he was going to explode from his inside-outs at any given moment. An invisible force pushed Sal to the ground. She fell to her knees. The air around her became dense and heavy, making it difficult to breathe. Panting, she propped herself up on the ground with her forearms, fighting against the black spots that formed in front of her eyes. It took a tremendous effort for Sal to lift her head even a bit.

Without even glancing at Sal, the old man inspected his watch in boredom. Next to him, an ochre-colored Pokémon had appeared out of nowhere. It had to be at least as old as his trainer. Long, gray whiskers fell down on either side of the Pokémon's mouth like narrow waterfalls. It had a bald skull and pointed ears that vaguely resembled long horns. Its arms and legs were narrow, almost slender. The shoulders, torso, and knees were surrounded by some sort of round armor, Sal thought, in lack of a better description.

"Overwhelming power," Sal thought, startled. She knew instinctively, it was the ochre Pokémon who forced her to the ground. It had only needed a fraction of a second to knock Salandit, Haunter, and Sal out of action.

"How can it see me?" she wondered. Many Illusions of herself still lingered in the small square.

Every living being emits a very special energy. You can't escape me. No one can do that. A strange voice sliced through Sal's mental barriers like a knife through butter and forced itself into her thoughts.

Ba-Dum.

Her temples throbbed.

Ba-Dum.

Her heart was racing.

Ba-Dum.

Breathing was difficult.

Ba-Dum.

Agonizing pain filled her entire body.

"Such a pity. Perhaps I was expecting too much. I wanted nothing more than to engage in a civilized conversation with you," commented the old man. All of a sudden, the pressure that threatened to crush Sal eased. Greedily she sucked the dirty air into her lungs.

"And now, girl, witness true power! Alakazam, would you be so kind?"

Sal looked up. The Ochre Pokémon - no, Alakazam - turned its left hand in a circle. Sal felt a force field settle over her entire area, that functioned as mini-arena.

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"Where does he get this strength from?" she wondered in fear and amazement. Only now did she realize that her connection to Trix was severed. Startled, she looked around. Instead of her Pokémon, she saw how debris, rotten wood, and a rusted bicycle - no, the entire piles of garbage - rose into the air. The waste was condensed into a chunky mass that began to spin around itself. Only Trix' illusions resisted the invisible power and remained steadfast in their place.

Each turn of Alakazam's three-fingered hand gave the mass of garbage more speed. Within seconds, the area had turned into a whirlwind of waste. The hand stopped its movement; Alakazam's three fingers spread outwards. At the same moment, projectiles of garbage rained down in all directions. Sal ducked. Instinct caused her to pull her arms together above her head.

Pok. Pok. Pok.

The expected impact on her body did not occur. The projectiles ricocheted off her with the sound of stone hitting wood. More specifically, they bounced off an invisible barrier surrounding Sal. Amid the noise, Sal heard a pitiful whimper. All of a sudden, the illusions dissolved. A few meters away, Trix was lying on the ground. Most likely, she was injured by several projectiles of garbage.

"STOP!" Now, it was Sal’s turn to beseech someone stronger to end an unfair fight, that never was one. Without a care for her own well-being, she ran to Trix and threw herself protectively over her Pokémon.

Pok. Pok. Pok.

Some projectiles still bounced off the barrier, which was moving along with Sal. It took another two or three seconds for the whirlwind of garbage to subside. The sudden calm stood in stark contrast to the forces of nature that had transformed the area into a war-like zone just a moment before.

Sal breathed heavily. It had taken Alakazam and the old man less than ten, maybe fifteen seconds to crush her and devastate the entire area. Unlike Sal, they didn't even break a sweat.

"They're monsters."

Sal was shocked. The old man gave her an amused look.

"As if he was reading my thoughts." Sal shuddered, while she stroked Trix's fur absent-minded. When her Pokémon opened her eyes, Sal felt a foreign sense of confusion come over her.

"I'm with you. Everything will be fine," she reassured Trix. Of course, that was a lie. Sal didn't have a clue if anything was going to be fine, especially not in the short run. But those were distant thoughts that she pushed aside. Sal turned her gaze to the old man. Beside him, the unconscious Salandit floated in the air. The old man came closer. Step by step.

At one and a-half meter’s distance, he stopped - eyes locked on Sal; examining her from teeth to toe. Sal felt his piercing gaze peering into the deepest corners of her soul. It felt like she was nine years old again. Once more, she stood on a pedestal and was judged by someone; evaluated in terms of strength and attitude or whatever it may be he was looking for. A flush of embarrassment shot up her now rosy cheeks. She bit her lip, but remained frozen.

"Why can't I fight back?!"

After a while, her counterpart took off his hat. A smug smile was smitten ins his face, while he scratched his gray hair. The still unconscious Salandit flew towards Sal as if the Pokémon was moved by magic. The invisible power carefully lowered Salandit until she fell into Sal's lap. Confused, Sal stared at the old geezer.

"What’s his game? Didn’t he wanna rat on me? Why am I his target?" she pondered. "Was it the jeweler? But I haven't heard anything about Guillaume robbing him tonight..."

Realization hit her like a thunderclap.

"The jeweler!" gasped Sal. "You were there. Together with that woman!"

Terror was etched into her bones and written all over her face.

"How long has he been watching me? Does he belong to the gendarmerie?"

Sal adjusted in the blink of an eye.

"Whatever happened tonight, it wasn't me, I swear! I just took a look. Nothing wrong with that, innit? Please, don't hurt me, Mister!" she begged him with a desperate voice. Artificial tears ran down her cheeks. Meanwhile, her fingers fumbled for the knife hidden in her jacket. Sal was filled with sinister determination. She was all in. Now, it was do or die. The old man's eyebrows rose subtly.

"A remarkable power of observation, indeed. In addition, outstanding acting skills. You do have a certain potential; this cannot be denied. What you’ve achieved is outright astonishing if we take the resources at your hands into account. I'm convinced you could rise to unprecedented heights. With the right leadership, of course."

Sal's hand was already halfway into her jacket. Sweat ran down her head. Her body tensed. With her fingertips, she could feel the handle of the knife. The man's gaze followed her hand’s movement.

"However, we’d have to work on your assumptions. Do you seriously think you'd be able to hurt me?" He slapped his chest and for a split second an almost invisible field shimmered around the old man. The old man shook his head and made a clicking noise with his tongue. "Disappointing."

"Fuck. The barrier! It was his doing!" Sal realized. In a frenzy, she searched for solutions but found none. Nevertheless, she formulated her next course of actions. "Not all's over. I'm gonna talk my way out, make him waste enough time for Gui to arrive. I bet he’s already on his way."

"What do you want from me?" Sal asked, glancing at the intruder.

"For simplicity's sake, let's say I'm looking for trainers with a certain something. I heard about your exploits and was curious to meet you," he admitted bluntly. Sal's eyes narrowed into slits.

"And!?"

"Oh, if you’re asking for my professional opinion, I’d have to say: as a trainer, you're lacking in every aspect. It would take a lot of time to impart the necessary knowledge and intellect to you. You’re missing the very basics that are critical to be successful in my area of expertise."

Hot anger burned in Sal. She clenched her fists.

"Well, what I'm trying to say here is: anyone can win against lightweights like the one from before, if they have a Zorua on their side as well as some brain."

"Zorua?" Sal asked, thinking, "Does he mean..."

"Indeed. Unlike you, I'm well aware of your Pokémon’s very nature."

"You know what kind of Pokémon Trix is?" Sal blurted out. It was a question, she'd been chasing desperately for years. At last, a trail presented itself to her!

"There is probably no one in the whole of Kalos with comparable expertise to mine."

Sal's eyes widened. Pain and humiliation were long forgotten. "What kind of Pokémon is she? Can Trix evolve? How can she become stronger?"

Raymond shook his head, again with this annoying clicking noise of his tongue. "Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Do you know how valuable this information is? I don't think there is anything of interest, someone like you could offer someone like me."

"You're looking for talent," Sal stated, ready to sell her soul. In response, she received a dismissive snort.

"How Daring. As I already mentioned: you are deficient in every aspect. Besides, there's still your unfortunate relationship with Guillaume. Nothing you say or do could convince me of your willingness to change your allegiances. Which, by the way, is nothing you should decide shortly after a lost fight at a nasty garbage dump."

“Deficient in all aspects,” was all that Sal could hear. It was never enough. She was never enough. Sal felt a cold tug in her chest.

"WELL, HELLO, MONSIEUR!" Benoit's dark voice echoed like a rumble of thunder in the distance. Guillaume's right-hand man had appeared from behind a pile of garbage and entered the outer radius of Alakazam's devastating attack. Three burly thugs, armed with cane bars and clubs, escorted Benoit. They looked a lot like trouble.

"Alakazam, psychokinesis. We're trying to talk here," the old man commented calm but seemingly annoyed by the interruption. His gaze was still fixed on Sal. The levitating Pokémon's eyes lit up. It circled his hand and flipped it's fingers up in one casual motion. At the same moment, Benoit and his companions were seized by an invisible force. Their intimidating movements stopped from one second to another. The thug's arms and legs were stretched away from their bodies by Alakazam's assault.

Against their will, the helpless men rose into the air, where they remained hanging at a considerable height. Like grotesque stars - pinned to the sky. Their astonishment had turned to sheer horror, but Sal couldn’t hear their screams and shouts. Their voices were muffled, as if someone was burying them under a dusty blanket, to suppress the noise they made. For a split second, Sal thought she saw a shimmering sphere surrounding the men.

"Like puppets. He didn't even look at them." Sal stared into the old man's blue eyes. Hidden in them was an abyss, threatening to swallow her. His wrinkled face was deceptive. Behind the friendly smile lurked a dangerous beast, waiting to pounce on its prey. It took all of Sal's willpower to withstand his gaze.

A second went by.

Her whole body tensed.

Two seconds.

Sal's heart was pounding.

Three seconds.

Her mouth was dry.

Four seconds.

They felt like an eternity.

Five seconds.

A bead of sweat ran down her forehead. Sal blinked as it dripped into her eye. In the distance, she heard hurried footsteps and loud shouts. Guillaume had come. And he wasn't alone!

Still, he was nothing more than background noise to Sal, who couldn't escape the old man's gaze. His eyes held her captive. She tuned out all of her surroundings. At that moment, there were only the two of them. With every fiber of her being, she sensed the danger emanating from him.

"You lack strength and knowledge. Your cunning will only get you so far. Right now, you’re nothing more than a street rat. Wasted potential. Is this what your life is supposed to be?"

As he spoke his last words, he let his gaze wander over the dumps in disparagement. His gaze turned to the distant Guillaume, who was fuming and shouting incomprohensible words.

"You have to choose. Will you break the chains of your reality, or will you remain in the blind entourage of this one-eyed king?"

A mischievous, knowing smile was on the old man's lips as he nodded to his Pokémon.

"We'll see each other again soon."

"Yveltal shall fetch me!" murmured Sal. The old man had vanished into thin air before her eyes.