The Emotion Between Life and Death  

A massive metal door blocked their path, its surface gleaming with an intimidating sheen. At Blaine's command, Rapidash and Arcanine opened their mouths, unleashing torrents of scorching flames upon it. 

To Ryuusuke, the door resembled the kind of vault used in banks to store money and valuables—yet even this thick barrier of reinforced metal began to glow red under the intense heat, as if it might melt into molten slag at any moment. 

This made Ryuusuke realize something—the flames these Pokémon unleashed weren't just heat. They carried some kind of unknown energy within them. 

"No, we don't have time! If I sent out Magmar, it could tear through this door, but the space is too narrow to dodge. If there's another door behind this one, we're finished!" 

Seeing that the metal door was sturdier than expected, Blaine immediately made a decision. He ordered Arcanine and Rapidash to turn around and bolt toward a side corridor. Just as they moved, a terrifying roar echoed behind them—like a dam bursting, a colossal wave of water surged through the hallway with devastating force.

The already weakened metal door was instantly torn apart by the impact. And just as Blaine had predicted, there was indeed another door behind it. Had they hesitated even a second longer, the crushing force of the water would have struck them in the cramped corridor, rendering Rapidash and Arcanine helpless. 

Ryuusuke glanced back and saw, beyond the now-calm floodwaters, dozens of Pokémon standing in formation. Quantity over quality—though none of them individually could match a Gym Leader like Blaine, the sheer number of Water-types simultaneously firing Hydro Pump was overwhelming. 

In an open area, Blaine could have handled them with mobility alone, but in these tight corridors—with Professor Oak and Ryuusuke to protect—even the Cinnabar Gym Leader was struggling. 

"Just how much funding did Team Rocket pour into this facility?! For the Mewtwo project, they've turned this place into a fortress!" 

Blaine cursed under his breath, though he was silently relieved that no high-ranking Team Rocket executives were present. If they had been, fighting their way out against these odds would have been nearly impossible. 

"All exits must be sealed by now. The surveillance here is extensive—they'll find us no matter where we go. If we don't keep moving, we'll be surrounded soon. With just us, breaking out will be tough… Our best bet is to regroup and try contacting outside help. Hopefully, reinforcements arrive before Team Rocket's backup does. Oak, Ryuusuke—hold on tight! There's a panic room ahead, designed as a last resort. Once we're inside, we'll be safe for a while!" 

Blaine's voice was hoarse from shouting. Rapidash and Arcanine continued their desperate sprint, their stamina visibly waning. Blaine's coat was tattered, his face smeared with soot from his own flames. 

They had narrowly escaped several near-encirclements, each encounter more perilous than the last. With no other Pokémon suited for fast movement in tight spaces, Blaine had no choice but to rely on Rapidash and Arcanine to protect Professor Oak and Ryuusuke. 

Ryuusuke stayed silent, clinging tightly to Rapidash's back, his body trembling. Even with the protection, the searing heat and the enemy's relentless water attacks had left his clothes soaked, wrinkled, and singed in places. 

Fear gripped his heart. Just days ago, he had been living an ordinary, peaceful life—now, he was thrust into a battlefield like a soldier in a flood rescue or a firefighter charging into an inferno. 

To say he wasn't afraid would be a lie. The enemy's killing intent was real—every attack aimed to end their lives. The terror of teetering on the edge of death made his body shake uncontrollably. 

But fear was a vital human emotion. Those who felt no fear were incomplete. And buried deep beneath that fear, Ryuusuke was startled to find… excitement. A boiling, primal thrill that made him want to laugh wildly—like a soldier lost in the frenzy of an ancient battlefield, swinging his sword at anything that moved. 

The exhilaration of dancing on the line between life and death was intoxicating. A battle where lives were the stakes—how magnificent, how glorious! 

Ryuusuke had never imagined that deep down, he was someone so violent, so ruthless. 

Perhaps it was something all humans carried, buried beneath the surface. 

"Quick, up ahead!" 

Rapidash and Arcanine dashed across a narrow, bridge-like passage barely wide enough for two people, finally entering a small chamber. 

"Magmar, it's your turn!" 

The moment they entered, Blaine rolled off Arcanine's back and hurled a Poké Ball. From the burst of smoke emerged a towering, molten creature—a two-meter-tall beast with a duck-like bill and a body wreathed in flowing magma. Its savage aura filled the room as it planted itself at the entrance, standing like an unbreakable fortress. 

"This panic room is built from Silph Steel—an alloy developed by Silph Co. using rare metals. The reserves are extremely limited, yet Team Rocket used so much of it here… How extravagant. But this metal is also the strongest known. Even Pokémon would struggle to break through it quickly. Once the door seals, we'll be safe for a while." 

As he spoke, Blaine frantically worked the room's computer console, adding, "…Ryuusuke, stay away from Magmar. Its body temperature exceeds 1,200 degrees. It's not a gentle Pokémon—it's hostile to everyone except its trainer." 

Blaine's fingers flew across the keyboard before he suddenly slammed it in frustration. "…What the hell?!" 

"What's wrong, Blaine?!" 

Professor Oak remained composed, his tone steady even in this life-or-death situation. 

"The controls aren't working!" 

Just as Blaine voiced his confusion, a Team Rocket member's laughter echoed from the other end of the narrow passage. 

"Hahahaha! Blaine, wondering why the panic room won't activate? Let me enlighten you—Team Rocket's motto is 'Victory or Death.' We never planned for retreat! That 'panic room' was just a trick to fool you researchers!" 

"Now, it's become your cage. Sure, this narrow space makes it hard for us to attack, but how long can you last? All units, unleash your strongest Water-type moves—flood them out!" 

The moment the Rocket member finished speaking, the roar of surging water filled the air. Rapidash and Arcanine rushed forward, joining Magmar as they desperately unleashed flames, vaporizing the oncoming torrents before they could breach the room. 

"Then we have no choice…" 

Blaine gritted his teeth and threw another Poké Ball. This time, a sleek, blue draconic Pokémon with a saddle-like shell on its back materialized. 

"Lapras, use Ice Beam—freeze the entrance solid!" 

Blaine knew he wasn't Lapras' trainer—his commands wouldn't be as precise. But Lapras was highly intelligent. It nodded, gathering frigid energy in its mouth before unleashing a beam of freezing light. The three Fire-types at the entrance swiftly dodged as the Ice Beam struck, instantly flash-freezing the incoming water into a thick wall of ice. 

"What now, Blaine?" 

Ryuusuke had calmed down, though the fire in his heart still burned. He wanted to fight, to throw himself back into that razor's edge between life and death. The battles he had witnessed were nothing like the childlike Pokémon battles he had imagined—this was real, brutal combat. No turn-based exchanges, no rules. Just raw power, numbers, and terrain dictating survival. 

"I have a Kangaskhan and my strongest Charizard left, along with Rapidash, Arcanine, and Magmar. That's my full strength. The enemy has over a hundred men—assuming each has two Pokémon, that's nearly three hundred against our six. And most of them counter my Fire-types. If this were an open battlefield, I wouldn't fear them. But in this confined space… it's not looking good." 

Blaine let out a bitter laugh before suddenly stiffening. "…Wait, why is it getting so hot? Damn it—!" 

He lunged forward, tackling Ryuusuke to the ground just as the ice wall at the entrance turned crimson. A surge of flames blasted into the room, instantly painting everything in shades of red. A single breath seared Ryuusuke's lungs like swallowing molten needles. 

"Rapidash, Arcanine—Flash Fire!" 

At Blaine's command, the flames in the room were sucked into the two Fire-types like a whirlpool, sparing them from being incinerated alive. 

The three of them staggered to their feet, coughing violently, their clothes singed and their throats parched. 

"They switched to Fire-types… This was planned from the start. We walked right into a trap. This kind of tactical precision… I've seen it before. This must be the work of Team Rocket's hidden leader." 

Blaine panted heavily. Even as a Fire-type specialist, he was still human—fire hurt him just as much as anyone else. 

"It might be worse than that, Blaine." 

Ryuusuke looked up at the ceiling. "…They've shut off the air filtration system from the outside. You specialize in Fire-types, and now they're using Fire-types too. In a room this small, we'll suffocate from lack of oxygen before long." 

Blaine's face paled as he confirmed the vents were indeed sealed shut. 

Before they could react, another wave of flames roared in. Blaine's Pokémon countered with their own, but each exchange further depleted the oxygen in the room. Though Pokémon flames were energy-based, the heat they generated was enough to scorch the air itself. 

Then, Blaine's gaze locked onto Ryuusuke. Professor Oak seemed to realize something and immediately stepped between them. 

"You can't, Blaine! The genetic modifications aren't complete! If you do this, Ryuusuke will likely die!" 

"Oak… I prepared for the worst. I made arrangements in advance for this. Can you trust me?" 

Blaine removed his sunglasses, his eyes meeting Professor Oak's. The two men stood in tense silence. 

From their exchange, Ryuusuke understood. His fists clenched, a mix of exhilaration and faint fear making his heart race. The thrill of battle, the stakes of life and death—it was intoxicating. 

Grabbing Professor Oak's arm, Ryuusuke spoke slowly, deliberately. 

"I know what Blaine wants to do. And I'm willing. Besides… if I don't, all three of us die here, right?" 

"But—" 

Professor Oak hesitated, his kind eyes conflicted. But seeing the resolve—and the flicker of excitement—in Ryuusuke's gaze, he finally nodded. 

"…Fine. Blaine, I hope you're not lying about finding a way to stabilize the incomplete genes."

To be continued…