Chapter 621: Wellspring Cave (1)
~Third POV~
[Unova Region, Next Day, Route 3]
The morning sun broke through the thick, rustling canopy of Route 3, casting golden, fractured light across the undulating hills and rocky footpaths of the Unova region. A gentle, crisp breeze carried the scent of damp earth and the unmistakable, charged energy of Pokémon during rigorous training.
*Clang—Thud*
White called out, her voice ringing with a mix of anxiety and excitement, "Keep your footing, Gigi!"
She stood on the sidelines of a wide clearing, clutching her clipboard close to her chest as her newly caught partner, an Eevee named Vivi, peered up from her shoulders with wide, curious eyes.
In the center of the clearing, White's Tepig, Gigi, was deep in a sparring session. She wasn't alone. Next to her, Black's hot-blooded Tepig, fittingly nicknamed Tep, and Azure's own sturdy Pignite were showing her the ropes.
*THUMP*
Every stomp of their hooves kicked up small clouds of dust; every burst of embers from their snouts illuminated the shadows of the towering oak trees. Black yelled, his arms crossed over his chest, a wide, intensely focused grin plastered across his face, "That's it, Gigi! Pivot on your left hind leg!"
Beside him, his newly acquired partner, Vee the Eevee, bounced up and down, mimicking the movements of the larger fire-types with clumsy enthusiasm added, "Feel the rhythm of the battle! If you don't feel it, you can't win! And if you can't win, how are you ever going to reach the Unova League?!"
Azure said dryly, leaning casually against a mossy boulder, "You're going to overwhelm her if you keep shouting like a human megaphone, Black."
Perched effortlessly on Azure's right shoulder was his partner Pikachu, twitching his long ears at the rustle of a distant Pidgey. Atop Azure's head, another Eevee curled into a soft, brown-furred loaf, occasionally letting out a soft Vee of approval whenever Azure scratched behind its ears. Tucked safely inside the breast pocket of Azure's travel jacket, a Pichu (Mew) peeked out with sparkling blue eyes, nibbling on a stray piece of Oran berry.
Black argued back, his eyes flashing with that familiar, burning intensity that often bordered on fanaticism, "I am not a megaphone! I'm passionate!"
He rubbed his temples for a split second—a telltale sign of his mind overclocking with championship dreams—before shaking it off. He muttered firmly, "Besides, look at them! They're learning fast!"
Azure murmured, a soft smile gracing his features, "They are indeed."
He pushed himself off the boulder and stepped into the clearing. He then said, "Alright, everyone, take five! Let's shift gears."
At his command, the sparring Pokémon trotted over, panting lightly. Azure gestured for the three Eevees—Vee, Vivi, and his own partner—to gather around.
Azure began, his tone shifting into that of a seasoned instructor eyeing the Eevee trio. He said in a calm tone, "Since you're all eager to expand your repertoires, we're going to touch upon a couple of advanced concepts used extensively in the Hisui region, now known as the Sinnoh region: Agile and Strong Style."
White blinked, stepping closer. Black eyes widened as he asked, "Agile and Strong Style? I've read about those in academic journals, but I've never heard where they originated. Aren't those your techniques?"
Azure replied smoothly, "History is just practical experience written down."
He glanced down at his shoulder. He asked his partner with a sly grin, "Pikachu, care to give them a live demonstration?"
Pikachu chirped brightly, leaping off Azure's shoulder and landing softly on the turf. The electric mouse squeaked, "Pika! (Leave it to me, Azure!)."
Azure explained, raising a hand, "First, Agile Style. You sacrifice a fraction of your move's raw power to execute it with blinding speed, allowing you to potentially act twice in a row. Pikachu, use a light, Agile Quick Attack!"
*Zap*
Pikachu blurred into a streak of white light. Before the eye could properly track the motion, he had zipped across the clearing, tapped a thick tree trunk, and bounced back to his starting position in less than a second.
It was fast, efficient, and left almost no opening.
Azure continued, his eyes sharpening. He said firmly, "Now, Strong Style. You pour everything into the execution—maximum power, maximum impact, at the cost of a slight delay in recovery. Pikachu, Iron Tail, Strong Style!"
*CRACK*
Pikachu leapt into the air, his tail glowing with the hard, metallic sheen of steel. He brought it down onto a designated boulder with a deafening CRACK! The shockwave kicked up a mini-gale of dust and small pebbles, and when the smoke cleared, a deep, scorched indentation was left cleanly in the stone.
The 2 Eevees stared in absolute awe. Vivi let out a tiny squeak of pure admiration, while Black's Vee blinked rapidly, tail wagging a mile a minute.
White breathed, jotting something down on her notepad. She said excitedly, "Incredible... The mechanical efficiency of that strike... It's like choreography, but with real combat application. My actors could learn a lot from this pacing!"
Black grinned, throwing an arm around White's shoulders before pulling back just as quickly to watch his Tep, stating in a knowing tone said cheekily, "See? It's all about pushing past the limits! Right, Tep?"
The fire pig grunted in agreement, "Tep-tepig!"
*RMBL*
Suddenly, a loud, obnoxious RUMBLE echoed across the clearing.
Black froze. He slowly looked down at his stomach, his face flushing a bright shade of crimson as he said embarrassingly, "Uh... okay, maybe my internal engine is running out of fuel sooner than I thought."
White giggled, sliding her notepad into her bag as she asked Azure, "Well, we have been training for hours. Azure, what do you say? Should we break for lunch before heading toward Wellspring Cave?"
Azure said, nodding, "Sounds like a plan. The kids have earned a break."
Azure and Black set to clearing a wide, flat patch of grass free of stray branches and sharp stones. Once the space was prepped, Azure stepped back, subtly channeling a fraction of his aura to access his inventory.
His spatial backpack was little more than a prop—his actual [Sub-Space] storage held everything he could ever need. With a flick of his wrist, a large, woven wicker basket materialized in his hands, overflowing with vibrant, fresh fruits, Nanab berries, Razz berries, and dense, aromatic blocks of homemade provisions.
Azure muttered, rolling up his sleeves, "Alright, let's see what we can whip up…"
From his belt, a localized distortion flickered, and Rotom popped out of the Arc Phone screen resting in Azure's pocket. Rotom buzzed excitedly, its screen glowing a bright, cheerful yellow, "Ooh! Bzzzzt! Cooking time! Shall I scan the nutritional values of the berries?"
Azure replied smoothly, already setting to work, "Not necessary, Rotom. Just make sure no rogue Bug-types try to swipe the ingredients."
With the practiced, effortless grace of a master chef who had traveled across Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh, he began slicing, mixing, and heating ingredients over a small, contained portable burner he produced from his jacket. Years of surviving the wilds, conquering Battle Frontiers, and feeding a massive, bottomless roster of Pokémon had turned Azure's culinary skills into an art form.
Within minutes, the clearing was filled with the intoxicating, sweet-and-savory aroma of freshly baked flour-like cakes infused with berry reduction. Black's nose twitched. His eyes dilated. He whispered, practically floating toward the makeshift kitchen setup, "This smell… Is... is that heaven?"
White sighed, though her own eyes were locked onto the golden-brown pastries with undisguised hunger. She couldn't help but mutter, "Good grief, you act like you haven't eaten in a week…"
She walked over, gently setting down a bowl of water and specialized feed for Gigi and Vivi, who immediately trotted over to dine. Azure placed the final batch of cakes onto a large wooden platter and smiled, stating in a proud tone, "Help yourselves, everyone. And don't worry about rationing—I always pack extra."
Black shouted, his eyes wide, "Extra?!"
*ZOOOOM*
Before White could even blink, Black had already lunged forward with the speed of a startled Ninjask, grabbing two massive cakes in each hand. He first thanked the chief, "Don't mind if I do!"
White protested, rushing forward to grab a share before Black inhaled the entire supply, "Hey! Save some for the rest of us, you absolute glutton!"
Even Gigi and Vivi seemed to catch the infectious energy, trotting over to nibble happily on smaller, berry-topped portions that Azure handed down to them. Rotom chirped, hovering over the plate and taking digital snapshots of the food, "Delicious! Bzzzt! The molecular density of this flour cake is optimal for human and Pokémon metabolic rates!"
Azure leaned back against a tree, crossing his arms with a contented smile. A dark shadow at the edge of his vision shifted, and a pair of glowing, crimson eyes peered out from the canopy of his own aura-bound space.
Gengar asked directly in a professional food critic tone, whispering from the safety of his shadow, "Boss... the food is adequate. Though I prefer the essence of nightmares, your baking remains tolerable."
Azure chuckled, replying, "Glad to pass your high standards, Gengar."
*GULP*
Black mumbled around a mouthful of flour cake in his mouth, crumbs flying everywhere, "Azure…!! This... munch... this is incredible. If you opened a bakery in Castelia City, you'd make a fortune!"
Azure replied, taking a calm sip of spring water, "I've got other priorities right now, Black. Like making my mark on the Unova League. But I appreciate the compliment. Cooking is just a survival skill that turned into a hobby after a few too many burnt meals in my experience traveling the world."
White nodded in agreement, delicately taking a small bite of her own cake. She added, "It's genuinely wonderful, Azure. You really are full of surprises. One minute you're teaching us ancient battle styles from forgotten regions, and the next you're running a five-star kitchen out of a backpack."
Just as Azure opened his mouth to reply to White's words of praise, the atmosphere in the clearing abruptly shifted.
*SWOOSH—CRUNCH*
The tall grass at the edge of the trail violently thrashed. Before anyone could react, two figures in distinct, dark gray uniforms adorned with a large, stylized 'P' burst through the tree line. The first grunt screamed at the top of his lungs, his face twisted in a panicked, desperate snarl, "Get out of our way!"
The sudden intrusion sent a jolt of shock through the group. Vivi yelped, jumping directly into White's arms, while Tep let out a sharp, defensive squeal. But worse than the suddenness of the interruption was the trajectory.
The two frantic Team Plasma grunts barreled straight through the center of the camp, their heavy combat boots stomping directly over the neatly arranged cooking supplies, crushing the remaining flour cakes into a pathetic, ruined mess of dirt and crumbs.
*Splat—Crunch*
The sound of Azure's freshly baked pastries being pulverized beneath the boots of fleeing criminals echoed loudly in the sudden, stunned silence of the clearing.
Black blinked, his jaw dropping, and yelled, "MY LUNCH!!"
White gasped, covering her mouth, and shrieked, "NO!! NOT THE CAKES!!!"
Rotom's screen flashed bright red and screamed, "OH NO!!!!!"
Azure didn't yell. He didn't make a sound…
*Trembl-trembl*
But his body shook. Shook… enraged.
If looks could kill, the two grunts would have been reduced to subatomic particles. His eyes went entirely blank, locked onto the ruined basket of food he had spent the last 30 minutes preparing with care…
*MENACING-MENACING-MENACING*
A terrifying, oppressive menacing aura of absolute stillness radiated from his shoulders for a fraction of a second, causing Pikachu to instantly dive deeper into his hood and the hidden Mew to squeak in silent terror.
Without a backward glance, the two Team Plasma grunts vanished into the left fork of Route 3, disappearing in the direction of Wellspring Cave. Before anyone could process the sheer audacity of the crime, heavy, hurried footsteps thudded down the path.
"Wait! Stop right there!"
*Rustle—BOOM*
Cheren burst into the clearing, chest heaving, his glasses slightly crooked and his expression rigid with stern frustration. He scanned the area, his eyes landing on Black, White, and Azure. For a split second, Cheren froze, a muscle in his cheek twitching as he almost instinctively reached for his Xtransceiver to demand Black's contact info, before shaking his head to clear his thoughts. Cheren pointed ahead urgently, "You guys! Did you just see two crooks sprint past here?!"
Black growled, his face darkening as his hot-blooded temper flared up. He shouted defiantly, "If by crooks you mean those weirdos in the gray uniforms who just trampled my lunch, then yeah. They went that way."
*Rustle—boom*
Before Cheren could respond, another rustling sound echoed from the trail behind him. Bianca stumbled into the clearing, panting heavily, tears brimming in the corners of her eyes. Clinging desperately to the hem of her skirt was a sobbing Preschooler, her little face smeared with dirt and grief.
The little girl wailed, burying her face in Bianca's clothes, "Sniff... Waaaah! They took him! Those mean people took my Lillipup!"
Bianca looked up, her expression distressed as she quickly explained, "It's true! Those goons... they just shoved past us and stole this poor little girl's Pokémon right out of her arms! We have to do something!"
The moment the words left Bianca's mouth, the temperature in the clearing seemed to drop. Black's fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white growled, "Stealing a Pokémon from a kid? That's it…!! That crosses the line. We're going after them!"
Next to him, Azure slowly exhaled a long, measured breath. The blank look in his eyes vanished, replaced by a cold, sharp focus. He looked at the ruined food on the ground, then up toward the dark maw of Wellspring Cave in the distance.
Azure said coldly, his voice terrifyingly calm, "Nobody… destroys my cooking and gets away with stealing a child's partner."
Black and Azure suddenly paused, turning their heads to look at each other with identical expressions of intense, unyielding resolve. Azure gave a sharp, dry cough, correcting himself in a self-righteous manner, "Er—I mean, of course, we must uphold justice and protect the bonds between trainers and their Pokémon."
Black agreed quickly, though the murder in his eyes suggested Team Plasma was about to experience a very bad day, "Right. Obviously. Justice first, lunch second."
Cheren declared, adjusting his glasses firmly, "I'm going with you! We can't let them get away with this."
Azure raised a hand, stopping them for a moment. He turned his gaze toward White, who was still holding a trembling Vivi, and stated, "White. Stay here with Bianca and the little girl. It's not safe inside the cave yet."
White looked hesitant, wanting to object, but she saw the fierce determination in Azure's eyes and nodded, replying, "Right. Be careful, you guys."
*Swooosh*
Materializing out of his shadow, Gengar appeared silently beside White. Gengar answered in a mocking salute, her red eyes gleaming with protective malice, "I shall keep watch over them, Boss! Let none lay a finger on them, or I shall drag their souls into the other realm. Now go avenge the food!!!"
Azure nodded, "Thanks, Gengar."
Without another word, the trio of trainers—Black, Azure, and Cheren—turned on their heels. Summoning their respective teams in a flash of white light, they bolted down the rocky path toward Wellspring Cave, leaving the rustling canopy of Route 3 behind as a storm of retribution brewed ahead.
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A/N: Hope you like the chapter!